... Mia's year and half pictures. The Jumbo Spud (not be confused with Stud, abuelita) is a mega size Mr. Potato Head featuring multiple heads of various sizes and thousands of accessories to attach. This is indeed Mia's favorite toy at the moment. Thank you Uncle George and Aunt Henaris!

We just returned from a quick getaway to the mainland. For Mia this was a big event - her first trip into mainland China. Mom had filled out all the paperwork for her a few weeks ago to get her China Return card so she could enter (she does not need a passport or visa like her parents do).

We went to Shaoguan (韶关) in northern Guangzhou as part of a 3-day company trip and had lots of fun with our colleagues touring several famous spots in that region. Our itinerary included the caves of Gu Fo Yan (古佛岩), the scenery at the top of Dan Xia Mountain (丹霞山), and the 1500 year old Nan Hua Temple (南华寺). The later of these was really interesting- it was home to Hui Neng where he established the southern sect of Zen Buddhism in the Tang dynasty. (It even has his mummified remains, which I have never seen in a Buddhist temple before.) Also, outside one of the courtyards is a giant Bodhi Tree that everyone ran around to become a bit more "enlightened".

Mia took it all in stride and as usual added a lot of life to the group!

Just a few more photos to share from last month.

Mommy, Daddy, and Mia took a much needed long weekend away from Hong Kong. We took the short flight over to Cebu in the Philippines. The beaches were pristine and we had several days of really nice weather. There was amazing snorkeling right off the beach at the Shangri-La Mactan resort where we stayed. The variety of fish was amazing.

Dad's favorite was the bright-blue starfish that dotted the ocean floor. And eating tons of fresh mangoes. Mia liked feeding the fish bread crumbs from the canoe. And of course playing in the sand.


The grounds of the resort were great with several good restaurants. Highly recommended for a family getaway with young kids. And as we have noticed from living in HK, the Philippine culture is just genuinely warm and fun to be around.

Mia was a butterfly this year for Halloween. Here's a few pics from the costume party she attended.

A few days ago we headed over to the Kowloon side to visit a park here in Hong Kong named Nan Lian Garden (南蓮園池). It's a gorgeous classical Chinese landscape garden in the Tang Dynasty style located next to Chi Lin Nunnery. It's relatively new, having opened in late 2006, and it was neat to see the backdrop of the urban city against this tranquil spot of well-kept land.

Dad was away for half the month on business, but Mom kept him updated daily with the latest photos of his baby girl. He even fit in a few Skype sessions while away. And as you can see in this slideshow, he eventually returned with a brand new set of wheels for baby Mia courtesy of Abuelita.

She hasn't quite figured out how to push the tricycle just yet, but Mom and Dad taped her feet to the pedals to help her get the motion. It won't be long before she's rollin' all over the apartment.

Mia had a bit of jetlag from the return leg of our trip, but overall she settled back into her routine in Hong Kong quite smoothly. Here are some more pics taken from the tail end of our US trip and the next few weeks recuperating back home in Hong Kong.

Highlights included:

• Attending her first pirate-themed birthday party on a junk boat - Mia definitely thought she had commandeered the boat and had high rule of the open seas



• Performing her first chemistry experiment - Our mooncakes for Mid-Autumn festival came packed with dry ice, so we had to have a little exercise on sublimation



• Smelling (or at least leaning into) just about eveyr tropical flower known to man at the Flower Market



• Playing at Alex's house during Doris' baby shower, and watching lots of Barney DVDs that could drive any normal adult insane

Wrapping up another month- tomorrow it's on to 14. Dad is getting noticeably nervous at how fast Mia is growing up. How can we just keep her at this age for a few years!?

Here's a few more shots added onto our "Texas set" and a little video from abuelita's backyard...

Today was Mia's big baptism day here in Katy, Texas! Lots of family were in town from Houston, San Antonio, and Monterrey to celebrate. We had a great cajun dinner the night before with Texas Blue Crab, Gumbo, Catfish, and plenty of hot sauce at one of our favorite spots. Mia preferred playing in the rice and also got to hang out a bit with Chloe (who's only a few days her senior). The ceremony on Sunday was short and sweet, and we had a nice BBQ reception following the ceremony. Her Godparents brought some awesome party favors as well.

Just a few days in San Antonio, including a stop at Sea World to see Shamu! Next it's off to Austin for a few days.

