Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Christmas 2011

What a year!!! I can't believe we're entering a new year with Wes. When will it sink in that we have a son?! I watch him play and flip through his books, and it hits me like mack truck...OMG, I'm a mom! What!? And this is my son!! This insanely cute little human being is mine and I'm his. Seriously?!?! Life couldn't possibly get better than this, could it? I have so much to be thankful for. Life is great because God is great.

This was my first real tree!! We've always had those fake plastic ones due to my dad's allergies. But in our new home, a real tree was the only way to go. Wes kept flicking the ornaments around. I told him to stop and he decided that flicking them harder would make me happy. Punk.


Remember this place? We didn't take Bug with us this time :( But my SIL came along...and of course, W! We were so excited to show him this magical place.



We hosted Christmas at our house this year. Our table was too small and we still had unpacked boxes in our dining room. We had just finished staining our bookcase so the house smelled all chemically. But it was sooo much fun! My SIL loves Whole Foods. I'm talking LOVES that place! So, we had a Whole Foods Christmas. Everything was store-prepared and bought. (Thank you, Auntie C!) All we had to do was heat it up and plate it. Wonderful!! And the turkey, OMG. It was the most delicious, moist turkey I've ever had!!! Everything was so yummy!!! My MIL made a bunch of yummy sides and my mom made her traditional pumpkin cake. YUM!!!




We finally got to use our wedding China! P chose it, good taste, eh?


When I'm not looking, my mom will feed W anything and everything. Makes me crazy but if it weren't for her, I'd probably still be feeding him rice cereal. W was eating smoked Gouda and he loved it. Who knew.

Presents!!!! Tissue paper...toss.

Clothes...toss.

More clothes...toss.

Box...toss. This went on for a little bit.

Here's grandpa giving W his Christmas card.

And here's W giving it right back. LOL!

We went to Downtown Disney a few days later...you know..as a warm up to the real thing! Can't wait!!!

W's grandparents were determined to buy him a toy while were there and they ended up getting his a giant box of Legos! A classic toy that I loved as a kid. I can't wait until W plays with them, too! I'm sure I'll twist an ankle from tripping on them, but a small price for this awesome toy!

Walk like a man, my son.




Right now, it's a couple hours until 2012. I'm sitting at home with my P and Bug. We have watched the ball drop on TV for many years now and though it was unintentional, it has become a tradition I love. I guess the homebody in me will always love any occasion that requires me to stay home. Keke.

I'm curious to know what this new year will bring. I just pray that my family stays healthy and happy. Everything else is just icing on the cake. HAPPY NEW YEAR AND GOD BLESS!!!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Yada Yada Yada



The holidays are zipping by this year. Last year, it was W's first Thanksgiving and Christmas. I felt so unprepared. This year was supposed to be different. But of course, it wasn't. We didn't have a traditional Thanksgiving because P was on call and worked both Thursday and Friday. No Black Friday shopping. No carving of the big bird. I did, however, make these killer Thanksgiving sandwiches. I think I've started a new tradition!


Now that W's birthday has passed and we no longer have to stay up latepreparingfor it, we've finally started to focus on finishing the house again. The most exciting addition will be .... are you ready? Bookshelves!!! I'm so excited! I miss my books!!! Poor guys have been stuck in boxes for years and they'll finally be free! Once we stain and seal the shelves, that is.


As for W, he's still cute as hell. Tee hee. He's been babbling a lot, pointing at things, shouting at strangers, and still dancing. His favorite thing to do lately is hanging out in parking lots saying "Cah! Cah!" while pointing to all the cars, moving or parked. He also spends a good portion of his day moving his arms around while saying "Round-round. Round-round." The boy loves his ceiling fans. He'll grab out hands and put on the remote to make us turn the fans on. In fact, he's been grabbing our hands and instructing us to do all sorts of things. He's becoming quite bossy, actually.

Though his progress with walking is slow, his vocabulary is ever expanding. Perhaps, he takes after his mama. He makes all sorts of animal sounds...elephant, tiger, lion, owl, dog, cat, cow, etc. We're working on naming body parts, but I have a feeling he'll be naming different types of food first. Remember how we had a "cookie" problem? Well, that's gone now. In fact, I tried to get him to say it again the other day. The word "cookie" has officially been erased from his vocabulary. Shame, isn't it? He has a new word, though. Banana. Actually, it's "uh-na-na." I can't go through the produce department without having him shouting "uh-na-na!! uh-na-na!!" I keep the bananas on the counter in the kitchen and have to strategically go the long way around when I'm carrying him so that he doesn't see them.


