Chinese New Year 2008

Sophia is 7.5 months! She can sit, she is sampling veggies, saying "Da-da"..no signs of Ma-ma!!!! She can't fully crawl but she can squirm amazingly fast to get to where she needs to go! It's time for us to get on our hands and knees. If it looks fun to us..it will probably look interesting for her to get into. We are very relieved that our family made it home from their fun trip in Thailand and Vietnam. Sophia received several beautiful Vietnamese gowns from Aunt Le and Aunt Cindy. Earlier this month, my Uncle Mau and Aunt Terri hosted a local Dallas family gathering to celebrate Chinese New Year. Before the family gathering, we took a series of pictures. Sophia is thankful that her Great Uncle Mau hosted her very first Chinese New Year celebration. Enjoy the pictures!

Favorite Friend

Sophia got this cute outfit from Aunt Cindy. Last month, I caught her relaxing in her crib while wrestling with her favorite toy. She still loves this sheep she got from Nana Cooper.

Christmas Vacation '08 in Wichita

Simon and I always look forward to our Christmas vacation. It's our chance to have two weeks off to catch up with family, extended family, & friends. Two weeks of relaxation! The memories we cherish the most are the conversations and time spent with our loveds ones. View gallery to see what we were up to.

Christmas Morning 2008 - First Christmas!

Sophia's first Christmas was spent in Wichita. It was her second road trip and she did really well. Unfortunately, from Thanksgiving and through Christmas, our little Cooper clan was sharing a wealth of winter colds. Lovely daycare!! While we were in Wichita the temperature was in the teens and single digits at night. However, it was surprisingly warm after Christmas day. On Christmas morning, we opened presents at Nana Cooper's and enjoyed yummy prime rib. It was heaven! Many mornings, Sophia was kind enough to let us sleep in until 9 am. She knew we were on vacation! :p Sophia spent part of the vacation at Nana Coopers, hung out with Uncle Kevin and visited her great grandparents - Van's Grandparents. The Trans were missed. The older we get, the more we appreciate having family. Family will always be around. That is why we want to have kids. My sisters and Parents were traveling with Toan's family (Cindy's fiancee) to Thailand and Vietnam.

Christmas '08 Dallas Brunch

This past Christmas was Sophia's first Christmas! Simon and I feel very fortunate to have such a healthy and happy baby. We couldn't have asked for a better gift. Over Christmas, my sisters, brother-in-law Toan and his parents, including my parents took a tour to Thailand and Vietnam. The Trans sisters decided to have an early Christmas brunch and gift exchange before their big tour. We thoroughly enjoyed Lawry's Prime Rib for brunch. Afterwards, we had yummy cheesecake and coffee in the comfort of our own home. Click to enter gallery.

Cute Hat

Today, we walked around the Stonebriar Mall and couldn't resist this cute hat! It was also on sale! Can't beat that! She loves it!

Hanging out with Family

Here are memorable moments of Sophia while she was having a great time in Wichita over the Thanksgiving holiday. We were on vacation for a week. She was all smiles and thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone! Below is Aunt Le and Sophia. Sophia loves to make sounds with her lips! Click to enter gallery.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

It was a very eventful Thanksgiving in 2008. We brought Sophia home for the first time. Aunt Cindy and Uncle Toan got engaged. Our friend Angela had her first baby shower. Simon's Aunt Dorothy celebrated her 90th birthday! Also, we reconnected with old college friends and Simon celebrated his 34th birthday! Edna, Nana Cooper, made yummy lamb shanks for dinner. My mom and I found a to die for ice cream cake just for Simon!

All Giggles and Smiles

Her smile makes us melt!!! Here is a mix of favorites during the first 5.5 months.

First Road Trip! Thanksgiving 2008 Tran Family

Sophia's very first road trip was to Wichita to visit the family over Thanksgiving. It was her very first time to meet many of the our extended relatives. She did really well in the car- both ways! After a late afternoon feeding, we hit the road and she slept straight through the 5.5 hours drive!! We arrived into town a few days before the festivities. Surprisingly, upon arrival at 1 am she woke up and played with Hoa Ma (Grandma Tran) and Hoa Con (Grandpa Tran) before crashing again!!! Below is my Grandma (our Mom's mom). Sophia's Great Grandmother in her early 80s. We go home for her home cookin!!! Click to enter the gallery.

