Baby's First Christmas Loot

How much better can it get than celebrating a baby's very first Christmas? Celebrating our Savior's humble birth is always magical and humbling, but with a new babe ourselves, it seemed even more special. God has blessed us so much with Miss Mia. Loving our own child helps us gain a little more understanding into God's immense love for us.

Papa and I were so very excited for Christmas this year. We decorated our home, hung the stockings, took Mia to see Santa, and went downtown to take pictures of the decorations. The best was sitting back and watching our Meemster open her presents. The pictures were actually taken a couple of days before Christmas when Mia turned 8 months. Mia is chomping at the bit to open some presents as you can see in the first picture, so we let her have the gift bag from Auntie Jin. It was a very generous gift certificate to El Gaucho's. Not for Mia really, but she'll taste the steak in the booby milk for sure.

On Christmas Day, Mia opened almost all her presents in the morning. She got too tired from all the hard work and excitement and needed a nap. She got some great loot from family and dear friends. Thank you everyone for making Mia's first Christmas so special. Mia loves all her new toys. It's truly amazing to see that she knows which toys are new and chooses new toys over old ones. We spent time with good friends, the Kims and the Kils and then headed home for a lazy afternoon by our tree.

As for me, I got a Magic Bullet from Mia so that I could make her baby food with ease. Papa got us an overnight stay and spa treatments at the Salish Lodge! I can't wait to redeem the gift certificate. What a great gift! Thanks Papa! It will be so much fun to relax at the lodge and enjoy a hike at Snoqualmie.

As Mia enters her ninth month, she's become quite the clapper and scratcher. We catch her clapping by herself all the time, it helps to have music playing in the background. Those Kindermusik classes are really paying off. Mama's body has a number of scars--war wounds inflicted by little Meemster. My angel has also started finger foods and squeals with delight when she sees Puffs. Now I cannot believe that soon, Mia will be living just as long outside my body as she was inside. Oh, the tears are welling up knowing that I really can't stop her growing!
I spoke to a friend today who told me that her 10 year old daughter is beginning to develop and has started to get moody. YIKES! So NOT looking forward to that.

My Turkeys

Here's a picture I have been trying to post for a bit. For some reason after I signed into the new version of Blogger through Gmail, I have had trouble figuring out how to post pics. Guess I don't do well with change.

Any whoo, this is the Meemster around Thanksgiving with her Konster. She loves to watch Kona, but we have to teach her to make nice and not grab at her hair. In the picture it looks like Mia is thinking, can you show me how to do that with your ears?

Seattle Toddler Co-op Scene

I've been terrible about writing. I would use the power outages as an excuse, but we were only out of power for a mere 14 hours. Peanuts compared to some of our compatriots living up North or on the Eastside. On the unfortunate night and day without power, Mia woke at 3 AM, her fingers and face cold to the touch. We snuggled her in bed with us and she slept until about 7 AM. We ventured to church early to see if there was power there. We hoped there would be so that we could keep warm. No luck. We ended up at Emerson's house, also without power, but the company was nice. I went through the drive through and McDonalds for hot coffee beforehand. Normally, McDonald's coffee is not up to par, but the hot beverage tasted oh so good! Then we went to NorthGate Mall to do some Christmas shopping and then to PEPS where Claudia had electricity and more hot beverage. SCORE! By the time we got home around 2 PM, our power had been restored and everything in our fridge was fine. I've got nothing to complain about as now a week later, there are people still without power.

Onto the Co-op scene. Now that I know I won't be working come April--Yes, I gave notice and will work through March 2007--I need to start lining up activities for the Meemster and me. Seems awfully far away, yet my experience is time flies. I cannot believe my Mia is on the verge of mobility and speech. She learned to clap a week ago too.

Any how, I'm trying to line up our activities and would you believe I have to think about Fall 2007 NOW??? Thanks to another mom, Sue, it our PEPS group, I'm on the ball. We have quite a few to visit in the new year. The new adventures we will have excite me, but I'm also hesitant about not having the routine. Since August we've gone to work at SCC on Tuesdays-Thursdays and Mia has gotten used to being my office assistant and of course I enjoy earning petty cash.

So far we'll sign up for Kindermusik with Miss Sharon and enroll in a Co-op. That leaves three more days free. The possibilities are endless!

Happy Baby

Mia is getting back on track after our trip. She does not take quite as long to fall asleep and is no longer waking up after only an hour or two of sleep. Funny how it takes her sometime to know that we are back at home and back to the routine. She fought it for a few days, but I think we're back on track now.

I am constantly amazed at how happy she is, the squeals of pure joy she has when she finds something funny is so touching to witness. Even without long naps, Mia is happy and has a great disposition. Today we dragged her Christmas shopping again and she was laughing away while we walked about Macy's. I think we have an extrovert on our hands. She enjoys being out and around crowds.

Today she saw another little girl about her age and called out to her with some baby babble that is Greek to me, but I gather it was something like, "Hey you, wanna ditch these adults?" Later in the day Mia met a baby boy who's bib read, "Dinner's on Me". Of course it meant the his food was on his person, but I think Mia thought she was being asked out on a date because she went to hold his hand. My girl is going to cause me some worry in the future, I can tell. . .

Aftermath of Traveling

Mia and I flew solo to LA for my grandmother's funeral the day after Thanksgiving. The flight there was pretty uneventful. We were lucky enough to get a two seat row to ourselves and Mia did extremely well. While in LA Mia's incessant squeals and babbling was a comfort and source of laughter for all. She entertained us by putting her feet in her mouth and having a blow out at my aunt and uncle's house. For the Chinese, there is a phrase that is somewhat equivalent to "Eureka!" or "Strike it Rich" that is used when a baby poops in one's home. Apparently it's a sign of good fortune. But for me it was a bad mom moment.

You see, I had forgotten to replace her emergency outfit in my diaper bag. I used the one from my diaper bag as her PJs the night before since the one footed sleeper I brought to LA was still dryer. And of course, she blew out into her onsie. Now Mia does not blow out often. I've probably only had to change her outfit under 1o times, so it was a surprise to me. I had to run to the KMart near my aunt and uncle's for a fresh outfit.

Of course in the 15 minutes I was gone Mia blew a gasket. She cried almost the whole time. Poor baby. Prior to that she had done well with the relatives. The other thing that was not ideal while we traveled: sleep. Mia was kept up until way past her bedtime each night making it all the more difficult for her to fall asleep in a new place. Each night we'd start the bedtime routine around 8 or 8:30 and each night she would not sleep until 9:30 after numerous attempts. I caved and went back to nursing her down which I had just put an end to only a week or so ago. On top of this I slept with her because I was too lazy to bring the travel crib. UGH!!! Boy are we paying for it now.

Before I go there, our trip back to Seattle was less than ideal. A big snowstorm hit the Northwest and paralyzed the Puget Sound Area. Truthfully there isn't that much snow here, but for some reason people are not prepared for it out here. Our flight was set to land in the midst of it so we were diverted to Portland. Once there we were told that we would fly right back to Seattle after refueling the plane. Then it turned into needing a whole new flight attendant crew. UGH. By the time we made it to Seattle, it was 10:30, about three hours later. Mia was completely wired. While she did not fuss at all, she could not sleep either and left me exhausted after entertaining her for so long. Now while we were in flight poor Papa had to walk home from UW because the buses stopped running and then he was stuck in traffic for about three hours getting to SeaTac. Once we reunited getting the luggage from the N terminal to the Main Terminal took another chunk of time. By the time we made it out of the airport area and back home it was after midnight. Poor Mia. Luckily the next day was declared a snow day at work, so Mia slept in until 10 AM! I tried to get her to take a couple of naps during the day too.

Last night Mia would not sleep on her own. She cried and cried. Finally we went in and discovered that she had vomited. It's the second time she's done that after a crying jag. We felt so bad for her. The vomit was in her hair and required another bath, so we stripped her down and it was deja vu! I felt so bad for her that I nursed her to sleep and it was nearly nine by this time. Good thing we had another snow day at work. Again, I think I could have driven to work with no problem, but the boss said to stay home and I wasn't going to argue with that since Mia had another rough night.

Now tonight, same thing. She cried and cried. I went in a couple of times to reassure her after 5-10 minutes because I wanted to prevent the vomit again. Finally Papa went in and rocked her to sleep. I hope she gets used to sleeping alone in her crib, but I know we have to let her cry it out to teach her again. Knowing how to balance the crying it out while avoiding vomit is the challenge.

So now as I write this, beautiful large snowflakes are falling outside my home. Darn it, why didn't it start snowing when Papa and I were trying to take our annual Xmas photo just a couple of hours ago. We all dressed in festive attire after we decorated our tree and made a fire. Do you know how hard it is to get a baby and a dog to look at the camera? Thank goodness for the new camera because Papa has a remote that will take the photos. So instead of going back and forth to set up a shot, he just has to push a button on a remote. Pretty clever.

Anyhow, I took Kona for a walk just to enjoy the snow. I was brought back to the days of my childhood in NY when we eagerly anticipated the magic of snow. What is it about snow? The pureness? The fun of snowballs and snowmen? The fact that each snowflake is unique? The taste of it melting on our tongues? The hope of a snow day? Such pure joy came over me while watching Kona chasing the shadows of the snow falling on the ground. Growing up snow days were so rare because it took at least 6 inches of it to fall right around the time school would start to make the officials declare a snow day. NYC was always prepared to salt and plow the roads dashing a kid's hope of having a day to frolic in the snow. Tonight I was reminded of that feeling and brought back to childhood. That hasn't happened for me in a long time. I thought for a split second of waking Mia up to take pictures outside, but she's too young to get it and it would just be a disastrous affair.

Breastfeeding Moms Unite

I guess I've been living in a bubble lately, I know because my television consumption has decreased markedly with work, being Mia's primary caretaker, and the contract job. Geesh, I can't remember the last non-baby related book I read. I don't even read the news online, most of my net hours are spent writing and editing. Anyhow, I learned about the most ridiculous incident from another mom at PEPS today. It involved a mom who was kicked off a Delta/Freedom Airlines flight for breastfeeding her child.

Complete and utter BS. The flight attendant was offended by the breastfeeding and gave the mother a blanket to cover herself up. The mom refused. Apparently she was sitting in the window seat with her husband next to her in the next to last row. Um, seems pretty discreet already. The flight attendant had the family removed from the flight and they left without a fight. I can tell you that I would have been less gracious than the mother. My response would have been less calm and rational. The NY fight in me would have come out and I would have told the lame backwards flight attendant about the laws that protect mothers and babies from just this sort of thing. What is wrong with you if you think a breastfeeding mother poses a threat on a flight? I am sure the other passengers are thankful that the baby is eating rather than crying. Gimme a break.

It's now all up to the courts in Vermont to decide what happens and I sure hope Delta/Freedom Airlines receives some consequence for their poor customer service and understanding of the need to breastfeed. I for one will not fly Delta ever AND when I fly to my grandmother's funeral next week, I fully intend to breastfeed Mia upon take-off and landing. She has been on six flights already on Alaska, Northwest, and America West. We have never encountered any problems breastfeeding. I've breastfed in restaurants, in the middle of a mall, on a ferry, a park bench, etc... and I've never at a problem with idiots who do not have better things to do with their time.

If people are offended they shouldn't be watching. So if you see my baby eating her lunch at my bosom and you just don't like it, turn away. No one is forcing you to watch.

Switch-A-Roo

What a day it has been. I woke up to a phone call from my mom. Ken got the phone and from the sound of the conversation I gathered that my grandmother had passed away. I was asleep when she passed away early this morning. It was strange to think about what I was doing the moment life slipped away from another.

Everyone expected granny's death to happen sooner rather than later, but it still is not easy to hear that a loved one passed away. I am glad that her suffering is over. It hasn't been easy these last few months for her or the rest of the family, especially with her bout of sepsis and having a feeding tube placed. Fortunately, we were able to see her in October when we traveled to California with Mia. Ken and I got through the security with the baby, so lao lao got to see her Mia once. I wasn't sure she recognized us, but she did comment that she had not seen us in a long time. So I think she knew who we were.

Well with the passing of a life, a new life advances. Mia reached her latest milestone today. She moved an object from one hand to another. Takes a lot of brain power for a little one to figure that one out. She seemed to have a lot of interest in her new ability. A couple of weeks ago Mia also began uttering more consonant sounds like ba ba ba and da da da. She can be really loud sometimes. Today I swore she was saying "more" while I was feeding her. I don't think she quite attaches meaning to sounds just yet, every parent thinks their kid is advanced.

These last couple of weeks marks the beginning of Mia's destructive stage. She grabs at anything in front of her. She pulled my stack of papers off a table this morning. They were strewn about out of order. At work she pulls the phone off and tries to chew on the cord. It's definitely time to baby proof. And the days of drinking a hot beverage with her in my arms are over as she tries to reach for and grab whatever I have in my hands. It is nice to see her discover the world around her.

With Thanksgiving

As I sit at my computer working into the night (contract gig came through) with Kona nearby and my family fast asleep, God's presence became so real to me. I feel so thankful and blessed today even though I found out my grandpa's tumor is cancerous and at past-ninety, prognosis doesn't look good. Such is the cycle of life, but I am most awed that after a self sufficient life, a life full of burdens and constant stresses, my grandpa has chosen to believe in God Almighty and His Son Jesus Christ. God is good. Our lives are short, we have our family, our friends, our time should be spent making memories and giving thanks to our Lord for each day we have.

Earlier this evening we went to visit our dear friends the Faca's and their new baby Eric who is not so new. He's 7 weeks old and has the same birthday as Papa. Oh, what a lovely feeling to hold such a small little one. Sandra and Vitor appear to be handling their new roles very well. Little Eric slept the whole time we were eating dinner. How I miss the days when Mia was so tiny. Instead of sleeping through our dinner, Mia made tons of noises. See what you have to look forward to.

Now tomorrow we go to visit another wee one, little Elijah Yoon, just over a week old. I love visiting babies! Keep them coming dear friends. Infants are such a reminder of God's love and hope.

Mia after her dinner of avocado and prunes mixed with carrots and oatmeal cereal. Gotta stay regular.  

Hurray Poop Happens!

I have come to accept that Mia won't always be regular. Now being regular is very important to Mama and Papa, but Miss Mia does not appear to care much. She once went eight days without a bowel movement and was happy as a clam. When she finally went, it was massive. Not enough to cover her outfit, but enough to require a change. Then not more than five minutes later during grace before a family meal she let loose again.

Anyhow, not to belabor this point, ever since the start of solids Mia has been very erratic when it comes to going poopy. Last week with each diaper change she would squeeze out a peanut M&M sized nugget the consistency of playdough left out for a day. While she did not look uncomfortable, I could tell she wanted to clean the pipes, but just couldn't show her intestines that she was the boss (recall the reference friends?). Anyhow, I tinkered with her diet--stopped feeding her one of her faves, homemade sweet potato--increased the oatmeal and prunes and viola, she started pooping up a storm. Be careful what you pray for. It was poopy diaper after poopy diaper for a couple of days.

Now I got it down. At least one meal has to have a good amount of prunes balanced by a constipating food like banana or sweet potato to make for soft playdough poop. We like soft playdough poop, cleans up with one wipe!

Mia is precious as can be these days. She has started to babble up a storm and loves to say, da da da da. Papa shouldn't let it get to his head because we refer to him as Papa. Her brain is definitely at work these days as she is figuring all sorts of things out. We're proud that she recognizes some signs. She knows food and milk for sure. Mama is still waiting for the day when Mia uses the sign for milk.

Trials and Tribulations of a Working Mom and Baby

I'm having an increasingly challenging time with Mia at work. This AM she would not nap. I purposely came to church an hour earlier so that she would have a good nap in before Papa picked her up for Kindermusik. Well, my plans were not her plans. Missy fell asleep in the 7 min. ride over and woke when we entered the church. At that point I had an option, swing her back to sleep in the seat resulting in a short nap or gamble and transfer to the crib for better sleep and a longer nap. I'm not a betting person, but I chose the latter. BIG MISTAKE. Mia wailed for nearly 10 minutes. I went back in, nursed her, swaddled her and tried again. Again she wailed for almost 10 minutes. I found her with red eyes and tear filled ears. I know those cries. They are heartwrenching sounds that say, "Where's my mama? Where are the people who love me? Why did you leave me here?" Normally when Mia cries to sleep her cries steadily lose steam and become intermittent. No so today. I let her stay up until her Papa came to pick her up for class or more accurately, she wanted to stay up and play on my lap until her Papa came. As a result I got very little done, but Mia did help print this week's bulletin. Now if only I could get her to help me fold them for small allowance. How's that for child labor? She'd probably just eat the corners.

Half a Year's Gone By

Today is Miss Mia's half year birthday! I'm amazed at the pace in which life moves after a baby enters one's life. Although some moments seemed to last forever like the days when it took at least an hour for Mia to go down for the night, other times life just flies by. The amount of time in which Mia can wear pretty dresses that were gifted to her by lovely friends was so short-lived. I'm sad to say that I didn't capture the moments with our trusty camera.

At Mia's 6-month check, she received six shots, three in each thigh. My girl was brave though. She only cried while the vaccines were being administered and stopped crying immediately afterwards. I was a bit sad that she didn't need me to nurse her to calm her down. I nursed her anyway which is exactly the type of thing that results in a baby whose weight is in the 80th percentile, and you know those charts are based on Caucasian babies, so that makes my baby a GIANT. But it's good to note that Mia's height is in the 90th percentile at 27 inches!

Here are snippets of what I remember from each month of Mia's life so far.

Month One: We finally met our baby and took her home to get to know her. It was momentous. Recovery was not a piece of cake. I felt bloated, my privates were torn up and swollen, and bowel movements were literally a pain in the ass. We were worried about Mia's jaundice and hematocrit levels. Feeding took forever because Mia was a sleepy eater. She was so little she could sleep comfortably across the width of her crib.
Month Two: Freedom came as we were able to venture out of the house. I enjoyed rejoining the world at large. Mia made her debut at church, we went on walks around Green Lake and other fun places around town. Grandma Chow was still around to help us and Papa and I were able to go out a couple of times after Mia went to bed. Sadly, Month Two was not a pretty month for Mia as her cradle cap and baby acne peaked. Poor kiddo. Mia began to sleep longer stretches at night. We took a fun trip to Oregon with Mia. It was her first road trip! But not easy as Mia was still eating every 2 hours or so.
Month Three: Mia began to smile and coo. Her bowel moments still went up for 4-5 per day. We enjoyed spending time with friends and going on short excursions to Vancouver and Deception Pass. Mia slept like a champ wherever we went. I took an extra month off at work to enjoy time with my sweet babe. We celebrated Mia's 100th day with a party at home. During the party, Mia blew out onto her borrowed swing. Sorry Maddie!
Month Four: Mia begins her Kindermusik class which she loves. It wears her out so much that she konks out immediately after class. The world around her becomes so much more interesting to Mia. She loves watching her pup Kona walk around the house. I let Kona sneak some licks on Mia's face. We begin having Mia cry it out at night and for naps though Mia usually puts herself to sleep. Luckily she cries for less than 10 minutes a couple of times a week.
Month Five: Mia's teeth erupt from her gums causing all sorts of fussy behavior. She makes it hard for Mama to get her work done at church, but we get through it. The teeth or being hungry might be to blame for Mia waking up earlier than her usual time around 7 AM. So we introduced some rice cereal. We begin a baby tour through California and Michigan. Mia makes some cash for being cute as it's a Chinese tradition to give money when one first meets a baby. Mia does not always enjoy all the new faces as she begins to cry when held by a stranger. It was not easy traveling via plane with a baby and dog in tow.

