Party Time!!!

It was a beautiful celebration for a beautiful little girl! We headed to the OC again for A's first birthday. Unlike all other birthday babies (including W), A didn't cry at her party. What a trooper! A's mommy and daddy did a fantastic job, it was so girly and "sweet." Loved it!!!

According to Auntie J, the bakers didn't comply with any of her instructions. Well, they're Korean!!! Of course, they didn't listen!!! Not to knock on my own people, but honestly, we give new meaning to the phrase "selective hearing." But who can tell? The cake was pretty and, more importantly, it was yummy!!

Look at that face. Look at those eyes. Her dad is gonna have a hard time saying no to this one.

Like I said, she's a happy one. I can't remember that last time I was giggly about a spoon. Sigh.

Um, ladies. Focus, please. I know she's cute but we gotta get this picture.

There we go.

This is M, same age as the birthday girl. And suuuuper cute! He and W had a real good man-to-man talk, over some Cheerios and water.

Here's P, cheeks galore! Oh my gosh. It was a struggle to not bite them. She's so friendly...it makes her daddy worry! LOL!!!

And the most handsomest little boy of all, my W. He was so good! Sigh. I'm so in love.

Awwww....daddies' little girls. Gosh, that's hard to say.

"Dang, guurl, I like your bling!"

"And where did you get those shoes?? I've been looking for a pair just like them!!"

"Hi, how are you?"

"Um....uh....hang on."

"Mooooommy!!!!! She talked to me!!! I don't like girls!!"

"What'd I say?"

Wardrobe change. This was the most gorgeous hambok I've ever seen! A's grandma got it in Korea and was first worn by her 8-year-old cousin. What a nice heirloom, right?

I know, takes your breath away.

What did A choose? Money, money , MONEY!!! Smart girl.

She dabbled with all the objects, but this picture is just to show you how beautiful the embroidery is on her hambok.

Like a bride and her bridesmaids.

Don't look now, Uncle E, but I do believe your daughter is checking my little man out! Hahaha!! Don't be mad, E, she can't resist his "sexy eyes." LOL!!! Someone else's words, not mine. I swear.

I don't know what got into W. Normally he doesn't let anyone hold him. Who are you and what did you do with my son!!!??

Uncle H could not get enough of our cutie. He alternated watching the football game and playing with W. My W is irresistable, I tell ya.

No, seriously, you're just feeling social today, aren't you?

Did you fellas ever think you'd be taking a photo like this?? Your all growns up!

LMFAO!

P and I love us a good episode of AFV (America's Funniest Videos). We saw this a few years ago and have been hunting for it ever since. I remember having major stomach pains from laughing so hard. When I first saw this on TV, I remember thinking how hilarious that little girl's reaction was. Now, I still think that BUT I also think, "Please, God, don't let W be that kid who sneezed!"

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!!!

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.

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!!

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...