Tuesday, April 29, 2008
April 2008 Gabby Update
Gabriella is 10 months old and things are going smoothly. April was a big month for us in the Tebo household- walking, running, climbing (really fast up the stairs!), more dancing, giving high fives, pointing at everything and saying “dada,” and being little miss curious. She loves opening up drawers and cupboards and getting into stuff. I know this is nothing new for a baby her age, but it’s nice to know she’s hitting all the milestones… Her attention is a little better and she can sit still longer. She can actually sit in your lap and let you read to her without getting too antsy or without trying to tear-up the whole book. Travis reads her “Click-Clack Moo” which is her favorite book at the moment. Oh yes- that book and “Bard’s Rhyme Time” because it’s a flap-book and she enjoys opening and closing the flaps. Right now, she enjoys playing with her toy cars and Buzzy Bee (which is a New Zealand toy that a Kiwi buddy got us). This month we went to Tianjin to a Hyatt Regency Resort and spent two nights there. We got a coupon for two free nights because Travis teaches the General Manager’s daughter. It sounds really great, but nothing was open yet, such as a swimming pool or workout facility, which was disappointing so we drove into to Tianjin. We went to Food Street and ate some dumplings and then culture street to check out the shops. Gabby enjoyed all the attention and was flashing her smile every chance she got. It wasn’t a super-exciting trip but we had fun as a family and it was good to get out of Beijing.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
March 2008 Gabby Update
Gabby is 9 months old now and changing everyday (Duh. She’s a baby, I know)… She’s still not officially walking but has taken five steps. She continues to cruise and is even trying to climb things. AAH! She’s showing more affection now and even initiates kisses (which hurt because she wants to bite my lip) but they’re sweet and sloppy and oh so awesome. She’ll also come up to one of us and cuddle, which just makes me melt every time. She loves being tickled under her arm, holding hands, and she loves Earth’s Best brand of prunes and oatmeal. Thank goodness she’s learned to like bananas because they’re so easy to eat and good for you. Now we’re on to finger foods which is going okay, although I still need to coax her to stick the food in her mouth, but we’re getting there. Go figure. She’ll stick everything else in her mouth. Her new thing now is dancing. It totally cracks me up! She gets a big grin on her face and moves up and down. She also plays peek-a-boo with us. She’ll pull a blanket, bib, or anything else over her face and pull it down really fast to reveal a delighted grin and a little squeal. Love it! Vocalizing is becoming better and better too. Whenever she says “nay, nay, nay” that’s bad. I’m not sure of she’s trying to say no or what, but it does mean she’s ticked off about something. In addition to being a busy month, my mother and father came for a visit which was great and I know she loved the extra attention and cuddles. We did some touring and took Gabby to the Temple of Heaven where she got her first experience with being mobbed by Asian people wanting to take a picture of the Western baby. She did good, but looked a little confused. We also saw the very first major league baseball game ever played in China (Padres vs. L.A. Dodgers), which was also Gabby’s first one. We had fun, although it was a bit too windy and there were no proper toilets. Just imagine port-o-lets Chinese style where you have to squat. Not very convenient for changing a diaper but we survived.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
December-February 2008 Gabby Update
Gabriella is 8 months old now and full of so much life and personality! We went to the doctor this week and she’s 19.5 pounds (75th percentile) and 29.5 inches (97th percentile). As with all babies, lots of “firsts” have been happening… A week after she turned 6 months she was crawling, which quickly became standing-up, and then cruising all over the place. Just two days shy of turning 8 months she took her first steps. Although not officially walking, I’d say we’re well on our way but who knows. She’s been standing by herself for longer and longer periods and every day she does something new or looks different. Her speech is sounding more like words as well. The day she turned 8 months (February 28th) was when she reached out to Travis and said, “Daddy!” Travis and I both agreed we’d consider that her first word and it’s now officially in