Robert Joseph "RJ" and Richard Alexander Yu: 2010

11.29.10 - RJ - The day after you turned 4 was a big day for you. You turned into a full pledge "big boy" by going potty (#2) in the potty and by drinking your milk from a cup. Finally, you let go of your baby bottle. You were so proud of yourself and we are too.

We are not use to your big appetite. You love eating these days. You are still picky but you will occasionally try new things. You had your very first lollipop this Halloween and even tried some gummy bears. You are still refusing to eat rice and vegetables. Mom sneaks in vegetables into your Mac and Cheese, pasta and noodles though. So long as you do not see them, you are fine.

You like to do a lot of pretend plays these days. It is amazing to watch you.

You take good care of your little brother and enjoy playing with him. He likes playing with you too. You guys turn wild while jumping in Richards crib. When I see the two of you playing together, I know that having 2 boys worked out for the best.

Richard - You will be 1 in a few days. Time surely flies when you are having fun. I enjoy watching you grow up but miss seeing you as a baby. You are turning into a big boy so fast.

You cruise and crawl really fast now. I think you will be walking in no time.

Your language is expanding too. Tonight while you were taking a bath, Mom asked you where Elmo was and you pointed with your pinky finger at Elmo and said there. We were all so surprised. We then continue asking you where things (balloon, shoes, socks, Winnie the Pooh, Mom, Dad, RJ) are and you were able to point at them and say there.

You are able to do a few signs such as more more, eat, fish and milk. You are able to communicate to us when you want to get something or eat something.

Mom cooked turkey pot pie/goulash today and you ate it heartily with rice. We were amazed that you can handle eating that and seem to really enjoy it. I guess you are ready for table food. You also enjoy eating crackers and mommy's junk food.

10.29.10 - RJ - You are a social butterfly, you enjoy going out. Every morning, you would ask me where you are going and what day it is. You enjoy going to school. You now go to school 3 times a week. You come home singing songs such as "What is the weather, the weather, the weather?" You are learning how to write and sue the scissors. You amaze me as to how well you can read. When I was your age, I probably barely know my ABC's and here you are reading. You are also very good at remembering things including people's addresses. You are still learning how to hold a pen and write.

Your favorite things to do right now are read books, watch TV and play with your friends. You like taking pictures with your own camera and you are quite good at it.

You are growing up so fast, I no longer see a baby but a little boy who is sweet gentle and mild tempered. In less than 2 weeks, you will turn 4 years old. Time surely flies when we are having fun.

Richard - You have started to eat congee, pasta and bread. You do not like sweet things such as fruits. You enjoy crunchy things like your baby crackers. You are also cruising and starting to let go of your hands while holding onto something. Our guess is you will be walking real soon. You bubble a lot. 3 days ago, when Mom was showing you the colors, you said vvvblue. You said it again the next day when you saw the MS Windows screen on the computer which was indeed color blue. You can say dadada and just makes a lot of sounds. You can clap, wave bye bye, shake things and respond to your own name. You enjoy reading. Just like RJ you know all your books. Mom would lay your books on the floor and have you pick them out while she reads the title of the book. You usually pick out the right books. You like Winnie the Pooh and Sesame Street (Ernie) books. You love to be held all the time. When Mom puts you down, you usually cry and wants to be held some more. You know to clap your hands when doing Pat A Cake and when it comes to the part when it goes baby/Richard and me, you would put your hands on your head saying that it is you.

08.17.10 - RJ - You are starting to get a little belly. You finally are able to enjoy your food. The variety of food you would try is still very limited, but you have improved so much. We no longer have to force you to eat. You love Mom's whole grain waffles with hotdogs during the weekends. You like pasta, bread, popcorn and confiscate Mom's junk food for yourself most times. You would occasionally eat some lettuce (salad), but that is basically the only vegetable that you will knowingly eat. Mom usually grinds up vegetables to sneak into your food such as your Mac and Cheese. You are nervous about trying fruits but a week ago, you licked a watermelon and grapes!

Your reading skills continues to improve. When Mom and Dad was your age ( 3 1/2) we were almost certain that we did not know how to read. You are surely an amazing young man.You weighed 35 lbs. + on August. 16 (3 years and 9 months old).

