what kind of fortune is this?!

(thank goodness i wasn't the one who got it. ian was the lucky recipient.)

s*e*v*e*n

no wonder i feel old ... ian is now 7! how did that happen? the little boy i thought would always be my baby is not really that little anymore. he's at that age where he's almost independent but he still needs his mama to be in the background ... just in case.

i think most parents are sad and reluctant to let go of their maturing children, but i'm eager for ian to find himself and become self-confident. i admit i was a helicopter parent during his younger years and, combined with his sensitive and cautious nature, he's grown up to be remarkably similar to me :: thin skinned, hypersensitive to criticism and errors, and easy to cry. these traits won't serve him well as he grows up so, lately, i've been trying to toughen him up a bit. i want him to live life to the fullest. that's what i'm working towards in the coming year. i hope he's receptive to my new parenting goal.

i really have very little to complain about. we are blessed to have him as our son, and there's no greater compliment than when our friends only have good things to say about him and continue to invite him over to their house. he's sweet and sensitive, gentle and serious, inquisitive and smart, fun-loving and hardworking. and what a great big brother he is! i hope he knows that, no matter what, we love him dearly.

happy birthday, ian!

bowling birthday "party" with his buds A and A

the big 0-2 :: maya @ 24 months

maya @ 2 years old :: november 4, 2007

• as of 11.05.07 :: 22 pounds, 4 ounces (4th %ile), 31 inches (1st %ile)
• it seems like she has a crush on ian's best friend, A. she always tries to sit next to him or kiss him when he comes over to our house. rupert commented that, "maya's going to be one of those girls who gets crushes on her brother's friends." i think he's worried already ...
• likes to pick up "wan wan's unch" with a plastic bag.
• had her first modeling "job" for the tag toys catalog (if you click on the catalog link you'll see maya on the cover and on page 41).
• her bowel movements are getting a tad bit more regular (twice a week as opposed to once a week).
• instead of "no thank you" she says "no please"
• she unlocks the car door on her side
• her blue's clues obsession continues :: her first full sentence was, "i wanna watch blue clue;" sort of sings the blue's clues song; and every paw print (or hand print, even) she sees is a clue.
• trying to figure out how to count with her fingers.
• her favorite food is clearly rice; she screams for it at meals ("wice! wice!") and devours it by the fistful.
• likes it when we play guitar hero II and asks us for "tar"
• dances in her car seat, and insists we acknowledge her "dance dance." if the song is not danceable she demands we change the playlist.
• every hour she screams, "eat! eat!" but isn't very good at telling us what she wants to eat :: "what do you want to eat?" "yes."
• she asks, "what?" with the inflection and pronunciation of an old eastern european lady :: "vaat??"
• juice boxes are a piece of cake :: she can get the straw out of its packaging and puncture the straw hole, all without spilling.
• she's always been into peeling labels and stickers, but now she's into peeling the wrappers off of crayons.
• i'm beginning to think she doesn't like chocolate -- what's wrong with her?!

not my calling

for some crazy reason i was asked to photograph a wedding last night. no doubt about it, i was nervous about such a huge responsibility. i only took the job under the condition that i couldn't be held responsible for the results!

i do love taking pictures but i know nothing about the technicalities involved in professional photography. i read up a bit before the wedding, in hopes of gaining new skills, but i think that just made me more nervous and flustered.

and, sure enough, the outdoor pictures came out nicely but the indoor ceremony shots (of all things) came out not-so-good. i feel so horrible about not getting good pictures of their important moments. thankfully, i know other people were taking pictures of what i botched, but that doesn't minimize the guilt i feel for accepting money for a job not-well-done.

on top of all of that my beloved camera stopped working half way through the reception! i desperately called rupert to have him look through the manual but there was nothing in there about what the camera was doing. so i had to borrow a point-and-shoot digital camera and i'm really not sure how well those pictures came out. i was lucky that the bride was not a bridezilla and totally rolled with the punches about the technical difficulties.

in any case, i just wanted to congratulate O+A on their marriage, to thank them for using me as their photographer, and to apologize for messing it up!

p.s. rupert was is upset that our camera is not working properly ... especially today of all days :: maya's second birthday.

a little treat for me + maya

i had reason to go to plaza el segundo near my house today and i broke down and bought myself a pinkberry for the first time.

the second i tasted it i knew this was my kind of flavor. it was distinctly reminiscent of the japanese drinkable yogurt i love so much. but the more i tasted it i realized it wasn't just that. it also tastes like calpico (or, calpis, as it's known in japan).

i got mine plain with no toppings, and even the small was large enough for me and maya. for $2.50 it wasn't bad ... i think i'll be heading back over there with ian (who's a calpico fan) real soon.

i saw lamar odom yesterday

unfortunately, it was right after his car accident that left him with a minor concussion ...

the accident happened at the major intersection near my house and i happened to get stuck at the light right next to the stuck lady's car. i just have to say that for someone who just suffered a minor concussion lamar odom looked like he was being really helpful, which was nice to see.

and, just fyi (in case you read the article), downey is not near hawthorne.