Here are some stories from the Taiwan trip:

On the long 13 hour flight, Alex did really well. The flight wasn't very full at all and so Dad, Alex, and I were in a 5 person row all by ourselves. Conrad shared a 5 person row with a mom and her 2yr 9 mo son.? Alex really liked playing with Conrad in his row.? He also played with little boy a few times (traded toys).? He really was a much better behaved boy than the other kid.? On that flight, I was able to get him a nap around his normal nap time and he slept for about 2 1/2-3 hours. By the time we were approaching Japan, it was past his bedtime but I couldn't get him to sleep then. When we landed in Japan it was midday there and very bright in the airport. I tried to get him to lie down and nap (that was the picture I sent of him and Conrad) but he just didn't sleep.? He fell asleep on the airplane before we even took off while I was holding him.? At that point it was like 2 or 3 in the morning Dallas time and so he was pretty tired.? He woke up 1 1/2 hours later and was fussy (as to be expected).? But he was only upset for a few minutes. After 30-45 min, he fell back asleep for the rest of the flight.? We got through the airport and security without much incident.

We got to the hotel around 8:30 pm local time.? We all went over to the Sida area (where we would go for breakfast) where we had some really good chinese food (the flat bread things that are like green onion cakes). We walked around for quite a while. Then we came back and took a shower and we got to bed around 12:30 local time.? He slept till 6ish (we all did) then we got up and went over to breakfast around 7:30 am.? He doesn't like taxis for some reason. He gets upset everytime we get into a taxi and then calms down a few minutes later.? We had the usual yummy breakfast and got back to the hotel.? We then took a cab over to Grandpa/grandmas. Alex is shy around grandma and the aunts.? He is still not sure what to make of them. Conrad and I took turns watching Alex at the grandparents house while the other would go to visit grandpa in the hospital.? Alex is really doing great for me.? He's playing and eating well.

A couple of funny things he said/did during the trip:
At one point on the airplane he says "Dad, May I jump out?" I ask him" Jump out of the airplane ?" He says " YES, jump out and SKYDIVE!" I tell him no and that he has to be 18 before he can jump out.

I think he still has some residual memories of the last time he was here.? He asked where Santa Clause is (remember the giant inflatable
Santa last time) and he keeps looking for christmas lights.

He loves the shower with the handheld spout.? It's like a water game for him and it was easy to give him a shower.

Alex continues to do really well over here.? He's a little tired and it throws him off at times, but overall he is doing well.?

He takes after you in that he hogs the entire bed.? I woke up several times to find this tiny not-yet-three year old has parked himself right in the middle of the bed and is spread eagle so I have very little room on the bed.? Then I'm scared to move him so I perch on the edge and hope I don't roll off.? He woke me up this morning by putting his nose right on my nose and his eyes as wide open as he could, then when I opened my eyes, he giggled maniacally.? He then did this over and over again. (btw right now it's 1:24 and he's sitting in bed watching tv. He actually said to me "Dad, I'm a little tired" and "Dad, may I take a nap please?")

For some reason he really doesn't like taxis and he's asking to be carried a lot more than usual.? The new places and experiences are a little overwhelming I think.? He's pretty shy around the aunts but he gave grandma a hug today when he saw her.

Alex is quite the hit with the young ladies around here.? He alwaysdraws attention and is instantly being waved at.? He hasn't had a melt down yet.? He's just had a couple of times where he was little upset mostly because he was just tired.?

He had 5 whole shiao long baos this morning (the type of breakfast meat pockets that I like). He's eating pretty well, the buns often have vegetable and meat fillings and he's eaten the whole thing.?

He watched Conrad do some pushups this morning and asked him what he was doing. Conrad told him "I'm doing pushups you want to do some?"... Alex said "No, I want to do this" and then proceeded to do his little Alex dance.? It was pretty funny.

