I'm no website designer, but...

...I did manage to add a couple things over on the sidebar, to your right. I realized that some people who visit Flamboba probably wonder, "Who the hell names their baby Boba?" Well, no, that's not her real name, and no, my real name is not Flambo. Go click on "Behind FLAMBOBA" and you can learn the origin of these fabulous nicknames.

Sometimes I wish I had more website experience so I could really spruce up this page. Maybe add a banner with little photos of my baby girl. Or even vary the colors a little bit so you're not always reminded of Pepto Bismol every time you visit. I've been meaning to write her birth story and also have that be an option on the sidebar, 'coz boy, that's a story-and-a-half. Let's just put it this way...I had a birth plan, with all my preferences and wishes listed neatly in bullet form. The actual birth? HA!

God laughs at plans. She really does.

But I got a really cute baby out of it, and healthy to boot, so all's well, right?

Where's Boba?

Bad blogger. Bad, bad blogger. I think this may be the longest I've gone without posting. And it's not because I lack new photos - I have plenty o'photos! - I have just been lacking time. So I apologize to my 6 readers. You know who you are.

If you'd like to read about why I've been so busy at work, here's an article. If you don't blink while scanning the page, you may catch my name somewhere in the middle of the article. (And if you keep scanning, you'll find my hubby's name in the part talking about ZHIVAGO!)

And in case you're wondering, our streak-o'-good-times continues. Boba's doing great. Marvelous, really. And soooooooo cute.

You'll see her soon, I promise!

No sweat

Boba, Mommy, & Daddy have had a nice run of several weeks without illness or major problems. The reason I mention this is because last night Boba woke up unexpectedly after being asleep only an hour. Since this is highly unusual (she has been sleeping through the night pretty consistently for the last month), I immediately thought, "She's sick!" Jason and I took turns going in her room to comfort her, but she was inconsolable. My heart began to sink slowly when I thought that perhaps we were faced with, yet again, a cold or another infection of some kind. The anxiety began to tug at each and every nerve in my body.

And then, while I was holding her, I noticed something funny. Her hair was damp, even though last night was not a bath night. She wasn't warm, so I knew she didn't have a fever. I then checked the thermostat and saw that it was 74 degrees in the house. Well, her room is usually a degree or two warmer than that.

We had her in a onesie AND her fleece pajamas. And socks. (Yes, underneath the pajamas.)

The poor girl was sweating.

Immediately, I called Jason over to help me take her onesie and socks off. You see, Boba hates being changed in and out of her clothes, and since I knew she was tired, I knew she would be especially pissed off. Sure enough, she was SCREAMING while we changed her, but somehow I knew this would resolve the situation instantly (mother's intuition - how 'bout that!) Sure enough, she was OUT LIKE A LIGHT as soon as we had her back in her pajamas. And, as predicted...slept through the night.

How nice when problems can be resolved so simply. The temperature! Who woulda thunk??!?!?

Before you wonder why I'm padding my baby up like an Eskimo in Southern California, let me just say that San Diego has had very weird weather lately. It can go as low as the 40's overnight, and I hate the thought of my little baby shivering in her crib. We've only recently had some warm nights, and obviously I was not mindful of this last night.

So...our nice little run of health and good times continues. Knock on wood that it doesn't go away! One can never be too thankful for these things!

Mommy and her most favorite little girl in the world at Mommy's work

As promised....TEETH

Well, I said I would try to get a photo of Boba's new teeth...

...and, as I am a woman of my word, here it is! Displaying her new teeth in all their glory!

She's a cute one, ain't she? I know, I know...I keep saying it, but really, she is such a cutie pie. Good thing, too...she's starting to show a temper, which I'm really not crazy about, but at least it shows she's developing a personality. Given the headstrong and independent personalities of her parents, I think we're in for a lot of childrearing challenges. Ah well...if karma is anything, I'd say I was a pretty damn good kid - well-behaved and whatnot - so hopefully that kind of thing won't skip a generation! Only time will tell. But for now, I get to look at this:

She is so, beyond anything and everything, the most wonderful little being in the world to me. Oh. It's just indescribable.

Happy Easter!

"Bunnies and eggs and glazed ham - oh my!"

Okay, I'm a day late, but Happy-pastel-colored-eggs-and-bunnies-day to all of you anyway. I wish I had photographs of the Easter Egg hunt that my cousin Chamina and I attempted yesterday with our little ones...so funny; little Chamina is only 22 months old and Boba is obviously even younger, so the concept of a "hunt" was totally lost on them. Little Chamina just picked up eggs wherever people pointed (the eggs were randomly thrown on the ground by her mommy), and I picked up the eggs while carrying Boba. Eventually (after about 3 minutes) they both lost interest. I think someone was taking pictures, and hopefully whoever that is will email them to me...but for now, here are photos of the TRUE highlight of the weekend: Uncle Miko and Auntie Anne's visit!

