Halloween 2016

Happy Halloween!

I am taking a break on baby/newborn postings for a bit to showcase some Halloween fun! If you know me, you know that I’m a Halloween fan. What’s not to love about creative foods, crafting costumes, and using your noggin for fun ideas! When I first met my husband, he said it was weird for people to decorate for Halloween. Clearly he didn’t know me at all, because THAT’S WHAT I DO! Now that we’ve been married for 4.5 years, he appreciates this “holiday” a bit more. Goal complete.

We hosted a Halloween party last night on Hallow’s Eve for friends. A baby doesn’t change the fact that this holiday must call for a gathering. Crafted Halloween decor. Themed pot luck foods. Mandatory costumes. Success!

Just take a look at these amazing pictures. And of course, I have some new food ideas to share with you.

First the family costumes:

Snow White themed

Snow White themed

 

Stranger Things

Stranger Things

 

My barbie

My barbie

Right above my TV, I added floating candles this year! Here’s a great tutorial from Consumer Crafts. Instead of toilet paper rolls, I rolled up craft paper.

DIY floating candles

DIY floating candles

Now for the food ideas!

Back and front end!

Back and front end!

 

Ribs and Intestines

Rib of dead man and pot pie intestines

And how about these delicious mummy potatoes!

Twice Baked Mummies

Twice Baked Mummies

The dessert table

The dessert table

And you cannot forget:

Sangria - duh

Sangria – duh

My favorite new item that I made this year was the jar of eyeballs. So much fun and easy to do. Here’s the tutorial:

What you need: Jar, Can of Lychee, and Boba

What you need:

You can purchase a can of lychee at any Asian grocery store. With the Boba, you can buy a milk tea and just use the starch balls. Huge bonus, you get to drink the milk tea!

Directions:

  1. Drain the can of lychee into the glass jar
  2. Take out each lychee and stuff with boba
  3. Place the “eyeball” into the glass jar
  4. Fill the remaining jar up with water
  5. Create a label, display, and eat!
Delicious Eyeballs

Delicious Eyeballs

 

Jar of eyebals

Jar of eyebals

Easy and fun right? Now tell me, what are you doing this Halloween?

Sending haunts your way,
Jay

Battery powered flickering tea lights on Amazon here

Third Baby Shower at Work

And my third baby shower was held at work!

Party!

Party! ^^^

My sweet friends surprised me on my last week with a team get together, filled with presents and dim sum. They call me Asian mama so it was an Asian themed shower (ha!).

They even baked fortune cookies, made with hand written fortunes like:

  • You will fit into your old jeans soon!
  • Wine is in your future
  • A baby is on the way

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Ah! I love them.

Unfortunately, I put in my resignation a few weeks ago because it’s demanding to be a first time mom. Who knew?!? My previously held position had also changed quite a bit so in the end, I decided not to return. I’m sad because I love my team, but my priority is spending time with the baby right now. And that’s what I shall do, with a HUGE smile on my face.

With love,
Jay

Brunch Baby Shower in Texas

Six months into my pregnancy, I flew home to Texas to visit family and friends. We first flew to Austin for a friend’s wedding and then drove back to my hometown of Sugar Land to see my family. I’m so glad I did because I got to see people that I love, and they got to see my big belly.

My Kay and I

My Kay and I

Maybe we went to 6th street. Okay, yeah we did!

Maybe we went to 6th street. Okay, yeah we did!

The beautiful Driskill Hotel

The beautiful Driskill Hotel

A little bit of us for a while longer

A bit of only us for a little longer!

A bit of only us for a little longer!

When I was home, my parents and sister threw me a mini baby shower with my aunts and cousins. That was a nice surprise to have a brunch shower. Lots of food including a crepe cake, fruit tart, french toast, croissant casserole, Torchy’s queso, and bacon deviled eggs.

Delicious!

Delicious!

We also played a fun little game, similar to pin the tail on the donkey, but a much more adult version. It’s funny playing a game like this with your cousins, aunts, and dad! If you want to try out some adrenaline-pumping games with your family, sites such as FM카지노 might have something great to offer.

Pin the sperm on the egg!

Pin the sperm on the egg!

Ming-Gih and little MG

Ming-Gih and little MG

These photos totally remind me to count my blessings. I’m fortunate to have the people around me to love and support me through my entire pregnancy.

^^^ My sister and mom ^^^

^^^ My sister and mom ^^^

I love my mama

I love my mama

No love like the one between a mother and daughter!

Did anyone else fly during the end of their second trimester? What did you do? What about third trimester? How was that experience?

Lots of love,
Jay

Baby Shower in the Bay Area

I am so lucky to have caring and loving friends and family all around me. During my pregnancy, I had, not one, but THREE baby showers; one in the Bay Area, one back in my hometown, and another at work. I can hardly believe it myself.

I was showered with love and support time and time again, and my mini is extremely lucky to have people with such big hearts all around her.

Pink-Balloon

Incase you couldn’t tell from my blog, I’m a planner. I love lists. I love invites. I love precision. BUT I don’t love surprises and bothering people with assignments. I’m learning that doing everything yourself also comes with pressure and over-responsibility.

I had embarked on executing my own baby shower. I had set the date, the invite list, and booked a spot in a park, but then my sweetest and best girlfriends (plus my sister) decided to take over from there. I let them because whoa, being pregnant is tiring if you don’t the take best prenatal vitamins! You’re constantly wanting to sleep. And I’m so glad I gave it up, because they planned the sweetest and most beautiful shower a girl could ask for.

The weather wasn’t the best; it had been raining all week prior, but thankfully the rain let up just for the few hours we were outdoors. It was a chilly day but a very memorable one.

On Our Way

On Our Way

Lemonade, Tea, & Cucumber Water

Lemonade, Tea, & Cucumber Water

Take Home Gifts

Take Home Gifts

Did you know, you can hire people to grill for you at events? That’s what we did! We decided to do this because it would give the hosts a chance to hang out with people and chat. Have you ever thrown a party where you felt like there was no chance to just relax and enjoy? Hiring someone to grill was exactly the answer to that!

The grill master

The grill master

BBQ

BBQ

Candied Bacon and a Bacon bundt cake

Candied Bacon and a Bacon bundt cake

Baby Shower in the Bay Area

All the gifts!

All the gifts!

Isn’t that crazy? Look at all those gifts! I think that amount beat my own wedding! Oh yeah, and we also celebrated Ming-Gih’s birthday! He wasn’t forgotten, I promise!

Mg's birthday present

Mg’s birthday present

Thank you so much to Holly, Jessica, and Katie for this amazing day. I could relive that day and over and over again! One day, I’ll show my mini these pictures so she can see how much she was loved before even entering into this world.

xoxo,
Jay

DIY Gender Reveal Poppers

Revealing the gender of your baby is such a HUGE ordeal now, and I don’t blame anyone. It is a big moment during a pregnancy.

MG and I didn’t want to be surprised, but we wanted to surprise others. I’m actually not good with surprises anyway, but I enjoy it so much to give other people that satisfaction. We found out the gender around 13 weeks (typically it’s confirmed around 20 weeks), and from there, we were already starting to plan on how we would tell our parents.

After doing some research on where I could purchase items, I decided to make my own because it’s wayyy cheaper, and you can pick out your own fun designs. We picked out some fun wrapper covers (gender neutral of course), and the inside was filled with the gender color (blue for boy or pink for girl).

Poppers

DIY Gender Reveal Poppers

Since my parents live in Texas, we mailed the poppers to them. My soon-to-be brother in law helped us ensure there was no peeking, and also initiated Facetime so that MG and I could watch. It was epic (see last post for the video).

Use this DIY tutorial from Oh Happy Day to make the poppers. They also have a great template to wrap around the cylinder.

I did a few things differently:

  • Added another cover layer on top so that I could choose some fun designs
  • Added a circular cover on the top with white cardstock
  • Added a SUPER slim piece of paper tape on the sides to stick the covers onto the tops
Pink Confetti

Pink Confetti ^^^

Are you interested in a gender reveal? If you did one already, how did you unveil the news? I’d love to hear about it!

Proud mama to a baby girl,
Jay

Gender Reveal (Popper Style)

This is one of those milestone moments during your pregnancy – the gender reveal. It’s really the talk of the town! Do you want to know or wait for a surprise? Will you tell others? Do you want to be surprised by friends? So much around this now!

Gender is confirmed between 18-20 weeks if parents choose to know. I didn’t know this prior to being pregnant, because my first response when I found out people were expecting is, “do you know the gender?” You’re welcome, for that fact!

Can you guess the gender based on this picture? Look at that little booty!