Well it is 11:33 pm on June 30th. I'm (Leon) sitting here holding my baby boy in my left arm. I am so glad he is finally here. It has been an exciting and challenging couple of weeks. It has also been tiring and busy so I haven't had a chance to fill out the blog. Brenda went into labor on Tuesday, June 14th around 7:30 pm. Her contractions started out at about 30 min apart and quickly got to 10 min apart. As they progressed, I got more and more excited. I must admit I was grinning from ear to ear. By the time her contractions were 5 min apart ( which is when the doc told us we should head to the hospital) I was almost skipping for joy.

We headed toward the hospital at around 1:00 am. By the time the nurse and doctor made the decision that we were staying, it was around 3:30 am. By around 4:30 am, Brenda had just about had all the pain that she wanted. The contractions were consistently 5 min apart and were obviously very painful. The anesthesiologist came and gave her an epidural around 5:15 am and Brenda was very grateful. She was then actually able to get a couple of hours of sleep (as did I).

The doctor showed up the next morning and broke Brenda's water around 7:30 am. Brenda progressed along perfectly and around 11:00 am the doctor came in and said that Brenda was just about ready to push if she wanted to start trying. Brenda was happy to accomodate and so the doctor and nurse started to setup all the stuff they needed. They wheeled in this huge tray of medical devices, some of which looked like they were designed to amputate appendages. Of all the items on the table, and there were around 40, I think the doctor used a couple of clamps and a plastic cup. By 11:40 am, the doctor told Brenda to start pushing.

Now something that I never knew about was that apparently a woman's contractions start to slow down and get further apart when she actually starts to push. This meant that sometimes we would have to wait 15-20 minutes between pushes rather than the 5 min or so that I thought it would be. If she had a couple more contractions closer together, Alex would have been born a bit sooner. With the epidural, Brenda didn\'t feel any pain until the very end. This made for a very surreal scene in the delivery room. The doctor would say, \"Okay Brenda now push!\" and the nurse would start counting, Brenda would start grunting and turning red, and I would help hold her legs and talk her through it. The pushing part was very much like it is in the movies. In between pushes though was just kind of weird. After each pushing effort, the doctor and nurse would make small talk about lasik surgery or forgetting their children's swimsuits when going to birthday parties. Different people would crack jokes and we'd all laugh, NOTHING like what I expected would happen during labor. Very surreal to me. Anyways, after about an hour and a half, Alex came out at 1:03 pm June 15th.

Now to say that was an emotional moment would be a gross understatement. I don't think I will ever be able to truly explain that moment and those feelings to anyone who hasn't had a child. The doctor and nurse were amazing. As soon as Alex came, the very first thing they did was lay him on Brenda's chest. Then they started to clean him up and everything while Brenda held him. Alex was wailing away the entire time, he started crying as soon as he came out! But the moment that Brenda could actually get a few words out, Alex quieted right down. He knew Brenda's voice immediately. It was incredible to witness.

Brenda was such a trooper throughout the entire birth process and throughout these past two weeks. I really got lucky when I found my wife. I'm proud of you Brenda and I'm proud to be your husband.

After a few minutes, the nurse took Alex across the room to a warmer and started footprints and all that cool stuff. I got to watch and take pictures. After she was done, she bundled Alex up and handed him over to me and then finally I was able to hold my son. After three years of trying to have children, after all the pain and heartache, after all the humiliating and degrading doctor visits, after being made to believe that I would never be able to have children, I was able to hold my baby boy in my arms. I will never ever forget the way I felt at that moment. The feelings of pride, relief, pure joy that I felt are simply indescribable.

The next few days were kind of a blur, there were somethings that stuck out for me personally, like seeing my brother hold Alex and the smile on my dad's face when he saw Alex for the first time. All of the well wishes that we received from our friends and family were very appreciated. Everyone has been so supportive and excited for us.

June 15th, 2005 was an incredible day in our lives. I look forward to each and every day forward with my wife by my side as we guide our son through his life.

My mom has done a terrific job posting daily pictures of Alex on our website so be sure to check them out! I will try to do a better job of keeping this blog up to date.

Leon