A major transition

We decided that instead of buying a whole new set of nursery furniture, we would just move all of Dylan's furniture (crib, mattress, changing table, dresser) to the new nursery. This means that Dylan would need new furniture in his room and we would have to move him into a full size bed. We feel guilty that the baby will be getting hand-me-down furniture, BUT what are we going to do with two sets of nursery furniture? We promise to make it up to the baby in some other way. =)

Tonight begins that transition. Mommy found the perfect beddings to match Dylan's room (no need to repaint the room) and Daddy moved the crib to the side to make room for the full mattress. Those that have slept in the same bed as Dylan knows that he often ends up at the foot of the bed. So at this point, we only wanted the mattress on the floor, then we'll slowly add the box spring and the headboard/rails.

We wished we had the video camera to capture Dylan's reaction. He was so happy to have his big boy bed . Like any 2 year old, he wouldn't stop jumping on the bed. He also kept saying, "I like it" and "sleep on Dylan's bed" .

Hopefully this transition to a full size bed will be easy on all of us.

We had to sneak in the room after he fell asleep to take some pictures.

he looks so tiny in that bed big

of course, he has to have his pillow, blanket and elmo.

gifts..... gifts.... and more gifts.

Dylan is so lucky to have very generous and thoughtful family and friends. He got SO MANY toys, clothes, and money for his college fund.

what's in here?

Elmo!!!excited about his elmo stickersmore Elmo
opening his gift with a screw driver

no interest in clothes- typical toddler!

reading his card

Thank you to everyone for spending their day with Dylan and for making his birthday extra special!

Party Party Party

It was great seeing him enjoy his party as much as he did. He only had a 30min nap (instead of his regular 2.5-3hr nap), but he still partied like a well-rested toddler.

Here's a preview of the pictures from his party. Stay tuned -- more to come....

soy cake Mommy made (Daddy helped ice it)

tables and chairs - gift from Mommy and Daddy

custom birthday banner

waiting for his guests

food!!!!

cake and favors

enjoying his bounce house from Grandma and Uncle Tommy

his favorite part - Elmo came to his party

two Elmo cakesblowing his candle

family picture

more pictures here: Dylan's 2nd birthday

Chugga.. Chugga... Choo... Choo...

Dylan is TWO!!!

Happy Birthday, little monster!
=)

Birthday Eve

After hours (well, more like days) of preparing for tomorrow's party, Mommy and Daddy sit back and reflect on the past two years. We simply can't believe how quickly it went and we often wish we can stop time to cherish the moment.

To our dearest Dylan,

Two years ago, Mommy and Daddy often talked about the little and big things we would teach you - play catch, your ABCs, saying your last name, spelling your last name, riding a bike, sharing with others, etc. What we didn't realize then was how much we were going to learn from you instead. In just the last two years, a sweet little boy has taught us about having unlimited patience, setting priorities, loving unconditionally, and enjoying the daily events in our lives.

You have exceeded our expectations of having a son. You have brought so much love and smiles into our family. We are so honored to have you in our lives. Our birthday wish for you, as it is every year, is for you to always know how much you are loved and how proud we are to be your Mommy and Daddy.

Lots of hugs and kisses,
Mommy and Daddy

2yr Portraits

Dylan is usually not camera shy, but today when we went for his 2 year portraits, he definitely tested the photographer's patience =)

He didn't want to smile, look at the camera, sit still, etc. It was only the last five minutes that he started cooperating and that's only because Mommy promised him a cookie. Hey, whatever works!!!

Here's a preview of the somewhat decent ones. We ordered the first two. We're hoping to go back and hopefully he'll be in a better mood for better pictures.

Pregnancy Update

Baby will be 24 weeks this Sunday and he has been moving and kicking a lot.. mostly around midnight. So naturally, Mommy is more uncomfortable at night. Daddy has started feeling the baby which is always a thrill. Dylan has been more attentive to the baby - head butting, hitting, and punching Mommy's belly. We're working on getting him to be more gentle =)

Dylan has also picked out a name for his little brother. It's a name he's always wanted for the baby. No matter what name we suggest, Dylan keeps referring to the baby by this same name. We're 95% sure this will be the baby's name since it's Dylan's first choice. We'll be keeping the name to ourselves - which, of course, doesn't mean we're disappointed by the name. We just want it between the three of us .... for now.

Hopefully, sometime in the future, when Daddy has some free time, he'll be able to scan the baby's latest US pictures.

Fireworks

We brought Dylan to Jefferson Day Fair to enjoy the parade, zepolles (Daddy's fav) and fireworks. Since it's really his first time to see/hear fireworks, we weren't sure how he would take it. Surprisingly, he liked it and called them "light ... kaboom!"




See video on the right of Dylan enjoying the fireworks.

Mommy and Daddy's 6th Yr Anniversary

This year's anniversary was spent at NYC - watched Wicked, dinner at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill, late night dessert and snack at the hotel . We had a wonderful time but we definitely missed Dylan. It was the first time we were away from him for more than 24 hours. We often commented on how strange it was to be able to have a conservation or dinner without any interruptions.

Our view from the room - Times' Squarebefore watching Wicked

22 weeks belly

Wicked - the best show we've seen

Daddy being a tourist in the city

Fried Squid at Mesa Grill

Daddy's Bison at Mesa Grill
(picture of Mommy's rib eye was accidentally deleted.. but it was delish!!)

room service dessert

room service late snack

Breakfast in bed

(thanks to Tio Boyet for all our room service yummies)

Weekend at Grandma and Uncle Tommy's

Dylan spent Saturday night until Monday afternoon with Grandma and Uncle Tommy while Mommy and Daddy celebrated their 6th year wedding anniversary. Based on the pictures from Grandma, Dylan definitely had a great time. He played and ate the whole time. When we asked him if he was ready to go home, he said, "no, not yet". But we missed him so much (it was the longest time we've been away from him) that we just had to drag him back home with us =)

Here are pictures we received from Grandma's phone throughout the two days:

waiting for the inflatable pool

filling with water

eating a hot dog (he finished the whole thing by himself, and then some)

breakfast in the backyard

swimming with Grandma

playing golf with his homemade putter (from Uncle Tommy)

helping Grandma water the plants

4th of July weekend

We've got a busy weekend planned. We're hoping for a wonderful weather at the pool and a family BBQ at Jersey City. Then, we're off to Grandma's house to watch the fireworks right from her deck.

Dylan will be staying with Grandma and Uncle Tommy for the rest of the weekend so Mommy and Daddy can celebrate their 6th wedding anniversary in NYC.

Happy Independence Day! Happy Anniversary to Mommy and Daddy!

Bye Bye Ate Cece

We enjoyed having Ate Cece with us for a month and we were very sad to see her go. Hopefully she'll come visit again soon.

with Ninong King

"it's Ok Ate Cece"

big hugs

Ate Cece and Dylan