Oh! and he shoots Bug. Bug doesn't play dead, but this doesn't seem to bother W. He still fires away whenever he sees him. And as if Bug doesn't have enough to worry about, W has decided to hand feed him his food. So, now he hangs out next to the dog bowl, grabbing dog food from the bowl and holding it out for Bug to devour. Sweet, right?
Try explaining this to the dog. He hates W more than ever. Sigh.

But wait. The biggest news that I'm so excited to share is that I am nursing...NO MORE! It was sudden and took me totally by surprise. We decided to drop the middle feeding... hoping to wean him. Shortly after, one night, he decided he wasn't in the mood for a night cap. It's gotta be a fluke. The next morning...nothing..nada...didn't want it. This can't be happening. Did I just get dumped??

I was happy at first. But then I began to feel really sad. This was our "thing." Our bond. Our unique connection from the moment he was born! And out of no where, he pulls the rug right out from under me!! No good bye hug. No thank you card. Instead, he pulls dead weight, slides off my lap and crawls to his toys. Sigh. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. This is what I wanted after all. My freedom back. Still. I miss it. There's nothing more precious and special. There really isn't.


I guess I better get used to this slow yet palpable display of independence. He's becoming more and more "little boy" and less like my baby boy :( Doing things like eating with a spoon and pointing to his crib when he's tired. Oh, the heartache. I find myself hugging (more like squeezing) him more and more every day. It's my feeble attempt to hold on to the baby that is no more. I know I should be focusing on making sure he grows up to be a well-rounded individual and, more importantly, an independent who can take care of himself. Sometimes I wish I could just leave all that sort of parental rearing to P. I just want to be the one that always has time to play hide'n'seek and has fresh cookies baking in the oven.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Giving Thanks


Some self-righteous people may say "Why is it that we have this holiday to remind us of all that we have?? Shouldn't everyday be Thanksgiving?" Well, yes. Obviously. But we're celebrating a moment in US history, not the act of gratitude. However, I will take this opportunity to talk about my many blessings and completely ignore the Pilgrims and the Indians. Afterall, they're not my ancestors!

This past year has been .... a roller coaster of events. Though the dips were horrible and scary, the climb has been absolutely fantastic! We have our new home, one that I already love with all my heart. It still looks like we're unpacking (which we are), but perhaps, it doesn't bother me as much because... well, how bad can it be to unpack in your very own home?!?! Not bad at all. So we're just milking the experience and taking our sweet ass time.

We're most grateful for Mr. Wonderful, here.

My son. The most beautiful creature I've ever seen. P and I spend most of our time wondering how we came to deserve such a wonderful little boy. The truth is, we don't. We SOOOO don't. But here he is anyway and we thank God everyday for this amazing blessing of a child.

Oh and we finally got pictures of our little rock star on his birthday!! Enjoy!!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Poor Baby

My poor little W is sick. There were a couple of false alarms in the past (hey, I'm new at this, okay?) but this time, he's actually sick. How do I know? Because I pulled out about a pound of snot from his nose this morning :(

This is the sunniest room in the house, and even then it is still pretty chilly in there.

Ahh...ahh..ahhh...

CHOOO!!!!

It's so cute when he sneezes because he knows we're going to say "Bless You!" So now, whenever he sneezes, he immediately looks at us..and waits for us to say it before going about his business again.

It's actually good that he caught a cold. He can build up that immunity finally. It's pretty crazy that he's been virus free up until now. I guess when you eat well and sleep well, you stay well.

The room eventually got warmer with the sun shining through. Look at my little man drinking his milk. So cute!

If only I could teach him to place the cup back down nicely instead of tossing it aside like a piece of trash.


He's looking at himself in the mirror, thinking, "damn, even sick, I look good!" Sick but still in good spirits. What a trooper!


If you have time, watch this video of him dancing...