Uncle Miko is Flambo's oldest brother, and he and Anne just got married this past January. They visited San Diego on their way to their honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas. (I'm so jealous!) Since neither of them had met Boba yet, it was really exciting for them to spend some time together. In fact, on Saturday we had a big day - we visited Balboa Park, where Mommy works (at the Old Globe). Here are a few shots:

Basking in the adoration of her Aunt & Uncle

Enjoying the scenery of Balboa Park's Alcazar Garden

Back at home, Uncle Miko enjoyed assisting Boba in her frequent attempts to climb certain areas of the house.

"Hard edges and sharp corners? PERFECT for climbing!"

Miko and Anne - We miss you already! Boba especially! Hope you have a fabulous honeymoon, and maybe next time we can come to YOUR neck of the woods!

Good times just ahead!

We're in for another fabulous weekend as Boba's Uncle Miko and Auntie Anne are in San Diego for Easter! I tried shooting Miko and Boba's first meeting this morning, but all the shots I got were crappy, so...I'll try again sometime tonight or tomorrow. (It was so adorable this morning...Boba was instantly enamored with her uncle!) Oh, don't worry - there will be PLENTY of Kodak moments ahead of us, and you all will get to see them on Monday!

So for now, here's yet another photo of Boba chowing down on some toast:

Tagalog baby songs

The greatest sound in the world to me is Boba's laugh. It's so rich and cute and....giggly! And as much as I would like to take credit for being the one who makes her laugh the most, I really can't. That's because Boba's favorite comedienne is Lola.

Lola can make Boba laugh at the drop of a hat. It doesn't matter what Lola's doing; sometimes Lola can just stop moving and then Boba will burst into giggles. But usually it's when Lola performs some kind of slapstick, like dropping ice from her glass into the sink while exclaiming, "Oops!", or bouncing a ball and then chasing after it. Boba just goes CRAZY with Lola's physical comedy.

But what I love most is when Lola sings tagalog baby songs to Boba. Here's one of my favorites...I don't know exactly what they're called in the Philippines, but I call this one the "Tong tong" song (pardon my lousy tagalog spelling - I'm doing this phonetically):

Tong tong tong tong
Paki tonkitong
Alimango
Sa sugba
Ng bantog
Na hindi makuha
Sinongman
Makakuha
Kakain ng ALIMANGO!!!

Okay, you can see just by virtue of the staccato-esque phrasing that this song can sound very funny! The melody is totally simple - probably in G major - and Boba always lights up when we sing it to her. As far as I know, the song is about a crab in a creek that is hard to catch, but whoever catches it gets to eat it! Here's another one, what I call the "Foot song" (done while clapping Boba's feet together):

Pong pong kasili
Ng anak sa haligi
Anong anak?
Babae!
Sinong pangalan?
Si KATRINA!!!

As you can see, we yell out her name at the end of that song, and she just goes nuts. SOOO cute. I think this one is about a child born...somewhere (I don't know what "haligi" means), and the child is a girl, and her name is KATRINA! Yee-ha!

And another one that Lola likes to chant while Boba swings her legs:

Kuyakuynang
Kuyakuy
Kuyakuynang
Kuyakuy

This one, I believe, has no meaning whatsoever, and is literally a phonetic chant. But I could be wrong. Maybe it's some weird Filipino incantation for hair growth, or something. Who knows.

Anyway, I do love the fact that she gets to hear these songs on a daily basis, because my parents are probably her most authentic connection to her Filipino roots. (God knows it ain't me.) And since I doubt she'll learn how to speak tagalog fluently - simply because I don't speak it fluently - I think it's important for her to at least learn the melody of the language (it really is a beautiful language...very sing-song in quality) and hopefully be able to understand it on an organic level.

Plus the songs totally make her laugh. What a bonus!

Sunday, busy Sunday

Yesterday was a busy day for Boba. In the morning, after Boba's first nap, we went to the Yeah Baby Expo at the Del Mar Fairgrounds (which, interestingly, was also presenting a GUN SHOW and a REPTILE BREEDERS SHOW - all within 30 yards of each other). The Baby Expo is really just one big excuse for parents to get tons of baby-related swag. (I like to pronounce that "schwag" - sounds a little more vulgar.) It's also a good way to toughen up your baby's eardrums as the noise level is reminiscent of a European soccer stadium filled to 150% capacity.

(I like linking. Can you tell?)

(I also like placing my asides in parenthesees.)

ANYWAY....

Here's a photo of Boba carrying her swag-bag, with Mommy's help, of course:

Then, after a short-but-solid nap to revitalize, Mommy packed her up once again off to meet Sara, a friend of Mommy's from grad school. Sara now lives in Seattle - she defected from New York shortly after we did for pretty much the same reasons we had: the "New-York-City-BURNOUT". Sara passed Boba's stranger-anxiety test and was even able to hold her for more than sixty seconds! Here's Boba giving Sara a thumbs-up:

Then, after the all the hustle and bustle, Boba promptly passed out for a third nap on Daddy:

Isn't that sweet? 'Twas a good day, Sunday!

