Guess who had a birthday? I DID, I DID!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to me!

So here we are, the first year of my life. As you can see from the picture to the sides, the first year was capped off with a crazy snow storm and my first ever cupcake that Ammie made from scratch. I know if seems just like the other day that I came into this world. So many of you were there to see me for the first time as I entered this world at Swedish Hospital exactly 1 yr ago to the day. While I can't remember everyone that was there (I was a little tired) I do want to say thank you for being there from day one. Over the past 365 days not only have I done so many new and exciting things but I have met the most amazing people. I really wish I could thank everyone for all that you have contributed to my first year but if I did my birthday blog would look like credits at the end of a movie. So I am going to just say THANK YOU!

A really big thank you with lots of extra hugs and kisses to my most beautiful, giving and thoughtful Ammie. You have been the best Ammie that I could have ever imagined. I am also glad that I got your super good looks and not the bald look of Papa. Although it is looking more and more like I got stuck with his bowed legs.

I did want to give one more extra big thank you to my Archie, Cea and Uncle Eddie for flying up here from California for my birthday. I'm sorry that you left sunny Cali for the 25 degree cold weather and 6 inches of snow in Seattle. But on a good note, you did get to see me eat cupcakes. :)

Wish I could write a little more but it is way past my bedtime. Unfortunately my birthday has to end sometime.

Watch out world, here comes year number two!

XOXO

Divi-abominable snowman

My first Halloween!

No one told me just how much fun dressing up in a costume and begging for food would be. I'll get to that in a sec. First let me re-cap my past week.

Friday night Ammie, Papa and I met one of Papa's co-workers Gary and his wife Carolyn for dinner. We just walked to a little favorite Italian place in our neighborhood. It was Gary's birthday that day. I must say Gary looks great. He mentioned something about going to the gym and running the lake 3 days a week. Papa doesn't do that much and he is 18 yrs younger than Gary. I guess I better tell Papa to hit the weights so he can look as good as Gary one day. Happy Birthday Gary, DARLING YOU LOOK FABULOUS!!!!!

On Saturday we went out to dinner with cousin Viyada, her boyfriend Vijay, and my two aunts from Thailand. They think I am super cute, except for the bowed legs that I inherited from Papa. I over heard them talking about wrapping my legs in bamboo and wet towels. Doesn't sound like fun, so I'll just stick with the crazy legs. Papa says that if I have legs like his that I will be quick and fast just like him.

On Sunday Papa took me out with his friends Mark and Sage for their weekend training run. Fortunately uncle Eddie bought me my fancy BOB stroller before I was born so I didn't actually have to run the 10 ridiculous miles with Papa. I got to relax in my stroller, lots of blankets, fresh fruit, bottle of milk and a pacifier, until I threw it on the ground and lost it, but then Papa gave me Sage's car keys. After the long Sunday run in the brisk morning while the sun was rising, we rushed home to host some of Ammie's friends for brunch. We had lots of goodies to snack on. Waffles, turkey bacon, quiche, bagels and lox, champagne (Ammie wouldn't let me have any, AGAIN!) the whole kings spread.

Then it was time to Trick or Treat. Let me tell you how fun it was. I saw so many cute kids, dogs and even parents. Although I do think I was one of the cutest out there. All went well with the candy begging except for one little incident. Since I am petite and my costume is a touch big on me, I found myself a little front heavy. When I tried to kneel down for a little break, I fell forward and hit my head dead smack on the sidewalk. It left a little mark but don't think for a second it kept me from dusting myself off and going back for more candy. The show must go on!

Oh and I must go to bed.

XOXO

Sweet Divi-honey pot

You can't stop me now!

Let me start off by apologizing to all my followers. I know I have been terrible about blogging but when you read on you'll understand how busy I have been. For a 10 month old my schedule is just so packed. I really wish Papa would get me one of those new fancy I-phones so I can blog while at daycare.

So here we are in October, summer is officially over, time to put away the two piece bikini and time to pull out the snow boarding gear.

Since the last time I wrote Ammie and Papa have signed me up for swim lessons (taught by my fabulous Aunt Christina) with the other kids in my PEP's group. I have to tell you, I love the pool. I went to my first ever pumpkin farm where I got to ride a cow train, pet/chase bunnies (no one told me how quick those little critters would be), watch Papa catch a 13 inch trout and play in a big barn of hay. A few weekends ago my cousins Tara and Sabrina from San Francisco came up to visit. It was so good to see my cousins again, the last time I saw them I was about 2 months old. Just last weekend Ammie and I were in San Francisco visiting uncle Eddie and cousins Tara and Sabrina. We drove to wine country and spent the weekend up there. Ammie was so unfair, she wouldn't let me take part in the wine tasting. I had to stick with apple slices and my boring bottle while everyone else got wine and cheese.

