My Story and My Plea - 2013

My dear friends, family members, and strangers who happen to stumble upon this page,

It took me a long time to write this letter last year and I am going to repeat myself and tell you my story, and the reason why I want you to support me in participating in this year's Energy For Life Walkathon.  I know each year you've been asked to donate to many worthy charitable organizations.  Many of you have supported me the last few years.  This is the second year United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation organizes the Energy For Life Walkathon in San Francisco Golden Gate Park.  In writing about my story, I am at a loss for words.  I want to raise awareness, and to let you know why I am trying to do the little that I can to make a difference.

Mitochondrial Disease.... what is that? "Mitochondrial disease occurs when there is a defect in the body’s ‘powerhouses’. The mitochondria fail to produce enough energy. That results in organ systems failing. Imagine a major city with half of its power plants shut down. The same thing happens in the affected person’s body. The brain may be impaired. They may lose vision or hearing. The heart may be weakened, and they may have eating and digestive issues. The symptoms range from mild to severe for each affected person. The disease is fatal and there is no cure."


In Logan's case, we found out that over 90% over his mitochondria were not producing enough energy, esp.  in his brain, thus causing stroke-like symptoms in his brain stem.  Ever since he was born, he had difficulties with breathing, eating, acid reflux, and poor muscle tone.  He stayed at the NICU for a month before being discharged with a feeding tube and a big oxygen tank.  Before he was discharged, he went through a ton of tests to figure out why he was still having problems with feeding and breathing.  There was no clear answer. The doctors hoped that as he grew older, he became stronger.  It was not until a couple weeks before he passed away, that further rare genetic tests revealed that he had Leigh's Disease, a type of Mitochondrial Disease.

*discharged from NICU at one month old*

There is NO cure for Mitochondrial Disease!!

It's not like cancer, where chemo or radiation might help.  It's not a tumor, where you might be able to take it out.  It's not a kidney failure, where a transplant might save your life.  It is basically all of the above and more.  You can only manage each symptom at a time: like putting a bandaid on each time, but never curing the actual illness.

Every 30 minutes, a child who is born will develop a mitochondrial disease by the age of 10.

Imagine the hopelessness you feel when being told your child has a disease with no cure.  Imagine comforting your child each day while he or she is suffering through many visits to the hospital and getting the little veins poked at by different needles.  Imagine what life would be like when your child has a nasal tube and can't go anywhere without an oxygen tank.  Logan spent half of his short life in the hospital, and had experienced all of that.

I want to thank you for reading this far.  I hope you will support me, financially or walking with me on April 13 (Saturday) at Golden Gate Park.  I hope after reading this, you know more about this illness.  I hope after reading this, you will give your child a big kiss and a big bear hug.  The pain of losing a child never goes away.  I hope no other parent has to experience what I had.  I hope we will find a cure soon.  Logan blessed us with his presence, and I want his presence to make a difference.

Energy For Life 2013: San Francisco - 
DONATE to Team Logan the Lobster
April 13, 2013 (Saturday)
Golden Gate Park, Music Concourse Bandshell, 

San Francisco, CA
Registration at 8:00am - 

Walk starts at 9:00am (Rain or Shine) - 5K or 1 Mile



Thank you,

Virginia

My Story and My Plea

My dear friends, family members, and strangers who happen to stumble upon this page,

It took me a long time to write this letter, to tell you my story, and the reason why I want you to support me in participating in this year's Energy For Life Walkathon.  I know each year you've been asked to donate to many worthy charitable organizations.  Many of you have supported me the last few years in March of Dimes/March for Babies. For the first time, the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation will have the Energy For Life Walkathon in San Francisco Golden Gate Park.  In writing about my story, I am at a loss for words.  I want to raise awareness, and to let you know why I am trying to do the little that I can to make a difference.


Mitochondrial Disease.... what is that? "Mitochondrial disease occurs when there is a defect in the body’s ‘powerhouses’. The mitochondria fail to produce enough energy. That results in organ systems failing. Imagine a major city with half of its power plants shut down. The same thing happens in the affected person’s body. The brain may be impaired. They may lose vision or hearing. The heart may be weakened, and they may have eating and digestive issues. The symptoms range from mild to severe for each affected person. The disease is fatal and there is no cure."