Oh Miss Mia, you are my darling and I thank God for knitting you up in my womb. Mama wishes she could keep you with her forever, but she knows you have to grow up. Always remember that my love will follow you wherever you go.

Traveling Mercies

Our first plane trips with Mia while not effortless were not too bad. On the way to Los Angeles, we had Kona, but an extra adult to help since Grandma Chow was returning to LA with us. Mia slept in her own seat. Kudos to the folks at Alaska for blocking off a seat for us since the flight was not full! The flight attendants were very friendly and always stopped by to get a smile out of Miss Mia who was more than happy to comply.

We weren't in LA long--just about two days--before we embarked on a longer flight to Detroit to see Grandpa Song and the rest of the Song clan. Mia also met her cousins, Tyler and Alyssa. Unfortunately the flight to Detroit from where I am connected (on a dial-up line) was packed and Mia was a lap baby. She slept for about two hours which helped.

Yesterday was a family outing with the Lazoens to the Yates Cider Mill where Tyler and Alyssa got to ride ponies while Mia watched with fascination. We drank freshly pressed cider and had doughnuts while enjoying an unusually warm fall day. Ken and I both did feel slightly out of place as we definitely felt in the minority at the Cider Mill grounds. That's MI for ya. We both agree that we could never live here or raise our kids here as Tyler gets made fun of in school. Ken got made fun of in the early 80's for being different from the other kids. Tells you things have not changed much here. My question is, since when is "Chinese-y" an insult?

Totally different topic: Wanted to give a shout-out to our friends, the Kassissieh Family--recent transplants to the Pacific Northwest! The were up in our neck of the woods shortly before we left town. It was great to see Julia and Richard and their boys, David and Charlie! I realized that we didn't take photos! Though we seriously lack appropriate toys for toddlers and young children, the boys made do and I think they had fun with Kona while the adults chatted away. Thanks for the totally adorable bib for Mia. I'll post a pic of her wearing it or wearing food on it.

Okay, we'll see how long this takes with dial-up...

End of the Week--I'm exhausted

Papa Bear didn't call tonight and I'm sad. I told myself to go to bed early tonight due to Mia waking at 4:30 this morning, but I'm up hoping that the phone will ring. I should give it up because it's already after midnight in Guatemala. I do know he is safe which is good. Exchanged e-mails with Susan.

Last night I sat down to my fave night of TV to watch Survivor, Grey's Anatomy, and ER. It's the only night I must watch the telly for three hours straight. After my long week, I thought it would be nice and relaxing. Instead, I realized as I was knitting that I was not going to have enough GGH Aspen to complete the Bulky Baby Sweater. I really only need enough for four rows of garter stitch!!!DARN my loose knitting! Now my dilemma is do I frog and knit tighter or look for another ball of the yarn? Thing is I bought it at Wooly Monkey before it went out of business. Guess I'll go on the hunt for the yarn tomorrow.

Miss Mia has taken to waking up an hour of two earlier this week. I really do think it's time to kiss good-bye to nursing full-time. Though Mia certainly does not need the extra calories, I think she does need the additional nutrients fortified cereal will provide her. I am not looking forward to cleaning dried rice cereal from the deep crevices of her neck. We'll have a few more days before the momentous occasion because we want to wait until Ken returns home to start the rice cereal, plus he has the good camera with him.

Love Bites

My loyal readers know that I've thoroughly enjoyed nursing my little girl. It's always been so tender and sweet to hold my little Mia and know that I am her sole source of sustenance. Every moment that she plays with my shirt and gazes up at me has been precious, that is until she sprouted a tooth. Her first tooth has given her even more reason to open wide and shove everything she can get her little hands on into her mouth to test out her new skill. Well, my breasts have not escaped. Mia has chomped down pretty hard a couple of times. While I have no marks, let me tell you, it HURTS and makes me fearful that she will do it again. I'm practically sweating while nursing her, afraid that she'll clamp down on me.

I've screamed and shouted, "No Biting", but all she does is give me a blank stare. She's even looked away once. No crying or acknowledgement that she's done something unacceptable. Does this foretell our future together when it comes to discipline?

In my five month career as a parent I've never been envious of other parents, but today I envy those who have babies that teethe late. Oh how I wish Miss Mia was a late bloomer when it comes to teeth.

Time to dig up the Lansinoh. I'll apply liberally.

And for those who are interested, Papa Bear arrive in Guatemala City safely. He'll be back in less than seven days.

Our very happy five month old sporting one of her many puppy outfits. Mia's a big ball of laughs these days.  

Happy Birthday Papa

September 20th was Papa Bear's 32nd birthday and Miss Mia's five month birthday. We celebrated by going to Chinese with some close friends. We both agree that she's the best present we could have gotten. We both don't need any more presents.

Mia gave her Papa a card when she woke up, but it was slightly chewed on and wet from her saliva. We both got a kick out of her unwillingness to part with the card.

Papa leaves for a Mission Trip to Guatemala later this week and we'll miss him a ton. He's already so sad about leaving and has recorded himself singing and talking to Miss Mia so that she won't forget about him. It will be the longest he has been away from Mia and me.

Milestones & Night Wakings

All week long Little Miss Thing was not her usual chipper self. Normally she would be content to play on her training circuit while I worked. Moving from the Bumbo to the Play Mat to the Entertainer was part of her daily routine that allowed me to complete tasks at work. Well, this week, Mia was very easily flustered and that led me to take on a similar attitude. Mia has drooled since she was less than two months old, but she is finally sprouting a tooth! It was too bad that I could not harness all Mia's drool to help me close nearly 125 envelopes. Anyway, the emerging tooth saddens me because it is yet another sign that my baby is growing up.

On Thursday, I was busy reading and returning emails at work. I put Mia down on the Gymnini for tummy time and ignored her whines and cries for a couple of minutes. As I was typing, I heard a thud and turned around to find Mia staring at the ceiling. She had turned over all on her own and I missed it. My eyes welled up because I felt so guilty for missing it. But on the other hand, had I rescued her from her whining she never would have rolled over. It's a lesson that she cannot always be rescued or else she won't experience new sensations and life lessons. Mia has yet to repeat her new trick.

Night Wakings

I often feel guilty that Papa Bear and I have had such an easy time as new parents. God blessed us with a very mellow daughter who enjoys eating and sleeping. Thus we have had a relatively smooth transition into parenthood. Mia began sleeping through the night (meaning about 6 hours) since she was less than two months old. Nowadays she typically goes to bed between 7:30-8 PM and wakes up between 6-7 AM. On good days she will have at least one two hour nap and a couple of shorter naps. I know, you want to kill us...BUT it will make you feel better to know that our first baby, our furbaby Kona has been waking us up in the middle of the night.

Twice this week our dear dog Kona, has gotten out of her bed to whine and cry at the gate. The first night, I woke up thinking she might be sick or using her telepathic powers to tell me something was wrong with Miss Mia. I checked on Mia who was fast asleep and well. Then I gave Kona some gentle pats and rubs, took her out to potty thinking she might have the runs (she didn't), and tucked her back into her bed. She was fine for the rest of the night. Last night, Kona did it again.

We had settled into bed for no more than an hour before Kona began crying and whining. This time Ken went to check on Mia first and then Kona. Of course Mia was fine, so he then took our needy pooch out to potty. Our dog has not needed a middle of the night potty break since her puppyhood. What is going on? Is she feeling Mia's pain? Mia isn't even feeling her pain when she sleeps. We are both puzzled at this behavior while we are sure our friends with babies who still have night wakings are laughing at the whole situation.

Knitting with Babes

I am proud to write that I spent some time knitting yesterday. In attendance were three babies under the age of one and two knitting adults, so I did not accomplish much, but it was a good time nonetheless. Mia sat on my lap for a bit and then got in the way, but I imagine it will only get more challenging to knit with her around.

I made some progress on one of the hats that I will send off to Guatemala with love. But I was a bit deflated when I heard that someone donated two large trash bags full of machine knitted hats. These hands can't compete with that!

So an update on the Mommy SOS entry from the words of my friend:

we got the duck yesterday. you are not going to believe this, but the part of the duck that lucas uses, the tag, is different. ours is a 2004 and the new one is 2005. the tag is much smaller. i gave it to lucas last night, hoping he wouldn't notice. i wish i got this on film...he looks at the tag and notices that it's different. then he looks at the duck's face and realizes it's the same. he goes back to the tag, then to the face, and so on for a few minutes. finally, he gives me the duck and says, no. susan had a good idea - the elephant we have has the same tag as his old duck so i'm going to have my mom switch the tags of the elephant and the new duck. is this ridiculous???

I wish that my friend did capture the scene described above. I would give anything to see it. Wow, I was astonished at this kid's astute powers of observation. As much as it is a gigantic hassle for poor mom and family, at least she knows that he's no dummy. Mom should be proud of her son for not being so gullible. As soon as I hear from my friend about Operation Tag Switcheroo, I will post an update.

Miss Mia had her first Kindermusik class yesterday at Rising Song School of Music. We went to a preview class to see how she would like it and to see if I would like it. Although Mia was the youngest student there and the only one who drooled all over the shakers, she seemed to have a good time judging from the fact that she did not cry or fuss the entire time and gave quite a few smiles during class. We sang, danced, and weaved through scarves while singing and it wiped her out! As soon as I put her in the Ergo, she dug her face into my chest and fell fast asleep.

New Toesies & More

Was it laziness or me clinging on to the last remnant on my body of life pre-Mia? Those of you who don't see me frequently, I had these small slivers OPI's Red Red Rhine on my big toesies (using the term toesies makes it much more cute than "big toe") from a pedicure that I indulged in a couple of weeks before Mia's due date. Yes, I have not had a pedicure since early April! Most of you know that in the summers I usually keep up with my feet. You see, the rest of my body makes no bones about showing that I delivered a 7 pound 8.7 ounce baby with a rather large head.

Yes, I have a flabby stomach, a stretched out belly button, stretch marks on my hips and lower abdominal region, scarred privates, and--my favorite reminder of life post-Mia--hemorrhoids. Naturally, part of me was unwilling to take the two minutes to dig out the acetone because the Red Red Rhine reminded me that I was once a woman who had not given birth. Don't get me wrong, I longed for a baby and had a strong desire to be a mother, but a girl never fully realizes what carrying and delivering a baby does to her body until push comes to shove. Did I just make a pun?

One day I realized that I went through the entire summer with yucky toes so I couldn't take my unattractive toes anymore. A friend and I went to the new Swoon Boutique Spa in Capitol Hill so that my feet could get some TLC. It was all in all a good experience and my toes left with Zoya's Liz, which is very close to Red Red Rhine. You see, I figure I needed a similar color back on the toes to remind me that I will eventually get as back to normal as a girl can after the trauma of birth.

Knitting Front

I have not forgotten that the original intent of this blog was to regal you with tales and pictures of my knitting. Well, I have no great stories to share. Still working on two hats to donate to Mano con Mano. They are the same hats I began pre-Mia. Better finish before Papa leaves for Guatemala. I have a bunch of patterns I'd like to start working on soon. I brought my knitting to the living room so that I can look at it while awake instead of having it sit by my bed while sleeping. Maybe that will make me knit more.

Do I live in the hood?
As I loaded Miss Mia up for work, I got the sinking feeling that something was not right in the Song SUV. The back seat looked a mess. Not the regular mess that it is, but a colossal mess. I walked around the car to the driver's side and open the door to find the contents of our middle console on the driver's seat. People, we're cheap and on a limited income, the only thing in our console are coupons! An envelope for General Items, one marked Baby, and one marked Food. No coins, no dollar bills for the Bay Bridge, we don't live in SF anymore.

Anyhow, some punk kid or vagrant rifled through our car right in front of our house! I don't live in the hood these days, so I don't see how it could have happened. Wait, we have a theft prevention device, what happened to it? I was more than mildly annoyed and called Papa right away to make sure he wasn't looking for something in a hurry this morning. Wishful thinking, denial, naivite, whatever. No one wants to believe they were violated.

If I had habit of cursing aloud I would have, but I don't do such things to express anger. I grind and gnash my teeth while asleep like a good Asian girl. So tonight we removed everything that is remotely valuable and visible in our car. No spare diaper bag. No blanket for Mia. No LeapFrog learning toy. No Ergo carrier. Nothing for a punk kid or vagrant except an SCC SUNSHINE KIT.

Ironically nothing was taken except one of those Sunshine Kits (toothbrush, soap, shampoo, Purell, a Bible verse, and a granola bar) for the homeless that our church makes for its members to pass out instead of change (you see there's another reason there is no money in my car). So, to the thief, I'm glad that you care about your oral hygiene and keeping your body clean. Jesus loves you and I suppose I should too.

Mommy SOS

A dear friend from college called me a couple of days ago from way across the country with a dilemma that only another mom would understand: her son needed a new lovie. Not just any lovie, it was a little toy blankie that I had purchased for him before he entered this world two years ago. While nothing tragic had befallen the duck headed blankie, it was time to get a back-up duckie blankie. You see only a good mother would anticipate losing duckie blankie or leaving it at daycare. And a really good mommy would not want to risk getting caught during a breaking and entering to retrieve a lovie so her little boy could get to Dreamland.

I was so happy and touched that this small plush blankie became the boy's lovie. Who knew when I purchased it in Boston before meeting up with my friend in NYC that the little duckie would become such a prized possession. Well my friend asked where I bought said duckie blankie. Not wanting to let her down, I remembered seeing the line of blankies at a local maternity/baby store, so I told her I'd check on it. Luckily Village Maternity carried the duckie blankie, so off we went to purchase it and sent it Priority to the little man. If I needed the same done for Mia, I know my friend would come through. So enjoy, little L. your brand new duckie blankie as you bury your face into its newness.

As for Mia's lovie situation. I've been trying to push a pink Gund Spunky puppy on her. So far, she smiles when she hears it bark and at times shoves its ear into her mouth, but she's hardly cryng over it when she doesn't have it within arm's reach. As Papa observed, she seems more interested in these hard rings that link together and often falls asleep holding one. It seems rather cold and impersonal, but above all not cute. Guess I need to start accepting that I will not always like her choices in life.

What's so funny???

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing

Mia Off to College Already?

Oh boy, it's been a long time again. I'm sure no one was waiting with bated breath--or is it baited breath--for a new posting, but I really should be better about posting.

With each passing day, our Mia grows and moves closer to being independent and turning eighteen. Yes it's melodramatic to write, but I dread facing the day she leaves me for college. It's silly. I don't know why I'm this way. I always mourn that there are only seven more days of vacation left at the start of trip. Enjoying the present hasn't ever been easy for me, but it's another one of the many reasons I have Miss Mia in my life. Sweet thing is teaching me to smell the roses, or more accurately, smell the neck jam, spit up, and burp cloth drenched in breastmilk and drool.

A couple of nights ago, Mia had a long giggling session. It was so funny and sweet and we have it on video without her head cut off. Hurray! Ken and I have viewed the clips numerous times while Mia sleeps. Thank goodness for digital video taking technology. My baby will live forever as long as we back-up. (Did you read that bear? Back-up) Anyway, I'll hear Ken watching the giggling clips from the living room and dart over to join him reveling in our babe's laughter. Or he'll hear me watching the clips and next thing I know he's over my shoulder and we just give each other that look that says, "We love her to pieces."

Once I figure out how to post video clips, I'll do so.

Mia Memories 1

Thought I should write about the things I love and moments I cherished before they are forgotten since I seem to forget what I did yesterday.

I love the way Mia crosses her ankles when nursing. When a very newly born babe, she was always crossing her ankles with her knees to her tummy while nursing. Must have been her comfy fetal position. These days she rarely crosses her ankles but when she does I think of those early days.

I love it when Mia gazes into my eyes and puts her tiny hands on my breasts as she eats. It's rare that she does so these days as she is so distracted by the world around her. It's the look of wonderment that makes for a cheesy commercial on the benefits of breastfeeding, but I love it.

I love Mia's crooked baby smile. Why is it that many babies do the one corner smile?

I love the way Mia touches the back of her head when trying to fall asleep.

As much as I don't like her independent and demanding streak, I do like that she has a mind of her own. Lately she's decided to refuse the bottle though it contains the same breastmilk. And secretly, just between us, I love that she prefers me to the bottle.

Miss Mia turned three months old today. She's no longer a newborn.  

No longer a Newborn : (

Our precious babe lost her newborn status today. Mia is now three months old and SO much bigger than her first days with us. I can't quite believe how much she has grown and I find myself wishing that she would slow it down. Spending time with Mia has been a dream come true. I know a lot of people don't enjoy the newborn stage, but I've thoroughly enjoyed just watching her peer around, develop her neck and head control, and it's always endearing to watch her as she makes sucking motions in her sleep. I tell myself how much I'll miss these days when she's is old enough to leave me for school. While I do anticipate with excitement her growth and development, I'm savoring these days because I know the years will fly by. I can't believe I have to go back to work on August 1st!

What I can tell of her temperment so far:

She is headstrong (literally and figuratively). Example: She wouldn't come down the birth canal. Since we started breastfeeding, she would crane her neck to look at whatever she fancied. Her favorite things to gaze at are our black and white wedding photos and the puppy border in her room.

She is picky. Example: Mia refuses the bottle at times and won't even drink the milk that pools in her milk. She pushes it all out with her tongue. It seems as if she just doesn't want to deal with the new thing in her mouth and would rather go without eating.

She is reserved. Example: Mia does not give up smiles to just anyone. She studies new people and situations until she's ready to interact. Most of the time the look she sports is serious. Mia is generally content and finds few reasons to make a fuss.

We are looking forward to getting to know her more as she develops her personality. God is good and answered all our prayers for a mellow baby who sleeps and eats well. All Praise and Glory to our Lord for our baby girl.

Our Kona is not the center of attention anymore. I still try to cuddle with her on the couch at least once a day. Kona found her way to Mia's Boppy pillow. It was so cute! Everytime we get out the carseat Kona thinks she's going somewhere too. Instead she gets confined to the kitchen. Poor pooch! 

Moving Up

Knitting progress has been limited these days. I'm working on a hat for Mano con Mano in Guatemala. I haven't made much for them lately and want to make a few things before I return to work. I started another sweater for Mia, but am making the 6-12 month size so I have time to work on it. And it's the middle of a nice hot summer in Seattle so she doesn't need the sweater.

Kona looks lonesome at times, but I think she's gotten used to the new pack member. She still just wants to lick Mia whenever she sees her. I'll post a picture of Kona in Mia's Boppy pillow. One day she just climbed into it. Silly girl. It's very telling I suppose...Kona wants to be the baby again.

Well, looks like Miss Mia is ready for the next size up in diapers! Yikes! She's growing up so fast. I'm so thankful to have her in my life and it's kind of sad to see her growing so quickly.

Bath Time  

Many Milestones

It sure has been a long stretch since my last post. After I was able to get out of the house, my mom, Mia and I went everywhere and it left little time for my favorite activities like knitting and emailing. Anyhow, I needed extra doses of being away from home and it seemed to help Miss Mia nap. The carseat is cozy for her and the motion rocks her to sleep.

Grandma left last Sunday and Kona probably misses her the most because Grandma threw her pieces of toast in the morning and apple in the afternoon. Kona would sit and whine by my mom's door in the morning and late afternoon in anticipation of her walks outside. Now Kona just watches me put Mia in the carseat and she knows it time for her to be confined to the kitchen. I feel so sorry for her, but I have yet to master taking her out with the baby.

My Mia is smiling and enjoying looking around at the world so much more. She is also paying attention to the books we read to her! It's been such a fun ride. We are blessed because she sleeps very well at night. Last night she went for 8.5 hours! That's the longest yet. It's not all good because it takes just about an hour to settle her down at night. We'll take that for the long stretch of sleep. Mia's health seems to be fine. Her bili was still 12.2 at her 6 week check and her crit was super low, but she's making red blood cells so that doctors are not concerned. At her 6 week check she also received her first set of shots. It wasn't so bad. She cried at the time, but was okay as soon as she nursed and she had no adverse reactions to the shots. THANK GOD!!! I know some babies have a hard time after shots.

Papa just loves her so and can't wait to get home to cuddle and play with her. It's so much fun to watch them together. When he comes home he tells Mia all about his day and then we all go for a walk with Kona.

All in all life has been wonderful since Mia joined us about two months ago. We're so blessed.

Kona Licking Her Chops. May 27th, 2006 was her second birthday. We made homemade biscuits for her. In the picture she's being obedient and waiting for the signal to get her yummy homemade treat.  

Kona during the Most Unique Mix/Breed contest at the U-District Street Fair. She didn't win :(, not even honorable mention. 

Kona's Two Years Old!

Our pup Kona is officially an adult dog! She turned two on Saturday, May 27th. Last year we threw her a birthday bash and invited all her doggy friends, but we decided to keep things low key this year since we've been busy with the baby. We celebrated at home instead. Kona started off her day with a HUGE flavored raw hide. Then I made her peanut butter biscuits that we shared with her doggy friends. She just LOVES the biscuits and got to have them throughout the day. At night she got to sleep with me in our bed from about 9 PM - 11 PM and she just loved it.

Little Mia didn't even know it was Kona's birthday, but all the commotion kept her from napping all day Saturday. It was hard because it meant I couldn't nap either!

House Arrest Over & First of Many Firsts

As many of you know, according to Chinese tradition Mia and I were confined to our home for a month after birth. I did manage to get out to take Mia to her pediatrician appointments and much to my mother's dismay we went to church on Mother's Day. The rationale is based on Chinese Medicine. Basically a woman's body is in a weakened state after labor and delivery and must be carefully nursed back into balance. One must avoid cold foods, cold temperature and certain movements like bending your back. The hardcore will even abstain from showering. That's going a tad far for me. It wasn't easy. How can one stay in bed with a newborn? I did my best, but on many occasions I had to bend down and do things like go around the house barefoot. My poor mother was disappointed in me many times for not listening to her "wisdom".

So on Saturday, May 20th, we were officially able to venture out. Truthfully, we went out on Friday. Mia had her first trip to a restaurant and jaunt to Green Lake. On the way home we went to Tarjay for more diapers because Papa decided that cloth wasn't a good option. Oh well, I tried. Can't make it work if he won't support it. Later that evening, we left Mia for the first time. My mom watched her while we went to a prayer meeting at church. I was slightly worried, but we were only gone for 1.5 hours.

Saturday was a big day for us as it was Mia's first time at a street fair and cruising around in the Baby Bjorn. She slept the WHOLE time. It was very fitting for us to go to the fair because the theme was the Year of the Dog. There was a dog "show" sponsored by the Humane Society and we entered Kona in her first dog show for the catergory of Most Unique Mix/Breed. I had high hopes for my pup, but sadly she didn't even receive an honorable mention. She was robbed! No matter what she's still our champion.

Today, we took Mia on her first shopping excursion. We went to Bell Square to return/exchange a bunch of presents that she recently received. I tell you the little girl has more clothes than I do. She especially has a ton of clothes for this summer. We exchanged some gifts for larger sizes so that she would have the outfits for next summer.

pLaY TiMe!!!  

The Bili-Bed--thankfully Mia slept really well in it and was not fussy while awake. One should be invented sans the phototherapy lights.  

Health Scare

Baby Mia had high bilirubin which points towards jaundice, so she went on phototherapy last Monday, 4/24. She did well on the lights and came off the treatment three days later. Luckily, she was treated at home. There is a great service that brings the bili-bed to our home and a visiting nurse came daily to take Mia's vitals, weigh her and take a blood sample. Mia's bili was followed for three days after she came off the lights, unfortunately her levels crept up three days in a row so she went back on the lights last Saturday and remained on them until Tuesday, 5/2.

During this time, the nurse also checked Mia's hematocrit and we found that it was too low for a baby her age. Papa was really worried and spoke to at least three pediatrician friends. Most of them were optimistic and thought that she would stabilize in a few weeks. Our pediatrician is also not concerned given that Mia is otherwise healthy and is eating and gaining weight without a problem. We still worry, but we have prayed and know that God is faithful and that Mia will be healthy.