Oh my gosh, I think I forgot to tell you the most exciting thing since I last blogged. I AM WALKING NOW!!!!! So about three weeks ago Ammie, Papa and I were hanging out one weekend morning when I decided this three, four step thing is getting boring and it is time to walk. Now that I have a few weeks of walking down, along with many, many bruises I am starting to pick up the pace. Papa keeps telling me that if I can run this thing call the 40 yard dash in under 4.4 seconds we might be talking scholarships.

I know this hasn't been the most exciting blog but I just had to write something. Just a few more weeks till I get to put on my super cute costume for Halloween. Ammie told me if I wear this crazy costume that she got me that people will give me free candy. I can't wait to see how this Halloween thing works. I'll have some great pics and stories to share soon.

XOXO

Divy-swimmer & walker

A day at the farm and other crazy things.

So I just had to write about my experience today. We went out to Great Aunt Dorothy's house (way out in Sultan) to celebrate Big Nudge Mama's and Great Aunt Dorothy's birthdays. It was really nice to see the family, eat lots of good snacks, and see all 7 dogs running and barking. But as you can see from my picture, the best part of the day was getting to pet the super giant dogs up close. Great Aunt Dorothy kept telling me that they are horses but I really think they are just big versions of Kenji. One of them even tried to eat my hair. I wasn't scared at all. Great Aunt Dorothy said that if I come back in just a few months when I am a little bigger then she will take me for a ride on of the gigantic dogs. Sometimes at home I try to ride Kenji but he doesn't like it very much, so he runs off. I'll be very interested to see how Great Aunt Dorothy is going to handle the Super Dog.
What else is new? Well lets see. I am getting my first top tooth in. My birthday is coming up in just a few months. So if you are reading this please take note and start shopping now. Pappa keeps telling me that I get no gifts and only checks made payable to my college account. THAT'S BORING! If you give me gifts quietly and secretly I promise I won't tell Papa it who it was from.
My second cousin Jeremy from Orange County moved in with us a few weeks ago. It is nice to have more family in the house. He plays with me a lot. I think he is going to teach me how to play guitar one day.
So tonight when Papa was trying to rock me to sleep (when I wasn't sleepy yet), I stood up in his lap and looked at him. He looked at me and told me "hey monster, it's sleepy time". I looked at him, took out my pacifier and put it right in his mouth. Luckily he wasn't mad but instead started laughing. It was a fun game for a few minutes until he put me in my crib to "cry it out" Then I knew the game was over.
Other than that life is good as a 9 month old. I'm excited for the seasons to change. That way I can start wearing my cute sweaters, stylish boots and knitted hats. Watch out, you just may see me on a runway!

XOXO
Divy-saurus rex

Busy, Busy Bee

Holy Cow, I am soooo sorry that I haven't written for quite some time. I don't even know where to begin. So many new things since my last blog.

Lets start with the travel department. Pappa and Ammie needed a little get-a-way from work, Seattle and apparently from me. So I let them go to Portugal and Spain for 9 days. Under one condition though. That they drop me off in sunny southern California so I could spend some time with my Archie (grandma) and Cea (grandpa). California was great. I got to spend lots of time with all of my second cousins and second aunts and uncles. You won't believe how much attention I got. Now I know what everyone means when they talk about getting spoiled cause I am the first grandchild. Almost everyday I got a chance to skype with Ammie and Pappa, just to let them know that I was ok and not causing to much trouble.

Every morning I would wake up a little extra early and wimper just enough to get Cea to pick me up and put me in bed with him so we could snuggle. I can't remember just how many parties we went to or how many were hosted at the house. But I sure had my fill of Sri Lankin parties over a nine day span.

So to jump ahead just a few weeks, I have started standing on my own now. I thought crawling was tough but this whole balance thing is really challenging. I'm not quite ready to try that first step thing but I know it is coming along soon.

I did manage to squirm out of my high chair the day and climb on top of the tray table before falling off and landing on my back. I think I scared the poo out of pappa cause he came running in a hurry and scooped me off of the ground. I cried for a little while but everything was ok after a few mins. I think I learned my lesson on climbing out of the high chair.

Day care has been a blast. I'm making lots of friends. Even with the bee that stung me one day and the older kid who bit me the next. I cried a little as a result of each attack but I shook it off and came back to school for more. No bee or biting kid is going to keep me away!

Time to hit the sack but I promise I won't wait so long to write next time.

XOXO

Divy-smurf.

VIVA ESPANA!!!!

Unbelievable finish to world cup 2010! Although I slept through the most of the first and second half cause Pappa made me take my nap, I did get up in time to see the end of regulation and overtime.

So before I give more of an update let me give a big shout out to my friends Amy and Douglas who got engaged this morning.

So Pappa, Ammie, Kenji and I are down the Oregon coast at Cape Meare. An absolutely beautiful beach community south o Tillamook. We are down here with a big group of friends and my super cool Uncle Eddie. Yesterday Pappa went crabbing early in the morning and later made Sri Lankin crab curry. It smelt fabulous but Ammie said I still had to stick with my lentil and apple sauce. When Pappa got back from crabbing we went down to the beach with Kenji and all of our friends. We flew kites, threw the ball for Kenji, played soccer on the beach and even took a little nap.

Sorry this blog is so short but I have to get back to the post world cup party. Everyone is drinking mojitos, bloody marys and wine, of course I only get a bottle of milk. 21 more years till I can celebrate with the good stuff.

See all of you back in Seattle.

GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!
Divi Potomus

A trip to the farm and a new family member

Where has the month of June gone. Certainly we can all agree that June is gone but summer has yet to arrive. What is going on with this chilly gloomy weather. Pappa keeps telling me of the great days of summer, cold beer, playing soccer in the sun and back yard barbecues. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

So the other day I had the pleasure of meeting my second cousin Bon from the bay area. Man is he tall! Pappa has told me how cool and fun cousin Bon is but he never told me that he is super duper tall. Just for the record, for us Asian decent people 6 foot plus is "super duper tall" but for the rest of you following my blog 6 foot plus is just average. So while cousin Bon was here we had dinner with cousin Viyada. It was so nice to see the family all together. One of the days that cousin Bon was here we went to the Kelsey Creek Park petting farm. It was my first time seeing bunnies, goats and even a gigantic hog. I did see a horse but that wasn't anything exciting. I've seen one before at my Great Aunt Dorothy's house. The horse at the farm looked just like our dog Kenji, only 8 feet taller.

Last weekend Ammie, Pappa, Kenji and I went to Hood Canal for Pappa's work retreat. Everyone was so nice and kept complimenting on how cute I was. Kenji got to swin in the ocean for hours and we even managed to squeeze in a short, short, short hike. By the way Pappa was drinking beer on the hike, don't tell him I told you. :) Ammie and I did get some nice one on one time while Pappa was in meetings. We went for very relaxing swim in the pool, had lunch, went for a stroll and took a long snuggly nap. Life isn't so bad at 7 months.

Tomorrow is supposed to be my first day at daycare, unfortunately I have come down with a bit of a fever and feeling a touch under the weather. Such a bummer! I was really looking forward to meeting some new kids.

Other than that life is good. I'm over 7 months old now. Still crawling around, I can't quite get the walking on my own thing down but I'm working on it. I'll keep you posted.

Happy July tomorrow to everyone. Lets hope we finally get some sunshine. I got a really cure two piece I can't wait to wear to the beach!

XOXO

Divi Pie

Long Time No Blog!

OMG. Where has the time gone? It has been nearly a month since I last blogged. Where do I begin with the updates.
A few weeks ago I had my first experience at the beach. Papa, Ammie and I went to Discovery Park with Papa's old high school friend Gnom and his two girls.
I also went to my first birthday party and graduation party. Obviously not for the same person cause that would be off the charts genius. Papa has been busy moving his office back to Green Lake so we have been running all sort of errands getting the office all set up. It really looks nice, you should stop in and say hi to my Papa. He likes to keep the fridge stocked with cold drinks and goodies in the cupboard.
Last weekend I got my first experience at the driving range. Ammie went out with the girls to see the new Sex in the City movie so I had Papa all to myself. After seeing Papa's swing the other day I really think we should be spending more time at the range and less time in the garden. I hope Papa doesn't read this. :)
Now that I have crawling conquered I am working on this walking thing. Turns out walking is not as easy as it looks. I can pull myself up and almost stand all by myself but making the next step is a bit scary. It will come with time. I'll keep you posted.
I have moved past the mashed avocado and bananas and have now started eating carrots, yams, pears and apples. So far my favorite is the mashed yams.
Sorry for such a quick blog. I promise I'll write sooner next time. Must hit the bed. Big Nudge Mama is coming over early to spend the day with me. It is supposed to be sunny and nice, maybe we'll take a walk down to Papa's office and say hi.
Night Night
Divy licious

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!!

