10.5 Months

Remembering Mama Nguyen

Kathy Cuc Nguyen

1953 ~ 2011
Kathy Cuc Nguyen passed away peacefully at her home on September 26, 2011 after a long struggle with cancer. She was surrounded by her beloved family as her soul left this earth. Kathy was born in Da Nang, Vietnam on April 21, 1953, the first child born to Be Tran and Phat Huynh. She relocated to Utah in 1979 with her husband and two young children.
She was a loving and caring grandmother, mother, wife and sister. Kathy Cuc Nguyen was named after the chrysanthemum flower and was always in full bloom when surrounded by her children and siblings. She loved big family gatherings and traveling. She always made sacrifices for her family and did her best to help others. Kathy contributed to an orphanage in her hometown of Da Nang and intended to contribute to orphanages in more rural parts of Vietnam before her health issues made it impossible for her to travel. Her children intend to fulfill her wish and contribute to an orphanage.
She is survived by her husband, Ngu Nguyen; her four children Hanhngan (Tuan), Nghia , Hanhnga and Hanhnghi (Frank); her three grandchildren MaiLien, Matthew and MaiKaylee; her ten siblings, Lanh, Ty, Dzung, Giang Nhat, Hue, Phuong, Hoa, Huu, Ngoc Hoa and Hai; and her parents Phat Huynh and Be Tran.
A viewing will be held from 4-6 PM on Friday, September 30, 2011 at Redwood Memorial 6500 S. Redwood Road. A funeral service will be held at the same location at 11 AM on Saturday, October 1, 2011 with a ceremony at 9:30 AM for family and friends.
Online condolences may be left at www.memorialutah.com.

Attitude of Gratitude

The last 17 months have been hard. It is not easy to have a new baby, and it is especially not easy to have a new baby who has a whole slew of medical and extra needs. However, even though it has been hard, we have made it. We are thriving and striving as a family, and Quinn is a perfect little toddler (who still has some extra needs...but is perfect, none the less.) And the reason we are in such good shape is because of our family, friends, and the community. We would not be here without you all, and I don't know if I say it enough, but thank you and we are forever grateful for all the support we have received.

We have received support in so many ways, and I will never be able to repay everyone who helped us get to this point, but I do hope people know that I think about it everyday and I am so appreciative.

I want to say thank you to everyone who prayed, sent vibes, and thought of Quinn when she was so small and in need of so much love.

I want to say thank you to the nurses and doctors who saved her life.

I want to say thank you to everyone who respected our need for space and healing right after Quinn was born.

I want to say thank you for every kind text, email, card, voice mail, and phone call we received.

I want to say thank you to everyone who let me complain, cry, or share my joy with them.

I want to say thank you to everyone who watches Quinn (our parents and siblings) while we are at work.

I want to say thank you to everyone who brought us dinner. I want to say thank you to everyone who has given Quinn a gift.

I want to say thank you for everyone who contributed to Quinn's March of Dimes team, walked with us, and came to her party.

I want to thank everyone who was patient and understanding with our time of house arrest, and helped us keep Quinn so healthy.

I want to say thank you to everyone who cleaned our house, and helped put together our nursery. And thank you for all those offers to clean our house.

I want to say thank you to everyone who has given us pictures of Quinn.

I want to say thank you to everyone who continues to love and be a champion of Quinn.

We are really so grateful, and appreciative and lucky. Thank you!

In addition, I am especially grateful for Dalan. Kind, loving, and patient Dalan. This journey has been crazy, but I literally would not have survived without him. Thank you for being you...a fabulous husband, dad, and friend.

Fair!

Last weekend we spent an afternoon at the Utah State Fair! It was so much fun, and one of the events I look forward to each year. I love the animals, the food, the activities, and of course, the people watching. We went with LaDene, Ron, VaRonica, Mary Lou, and Dave. It was a blast. Quinn loved it too. She loved the seeing all the animals. She went on a pony ride, and even went on the giant slide.

Go Utes!

Utah beat BYU quite badly last night. (54 to 10)

Our whole family wore our Utah red to the fair (more on that to come later, because there are a ton of pictures!) and Quinn was a crowd stopper!

