***April / May News***

I Am Out Visiting the World, But will Continue Blogging from the Road at http://emisworld.wordpress.com.

Where are the new blogs? On a temporary website! We will soon be visiting Taiwan and Malaysia via the West Coast (Seattle outbound and LA returning). Because it's easier to blog remotely using a web-based blog, we will be providing updates, pictures and all during our trip at http://emisworld.wordpress.com. So visit us there! After we return, we'll move those posts back here.

Day 6: Wednesday, April 30

Relaxing in Taipei

Since we just arrived today we took it easy, letting our bodies adjust to Taiwan time. I played with Shiu-lan yi-por and Tai yeh-yeh, napped a lot during the day (I have this feeling I’m not going to sleep very well tonight), and even went out for stroller rides nearby. Although for those of you who know how noisy Taipei can be, I managed to sleep through all the noises of the car horns and scooters whizzing by. In the evening, we went to a restaurant for Shanghainese-style Dim Sum, and met Xiao yi-por, who is Aunty Ann-from-Seattle’s mother. She gave me a red packet (hong bao) and paid for the dinner, thank you!

The next two days will be busy, because we’ll be taking a train to the east coast city of Hualien to visit the beautiful Toroko Gorge. See you in my next blog! Love, Emi.




Tai yeh-yeh and I enjoy some special moments together, and meeting Xiao yi-por for the first time at the Shanghai restaurant.


Day 5: Tuesday, April 29

In the Air to See Tai Yeh-Yeh

Don’t let all these pictures fool you - my flight wasn’t all smooth sailing. But considering the fact that this was a 13-hour flight, that I was woken up at odd hours of the night, and that the airline bassinet is a really strange place to sleep, I did OK. Our flight left the ground about 1:30 am Tuesday and we arrived in Taiwan at 5:10am Wednesday. Daddy did do a lot of walking in the airplane to calm me at times, but I was able to sleep some of the time. In between naps I made friends with the flight attendants and read a few of my favorite books. After landing we cleared customs quickly and met my great-grandfather “Tai yeh-yeh” and my Yi-por Shiulan. Now if I can just get over the jetlag, it would be swell indeed.







From top: Having a book read to me on the flight; playing in my own bassinet; moments after seeing Tai Yeh-yeh and Yi-Por Shiu Lan; Tai Yeh-yeh amuses me as we wait to get the luggage into the car


Day 4: Monday, April 28

Whirlwind Downtown Tour

Our last day in Seattle was in the heart of downtown. Unfortunately we really only had only a few hours to sightsee, so Mommy & Daddy took me around the sights fairly quickly and snapped a few photos so that I can “remember.” We walked around the Pike Place Market, Westlake Shopping Ctr, and the waterfront before heading to International District and Chinatown. Very late tonight we head to the airport for our 13-hour China Airlines flight to Taipei.









From Top: At the waterfront with the city skyline; in front of Pike Place Market; looking at tulips, with Rachel the Pig, and with the famous Monkfish and other fresh fish. The last four photos were taken at Pike Place Market.


Day 3: Sunday, April 27

Sunday Eatings in Seattle

The rain came back to Seattle today, but that didn’t dampen our spirits, nor our appetites. At noon, we attended a birthday party for a 4-year old girl named Jasmine, daughter of Uncle Dan and Aunty Zed Chin. The theme was Disney Princesses, and Jasmine was all dressed up as Belle, from Beauty and the Beast. The party had lots of food and a huge inflatable children’s recreation area and slide. I don’t think I have ever seen so many children in one place before! Following that, we were invited out to eat by Aunty Ann, one of Mommy’s friends. She’s the one who knitted my green and purple hats (see my October 17 blog). We had Taiwanese cuisine, which is a flavor of things to come, since tomorrow is our last day in Seattle and then we’re off to Taipei!




Top: I’m being held by Aunty Guilian at Jamine’s house in front of lots of food that I can’t eat yet. Bottom: With Aunty (Dr.) Ann Chen at the Bellevue Taiwanese Restaurant called Facing East, with rice, beef noodle, and chicken dishes.


Day 2: Saturday, April 26

Among the Tulips

The Skagit Valley, 60 miles north of Seattle, is holding its annual tulip festival and despite enduring the massive long line of cars en route, we were able to view the flowers in full bloom! Weather was wonderful, 70 and sunny. We started with a picnic lunch, viewed tulips garden-style at RoozenGaarde, then finished the day at the tulip farms where rows and rows of colorful tulips were being grown. I personally was intrigued with its bright colors and beautiful arrangements, but my parents were careful to balance my exploration of flowers with caution in preventing me from pulling those petals off! Well, enough of the words and more of the photos!










