Thailand: Ko Phi Phi

Our final destination in Thailand was Phi Phi Island.  This place is truly paradise.  In order to get there we had to fly to Phuket.  The guide picked us up and drove us around the island to see the 3 main beaches and then we stopped for lunch.  We were then dropped off at a marina where our hotel arranged a speed boat to take us to Phi Phi Island.  

Thailand: Chiang Mai

We left for Chiang Mai on the 9th.  We were greeted by our guide at the airport and went straight to the Doi Suthep Temple.  It's perched high above the city and offers amazing views of the city and countryside.  Leah took a liking to the guide, and she let the guide hold her without any protest!

Thailand: Bangkok

After Hong Kong, we went to Thailand.  First stop - Bangkok.  Leah has now gotten used to planes and knows people sit behind us.  When we board the plane and put her down, she will stand up on the back and smile at the people behind us.  We also caught her sticking her hand through the crack to touch them.  She made friends quickly with everyone around us.

All the Other Things We Did in Hong Kong

We went to The Peak to see the breathtaking views of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong: Family

The main reason we went to Hong Kong was to visit my dad's side of the family.  My dad has 11 brothers and sisters and most still live in Hong Kong.  My 94 year old grandma also moved back a year ago, so I was excited for her to meet Leah for the first time.

On the 3rd, we met up with my cousins Ken and Rowena.  Row took us to a members only Shanghainese.  Leah got to meet her 2nd cousin Chantal and received a super cute Hello Kitty backpack.  Leah has so much fun finding things in her backpack and pulling them out.  

My grandma with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, & Leah exhausted

On the 4th, we had dim sum with the rest of the family.  40 people attended!  I only knew a handful, but it was really special to see so many family members.  There was 4 generations worth of family, and I can't wait to show Leah the pictures when she gets older.  I'm not sure when we'll get a chance to go back to Hong Kong again, so I'm glad we were able to take this opportunity.

On the 5th, we left Leah with my parents and went out to dinner with Ken and Row at 8 1/2 Otto E Mezzo.  I'm really bummed I didn't take a picture but the food was delicious.  We had homemade ravioli, rack of lamb, and beef tenderloin.  Yum!

Hong Kong: First Few Days

On November 1st, we left for Hong Kong.  Our flight was at 1am, so I was super nervous how Leah was going to be.  After we went trick-or-treating, we did our normal bedtime routine with Leah.  We then woke her up and left her in her PJs when our van arrived at 10:15pm.  She napped a little bit in the car, but was awake the entire time at the airport.  I carried her in the MyCarrier, so I think she stayed pretty calm because of that.  While I wish she would have just slept the entire flight, she still did really well.  She slept in 3 hour chunks, either on me in the carrier or lying on the seat between Matt and I.  When she was awake, she ate and played.  No meltdowns!!  When we arrived, all the passengers around us complimented her on how well behaved she was!  

Birthday Parties

Since Leah's napping right now, I thought I'd catch up on some blogging.  We've attended a bunch of kids' birthday parties the past couple weeks.  My how life has changed now that we have Leah!  

On October 20th, we had Ruby's 1st birthday and Alyssa's 4th birthday.  I also had Jane's baby shower to attend in between  those parties, and it was Matt's birthday!  Whew!  Ruby's was at Grand Park, a new park built in the middle of downtown LA.  Joy brought in food from Heirloom LA which was delicious! Leah got to play with a bunch of her Gymboree friends and then we had to take off and let Leah nap before we went on to the next event.

After Leah napped, Matt and Leah met back up with me at BounceU for Alyssa's birthday.  Leah had so much fun going down the slides with us and bouncing around. There are 3 different bounce rooms with a variety of activities and then everyone goes into a room for pizza and cake.  I can't wait to take her back once she can actually walk and bounce around on her own.

On October 28th, we went to Jihoon's 1st birthday and then Axel's 1st birthday.  Jihoon's party was at Orange Grove Park in South Pasadena.  Lisa had a taco station and snow cone station.  After an hour we left for Axel's party at his parents' store Broome St. General.  Sophie outdid herself with the food. They had the mimosas, lobster mac and cheese, lumpia, a whole rosted pig, and 3 different cakes from Cake Monkey.  Yes, after these two parties, I'm not sure I ever felt so stuffed before.  The next party will be Leah's 1st birthday!!