Naomi: 2 months old

I can't believe it's already been 2 months since we welcomed Naomi into our lives. For some reason, time is flying by this time around and before I know it, Naomi will be 3 months old!

Life with 2 is drastically different. I wish I could split myself in half so both get equal time with Mommy, but that's just not possible. We're managing with one-on-one defense right now, but as Naomi gets older and her routine more stabilized, we might be able to switch off and give each other time off.

Ellie has been such a great big sister to Naomi. She calls her "her baby" and loves to cuddle, hug and kiss her little sister. She's been such a great helper and wants to do everything for Naomi. I hope as they grow they will become great friends.

Another unexpected thing is how different Naomi is from Ellie. Ellie was always a great eater, but not the best sleeper (according to Pam). She almost immediately shot to the 90th percentile for weight and height. Naomi is a different story. She's been struggling to gain the appropriate amount of weight and hovers around the 10th percentile. We're guessing the exclusive breastfeeding might have something to do with it (Ellie was almost completely formula fed, with just a couple of ounces of breast milk) But Naomi seems to not be as sensitive a sleeper like Ellie was.

But I dare you to tell Ellie's baby pictures apart from Naomi. I think they look almost exactly the same, which had us calling Naomi "Ellie" in the beginning. I've got to find some pictures ... more later!

Introducing Naomi MinHuai Yeh

Born August 3rd, 2013 11:51pm
Birth weight: 6lb 15.5oz
Birth height: 21.5 inches

Traditional Taiwanese Meat Pastie, Beef Noodle Soup & Scallion Pancake

We found this awesome blog of a Taiwanese mom (who lives in the UK) teaching how to cook traditional Taiwanese dishes. Her accent is awesome and so hard to understand, but her recipes look really authentic. This past weekend, we tried 3 of her recipes. They all turned out decent, some better than others. I think a lot of it has to do with experience and a lot of times Chinese cooking is based on "feeling", not measurements.

Anyway, first up is the Taiwanese Meat Pastie. It's usually filled with beef, but I prefer pork. So I made both!

Pork Pastie

Beef Pastie

They look pretty similar huh? Unfortunately, they're way too peppery. Next time, I'll definitely cut the pepper in half and chop the onions more fine. Otherwise, they're not bad. Pretty juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Next is the Beef Noodle Soup, which we ate without the noodle and with the Scallion Pancakes. Will made this dish and it turned out great! Next time I think we'll add cilantro, sour pickled veggies and spinach with noodles.

Last is the Scallion Pancake. My grandmother used to make this for us when we went to visit her. It was my all time favorite food from her kitchen and no matter how hard I try to copy down the recipe, I always seem to misplace it...grrr... This recipe from the blog is really close to how I remember my grandma making her version. Unfortunately, I over-kneaded the dough, which made the pancakes flat and chewy instead of fluffy and full of layers (almost like a puff pastry). Anyway, here's how they turned out:

Like I said, trial and error. I think we'll definitely try these recipes again in the future and make tweaks to make them perfect. Yum!

Next on our list of recipes to try is "Ants Climbing Tree". It's basically ground pork with scallions and vermicelli noodles. Another classic dish.

Ellie Talks A LOT

I was not prepared for the onslaught of words my little girl would unleash once she really started talking. This has been going on for quite a few months now. Here's just one example:

In that video I had asked her what we should buy for her friend Holden's birthday.

Her latest favorite phrase is "But I just want to..." and it's followed by:
-"show you something"
-"do this first"
-whatever excuse she can come up with to not do what you're asking her to do

It really tries this mama's patience, sigh. Because everything turns into a negotiation. Every day I feel like I'm an FBI negotiator trying to convince my reluctant daughter to get dressed/eat breakfast/wash her hands/leave the house/leave school/get on the car/sit in her chair... or pretty much anything. Negotiating tactics have included but are not limited to: bribery, threats, abstract or linear reasoning, and misdirection.

Life has been the same and at the same time, not quite "normal".

• We're STILL waiting for our bathroom sinks & cabinetry to be installed. So a lot of stuff is still piled up in the living room and dining room. Argh...what a mess!
• We're STILL dealing with reimbursements from the insurance and management companies due to the flooding.
• Pam is STILL preggo :) 22 weeks and counting!
• We're 95% sure it's a girl! Baby was being very shy during the ultrasound and sat with legs crossed, on his/her tushy in breach position. It was impossible to get a clear picture. The ultrasound tech said she thinks it's a girl, but until we see visual confirmation... :)
• Ellie is growing so fast. She usually talks non-stop and asks A LOT of questions. She seems to be very excited about being a big sister and having a little sister. She will hug and kiss the baby (aka Pam's belly) and sometimes talk to the baby. 
• Ellie loves to "help" and wants to do everything on her own. Here's a picture of her helping Pam with dinner

We've been busy :)