The Parenting Tales of Teo: Part Nine

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, a specialty store in Whittier. We enjoyed the event, which featured delicious boba drinks, dim sum (Chinese hors d’oeuvres), and a lion dance performance.</li><li>April was the month where Teo welcomed his cousin, Elias, into the world! A special shoutout to Elias’ parents, Stephanie (Kay’s cousin) and Marvin, as they begin their journey as parents. I look forward to Teo and Elias having many play dates with one another. Marvin and I have talked about the boys eventually becoming little league baseball teammates, so perhaps we have two future Los Angeles Dodgers on our hands.</li><li>Teo attended his first college graduation in May! Our family was on hand to witness Mari (who is also Teo’s godmother) earn a master’s degree in teaching from the University of Southern California. With her kindness, intelligence, and sense of humor, we have no doubt she is destined to be the next great high school history teacher.</li><li>Teo’s good buddy, Logan, celebrated his first birthday in May. Logan’s parents, Valerie (Kay’s bridesmaid) and Jorge, celebrated the occasion with a fun Donald Duck-themed party at their home. Teo’s cousin, Ian, ironically celebrated his fourth birthday that same day. Ian’s parents, Betus (Kay’s cousin) and Reyna, marked the occasion by hosting a fun Cookie Monster-themed party at Los Angeles’ famed Griffith Park.</li><li>Teo received his first piece of Los Angeles Lakers gear in May. Kay and I attended a playoff game between the Lakers (her favorite team) and Golden State Warriors (my favorite team). It was held at Crypto.com Arena and at

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tendees were given Lakers towels, which we gave to Teo. Although the Lakers won the game and series, I still enjoyed our date night. Kay and I have agreed to raise Teo as a Lakers, Dodgers, and Las Vegas Raiders fan. (I was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Raiders were based in Oakland at the time.) Although Teo is a Los Angeles native, it is important for him to know his Bay Area roots.</li><li>This summer is shaping up to be fun with Teo’s first birthday scheduled to take place in August. Wow, the past year has flown by quickly! Watching him grow from a newborn to a soon-to-be toddler with opinions of his own has been amazing. Although he is still in the early stages of speaking, he makes his likes and dislikes clear through body language. He likes eating chicken, fruits, and vegetables. He has mixed feelings about eating beef. He likes cuddling with Kay and me. He dislikes pulling shirts over his face when he changes his clothes.</li><li>Teo still has many milestones ahead of him. First day of kindergarten. Graduating from college. Perhaps even getting married and starting a family of his own. Although aging is an inevitable part of the human experience, part of me as his father selfishly wishes he could stay young forever. Impossible, of course, but wishful thinking is not against the law. All I can do is enjoy every moment of his childhood and teach him to be a kind, honest, generous, loyal, and hardworking adult. He is already off to a great start, and I cannot wait to see what this kid accomplishes in his life.</li></ul></article></body>

The Parenting Tales of Teo: Part Nine

Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

April and May were busy months for my son, Mateo (or “Teo,” for short). Not only did he turn nine months old a few weeks ago, but he also developed his first tooth and learned to say “papa.” His ability to crawl and sit unassisted have also improved greatly. I predict he could have the strength and coordination to walk by the time he turns one year old.

Teo loves watching “Canticos” (@canticosworld on Instagram) on YouTube! It is a bilingual (Spanish and English) educational show that teaches numbers, letters, and more through nursery rhymes and songs. He and my goddaughter, Moon, had the good fortune of meeting Susie Jaramillo, president and chief creative officer of Canticos, at the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in April. My wife, Kay, sisters-in-law, Quet (Moon’s mother) and Mari, and I were also in attendance. Jaramillo not only sang songs featured on the show, but also autographed Canticos books we had purchased at the event.

Teo also loves Bitty Bao (@bitty.bao), which creates bilingual (Cantonese and English) educational literature. The company is growing quickly and had hosted a launch party in April at Local Fixture, a specialty store in Whittier. We enjoyed the event, which featured delicious boba drinks, dim sum (Chinese hors d’oeuvres), and a lion dance performance.

April was the month where Teo welcomed his cousin, Elias, into the world! A special shoutout to Elias’ parents, Stephanie (Kay’s cousin) and Marvin, as they begin their journey as parents. I look forward to Teo and Elias having many play dates with one another. Marvin and I have talked about the boys eventually becoming little league baseball teammates, so perhaps we have two future Los Angeles Dodgers on our hands.

Teo attended his first college graduation in May! Our family was on hand to witness Mari (who is also Teo’s godmother) earn a master’s degree in teaching from the University of Southern California. With her kindness, intelligence, and sense of humor, we have no doubt she is destined to be the next great high school history teacher.

Teo’s good buddy, Logan, celebrated his first birthday in May. Logan’s parents, Valerie (Kay’s bridesmaid) and Jorge, celebrated the occasion with a fun Donald Duck-themed party at their home. Teo’s cousin, Ian, ironically celebrated his fourth birthday that same day. Ian’s parents, Betus (Kay’s cousin) and Reyna, marked the occasion by hosting a fun Cookie Monster-themed party at Los Angeles’ famed Griffith Park.

Teo received his first piece of Los Angeles Lakers gear in May. Kay and I attended a playoff game between the Lakers (her favorite team) and Golden State Warriors (my favorite team). It was held at Crypto.com Arena and attendees were given Lakers towels, which we gave to Teo. Although the Lakers won the game and series, I still enjoyed our date night. Kay and I have agreed to raise Teo as a Lakers, Dodgers, and Las Vegas Raiders fan. (I was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Raiders were based in Oakland at the time.) Although Teo is a Los Angeles native, it is important for him to know his Bay Area roots.

This summer is shaping up to be fun with Teo’s first birthday scheduled to take place in August. Wow, the past year has flown by quickly! Watching him grow from a newborn to a soon-to-be toddler with opinions of his own has been amazing. Although he is still in the early stages of speaking, he makes his likes and dislikes clear through body language. He likes eating chicken, fruits, and vegetables. He has mixed feelings about eating beef. He likes cuddling with Kay and me. He dislikes pulling shirts over his face when he changes his clothes.

Teo still has many milestones ahead of him. First day of kindergarten. Graduating from college. Perhaps even getting married and starting a family of his own. Although aging is an inevitable part of the human experience, part of me as his father selfishly wishes he could stay young forever. Impossible, of course, but wishful thinking is not against the law. All I can do is enjoy every moment of his childhood and teach him to be a kind, honest, generous, loyal, and hardworking adult. He is already off to a great start, and I cannot wait to see what this kid accomplishes in his life.