Top: With Uncle John & Aunt Evonne, Christopher ge-ge (big brother) and Elizabeth Jie-jie (big sister) at entrance of RoozenGaarde. 2nd and 3rd: At the tulip farms with my parents. 4th and bottom: Tulip beauty that is hard to describe in words.

Day 1 (II)

In the Emerald City

6:30pm PDT: We arrived in Seattle about an hour late. I didn’t sleep much on the airplane. Aunty Guilian, whom we are staying with, came to pick us up. The weather here is sunny, but highs are only in the 50’s. As soon as we arrived at their home, I felt so much like it was like my place. So many toys! And kids to play with, such as Christopher and Elizabeth. I was laughing and had so much fun, I didn’t want to sleep. The adults are going to have chicken rice after I go to bed, with Uncle John and Aunt Evonne coming over as well. But for me,  I must say goodnight. It is, after all, 9:30 on the East Coast. More updates tomorrow!


Enjoying my meal, while Mommy talks with Aunty Guilian. You can see Elizabeth and Christopher looking on; it’s so much fun to be around with them.
Day 1 (I): Friday, April 25

Seattle, Here I Come!

8:20 AM. Passports, check. Diapers, check. Camera, check. OK, we’re all ready to go! I’m at Orlando International Airport waiting for our flight to Seattle. So far everything has been running smoothly. We got 3 check-ins, 3 carry-ons including my Maclaren stroller, so not too bad! Will give you an update when we arrive in the Emerald City.

8:35 AM. Whoops, the airline just announced that there will be a delay due to maintenance issues and they will be needing to find a new aircraft for us to fly. Don’t know how long the delay will be.

10:00 AM. Still waiting…but a replacement part has been found and we hope to be in the air by 11:00. 2 hour delay so far. Where are those food vouchers for Mommy & Daddy? At least I have my food :)


Alaska Airlines flight 9 is was on time!


Wednesday, April 23

Donovan and Emi

Yet another blog about a younger friend. Today let's meet Donovan Josiah,  aptly nicknamed “Dojo.” DoJo is the grandson of one of Mommy's work colleague. He three months younger than me, but like Amy, is pretty big for his age and could pass for someone as old as me (I am now almost 8 months in case you forgot). DoJo does a great job holding his own bottle when feeding; I don't recall doing that at his age.

By the way, you may notice red marks on my arms; those are from scratching. My parents believe that I am destined to live my life wearing long sleeves and long pants. We put on plenty of Aquaphor, keep my nails short, and such. Any other ideas out there?

That's the last of my report from my weekend at Daytona Beach. I will blog next time from the beautiful city of Seattle, which will be available here.




Top: Sitting up next to Donovan. Donovan can't quite sit up on his own yet, but I calmly reassured him that he will be able to sit up by himself in due time. Bottom: There, that's much better, with a little help from a pillow prop.


Tuesday, April 22

Giovanni and Emi

As mentioned in yesterday's blog, last weekend at Daytona Beach I met lots of other babies. Many of them were younger than me, and getting to know them made me feel positively big! On Saturday after church, we were invited to the home of Dr. Tui, a former Florida Hospital Family Practice resident. Also invited was Dr. Maria, a FH Geriatric fellow, along with her family, including little Giovanni! He's quite a big younger than me, and seeing him gave me a nostalgic feeling about my younger days when life was simpler.


On the left is Giovanni with her mommy, Dr. Maria Gonzalez. On the right is Dr. Tui Srisiwat, who graciously hosted us for Saturday lunch.


Monday, April 21

Amy and Emi

It was another long weekend away from home. This time I went to Daytona Beach to accompany my folks for the Florida Hospital Medical Education Retreat. Although the beach and hotel room were nice, the very best part was the sheer number of my contemporaries that were also there. That's right - lots of other babies! Today's blog features my friend Amy, who is two months younger than me. We share a lot in common. Our mothers work together in the same department, we are just about the same size, and our names when spoken sound just a vowel apart. Although Amy's picture was in my February 13 blog, this weekend was the first time spending significant time with her. It wasn't disappointing; we had a blast!




Top: Getting a taste of sharing while making new friends with Amy. Bottom: Together outside on a windy day right before a Saturday evening barbeque.


Wednesday, April 16

I've Graduated!

School for us little ones is divided into Infant I and Infant II classrooms. Infant II is for those aged 6 months or older, who are able to sit on their own and able to drink from something other than a bottle with a nipple. Well, the time has come. I've graduated from Infant I, and this week begins the first full week in Infant II. I'm going to miss Miss Wanda, Miss Julie, Miss Myra, and Miss Melissa (sob) but I now have four new Misses whose names Daddy still has to learn. It's a step up; hey, life keeps moving on - quickly!


My new classroom doesn't look that different from Infant I, except that there are lots more toys and activities to participate in.


