RosieRadio: Rosie by Don Partridge

Rosie, oh Rosie
I'd like to paint your face up in the sky
Sometimes when I'm busy
Relaxing I look up and catch your eye

Your eyes when they're widening
Bring thunder and lightning
And sunset strokes the colour of your skin
Your eyes are so blue
I just think of a blue sky
And bumble bees buzzing on the wing

Rosie, oh Rosie
It's raining when you look the other way
Rosie, oh Rosie
Your laughter brings the sunshine out to play

And though I just met you
Will I silhouette you
Or high-light golden shadows in your hair
I'd paint in your mind's eye
Up there in the blue sky
Summer birds swinging through the air

Rosie, oh Rosie
I'd paint your face for all the world to see
Rosie, oh Rosie
I'd like to paint your face eternally

10 weeks and growing

10 weeks old!

Rosie is talking much more. When I leave her to entertain herself while I'm doing something, I notice she'll talk even more. Maybe she's talking to the lights, maybe to the strange noise coming from her swing. Or maybe she just likes talking to herself.

Rosie is also using her hands more purposefully. She has taken to sucking on her hand more but is also grabbing things a little and creating some cute hand gestures. Her strength is really showing. She can hold her head up for longer periods of time and she enjoys bouncing up and down on her legs. Pretty soon she'll be running!

For now, we'll stick to dancing and booty-shaking :)

Just plain cute

10 weeks old!

bath time never gets old

9 weeks old and full of smiles. When Mike took her out of the water she was quite unhappy.

2 month birthday!

It's been brought to my attention that we are quite behind on a Rosie update. As a result, I spent a good part of yesterday chasing Rosie around with the camera, missing moments of crazy cuteness. Luckily, she's always pretty cute.



At two months, Rosa's become more active. She loves to kick and she's using her arms more deliberately. In particular, she's been sucking on her knuckle when she's hungry (sorry Ong Ngoai). The past week brought on a stuffy-nosed baby, which made sleeping and feedings a bit more challenging. She has quite a love-hate relationship with that bulb syringe. We've been keeping her busy between making new friends at Moms groups and doing Mom and Baby Yoga. On the weekends she's been going on early morning walks with Dad, while I get to sleep in. On MLK day, she and Dad went on an epic walk while listening to speeches of Dr. King. We've been spending a lot of time with Dad's family and have been video chatting a lot with Mom's side. Everyone comments on how much older she's become. Her eyes are becoming more and more curious.

As for Mom, she's had one rough day of general achiness. I'm hoping it's from yoga (which would mean I'm even more wildly out of shape than initially expected) and not sickness. Mike's been massaging my muscles (woo!), and I've been resting and hydrating. It does feel like some of my achiness comes from tensing my muscles when I'm holding Rosie (helloooo carpal tunnel), so I need to work on my form. No one ever warned me baby holding was such an art!

Park exploration

Felt like exploring today and ended up at a random park in Cupertino. Rosie's first outdoor feeding! Look at those cheeks! She's packing for the winter.

Location:Ramona Ct,Cupertino,United States

smiles and yoga

Rosie is eager to demonstrate what we learned yesterday. AND we found a noise she seems to think is pretty funny.

baby namaste

Went to a mom and baby pilates yoga (pi-yo play) class today with Rosa. She totally loved it and stayed awake during the whole thing. It was a mixture of yoga for the moms mixed in with movements for and with the baby. So imagine your typical yoga class except with nursery rhymes and mooing and meowing during cat-cow.

Rosa especially liked the superman move where I lied on my back and she lied on my legs and I bounced her up and down. Couldn't get any cute pictures, but trust me...she was cute doing it.

Felt good going to get some stretching and exercise in. It's also nice to be in somewhere that is designed for the baby, where I feel no self-consciousness about feeding or changing or crying* because everyone understands! And I may have made a new mommy friend!


*crying might be me tomorrow after all those squats with a 10 pound weight (aka Rosie)

RosieRadio: Rosie by Tom Waits

thanks Uncle M!



Well I'm sitting on a windowsill, blowing my horn
Nobody's up except the moon and me,
And a lazy old tomcat on a midnight spree
All that you left me was a melody.
Rosie, why do you evade? Rosie, how can I persuade? Rosie...

And the moon's all up, full and big, apricot tips in an indigo sky,
And I've been loving you, Rosie, since the day I was born
And I'll love you, Rosie 'til the day I die.
Rosie, why do you evade? Rosie, how can I persuade? Rosie...

Rosie, why do you evade? Rosie, how can I persuade? Rosie...

And I'm sitting on a windowsill, blowing my horn
Nobody's up except the moon and me,
And a lazy old tomcat on a midnight spree
All that you left me was a melody.
Rosie, why do you evade? Rosie, how can I persuade? Rosie...

rubba dub dub

I'm going a little video-crazy, I know.

Bath time has always been very special because Rosie seems to really love the water. The look on her face when we first dip her in is pretty amazing. There is an element of surprised mixed with joy. I wasn't able to capture that look but I did get a surprise of my own...a smile! And I'm fairly sure it was not gas-induced, but rather a genuine smile!

She is so sweet. Enjoy!



p.s. sorry it's so wide. I'm going to have to figure out how to fix that.

