Guess who turned 1 on Thanksgiving Day?

Evan and I are now officially the proud parents of a Toddler. Chloe's birthday, November 27th, happened to fall on Thanksgiving Day this year. While I'm not sure that she fully, or even partly for that matter, understood the significance of the cake, candle, singing, and presents, she enjoyed them all the same. The best moment for me was when we finished singing "Happy Birthday" and I brought her mini pumpkin pie up close so she could blow out her candle. When her soft, unintentional breath made the candle flicker she was so surprised and delighted. Aside from the ribbons on her present from Aunt Sarah (yes... it was the ribbons, not the gift, that received the most attention), I think blowing out the candle was her favorite activity of the day.

Here are some pics of Chloe on her special day...

I'm not sure who enjoyed eating the pumpkin pie more, Chloe or Mama?

Oh how she loved the ribbon!

These are adorable! She now eats off her "Big Girl" plates.

Hhmmm.... Delicious!

Lok Family Thanksgiving 2008

Some of you might already know this about me, but Thanksgiving is hands down my favorite holiday. And this Thanksgiving was particulary exciting because 1) it was the first time we hosted a Thanksgiving family dinner at our house, and 2) Chloe's birthday (the 27th) happened to fall on Thanksgiving Day this year. I could hardly stand it! In fact, I ended up leaving work early the day before because I was so excited about the dishes I was going to prepare. So, I made a quick stop at New Season's to pick up a few last minute ingredients and then settled in at home to do some cooking. I thought I was so clever to keep Mary (Chloe's nanny) at the house for a few hours to entertain the little munchkin while I cooked, but Chloe just hovered at the kitchen gate the entire time curiously watching me in the kitchen. I cranked up the Christmas music and away I baked.

Here are some pics from the day...

This is the second year in a row that I made a pecan pie. It turned out delicious, but I do think this might be the easiest pie in the world to bake, so the fact that it turned out delicious probably has no relation to my ability to bake.

This was my first attempt at a pumpkin pie, and I was feeling confident enough to try it with fresh pumpkin rather than using the stuff in the can (however I did by the stuff in the can just in case). I think Pumpkin Pie is my favorite, and I must say that it turned out pretty yummy. Next year I might try making my own crust.

Here's a cute picture of Chloe getting some lap time with her Aunt Sarah.

And here is the end result...

While we did have a small amount of turkey drama, the dinner turned out great and Sarah and I had a great time preparing it. I am already looking forward to next year's Thanksgiving dinner!

A lovely weekend for the Lok family...

This weekend has probably been one of the best weekends we've had in quite some time. I don't mean to imply that our weekends normally aren't very fun, but this weekend we decided to toss our ever growing "To do" list and do exactly what we wanted. Here are some of this weekend's highlights...

Saturday:

• slept in until 8am
• went out for breakfast
• shopped at Jantzen Beach while Chloe napped in her stroller (unbelievable timing!)
• took an hourlong family nap in the afternoon
• Date Night - movie and dinner at Palimino (including cocktails)
• made it home just in time to tuck our little pumkin in for bed.

Sunday:

• slept in until 8am (two days in a row... can you hardly stand it?)
• worked on childproofing the lower level
• family stroll to a neighborhood coffee shop and splurged on a hot chocolate and eggnog latte
• Chloe took her afternoon nap on our walk back from the coffee shop
• moved Chloe's crib up to her nursery (Finally!!!)
• didn't feel like cooking so it was off to New Seasons for some dinner, along with some grocery shopping
• Chloe went to sleep after only 5 minutes of tears. Not bad for her first night in her new room
• downloaded some new music for Chloe

The picture doesn't really show it, but we finally "babyproofed" our living room table with the sharp edges, and Chloe doen't even seem interested in trying to pull the padding off.

Here's a pic of Chloe behind the new gate that blocks off the kitchen. To her it's just another toy to play with.

Chloe's 1st Halloween...

