A Glimpse into the Life of Zachary

My new baby brother & last day of toddler class

2011-08-26T21:36:00.001-04:00

A week ago today on August 19th, my new baby brother finally came out of Mommy's tummy! At first, I didn't know what to make of him and just looked at him and declared that he was crying, but now, I like to hold him every night and pat his tummy and touch his nose. (Unfortunately, today, I also fell down the stairs and got a boo boo on my face and mouth. I think my tooth might be wiggling a little bit.)

From 8/26/11

Today was also my last day in my toddler classroom! After a week of vacation, I official start pre-school in September.

Diaper Free!

2011-08-06T19:52:00.001-04:00

No more diapers for me! I'm officially potty-trained as of last Sunday night - August 1st was my first full day of no diapers. Yay!

Big Boy Bed

2011-07-27T20:37:00.006-04:00

On June 20th, Adyeh and En-nai came and helped me make my big boy bed!

On June 30th, after my new bed rail came in, I finally got to sleep in it for the first time.

On July 19th, my train sheet set came in and now my big boy bed is all done!

Potty Training: Day 2

2011-05-22T22:27:00.002-04:00

- Went to potty successfully 8 times total (1.5 poops)
- 3 successful potties outside the house!
- 1 pair of Thomas underwear
- 0 accidents - yay!! :)

Potty training

2011-05-21T21:08:00.002-04:00

Day 1

- Went to the potty successfully 5 times (including one poop)

- Two pairs of Thomas underwear

- One accident at 6:30p after being out of the house for 3 hours

- One minor accident shortly before bedtime (but I was able to hold most of it until the toilet)

Tomorrow's goal: Going potty outside the house! :)

Happy Chinese New Year!

2011-02-02T17:31:00.002-05:00

Gong Hay Fat Choy!
This video is especially for Ta Ta & Ta Ta, Da Po Po, Grandpa & Grandma Cheng, Gong Gong & Po Po, and Daddy in Japan. Releasing it just a little early to make the new year in Asia. :)

Look - An Orange!

2011-01-05T10:06:00.003-05:00

I peeled my first orange (well, actually a clementine) by myself today! Mommy helped me start it, but then I took all the peel off and took apart all the slices.

Dancing Friends

2010-09-09T11:38:00.002-04:00

From July 11, 2010

Already uploaded on Facebook, but testing out my blog videos. :)

New School

2010-09-08T14:30:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was my first day at "new school." :) Mommy and Daddy signed me up for a longer 3 day program which consists of a little more structure and lots of new friends. When I got to my classroom, I was so excited! There were new toys and new friends everywhere and I couldn't help but run off and play. Then, when it was snack time, and my teacher asked me to wash my hands, I realized that she meant that I could step up and use the sink all by myself with no help from adults!!! (There's a little sink for kids in the room.) That really made me happy, because Mommy and Daddy never let me do that at home with the big sinks. Later, I got to play with trains and have circle time and read and sing and dance with my new friends, and we even went out to the playground! :) I had a little trouble sleeping in a room with all these people, but after I got settled with Owl, I was alright and just went right to sleep. When Mommy came back to pick me up, all I could say was "new school, cracker", and "fish, elevator." (Mommy wants you to know that I got to eat graham crackers for snack at school and that I found a new toy fish named Nemo that I put in the toy parking garage elevator. I really love elevators!) I really didn't want to leave, but Mommy asked me to get ready, so finally I helped Mommy open the door and walked through. I can't wait to go back!

I Love You

2010-08-25T14:47:00.002-04:00

I meant to post this earlier, but the week before we left for our vacation, Daddy was changing my diaper at the changing table and I suddenly said "I love you!" (More like - "iruhyu")

Daddy was so happy!

Potty!

2010-08-23T14:36:00.001-04:00

This morning, I shocked Mommy and Daddy by peeing into my little green potty!! They were so proud of me! Yay!

More than One Name

2010-07-29T20:39:00.003-04:00

These past couple of weeks, I've started noticing that people seem to have a lot of names. People call me Ming Ming or Zachy or Zachary. Auntie Judy can be called Aiyi, Auntie, or Di-di. I noticed that other Mommy seems to call Daddy other names, and Daddy calls Mommy other names as well.