Zzzzzzzzzz....

turn up the sound on this one

labryinth of another kind

This video of Rosa dancing kept reminding me of something but I just couldn't put my finger on it...

...until NOW.

dance lessons: who leads?!

The other night Mike said to me, "Congratulations! You did it!" "Did what?" I asked. "Your first day alone with Rosie."

I was resistant to accept the compliment at first, being sure to downplay our day. But in thinking about it more, Mike helped me appreciate what it is Rosa and I do together. Since Thanksgiving, I've had Mike home for a nice long stretch and family staying with us at the house which I am eternally grateful for. But as of Wednesday, it's been just me and Rosa.

I really love the time together - there is nothing more precious than when she falls asleep on my chest (she's actually doing that right now as I type this...it can get a little warm...!). We do a little dance the rest of the time. When she's sleeping, I try and see how much I can get done in that small window...dishes from hours ago, laundry from days ago, showering from ____ (you don't want to know) ago...all the while being distracted by her cuteness.

And for the times when she doesn't want to be put down, we do an even more exciting dance! I'm learning to do more things with one hand (e.g. I signed my name lefty when buying something at the store today!). What worked beautifully was to put her in the moby wrap, where she promptly fell asleep and I managed to cook fried eggs and toast for breakfast!


On the plate for this week is a doctor's appointment, a MeetUp event with some other new moms, and hopefully some short hikes. Looking forward to rehearsing this mother daughter dance!

**Note how cute Rosie's feet are in the picture!

RosieRadio: The Rose

Bette Midler's The Rose



Some say love, it is a river
that drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor
that leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger,
an endless aching need.
I say love, it is a flower,
and you it's only seed.

It's the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance.
It's the dream afraid of waking
that never takes the chance.
It's the one who won't be taken,
who cannot seem to give,
and the soul afraid of dyin'
that never learns to live.

When the night has been too lonely
and the road has been to long,
and you think that love is only
for the lucky and the strong,
just remember in the winter
far beneath the bitter snow
lies the seed that with the sun's love
in the spring becomes the rose.

RosieRadio: Ramblin' Rose

We thought it would be cool to look for songs that had something to do with a Rosa/Rose/Rosie. Di T helped us find the first song, Cracklin' Rosie by Neil Diamond.

Today's featured song is Ramblin' Rose by Nat King Cole.




Ramblin' rose, ramblin' rose
Why you ramble, no one knows
Wild and wind-blown, that's how you've grown
Who can cling to a ramblin' rose?

Ramble on, ramble on
When your ramblin' days are gone
Who will love you with a love true
When your ramblin' days are GONE

Ramblin' rose, ramblin' rose
Why I want you, heaven knows
Though I love you with a love true
Who can cling to a ramblin' rose?

Ramblin' rose, ramblin' rose
Why I want you, heaven knows
Though I love you with a love true
Who can cling to a ramblin' rose?

guest blogger: Di Tien part II

I’m very impressed by how Vi and Mike care for Rosie so confidently and joyfully. They never complain – they just do what needs to be done. Many new parents are understandably frustrated by the intense demands of parenting, but Vi and Mike stay remarkably calm, grounded, and grateful. As they change Rosie’s diaper and try to figure out why she’s crying, they laugh together and improvise songs. My friend came to visit, and she remarked how warm and happy Vi and Mike's home was. When I return to Connecticut, I’ll definitely miss hanging out with my niece, sister, and brother-in-law.

young jedi

Guest blogger: Di Tien

Di Tien has been visiting from Connecticut. I asked her to write something for the blog which is very exciting because her time with us has been special and she is also a very eloquent writer.

I love to look at Rosie. I marvel at her pink lips the color of the inside of a conch shell. When she yawns, her mouth sometimes forms the shape of race track shape or a heart. She often stares up at lights; she’s mesmerized by them. Her face lights up when she’s in the bath. I love her miniature nose, her tiny slivers of toe nails, her chubby cheeks.

Recently I became intrigued by the ideas of Hildegard von Bingen, a nun who lived in Germany in the 12^th century. She believed that we are all born with original wisdom, and when we are babies, the wisdom is folded up in our bodies like a golden tent. I like this notion. It reminds me of the Buddhist belief that we are all capable of reaching enlightenment.

As I watch Rosie, I think about the wisdom she has to share with me. I’ve noticed that when she inhales her entire upper body – including her belly – expands. A few years ago, I took a longevity breathing class at a tai chi school and learned that our bodies function optimally when we are engaged in deep abdominal breathing. I was told Tai chi masters studied how babies breathed and mimicked them. When we breathe deeply, more oxygen enters the lungs and reaches the brain.

When Rosie cries, I’m reminded that suffering is part of life. As I hold her, kiss the top of her head, and bounce to soothe her, part of me wishes I could protect her so she would never experience physical pain, heartache, or loss. But, at the same time, I won’t want to rob her of opportunities to grow in compassion and wisdom.

The other night I set Rosie down in her chair, and she looked very content as she smiled at me. She’s such a charmer. Her big grin and chubbiness reminded me of the laughing Buddha.

Burping is serious business

Note the extreme focus and concentration required during this burping session.

Yogurtland

Rosie's first trip to Yogurtland. Obviously not as exciting for her as it is for Mom and Dad.

Location:Creekside Way,Campbell,United States