the baby book. However, she did say “Hi!” to a real estate lady back in December but Travis won’t count that. The teeth are coming in, which I felt first before I saw them. I like to kiss her on the lips (Oooh, those sweet kisses!) but just last week she bit down on my lip really hard and there was no mistaking that two little teeth are starting to poke out. Eating is going well, except she really doesn’t like bananas, which I find strange. She’ll eat these nasty pees but not mashed-up bananas. What? I haven’t given up yet, though. My mom said I didn’t eat bananas either so maybe it’s genetic. She has such a wonderful laugh! I’ll get up close to her face and say “hi!” and she busts out laughing. I think she’s going to be a really fun kid. We celebrated Chinese New Year in February and stayed at a hotel down the street from Tiananmen Square- but too bad we all were sick… I took Gabby for a walk and she got a tiny bit of wind burn on her cheeks because it was so windy. Oh well, the weather is getting better here so there’ll be time for more walks.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Holiday Letter 2007
Ni hao friends and family,
As always, Travis and I hope this letter finds you and your family happy and healthy this holiday season…
I’m sure most of you know already, we had a little girl on June 28th, 2007. Her name is Gabriella Sophia Tebo and she’s awesome. At the risk of sounding cheesy- I have to say that creating life has been the best thing Travis and I have ever done. Parenthood has brought a lot of joy and challenges, but we wouldn’t take it back for the world. We love being parents and have a good routine worked out and feel like things are pretty balanced between work, home, and our social life. Gabby is hitting all the developmental milestones, and as healthy as can be. She was diagnosed with acid reflux in September but we got her some medication and all is well. As of right now, she’s 5 ½ months old. She’s laughing, smiling, scooting around on the floor, and grabbing at everything and promptly sticking it in her mouth. It’s been especially fun watching her personality unfold… so far she seems to be rather social and likes to be active- when we introduce to other babies she pumps her arms and legs and gets all excited. We’ve also learned that she doesn’t like to be bored and can be a drama queen. When she gets tired of whatever she’s doing, she’ll start to cry and push away whatever toy she’s playing with. People ask me if she’s a good baby and I have nothing to compare it to because this is my first one but I’ve been told by other people that she’s a “happy baby,” so I’ll take that. Everyday she does something new and we look forward to watching her grow and learn.
Check out the most recent pictures of Gabby: www.joyshare.com/sites/Gabriella
I had ten weeks off for maternity leave, so Gabby and I flew to Washington when she was seven weeks old to visit friends and family for a month and a half from the end of August to October. It was sort of a last minute decision but was needed after a long, humid summer in Beijing. The time went by really fast, but we got to see a lot of people including my brother and his wife who live in Boston. Gabby got to meet her cousins for the first time, Stuart (19 ½ months) and Emerson (4), which was fun to watch. Travis came down for two weeks and all three of us flew home together. Gabby did a pretty good job traveling, which is important because she will be doing a lot of it during her lifetime!
Travis and I are still living and working in Beijing, China. We decided to stay again next year and have no plans on moving back to the United States any time soon. Travis is completing his school administration internship through Western Washington University and will be done with everything in June. He’s been incredibly busy putting in hours to make this experience rewarding. He’s finding the challenges of running a school enjoyable and we’re both looking forward to him finding an assistant principal job overseas in the near future. As for me, I went back to work at the end of October but I can’t complain because I had four months off. Leaving Gabby as I went back to work was tough, but I was prepared for that. We have a caregiver (or ayi), named Chen, who loves Gabby as if she were her own child. I totally trust her and I know she’ll be well taken care of, so that relieves a lot of the worry. I’m still plugging away at my college counseling certificate through UCLA and should be done after I complete my internship next fall. The classes aren’t difficult, it’s just time consuming.
