Dear Micah (4 months)

This was a big month for you! You learned to do so many new things this month. After practicing day and night for weeks on end, you finally mastered the art of rolling and you can’t stop doing it! You also found your feet and love to grab your toes and roll around like a roly poly. Now that you finally figured out how to use your hands, you grab everything in sight, especially Mommy’s hair! You love feeling new textures and you are constantly trying touch everything around you. We always try to make sure you have something in your hands to play with. You already seem to like some toys more than others. You especially love chewing on your Sophie the Giraffe. You are such a happy baby. We get the biggest smiles out of you when you first wake up in the mornings or after naps. You always seem to be so happy to be awake and ready to play! You are always laughing at all the silly noises and faces we make at you. We can’t get enough of your contagious giggles! You have started to use your voice more creatively now. Your loud shrieks and squeals have taken over our house. You are absolutely mesmerized by books. We can sit and read to you for hours and you enjoy every minute of it. Daddy likes to read you the “Just So Stories” and “Where the Sidewalk Ends”. Sometimes he will even read you books about rock climbing! You love watching us talk to you, sometimes you will put your hand on our mouths and feel the movement of our lips. You seem to really want to learn how to talk. You sure are one sensitive little guy! When you are in an unfamiliar place and surrounded by new people, you become really quiet and shy. You have to always keep Mommy and Daddy in sight. Everyone always tries to make you smile, but you just stare at them in wonder. You went so many new places this month - the Zoo, the Missouri Botanical Gardens, and even to Jackson Falls for a weekend of climbing and camping! You have turned into a terrible sleeper this month and we hope this streak ends soon because Mommy and Daddy are exhausted! Ever since we unswaddled you, you have been practicing rolling at night and you wake yourself up constantly. You are moving all over your crib by scooting forwards and backwards. You get really mad when you get yourself stuck in a corner and can’t move anymore!

Pictures from the past month...

Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens:

"The Zew"

Desperately in search of larger prey, other than the bristly, brown, bushy-tailed, black-eyed squirrels and rambunctious rabbits near our home, we headed to a place my parents referred to as the "Zew".  I was told I would see larger game, but I wasn't expecting much, for the animals that they talked about, I had never seen, and had only heard about in fictional tales about faraway lands.

We arrived early and as we approached the entrance, a familiar smell wafted over me. I had smelled this often when laying on my changing table at home, staring at the stuffed monkeys dangling from the shelves above. I rode quietly in my chariot, through the entrance, and down a path that bordered a murky, grey-green, lake. I could see small birds, but nothing special or un-normal. We entered a large glass tube that took us underwater, which was most peculiar and ridiculous, and then out of the corner of my eye I spied a giant swimming dog with whiskers and flippers for legs! 

Where on earth was I? What was this... this... Zew? There were giant cats with rock and roll hair and horses with stripes! There were tall things with long necks that walked on stilts and fat birds that walked slowly, but swam as fast as fish! 

And then I fell asleep. But I assure you it wasn't a dream... or was it?

M Videos

I put together a short video chronicling Micah's 2-3 months of life. This is the first video filmed with my new toy, the Canon 7D. I still have a lot to learn about videography and video editing, but I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Micah June 2012 from Yolanda Chen on Vimeo.


Here's the link for the first video made of Micah's birth and first weeks of life!




Micah's 1st Month from Yolanda Chen on Vimeo.

Dear Micah (3 months)

You have become quite the blabbermouth! You seem to have so much to tell us everyday. You’ll talk to anyone who is willing to listen. Even if there is no one there, you just jabber away to yourself. We love listening to you in the morning. You always wake up with so much to say! Although you will talk to us all day long, you still don’t give away smiles very often. Mommy and Daddy have to make all sorts of funny faces and noises just to get a smirk from you. When we work really hard, we even get some giggles out of you! You rarely ever look at the person who holds you, but you are getting better about that. You’re ticklish now, squirming, smiling, and giggling when we tickle your belly or under your arms. You are such a great baby, so easygoing and laid back. As long as you are well rested and well fed, you are good to go. When you get mad though, you make sure everyone around you knows about it! You usually start by doing some fake coughing sounds which then progress to loud screaming. You have quite a little temper, but quiet down quickly when you get what you want. It’s usually milk. You love listening to stories. We read you books everyday. Sometimes, Daddy even makes up his own stories. You stare so attentively at each page and love listening to our voices. You still love to kick those little legs and they are getting stronger everyday! Now that you have mastered the art of jumping, you never stop doing it! We love watching you kick and squeal with delight as you jump up and down in your bouncer. You are working on other skills now, like rolling over and reaching for objects. You are so content just lying on your back, you are not interested in rolling either way yet. The one time you finally rolled over, Daddy missed it and you haven’t done it since. You love clasping your hands together and using them as chew toys. You watch us eat with wonder, staring at our food and wondering what it tastes like. Don’t worry Micah, you’ll get your chance. We plan on exposing you to the wondrous variety of foods this world has to offer. 

Pictures from Micah's 3 month period:

 

  

100 Days Celebration

On July 2, 2012, Micah turned 100 days! In many Asian cultures, this momentous day is often celebrated with a big family gathering along with the consumption of a large amount of scrumptious food. So, we did just that! Our St. Louis "family" all came together to celebrate Micah's 100 days of life with a bouldering and BBQ extravaganza at our house. Micah even had the pleasure of sharing this occasion with our good friend, Sophie, who turned 17,520 days old just a few days before. Thank you, Dane, for capturing this special day for us on film!

Genius Baby

I left the boys all alone last weekend and headed out to Sonoma to sip vino with my girlfriends.  Not only did CR manage to sleep train the little man, he also discovered that our son, may in fact, be a genius.  See for yourself!  No video editing, dubbing, or voodoo magic was used.  Just pure genius.  I should leave them alone more often!