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2006 has been an amazing year here in the Liu household! We ended 2005 with the news that Deb was pregnant, and we found out in February that our new addition was a boy. In March, towards the end of her second trimester, Deborah was able to fulfill a long-held dream of visiting Italy, as we spent a whirlwind babymoon going through Florence, Venice, and Rome. I ate a lot of gelato. In May, we became an aunt and an uncle a couple of weeks sooner than expected when Deborah's sister Caroline gave birth to her son Noah on May 28. And about five weeks later, our lives totally changed when Jonathan made his very ruddy appearance on July 9.
The first couple of months with Jonathan were challenging, but we benefited greatly from grandparent support, with Grandma and Grandpa Lau spending the first month with us, and Grandma Liu coming out for the second month. In between, we celebrated Jonathan's one month birthday with a traditional Chinese banquet with family and, a week later, a party at our place with friends. By October, we were ready for a family reunion and scrapbooking trade show in Las Vegas. Jonathan met Grandpa Liu for the first time, as well as his cousin Noah, his aunt Caroline, and his uncle David. He and Noah also served as "booth babes" for the Maya Road booth at the show -- and were very popular with the largely female Maya Road customers. Jonathan was also glad to make his unique contribution to the ambiance of the Maya Road booth.
As the year comes to end, we're preparing to take Jonathan to see his great-grandmother in Hong Kong, where we'll be spending Christmas and New Year's. We're very thankful for God's many blessings to us over 2006, and the kindness and support of all our family and friends. Thank you for being part of our life. We hope to see you in 2007.
David and Deborah