China continues to develop rapidly as the Olympic Games approach this summer. We ended-up getting tickets and will be attending the Final Team Gymnastics Ceremony (my choice) and a Beach Volleyball game (Trav’s choice). Although we have the cheapest tickets you can buy, it should still be a good time. However, I’ll be amazed if China actually pulls this off because there’s so much work left to do. Our school is postponing the start of the first day for two weeks so that the staff can attend the events, which means a longer summer- hooray! But a shorter winter break- boo! We will travel somewhere during that time or maybe just tour around in China. Oh yah! I can finally drive legally in China because I got my driver’s license.
Here are a some questions from the driving test that you may find humorous:
1. For an abdominal wound, such as the protrusion of the small intestine tube, we should:
A) put it back
B) no treatment
C) not put it back, but cover it with a bowl or jar, and bind the bowl or jar with a cloth belt.
ANSWER- C. Apparently, this has been a significant problem for the Chinese culture in the past. I guess we should keep a bowl in our car, just in case.
2. In summer, when a driver drives a vehicle he can _______
A) wear a pair of slippers
B) not wear slippers since it’s unsafe and impolite to wear them
C) wear any shoes, including slippers
ANSWER-B. Good to know, I guess.
For this winter break, we’re off again to Washington to spend it with family and friends. We wish everyone a safe and FUN holiday season and have a Happy New Year!
Warm Wishes,
Travis, Cara, and Gabriella Tebo
As always, Travis and I hope this letter finds you and your family happy and healthy this holiday season…
I’m sure most of you know already, we had a little girl on June 28th, 2007. Her name is Gabriella Sophia Tebo and she’s awesome. At the risk of sounding cheesy- I have to say that creating life has been the best thing Travis and I have ever done. Parenthood has brought a lot of joy and challenges, but we wouldn’t take it back for the world. We love being parents and have a good routine worked out and feel like things are pretty balanced between work, home, and our social life. Gabby is hitting all the developmental milestones, and as healthy as can be. She was diagnosed with acid reflux in September but we got her some medication and all is well. As of right now, she’s 5 ½ months old. She’s laughing, smiling, scooting around on the floor, and grabbing at everything and promptly sticking it in her mouth. It’s been especially fun watching her personality unfold… so far she seems to be rather social and likes to be active- when we introduce to other babies she pumps her arms and legs and gets all excited. We’ve also learned that she doesn’t like to be bored and can be a drama queen. When she gets tired of whatever she’s doing, she’ll start to cry and push away whatever toy she’s playing with. People ask me if she’s a good baby and I have nothing to compare it to because this is my first one but I’ve been told by other people that she’s a “happy baby,” so I’ll take that. Everyday she does something new and we look forward to watching her grow and learn.
Check out the most recent pictures of Gabby: www.joyshare.com/sites/Gabriella
I had ten weeks off for maternity leave, so Gabby and I flew to Washington when she was seven weeks old to visit friends and family for a month and a half from the end of August to October. It was sort of a last minute decision but was needed after a long, humid summer in Beijing. The time went by really fast, but we got to see a lot of people including my brother and his wife who live in Boston. Gabby got to meet her cousins for the first time, Stuart (19 ½ months) and Emerson (4), which was fun to watch. Travis came down for two weeks and all three of us flew home together. Gabby did a pretty good job traveling, which is important because she will be doing a lot of it during her lifetime!
Travis and I are still living and working in Beijing, China. We decided to stay again next year and have no plans on moving back to the United States any time soon. Travis is completing his school administration internship through Western Washington University and will be done with everything in June. He’s been incredibly busy putting in hours to make this experience rewarding. He’s finding the challenges of running a school enjoyable and we’re both looking forward to him finding an assistant principal job overseas in the near future. As for me, I went back to work at the end of October but I can’t complain because I had four months off. Leaving Gabby as I went back to work was tough, but I was prepared for that. We have a caregiver (or ayi), named Chen, who loves Gabby as if she were her own child. I totally trust her and I know she’ll be well taken care of, so that relieves a lot of the worry. I’m still plugging away at my college counseling certificate through UCLA and should be done after I complete my internship next fall. The classes aren’t difficult, it’s just time consuming.
