100 Days

So we headed up to Portland for some R & R, to see grandma, and celebrate R's 100 days.

Day 1. Lazy Sunday @ the Shim's. Son took care of the meals & the baby, and I took a mental day-off. It was wonderful. Even my sister flew in from NY.C insisted on holding cousin R all by herself.
I think R liked it.

Niece loves her some dress up time

Aunties Son & Hanna also gave R a bath. This is some back-breaking work, to kimchee squat in a bathtub! (that's me behind the camera, continuing my day off)

More holding...

Day 2. Tax-free shopping.

Homemade ice cream!

Followed up by more dessert

I think she enjoyed her 'frosting in a cup' quite a bit.And I enjoyed her little jig. And hearing her tell her tomato joke. Did you know this 3-year-old knows all 44 US presidents? She could be the poster child for home schooling.

Day 3. Prepping for R's 100 day party. Sonia & Estar.

Cousin Matt, Joey, Matt's dad.

The guests

Anna & Me & our babes

Little Sophia. Attempting to fold her hands together to prayHappy baek-il ddukThe spread. My mom took vacation days for the occasion, only to be so busy cooking that she didn't get to spend much time with her granddaughter:(.

Cousin Ella & Rebecca finally meet! Coincidentally E & R came wearing similar outfits.

Auntie Son, aka Baby Whisperer Extraordinaire. R laughed and laughed when auntie Son played with her (something she hasn't done since she's been home btw). She also refused the bottle from no less than 4 people, before letting auntie Son feed her. I learned alot from Son in such a short time--the wisdom of a parent cannot be found in books! Love the swaddler Grace!

I got loads of help up in Portland (yes, I inquired about staying longer at the end of my trip)

Settling down after the party

Going home on the plane (R did great on her first flight!)
Home sweet home. Trying on R's presents.
Thank you Halmoni for my 100 day party! We hope to see you again very very SOON!

Off to Grandma's

See you soon Grandma Ellie!

Chubby much?

When baby R was born, her doctor exclaimed, 'oh her cheeks are so chubby, she looks like a Cabbage Patch doll.' Exhibit A:
Exhibit B: A more recent photo. Haha, I must like taking these chubby cheek photos.


Ok, and one showing her face, for our friends in Europe.

Our First Place

After 12 different offers and 3 months of house-hunting, we've purchased our first home. Joey's parents arrived today to renovate 2 bathrooms, do basic repairs, & help us move. What would we do w/out my FIL's handyman skills?

Happy new homeowners:)

Come visit us in a few weeks...after the dust has settled!

August Update

The last few weeks have been a blur of faces & new adventures. The shock of parenthood has worn off, if ever so slightly.

My sister came out from NY to help me out for a week while the hubby was gone @ PUC campmeeting. We puttered through it, considering I was slightly bipolar in my 5th week as a new parent. Poor sis.

My sister instantly fell in love, and misses her to this day. Me? I can't say baby has completely taken over the brain. Perhaps I do this to maintain my sanity.
She's also grown quite the double chin in the past few weeks. I'm betting weight gain in the top 25th percentile at her next weigh in. Do you see the trademark triangular nostrils that she inherited from her father?
And why is it that babies sleep better anywhere but their crib? Is it just to cause their parents unnecessary anxiety come bedtime? Like here, on the couch, for example.


Swaddling helps, though, as does rocking. I have Dr. Harvey Karp to thank for this. It's not that you don't know the 5 Ss before reading Happiest Baby on the Block, but done in exactly the right way, you can put your baby to bed in under 5 minutes. It's magical. Forget the other baby books I've read, this is the one that's worked for me.

Also magical: breastfeeding. Seems as baby puts on the pounds, mine are dropping week after week. I cannot believe it's happened, but I hit baseline minus 1 lb at week 7. Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are. I plan on milking this baby for all it's worth (pun intended). My goal weight is 10 more pounds.

Another book I picked up and have been reading is And Baby Makes Three. I've been asking Joey questions out of it like "What do you miss most about our life pre-baby?" Pretty simple stuff, but it helps me remember to have the conversations. I have to admit I was pretty fearful of how our relationship would change once the baby arrived. Thought all the good times would be a distant memory. However, it's been so affirming to me that we've been able to work as a team, even in our most tired moments. We laugh at each other, and at our baby. The good times continue.

Something that helps the stay-home-doldrums is getting out of the house. It takes some planning to actually get out, but when I do, it pays off BIG TIME. Case in point: church ladies who hold the baby for hours on end.

Time for a mama to eat in peace!
This particular spread was our church's post-PUC-hosting celebration for a job well done.

It was also the last hurrah for our friends Jullie and Ben, who are now off in Amsterdam, Netherlands for 5 MONTHS. Only 5 weeks of which are actually dedicated to study. What kind of MBA program is this?! Does UCLA know you're going to be MIA for 5 WHOLE MONTHS?

Sorry for the lame-o not-really-a-goodbye-party party. You guys deserved a decent bon voyage & you didn't get one. We'll celebrate in grand style when you return, January 1st. It's the only date I'll have to look forward to, since traveling to foreign countries w/a baby is not on my agenda this year. Yes, this is something Joey & I most certainly would have done. You can blame the baby....wait, you already do. haha.

I managed my first 1-hour car ride by myself as well. To Huntington Beach. With multiple in-the-car-feedings throughout the day. Maybe not such a big deal, but it was to me at the time.
Did I mention it was totally worth it? This year's Southern California softball tournament. It must also be mentioned that we were this year's Champions....duly earned after 5 emotionally invested years. You can read the unabridged version of it here. Hehe. Our church boys are still smiling.Celebrating @ Buca di Beppo.

With cake that looked promising...but was somewhat wet inside. Odd.

And our most recent visitors, Jen & Dave. Doesn't Dave have the friendliest smile ever? He really is as polite as his smile might indicate. Playing meh-rong with gohmoh

Meeting more friends at church. Here's Juliana.

I have also discovered my future baby nanny, who is gifted with special baby-calming-powers. Kiwon, you can watch Rebecca anytime.

Seriously. Whenever you want.

Baby definitely took to her right away.

Did you catch a glimpse of the triangular nostrils here? An easy marker, for sure. In years to come, when she's lost, say at an amusement park, it's these nostrils that will find her to her father, I believe.

Here we are posing for a 'family picture.' I sadly realized that we had not taken ONE photo of the 3 of us since her birth. I'm kicking myself now for not remembering to take a picture at the hospital when she was born. *sigh*. That's what Kid #2 is for, right?

Almost ready.

There we go! 2 months later, but still, we got one. The new Oh family.

And finally, some parting shots of baby amusing herself w/her hello kitty mobile.

Her smiles are so elusive that I've yet to catch a good one in photos. This is as close as I can get!
P.S. These photos should last you for awhile, umma. Remember, you told me I wouldn't have time to blog!