vacation to disney

where to begin....it was great!!! we DROVE 12 hours from Portland to San Francisco, stayed in SF 2 nights, enjoyed cable cars, china town, dimsum, the Pier, Fisherman's Warf, etc, etc,. shopping.  The kids loved it.  

Then we drove 6 hours to L.A., did the whole Beverly Hills thing, went to Santa Monica Beach twice, walked to boardwalk from Venice Beach to Santa Monica Beach and back (6 to 7 miles round trip) with the kids in the stroller. FUN FUN.

We caught a L.A. Dodgers versus Anaheim Angeles baseball game. Shaun loved, Zaina not so much, she cant sit still...wiggle worm...she liked showing off how cute she is for all the peeps in the concession areas.

Then came disneyland, twice...two days...seperated by a day of recovery at LaJolla beach inbetween.  

Lots of fun, tiring, Zaina barfed 4 times due to car sickness...Shaun made himself barf once because he wanted to see what it felt like to put his finger in his throat...what?...ok, weird.

Totally priceless vacation.

1 YEAR REFERRAL ANNIVERSARY

Here is a before picture: 4-23-2008 (1st pic, before surgeries: 10 months old)

and after: 4-23-09 (dressed to impress, after 2 surgeries: 22 months old)

TODAY IS THE DAY WE FIRST SAW YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE!!! It is the day GWCA called shazia at 8:45a.m., I was on my way to work when I heard, we have a baby for you. I am never at a loss for words, and I was speechless!! Literally!!! I rushed to work, to get on the email system and check the email sent to me by Stephanie at GWCA, and there you were, GORGEOUS!!!

the kids at the parade

Here are some more pics.  go blazers!!!

Zaina loves to chant DEFENSE!!!!

portland trailblazers make the playoffs

our basketball team the portland trailblzers made the playoffs round 1 and mike and the kids went to the parade for them.  i had to work. GO BLAZERS!!!

with the family

kids growing fast. Zaina and shaun are best of buddies.  She loves to dress up prissy. plays with and is obsessed with her necklaces.  We had to get 2 jewelry boxes to accomodate all her necklace selection, she picks it out herself., honestly.

OMG!! she uses chopsticks

I don't know how she learned it, because she didn't know how to before this day, but we went to DimSum in chinatown while Shaun was at school Monday, and Zaina picked up a couple of chopsticks, and starting using them. She fed herself 5 bites using chopsticks of "rice balls" small peices of them, very well, then to show off, she switched to the other hand and at 6 more bites using chopsticks, perfectly!!!
Even the chinese waitresses were shocked!! The asked "how you teach her that" and we said "we didn't, she just figured it out". Wonder if it is an inate attribute, just kidding. It's because our little girl is SUPER SMART!!! Before you know it she'll be replicating and splicing DNA.

day at the park at the pearl

zaina made some new friends on a mommy daddy daughter day at the park. check it out

growing every day...

well, zaina is recovering well. It has been now 5 weeks post-surgery. her palate was closed completely right after surgery, dr. predicted a small hole would form in the palate area, and it did, about 2 cm big hole, then it closed up on its own with scar tissue forming over it. then it opened up again, about 1/2 cm, around the scar tissue. we hope over time it will close up again soon since the entire area is still actively recovering. If not, a revision surgery for the palate next year.
The kids are very happy with each other. Zaina starts school (preschool for socialization) in 3 weeks, and will start at only one day per week.

Here's some recent pics. Zaina got a new apron in 1 picture that she is styling. In a second set of pics, she is wearing a new "too too" skirt. so cute. Shaun decided to make scary and funny faces for us.
We are planning a Disneyland road-trip for may. excited about that.

New and Improved (flat nose now though)

Here she is, post palate surgery, happy, looking like "Ralph Macheo" from the Karate Kid movies in her red headband. If you notice, she flattened the tip of her button-nose by banging her face on pillows forcefully for an hour at the hospital when she was dilirious post surgery. Oh well, we'll add it to our list of surgery "touch ups" for when she turns 4 y.o.

Valentine's girl

valentine's day with mike's side of the family. his grandpa turned 84 today. fun day with all of shaun and zaina's 2nd cousins. we are a very international family, as you can see.

Better- home today?

this is a pic from chinese new year, 2 weeks ago.

Zaina seems better today. no more severe pain meds, just codeine syrup to take home. She seems like her pain is now better managed. Now if only she'd drink alittle of her bottle, we can take her home.
She actually smiled at me when I was jumping around like a fool, she must have thought "I can't believe this goofy woman is my mom, I'll smile at her to be polite", what a sweetie.
We just need her to drink alittle bit of any kind of bottle fluids, that shows she will drink at home so we can be sent home. Still praying.

successful surgery, bad reaction, again

well, very successful surgery. the palate is completely closed, for now. the surgeon says it can open up a little bit and make a smallish hole, but nothing to prevent that, and we wont know til we take zaina in for her 2 week post operation dr.'s appt.
she did great coming off the anesthesia from surgery, but 4 hours after that, BAM, she went back into her not happy place of dillusion and dilirium. She did not look at us, her eyes glazed over, and just mad and scared!!
Dr.'s gave her anxiety meds and pain meds, that helped, and it is now 4am and we are in the pediatric ICU and she is better.
hope to go home today.
thanks to all for the outpouring of love, wishes, prayers and support!!
Michelle, you are Zaina's gaurding angel.

palate surgery coming up

oh boy, february 11th is zaina's palate surgery. hopefully it goes well and easy recovery. hope she isn't sick day of surgery or it will get postponed for months!! please pray for her and for us.

party hard 2009

the kids partied hard at at Heena's for new years day with some friends. Just now eagerly waiting for spring.