China continues to develop rapidly as the Olympic Games approach this summer. We ended-up getting tickets and will be attending the Final Team Gymnastics Ceremony (my choice) and a Beach Volleyball game (Trav’s choice). Although we have the cheapest tickets you can buy, it should still be a good time. However, I’ll be amazed if China actually pulls this off because there’s so much work left to do. Our school is postponing the start of the first day for two weeks so that the staff can attend the events, which means a longer summer- hooray! But a shorter winter break- boo! We will travel somewhere during that time or maybe just tour around in China. Oh yah! I can finally drive legally in China because I got my driver’s license.
Here are a some questions from the driving test that you may find humorous:
1. For an abdominal wound, such as the protrusion of the small intestine tube, we should:
A) put it back
B) no treatment
C) not put it back, but cover it with a bowl or jar, and bind the bowl or jar with a cloth belt.
ANSWER- C. Apparently, this has been a significant problem for the Chinese culture in the past. I guess we should keep a bowl in our car, just in case.
2. In summer, when a driver drives a vehicle he can _______
A) wear a pair of slippers
B) not wear slippers since it’s unsafe and impolite to wear them
C) wear any shoes, including slippers
ANSWER-B. Good to know, I guess.
For this winter break, we’re off again to Washington to spend it with family and friends. We wish everyone a safe and FUN holiday season and have a Happy New Year!
Warm Wishes,
Travis, Cara, and Gabriella Tebo
Thursday, November 29, 2007
August-November 2007 Gabby Update
As of November 28, 2007 Gabby Sophia is five months old. A lot has changed since the last entry and it’s safe to say that she’s hitting all the developmental milestones and then some. From August 19th to October 6th, Gabriella and I visited friends and family in Washington. Without Travis around, it kept me very busy (hence the lack of pictures on the website and journal entries). Soon after we returned from the States, I went back to work full-time. So far, we’re pretty happy with how we’ve balanced work, our social life, and parenthood but we have our days when we’re overwhelmed and exhausted. I can’t imagine having twins! Everybody keeps saying she looks like Travis and I guess she still does... She seems to really love music and it tends to calm her down when she’s fussy. Maybe she’ll be a musician like her daddy? She is continuing to be a strong little girl and her fine motor skills are developing quite nicely. She can even hold her own bottle. She LOVES other kids and babies. She pumps her arms and legs and gets all excited. She starts to grab at them too. It’s as if she wants to play but doesn’t quite know how. My friend who has teenagers said her daughter was the same way (I know her daughter and she is SUPER chatty and all about the social scene)... Not sure if that’s such a good thing??? She’s rolling over now which means we’re constantly trying to keep her from falling off the furniture. She’s all over her crib too, which freaks me out a bit. I don’t know how she does it but she scoots herself all over and gets in the weirdest positions. She can also grab her feet and stick her toes in her mouth. It’s crazy. In addition, Gabby is vocalizing a lot and so we like to engage in pretend conversations. She’s reaching for the toys she likes the best and she’s started the teething phase. Of course, Travis and I think she’s really awesome, but we have nothing to compare it to. We just love her to death. My favorite thing is hanging out with her when we get ready in the morning- she just smiles and smiles at us, which makes getting up in the morning not-so-bad. One of the coolest things ever is hearing her laugh… Oh man, I wish I could bottle up that feeling and give it away to people when they need to feel good. Seeing her smile and hearing her laugh just makes our hearts melt. I would consider her a good baby even though she has her drama queen moments. The only time she really cries is when she’s hungry. And man, you don’t want to mess around with a hungry Gabby! I’m sure I’m missing some other stuff that she’s doing, but stay posted… We’re starting solids soon and there are lots more things about to happen in the upcoming months…
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Parenthood and Family Update
Hi kids,
The cloud has lifted and Travis and I can see the light… Yes, parenthood has been what people have described to us… crazy, tiring, amazing, and sometimes hard. Gabby is thriving and growing like a weed… She smiles now and makes lots of cooing sounds. Before she was one month, she rolled over on one side and does it all the time now. I have nothing to compare it to, but people say she’s really strong- and long for that matter too (in the 97th percentile). Last week we threw her a huge debut party and had over 100 people over at our place… Luckily, the weather was fabulous and she did great. She was alert and awake for a good two hours while she was being passed around from person to person. We were surprised because she can get pretty fussy, but I think it was just good timing with her eating and sleeping schedule.