Baby Butt

I wanted the reveal to be for my family, not necessarily for us. We were ecstatic on becoming parents so a party to reveal wasn’t needed. However, this is the first grandchild for both sets of families so I wanted to surprise them. Additionally, my parents live in Texas so I wanted it to be a fun reveal. Hence, I made poppers! I’ll have a DIY tutorial in a future post, coming soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erKWJP1KuZs

Surprisingly our ultrasound technician told us the gender around 13 weeks. Though it wasn’t confirmed, because it was so early, she was pretty sure. I’ll be honest here; I was expecting a boy. My pregnancy symptoms were telling me it was a boy (even though it’s not scientifically proven). MG even had a dream that we had a little boy. And in my head, boys take care of their siblings, which was a very idealistic view. A Date With Baby, a 3D ultrasound clinic, offers high-quality 3D/4D ultrasound services to all expectant mothers in Toronto. With A Date With Baby, you and your loved ones will be able to see the incredible images of your unborn baby with crystal-clear quality and precision.

However, the more I sat on the idea of a girl, the more excited I became. She would be my mini, and we’d dress the same (oh yes, definitely be expecting those mommy and me shots because they will be coming your way!). We get to take a picture of 4 generations of women since my Grandma is still lively and amazing. She’ll be my caretaker (because in reality, do boys even take care of their siblings?). Plus, if I only had girls, I’d actually be okay with that. If I only had boys, I’d always want a girl.

And now that I have her to snuggle with, I wouldn’t change her for the world!

Here’s a video of my parents as they open their poppers. Thank you to Baldwin for Facetime-ing us in and organizing the reveal.

So fun documenting these moments!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgJln6kXE7o&feature=youtu.be

Gender reveals – what do you think about them?

xoxo,
Jay

Maternity Session

I’m baccckk!

I took some time off cause, if you read my last post, I was expecting a little human. Now 9 months later, I’m back to blogging. And yes, I gave birth to a sweet little girl named Nora Rae. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m rewinding back to when I was pregnant (wow, how did time go by so quickly?!?). We’ll get to the baby in future posts but if you wanted to jump ahead to see pictures (I wouldn’t blame you), check out my Instagram and follow me.

I was looking for someone to help shoot a maternity session, but we were on a tight budget. Prepping for a baby is $$$! Instead, Ming-Gih and I decided to do shoot a session ourselves. We purchased some lighting and a clicker, and we were set. These pictures aren’t professional, but at least it does capture my big ‘ol belly!

Belly

Belly 2

Cat

Baking

In bed

MG and me

Okay, I’m one of “those.” I admit it; I enjoyed being pregnant. The worst symptoms I had were sore boobies and indigestion. Otherwise, everything was smooth and great, never had an episode of morning sickness, just mild nausea, and I would burp it out. But if you were one of those who had to battle through morning sickness, you can try to look for medicines from pharmacies such as the Canadian Pharmacy. The perks were great too – I got seats on public transportation, people opened doors for me and gave me space in crowds. Maternity clothes are also so comfy and very stylish nowadays. Plus, you never have to suck in your stomach after a large meal (wink). After you have a baby, forget it. So expecting mamas, enjoy it while it lasts!

Would you ever do a maternity session? And if you’ve done one, do you have any tips?

Missing those big belly days,
Jay

And just so you know, this blog is going to have a lot of life event posts and baby pictures so it’s headed in the direction of a mama blog. It’s going to be my place to put my family here as a keepsake. You’re welcomed to follow along!

Thankful for…

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays where I reflect upon this past year and count my blessings. This year has had it’s ups and downs, but I’m thankful for each moment that taught me to be stronger than I was a year before.

I’m thankful for:

  • My family that provides constant love and support, even from all the way back in Texas
  • I’m thankful for my friends that stand by me and the family-like love we give each other
  • My job and everyone there, because I actually enjoy it and the people make the craziness just a bit more manageable
  • My faith because that’s what gets me through each day
  • The family that Ming-Gih and I are building together, with Chubs and Ella, and now the newest edition, Baby Lam

Announcement

Funny story is that we had just gotten a puppy the week before (oops!). I was already late that month but typically that’s normal since a lot of environmental factors can impact my schedule, like stress. But MG knew that something must be up so he kept asking me to take a pregnancy test. I was so annoyed that he kept asking that I finally did to quiet him. I went to go brush my teeth to wait for the results, and walked back into the restroom. Upon looking, I screamed, “OH MY GOD!” and MG replied, “What? What is it!” And I said, “Oh nothing. It’s negative,” as I’m beginning to stream tears down my face. Finally he got my response and said, “Aw baby, congratulations!” He knows me. I’d always dreamed of surprising him with an announcement gift, which is what I wanted to do, but this one cannot lie.

Zoo Announcement

We’re beyond excited! I’ve had 3 ultrasounds now and hearing the little heartbeat makes the body changes totally worth it. At our last ultrasound, we watched our little one swallow, kick, and stretch. That all brought me to tears and made it a reality. We’re going to be parents!