In Logan's case, we found out that over 90% over his mitochondria were not producing enough energy, esp.  in his brain, thus causing stroke-like symptoms in his brain stem.  Ever since he was born, he had difficulties with breathing, eating, acid reflux, and poor muscle tone.  He stayed at the NICU for a month before being discharged with a feeding tube and a big oxygen tank.  When he was discharged, he has gone through a ton of tests to figure out why he was still having problem with feeding and breathing.  There was no clear answer. The doctors hoped that as he grew older, he became stronger.  It was not until a couple weeks before he passed away, that further rare genetic tests revealed that he had Leigh's Disease, a type of Mitochondrial Disease.

*discharged from NICU at one month old*

There is NO cure for Mitochondrial Disease!!


It's not like cancer, where chemo or radiation might help.  It's not a tumor, where you might be able to take it out.  It's not a kidney failure, where a transplant might save your life.  It is basically all of the above and more.  You can only manage each symptom at a time: like putting a bandaid on each time, but never curing the actual illness.


Every 30 minutes, a child who is born will develop a mitochondrial disease by the age of 10.


Imagine the hopelessness you feel when being told your child has a disease with no cure.  Imagine comforting your child each day while he or she is suffering through many visits to the hospital and getting the little veins poked at by different needles.  Imagine what life would be like when your child has a nasal tube and can't go anywhere without an oxygen tank.  Logan spent half of his short life in the hospital, and had experienced all of that.


I want to thank you for reading this far.  I hope you will support me, financially or walking with me on April 14 (Saturday) at Golden Gate Park.  I hope after reading this, you know more about this illness.  I hope after reading this, you will give your child a big kiss and a big bear hug.  The pain of losing a child never goes away.  I hope no other parent has to experience what I had.  I hope we will find a cure soon.  Logan blessed us with his presence, and I want his presence to make a difference.

Energy For Life: San Francisco - 
DONATE to Team Logan the Lobster
April 14, 2012 (Saturday)
Golden Gate Park, Music Concourse Bandshell, 

San Francisco, CA
Registration at 8:00am - 

Walk starts at 9:00am (Rain or Shine) - 5K or 1 Mile



Thank you,

Virginia

The pressure of school

Dear Logan,

Before Aidan went to bed tonight, I asked him to tell me something happy and sad today at school.  He said he couldn't think of anything good, but he mentioned one sad/bad thing.  He said he accidentally crumpled his Math assessment/test paper.  I asked him why, and he said something along the line that he didn't do well in his test.  Actually, he didn't do bad.  He got 18/20 and he only got the 2 Math problems wrong because he was careless, and no because he didn't know the answer.  Math is Aidan's favorite subject, and he has been getting 100% almost every week.  But I noticed he started making careless mistakes when the worksheet mixed addition and subtractions questions together.  He was rushing to finish it, that he didn't read the +/- sign correct.y  When I reminded him to take his time and double-check his work, he said he wanted to be the fastest.  He was actually visibly upset when talking about this Math assessment, and I could feel that he was so frustrated he wanted to cry.  I felt so bad.  I tried to reassure him that he has been doing really well, even if it's not perfect.  But he was adamant that he wanted to be the fastest.  Of course, I tried to tell him that it's better to answer correctly than to finish quickly.  Aidan is so competitive, always wants to win and be the best/fastest, yet sometimes he gives up easily when times are tough.

Aidan is only in Kindergarten and he's already feeling the pressure.  I am blessed that Aidan is pretty smart and has been doing well at school.  I can't imagine what kind of pressure he's going to put on himself when he gets older.  I just wish he won't give up.

Love,
Mommy

Being a parent does not get easier...

Dear Logan,

As I was at church this morning listening to the homily, my mind drifted off to thinking about being a parent and raising a child.  Not that I wasn't paying attention, but the speech of love prompted this thought.

When Aidan was a baby, I often read that being a parent would get easier as the child grows older.  Eventually, I realized I disagree to that saying.  I find that it does NOT really get easier, in a sense that, the responsibility of a parent becomes heavier.  When Aidan was a baby, I worried about him being safe, being fed, being changed, and being attended to.  It might have seemed very difficult, as I was a new parent without family around to help out, and the tiny little baby seemed to delicate.  I remember thinking I wish he's still inside my tummy, as it's safer and I wouldn't drop him on the floor.  We often underestimate a baby/toddler's ability to bounce back from getting hurt, and their adaptability.  It also helps that Aidan was a pretty easy baby and didn't fuss much.