Better late than never! Here are some adorable pics (if I do say so myself) of Chloe as a little cow. I can't believe I was contemplating not getting a costume for Chloe's 1st Halloween. Thankfully, my best friend Nicole offered her daughter's 1st costume, which happened to be a cow. We had tons of trick-or-treaters, which was expected, and Chloe could hardly stand the excitement of a constant stream of kiddos in costumes walking up to our doorway. She would just stand at the window and point every time she saw someone coming. To make the day even better, my parents came over and spent the entire evening with us.

The Lok Family trip to NY...

After much anxiety and anticipation, we made our first trip to New York with baby in tow. The plane ride was probably our biggest source of anxiety, but the ride there turned out to be absolutely seemless. It was truly a "best case" scenario, which I suppose is why the plane ride back caught us so off guard.

We spent 5 days at Livia's home in Little Neck, Queens. Chloe was amazing the entire time. Not a single meltdown! Although she hadn't seen Grandma Livia in a few months, and this was her first time meeting Grandpa Bill, you never would have known. She was completely at ease and enjoyed getting to explore new surroundings and especially loved getting to eat Grandma Livia's fish congee. And of course she loved spending time with her Uncle Kevin.

For me, the best part of the trip was getting to spend 5 whole days with my husband and baby girl, with the loving, helping hands of Livia, Bill, and Kevin. I mean seriously... can it get any better than that? All in all it was a great trip and I am looking forward to the next one (hopefully in the Spring!).

Here are some pics from the trip:

Our peaceful plane ride to NY. Lovely!

Grandma Livia's fish congee...delicious!

Uncle Kevin gettin' some cuddle time before heading back to the grinding stone (aka - med school).

Chloe and sweet Eleanor... so this is what a sweet, quiet, peaceful baby looks like.

Chloe and Grandpa Bill.

Chloe and Grandma Livia in the cleanest house known to man.

The guilty look of a baby who peed on Grandma's carpet.

Chloe's 1st trip to the Pumpkin Patch...

We decided to take Chloe to the Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island to pick out some pumpkins for carving. Grandma Terri came along and we all had a great morning. The weather was a bit chilly but fortunately I had the good sense to bundle my baby up before we headed out. Chloe loved the pumpkins and we got some great pictures to prove it.

Evan found this really cool looking pumpking but wasn't sure if he wanted to buy it. By the time he made up his mind the pumpkin was gone:(

I don't think she quite understood what we were doing here.

So serious!

This is fast becoming Chloe's signature facial expression.

Chloe really seemed to like all the pumpkins around her.

Cute pic of Daddy & Baby.

Grandma Terri and Chloe.

Game Night...

Here's a cute picture of Chloe with her pink barrett. Some of my old friends from TKW were having a game night and we decided to bring Chloe along. She stayed up past her normal bedtime of 8pm and was out for the entire ride home. There was another itty bitty newborn baby at the gathering and it reminded me of when Chloe was that little. I can't believe how fast she is growing!

Trip to the Oregon Zoo...

Here are some pictures from our trip to the zoo. I think this must have been the last really sunny weekend in October. I don't think Chloe is quite old enough to really have fun at the Zoo, but she seemed to really enjoy the shuttle to and from the parking lot. We ended up sitting in the very back of the yellow school bus and the ride was quite bumpy.

Books, books, books...

Evan and I have recently noticed that Chloe seems to be really into books these days. When deciding on what toys to play with, she pulls her books out first passing over talking dolls and rolling, singing turtles. Who would have thought? Her favorite book is currently "10 Kisses", perhaps because it is the biggest in size? She actually turns the pages, points to the pictures, and occasionally says "baby".

New friends for Chloe...