(I stole that quote form my younger cousin- thanks Julia.)

Just wrapped up a wonderful week here in Hilton Head relaxing with the extended family.

This trip marked Mia's first trip out of Hong Kong, so we were a bit worried about the travel experience in particular. She did remarkably well- not much sleep on the plane but not much complaining either. With a lot of planning, Mom managed to pack everything she would need into the carry-on and it worked out perfect. And she didn't even have much jet lag since we arrived.

Mia was a bit unnerved by so many relatives but she began to adjust by the end of the week. And as some of these photos show, I think we can officially declare her a water-baby.

Things have started to warm up here this month. Mia has had a busy time swimming (Mom took her to her first swim class), sailing, and playing. She sounds out new syllables each day and is more and more comfortable navigating the obstacle courses in playgrounds around town.

Mom essentially lived in the kitchen for several nights baking goodies and testing just under one thousand different icings. Dad lost 20% of his remaining brain cells trying to manually blow up around a hundred balloons. And baby Mia turned 1!

Thanks to many supportive friends, the party turned out to be a blast (even if the dumb string-pull piñata didn't open until Dad tore it apart). And also thanks to our many guests, we got some great photos to mark the occasion- hardly any of these were actually taken by us.


After the sugar-highs had worn off several hours post-celebration, we realized Mia seemed to have amassed enough gifts for a small army (which means to make it all fit in the apartment more of Daddy's stuff is destined for Salvation Army or the dumpster).

We're still in a bit of denial that she is actually a one-year-old. It's not until we look back at photos that we realize just how much she has grown.

Last day in the zero digits! Here's a few shots from this last month...

Mia, Just a few photos to share from our most special day with you. All is said and done with the paperwork and formalities- we stood before the judge today to finalize your adoption. It was short but sweet. He had some very kind words prepared and had us in and out of there in under 10 minutes. We could not have asked for a smoother process or a more perfect match. We were both bursting for joy and we're so happy you are here to stay Mia. Love, Mom and Dad.

Mia had her first evening away from the parents today. Some of our good friends were kind enough to watch her for the evening while Mommy and Daddy did dinner and a movie. Mia enjoyed Barney, bathtime, and playing with her friend Alex.

Thanks to Venus for the awesome photos.

11 months old!

One month more to go and then we get to throw a little party for baby Mia. Mom has already started the preparations. She even found a piñata this week at the store. I was shocked they carried these in Hong Kong, especially since none of our colleagues seem to know what one is or if it even has a Chinese name.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, here's some photos of our no-longer-a-10-month old.

Today was the big day for the Olympics torch relay here in Hong Kong. It was a sea of red with lots of supporters- the few dissenters were carted off in paddy-wagons "for their own safety". ;)

There is a brief map of the route here, and even more goodies on the official site of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay in Hong Kong.

Our favorite part of all these preparations are the giant Fuwa they have put up throughout the city. Mia already has the requisite plush Fuwa doll, and she would have really enjoyed these supersize versions had she not been asleep at the time. Oh well, at least she now has a set of Fuwa window stickers to commemorate the day...

Caro's cousin is just wrapping up her visit to see baby Mia. Laura overlapped with Abuelita's return trip for about 10 days here in HK. It was her first trip to Asia and she even braved the snake soup! Since Mom speaks to Mia primarily in Spanish during the week, Mia felt right at home with Laura and took a major liking to her during her stay.

Mia hits the big 10 months old today. Below is a look back at a her growth over the last month. The biggest "first" this month is that Mia as finally sprouted teeth. Razor sharp teeth. And strong jaws to go with them. And when we're not careful, said teeth can chomp right through the nipple on her baby bottle!

Mia's relatives (Dad's side of the fam) were in Hong Kong to visit for the past week and a bit, so Mia got to practice some more of her tour guide skills. She showed them around the beaches, the markets, at least 50% of the malls in Hong Kong, and several nice restaurants. Actually the majority of our immediate family has previously been to all the must-see tourist sites, so this trip was a lot of relaxin' and playing with the baby.

Jumpingjack Mia turns 9 months old today. She has clocked in at 8kg and 69.5cm. Here is a look back at the last 29 action-packed days. For the grandmas with their tally sheets out, the firsts for this month include:

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climbing the obstacle course at the local play area



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first Italian cuisine: mom's homemade lasagna mash



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first Indian cuisine: curried lentils



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first word: ma-ma... and Dad's still smarting from this one



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holding her bottle by herself... and even getting 90% in her mouth!



