Monthly Archives: February 2016
Saying Goodbye to Bà Cố
Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when it’s to someone you love. I never had the privilege of great grandparents, and I only had one grandmother up until the 3rd grade, so I feel like Lily and Leo and super lucky to have 4 grandparents and 3 great grandparents. Sadly though, we had to say goodbye to one special great grandparent this past weekend, and that was to their Bà Cố (great grandmother on the paternal side), Khoa’s Bà Nội (grandmother on dad’s side). I’m lucky to be a part of the last 10 years of her life, she lived a very full and happy life up to the age of 95! I don’t have many memories to share, but I do remember Lily visiting her a lot at Co Mười’s house a lot and Bà Nội would love to hold Lily and play with her. She would always be so excited and happy when Lily would come to visit. I was also very happy she got a chance to meet Leo and even hold him as well. She loved all her kids and grand kids and great grand kids very much, and she’s the glue that held the great big family together. Looking back we always wished we had more time, put in more effort to visit and make more memories, but I guess it just makes you reexamine your life now and remind you to put in the time and effort to those who mean most to you, because there’s no guarantee of tomorrow. We were lucky enough to say our last goodbyes in person before she passed last friday evening, right before she peacefully passed the next morning. So many people came to the viewing and the funeral, to pay their last respects, and you can just tell that she touched so many people’s lives. Everyone had nothing but wonderful stories to share, and so even though the day was sad, it was a nice celebration of her amazing life. Lily and Leo, if you ever want to know more about your Bà Cố, your dad, and aunts and uncle have many wonderful stories to share with you. Although you are probably too young to remember her in the futur, she won’t be forgotten, and I hope this post will be special to you two, so that you’ll always have these photos and memories with your great grandmother. Rest in peace Bà Nội, we all love you very much.
This is the beautiful poem that was the funeral program, and was beautifully recited by Aidan and Brooke as well:
We though of you with love today
But that is nothing new.
We thought about you yesterday
and days before that too
We think of you in silence
we often speak your name.
All we have now are memories
and your picture in a frame.
Your memory is our keepsake
with which we’ll never part.
God has you in his keeping
we have you in our hearts.
In life we loved you dearly
in death we love you still.
In our hearts you hold a place
no one can ever fill.
It broke our hearts to lose you
but you didn’t go alone.
For a part of us went with you
the day God took you home.
Also, here is a wonderful slideshow that Thai Anh, (Khoa’s cousin) made that played during the funeral services as well, HERE.
RIP Bà Cố/Bà Nội
07.24.1920 – 02.20.2016
Happy 8 Months Leo!
Leo 8 Months Old
Happy 8 Months Leo! Leo is about 16.8lbs and stretches about 27 inches long! He still drink a little over 5 ounces (165cc) at each feeding, 4 times a day, and is still sleeping very well through the night (about 12-14 hours straight!) Leo likes to babble a lot, most ba ba and on three very distinct occasions, he said mama! He will also say “ma” a lot too along with other sounds. He is finally reaching for his toes and is getting better at sitting by himself but he still needs assistance or else he’ll topple over after a few minutes. He is recovering very nicely since his surgery has well, he still has some stitches but it will go away soon. He likes to suck his thumb a lot now, probably due to teething. He has two very prominent teeth on the bottom but more will probably start peeping out soon since he is starting to drool more now too!
Leo w/Occupational Therapist Jan
Leo still hasn’t been taking solids very well, so he had a consultation with an occupational therapist, Jan, to help work with his feeding. I’ve been trying to give him puréed squash, but she suggested maybe trying peach or maybe something a little bit citrusy or cold even to wake up his taste buds so he knows that food is in his mouth, rather than something more subtle and luke warm. She also said his cheeks are very tight so we will have to go back to massaging his cheeks and mouth as well. Overall though, Leo is growing each day and is constantly making progress, slowly but surely! He is also starting to kick a lot more and rolls around all over the place now too! Some times it looks like he wants to crawl as well but doesn’t know how to quite get to his planned destination yet. He is better at holding onto a toy and shaking it up and down to play with it as well! He is getting sturdier and his neck is getting much stronger too.
Leo 32 Weeks Old
Leo 33 Weeks 2 Days Old
Leo 33 Weeks 4 Days Old
Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! Happy year of the Monkey! Lily loves wearing her áo dài and Leo looks so handsome in his blue outfit as well! Lily is getting much more cooperative when it comes to me taking pictures now! Also, check out Lily getting pampered for her photoshoot (which she ended up not taking a picture for but still got paid! haha) for MGA Little Tikes HERE! She’s very into girly stuff these days, so this was a nice day for her! However this will be the last time she’ll be working for now, we will give her a break until she’s not as camera shy around strangers. Back to the Lunar New year though, Leo got to celebrate his first tết and he sure can back with lots of lucky li xi! Lily thinks all the money is suppose to go straight to her piggy bank and when my dad asked her what he will do with all her money, she says “nothing! You put it in your piggy bank!!” I trained her well hehe. Lily and Leo are always so happy and wonderful. Lily talks so much and is so brilliant and smart, she never cease to amaze me. Leo is so mellow and happy, he is truly a gift that keeps on giving. With this new year, I hope it brings new fun adventures, I hope it allows me to embrace change and hardships with confidence, and mostly, I hope it brings lots of love and happiness. I am still very sad that Luna is no longer with us, but it just further strengthens my life philosophy; Life is too short and precious, live your life how you want like how you want it to be, be the person you want to be, and always love and treat the people that mean most to you like there’s no tomorrow. You can see more pictures from our Tết festivities HERE.
Here’s some video fun of the kiddoes:
