Out and About

Alex is keeping busy this week with some fun outings. On Monday we visited Studio Grow in Berkeley, for the first time. It is a great play space with a variety of activities for kids of all ages. Since it is school holiday time, it was quite the buzzing place. Alex and his friends enjoyed the ball pit, some puzzle time and they all seemed to enjoy watching the older kids during the "parachute" time. I remember doing that in grade school and the older kids seemed to be enjoying it as much as I remember enjoying it myself. Alex had alot of fun in the play kitchen....I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

It was such a beautiful day today that we actually went to two different playgrounds. You cannot pass up sunny and 60 degrees in late December! As you can see from the picture, Johnny and Alex were quite interested in the squirrel which seemed to be hanging out around the playground searching for discarded Cheerios. It certainly looked as thought it had eaten quite a few...it was quite the plump squirrel, and obviously not afraid of children crawling towards it. They had a blast crawling around in the sand and playing with the assorted toys. So different from this summer when the swings were about all that they could enjoy, and we spent most of our time trying to make sure that they didn't eat the sand.

Practice, Practice, Practice

At about 7:00 tonight, about the time that we normal try to get Alex to "power down" for the evening, he decided to practice walking. For about 45 minutes he would stand up, walk, fall down and then start over. He was quite excited about the whole process and proud of himself (as were we), as he should be! He has been taking steps here and there over the past month, but he definitely had his longest stretch ever this evening. It is hard to believe how quickly time flies....it seems like just yesterday that you could put him in one place and when you came back, he was still there!

Celebration!

A little clip of Alex after his exciting adventures in walking. He was really trying to get Xena to understand how excited he was and she just was not having it. I think that she was just thinking "Oh man, now he can walk after me and soon he will be running after me...ugh!"

Thanks Cuz Cuz Landen!

Alex received a cool Click Clack Alligator Push Toy from Cousin Landen for Christmas. As you can see, he really enjoys it. The alligator mouths open and close as he pushes the toy around. There have been a few near collisions with the tree and Alex loves to try to actually pull the mouths off, so it is considered to be quite a loved new toy. Hopefully the two cousins can spend a Christmas together soon!

Christmas Photo Shoot

Merry, Merry Christmas! Before we went on our trip, we decided to do a Christmas photo shoot of Alex in his little tux. It was quite a fun time and out of about 250 snaps, these are some of our favorites.

Playing!

Alex enjoying his new activity cube, which he received from Grandma Elaine. Thanks!

Alex's First Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all from The Chng's! Hope that you are having a great holiday. Alex's first Christmas has been a fun one. As you can see, he received lots of nice presents and has already been having a great time playing with them. He had fun watching his sister get into her stocking this morning and really enjoyed eating French toast for the first time too! Thanks to everyone for the nice Christmas presents. Enjoy your day!

Congrats Mom & Turtle Wurtle

Congratulations to my mom for a prize in the second annual Poop Super-Crafty Halloween Costume Contest (as run by a parent's blog on SFGate) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/parenting/detail?blogid=29&entry_id=32281
Yay! I loved the costume and so did the readers on the Poop :-)

Best Crafty Costume That's Clever but Not So Overly Polished That It Makes the Rest of Us Feel Bad For Our Lack of Martha Stewart-ness.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/parenting/detail?blogid=29&entry_id=32489#readmore

Tilden Park Carousel

Alex and David on the Tilden Park Christmas Carousel

Tilden Park Christmas Carousel

In my quest to find events to make family traditions during this first year of Alex's life, the boys and I went up to Tilden Park to the Christmas Carousel, which is not far from where David and I were married. The wooden carousel is handcarved and dates back to 1911. It was recently restored, so I thought it would be fun to check it out. It is decorated with lights and Christmas decorations every year from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Luckily, we arrived at 5:30 when it opened, so we did not wait in any traffic or lines. Despite the fact that it was in the 30's, there were quite a few people out to take part in the festivities. We took a few rides around and Alex seemed to enjoy looking at the lights and of course, the other big kids around him.

Let's Decorate the Tree and Dance!

We put up the tree on Sunday morning and I was just watching the videos now. This kid loves to dance, doesn't he? Jingle Bells is good dancin' music!

Little Helper

Well, it is Christmas time and it certainly feels like it here in Northern California. The past few nights have had temps in the 30's, which is quite cold compared to normal temperatures. As usual, I have been trying to get some candy made, before the holiday week actually arrives. Yesterday, I whipped up some caramels and peanut brittle and today, Alex and I made marshmallows. He loves being in the kitchen and I have given him a drawer full of plastic containers, a wooden spoon and some stainless steel bowls to keep him occupied while we are in the kitchen. Now he will just go right over to the drawer, open it and start playing. I gave him a spatula with some marshmallow on it, more for a photo op than anything else (you can see Xena in the background, wondering why the little bro bro gets a treat). Just wanted to see what he would do....not surprisingly, he tasted it. No, I didn't let him eat the rest of it...he has quite enough energy as it is!

We took Xena out for a walk and Alex was quite happy and excited to watch her trot alongside the stroller. Thought I would get a couple of shots of the happy, happy boy. Check out all of those teeth! The fourth one on top is coming in, so he will have six teeth by Christmas.

Jammin' Alex

Alex dancing and flapping at Fi + Ming's wedding.

How to Wake Mommy

Alex successfully waking me from a nap in our hotel room in Hong Kong.

