never before seen footage: the first year

I've looked forward to doing a "then and now" type post for Lo's first birthday, and though it is almost 2 weeks after his special day, I was waiting until we got his birthday photos cd in the mail, and it just came today (yay!!) so here are a few comparisons:

Here is our tiny Lo just minutes after birth.  Note that he likes to stare at Mommy...(try to ignore my water retention, make-up free, sweaty-haired, in labor for 2 days straight appearance and just focus on the precious babe in arms)

Now, at one year old, Lo prefers Daddy most of the time.  Actually, I don't mind Lo being a daddy's boy since I still believe Jerry worked harder during labor than I did (he was my hypno coach, and never left my side for a moment--what a lover!). 

Back then, in the first couple days of his life, our poor Lo did not even have the strength to breastfeed, according to the pediatrician.  Lo had only IV fluids for the first couple days until his heart rate calmed down. 

Now, one year later, we sometimes wonder if that heart rate is back in the sky.  =)  Lo is a bundle of energy who climbs, shrieks, undresses himself, and causes general havoc wherever he goes--and we love him for it. 








But he is a good boy who knows how to have calm moments as well of course. 



Currently, our one year old is a lover of books--doesn't he look like a smarty pants sitting next to this pile of classics. These days he often brings Mommy a book with "ah ah ah" type pleading noises for her to read it with him. 

And oh guess what--back then he liked books too!  Here is Daddy reading a Chinese comic book to one-month-old Lo. 







With lots of loving nourishment, from Daddy, Mommy, and many friends and family (like Grandma Valerie pictured here with one week old Little Lo), our wee one quickly turned into this chunk:

Yeah, I've had to grow arm muscles to lift this kid on a regular basis. 

But he is just so squishably adorable, I do not mind his heavy figure one bit. 

We loved his feet from day one. 

And still cannot get enough of those toes. 



I still remember the way his teeny limbs curled into his body in the beginning.  This is the day we took him home from the hospital.  Don't his legs look like twigs with those hugest socks at his extremities??  aaaah, I cannot even believe he was this little just one short year ago. 

Well, I'd better wrap things up since we are not even packed yet for going to Hong Kong in a couple days.  Also, I have to drag myself off this bloggy post since my cousin Lindsay took the 1-year photos for Lo and was so generous to include a couple dozen fabulously edited, beautiful photo gems in the cd she sent, I could go on for way too long--and I've got to keep some of my favorites from that photo shoot a "secret" for family gifts.  So I'll just stop now while I'm ahead.  =) 

Also, the formatting of this post got a little wonky and is starting to give me a headache.  Sorry for the lack of symmetry/size issues in the photos and captions and thanks for sticking with me this long if you even got to the end of reading all this.  Ok, tired and have miles to go before I sleep...signing off.