So tonight, while Mommy was cooking, I was very hungry and trying to get her attention and I kept shouting "Mommy Mommy". She was cooking some potatoes for me and didn't hear me, so then I cried "Emi, Emi, Emi"! Mommy started smiling, but I didn't understand what was so funny!

Later at night, after our night time routine, I kissed Daddy goodnight like usual and called out "Daddy, Daddy", so he said goodnight again. Then as he was walking out, I called out "Chris!" "Chris!" and pointed to Daddy. Daddy started smiling really widely and Mommy said, "No, that's Daddy." So I said "Daddy Chris, Daddy Chris!" and then "Bye Bye Daddy Chris!" Daddy couldn't help but laugh and he kept chuckling as he walked out of the room!

A Conversation

2010-06-24T09:00:00.002-04:00

Mommy keeps telling people how amazed she is by how much I've changed these past two months. She says I'm truly a little boy now. I think she's mostly surprised by how much conversation I can understand and how I can respond to her simple questions. Mommy and Daddy tell me that I give them so much joy and that makes me happy!

Yesterday, when Mommy got home, I heard her ask Daddy to help her bring in a Trader Joe's bag from the car. I got really really excited, ran to the front door and asked Mommy:

Me: "Tradah Jos?"
Mommy: "No, Ming Ming, we're not going to Trader Joe's"
Me: "Cos-soh?"
Mommy: "Sorry, Ming Ming, we're not going to Costco either"
Me: "Mall?"
Mommy: "Sorry, buddy, we're not going to the mall either today."

I was pretty disappointed! Obviously, Mommy's been taking me to these three places too much. :p Daddy couldn't stop laughing afterward!

An Update - 20.5 Months

2010-06-23T20:39:00.005-04:00

Wow, I can't believe it's already been 2 months since my last update! Things have been really hectic around here, as we flew to Seattle again over Memorial Day weekend for Auntie Karen & Uncle Sam's wedding. Yay! Seeing Gong Gong, Po Po, Er Ai Yi, Uncle Same, and Xiao Ai Yi is always lots of fun. I got to run around a lot and sleep in the same room with Mommy and Daddy which I love. :)

Unfortunately, over the last 2.5 months (since April 8th), I developed two boo boos on my neck. These turned out to be swollen lymph nodes and the last couple months have been filled with doctor appointments to figure out what's going on and what to do about it. Thankfully, all the doctors seem to agree on the diagnose and are now planning to do surgery on them to remove them sometime this summer/fall. I don't totally understand what's going on, but I know the doctors are helping me and I'm still happy to see them. Thankfully, these boo boos don't cause me much pain, but one of them is leaking, so I wear a band-aid most of the time. Mommy and Daddy always say that I'm still a happy boy despite everything!

Here's a picture of me riding a tricycle at my friend's birthday party this past Saturday. :) (Thanks Auntie Julia for taking the picture!) I also learned how to say "hap-py birth-day" that day.

More Words

2010-04-27T18:06:00.004-04:00

Hello! It's been another fun week for me. :) I was really lucky this weekend, because Daddy was home for 3 days and I got to play with him lots. He always helps me build really really tall structures with my blocks and lets me knock them down. Unfortunately for Daddy, he was home because he was sick. :( I've finally learned how to say Ming Ming, although it sounds a bit muffled. I learned how to leave my fork behind while I run around after a snack instead of running around with the fork. (Mommy and Daddy are glad!)

Also, I've been talking lots and lots! Some new words:

duc-gee (Ducky)
dad-dee (Daddy or Zachy or Mommy or other things I don't know the names of)
dis (this - when I point to things because Mommy used to point to things and say "this")
bye-bye dad-dee (Bye Bye)
say-see (Gracie - my friend from daycare)
ah-lee (Allie - my friend from church)
ale-son (Allison - my friend from church)
elbo (Elmo)
fuz-zy (Fuzzy - Mommy's panda bear)
tees (teeth or when I want my toothbrush)
uh-oh
yay
hooray
ai-ya
whoooahh
hap-pee (happy)

Mommy made me repeat a few more new words for you.

Hi! Bye!

2010-04-14T21:08:00.004-04:00

I'm officially 18 months now! I just went to my checkup and my doctor told me that I'm 75% weight, 90% height, and 90% head. :) At least I'm close to proportionate. :p I've been growing so quickly, and Mommy & Daddy wish that I could just stay like this for a little while. But nope - I just want to learn more and more. This past weekend, I even took two steps downstairs by myself! Mommy wanted to hold my hand, but I wouldn't let her.

Here's a video that Mommy took of me saying some of my clearest words. :) (Notice all the new teeth I have!)

I can catch!

2010-03-19T19:57:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone! Wow, it's been a long time since I posted, I'm almost 18 months now! Since November, I've been very very busy... I can run, climb up things like couches and chairs, I can walk up and down small steps, go down slides by myself, and I can say at least 6 distinct clear words. (My favorite is "outseeede" for outside and "bye bye daddy" for when daddy goes to work.)

This week alone, I finally figured out how to open doors that swing open by twisting the door knob and pulling! (Mommy is not so happy about that trick, since it means I can escape out of rooms more easily.)

Today, I finally learned how to catch consistently!!! Daddy's been practicing with me alot, but everytime I caught it before, it almost seemed like an accident.

Here's a video of my accomplishment - as you can tell, Mommy is super excited. :)

Walking, Part 3

2009-11-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

Since Nov 1st, I've come a long way! :) I love walking all the time now and prefer it over crawling. Here are two videos of me shot on Nov 13th and Nov 16th.

Walking, Part 2

2009-11-18T21:09:00.003-05:00

When I last left you, I was taking my first consistent steps! :) Mommy finally shot a good video of me 2 days later (Nov 1st) taking many steps in a row.

More Chair Fun

2009-11-02T00:00:00.001-05:00

Not only have I learned all those other tricks, I also figured out some new tricks with my chair. :) Mommy's not too thrilled about the second trick, especially since now I can reach her computer and plates!

Two videos for you...

Eating with Utensils

2009-10-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

Walking isn't the only thing I've been working on this month - I've learned lots of new tricks! I learned how to sign "please" (well, kind of - I just stick my finger in my mouth.) I learned how to bounce on the bed, push the doorbell, set the alarm off in Mommy's car, flick the light switches on and off, open all the kitchen drawers and cabinet doors, and pull magnets off the fridge to name a few.

One of the things I'm proudest of is learning how to eat with utensils! I won't eat a meal until I have my own utensil and now I can even get it consistently in my mouth. :) Here are two videos showing how I use a fork.

Walking!!!

2009-10-30T20:33:00.002-04:00

Tonight, I took 7 steps in a row!! Mommy and Daddy were so shocked, they didn't get a chance to take a video! Afterwards, they kept trying to set me up to do it again, but I don't do repeat performances on demand. :)

Here's a failed attempt at a video. :)

I faked daddy out!

2009-10-30T18:54:00.003-04:00

Daddy was trying to block me from the kitchen. I tried to go around him to the right, and he moved in front of me. I tried to go around him to the left, and he moved in front of me. So then I deked right and went left, and daddy nearly flew out of his skates... well, that is if we were playing hockey. Daddy wasn't really wearing ice skates.

One Year Old!!!

2009-10-01T12:52:00.008-04:00

Today, I am 1 year old!!! Mommy and Daddy keep saying "Happy Birthday" to me, but I don't really understand what it's all about. :) Mommy also made a big deal on Tuesday, because she said I took my first step. Plus, she thinks I just dropped my morning nap, since I haven't taken it since Sunday!

Here's a picture of me and my cake. The candle looks so pretty!

Mommy and Daddy let me eat some of it! I've never tasted something so good!

Moving Furniture

2009-09-17T10:48:00.004-04:00

Hi :) I've finally returned from my travels to Dallas and the East Bay. It was lots of fun seeing all the grandparents and aunties and uncle. :) While on my trips, I got to eat alot of yummy food cooked just for me and I showed off all my new skills including balancing, trying to walk, and learning how to go down the stairs backwards. After I got back, I picked up a few more including how to put my bottle caps back on the bottle and put the rings back on the ring stack. My latest adventures include moving furniture all around the house. :) Here's a video of me moving my chair...