As he grew older, I worried about him bumping into things, putting tiny objects in his mouth and of course, being healthy and safe.  But he was still a good and cute boy, despite some terrible twos behaviors.  Overall, still pretty easy to deal with.  He's not a picky eater, he's friendly and happy, and loved playing with all children.  He enjoyed singing and dancing, and especially playing on the laptop.

Attending preschool was great.  He played with friends, was social and enjoyed learning in school.  He would come home and sing me songs, tell me who he played with, and make up silly lyrics to our make-up songs.  He continued to be in good health (thank god), and was behaving well at school.  But I could see some distinct personality traits coming out.  I saw the stubbornness in him, the difficulty in dealing with frustrations, and generally acting like a four or five-year old boy.  The difficulty in balancing the idea of him still being a 'baby' and old enough to behave a certain way, starts to weigh on my shoulders.

Now that he's 6 years old, I can't use the excuse that he's still young and doesn't understand. Being a parent, it's my job to make sure he understands.  It is not just making sure he's fed, clothed, and safe anymore.  It's more about teaching him good values, and guiding him to grow up to be a good person.  I need to constantly talk to him about being polite, to be grateful and thankful, to not throw a tantrum when things don't go the way he wants.  I need to teach him about sportsmanship, to play fair, to share, to understand that it's ok to lose, and what behaviors are appropriate at different times.  He's at an age where he can slowly grasp these ideas, these intangible ideas that are so difficult to practice in real life.  He's at an age where he's innocent enough that he's eager to learn, and eager to please.

As all these teaching, shaping and molding affect his life in the future, isn't being a parent more difficult now than when he was a newborn?


Love,
Mommy

Aidan's 6th Birthday Party

Dear Logan,

I am so sorry that I haven't been writing lately.  I just can't shed that lazy bug and sit down to write.  But I will make it one of my new year's resolutions to write to you more frequently.

Today, Aidan had his 6th Birthday Party at AMF Bowling Lanes in Santa Clara.  We invited all of his friends at school and I was very surprised that most of them attended.  I believe it's either Aidan was popular in school (he does know the names of many kids in other grades as well), or a bowling party really sounded like fun.  I bet many parents are bored of Pump it Up like me, but if their kids wanted to have a party there, what could you do.  Luckily, when I asked Aidan if he wanted to have a bowling party, Pump It Up or pizza making party, he made a wise choice.

We had about 25 kids today and over 35 parents.  It was a huge crowd.  At times, it was a little chaotic.  I should have planned things a little better, but then, it was my first bowling party as well.  We had 5 lanes, ranging from 4-5 kids per lane.  One of my hiccups was to start lunch a little too late.  Since the kids could continue bowling after pizza, I should have started lunch at 12:45 p.m., instead of 1:15 p.m.  I saw some kids and parents hungry enough to buy popcorn (or the kids saw the popcorn and wanted to get some).  Another hiccup was an injury that happened to Makoto.  He missed a step, tripped and fell down.  He got a nasty-looking cut under his chin.  He was fine ultimately, but the poor boy was crying and was looking so miserable.  In the end, he continued playing and had a lot of fun.  Another hiccup was Aidan's tantrum.  He got upset when another kid bowled for him, while he was still eating pizza.  It actually took a some sweet-talking, threatening and bribing for him to calm down.  He wasn't acting very nice.  Aside from being upset that someone took his turn, he was upset that his score was low because his friend only scored a 3.  He wanted to have the highest score.  He still has a difficult time accepting losses.  We need to work on that.

On the bright side, I surprised Aidan with an Angry Birds cake.  I knew he wanted one, but I couldn't find a store that sold it.  Safeway was unwilling to make a special one, but only the ones listed in their book.  I was definitely not talented enough to make one.  So, this is what I did.  Aidan went with me to Safeway and picked out a Hot Wheels Cars chocolate cake with strawberries filling.  Secretly, I have ordered an Angry Birds Game online, and used the toys there as decorations.  He thought he was getting cars as decorations, but in the end, he was pleasantly surprised to see Angry Birds.  And you know what was the most interesting thing?  All the kids were excited to see the cake!  A few saw me decorating it, but ALL of them knew about Angry Birds.  It's amazing how popular this game is among children.  Not even all parents knew about this game.