Richard - A week before you turned 8 months you learned to crawl forward. You scoot around more than crawl though. On August 15 (you were 8 months and 1 week), you stood up on your own for the very first time. You have been attempting to stand up but usually you would need us to support/lift you. On this particular day, you just held on to the sofa and stood up! Dad was quite surprised to see a head by the sofa. You are such a strong boy, I wonder if all the malunggay (rich in calcium) I have been taking is a contributing factor.

Today, August 16, you had your first tiny piece of cracker while we were at the grocery. You were enthusiastic to try it. After dinner Mom gave you some baby cheerios and you were able to enjoy it this time unlike in the past, where it makes you gag. This time you moved it around your mouth, chewed on it and gave us an approving grin.

You appetite for solids had improved ever since Mom started making soup with meat for you. You enjoy this better than just plain vegetables.

You weighed 18 lbs. 11 oz. on August 15 (8 months and 6 days).

07.10.10 - RJ - Dad was sick one day and he forgot to put your diapers on at night. You kept on crying that night wanting to go to the bathroom. Since then on, you would wake up to go to the bathroom on your own. You were around 3 1/2 at that time. That is quite an accomplishment for a little boy like you. It's been a few months since you've started doing that and Mom and Dad still smiles when they hear you come out of your room to go to the bathroom. We are so proud of you. You still have your occasional accident, but usually it is when you are not feeling well or when you are too tired.

Your latest passion are cars. You could name most of the cars in the parking lot. You know more about car brands than Mom. Mom usually double check what you say by reading the brand at the back of the car and you are usually right. Just to mention a few, you know Toyota, Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Chevrolet, Buick, Subaru, Hyundai, Honda, Acura and can even tell the model such as Malibu, Prius, Trooper, Corolla, etc...

We discovered about 2 months ago that you can read simple words. You could also spell which is quite amazing for a 3 year old. These days, you love to sing and dance. You would listen to the radio and sing along. You would watch TV and sing the commercials or watch cartoon and follow the actions. You are very entertaining to watch. You still love your books. The best times we spend are when we read books together. You enjoy analytical workbooks specially the ones where you have to find the similarities or differences in a picture. You do not have much interest in coloring or writing. Hopefully, that is something that you can pick up once you go back to school in September.

The variety of food that you eat is still very limited. Mostly, you eat bread or noodles (dry). You do not like to eat rice or drink soup. We are thankful that at least now, you are able to chew your food. We just need to work on letting you try more new food.

Richard - You turned 7 months yesterday and already you are a chick magnet or should I say a people magnet. Everywhere I go, I get people stopping me telling me how precious and cute you are. You are turning as many heads as RJ was when he was a baby.At six months you can sit without support for quite awhile. You can also rock on all fours and are crawling backwards. You started eating solids at 6 months, RJ started at 4 months which I think was a little bit too soon.

At 6 months you were ready, thus, it was a lot easier feeding you. You love drinking your water from a sippy cup. We decided not to re-introduce bottles to you but rather just start with a sippy cup to ease the transition. You stopped using them at about 2 months because you did not enjoy them too much.

You can shake your head when asked to. You also know how to do "give me five". You enjoy doing Patty Cake, Itsy Bitsy Spider and loves it when we sing "It's Raining, It's Pouring" while having your bath.

You adore RJ. You make gurgling sounds when you see him in the morning. You giggle loudly when he tries to be silly. I can't wait to see you and your brother play together. RJ can't wait to have a playmate at home.You are starting to play with sounds, you would make popping sounds which sounds like pa, ba or ta. I think you will be an early talker.

06.21.10 - RJ - I never know what you are going to say. You have learned so much and a lot of times, I have no idea where you picked up your knowledge. I am guessing you must have learned it from school or perhaps from watching TV. You are just an amazing little boy. I am glad that you have came into my life. As much as we have our little moments when you test your limits just as all 3 year olds do, I am so thankful for having you. I am never lonely when you are around. You are such a chatterbox which surely keeps me entertained.

You and your brother are beginning to have this bond. Every morning when you wake up, he is the first person you would look for. When you talk, your brother smiles and laughs, he just adores you. I can see the two of you being the best of friends when you grow up.

You have this uncontrollable urge to stick your fingers inside your brothers mouth (whether or not your fingers are clean!). You also cannot resist trying to pick your brother's nose. On the other hand, you help Mama change Richard's diapers, loves to watch when he takes a bath, and loves to hand him his rattles and stick his teethers in his mouth. You are a good helper, I can always rely on you for helping Mom throw away dirty diapers or getting little things around the house.