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putting herself to sleep... well sort of, usually after an extended period of hysterics and jumping in the crib



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skillfully turns pages of her books... faster than mom or dad can read



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seeking out hidden toys



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cruising... especially around any area we've deemed off limits



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standing alone momentarily



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understands the meaning of "NO"... and chooses to ignore it with a big grin

Another friend of ours has recently opened his photography business. Raf is based in Hong Kong, and did a photo shoot earlier this month with Mia. We had a great day with him, starting at home and then moving to some outside shots in and around Repulse Bay. Mia was particularly engaged with all his gadgets. And she loved tasting all the various lens caps. The shots turned out wonderful - Thanks Raf!
Raf Sanchez Photography

Mia received a cute one-piece bathing suit from a friend and just had to go try it out. Weather is finally warming up here, so she had her first day out at the beach today. She said she could handle this anyday, but please forward all calls to her secretary.

Mia loves new. Anything new catches her attention, and stuff becomes old news quite fast. She is especially fascinated by new textures- so we thought we'd introduce her to a childhood favorite.

Today is baby Yanyan's last day as a 7-month old, so as usual we've updated her monthly slideshow with a few more pics taken over the last month.

Here she is all dressed up for a relaxing Sunday eating dimsum with her foster mom. She is growing up so fast!

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Kung Hei Fat Choi! The year of the rat is upon us! We've been prepping Mia over the past few days with her latest book, My First Chinese New Year by Karen Katz. And she was very careful to follow all the proper customs: cleaning up the house, (being careful not to sweep out any good luck), buying flowers and a tangerine tree at the market, putting on a nice new red dress, savoring lai see packets, and watching a festive lion dance.

We even bought a branch of the "Five Generations" fruit. In Chinese the blessing of this fruit signifies "five generations in one household". Between Grandpa and Mia we've got 4 now so I guess we've still got a few years (at least 30!) to go on that prophecy. :)

Yanyan's sporting her new sweater from Abuelita in this pic and few others in this set. The past few days we've all been trying to keep warm in the abnormally cold HK weather. Unfortunately there is no end in sight. All transportation systems in China have ground to a halt, but luckily we're planning for a cozy stay at home over the upcoming Chinese New Year.

We knew Mia was a water baby from her love of the bathtub and joy at splashing all those those within a 500 foot radius. It has been abnormally chilly in HK but luckily our indoor pool is heated, so we thought we'd give baby Mia her first experience in the pool. Mom outfitted her with the latest swim fashion from the Wanchai street market and a Zoggs trainer seat (Aussie style) and we all had a blast.

Mia turns 7 months old today, so we've added a few more pics to her slideshow of this last month's photos...

Well it's been a little over a week since Abuelita (Martha), Uncle George, and Aunt Henaris left Hong Kong. So "mom" (still feels a bit strange to type that) finally had her first full week of experience without family or dad around in the daytime. Mia felt the place was a little too quiet without them, so they did a couple luncheons, playground visits, and generally spent quite a bit of time outside. We've also been going through photos of their trip pointing everyone out to her- here's a few of the highlights we haven't posted yet.

We recently met up with Mia's foster mom, who was kind enough to give us a CD with a few of her baby pics taken the 5 months before we knew her.

Not even in her teens and already sporting the punk rock haircut- we could be in for trouble.

Santa brought Mia a new rocker this year. She still needs to grow into it a bit and we've had to put some books down so her feet can reach the bottom, but she loves playing in it. We're quickly losing the last remnants of what used to be an apartment and instead acquiring 3 rooms of storage for large bulky plastic baby toys, swings, stroller, playmats, and the list goes on... :)

Mia turned 6 months today. She seems to grow everyday. Here's some pics from her last few weeks as a 5 month old...

Our offices have now had two surprise showers for baby Mia. (The first put on by the Hong Kong office, the second with gifts sent over from our US colleagues.) Totally unexpected and we had a wonderful time. The decorations were awesome, welcoming her in English, Spanish, and Chinese. I'm pretty sure we're set now on clothes and blankets for at least the first year!

We were able to bring Mia home for a few hours in the afternoons to help her adjust to her new home before permanently moving in.

We finally met our baby girl this week. We visited her at her foster home and grabbed these snapshots.