In the end, everyone had fun, despite a few hiccups and chaotic moments.  All parents were very nice and helpful.  I was running around, while Hank was taking pictures.  We tried to play host/hostess, but were unable to assist the kids, especially it's a first time bowling experience for most of them.  I am very relieved and grateful that most parents stepped in and assisted, and tried to make this party as smooth as possible.

Aidan received many GREAT presents.  I was very surprised at how generous the parents were.  I guess having a party after the Christmas holidays has its perks...deals for great toys!

I am glad the party is over, and now we can look forward to other celebrations.  Tomorrow is Grandma's birthday, and we'll be having lunch up in S. SF.  Monday is your brother's actual birthday, and I'll be bringing some cupcakes to his class and have a small little celebration.  We'll then go out for dinner, as it's Daddy and Mommy's 5th wedding anniversary as well.  This is one busy weekend!

I wish you could be here to celebrate with us.  But I know you're up in heaven watching all of these events.

Love you,
Mommy

Introducing God...

Dear Logan,

When I was young, I was a very active participant in Church and in Choir, both in Macau and in Hawaii.  Even when I moved to San Francisco, I still went to Church every Sunday (OK, maybe most Sundays).  When Aidan was born, I have brought him to Church where he would sleep through the whole mass.  Then he got older, noisier, bored and a little out of control when I took him to Church.  Then I stopped going.

But with your illness and your eventual passing, God came back into my life.  Though your life was short, you have brought our family closer together (especially your grandfather) and also brought me closer to God.  It took me so many years before I officially introduced God to Aidan.  A couple months ago, I started bringing Aidan to Church again.  All of the Churches he's been to, he liked St. Joseph of Cupertino the most, and I am not sure if it's because he likes seeing the hymn numbers displayed, or he feels the affinity to this Church because of you.  I enrolled him in Sunday school a month ago, and he's been enjoying it.  He brought home activity sheets, stories and crafts that he made.  Tonight, we said our first bedtime prayer together.

I have finally decided to baptize Aidan.  When he was young, I thought I would just bring him to Church and let him decide if he wants to be baptized when he grows older.  But going back to Church, and this very special Church where you had your memorial service, made me realize that I do want Aidan to be baptized.  I left a voicemail for the priest to get more information about the Sacrament of Baptism, but have not heard back from him.  I guess it's time for a follow-up phone call or e-mail.  I have already asked Uncle Kyle and Auntie Leonor to be Aidan's godparents, and they have gladly accepted that.  Thanks!  Now, I just need to get the ball rolling.

I was glad I was able to have you baptized before you left us.

Love,
Mommy

Happy 3rd Birthday, Logan!

Dear Logan,

Happy Birthday!  I can't believe you're 3 years old already.  I still remember the day you were born and how you're wheeled to the NICU for observations.  Time sure does fly.

I am so sorry that I haven't written to you for months.  I have been procrastinating and there's so much I wanted to tell you about.  But this procrastination is making it hard to catch up on the stories, feelings and events that have been happening.  It took your birthday for me to get over my laziness.

The last time we visited you, I told Aidan about your passing.  Lately, I've heard him use the words "die" and "dead" quite often.  I am not sure what Kindergarteners talk about these days at school.  He even heard of people saying that when you die, you become a star.  So, I asked him if he remembered visiting you at the hospital, and he did.  I explained to him that you got really sick and died.  I told him that people die because they got very sick, got old, or if they hurt themselves very badly.  I told him you're in Heaven with God and will be one of the stars in the sky watching over him.  Last Sunday, when we had our weekly Sunday dinner at Auntie Rachel and Uncle Paul's house, I sat with Aidan on their swing seat and enjoyed the view of the bright starry night.  Aidan then told me, "Logan is one of the stars up there".  Yes, you were one of the stars up there watching over us.  This talk about death did not seem to upset him, and I am glad he now can look up in the sky, knowing you're there.

We love you and miss you very, very much.


Mommy

End of Summer August Fun!