I recently purchased some adorable animal pictures to bring some life to Chloe's playroom. We finally got around to hanging them this last week, and they have brought nothing but pure entertainment for our little girl. She talks to her new friends all day long and even points them out to us if she feels we're not giving them proper attention. It is hilarious! The other night I was rocking her in the chair as she finished her bedtime bottle and watched as her eyes finally shut indicating she was down for the night. Suddenly, her eyes pop wide open, she sits up completely alert and points to the alligator and says "dat", and then slumps back down in my arms and falls back asleep.

Day at the Park...

One day last week Chloe woke up from her nap in a particularly grumpy mood. I had a feeling that feeding her lunch was going to be challenging so I decided a change of scenery would do us both some good. So, I packed up the stroller and we headed off to Columbia Park, which is conveniently located a mere two blocks away. Although she put up quite a fight getting into the stroller, once we left the house and the wheels started rolling her mood changed quickly.

Chloe seems to be fascinated with trees and birds these days. It was actually a little difficult feeding her because she was constantly looking up at the tall trees around her. Every little sound or child passing by caught her attention, and she waved to almost every person that walked by. It was a bit chilly out, especially since we were in the shade the entire time, but I welcomed the opportunity to bust out some of her warmer Fall clothing.

We had a lovely afternoon at the park. It's days like these that remind me how lucky I am to get to be home with her. Here are some pictures I took to try and capture the mood.

First two teeth...

Chloe's two bottom front teeth are now through the gum. She seemed a little grumpier than usual the week they came through, but other than a little extra whine she was a trooper.

Chloe's Playdate...

This past Friday we invited the kiddos from our Baby&Me group over to our house for a playdate. I think there were 5 babies + Chloe. She had a great time and didn't even seem to notice that other babies were playing with her toys.

Things can get a bit competitive at these weekly playdates. Here is Chloe vying for a spot on the blanket.

Chloe in her pretty blue dress.

Sweet little Neve in the Jumperoo.

Hewet looks like he's ready for a nap.

Who needs toys when you have vents and windows?

Two down, two to go!

Regulation - 95% (old news) and BEC - 89%. I have to say that passing this most recent exam has been exceptionally gratifying. The weeks leading up to it were pretty horrendous and I want to thank my wonderful husband for puting up with my crankiness and supporting me. We are going to celebrate with a capital "C" when I finally receive my certification. My next exam is scheduled for October 16th. Only 4 weeks left to study, Yikes!

OMG... she's standing!

Chloe is now pulling herself up to a standing position at every possible opportunity. If there is a chair, box, window sill within her sights, she will army crawl herself right over and pull up to her feet.

Here is Chloe standing at our rocking chair (which we have to keep on lock these days).

I PASSED!!!

I passed the first of four sections of the CPA exam. I just received my score in the mail today for the test I took back in mid July. Not only did I pass... I killed it with a 95%. I am ecstatic! It is such a relief to know that all of the time I've been sacrificing and hard work I have been putting in are actually paying off (not to mention the $$$ we've been spending on babysitting during study time). I took the second of four sections this past Wednesday, but I won't find out if I passed that exam for another 5 weeks. I feel pretty good, but keep those fingers crossed!!!

Hopefully I will be finished with all four sections in late November. This was just the boost of confidence that I needed, and at just the right time. CPA, here I come!

We're still here!

I know it's been quite some time since my last post, but things have been very busy at the Lok household. I finished my big exam this past Wednesday. I hadn't been posting because all of my extra time away from Chloe was going towards studying. But now that I'm finished with that horrendous section, life should be going back to normal and hopefully I will be posting on a more regular basis.

So...what's new? Chloe will be 9 months old this coming Wednesday. Evan and I can hardly believe it. Life keeps changing month by month as she reaches new milestones. It seems like each new milestone magnifies her developing personality. She is quite the charmer these days. Here are some of her recent accomplishments:

• Chloe now loves to wave at strangers, whereas they used to make her cry. I think she is practicing to be the next Miss America.


• She is still clapping like a champ.


