Passed out in the sling

Too much holiday fun had baby derek sleeping all morning in the sling.

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Eight Weeks!

This serious looking baby is almost 2 months old! He's chubbed up quite a bit (almost to 12 lbs. last time I weighed him at the Breastfeeding Center). He's started babbling more, cooing and taking an interest in things outside of eating and pooing. He's developing those nice chubby fat rolls and has a double chin (he's working up to a third one). He snores during his sleep and sometimes laughs too.

Sister Baby Swap

That's my sister Minh Chau and her adorable baby Elliot. We deicded to trade babies for a bit at Uyen's Christmas party. Elliot is 11 months old, talking lots and moving all over the place. Derek will have alot to learn from him! I can't wait until the two boys are running next year this time and causing mischief.

Out and about in Annapolis

Mike and Baby Derek next to Lolo (to the right of the baby carrier).

















Mike, his brother Emil, Inay and Baby Derek.

 We had wanted to visit the Naval Academy during the last weeks of my pregnancy where Derek's lolo (grandfather/Mike's dad) is interred. Baby came early so we didn't get a chance to.

For those who may not know, Derek is named after his lolo, Federico Favila. He passed away when Mike and his brother Emil were still teenagers and we thought it would be nice to honor his memory since he will not be there to see Baby Derek grow up.

Lolo was an all around badass from the stories Mike has told me. He was a wild child, drinking vodka when he was 5 and burning down playground at some other point. As a teenager, he lived with an older woman (total scandal). But his dad (Derek's great grandfather, who we'll call great Lolo) was the very respected head of the mathematics department at the University of the Philippines. In fact, he penned math textbooks and was a colleague of Albert Einstein. Great Lolo had come to the US to study at UC Berkley back when very few immigrants were attending college.

So Great Lolo wanted to see his son, Derek Sr., make something of himself - so he signed him up for a nationwide exam in the Philippines. Over 20,000 people took the test, the top 4 candidates won admission to one of the US military academies (Naval, Air Force, West Point or Coast Guard). Mike's dad actually was one of those top 4 candidates and won himself a ticket to the US to study at the Naval Academy.

While attending school in Annapolis, he met and married Mike's Mom, Ginny. They moved back to the Philippines and joined Marcos' Administration (the President/of the Philippines at the time, you may remember his wife Imelda with the excessive shoe habit). Both Mike and his brother Emil were born in the Philippines and spent their early years there. After Marcos was deposed for corruption, Lolo Derek returned to the States. He raised Mike and Emil here until he passed away in 1998.

So here we are a blustery weekend in December visiting Lolo Derek at the Columbarium at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Brr it was chilly, but well worth the trek.

My first christmas!

A bit cranky for such a lovely day.

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Derek's One Month Celebration

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Photos courtesy Mr. Thanh Tran - my sister's wonderful father in law.

Many cultures have celebrations before babies turn a year old, in some Asian cultures - its 100 days. For Vietnamese people, its 30 days ("Day Thang"), or one full lunar month. The idea is to gather family together and be grateful for the health and development of baby. Its belived that 12 fairies help "shape" the baby in the womb and will continue to help him grow and learn to laugh, speak and do all kinds of adorable baby stuff.

Here are photos from the special day. Sorry it took so long, I just figure out how to post a slideshow from Flickr. Oh yes, and Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

What's going on?

This was taken last week when it started snowing, Inay and I decided it was too cold to take Baby out to enjoy it, but here he is looking around. He's starting to look so chubby. Yay. Everyone loves a chubby Asian baby.