Monday, October 24, 2011

Survival Mode

Sometimes, I think W can read. When I'm not looking, he climbs up the stairs, goes into our room, grabs the baby guide books and then does exactly what they say. It sounds crazy but with the little sleep I get these days, I feel crazy. Basically what I'm saying is that W can be so textbook sometimes, it's as if he's doing it on purpose. So a few weeks ago, he started waking up earlier in the morning. This is totally fine since I'm tired anyway. But then just starting last week, he started waking up around 5am. Going to bed around midnight....only to wake up a few hours later. It's so brutal, I can't even tell you my thought process at that time. You would label me a bad mother, I'm sure.

I could NOT figure it out!!! What happened to my 12-hour baby?!!! Well, after I swore to never read another baby book again, I swallowed my pride and cracked one open. This book got me to drop 3 night feedings easily, so I thought...why not. After skimming a few pages, I found my answer. I have a textbook 12-month old toddler. One who suffers from separation anxiety. Sigh. Like...BAD. One second he's super clingy, then the next he's punching to get free. Along with that is the fact that he's working out a few kinks with his talking and walking. W is far from walking. In fact, while all his friends are pretty much walking, W still prefers to crawl. He's only just started really cruising. Everyone keeps telling me to enjoy it because once he starts to walk, it's a lot harder. Against my better judgement, I'm going to believe them. I need to see the silver lining.

As for the talking, he's much more advanced. He's like a parrot. Okay, maybe not a parrot. But close! It was fun at first just trying him to get to say one word. But now if I just repeat myself for a couple of hours..he'll say it, too. Sure, he mixes up a few letters here and there, but he's talking!!! Banana = uh-na-na. Halmuhni = ham-mi. Buggie = ug- bi/uggi. I love you = i- ooo.
Audrey (his friend) = od-di. Car = cah. Tree = tee. He also has his own words for things that no matter how many times I correct him, he refuses to say it the right way. Not that I care. I'm just glad I can understand what he wants.

There is one word that he has mastered and it's a doozy. P taught it to him one afternoon and it has haunted us ever since. Our baby is now a cookie monster. If I hadn't bought his Halloween costume already, I'd be dressing him up as just that!! That is all he says now! Cookie. Cookie! COOKIE!!! Actually, it's more like coo- gee. It's insanely cute and I wouldn't mind it so much except that one night he decided he no longer wanted to eat his food. Just cookies. That's what he kept repeating and I freaked out. I think I made 3-4 different meals in under a 1/2 hour!! Iron chef ain't got nothin' on me! Eventually, he ate oatmeal. But promptly asked for coo-gee when he was done. This went on for about a week when I decided...he can no longer have anything that remotely resembles a cookie. Not even Cheerios. You weren't even allowed to say the word "cookie" in our house. One day, after nursing him at 5am, both of us very drowsy and out of it, he suddenly springs up and says "coo-gee!" Seriously?! That's the first thing that was on his mind. Probably dreamt about it all night, too! LOL!

Did the cookie ban work? It kind of worked. He's back to eating his normal foods with less resistance. He's even lost his pronunciation of the word a little bit since no one is allowed to say it anymore, he no longer has a reference. It's kind of sad but a must for now. My boy has got to be healthy and eating. The word however still surfaces daily but is now used for any food that he likes. If he likes mashed potatoes...it's now coo-gee. Bread...also coo-gee. Sigh. What'dya gonna do, right?

The lack of sleep has me thinking back to the recent past when W was just a newborn and eating every 3 hours. Day AND night. Man, I do not miss that one bit!! I don't know how I survived that at all. When I think about those night feedings, I suddenly feel lonely and depressed. At the time, that is pretty much how I felt. The feedings took much longer at that time. 30-45 minutes!!! And it was tricky because the baby is hungry as well as very tired. So, he keeps falling asleep!! This is not good, folks, because you want him to finish eating. Otherwise he'll be up in an hour again...crying for more. But it's tricky because you can't wake them fully. That would be a nightmare. You just wanna jostle them enough to remind them to suck...but in a drowsy state. Um, can someone explain to me how we, as humans, have not evolved beyond this craziness? It's 2 am and I have no energy or wit to concentrate on keeping the baby "semi- awake!" I can barely get my eyelids to unstick! Then after an hour of this nonsense, I'm tired, hot from all the concentrating or something, and bitter. Very bitter. Bitter that my husband is sleeping soundly and uninterrupted while I play the nursing ninja next door. Seriously don't know how I'm going to be able to do that again. Where there's will, I guess.