Dear Logan,

Summer has come to an end, and we had a busy, fun-filled August to end Aidan's summer vacation.  Early this month, we had a playdate with Uncle Eugene, Auntie Vonnie and your cousins Quincy and Ruby.  Though they live in the Bay Area, we don't see each other often enough.  It's nice to have a get-together to have the kids play together.  They seemed to get along really well, as they're about the same age.  We went to Gilroy Gardens, our first time this season.  It was a warm day, but if we compared it to regular Gilroy summer temperature, it was a cool day.  We went on our usual rides, but tried out new ones.  A couple rides Aidan had been on before, but this time around he didn't want to do it again.  He's hard to please!

Towards the end of the month, we had another playdate with Auntie Leonor, Uncle Kyle and Melanie at the San Jose Giants game.  This is our second and last game of the season, and the first one for them.  Since I purchased a package deal on Groupon before, I was able to get us 6 good seats and a kid's membership for Aidan to play more games.  We were lucky and picked the perfect game.  For most of the match, where there wasn't too much action, the kids were outside playing the games.  Then towards the end, everyone got back to their seats and witnessed an exciting game where the San Jose Giants came back from behind and won!  Aidan, as usual, was cheering loudly.  That definitely got Melanie in the right spirit to chant "Let's Go Giants" with everyone.  At first, I worried the baseball game would be too boring for her, and I wouldn't want to give her a bad first impression.  But everything worked out perfectly and it was a very fun playdate.

Aidan's preschool had the last field trip of the summer at Lakewood Park for BBQ/Picnic.  I volunteered to chaperone that day and took a day off from work.  It was fun to see Aidan getting more comfortable playing in the water park.  He had a little boo boo on his knees, but aside from that, he showed me how much he has matured: from making his bed at school, reading a book while waiting, drying himself off and changing his clothes.  He sure has grown up a lot this past year.

Last but not the least, we went to the Happy Kids Day celebration in Cupertino.  We wanted to show Aidan the Taiwanese culture, as they had many cultural dances and performances.  But he wasn't interested in most of them.  It was difficult for us to force him to sit down and watch, as the sun was shining brightly above our heads, and there was no shade or tent above the seating area to watch the performances. We ended up eating and playing with different games.  Now that we've been here for the first time, next year I know what to expect and will prepare our trip a little better.

That wraps up our summer fun.  We will be heading to Disneyland for a few days during Labor Day Weekend before Aidan starts Kindergarten.  I know it's going to be hot and crowded, but nothing beats the fun at Disneyland!

Love,

Mommy

I'm going to miss all the mommies!

Dear Logan,

As I recall the conversation I had this afternoon with a fellow mommy at Aidan's school, it dawned on me that the last two years (at CCLC and Monticello), I have met some wonderful parents.  Though I wouldn't call them my friends, everyone has been nice and cordial.  Most of these conversations happened during birthday parties, or the occasional afternoon chats after we pick up our kids. Our kids are old enough to enjoy a jungle gym or bouncy house without us fussing all over them.  So what do parents do then?  We talk.  Our conversations always revolve our kids, the school, their behavior, eating habits, tantrums, etc.  Recently, it's been all about Kindergarten.

Most of Aidan's old friends have started Kindergarten and at different schools.  He will start his Kindergarten on September 6.  It always amazes me that us parents put so much thought into preschools and Kindergarten.  Looking back, I went crazy touring different schools last year, plus researching online, getting feedback from fellow mommies and daddies, and all just for preschools and Kindergarten.  Am I going to go nuts when we start looking for high schools, and god forbid, colleges??  I know some parents are still looking to switch schools after Kindergarten, for various reasons.

Aidan is very excited about Kindergarten, as he is a big boy and going to a big boy school now.  I am not too concerned about him transitioning to a new school again (he's been going to a new school almost every year).  A few of his friends at preschool will be going to the same school and in the same class.  At least I know I will be seeing a couple familiar faces at future birthday parties.

Miss you,
Mommy

Recap of the Summer - June & July 2011

Dear Logan,

Oh My!  I haven't written to you in two months!  I can't believe I've been putting this off for so long.  I am so sorry.  I don't even remember what I've done the last two months.  I need to take a look at the pictures that I've taken and then give you a run down.

June 19 - Father's Day!  Mommy and Aidan took Daddy to a nice fancy lunch at Parcel 104.  We had a BBQ lunch.  The food tasted OK, though not worth the price.  I figured, this might be a good excuse to visit a fancy restaurant without paying for the full price.

