Visit To Papai's Office With Grandpa

Grandpa and Jo left yesterday and we are already missing them... No matter how often our family come and go, we just don't get used to not having them here and it's always hard for the first few days to readjust to being "just us" again. Oh well, we now just need to do our best to being grateful for all the days that we had together and to look forward to the next family reunion!

Grandpa and Jo, thanks so much for coming all the way from Malaysia! We enjoyed having you with us! Daniel has already asked several times about "Apa" but seems to understand and remember well that you left with the suitcases to the airport; he is doing well.

This past Saturday we visited Jonny's new office for the first time! Jonny has already been working there for 6 months (and is really enjoying it, praise God!) but this was the first time any of us had visited. It was so nice to see his cubicle and lab and to show Daniel where Papai works. Daniel had a blast! Big open spaces, long corridors, tall stairs; it was like going to an amusement park for him! He just ran around squealing; so much fun!

Check out the slide show below for photos of our visit. After the visit, we had a nice lunch at an authentic Chinese restaurant recommended by our friend Linnan - it was good! Daniel ate his first fortune cookie that said "You could prosper in the field of medical research"... uhm... very appropriate we thought after the visit to his Papai's lab! :-)

Daniel's 2nd Birthday - Part 3

This past Saturday we had a party to celebrate Daniel's birthday with his little friends from our neighborhood and Church. It was so much fun - we all had a blast! Jonny and I thought long and hard about whether we wanted to have a party and we were sure we did, but we did not want it to be stressful. So we decided to have it at Gymboree and it was so worth it! The first hour there was a gym class for the kids which they loved, followed by pizza and cake. We didn't even have to set up or clean up, it was just wonderful! Check out the slide show below (if you click on it, you will be taken to Picasa and you can download the photos). But before, here are some of the highlights...

P.S. A now funny fact about this party needs to be recorded: We had to cancel the party on Friday because the 3 of us were really ill! But amazingly, by Saturday morning we were all better so we decided to try and book everything again that we had canceled (venue, cake, and balloons) and praise God, we were able to! And thanks to all our friends who were gracious enough to still come after being told only a few hours before that the party had been canceled...this will live forever in our memory! :-)

Daniel's 2nd Birthday - Part 2

On Daniel's birthday he received a very special present from Granny Heather. She made a special book for him telling him about his family and the different countries where they live - including Malaysia, Brazil, Portugal and other European countries. She wrote that when he was born each person in each country was so happy. It was so appropriate that she wrote that when vozinha in Portugal heard the news she said "Hallelujah"!

Granny, we just love the book! Thank you so much, it was very thoughtful of you and I'm sure that this will always be very special to Daniel for years to come!

This is how it starts...

One of the last pages...

Daniel's 2nd Birthday - Part 1

Hi Loved Ones!

Our boy wonder has turned 2! We have a lot to update you on since we have been celebrating his birthday this past week and have been enjoying the visit of Grandpa Boon and Jo. Today, here are some photos of Daniel on his actual birthday, on March 3rd.

Playing with Baloon

Enjoying birthday presents...

Vozinha and vozinho sent a beautiful bouquet of flowers with a teddy and a balloon!

Getting ready to talk on skype with vozinha and vozinho in Portugal.

Sending them kisses!

The highlight of his day was playing with Grandpa Boon!

Father and son...

More soon!

Testing Our New Camera On An Almost 2 Year Old!

So thanks to a generous Christmas gift from Grandpa Boon (thank you!), we have a new camera: a Canon Rebel! We have started to test it out and though we still have a lot to learn, we are happy that just by snapping it we get better shots than from our other camera. And of course, it helps that we have a great model! This is for the grandparents especially - lots of photos of the boy wonder! Enjoy!

Just Amazing... Boy Wonder Is Almost 2!

In exactly 2 weeks, boy wonder will be 2! Officially a toddler, the infant days have past... Wow, it's amazing to us how quickly he has grown. The last 2 years have been so intense, the first year was the hardest, but both brought us much joy and helped us grow.

I haven't written an update on Daniel and his development in quite a while. So much happens every day, it's been hard to keep track of it all! But in general he is now:

1. Talking more: Every day he has a new word. Today he started to say "peas" for please! I just love the way he says "yes" - sounds like "Yessh" (you can hear it in the video below). He says more words in English than in Portuguese - I think it's because English is generally easier! But his most recent Portuguese words are: "mar" (ocean) and "barco" (boat). He often refers to himself as "Nani" and says it to communicate that something is his (instead of "mine").

2. Is more affectionate: He now loves to cuddle and actively seeks it! Especially when he is watching a DVD, when we have been apart for a while or when he is sick. I feel like now he appreciates affection a lot more, such as having his back stroked, and doesn't think we are just trying to hold him down. We are loving this development! Oh, the other day when I was feeling unwell, I asked him to give me a kiss and some affection and he came over, gave me a big smoochy kiss on the lips and stroked my tummy - the cutest thing ever!

3. Testing us more: As he approaches 2, there is no doubt that he has been testing us more and more. He has become a lot more emotional and has outbursts of crying whenever he doesn't get what he wants. We are working on this!


Here are some recent photos of Daniel that we love, taken just a few weeks before he turns 2:

The cutest policeman in town; his weapons are: a teddy and a cracker.

And he is also a fireman and Liverpool supporter!

At times, he loves to just run around and be silly...

Shoveling snow is his new love!

And here is a video of him playing in his crib, this past weekend. This video shows some cute things such as: him jumping energetically, saying "yes" and "nao" (no in Portuguese), playing with his teddy and "wawa" (doggy), answering some of my questions such as: "Who is vozinha's passion? Nani!" and "What is mamae's (my) name? ANA!". Enjoy!

Daniel Peter, our hearts are so full of love for you! Thank you for being our precious son - soon age 2!

Our Niece Was Born TODAY!

We are praising God for the birth of our niece, Daniel's first cousin, the daughter of Peter and Jenny! She was born today in Brussels around midday, weighing about 2.8 kg (6.2 pounds). We don't know all the details yet, including her name, but we are just delighted!

We are so thankful to God for this new life that has been born into the extended Koh family! We have been praying and waiting for her eagerly the past year and now she is here! And what a cutie she is! She's got your lips P!

Jenny and Peter, CONGRATULATIONS! Enjoy your new bundle of joy and be sure that we will continue to pray for you as you begin this most exciting journey of parenthood. We love you all and can't wait to meet her in the summer!

This is a lovely photo of P and J just a few weeks ago...