First Scrape

First knee scrape and Todd had to capture this.  He was running (more like flailing his arms and galloping) and then boom on the cement floor.  He just got up and continued, not even aware of the scratch on his knee.  Todd's was proud - he's a boy!

Happy 4th of July!

So it's my first year celebrating the 4th of July as a US Citizen!  First I was being sworn in at the ceremony, then being called for jury duty, and now the 4th of July.  We went to Coni's place for a 4th of July BBQ and hung out in her newly landscaped backyard.  She had a littel kiddie pool for Lucas and he spent much of the time throwing things in there and taking it out.  At night we watched the fireworks from our home and saw the Macy's fireworks show on TV (filmed on the cruise ship we will be on in August, the epic!).  Lucas was super excited about these bursts of light in the sky.  Look, he's even wearing a 4th of July pj set! Next year, we will go see them up close since he enjoyed it. 

Video of Lucas and Todd watching the fireworks from our place.

Girls Getaway in Napa

Myra and her sister Tracy came to visit SF, and we took a little trip to Napa.  It was nice to getaway with the girls (Diana made it too, who is one of the few people I know who is actually grew up in SF).  There was food at Ad Hoc, Thomas Keller's casual restaurant, wine tasting at a few places and cheese and you can't forget the factory outlet shopping to top it all off.  The night before I stayed at their hotel in Union Square, dinner and drinks (without a highchair and diaper bag!) It was like a mini-getaway for me.

June Updates

June flew by without any posts - maybe because it was a busy month or I've been lazy. It's been increasingly difficult for me to do anything with Lucas around since he's now a "toddler" and he gets into everything and has to show me everything. I don't need to work out, since he's got me moving my body and using my biceps.

Father's Day!
We celebrated fathers day by going to Sausalito for the day. It was such a beautiful day, no fog and the view of the city was so clear. We stopped of downtown for a coffee and breakfast sandwiches, while Lucas napped in his stroller (nice for us!). Then we spent the rest of the day at the Children's Discovery Musuem. It's such a great place for toddlers. Lucas loved the water play area, where there's river stream and plastic fishies you can play with. They had 2 big playrooms he could climb and run around. There was a train room, arts and crafts, and other rooms that we just didn't have time for. Todd had a fun day and he's such a great dad and Lucas loves him so much. I see it when he gets home from work and Lucas is running to greet him and is all smiles.

Hedda & Leonard's Baby Shower!
We threw a baby shower for our good friends Hedda & Leonard at Coyote Point Park.  It was a BabyQ theme, so we grilled and had tacos, played those baby games, and enjoyed the park.  The guys had to play break the water race, which meant carrying a water balloon between their legs, while running. That was funny to watch!

Oh and 2 weeks early, Trevor came into their world.  Hello Trevor!

Vancouver Trip!
So for the second time, I travelled on the plane with Lucas alone.  We went a week ahead which gave us time to see all the relatives and friends, and give Daddy a break.  Luckily I got an emtpy seat beside us, and he was consumed with opening and closing the window shade, then he moved on the tray, and then climbing up and down the seat, then the ice in the cup trip.  Finally, he slept for the last 20 mins of the trip. Phew I was tired, and we weren't even there yet! As always, my trips to Vancouver gives me a chance to reconnect with good friends and my family.  They just can't wait to see Lucas and since we don't live there, he was a celebrity - alisa who?  Lucas also partied like a rockstar, since his bedtimes were so late trying to fit everything in. He loved visiting my Aunty See Ling and Uncle John's beautiful backyard garden.  So much to see, like the fish pond, the rocks, fresh strawberrys, flowers, and little dogs.  His Grandpa took him on walks around the neighborhood and to the park.  We even went to Granville island where he saw all the boats, ate fish and chips and played in the waterpark.  We also spent a day in Stanley Park where we rode the miniature train with Myra and her niece and nephew, and Tania and her baby Nikolas.  He just loved that! We spent an afternoon with my cousin Grace who got him a bubble set and had fun blowing and popping bubbles in the park. We fit in a trip to Victoria with Jul, Cam, Maddie and Jen.  It was Todd's first time there.  We also got to hang out with Lucas' cousin Aisha who is 4 months old, which he isn't so interested in at this point because she just sits there.  It was nice to celebrate a belated fathers day with my dad, todd and a new dad my little brother with a 10 course chinese meal.  I miss those kind of meals.

This is my aunt's backyard.  It looks like a park back there!

18 month Stats

I've been neglecting our blog and have finally found some time to update on what's going on with the Berliners. Lucas turned 18 months and that's a big milestone! No more baby, but a little toddler. He likes to run up and down the hallway, our driveway and just about anywhere. It's more of a waddle, with flapping arms. His new words are bye bye, apple, hi, ice and egg. He understands a lot and points at things, like where's your shoes, your socks, the plane, the truck. Everytime the train comes by, he says choo choo and wow. He can dibble a ball, throw it, and he loves doing puzzles and shape sorters. More teeth are coming in, he's got top and bottom molars and the canines are coming out. That hasn't been fun for him and for us. He's still mr. social, and whenever we go out he's always trying to get a strangers attention. Last weekend, we went to a japanese noodle house and he got our whole section laughing because he kept chuckling at this lady and playing with her from our table.


Height: 32 1/2 inches
Weight: 25.6 lbs
HC: 19 inches

Here he is with his tower of animals. He just loves to throw things.

Swimming Class

So we started swimming class for Lucas and the first lesson didn't go so well. Basically, he was completely terrified of the water and was clinging onto Todd for dear life. He's been in the water before at my brother's pool in Vancouver and Aunt Robyn's pool in LA, but he was a baby so he probably wasn't really aware of his surroundings. Well, he for sure is now - aware that is! The good news is that on his second lesson, he loved it. We did go to Monterey and hit the hotel pool there, and perhaps that made him more comfortable. His face even got dunked into the water by the instructor, and he swallowed some water. He'll learn sooner or later to close his mouth right?

Mother's Day

Sometimes I can't believe I'm a mother and when mother's day comes around (this is #2 for me), I forget to include myself in this special day. This year my two boys took me to Monterey for the weekend. The weather was beautiful and the drive really nice since Lucas slept the entire way and Todd and I got to catch up on things. We drove past some farms and they were selling cherries, avocados and fruit for so cheap. A lot of California produce comes from this region. We checked into the Portola Hotel & Spa, and were given fresh baked chocolate cookies. Yum, so far so good on this hotel. The room was nice decorated in nautical colors and Lucas just loved roaming a new room. The hotel was so centrally located that we just walked everywhere - fisherman's wharf, the cannery and downtown. After lunch and a nice walk (Lucas wasn't at all tired), we took a dip in the swimming pool. This time, he loved the pool, after a few minutes of "i'm not really sure of this". I started chasing him and his dad in the pool and then his face turned into giggles and smiles - this isn't so bad after all. We had dinner at a local italian place and then headed back to the hotel to hang out. We thought Lucas would be exhausted by then, but he stayed up with us till 10pm and then conked out in our King bed. The next day I was treated to a spa pedicure and it felt so nice to be pampered. My toes felt so refreshed! It was a great weekend and every mom deserves a day (or weekend of pampering).