June 23 - We went to our first San Jose Giants game of the season.  Yahoo! was a sponsor for the evening, so they were giving out free tickets to their employees.  Since I purchased a kid membership through Groupon, your brother was able to play the games unlimited times.  He was in the batting cage, and the very nice staff pitched to him instead of using the machine (too fast for him).  We cheered for the Giants, but didn't stay till the end since it's a school night.  We'll be back again in August for another game.

June 26 - We had a playdate with Melanie, Uncle Kyle and Auntie Leonor.  They had free tickets to the San Francisco Zoo and we spent the afternoon there.  I never realized the zoo was so big until you're hanging out with two little kids.  We probably only checked out 1/4 of the zoo, and mainly in the children and petting zoo.

July 2 - We headed to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for this super busy July 4th weekend.  It was beautiful and hot!  We spent some time at the beach first, and getting your brother comfortable in walking & playing in the sand.  When we came here two years ago, he wasn't very keen on getting sand in his feet.  After the beach, we were playing games on the boardwalk.  This time around, he was older and was able to get a lot more out of the fun rides and food there.  There were rides he could go by himself, and some that Daddy and Mommy took turns going on with him.  Aidan didn't want to leave at the end of the day.  He said he wanted to come back again.  I bet we'll be back again before the season ends.

July 22 - We headed to Yahoo! Family Fun Day.  They have it every year and we weren't there early enough to take full advantage of the event.  By the time we finished eating, the lines to all games were so long.  Aidan played some games, but wasn't patient enough to wait in line for other more popular attractions.  He did enjoy  free popsicles and ice-creams.

Now that I listed everything down, wow, we had a very busy summer.  Summer is not over yet and we have many more fun things to do.  I hope to go back to Santa Cruz before the season ends, and maybe another SF Giants game, but I doubt it.  I'll keep you posted!

Love you,

Mommy

Cherry Picking!

Dear Logan,

Our weekend has been filled with a lot of fun lately.  Every weekend, there's something to do. This one, we're going cherry picking in Gilroy.  Auntie Rachel has invited us to join her and her friends at Buckley Farm for some end of the season cherry picking.  This was our first time, so we're not quite sure what to expect. I went to the website and found out that June 18 was the last day of the season for some cherry picking.  Right on time!

Auntie Rachel and her friends were running late, so we killed some time at the Premium Outlet in Gilroy.  We were going to stop by after picking cherries to buy your brother some clothes any way.  Now it was even better, as we weren't as tired.  We got to the outlet a little before 10 a.m. and most stores were still closed.  After walking around for a while, the stores started to open. We bought Aidan a new pair of shoes and some summer clothes. I also checked out some school uniform and made a mental note to come back before September. Afterwards, we met up with Auntie Rachel and her friends at the farm at around 11:30 a.m.

When we got there, we saw some people with their step stools and ladders.  Then we realized most of the cherries worth picking were high up in the trees.  Since it's the end of the season, most cherries were gone and the ones that were low enough for us to pick weren't as ripe.  Well, we made the best of our experience and had a lot of fun.  We jumped and pulled, and managed to pick more than 6 lbs of cherries.  I learned that the trick was to look from under the trees, as some ripe ones were hiding under the leaves, and low enough for us to pick.  We all had tons of fun.  Even Aidan were able to pick some cherries off the branches, while Daddy and Mommy were pulling down the branches for him.  I noticed that most other cherry pickers were Asians.  Mmm.... I wonder why.  I bet the price at $2.75/lb was the motivation.  I didn't think they were coming for the experience, esp. when you didn't have kids to bring along.

The weather was perfect!  Usually it was pretty warm in Gilroy in the summer.  I was a little concerned as we were picking the cherries right at midday.  Luckily, it wasn't too hot.  By the end of our adventure and after a not-so-tasty lunch at Applebees, we headed home.  It's good that we already did our shopping.  We would not have any energy left after a day of cherry picking.

Love,
Mommy

Happy Birthday to Mommy!

Dear Logan,

It's Mommy's birthday.  Time flies and I sure am getting older, physically and mentally.  I try to stay as mentally young as possible and your brother definitely helps with that.  This year, I did something different.  Instead of just spending my birthday with Daddy and Aidan, I actually had a pre-birthday dinner with my friends.

I met up with a bunch of friends for a nice dinner of Shabu Shabu at One Pot in Cupertino.  This was everyone's  first time coming to this restaurant and it's actually not too bad.  It may not be the perfect location to have a big group, but will probably come back for our small family dinners.  We tried the American Kobe beef and Kurobuta (pork), with tons of veggies and two different soup bases: House Special (organic soy milk & miso) and Sukiyaki. Lovely! I really liked the House Special, while Aidan liked the Sukiyaki.   After dinner, we enjoyed a lovely birthday cake from our usual bakery, Sheng Kee.  Aidan picked out this Mango Mousse Cake and it was super delicious.

On my real birthday, Daddy took us to Maggiano's Little Italy.  Luckily Daddy made a reservation, if not we would have to wait forever.  I couldn't believe how busy it was on a Tuesday night.  I had the best Linguine & Clams with White Clam Sauce, Daddy got the Spaghetti with Meatball and we share an appetizer of crab cakes.  Food is usually pretty good here, and you know how Aidan loves pasta.  Because the decor and atmosphere were so nice and it "felt" upscale, Aidan declared that we're having a "fancy lunch".  The previous week, his school had a "fancy lunch" where they had a candle-lit (LED tealight) lunch and laid tablecloths on their tiny little tables at school.  Therefore, when he saw the little candle on our table, he thought we're having another "fancy lunch".  Just too cute!

After dinner, we're sooooo full.  But we just couldn't resist dessert.  Aidan and I shared a delicious Berry Tiramisu and Daddy had his usual Creme Brulee.  And when we got home, Daddy gave me a birthday present.  It's not really a surprise since I already knew what it is.  It's a family camera!  Now I can learn to take better pictures instead of using the simple point-and-shoot.  The gift was a perfect end to an almost perfect day.  It would be perfect if you were there with us.

Love and Miss you,
Mommy

First Giants game of the season!

Dear Logan,

The long-awaited day has arrived!  It's finally the day we took Aidan to AT&T Park for his first San Francisco Giants game of the season, after watching so many games on TV.  This time around, the experience was totally different, in a good way (for the most part).

First of all, it was raining!  It was so frustrating and disappointing at first, because we've been waiting for this day to come and we didn't want the game to be canceled because of the weather.  Luckily, by the time the game started (after delayed for 20 mins), the rain pretty much stopped for the rest of the game.

Aidan is finally tall enough to get on the big Coca Cola Slide.  Last time he was there, he's not quite 42 inches yet, so he had to go on the smaller one.  Unfortunately, he was taller than 42 inches, and was unable to go into the small baseball area to hit some baseball with the other toddlers.  We did have a great time walking around, where he pointed to all the snacks that he wanted.

When we watch the baseball game at home, Aidan would try to pretend to be a pitcher, catcher and hitter.  He would swing his bat, run to base and score a home run.  He fully participated in the game.  At times, he would start chanting "Let's go Giants!" and then clapped his hands.  Sometimes I would have to calm him down and told him to use his inside voice.  But today, we didn't have to.  He could shout and chant as loudly as he wanted.  He was an enthusiastic fan, waving his newly purchased foam finger.  He was so cute that neighboring fans were smiling and high-fiveing him.  He totally understood what's going on with the game, and had a wonderful time singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame".

Best of all for him, he was snacking the whole time!  First we had a hot dog lunch, then Daddy got him hot chocolate and caramel corn.  I also brought some snacks and juice packs from home.  Last but not the least, we had garlic fries!  He wanted cotton candy, but I just had to stop him!

Oh, and did I tell you we're all in our Giants Jerseys?  Daddy and I had the Lincecum ones, and Aidan got a Posey.  Aidan also brought his glove to the game.  After he put his glove on, he said he's ready to catch some foul balls and home runs.  When we had to leave, he disappointingly said that he didn't catch any ball.  Silly boy, it's not easy to have a ball fly up to the View Reserve area
.

We had such a great time at the ball park today.  Aidan had a lot of fun, but he was disappointed that the Giants lost 1-2 to the Rockies.  Next time, maybe I should pick a game against a weaker opponent, so that we would be at a winning game.