Our parents are ecstatic. We actually filmed our announcements to them so you’ll have to come back to watch their reactions. I’m now 15 weeks in and am starting to show a bumpy.

Bumpy

Can’t wait to meet this little nugget in May!

What are you thankful for?
Jay

Meet My Little Ella!

We got a puppy! Meet little Miss Ella (short for Eleanor Harriet because human names for pets are the best). To ensure her health, we always seek out medical advice from experts who may be from those online vet assistant programs.

Ella

I had to deploy my best advertising/marketing skills in order to get one, hence why I’m in the ad world! She’s a little Havanese pure breed, born on July 13. I’m in love!

I’ve been asking begging for a dog as long as I can remember. I grew up with all kinds of pets – dogs, cats, birds, turtles, guinea pigs, rabbits. You name it, my sister and I probably had it. On the opposite end, MG never had any animals growing up. In his mind, they are dependent and dirty (which isn’t all wrong technically). MG finally gave in to my request for our cat, Chubs, a few years ago. But in my heart, I knew, and he knew, that I would always still want a dog. That companionship cannot be compared to others!

One random day, I decided to go on Craigslist to check out available dogs. Lo and Behold! Pure bred puppies for sale! I never heard of the Havanese breed before so I did some researching and found out that 1) it’s a mild tempered dog, 2) perfect for apartments/townhouses since they don’t need much exercise, 3) medium sized and grow to be around 15 pounds, and 4) most importantly, hypoallergenic and doesn’t shed. This was the PERFECT storm. Now I know that Craigslist isn’t always the best place to purchase a dog, so I was weary of this fantastic opportunity. I brought a girl friend with me to go see the dog incase there were any red lights on the owners. I didn’t want to purchase from a puppy mill, and I needed to make sure that this owner raised her pets in a good environment. So before we went, we put together a checklist with a potential no in mind. But to my surprise, the owners owned both mom and dad, had all the papers required to show for the breed, and printed contracts to even provide financial security incase the adopted little one had health issues. And that was the night, we took our little baby home.

She’s been a handful. Puppies are definitely life changing, and it’s not overly stated at all. We have to get up every 2-3 hours to take her out to potty, we’ve been training her to learn commands, and LOTS of carpet mishaps, which we knew would be part of training. More importantly, a watchful eye as she plays outside of her pen so that she doesn’t make mistakes. It’s even more difficult right now since she’s not allowed outside yet without her third round of shots. Dreaming of the day that she’s allowed outside and potty trained. Almost there.

But look at that cute face!!

Ella and Me

Ella and Chubs

Ella kisses,
Jay

Vacay in Oahu

MG and I recently went on a trip to Oahu Hawaii. It was our first trip together as a couple since our honeymoon (almost 3 years ago!) so a trip to ourselves was overdue.

I was lucky enough to have my parents take me when I was in high school but it had been a while. MG has always lived in the Bay Area and had never been to Hawaii. First let me start out by saying that he’s not a “beach” guy. I KNOW… How is that so?!? His dream vacation has to do with snow and skiing in the Swiss Alps, and I’m definitely a sand and ocean type of girl. My explanation is that he’s only grown up around beaches in the Bay Area, and it’s always so cold here that you can’t get into the water. I accepted this challenge to make him love beaches, especially after a trip to Hawaii, where ocean waters are warm and sand is soft.

I’m happy to say that he’s slowly converting. There’s a small part in his heart to love beaches now. One day, I’ll let him have his snow vacay. One day…

We stayed at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel, right across from the beach. It’s so convenient to get around because you’re in the heart of downtown Waikiki. Additionally, the hotel is extremely accommodating to their guests. They have lunch box where you can pack breakfast to go for the beach, and they also rent out beach towels, chairs, and mats. I highly recommend staying here!

Look at our amazing view

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Instead of walking through day by day, I’m going to simply list out our favorite sight seeing places and favorite places to eat. Hopefully this list will come in handy if you ever plan a trip to Oahu!

Favorite Things To Do:

5. Beach Hopping

All day, every day. Just go from beach to beach and explore the various beaches. The water and sea life is different. Also the sand varies from place to place. If you’re not the strongest swimming, I would suggest Waikiki because there walls to break the waves. For those that are stronger swimmers, definitely go to North Beach because it’s less packed with people and currents are strong.