I just love having a little girl. She’s like my little doll that I can dress-up, until, of course, she starts crying and pooping and so on… then reality hits… J In China, having a boy is considered good luck (hence the many girls up for adoption), so when I Chinese person asks what I had and I tell them we have a little girl they inevitably get the “I’m sorry” look and then without hesitation they add, “Oh, don’t worry the next one will be a boy!” I always make a point to say that I would be very happy with another girl…
And no, she’s not sleeping through the night yet (I get asked that a lot).
In other news, Travis has started work and he’ll be completing his administrative internship at the same time so it will be a very busy year. I’m on maternity leave right now until October 22nd and will leave this Sunday to go home to Washington for seven weeks. It was a pretty last minute decision and I’m really excited to see our family and friends. Travis is taking his paternity leave next to October break (the first week of October is a Chinese national holiday), so he will fly out to Washington and visit for two weeks and all three of us will travel back to China.
As always, I hope all is well with you and your family and please keep in touch!
Cheers,
Travis, Cara, and Gabriella (the Tebo Family)
The cloud has lifted and Travis and I can see the light… Yes, parenthood has been what people have described to us… crazy, tiring, amazing, and sometimes hard. Gabby is thriving and growing like a weed… She smiles now and makes lots of cooing sounds. Before she was one month, she rolled over on one side and does it all the time now. I have nothing to compare it to, but people say she’s really strong- and long for that matter too (in the 97th percentile). Last week we threw her a huge debut party and had over 100 people over at our place… Luckily, the weather was fabulous and she did great. She was alert and awake for a good two hours while she was being passed around from person to person. We were surprised because she can get pretty fussy, but I think it was just good timing with her eating and sleeping schedule.
I just love having a little girl. She’s like my little doll that I can dress-up, until, of course, she starts crying and pooping and so on… then reality hits… J In China, having a boy is considered good luck (hence the many girls up for adoption), so when I Chinese person asks what I had and I tell them we have a little girl they inevitably get the “I’m sorry” look and then without hesitation they add, “Oh, don’t worry the next one will be a boy!” I always make a point to say that I would be very happy with another girl…
And no, she’s not sleeping through the night yet (I get asked that a lot).
In other news, Travis has started work and he’ll be completing his administrative internship at the same time so it will be a very busy year. I’m on maternity leave right now until October 22nd and will leave this Sunday to go home to Washington for seven weeks. It was a pretty last minute decision and I’m really excited to see our family and friends. Travis is taking his paternity leave next to October break (the first week of October is a Chinese national holiday), so he will fly out to Washington and visit for two weeks and all three of us will travel back to China.
As always, I hope all is well with you and your family and please keep in touch!
Cheers,
Travis, Cara, and Gabriella (the Tebo Family)
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
July 2007 Gabby Update
So far the first month has had many ups and downs as Travis and I are transitioning into being parents... The first week was crazy but our life is slowly getting into a routine. Gabriella is a really strong girl (at least that’s what people tell us!) and she’s becoming much more alert and we’ve even seen some glimpses of smiles (not sure if that’s gas) which totally melts our hearts. She can lift her head up 90 degrees and practically does push-ups when we put her on her belly. She can roll over on one side too. She is getting bigger and bigger each day- it’s amazing and awesome to watch!
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