It’s amazing to see the different stages in a relationship. First the wedding, then hearing the news of an expected baby, the birth of a beautiful baby girl, the red egg celebration, and then an 8-month-year-old who will turn one in a blink of an eye. I met Daphni when she was just a few months old and now she is sitting up and babbling. She has a shy nature about her and takes baby steps in getting to know you. First she looks at her daddy for approval and when he gives the okay sign, Daphni starts to evaluate who you are. A sign that you have been accepted is when she touches your face. I love it and completely understand. Even I need to warm up to someone before they see my true character and personality. By the end of the session, Daphni was smiling, grabbing onto my finger, and didn’t mind that I touched her chubby, cute cheeks.
Daniel and Darbi are two amazing parents. Daniel is overprotective of his baby girl and when you see him provide shade from the sun beating down on Daphni’s head or making sure she is far, far, far away from people smoking, you can see how much he cherishes Daphni. Darbi is always trying to make her girl smile, whether it is dinner time or bath time. Both of them radiate this glow about them, obviously proud to be parents.
It was a joy capturing the love you share with each other and Daphni, Daniel and Darbi. I cannot wait to see Daphni grow up! Thanks for a lovely time in Rowland Heights and also introducing me to a great Chinese restaurant to eat at!
100 days. Give or take three months. As adults, we grow and change, but it may not be significant and necessarily obvious. But in a baby’s world, the first 100 days are full of growth, change, development, and an acquisition of skill. It is immense and even more noticeable when you have been there since day one or in our case, week one.
Isabella was so small when I met her – so fragile in my eyes – and I delicately held her, afraid that anything that I might do would hurt her. The next time I saw her she was so much bigger and she had her eyes open, observing the new environment around her with curiosity. At times I would watch her grow through photos posted up, amazed that her face was changing ever so slightly. She is starting to resemble more of a mixture of Jason and Melissa and if you speak to either one of them, sometimes they see themselves in Isabella, sometimes they see a bit of Jason’s mom, and at times there is a bit of Melissa’s mom. This is all in a matter of three months. Imagine what else is to come in the next three months or when she turns one!
There is so much to look forward to and Taro and I cannot wait to see and experience more – the first time she sleeps in the new house (Congratulations on that, too, Jason and Melissa!), the first attempt to crawl which will eventually lead to the first step, the first tooth, the gibber-gabber which will eventually lead to the first word, and so much more. We are proud to be your auntie and uncle, Isabella, and we cannot wait until we see you again, but more importantly, share in your life as you continue to grow – a baby now, a toddler soon, a little girl, and eventually a young woman.
Congratulations again, Jason and Melissa! You have a beautiful daughter and we love being a part of your family!
Isabella and Daddy:
Isabella loves being with her daddy. She also snuggled up next to Auntie Margaret.
Another baby who is a part of the family is Lucas. He, too, has grown so much over the past several months! The last time I saw him was at Melissa’s baby shower and now he is bouncing on his feet and preparing his legs to start taking steps. He is full of wonder and I loved how he would spread his arms out, kick his feet out, and almost fly in your arms. On top of that, I just love his rocker hair! He is just too adorable!
And the last cutie is Jarron. I love how he pounds his fist with Chris. They are a great father-son duo.
Of course I had to take photos of some of the food we ate at Hong Kong Palace. It was course after course with some of my favorite things, Shark Fin Soup and Abalone. It was a meal fit for kings and queens and all of us were stuffed by the time the noodles came out. However, everyone made room for the Almond Tea Puff Pastry and two additional desserts. Delicious!
The English Department tries to get together with other departments throughout the school year. One thing we always look forward to is a lunch BBQ with the Science Department. As a department, we trek over to what is known as “Man Land” where the grill is fired up and the hamburgers await. It is always fun a week prior to the luncheon when the sign-up list is compiled up; each person claims a food item that coincides with burgers while jabbing at another individual – sometimes from the same department, usually to the other one – through a Google document. By the time we meet, though, there is just good food, good times, and a nice bond between two different departments – and of course, the continuing of the jokes and jabs.
It is always a treat to go over to “Man Land” and speaking for the English Department, we look forward to the next BBQ! Thanks again, Science Department, for hosting lunch!
We celebrated Princess Ron’s birthday as well. Happy birthday again, Ron! Also, we had our own birthday celebration in the English Department to the true princess, Jen! Love you, friend!
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