cousinly love

As promised, we start this blog with a video of the TCCML cousins (Rosie's aunties) serenading Rosie to bed last night. We were pushing her bedtime a bit and she was clearly ready to go to sleep. But when she hears the music you see the sweetest expression on her face.




And what better way to start the next day than with more music! Rosie was really digging the "Winnie the Pooh" theme song on the piano and would bob her head to the music, giggling whenever she heard Winnie the Pooh's name.


Group photo!





After playing in the sprinklers before hitting the road, we finally had to say goodbye. One consolation was having received the CD of lullabies by the TCCML cousins so Rosie was lulled to sleep in her car seat as we drove off.

As amazing as it was to be with all our DE and NJ cousins, it was priceless seeing Rosie's excitement toward Ba Ngoai, Di T, and Ong Ngoai.

Then we headed off to Ong H and Ba V's house for dinner. We forgot to take more pictures (how dare we!) but here are a few shots from the evening:

Storytime with Uncle R:



Kisses goodbye!


More kisses!



Di T, Ba Ngoai, and Rosie watching Sound of Music. Love!

Master of biology and relaxation

I lost the post I was working on (bah!) so here is a quick recap of the last couple days:
- fever went down quickly! Rosie back to her normal self.
- Auntie N rocked her thesis defense and is officially a master of biology! Go Auntie go! It also happened to be her birthday so there was much cause for celebration.


- Rosie made an instant bond with a family friend, M. They were basically inseparable


- celebratory BBQ












- birthday dinner









- fireflies! Rosie was very committed to our firefly search. Process went like this: squat down low and observe, point and squeal when firefly is spotted, grab hand of search companion and begin pursuit, giggle when watching the firefly crawl on Mom or Dad's hand, wave and say "bye bug" when firefly leaves, repeat. So magical!

- we continue to be amazed at the rate at which Rosie is picking up new words. The 2 new signs from yesterday are peach and delicious.

- relaxing inside on a 100 degree day.





- after a tax-free shopping spree we headed up to New Jersey for another visit with family. I swear Rosie said "pho" today for the first time. Huge milestone! :)


- surprised by an amazing gift: a whole album of lullabies sung by the TCCML cousins themselves. stay tuned for Rosie's bedtime lullaby.

Delightful Delaware

Another amazing day in Delaware! The weather has been fantastic: warm with a strong breeze. Perfect for outdoor hanging out! We had a big breakthrough with Rosie's communication. She picked up the word "mine" and got a bit grabby/possessive. So in response, and with a lot of support from Auntie M, we taught her a new word (verbal and sign): "share"! By the end of the day she had fully embraced the word, taking a bite of Popsicle, saying "share", and passing it to Mommy and Auntie. She wanted it back, of course, but this was a step in the right direction!

Hammocks never get old:


Bubble fairy:


Multitasking: bubble hunting and Popsicle devouring:


Space Invaders game: how many bubbles can you pop with one finger? This was way more fun than playing Xbox last night :) (couldn't decide which picture was funnier so here they all are!):









After bubble mania we had a jam session and whipped out Mommy/Auntie N's old trumpet:


Rosie ended the evening in chill mode before finally giving into sleep:

Farewell Philly, hello Newark

This morning we said goodbye to our good friends...


...and headed further south to Delaware to visit Ong C, Zia D, and Aunties N and M. It was a warm and breezy day, perfect for hammock time and relaxing. When we first got to the house
Ong C gave Rosie a gift: it was a book of mommy's from 1991! Rosie gladly climbed into Ong's lap for a story.


Rosie was out of sorts after her afternoon napnot. Turns out she has a fever :( poor baby! The one silver lining of her not feeling well is the cuddle time


After a tasty BBQ dinner, we got an exclusive peak at Auntie N's masters presentation that she is giving on Thursday. We are so impressed and proud! Rosie's subconscience was soaking it all in.


Too cool, even in her sleep and in a diaper:


Sucks that Rosie is not feeling well, but the nice thing is to be with close family who can make her feel better, especially Zia D whose expertise as a nurse and a mother have really comforted our little one. She is in very good and loving hands here!!

Tough cookie

Scraped knees properly christened just like any adventurous daredevil baby should be.

Philly

Here we are in Philadelphia visiting Aunt M (or as Rosie says, "Mamadon") and Uncle D. We started the day with breakfast just 2 blocks from the apartment where the people were super nice, and Rosie managed to score a free Mickey Mouse pancake.
Fueled up with coffee and food, we walked to UPenn campus, making a pit stop at a park:






Rosie was having a hard time (woke up too early?) and struggled with the stroller but finally gave in and fell asleep en route. We first stopped by the bookstore. It was there that we decides we'd collect something from every college campus Rosie visits to start her college wall.
Next we met up with Uncle D for lunch. But first, we sculpture-hopped a little:








It started to heat up after lunch so after the walk back to the apartment Rosie took her second nap while we hung out in the patio.
Then we headed to Reading Terminal, a really cool marketplace where there was a nice mix of grocer and prepared foods. We got fixings for a tasty dinner: salmon, salad, bread, cheese, peaches and strawberries for a crumble dessert. When we got home Rosie got in some really good play time. It was very sweet seeing her giggle and horse around with M and D.



While the kitchen was buzzing with activity, Rosie was engrossed in play-cooking. All it took was a few mixing bowls and a spoon and she was mixin up a delicious storm. She would mixed the bowl then let us taste her creations. It is such a cool thing to see her pretend play.
Best way to end the day: super tasty meal outside, time to catch up with good friends, and a rainbow!

Family extravaganza

Yesterday we had a full house at Ong Ba's house with family. It was awesome seeing Rosie with everyone, especially her little cousins. They played so sweetly together. Unfortunately, most of the pictures from that day yet since they're all on Uncle M's camera. So I will have to wait to download them from Cousin J's blog :)



Today we started the day a little rough with a little restless peanut. She woke up at 7EST/4PST which was way too early. She was pretty inconsolable and wouldn't come back to bed. Instead she found brief refuge elsewhere:


So Rosie, Ba Ngoai, and I joined up with Uncle M, Auntie A, and Jacob for a long walk around the hood, including a pit stop at the park:





Then it was lunch, backyard chillin, and, sadly, goodbyes.











The Takoma Park crew headed home (we'll see you soon one way or another!!). DaddyO, Mommy, and Rosie began our road trip to Philly. We took a pitstop at a park in Pompton Lake (I think) where Rosie had a blast playing with DaddyO. She also began to perfect her dexterity with crossing her legs while we snacked...another monkey-see-monkey-do:


Next we headed to Hillsborough where we visited T-A and V-A (technically some degree of cousin but more like aunt and uncle), Ba L, and Co H for dinner in their garden oasis. Rosie warmed up to very quickly, and we had an absolute blast. There was some serious paparazzi action going on, though Rosie did get to be in the other side of the camera for a change.
The 2nd annual xoai eating event:





Learning photography tips:






And...introducing the newest member of the band!

Now we are in Philly visiting our good friends M and D! Ready to follow Rosie's lead and hit the hay.