My first mothers day. I am so sorry to all of my followers for not writing sooner. Here I am already 5 1/2 months old and I feel like time is just flying right by me.
Where to start? Well since the last time I wrote I attended my first Happy Hour/wine tasting. Pappa and his co-workers got together at this quaint little bistro in the Madrona area where they did a little wine tasting and had snacks. Unfortunately Pappa only let me have formula but he did let me meet many of his quirky co-workers.
Last weekend I got two piercings. :) Before you jump to conclusions, it was just my ears. Ammie and Pappa took me to this chic little boutique on Queen Anne called Lilly's where I picked out these sparkly stud earrings. I cried a little, not so much from the pain, cause I 'm tough like that. But more from the frustration of four people trying to hold me still while they take an ear gun to the side of my head.
Did I mention that I can crawl now? I am way better at going backwards, except when I back myself up under the furniture and get stuck. but slowly I am figuring out how to switch gears and go forward. Most of the time I'm trying to crawl so I can touch Kenji, but since he has four legs and I only have two, he is much faster than me.
Today Pappa and I got up early, walked to the store with Kenji and got Ammie some flowers and a balloon. Since I don't have any money I had to borrow some money from Pappa to pay for Ammies gifts. I'm not sure if it is my age or the tough economy but I have been unemployed for over 5 months now and still no leads. Pappa keeps telling me to keep looking and be persistent and soon enough I'll be pulling my own financial weight around the house.
Wish I could write more but I have to go get cute for today. We are going to walk and take Ammie to breakfast and then off to the zoo. I'm not sure what this zoo thing is all about but Pappa said something about seeing some penguins and meerkats. I have no idea what he is talking about but I'll let you know how it goes.
Happy Mothers Day Ammie! thank you for giving me life. you are the best.
XOXO
Divy Monster

What a draft.

I really hope that I am not the only 5 month old who is watching this NFL draft. So many good players yet so few picks.
Another week has passed. this week was the last "official" PEPS group meeting. I really have grown fond of the group. The kids are super nice and there are even a few cute boys in group. The adults are a bit quirky but no more weird than Ammie and Pappa. I really like this boy named Connor in my group. He and I share the same birthday and were born in the same hospital. Turns out we were just a few rooms apart on November 22nd.
Last night Pappa and I took Big Nudge Mamma (Great Grandma) out for dinner. It was the three year anniversary of my Great Grandfather passing away. Ironically he passed away on the 22nd and I was born on the 22nd. I can tell that Big Nudge Mamma was sad last night. I tried to cheer her up with my smiles and playfulness. Pappa made a little toast to Great Grandpa last night over a glass of Cognac. Apparently Cognac was my Great Grandpas favorite drink. Pappa and Big Nudge Mamma held hands and got tearful while reminiscing over Great Grandpa. Pappa said that he is watching Big Nudge Mamma all the time and is really happy to see her with me. Pappa wanted to give Ammie a little quiet time at the house so after we dropped Big Nudge Mamma off Pappa took me over to his friends house, Jason and Lisa Moffatt. They are expecting a baby in about 4-5 more months. Pappa told me that I will have another playmate but we still don't know if it will be a boy or girl. By the time we got home it was almost 10 pm. I could tell Ammie wasn't too happy with Pappa. Apparently he told Ammie that we were at the Little Red Hen (A country bar near our house) and we were singing Karaoke and checking out women in jean shorts and cowboy boots. I couldn't tell if she was upset about the Red Hen comment or the fact that it was WAY past my bedtime. Sometimes Pappa has a sense of humor that Ammie doesn't really appreciate. :( Either way I had a great night hanging out with Pappa.
I have to give a big shout out to my Cousin Bon and Uncle Eddie for being my first followers on my blog, thank you for reading.
Time to hit the bed,
p.s. what do you think of me and Connor?

