"Hiiiiiiieeeeeee!"

Xinyi is just too much fun! She learned how to say "hi!" this week, it's long and drawn out and sounds like "Hiiiiiiieeeeeee!"  She also waves when you say hi or bye to her!

She also has become fiercely independent, wanting to do everything for herself, including eat with a spoon! She's sort of okay at it! She mostly dips the spoon into yogurt and then licks it!

Baby has mastered the stacking ring toy, thanks to help from Nai Nai!! She also claps for herself when she finishes stacking the rings! Puzzles are still slightly out of her mental reach, but not for lack of trying!

Xinyi loves to put things into other things and reads to herself and is just so cute. Yesterday, I asked her to bring me a book, she stood up, walked to the basket of books, and brought me a book! Who knows if she understood, or maybe she just knows the word book, but I was surprised and delighted! We will keep trying!

Now for some pictures:

Thanks to Nai Nai for driving up to help mommy this week! Being sick is no fun when you have a tiny tot!

Oh yes, baby had her first encounter with crayons and drawing! She did great! Until she tried to eat the crayon. She did a similar thing with stickers... She played so well... Until she tried to eat the sticker...

Xinyi is so sassy and so happy!

So full of joy!

Milk!

Baby girl is getting so big! She learned to sign "milk" this week, asking for cow's milk all the time! We're so proud of her for picking up on baby sign language so well! She can sign "all done" and "more" and "milk" and shakes her head yes and no! We're working on "water" and "please" and "thank you!" She can say "mama" and "dada" and "duck" and "kitty" and "nononono" and points to the lights when I ask her where is the light? 

But so far, her favorite thing, thanks to daddy, is blowing raspberries!

Look at the face of joy and accomplishment!

She loves to read books to herself still...

And wanders around the house with random objects...

But most importantly her new bear case from Auntie Sophie!

Gemma and Grammy and Grampy came to visit on Saturday for daddy's birthday!

And we took a stroll in Descanso as well :)

Xinyi walks so well and shows off her superhero cape whenever daddy remembers to put it on for her!

She is so sweet and so silly, just like daddy!

:D!

Play dates galore!

It's been a fun week of play dates and more play dates! 

First, baby got to go on a big girl play date with mommy and her friends! She had a sliced banana along with various bits of French toast and strawberries!

Selfie fun with daddy!

On Sunday, daddy got commissioned at church! Yay for family photos!

Then Monday was a play date at an indoor playground! Love these babies and mommas!

Then today another play date at Descanso! But with all the activity, boy was Xinyi tired!

Never mind, she's ready to go again!

Until next time!

Aaannd she's walking, really walking!

Xinyi is a walking champion right now! She pulls herself up to standing and then turns from whatever object she used to stand, and starts to toddle! It's so fun to watch her really be mobile. She toddled halfway from our living room to the kitchen the other day and we just cheered her on! She veers towards the left when she walks and holds her hand out like a zombie. It's just adorable.

Baby girl also loves to jibber jabber to herself. She talks loudly to herself and to us, it's adorable! She also uses her hands to make our hands do things like iPads and she'll clap our hands together for us and she loves putting food in our hands!

We haven't had too many adventures this week because we've been coming down from a Christmas and birthday high, plus in the last few days, it's been raining. But we are enjoying our time with this little tot. Oh yes, she has started her tiny tot tantrums, today throwing herself face down on the ground because she dropped her own mum mum. Ahh, so it begins :).

Here are a few pictures from the week -- no weekly pictures from now on, and not sure if they will be weekly posts either... I think I'll try, but we'll see how it goes! This little one now demands full attention at almost every moment of the day! Love her so!

One year old!

Baby girl is one year old!

We kicked off the day with some presents -- a baby doll and a stroller for her baby doll from Grammy!

A corn popper from mommy and daddy!

So cute!

A new outfit for the baby! A panda jacket from Cat!

We went strolling at Descanso and saw ducks!

Xinyi spent many minutes saying, "duck...duck...duck...duck..." :)

At home we had ube flan cupcakes from Cafe 86! (Baby wanna-be hipster has a trendy cupcake for her 1st birthday!)