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4. Polynesian Cultural Center Luau 

We obviously had to check out some dinner/show since it was MG’s first time. We came across one that was recommended by friends at the Polynesian Cultural Center. It’s kinda like a theme park, where you can visit villages that make up Hawaii. In the evening, there’s a buffet and then a show. We got lucky and booked tickets on the night of the World Champion Fire Knife Competition, which happens only once a year. Now that’s something you don’t see every day!

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3. Pearl Harbor Museum, along with Bowfin, Missouri, and Aviation Museum

Wow. There’s a solemn feel to this place, but in a good way. The exhibits were informative, and there are many first hand videos on the day that Pearl Harbor was attacked. You learn to appreciate America’s involvement in the war, and truly respect those that were courageous enough to fight for our country.

The Arizona is a sight to see. This specific exhibit is free, but you can’t also pay a fee to go to the other museums – Bowfin submarine, USS Missouri, and the aviation museum. I must say, all exhibits were well worth the money! We spent most of our day here.

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2. Snorkeling in Hanauma Bay

Go pick up snorkeling gear before you come here or else you have to rent it for $20. And YES, you definitely need gear. Because there is an abundance of sea life in these waters. Hanauma Bay is a state park with small entrance fee, but it’s totally worth it because you’ll see many little marine creatures, all kinds, sizes, and colors! Stick your face into the water, and I guarantee that you’ll immediately see marine life.

I wish I had a Go-Pro…

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1. Snorkeling with sea turtles at Laniakea Beach

This was our absolute favorite part of the trip. Turtles like to rest on this beach, and there’s always a volunteer that ropes off the area where turtles lay on the sand. It’s a law that you cannot touch the turtles, hence why there’s someone to keep watch.

But there’s an opportunity to get closer. Grab your snorkel gear and get into the water. We were so lucky that during our time here, we saw at least 8 turtles just swimming near us. They weren’t afraid of anyone swimming and some swam less than a foot away. It’s almost scary to be so close because these creatures are huge (some older turtles can grow to be 6ft in length). Most of the time you’ll be swimming, assuming there’s a boulder, but you realize it’s getting closer and closer. Yup, just a sea turtle! It’s an experience of a lifetime.

Oh how I really wish I had a Go-Pro…

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Now for you foodies! Here’s a list of our must-eats (in no particular order)!

Helena’s Hawaiian Food – A local mom and pop for Hawaiian comfort food. Short ribs are yummmmm

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Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck – Garlicky goodness. It’s a food truck located on the North Shore, famous for their shrimp scampi (perfectly cooked!)

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Matsumoto Shaved Ice – Lots of flavors to choose from and top it off with ice cream!

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Rainbow Drive-In – It’s a triple D (Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives) hot spot. Think greasy comfort Hawaiian food. Loco moco heaven!

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Hi Steak – Don’t laugh, but this place is located in a cafeteria and the steak is amazing… Get the garlic butter!

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Ramen Nakamura – two words, oxtail ramen. It’s a small shop with very few tables but worth the wait. This place seems quite authentic in taste and environment. I’m not Japanese but there’s a lot of them in here enjoying the food, so you can’t go wrong with that!

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Musubi Cafe Iyasume – Get yummy snacks here. Lots of different kinds of musubi (bacon, avocado, eggs, and combinations galore!). It’s fun to look at all the different spam gadgets here.

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Ono Seafood – OMG poke! The fish is so tender and soft; no stringy pieces in the meat. It’s more of a take-out restaurant, with a few patio seats outside.

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Bubbies Homemade Ice Cream & Desserts – Mochi ice cream with all sorts of flavors!

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Sushi Izakaya Gaku – The seafood is extremely fresh and so sweet. Sit at the sushi bar and ask the chef what’s fresh for the day. He’ll give recommendations. Definitely get the Negihama (yellowtail) tartar! But look at that amazing sashimi!

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Marukame Udon – This was our all time favorite meal. I had my doubts because udon is just noodles. But WOW! These are hand pulled udon noodles with a bar of all you can choose sides. Go down the aisle and add in your ingredients, like a tempura soft serve egg. Whaa?!? Yup.

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Just some other things worth mentioning:

Pali Lookout – It’s a windward cliff off the mountain with a scenic view, known for it’s strong winds.

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Dole Plantation because dole whips and pineapple gummy bears.

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DSC02959^^^ Look at the cute little pineapple!

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I wish I could go back to sunny skies, clean beaches and clear waters, large sea turtles, and delicious local foods. I just love the feeling of laying out on the sand without a care in the world. MG is already asking if we can go back! Does this mean Hawaii has won his heart over?

Have you ever been to Oahu? What are some of your musts?

When’s the next vacation?
Jay