Time in Phoenix

This past month has included a lot of traveling for the family. In the beginning of January, we went to visit my family. We were able to see my mom and dad and my sister and her family. It was a fun time and the weather was great. Unfortunately, my mom had pneumonia while we were there, so she was pretty tired. Now she is recovered and we look forward to seeing them again this weekend in LA. We originally were going to have a 100 day party for Meliya in Phoenix, but because my mom was sick, we cancelled the party. My dad, though, forgot to cancel the cake order. We didn't get to eat the cake because we brought it to share at my parent's church. By the time we got to the snack table, the cake was already gone. Oh well, not that Meliya could eat it anyway.

4 Months

Happy 4 Months Old to Meliya! She has now been on the airplane 8 times and has now been in 3 countries, 3 states, 3 provinces in China, flown 10,955 miles, and stayed in 7 different places of residence. She weighs 14 lbs., still cannot roll over, but she has achieved the new milestone of blowing raspberries. It is one of her favorite things to do now, even more than sleep. The parents like the raspberries, but wishes she would save it for the proper times.

Here is a picture of her traveling from Canada back to Los Angeles:

Here is a picture of her at almost 4 months:
 

Erhuing with My Auntie Amy

Some folks know that I have been learning to play the erhu (二胡) off and on in the last 18 months. I go a few months taking a weekly lesson, and then maybe go a few months without taking lessons. Actually, with Meliya coming into the world, I don't think I've seen my erhu teacher since July. Learning to play the erhu has been a lot of fun, but I still have so far to go.

One of the fun things I got to do during Chinese New Year was to play a duet with my Auntie Amy in Vancouver. She has been learning to play the guzheng (古筝), and her teacher gave her a piece that is primarily for the guzheng but has an erhu accompaniment part. Separately, my Auntie Amy and I have been practicing the piece. We got together on Friday for our first time trying to play together. Then, we met with her guzheng teacher on Saturday to have her coach us a little bit more.

Today, on Chinese New Year, we spent more time practicing and then trying to record a good take of the two of us playing together. Don't listen too closely... you'll hear all of the mistakes, and there are a lot of them! But, we had a lot of fun playing together, and having this challenge was a good motivation to keep us practicing. :)

Happy Chinese New Year! 新年快乐!

Visiting Portland

We have had a lot of fun visiting family in Portland. The snow fell on Monday and Tuesday and it was such a beautiful sight from Alvin's sister's house. Today we go visit my cousin's family, hopefully the roads will cooperate. This was the first time Meliya has been in the snow. Actually, she was only in the snow for about 30 seconds, maybe she will play more today.

3 Months Old

Happy New Years friends! Meliya just turned 3 months old and we just went to her 3 month doctor's appointment. He said that she is 13 lbs. 13 oz. and is 24 1/2 inches. Highlights: She now knows her nights from days for sure. The rest of the family have all seen Meliya roll over by herself, but I still have not fully witnessed it.