Haircut

Meliya got her first haircut!  Her bangs and a little of her hair in the back was growing out of sync with the rest of her hair, so we decided to give her a haircut.  Alvin decided he would give a shot at it, and trimmed her hair while I distracted her.

Here is the result:

Pre-haircut

Post-haircut (looks like a little Alfafa)

Piglet Clones

Our local friends have given Meliya some stuffed animals, probably made in China.  The big one on the left even has a Disney label.  Yet, there is something wrong with the Piglets.  The big one doesn't even look exactly like Piglet.

I am having a hard time figuring out why they look off.  Can you identify some things that are wrong about them?  

7 Months

On Monday, Meliya turned 7 months old.  I still can't believe she is more than half a year old.

She now has accomplished rolling over both ways, and has even calmed down from doing it a little.  She no longer needs to be swaddled to go to sleep, and thus at night she enjoys rolling around in the crib.  It is funny when we put her down one way, and the next morning she is at 180 degrees.

She still has not accomplished sitting, but she is getting there.  She really enjoys music.  When Alvin plays the erhu for her, she will just sit there on the rocking chair and listen.  She also has learned how to clap, and almost seems to clap on beat.  Ok, maybe I am exaggerating on the "on beat" since "on beat" could mean any beat in her head.

She is enjoying the solid foods, although her favorite are rice cereal, oatmeal, and prunes.  Hmm, I would have chosen some other fruits if I was her, but she sure does love her prunes.

Coming Back Home

Hi, friends. It has been quite awhile since I've written a blog post. Bethany has done quite a bit of it in recent months. I'm trying to get back into writing regular updates on our blog.

We're back to our home overseas now.  Thankfully, the adjustment back into life here was quite smooth.  We enjoy being back in our home, love that fresh fruits and vegetables are just a few minutes walk from our door, and we're glad that the weather has warmed up and made daily strolls quite pleasant.

One of the new developments in our lives is that I now... leave for work (almost) every day.  Our small little software company out here is slowly getting up and running, and I now have an office to go to in order to get work done.  It has been years since I've worked in an office.  And — at least in regard to being a software developer — I haven't had an office to work in (that wasn't either my home or a Starbucks) for 10+ years.  It is really nice to have a good work environment.

But one of the things that I love about having an office now... is being able to leave the office.  Before, when I was always scrounging for whatever time I could find in order to get web work done, work was... never done.  Since I never left for an office, I never got to leave the office.  Now, when I log out for the day, I really can set the work aside until the next morning.

Oh, but there's an even better part about going to work at an office each day, and that is... coming back home.  I get to come home to a beautiful wife and daughter.  And that's a lot of fun.  I get to hear from Bethany about what new and adorable things Meliya did during the day.  And sometimes, Bethany will be with Meliya outside in the complex courtyard.  As I bike home from work, I meet up with them there and we get to spend some time outside before dinner.

I love going to work.  And I love coming home.

No Golden Hair

We tell our Chinese friends that we are from America and yet we are from Chinese descent.  We thought they understood, but for some of our friends, they don't seem to grasp that ethnicity can be different from nationality, and that Americans can be more than just Caucasians.

We laugh these days when we get comments from friends regarding Meliya:
"Wow, she looks Chinese!" 
(On the phone) "Does she look more Chinese or American?"
(After lifting up her hair) "There is no gold hair at all, but she is American." 

Hmm.  I don't quite understand.   I mean, we are standing right there, and we have no gold hair.  Maybe this woman has never studied even a simple unit on genetics.  It is amusing to hear these comments.  =)

Meliya 6 Months Pictures

For those who like seeing pictures of Meliya and how she is growing, here she is at 6 and a half months. We set aside a play mat for her, and I have officially seen her roll from back to tummy. She loves doing it. She even does it when she is supposed to be napping.

This one looks like she is at a girl's sleepover: 

Ok, if you tell me who you like, I will tell you who I like.

Come on, you first.

No way, him????  Me too!

Meliya's First Easter

Our family celebrated Easter with some friends.  We ate brunch together and then were encouraged to hear about the Easter story.

Meliya was sleeping during the story, but when she was awake, she was able to play with friends, esp. with her friend Serenity.

Here is Meliya in her Easter outfit: