This month brought many outdoor activities for us. I’ve been excited to see our garden continue to bloom and Grace grow so much. Timothy’s sentences are getting longer and more varied everyday in both languages. The sounds of pitter-pattering feet, toddler chatter and laughter, and baby coos and laughs fill our home and delight us daily. Mother’s Day was especially sweet this year as we dedicated Grace with our church family and enjoyed a nice brunch afterwards. We realize we’re in a sweet spot of convenience with eating out as a family now since Timothy eats most table foods with us and Grace’s meals are always ready to go. 😉
Taking Grace for a spin
Andrew wrapped up his time at Amazon this month, and took an extended long weekend with us before starting at Groupon. We look forward to visiting him at the new office in the International District soon for lunch dates. Timothy will definitely miss visiting all the dogs around Amazon when he discovers that Papa’s new workplace doesn’t have dogs-a-plenty. I’m happy for Andrew in this great management opportunity and look forward to him settling into his role there.
Taking Stewie for a spin
Our flowers are beautiful this spring, giving extra good reason for us to be outside exploring and taking them in. Some helpful birds or bees brought deep purple and white irises as elegant additions to our garden. The pink peonies have grown in yield and are as gorgeous as ever this year. We’ve been enjoying picnics on our front lawn and at the nearby parks. Timothy asks to picnic outside and continues to enjoy playing with the kids in our neighborhood. The baby bunnies in our yard are also fascinating to him – they’re so fast compared to Stewie rabbit who hops around leisurely…or maybe it’s his old age. 😉
Summer is just around the corner – yay!
He loves to lean his face in to hers
Our happy growing girl
Bumbo entertainment
Me, too!
Thursdays are exciting around here
“Let me pet you, baby bunny…”
Splash pad fun
Shooting water is such a thrill
Grace hanging out while brother runs around
Hello little dog!
Of course frogs are for climbing
That was fun!
3 months old!
Jamming just like us
Snuggles with Snuffles
A Happy Mother’s Day!
Dedication Sunday for Grace
Ready for puddles
Focused on his craft
Fishing at the water table
Timothy got to ride a forklift!
Sister’s not always sure about the hugs
Still lots of sweet hand-holding
Dressed for work with Papa
Probably the cutest badge-wearer at Amazon that day
This past month gave us some good time to be on our own as a foursome. We enjoyed a fun week with Andrew home after Grampa Ma left, and I’ve been learning the ropes of caring for two at home by myself recently after many weeks with help. Meals, nap management, laundry, cleaning and lots of play/reading time fill my days and I find them passing much more quickly and enjoyably than I did during Timothy’s early months. Amazing what some experience and adjusted expectations does. 😉
Some of Grace’s best expressions and “conversations” are towards her brother, and he is so cute with her. I’m so blessed to get to watch them grow in their interactions with each other everyday, and am pleasantly surprised at how much attention and care Timothy shows Grace. He asks often to see her, hug her, hold her hand, sit next to her, give her (wet) kisses and lay next to her. Grace is proving to be even more mellow than her brother thus far, and is sleeping pretty well already, so we’re quite grateful for that! She continues to be a great sport and makes us all gush with her happy expressions, frequent “talking”, and playfulness already.
To my delight, Timothy has been super affectionate with me lately and I love this season of our relationship. He demonstrates more understanding of rules, relationships, and even differences between Chinese and English; switching languages in appropriate situations. He refers to himself almost exclusively in the third-person so we’re working on that, although it occurred to me that he learned to do it from me! Oops – it’s so hard for me to kick this habit even though he’s learned all our titles and his own names. We’re also working on using other words for agreement since the only word Timothy has used to mean “yes” for months now is “sí”…but hasn’t taken to any other Spanish words I’ve tried to teach him; funny little guy. Adjusting to our new normal also means that any outings I get to take with only one of the children feels like a bit of a treat and turns into a little Mama date time. Timothy seems to appreciate these outings even though he is often eager to get home and see his baby sister.
Spring has brought rains and lovely blooms our way, along with some sunny afternoons to enjoy outdoors. Our fruit trees, tulips, lilacs, and rhododendrons have been in full bloom and it’s especially satisfying that Timothy points them out and enjoys them this year. We’re continuously thankful for where we live and it’s been fun to see the neighborhood kids engage Timothy when they’re out playing as he tosses balls to them and learns to catch. He is also intent on watching buses, trucks, diggers, cement mixers and Waste Management vehicles at work, recreating scenes at home with toys lately. Timothy’s imagination is starting to show and it’s amusing to see his sense of humor continue to emerge as well. Toddler and baby giggles are such music to our ears.
We celebrated Easter with our church family and some very dear friends. As we teach Timothy about our hope in Christ and the power of His resurrection, it’s been humbling for me to also show him how much I need to hear and receive that truth on a regular basis – that I’m a selfish sinner who needs forgiveness and daily (hourly!) help from my Savior. What a beautiful picture it has been to see Timothy begin to understand reconciliation when he apologizes or when I ask for forgiveness. To me, those are some of the most meaningful hugs and kisses we exchange. This has indeed been a tiring and trying season of transition and growth, but I’m also grateful that I get to grow so much and serve the Lord through caring for our family. April was a fast month for us and it’s hard to believe that summer is just around the corner already next month!
Papa, Grampa and Timothy ready for the symphony
Fascinated by instruments
Sliding with Grampa Ma
Such companions already
What’s Grace thinking about?
“Here, play with this ball”
Budding friendship with Sofia
Thanks for visiting, Grampa Ma!
One more “chat” before he left
Outoor instruments at Redmond Town Center
Noisy fun
Of course we need to stop for fluffy dogs
Happy Grace at 2 months old
Girl time
She’s trying to talk a lot
Hello world
He loves sitting with his sister and holding her hand
Construction trucks are currently all the rage with this one
We’re still working on storytime etiquette…
Timothy likes setting up funny photos at times, like this one in their hospital hats – his barely fits him now!
Nice day for his 1st aquarium visit
Mama has her hands full during toddler group circle time some days
Trucks galore in this classroom
Three little sisters hanging out
Sweet Grace face
Thankful for our mellow girl
Hanging out again with brother
Exploring a cool neighborhood park
Happy Resurrection Sunday!
With April and Elian at Easter brunch…
…while Timothy jams with Gabby!
Dainty pose
Mama and her sweet girl
Easter family photo
Stewie rabbit and Timothy about to make a break for it
Kirkland waterfront with the ducks
Swings for us all
Grace is a patient sitter
Timothy’s idea of “playing” with Grace one morning
The four of us had a fun March with the remainder of Grandma Ma’s visit and some days on our own before Grampa Ma arrived. What a blessing it’s been to have so much help with the little ones! Grace is growing so quickly that we can barely capture enough of her changing looks on camera. Timothy is still adjusting to having less of Mama’s attention, but he loves doting on his baby sister; often asking to see, touch, kiss, sit with, and hold her. It’s such a pleasure to see him love on Grace and grow to be a bit more independent recently. I get requests for extra snuggling as bumps and scrapes occur more often now that he’s running and exploring vigorously. He seems fine sharing Mama with baby sister Grace so far and it makes our hearts glad. Timothy’s enjoying frequent trips to the park with Grampa Ma during the sunny days in between all the spring rain we’re getting. He’s become quite the climber and animal-sighter! We also started going to Cantonese story times at a local library and we’re enjoying it. I also take it as a learning time for my rudimentary Cantonese! As Timothy’s language develops, I get to hear more of what goes on in his little head and boy, it’s sure a riot sometimes! Timothy especially likes to point out when Grace is awake (it seems to him she’s always sleeping) and calls out people’s flatulence with the help of his very sharp ears. 😛
Selfie with littles
While it’s hectic on some days to have two very little ones to care for, sometimes my heart feels so full it could burst! Though it wasn’t that long ago, I’d forgotten how precious it is to take in the coos and gurgles of a newborn. Grace’s sweet little sounds and increasing number of expressions melt our hearts. I look forward to the increased sibling interactions between the kids in the months/years to come, and love watching Andrew’s relationships with his son and daughter grow as well. The transition to this stage has been less arduous than I’d expected, but I’m still so grateful for all the help, prayers and encouragement we receive. Since scrapbooking is still not likely in my future, I hope to continue posting regularly here on our family blog so that between here and our hard drives of photos and videos, we can organize our family’s growing trove of memorable times. This post was a bit overdue, so the photo gallery is especially full. 😉
Happy Spring and season of Lent!
Slumbering bears 😉
Big brother and very little sister
Cheesy smiles
Our little blossom
Grace is awake!
Photos are extra challenging now…
He loves holding sister
Our little guy is getting big
Cousin time!
Grandma Ma and granddaughter Ma
3 generations of Ma women
Our family of four
Baby Grace was quite alert here
Timothy LOVES smooching Grace
Silly faces
Play date with Abigail and her new baby sister Sofia
Plumping up quickly
Yay for spring weather!
Coloring with Grandma Ma
1-month photo
Timothy’s 1st apple pie on Pi Day – delish!
Kiddos with Grandma Ma before her return to chilly Toronto
Fun with “Little” Andrew
More smooching
Timothy says smile for photos now – yay!
Sweet happy boy with baby sister
Humoring Mama with a pose
Riding on handmade Nessie from Aunty Sophia
Grace changed so much already at 6 weeks
Soulful little “musician”
Lots of clapping and dancing these days
When did our first baby get so big?
Filling out her newborn clothes
Police motorcycle fun @ RTG Carnival
Hanging with buddy Isaiah
Let’s goooo!
Silly boy wearing Grace’s hairband as a bowtie and Grampa’s watch
Shortly after our last post on Tuesday, we welcomed the newest little member of our family: Grace Elizabeth Ma (馬恩怡)! She arrived at 5:45PM, weighed in at 5lbs, 13oz and measured 19.5in long. We were blessed with another very successful (and even quicker!) natural birth with Grace and are so grateful for God’s great mercy to us in this whole experience. We both think active labor and delivery felt more calm and smooth than last time even though it happened pretty much as quickly. From the time we entered to the hospital to when we first held our newborn was 40-something minutes, as it was with Timothy! As I was spending the first hours with Grace in my arms, my sense of the Lord’s providence and love on our family was overwhelming, even more so than when we first held Timothy and took in that big change to our family. Children are truly a gift from Him and it’s tragic that many aren’t able to catch a glimpse of the Father’s heart and delight in kids. I’m so humbled to have another little one join our family and take on this additional responsibility with Andrew.
Little Grace and I are doing well with recovery; resting, being nourished and getting to know each other. I look forward to the longer stretches of sleep eventually, but am overall feeling pretty good as I heal and take it easy. Andrew and I are a bit startled to see that Grace looks just like a delicate girl version of her big brother, right down to the double hair swirls on the back of her head. She’s been a bit more mellow than Timothy as a newborn, which we also appreciate. I love seeing Andrew snuggling and cooing sweetly with his baby girl so far, too.
Mama & daughter
Grandma Ma has been and continues to be immensely helpful caring for Timothy and us, our home, and cooking tons for lots of people; not just our household! Timothy loves having her around and it’s been so interesting to note how different his relationship is with her than with either Andrew or me. I was nervous about how Timothy would do this week since he’d never been out of my care for a long period of time and thankfully he’s doing well. He is talking up a storm and learning lots of Cantonese, especially ones associated with food and animals. He enjoys naming all of his grandparents by title in photos or with gifts he’s received. I’m excited for him to be a big part of Grace’s language development, too. It’s been so neat to hear him make associations and be able to show understanding of family connections, although most of it is still quite confusing to him. He’s slowly warming up to his little sister being around and getting used to sharing Mama with her. His tentative hugs and pats for her are pretty cute so far and we look forward to when he enjoys his little sister more.
We appreciate all the support and encouragement we’re getting as we adjust and transition into this new season in our family. =)
With sunny days to enjoy, a meaningful baby shower thrown to welcome Grace, and the big blessing of having Grandma Ma already here to help us out, it’s been a great month+ counting down to the second child’s arrival in our family. It seems Timothy is more aware of a big impending change about to happen, so some days have been especially challenging with fragile moods and clingy tendencies. Unfortunately this also means Timothy experiencing more of his mama’s selfishness and impatience these days. However, we’re also having more sweet moments together and I’m cherishing the more frequent and affectionate snuggles, kisses, and “conversations”. Timothy’s language development has really taken off and it’s been fun to hear him communicate his thoughts and desires through strings of words. It certainly has kept me on my toes as I explain more situations and reasons behind rules and try to discipline consistently. He remembers a lot and shows understanding now so that’s been helpful, too!
Enjoying Redmond Toddler Group
I’m amazed at how much Timothy has grown since his little newborn days, and even since several months ago. While grateful for the technology we have to document some stages, I’m sad that once many cute phases are over, they’re truly gone and live only in our fallible memories. Spending more focused attention on Timothy has felt more precious, and I’m thankful I’ve gotten to enjoy this time with him. Although it’s hard to remember sometimes, I know I’ll miss that he sometimes begs for food all day long even after eating, doesn’t like being without me, requests lots of songs to be played and sung, flips through books to hunt for animals and food, and asks for hugs when he is older and outgrows needing us (especially me) so much.
We can’t wait to announce Grace Elizabeth’s arrival in our next post to this blog and appreciate you keeping up with our family!
Mama’s most favorite guys
Treat for Stewie rabbit
Our big eater
A nice visit with Aunty Alex
Wheee!
Thrill-seeking these days
Look what I found!
Lots of fun with Papa at our favorite park
He insists on bringing a ball with us to the park nowadays
Enjoying the moment
Play date time before they meet their baby sisters this month =)
Snacking on a grocery run
Time with fluffy Bella and Aunty Elaine
Timothy is such a dog lover
Added “pumpkin muffin” to his vocabulary this month
Loving his goat milk
Passing out valentines @ Redmond Toddler Group
Enjoying the discovery table @ RTG with Grandma Ma
Reading with Elian
Happy 2nd Birthday, Abigail and congratulations on your baby sister!