Later that night we went to my parents' house to watch the first half of the game. Dalan watched the second half at home online, while Quinn slept, and I kind of watched....ha!

Go Utes!



And here are some pictures of Quinn is her Utah gear last year around this time.

Some Pictures and Stuff

This is from after Quinn's bath last night. I love it. It combines most of Quinn's favorite things...a mirror, a camera, and a mama. And my most favorite thing a freshly bathed Quinn!



This is a graph we made in class today. I explained what a rivalry was...a friendly competition. (Ha!) And how the BYU/Utah is one of the oldest in the nation. I explained the team colors, mascots, etc, and then let the kids vote, without letting on to my opinion.




Looks like they are a pretty smart bunch.

This is a snapshot of an hour of Quinn's life. She threw dog food all over the kitchen, tried to pillage through the garbage, ate dinner (not pictured), and then pulled all the table cloths out of a cupboard. She never slows down.

Sweet Sixteen

Dearest Quinn,

16 months old, really? Slow down, my dear and stay a baby a little longer for mama, please. You are quickly becoming a full blown toddler right before my very eyes. It is amazing and wonderful, and a little sad. I love all the new things you are learning, but I am going to miss you as a little baby too.

New this month:

* Talking like crazy. I think you know around 14 words, and six animal sounds. You can also sign more and all gone (and you can say gone). You are getting close to independently signing please and thank you.



* So close to walking. You are getting better and better, and can now walk 10 -12 steps at a time. You are also starting to use walking as one of your preferred methods of transportation, although crawling is still number 1.



* You love to give big open mouth kisses. It is so sweet.

* You love to play and be silly. You have the cutest laugh ever.



* You turn all objects into a phone, and love to make "calls."



* You love to read.

* You love to swing and slide at the park.

* You love dancing and music.

* You love animals and other children.





* You love to take a bath.



* You love to have your teeth brushed, and you have six teeth.

* I would describe you as tiny, but dangerous.

* Your hair is getting longer, thicker, and has a definite curl to it. It is still trying to decide on a color.



* You have big blue eyes that stop people in their tracks.

* You are becoming more and more willing to eat, try new things, and actually seem to like food now.


* You take 1-2 naps a day, and sleep about 10 hours a night. Although, making it through the entire night without waking up is not one of your strengths.


* You love going on activities, and to your grandparents' houses.


Well, little Miss Quinnie Bug, we love you so much! You are the best kid in the world! I hope you have a fabulous time in your journey from baby to toddler, because I know Daddy and I are enjoying watching you grow and learn!

Love,

Mama and Dada

Blessings for Two!

I decided when I was pregnant with Quinn that I wanted Nghia to do some sort of blessing ceremony once the baby was born. Well, then Quinn was born early, was in the hospital for four and a half months, and then couldn't be around crowds for another six months. And I kinda forgot about it. Then, at Marie's wedding, Sierra asked me if I would be interested in having Nghia do a double blessing for both Quinn and Odessa. I was so excited. We picked a date, assigned tasks, and the blessing was off and running. This seriously was one of the easiest parties I have ever helped plan.

We held it on September 11 in Milcreek Canyon. We invited about 35 of our friends and family, and Nghia wrote a beautiful blessing ceremony for the girls. The ceremony included quotes from Bob Dylan, Louie Armstrong, and Lynyrd Synyrd. It also included a Vietnamese tradition in which the babies got to chose an item that symbolized their destiny. Quinn chose a flower pot, which represented a love and respect of nature. And Odessa chose an apple, which represented good health.





I would like to say Quinn was mellow and well-behaved during the ceremony, but she was a wild woman. Every other child was behaving, but not Quinn. She was whining, waving, and insisted on crawling. It was funny, there was a line in the ceremony about parents letting go of the children and letting them go into the world, and as Nghia read those lines, off went Quinn.



Speaking of other children, I have to say Becca, Hilary, and Sierra (and me) have some of the cutest, most charming children I have ever met. They are fabulous! Quinn is so lucky to have so many awesome friends already!






*I did not get any photos during the entire event, all of the photos I stole from Hilary and Shelly! Thanks ladies!