"What's this? It's purple... let me try it... oh... YUM!"

Then at night, we went to LA Zoo Lights with Grammy! It was beautiful and baby girl was entranced!

I truly cannot believe it's been one whole year. A few months ago, while buying groceries at Vons, the cashier, a nice middle-aged woman, asked me, "Is she your only one?" Xinyi was snug in her Ergo because it was a quick grocery trip and putting her in the Ergo is often easier for me than pushing around a shopping cart. I smiled and answered, "Yes, she's my only one." I've been asked that question, or a variation of that question several times before. "Is she your first?" Yes, she is my first and my only right now, and I love cuddling her and loving her to pieces!

It really has been the most beautiful, challenging, wonderful, and crazy year of my life. The year has flown past, and it really does feel like I just gave birth to her. At the time, the first five months felt slower than many lifetimes put together, but now, those first five months feel like they went by in a few seconds. The middle three months were some of my favorites. Her personality really started to shine and the crawling, laughing, giggling stage is just amazing. The last two to three months have been fun and challenging. The crawling turned to cruising which turned to tentative steps and walking while holding my fingers. The laughing and giggling turned into both full and hearty laughs and loud and vivacious tantrums! She's pointing at things she wants and kicking her feet and crying when she doesn't get what she wants! She also has the best laugh and the silliest personality! She has her daddy's love of pranks and she spends many minutes blowing raspberries with her mouth... often mere inches from my face. She has my love for bread and consumes more muffins, Hawaiian sweet bread, tortillas, pancakes, English muffins, etc... than both Shane and I combined! She is so inquisitive and so curious, exploring all new things and watching intently in new situations. Tonight at the LA Zoo Lights, she spent the full 45 minutes in the Ergo watching and whipping her head around to see all the lights and hear all the music -- but she was completely silent. Then as soon as we got in the car, she spent the 20 minute drive home talking to herself and to her toys! It's as if she was telling her toys everything she saw!

Xinyi has been true to her name -- she has brought so so so much joy to all our lives. She's so beautiful to us, inside and out! We are so honored and blessed to be her parents :). To many more years, baby girl!!! The first one has been beyond incredible!

Fifty two weeks old!

Xinyi is fifty two weeks old! (And one day shy of one year old!)

This week was a super busy one (and lots of pictures to go with it!) We saw Tai Yeh Yeh and Tai Nai Nai and Yeh Yeh and Nai Nai!

Then we went to Grammy's house where mommy made a beautiful snow globe cookie that she is very proud of :P.

The next morning, Grammy watched baby for us so we could watch Star Wars!

They had a blast :).

Then we had Christmas!!!!!

Baby's first Christmas!

After a peaceful morning at Grammy's house, we went to see Peaches and Grandpa Chuck!

Gemma still loves baby!

The extended family!

Our little family <3

Then in the afternoon, we opened presents at Grammy's house!

The next day, Saturday, was Xinyi's early birthday party! 

Beautiful spread :)

And beautiful cakes!

The birthday girl!

Baby and Archie had a good time playing at first...

Then she decided to tackle him...

She thought it was fun :)

Archie didn't seem to mind!

Xinyi had another baby friend there too, Bruce!

But baby found a present to open!

Then baby and Bruce had at the presents and had a grand old time :).

Nathan also came to play and they had fun together too!

Baby was very tentative about the cake... tasting the frosting and sucking the frosting off her fingers, but never really diving in! The smudge on her cheek is from her frosted hand touching her cheek... It took five minutes before she actually grabbed a piece of cake! She's a slow eater, even with sweet things!

Cat was there too and loved baby to pieces!

Baby had a great time, thank you to all family and friends who were able to celebrate in San Diego with us!

Grammy and Grampy got a few more squeezes in before we had to head home

Once at home, Xinyi found her new fun toy a blast to dance and clap along to!

She also looves her scooter!

Such a fun and busy and wonderful week!

We love your face, baby girl!

Happy fifty second week of life :).

Tomorrow, you will be one year old!