Friday, April 11

First Masterpiece

Although I admit it is not on the same scale as DaVinci's Mona Lisa, it is my first piece of art. Daddy had thought I was too young to do any painting, but when he picked me up from school, there it was: my first masterpiece, that I had done under supervision from my teachers. They had entitled this “Painting with Sand Rake” apparently to describe the tool that was used to make this piece of art.




Top: Flapping my work of art like it was any old piece of scrap paper. Bottom: A scanned image of my very first masterpiece, “Painting with Sand Rake.”  (c) 2008 by Emi Hsu (I've always wanted to say that!)


Thursday, April 10

Crib with a View

This is the second of a two-part blog describing our weekend trip to Sarasota. Mommy, why can't we live by the ocean?




Although behind bars, I'm not in a maximum security prison. I'm enjoying great views of the ocean right from the comfort of my own bed at the Holiday Inn - Lido Beach.


Wednesday, April 9

Sarasota, Revisited

Really wasn't that long ago that my folks took me to see the ocean, but this past weekend, we traveled to the Gulf Coast for the 3rd time this year, this time so that Daddy could attend a medical retreat. We stayed three nights in the Holiday Inn Lido Beach, situated by the beach and within walking distance of the famous St. Armand Circle in Sarasota. One morning we all took a “walk” on the beach, and since I am now able to sit on my own, Daddy snapped photos of me out of my stroller in the morning sunlight.




Initially, I wasn't too enthused about sitting alone with the wind blowing in my face and birds flying around like they were going to attack me, but after being held for a bit the sounds of the waves became soothing and I began to enjoy meditating by the ocean.


Tuesday, April 8

Tooth Eruption!

The days of an enamel-free mouth are over. The journey toward visible teeth has now begun. Mommy noticed a small white line in my mouth it late last week, then over the weekend she painfully felt that tooth as I was feeding. I am now aware that with teeth comes privileges, such as chewing food, but with these teeth also comes responsibility, such as NO BITING when drinking Mommy's milk! I deeply regret the pain this has caused her.




Top: Smiling me, and below, the same photo enlarged to show the details of the first signs of an arising tooth. Can you see it?


Friday, April 4

Home Improvement: Replacing a Garage Door Opener

Symptom: Garage door opens normally, but the door operator won't close all the way, suddenly reversing itself back to open. After reading and re-reading the user's manual, tweaking the settings, and replacing parts that didn't resolve the problem, Daddy called an expert to see what could be done about repairing our Genie garage door operator. The diagnosis was a logic board malfunction. Instead of replacing the board, we opted for a new opener, a Chamberlin LiftMaster. It is now much quieter, and hopefully more reliable.


In the garage: while showing you my exposed right foot, Daddy is exposing me to home improvement projects. Here, George professionally installs a new garage door opener for us.


Thursday, April 3

It’s Time to Sit Up!

At my last 6-month checkup, Dr. Quigley had noted I was doing great when it came to utilizing my fine motor skills, but slightly behind in development of my gross motor skills. In other words, certain skills such as hand-eye coordination or grasping objects were on track, but others, such as sitting up on my own without assistance, were slightly delayed. Well, no one's telling me I'm behind (must be that competitive instinct I inherited from one of my parents)! For whatever reason, I decided that now is the time to sit up on my own. Of course there are times when I unceremonially fall back onto my head like a toppling statue, but those events are becoming more rare and far between. Each little milestone that I pass empowers me to develop skills and confidence for the next set of challenges for this world.




Top: In the safety of my crib, sitting up amidst the mobile shapes in the foreground. Bottom: “Look, ma! Free hands, straight back, and cute face!” Photos taken by Mommy.

Tuesday, April 1

I’m Moving to China!

The news is official: I’ll be moving to Shanghai beginning in July. Note I didn't say “we.” That's right, Mommy & Daddy will continue to live in Orlando. Of course they’ll accompany me in order to drop me off, right into the welcoming arms of a Mrs. Xu Liao-ning,  whom my parents found on the Internet. They will be paying her to raise me in the true traditional Chinese fashion so I can understand my roots.

This is an experience of a lifetime. Daddy grew up only speaking English and wished he could have had what I'll be experiencing. When I come back to America after several years, I'll be speaking fluent mandarin and reciting classical Chinese poetry. And not to worry, because my folks will be visiting me at least twice a year to ensure I don't forget them.

Mrs. Xu's credentials are impeccable. She has had years of experience raising Chinese kids born overseas. On her website she has testimonials from children now grown-up praising her skills, many of whom have successful careers that take them between the U.S. and China. Her program is called the International Chinese Children's Institute and is available online.  Sending me to China is an investment that is well worth it.

Oh, and by the way, Happy April Fools' Day!


Mrs. Xu has a wealth on raising overseas Chinese children to understand their culture since 1946. Don't let her appearance fool you, she knows what she's doing!

(c) 2007-2008 Vincent Hsu