Thanksgiving 2008 at Nanna Coopers

It was Sophia's first time back to Wichita since she was born. It was also about 3 months since Nanna and "Hoa Ma" (Grandma in Chinese) have seen Sophia. Sophia thoroughly enjoys Nanna's nursery rhymes! She has definitely got us beat on the number of nursery rhymes she knows. Daddy better step it up a notch! Ha. Ha!! Thank you Nanna for the hard work and delicious meal. The Wasabi Mashed Potatos was a hit! It was the first time Sophia met Great Uncle Monty, Uncle Albert, and Aunt Deanna. We are thankful to have both sides of the family living in Wichita, KS. My parents live just down the street from Nanna Cooper. Here is what we've captured while at Nanna's house.

Cindy and Toan's Engagement

Congratulations to my baby sister! We are excited to formally welcome Toan into our family. Cindy and Toan had their formal Engagement Tea Ceremony while we were in Wichita for Thanksgiving. Here are a variety of images captured while my camera was pass around :) Click to enter gallery.

Angela's Baby Shower

Over our Thanksgiving trip back to Wichita, Sophia attended her very first baby shower. We are tickled pink (no pun intended!!) to know that our friends Angela and Scott are having their very own baby girl #1! I can't believe I was giving parenting advice at the shower!! Sophia was so prim and proper. She was happily sitting like the rest of us and patiently watching the guest of honor open every individual gift! Below is a shot of us with Angela, Crystal, and Jana. We have relationships with Simon's guy friends who have been friends since middle school!

New Skills! Sitting and Playing

Click on the image to view Sophia showing off her hand grasping skills. This is a mixture of images taken when she was 5.5 months old. She loves playing with the simple rings.

The infamous Yellow Dress

This cute yellow dress was purchased by Grandfather Cooper in the Middle East. It was meant to be worn by Simon (assuming a girl was coming). Nanna Cooper ended up having a cute boy :) so the dress was kept for over 20 years before it was passed down to Sophia's cousin Gala. Now that Gala has outgrown the dress, Sophia has had the pleasure of wearing the infamous yellow dress! Amazingly, it is still in great condition!

Food Diary 2008

Dec 30th-Jan 6 - Runny cereal; one time a day; a tablespoon of cereal mixed with 4-5 tablespoons breastmilk

Jan 7-Jan 11 - Thicker rice cereal; 2x a day

Monday Jan 12 - Jan 13 Oat cereal; 2x a day
Wednesday Jan 14 Pureed organic sweet potatoes; 2x a day; 1 tablespoon mixed with breastmilk
Jan 17th - Jan 20th: 2 tablespoons mixed with milk and teaspoon of cereal
Jan 21-25th: Pureed organic carrots
Jan 26-29th: Organic Peas
Jan 29-Feb 3rd: Organic squash
Feb 2- 8: Bananas
Feb 9- 13: Avocados, Sweet Pots - Didn't care much for Avocados
Feb 14- :Sweet Pots and Pears, Peas
Feb 17-27 Green Beans
Feb 28 Mangos, Carrots, Peas
Week of March 1-7th - Papaya and Broccoli
She's been eating frozen organic peaches here and there.
Wlk of March 15 th Chicken
She's been eating finger good carrots and peas

Try pasta, , asparagus spears

Tofu, Brown Rice, Apples
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Next attempts:
What to serve now: Mashed Bananas(done), pears, peaches, avocados, unsweetened applesauce, carrots(done), squash(done), sweet potatoes(done), peas(done), first stage baby food, including meat (start with veggies)

Fall Artwork

Here are more priceless paintings from Sophia. Of course it's with the help of Ms. Dez at Stonebriar Academy! They have great teachers there!!

Baby Yoga!

Here is Sophia, at 5 months and 1 week, relaxing and stretching in her crib. She is great in the mornings. When she wakes up she'll roll around, stretch, play...patiently wait until Mommy and Daddy are up! It would last up to an hour. Every morning, I look forward to seeing her good morning sunshine smile! She must know we like our sleep! :) Daddy's genes!

The Big Flip!

In mid-November, right at 5 months....and after many attempts, Sophia successfully rolled over from back to tummy! Here is one of the first attempts captured at home. At first, she would hang out on her side and get stuck...

Drum roll please.....


This was the most challenging part. It took her a while to figure out how to position her arm from underneath.

We would always want to help her at this step....

Yeah!!! Here is a true candid shot of her conquering the world!

She looked so satisfied...I was mean and made her do it again!

Here is her face telling me she got this down!!!

Favorite Blanket

My manager and his wife gave Sophia a really soft set of personalized blankets with her initials embroidered. When we venture out, we use the large one to keep her warm. But her favorite is the little one which tends to be used for her afternoon naps. Before she goes down, she always gives me a big smile as she happily takes the blanket and slips into tranquility.