She’s finally here!

Her name is Gem.

She came into the world at six pounds, ten ounces.

We’re thrilled and blessed beyond belief!

For those of you who were interested in the backstory on her name…

Gem refers to a precious stone and embodies who she is to us and our hopes for her. She’s sacred, unique, and like a gemstone waiting to be discovered and mined.

Gems are crafted in the earth over time as we believe her character will be.

While gems may be hard and tough they’re also often translucent – solid with substance but vulnerable with her insides visible to others. Light shines through her and she glitters with color.

The idea of a precious stone from the earth also goes well with her big sister as the star from the sky.

Her middle name is Athena.

Athena has its roots in greek mythology. She was a virginal goddess (that’s right) who is found in many heroic legends.

She’s also the goddess of wisdom, justice, and the arts (yes all of that).

Athena is also a key character in Battlestar Galactica and only true sci-fi geeks would know the profound implications of who she is.

And with that, we’re tired.

Her latest statements of rebellion

“You don’t say no, I say no”

“You’re not a teacher, you’re just a daddy”

When flushing the toilet…

“Good bye poo, poo – have a great day”

When bumping into inanimate objects

“whoops, sorry man!”

Stellar received an unbelievable amount of gifts this Christmas. We decided to give most of them away. She has more than enough already and we fear all the toys are making her depreciate everything else she already has. Future birthdays we’ll be more intentionally channeling gifts that people want to give to far better causes.

We had her drop of each toy and say ‘have a nice home’ to Toy Mountain. We told her there were lots of kids with no toys and some without mommy’s and daddy’s who could use the toys more… I’d like to think she understood.

* This is just one of the batches we gave away. If you suspect one of your gifts were given away – it seriously had nothing to do with the gift – they were awesome gifts! They’ve being well loved with a child who appreciates it even more now. Thanks for being generous.

Fresh from our ultrasound today.

And yes, she’s a girl!  That or the boy has a really small wee wee… which just couldn’t possibly be.

That makes three girls in my life now.  I’m officially surrounded, but not surrendering anytime soon.

Great time with my daughter tonight. Here’s a piglet pumpkin carving I made for her followed by a short clip of her in her borrowed monkey costume.

Okay, I might be a little bit biased. My wife just got into photography and I think she’s awesome. She’s just starting out with an entry level DSLR and borrowed lenses, but I think she’s on to something. Most of her shots are of our daughter, but her ‘portfolio’ will be quickly expanding.

I designed a sleek and simple site at yvonnechiu.com where you’ll find her latest stuff. Drop her a comment and some love, and maybe she’ll take a shot of your pretty mug.

Our little girl blowing bubbles at Luminato (Arts and creativity festival) downtown Toronto.

… that and some breakfast in bed.

Here’s Stellar downing her favorite pomegranate and blueberry juice

Stellar went to the fantasy fair in woodbine mall yesterday.

Her first time on a merry-go-round by herself

She’s really into the caged animal look

Her first time in a bumper boat.

This below video might be a bit boring for most, but it was sweet for me seeing her in this knowing how much she loves water. I’m going to get that kid who did the hit and run though.