My Reluctant Valentine

Here's hoping that you have a happier St. Valentine's Day than Teddy...
...and that someday he'll forgive me!

Happy Birthday, Teddy!

WaiPo cooked a special Chinese meal to celebrate her grandson's first birthday, served on his own personalized Japanese dishware from Aunt Keiko. What a lucky boy!

Special items on the menu: long life noodles, dumplings for prosperity, and a whole egg representing a round, smooth year. He washed it all down with some seaweed soup, which doesn't have any symbolism but sure is tasty! (And it's good for his hair.) For dessert, a homebaked banana butterscotch cupcake.

Best wishes for the upcoming year, my little monkey! May it be filled with adventure and joy!

More pix can be found on Flickr.

Kick, Push

Teddy had a birthday surprise for all of us last night! I wonder how long he'd been planning it? Having given away no previous hints that he was ready to walk, our big boy suddenly took his first steps last night. T-bone pushed his walker up and down the hallway a dozen times!

The great thing about his walker is that there is a little brake where you can adjust how quickly it rolls...plus he likes to bang the colorful wooden blocks. I highly recommend: