Los Angeles August 2007

(Everyone knows that Billy's the photographer in the family, which explains why there are significantly fewer pictures during the parts of the trip when brenda and Will are traveling on their own...) The morning we boarded the plane from Oakland for Los Angeles to visit Yvonne and Dave, Yvonne called to say that she was at the hospital and was starting labor. My secret wish for Sonia to arrive early came true!! It is beyond words how very special it was to share in baby Sonia's first few days at home. i have never seen a more beautiful mother immediately after giving birth and the new parents were over the moon with joy for their beautiful, precious baby girl.

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SF/Sonoma/Oakland August 2007

After Bodega Bay, we traveled around the Bay Area. First we were in San Francisco, where we visited our friends Josh and Christina and their newborn son Dylan. Then we went to Sonoma, where brenda's cousin Amy and Han were married. Needless to say, it was a big, fun-filled family reunion - so incredible to witness our ever-expanding family. After Amy and Han's wedding, Billy had to return to Singapore for work while brenda and Will stayed on in Oakland for a few days visiting with Emily, Andy and the very latest addition to our family: Scarlet S. Shinkle. On this leg of the trip, Will's two front teeth started poking through (and my, are they the size of Mommy's teeth!) and he also started cruising around, holding onto furniture.

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Bodega Bay August 2007

In August and September we took a 5-week/12-city tour across the US, visiting family and good friends. Our first stop was Bodega Bay, where we rented a house on the beach with Billy's family, Eric's family, Amanda's family, and Ali and Lauren. Since it was the very beginning of our trip, Will was a bit shy and took a while to warm up. But once he did, he had a great time playing with his cousins Calvin and Charlie and new friends, Tyler and Riley, taking walks on the beach, going to his first county fair, and going trout fishing for the first time. On this first part of the trip, Will learned to use his index finger to point.

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First half of August 2007

We spent the first part of August preparing for our big trip to the States, so it was a nice, unharried couple of weeks at home in Singapore. Will is getting more and more vocal and has learned how to shake his head no - while this makes the lines of communication clearer, it also makes for even messier meal times!

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