I feel a little bit like I did back then...running on fumes. It was easy for a while but this early morning waketime, along with his suddenly picky palate, has got me working overtime. I'm so tired, I don't even want to waste time crying about it. I'd much rather just sleep.

Good night.

@ indoor playground with friends...



It was difficult getting into the slide ... but sooo worth it. Look how much fun he's having!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

My Little Pumpkin

We went to a pumpkin patch this weekend. I thought it would be a nice, mellow activity to do as a family. Boy! was I wrong! This place was so crazy busy!! It was also blazing hot if you weren't in the shade. Ugh. My mistake was going to pumpkin patch that had a carnival like atmosphere. You know, the ones with rides and games. Next time, it'll be a just a regular pumpkin patch with pumpkins ONLY.

Regardless, I'm glad we went. W was so cute surrounded by all that squash!

At first, he was like..um..this seat is really uncomfortable.

I found a better spot for his cushy little tushy.

Soon, he was lovin' it! Did Airplane and everything!

Yes, you're awesome!

Choo choo!!! Too bad we didn't have 2 other friends to be on the train with him.

Not sure why he was clapping but he was really enjoying himself.


Look at these giant pumpkins~! Do you know how much baby food I could make with just one of these?!

I originally wanted to get a couple of pumpkins to carve. But the heat and crowd drained me of all my energy and the thought of cleaning out pumpkins changed my mind. Besides, my little pumpkin is all I need.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Bug Love Friday

Well, we know for sure that W loves Bug. One day, I hope I can title a post "Bug loves W Friday."




I think Bug's warmed up to our baby a little. He goes up to him now and sort of licks him, assuming there is food on W's face. And since W has gotten better at petting Bug (and by petting, I mean smacking), Bug actually seeks W's attention from time to time. It's really sweet. And I know somewhere inside, he loves him enough to protect him because when we suction our little booger's boogers, Bug gets to howling. He doesn't care for sirens or the such, but for W, he howls. So cute.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

It's My Party And I'll Cry If I Want To!!

Finally! It's done and over. W's party was a success. Well, that's what I hear anyway. I honestly don't remember very much of it. I was sooooo busy running around setting things up, feeding W, trying to make sure everything is going smoothly, I didn't even get to eat the main course!!! Pasta! My favorite and I didn't get a single bite. Sigh.

Even though my mom and I got there super early, it still took me over an hour to set up. Crazy, right? I wish I could've cloned myself just for one hour. My back is a little achy from all the lifting and packing/unpacking I had to do. And even though I had some help with the setup, I was walking back and forth so much that my feet were killing before the party had even started! Basically, all I could think about during the whole thing was, "Ow, my aching feet!" and "It is so hot in here!"

We didn't take any pictures ourselves (as if I had the time) so I'm extremely glad we hired a photographer. It'll be a while before we get to see any of the photos but hopefully they will post a few of them on their blog. I hope they came out okay and I hope my face isn't all shiny from all the sweat. Who forgot to bring her powder? That would be me.

I knew W would have a hard time with all the attention and people. He gets overwhelmed pretty easily. But he did have plenty of smiles as well, especially when he was crawling around or when he was eating. The big question is...what did he pick for his doljabi? Well, he didn't really. He just stared at the items for a really long time, looked around and starting laughing and crawling over the stuff! LOL!!! He kept doing this and finally we decided to designate the stethoscope as his choice. Not because he grabbed it, but because it was the item he touched the longest. I know, kinda lame and anticlimactic.

Our proudest achievement was having made the photobooth. That's right. We MADE it. We still have a few kinks to work out but for the most part, it's great! Here are a few of my favorite photos...









Aw, my poor little W. He just finished crying. Don't you just love his red Converse and crazy hair? So happy he's my son. Can't wait to take more photobooth pictures with him!

My baby is now a toddler and it's still hard for me to think of him this way. It's been the most incredible year of my life. Nothing compares. I hope one day, he will be able to read this little journal of mine and know just how much we love him. Every one always says "enjoy him when he's this little," and we absolutely have. I already miss his gummy smile, the funny newborn faces he used to make, all his pudginess!, his crying face (so cute!), his crazy hairs, his chuckling when he sleeps... ALL OF IT. Sigh, he's already acting so grown up. Where did my baby boy go?

Well, I know much more fun is ahead of us. I welcome the challenges of raising our little man. Who wants to guess item gets ruined first?! LOL!