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!!!