On our way back home, he was so tired that he napped the whole car ride home and even after our arrival.  But the problem was, he didn't fall asleep until close to 11 p.m.  He had way too much fun and excitement, and he couldn't keep his hands off the Cody Ross Bobblehead.

We will definitely go back again.  But first, we'll have to visit the San Jose Giants, as I got some tickets already.  Wish you could be here with us.

Love,
Mommy

Preschool Graduation

Dear Logan,

Your big brother is really growing up.  I can't believe he's going to Kindergarten in a few months.  In a weird way, he just had his second preschool graduation.  He had one when he was a Sea Lion at CCLC, graduating with the other 5 year-olds, when he was only 4.

This time around, it felt more official.  He was in official cap and gown, and even received a diploma.  Daddy and Mommy were ready and had a game plan.  Daddy was in charge of taking pictures, and Mommy was in charge of taking videos.

With past experience at school events, Daddy and Mommy knew that we had to be there early enough to get a good seat.  Even though seating started at 3:30 p.m., and the ceremony started at 4 p.m., we arrived at around 3:15 p.m.  Of course, many parents were already there.  Parents that volunteered got reserved seats.  I thought about volunteering since I took the day off.  But if I did, then I couldn't go with Daddy and had to come in separate cars.  Logistically, we opted to go together.

The children marched out of their classroom, all throughout the schoolyard to their assigned seats.  After that, announcements were made, and they headed up to stage.  They started out with the Pledge of Allegiance and sang "America the Beautiful".  The children then performed a few more songs: The Alphabet Song and signed the letters, The Capital Song, "Stand By Me", and "I'm The Greatest". Your brother has been practicing these songs at home quite often, so I wasn't very surprised.  However, it was still very enjoyable to see all the kids having so much fun.  Aidan, as always, was very enthusiastic and LOUD!  They were all just too adorable!

After the songs, the children went back to their seats.  One by one, each of them was called up on stage, shook hands with the directors and teachers, received a diploma and a candy lei.  At the end they stood at the end of the stage and waited for their parents to shoot many pictures.  Daddy prepped Aidan beforehand where to look.  He told me he was looking at Daddy first and then turned around to look at me. Aidan was also the ONLY child that ran up to the stage.  He was either too excited or impatient (he's the third to the last to get his diploma).

After the ceremony, we took some pictures and then headed out for some snacks.  Aidan wasn't too keen on taking pictures.  Instead he preferred to get snacks aka cheese puffs, and played with his friends.

And guess what, when I went home, I realized that Aidan has changed my camera settings!  Arggh... the pictures and videos were at pretty low resolution.  You would think by now I have learned.  Oh well...

It was a fun day. It was a good day.  It was a day full of pride and joy.  I wish you were here to share this day with us.


Miss you,
Mommy

March of Dimes/March for Babies 2011

Dear Logan,

We participated in the March of Dimes/March for Babies walk again this year with Team The Arc of San Francisco.  Our team raised over $4000!  What an amazing amount and my client did a spectacular job soliciting, well, harassing, for donations.  I was fortunate and grateful enough to raise about $1000.  Not a bad amount despite all the different tragedies happening recently around the world.

We stayed over at Grandma and Yeh Yeh's house the night before the walk.  This saved us a lot of time.  I picked up Lola Lolita bright and early in the morning to head over to Fort Mason first.  Daddy, Aidan and Grandma came a little later in a separate car.  It was yet another gorgeous day at Fort Mason.  You can see the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge as we walked along the beach.  This time around, we didn't go all the whole way to the end and back.  Last year, we had a stroller for Aidan, so it was fine if we walked more.  This year, he's all on his own and it would be difficult for us to complete the whole 6.25 miles.  Grandma was the one in the best shape.  I have to say, I am very proud of Aidan.  He walked 95% of the 3 miles that we did.  I only needed to carry him towards the end of the walk.  He stayed close to Grandma most of the time, and it didn't hurt that Grandma had a whole backpack full of yummy snacks.



It was a lot of work putting together this walk for the team.  However, as Lola said, after all said and done, it was totally worth it.  My body was sore for the next two days.  My feet were tired, and my muscles were sore from carrying the heavy items in and out of my car, and up and down the hill.

However, I look forward to next year's walk!

Miss you,
Mommy