Your imagination is running wild. You would make up stories while playing with your toys. You also surprise Mom and Dad by reading certain words even if it is just the first time that you have seen the book/magazine. You enjoy story time a lot and is ever so proud when you can read the books.

You are a social butterfly. You enjoy going to school, the kid zone at the Y or going to reading time at the library. You are not shy at all. You talk to adults and children just like they are your friends. You also look forward to seeing your friends at the playgroup and often ask for the. You are not only playing side by side with other kids... now I can see you talking and interacting with them.

RICHARD - Yesterday was Father's Day and you said your very first word. You said Papa... Tata and we were so surprised! You are growing up so fast, sometimes, I wish time will just go a little bit slower. I have learned not to stress out with little things, thus I am enjoying you more. At 6 months you can already roll all across the room. You are also beginning to crawl. You put everything in your mouth and loves to laugh and smile. You are an independent little guy. You do not mind playing on your own on your exersaucer or your jumperoo. You are not into baby movies like Baby Einstein. When RJ was a baby, he enjoyed watching those a lot, unlike you who does not seem to take much interest on it. You started teething at 5 months and by 6 months, I can see a small segment of your teeth protruding from your gums.

You are very aware of what is happening in your surrounding and are very observant. You are starting to mimic sounds and actions that you see.

01.26.10 - RJ - Mom thinks that you are very clever and have an excellent memory. You hear things once or twice and you remember it. You now know a lot of capitals such as (Kansas, United States, Texas, California, New York, Canada, China, Taiwan, Korea, Russia, France, London, Japan, Philippines, etc...) You also know your complete name as well as Mom, Dad's and your brother's. You know know your birth date as well as your brothers. It amazes people when you say November 10, 2006.

A week or so ago, you figured out how to say "sh" and "s". You use it so distinctly and Mom always smile when you say things like "fishing" or "dish washer" as the way you say it is simply adorable.

You are able to make complete sentences and use words correctly. You know when to add "ing", "s" or use the present and past tense. We do not know how you figured those things out on your own but you did. Your vocabulary just keeps on growing everyday. It is amazing how less than a year ago, you can barely say Mama, now you talk non stop and can express yourself so well.

You are finally becoming more adventurous in terms of your food choices. You are still a picky eater but at least there are times when you will try something new. Just last week, you tried eating flat noodles and loved it. You also tried eating French fries dipped in sweet and sour sauce. You did not eat much of that but at least you tried. We are hoping that slowly, you will start eating from more food groups apart from bread and mac and cheese.
Mom gave birth to Richard Alexander on December 9. You have been a very good big brother. You help Mom get diapers and throw them in the garbage. You love kissing your brother all the time but can be rough at times (not intentional, just too excited). When you wake up, the first thing you look for is your brother.

Mom is a little bit busy these days and you seem to be keep yourself occupied. You love to ride your bike around the house all day. You also enjoy reading your books and watching videos. Your favorite videos right now are Curious George and Handy Manny.

About 3 weeks ago, you got a really bad cold after coming back from school. As much as we tried to keep you and your brother in different rooms, your brother caught the bug (RSV) as well. He was only 5 weeks old at that time. Because of this Mom and Dad decided to withdraw you from school for a few months until the major winter rounds of sickness has mellowed down. We will enroll you back on as soon as things get settled.

Both sets of grandparents came for a visit from end of November to mid-January. You easily adjusted to them. You know to speak to Ama Chan in Mandarin and you like to smile "cho" at her. You would say "exercise" to Yeh Yeh Chan as he took you out for a walk at the lake one time. You would copy Ama Yu say things like "yeoh yeoh yeoh" when swinging your Mickey Mouse chair. It was nice to have you interact closely with them for at least a little while.

November 24 - December 25, 2009

We are very fortunate to have family come over to help out with Richard's birth. We all had a very enjoyable and memorable time. I cherish special but rare moments like this. I am glad that RJ got to spend some time with his grandpa and grandma as well as his Uncle Ping. He misses them dearly and after so many months still talks about them. We can't wait to see them all again.

Here is a picture of RJ riding in the scooter basket. He loves riding in "Ama's car" when we go shopping.