Hi everyone! Sorry that it has been so long since I wrote to you. I have been really busy the past couple of weeks and did not have a computer, so I could not send any updates. I am sure my mom told you all about our trip. It was really fun. We spent alot of time on some big airplanes, but I liked them alot. The ladies on the plane were really nice to me. I practiced mixing with my headphones on and played on the floor, since we had alot of space. I liked to try to get people's attention, by looking at them and smiling. That really works...you should try it!

I loved Japan! The pebbles on the grounds of the Imperial Palace are awesome fun to play with. The trains there are cool too, just kind of crowded sometimes. Our room at the Dai-Ichi was so cool---there was a huge bed for me to play on, and a cool cart that I could wheel around. Hong Kong was fun too. I had all kinds of places to crawl around and explore. I have been practicing my standing skills and now I can stand up all by myself....no need to hold onto anything. And, guess what? I took my first step at the Hong Kong airport yesterday morning. I love to clap now, and pointing is a good way to show people things which are interesting to me.

While we were gone, three new top teeth came in too. Believe me, I have been busy! I met my Tai-Mah, which is my Daddy's grandma, and I also met Uncle Ming and Auntie Fiona, as well as some aunties, uncles and cousins from Australia and Malaysia. Now I am just really tuckered out! Might take me a few days to recover. In the meantime, I think I'll take a nap and just hang out with my Sis-Sis. Talk to you soon!

Love,
Alex

Hong Kong Park with Uncle Ming

On our last full day in Hong Kong, we were able to spend the day with Uncle Ming. We met up at Hong Kong Park in Central for a nice relaxing walk around the park and aviary. Alex had an especially fun time, as he had a good nap before going there, and by that time, he had completely converted to Hong Kong time. The park was a nice oasis, in an otherwise bustling city. Alex enjoyed the birds and was sure to point out anything of interest, as that is one of his favorite things to do now.

We also visited Stanley and then headed back to the hotel for dinner with the rest of the family. Unfortunately, Auntie Fi was feeling a bit under the weather during the day (all of that wedding stress--remember the Airborne), but luckily she was feeling better and joined us for dinner and some playtime afterwards. It was a bummer that just when Alex had really warmed up to Ming and Fiona, it was the end of the trip, but we look forward to seeing them when they visit in April!

Around Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a constant buzz. With a population density which is third in the world (over 6,000 people per square kilometer), the streets seem to be busy at all times. It is a very vertical city, with high rises everywhere, and it is also known for its hilly terrain and use of escalators to scale those hills. It is a major financial center, with Uncle Ming playing a part in that industry.

We did our best to explore Hong Kong while we were there. The MTR, which is the local train system is very clean, efficient and reasonably priced. We used it to get around quite a bit. As you can see, Alex adapted to it quite nicely, even learning to use the ceiling handles, all by himself!!

We took the Star Ferry over to Kowloon, we walked to the local market and hawker center, took a trip to Stanley with Uncle Ming, did some shopping in Times Square and Central, and of course, ate our way through Hong Kong as well. Fiona and Ming took us to Yung Kee, which had fabulous roast goose...yum! We had some great dim sum, frequented some local bakeries, and visited the hawker center to have chook, which is rice porridge---Alex was a fan, just like his Daddy.

The Wedding!

Of course, the reason we traveled to Hong Kong was for the beautiful wedding of Ming and Fiona. What a fabulous day it was! A tea ceremony in the morning, followed by a wonderful dim sum lunch at Zen, and then of course, the official wedding ceremony in the evening, followed by an exquisite dinner and some fabulous entertainment.

We wish the very best for you, Uncle Ming and Auntie Fiona. Thanks for allowing us to be part of your very special occasion. Alex had a blast! From the tux, to his sleeper for dancing....it was a very fun time for him. So happy that we could be there to help celebrate.

Bon Voyage on your trip to South Africa. Relax, enjoy, and send pics when you get them!

Tai Mah, Ah Mah and Ah Kong

While in Hong Kong, Alex had the privilege to meet his Tai Mah (Great Grandmother) Ooi. She traveled to Hong Kong from Malyasia with Grandma (Ah Mah) and Grandpa (Ah Kong) Chng. We were so happy to see her again and to have Alex meet her! They had fun playing together and of course, Alex was quite happy to have Tai Mah feed him cheese and crackers, his favorite, as of late.

It was fun spending time with all of the grandparents, hanging out in our room, where Alex could crawl around, play and explore. He liked trying the various breakfast items which we bought at the bakery, and is especially curious if the adults are eating.

Ocean Park

Well, the Chng family has arrived back home and I decided I had better get to updating the blog, since I had limited access during the trip. We had a great time in Hong Kong!

One of the days was spent at Ocean Park in Aberdeen. As you can see, it was a beautiful day outside and we had great fun with Chih Lee (David's cousin) and her sons, Steven, Kevin and Samuel, who came in from Australia. We took in a great marine animal show, toured their awesome aquarium--The Atoll Reef, Samuel tried out the bungee trampoline, we took a ride on the Ferris wheel and then ended the day with a ride in the cable car, which offered a great view of the area.

Alex seemed to like the aquarium the most, pointing out all of the fish and various marine life. There were sharks, huge tuna, stingrays, and a variety of fish in the side with the larger marine life, and then tons of very colorful smaller fish on the other side. You could view from above and then for three levels below, which allowed you to see all of the different species in the area. There were also individual tanks for some of the fish, such as the clown fish shown above, as well as some of the smaller stingrays, like the one Alex is viewing. The cable car was also a hit with him. He was quite happy while we were in it. He spent alot of the time trying to lean back and look at things upside down. We also saw the giant pandas which are housed at Ocean Park, which was really neat.

All in all, a great day! It was fun to see Chih Lee and the boys...hopefully we will see you again soon!