So many "firsts"

Where to begin. It has been over a week since I last wrote. Since the last time I blogged I have experienced many new and exciting things for the first time. Lets start with this past weekend. On Saturday night we went to P.F. Changs with one of Pappa friends from work (Matt Nye) and his wife Kassia and their daughter Eleanor, who is about 1 month older than me. She is so cool, she can already sit up all by herself. Hopefully soon I will be able to sit up on my own without that crazy spongy bumbo seat thing that Ammie keeps sticking me in. On Sunday I went on my first hike with Ammie and Pappa up Tiger Mountain. The view at the top was amazing. When we got home Pappa and I did some gardening. I sat on the front porch in my little jump-a-roo while Pappa moved flagstone and planted more bushes for the garden. At times I got bored of the jump-a-roo so I fussed and Pappa put me in this little carrying pack and I was able to supervise his work from up close. After working up an appetite watching Pappa move heavy objects I came into the house and Ammie gave me my first taste of rice cereal. Lets just say things got messy.
Sunday night my Aunt Christina and her boyfriend Ryan came over and made dinner for Ammie and Pappa. I don't know what the heck they made but man it smelled soooooo good. I can't wait until I can get past this boring bland rice cereal and get on to the yummy stuff.
Tonight Ammie went out with her friend MaryJeanne for dinner and Pappa and I stayed behind and had dinner. Actually he fed me rice cereal for the second time, again it got REALLY messy. So messy that Pappa had to give me a bath.
Must sign off and get to bed before Ammie gets home. If she knew that Pappa let me stay up late to watch the Mariners game she would be mad. Night Night!

A busy busy weekend.

Where to begin. Pappa came home from work on Friday, not as early as usual cause he is super busy with tax season winding down. I don't know what that means but Pappa said work is a little crazy.
Pappa took Arche (Grandma Ranchigoda) and I to Swansons Nursery. This time we actually made it before they closed. I can see why pappa loves gardening. They have so many great plants, bushes, trees, everything you can think of. While Pappa was shopping outside for plants, Arche took me inside and showed me the super huge fish in the pond. Pappa bought about a dozen or so plants for the newly landscaped front yard. This was my first trip to the nursery. I know for sure we'll be back.
Today we are heading to my Uncle Eddie's going away BBQ at his place. He is packing up and moving to San Francisco in a week or so. Even though i am only 5 months old I am going to miss him when he is gone.
Tomorrow Pappa is going snowboarding again. He said there is another 12 inches of fresh pow pow on the slopes. I guess that is good or something cause he gets so excited every time he sees the snow report. When he gets home Ammie, Pappa and I are going to take the grandmothers out for dinner and then drop them off at the Paramount to see Dreamgirls.
I would love to write more about my week and weekend but it's time to pack up the car and head to Uncle Eddies.
Happy Saturday!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!

Today was a great day. I spent all morning and most of the afternoon at Big Nudge Mamma's house. It was so nice, I was able to take a 2 1/2 hour nap. Pappa picked me up around 2 ish. We went to the rock yard and bought more flagstone for the garden he has been working on for weeks. It is looking great! When i got home I got to see Archi, she was sooooo excited to see me. We played for a little for about an hour while pappa worked in the yard again. Then Ammi came home from her first day of teaching at the U of W. Go Dawgs! i'll be there in 17 more years. I hope pappa is saving money for my college fund. Pappa was still in gardening mode so while Ammi was at boxing class, Archi, Pappa and I went to buy plants for the garden. It was a little chilly outside but I was bundled up and super warm.
Tomorrow we are going to Great Aunt Dorothy's house for the Grandma's birthdays. This will be my first trip and Kenji's first trip to the farm. I am excited. Off to bed so I can be rested for a big day with the family tomorrow.
Will write again soon.

Afternoon at the park with Pappa and Kenji

Today pappa left work early and took Kenji and I to the dog park. It was a nice sunny day, a little windy but pappa had me zipped up in his vest with me in the baby bjorn all snuggled up. It was fun to walk around the park and watch Kenji play with the other dogs. Pappa even let him go for a swim.
We went out to dinner with Atchi (Grandma Ranchigoda) and Big Nudge Mamm (Great Grandma Biro). Usually I fall right asleep at Rositas but tonight i was a little fussy until pappa picked me up and let me sit on his lap while he tried to eat. I did manage to get my hands in his enchilada sauce and make a little mess before he caught me.
Time for bed, will write later.