TEETH! Ohmigod, TEETH!

I've been remiss! A week has gone by since KATRINA GOT TEETH and I haven't said a word about it! After all my ranting about how they'd never get here! What kind of crazy, distracted mother am I!!???!

Well, yes, they're here, and geez, you nearly missed it. Hell, I nearly missed it! But here they are, two little bottom teeth peeking out of her gums, and I've been trying my damndest to capture them...digitally (I was about to say "on film" - how 90's!), but to no success. Close-up shots are not easy to get. In fact, here's the progression of Mommy trying to take a picture of them:

Attempt # 1: Boba about to make a face plant into Mommy's lap while Lola lunges for her in rescue. She was fine. I didn't get the shot.

Attempt #2: I had the right proximity but her mouth wasn't open and the camera wasn't even focused. To her credit, at least she's smiling.

Attempt #3: She was looking at the camera until the VERY LAST SECOND when the flash went off and she had looked away. By this point she was too far away anyway, but I was getting desperate so I just kept clicking.

Attempt #4 (final): She's just mocking me now. She actually posed for this one. Stayed still and everything. But instead of an open mouth I got her Mona Lisa grin. Plus you get a nice view of the little gash she gave herself with her fingernails while rubbing her eyes. Ah well...the teeth are there (really!) and I'm sure when she finally learns to cooperate with her mother (when is that? When she's thirty and has a baby?) I'll have a nice shot of her chompers.

Breaking up the flow a bit

(Um...the reason for this entry is because I don't have many new photos of Boba. BAD MOMMY. So humor me and read along.)

Like I've mentioned before, I'm a blogosphere-tourist and I have a handful of blogs that I like to visit daily. I just want to mention a couple of them for your own viewing pleasure, but before I do, here's a little (brief! I promise) soapboxing from your host...

..."Flamboba" was never meant to be an online diary for me. Instead, I have always intended it to be more like a scrapbook/photo album of Boba's development and growth, so that family and friends from afar could see what she was up to. I really have no interest in posting my thoughts and feelings about my life and such. Mostly that's because I'm actually kind of a private person, and the thought of exposing myself that way has never been appealing. But since I've started blogging I've realized that there is actually another reason why I don't write so personally. And that is: I'm afraid of judgment. I really am. I'm already an insecure Mommy; there's no need for others to exacerbate my insecurity by commenting on my inadequate parenting or whatever. And another thing I've realized is - parenting style is much like religion or politics: SUPER SENSITIVE and should only be discussed under controlled circumstances, lest you are prepared to dodge furniture flung at you amidst screaming accusations. Okay, okay, it's not that bad...and luckily I haven't been too much a victim of this, but I've seen it happen on other blogs and it is just nasty. And unnecessary. And totally, totally reprehensible.

That said, there are a few bloggers I would like to commend and applaud for their courage and their honesty to express themselves, even though they know full well that their blogs are accessible to any moron with an internet hook-up. These are three women who have marvelous blogs -Mama C-ta, Chookooloonks, and (I've mentioned her before) Dooce. See, not only are these ladies CLASSY and REAL and INSIGHTFUL; they are all Mommies and they all have their share of Mommyhood struggles. None of them apologize for these struggles, nor do they try to preach their way on you. They simply talk about it, and in reading them you feel, as I have, that you are not alone in feeling like being a Mommy is hard work. And let me tell you, that has helped me cope when times have gotten tough, and has even made my own journey as a mother so much more precious.

Plus they are pretty freakin' funny. Like, LOL-funny.

So, even though I am breaking one of my own rules here, I'd like to do my share of internet diplomacy and put out a little message to the world: BE NICE. Parents are human beings who love their children, and are trying to figure out how to do the best they can. Having a website does not make one impervious to insults and criticism. If you have something to say, share it with respect and humility.

And in the meantime, check out these ladies' blogs and see how cool parenting can be.

Boba & her cousins

We had a FABULOUS weekend! I am seriously all warm and fuzzy from the last couple of days. Besides my wonderful date night with my hubby, we had the chance to hang out with Boba's cousins, Emma & Katie Goodwin! Jason's sister Sarah and her family were in our neck of the woods, so we all got together for a meal in Temecula on Sunday. Boba LOVED meeting her two cousins, and I think they got a kick out of her as well. Here are some pics:

Brother & sister with their babies

Boba, Katie, & Emma

Happy Boba in the middle of her family

Oh, and I forgot to mention it was Katie's 1st Birthday on Sunday! So not only was it a happy reunion; it was a mini-Birthday party as well! Seeing as Boba has not had one of those, she was completely oblivious to the concept of "Birthday gifts" (thank goodness) and played with...well, whatever was in front of her. Katie included. Mommy & Daddy also had a blast catching up with Aunt Sarah and Uncle Andy. I mean, what's our favorite thing next to showing off Boba? Why, spending time with those we love, of course!

Note the big slobber stain on Mommy's sleeve - courtesy of our teething beauty

Boba waving to the camera. How 'bout that grin, huh?