• She is slowly beginning to crawl, but only a step or two with her tummy fully off the ground. "Creeping" is still her method of choice. Here is a pic of daddy and Chloe, with the silly knee pads that daddy purchased...

• The most exciting (and also the scariest) new milestone is that she can now pull herself up to a standing position completely on her own. I went into her room one night to see what all the fuss was about, and I was astonished to see her standing in her crib, hands attached to the top rail, just screaming at the top of her lungs because she could not figure out how to get back down.


• She is eating two "meals" a day now, breakfast and dinner. It's amazing to think that in just three months we will start weaning her of her daytime bottles. She is currently eating: banana, sweet potato, sweet pea, pear, peaches, applesauce, mango, prunes, brown rice or millet (ground up to a powder and cooked as a porridge), occasional cooked egg yoke, and she has recently started on finger foods "puffs". She is quite good at grabbing a single puff and getting it to her mouth.


• She loves to sit in a highchair when we go out to restaurants. This is absolutely wonderful for me, because I actually get to eat most of my meal before she is ready to be held again. We usually feed her after we order but before our food arrives. Then when our food arrives, we keep her occupied by giving her a single puff at a time. Thank to Lord for highchairs and puffs!!!

What's new at 7 months?

It seems like just yesterday that we brought our baby girl home from the hospital. It is truly amazing how fast they grow. Here are the details of Chloe at 7 months old:

• She can sit completely unassisted for a few minutes at a time before she topples over. She can also bring a toy to her mouth while in the sitting position.


• Chloe is now a professional roller. She can easily move from one side of a room to the other. She definitely prefers being on her tummy to being on her back these days.


• She weighed in at 17lbs 11oz on her 7 month b-day.


• In addition to rice cereal, sweet potato, and banana, we have added sweet peas, pear and applesauce to her weekly menu options. She still seems to like sweet potato the most.


• She adores her "Tea Party" excersaucer. She probably plays in this about 15 minutes at a time, twice a day. She also likes to jump in her jumperoo, but only when she is in a happy mood.


• Even though we haven't been letting her watch T.V., she loves the remote control and my cell phone. I try to keep these two items out of sight, but if she happens to see them she will whine until I finally give in and let her play with them.


• Helen, our summer babysitter, has been coming over 2 days a week for 3 hours so Mama can study. Chloe now recognizes her instantly and greets her with a smile. She is ready to play just as soon as she walks in the door.


• She has seemed to settle on a regular nap schedule. Her morning nap is usually around 9:30am and usually lasts around an hour, just enough time for me to take a shower and clean up a bit. Her afternoon nap is usually around 3:30pm and usually lasts for an hour and a half. She is usually ready for her last bottle of the day at 8-ish, and is usually down for the night by 8:30pm.


• She has mastered the concept of whining until she gets what she wants, and even lifts her arms up and leans in when she wants to be held.


• She had her first swim lesson last week and seems to really enjoy the water. She has learned how to splash, and loves to slap her hands against the water to get Mommy wet.

That's all for now.

The drive to Lake Chelan

We recently took a 5 day family vacation to Lake Chelan, which is about 3-1/2 hours east of Seattle, Washington. The lake was absolutely beautiful, but the drive there wasn't quite as fun. We decided to break up the drive by stopping in Seattle to visit my good friend Tracy. Our plan was to leave for Seattle at 9am so we wouldn't interupt Chloe's nap schedule. Of course we didn't actually make it out of the house until 11:30am, so that idea was out the window. You should have seen our car, it was insane how much "Chloe stuff" we ended up bringing. Stroller, bottle warmer, bottle sterilizer, baby bath tub, toys, blankets, etc. Lord help us if we ever decide to have another baby.

Tracy was awesome and made us a yummy BBQ lunch/dinner as we sat out on her deck. Chloe got to wear her little sun hat, but still no luck with the sunglasses:(

Here's a pic of us just the girls...

After soaking up a little sun on the deck we were ready to head indoors for some play time before starting the second part of our drive.