The adjustment to parenthood has not been that terrible. In the beginning I had a very challenging time with the "sleep when the baby sleeps" advice. There was just so much I wanted to do around the house. I learned by lesson after a few days of extreme exhaustion at night.

We are blessed that Mia is a very mellow baby and eats and sleeps pretty well. Of course she has had her "growth spurts" already and wants to eat nearly every hour it seems. I'm happy to comply because I know she's growing and I love spending time breastfeeding her. So far Mia has been sleeping at least 2.5 hour stretches at night and that's just fine with us for now. Papa likes to stimulate her mind and enjoys talking to Mia about everything including medical literature. We put Mia on her Gymini for tummy time and she seems to LOVE it. She especially likes to look at herself in the mirror.

Above is a picture of Mia in the phototherapy bed and a picture of her on her Gymini.

Look at those chubby cheeks!  

Amelia Miyae Song Has Arrived!

It's been over a month since my last entry! Sorry! We were busy socializing and preparing for the baby's arrival. I worked until Good Friday, April 14th and looked forward to having time to meet with friends and run errands, but Amelia had other ideas. Just a couple of day into my time off, I had to go to triage because I didn't make 10 fetal kick counts in an hour. Ken and I trekked to Swedish and arrived there at nearly 11 PM on April 19th. I was hooked up to the NST machine and Amelia's heartbeat looked good, but she wasn't really moving. I was told to load up on sugar to see if she would respond. As soon as I was told that, I felt like I was peeing on myself and it turned out that my water ruptured right there on the hospital bed in the triage center! Ken and I honestly thought we were going home after the NST!!!

Ken went home quickly to gather the rest of our things and to notify work and friends. The contractions started out as soon as my water broke. At first they were mild cramps, but they quickly worsened and came every 2-3 minutes. We were told to walk around the hospital for about 1-2 hours. We did that and checked into our labor and delivery room at nearly 2 AM. While we walked the contractions became intense. At the time, I didn't realized I was experiencing back labor due to Amelia's position. She had somehow turned on me. That might have been the reason I wasn't really feeling her anymore.

My initial hope was to go med free, ie natural. After being the jacuzzi tub and shower (had to wash my hair before labor), I was not feeling well at all. It turned out that I had a fever of 102. The pain was all in my back and coming at every 2-3 minutes. In between contractions, it still hurt. Finally I asked for an epidural and got it at 4:30 AM when I was only 4 cm dilated. After getting it I felt like such a wimp and had a hard time sleeping. I worried that the epidural would slow down dilation. Well, when 9 AM rolled around and I got checked by the OB, I was at 9 cm! Then I was fully dilated and ready to push at 10 AM.

We started pushing, but progress was slow. The nurse had me take a break while they waited for pitocin to kick in. The doctor thought it would make my contractions stronger and move the baby along. Around this time the epidural started to wear off. I was in incredible pain again. I don't say that lightly because I consider myself to have a very strong tolerance for pain as I very rarely take pain medications.

Sometime into the pushing some meconium came out with my amniotic fluid. The doctor wasn't too concerned b/c the baby still looked great and had an excellent heartbeat. At around 1:45, the doctor suggested vacuum extraction since the baby was not descending. I asked if it was really necessary and if I could push a bit longer. The doctor allowed it. In hindsight, I wish she has brought up the vacuum sooner. I had no idea that pushing longer than 2 hours is not the norm. Everything I had read, I had forgotten. Well, we tried another hour and finally at 2:45 we agreed to the vacuum. Amelia's head was just too big for my petite body. After several attempts with the vacuum, Amelia arrived at 2:54 PM PST on April 20th, 2006. She was a hefty baby for me--weighing 7 pounds and 8.7 ounces--and tall, 21 inches long.

There was a meconium team ready and they suctioned her as soon as she came out. It had to be quick so Ken did not get to cut the cord. The mec team wisked her off to check her, but all was well. Amelia's apgars were 8 and 9. She came out crying. Just a bit limp initially.

Once she made it to my chest she was alert and ready to nurse a bit. We were so happy when she arrived that we cried. Although I sustained major trauma (3rd degree tear into my anal sphincter), she is well worth it! We love her so much and can't believe how fast she is growing.

Kona Knits! Here's the stroller blanket that is almost done. Using Classic Elite MarL La so it's going fast.  

Babies Everywhere

Wow, in the last week two of my friends have had their babies. Going to visit them in the hospital in conjunction with taking our Childbirth Preparation and Newborn Care and Breastfeeding classes is making everything seems so imminent. Of course we both can't wait to meet our little one and love her up, but there are still times when we sit back in amazement regarding the pregnancy. It took us three years to have this baby and we still can't believe we are about to have one!

Today, I couldn't resist, I had to visit Wooly Monkey for their 30% off sale. I bought Blue Sky Organic Cotton to make a teddy bear. So I've added yet another project to my list that need to be completed or near completion before the birth. The two blankets are getting there. I've been trying to knit everyday and tomorrow I'll meet Esther and Lana for a couple of hours of knitting so that should put a dent in something. Oh, it's just too much fun to start new projects! Why is that?

Kona is doing great! She had her post-op visit yesterday and everything looks great. She's very eager to play with Rocky who we've been watching. I am trying to not pay as much attention to her so that she is used to it before the baby, but it's so hard to not love her up. God help us when the baby comes.

I'll post photos soon.

March Already? 32 weeks on Friday

Time really does fly...I kept meaning to update last week, but something always came up and it seemed like every evening and the entire weekend was filled with activity. I was wiped out! I went to my usual knitting group on Monday night, then I had people over two nights, one night was small group and the other was for my church's knitting ministry. It was fun to sit around and knit for hours. Our shipment from Knit Picks came. The church paid for about 140 bucks worth of Wool of the Andes and Merino wool for our knitting project for Mano con Mano.

Kona is doing much better. We are also dogsitting Rocky, our Maltese friend. He'll be here until March 22nd. It was hard at first because we have to keep them from playing, but they are learning and Kona is now pretty quick on her feet. Thanks for all your prayers and concerns. Papa is working extra hard moonlighting to pay for her surgery so that we don't dip into our savings too much.

This Friday, I'll be 32 weeks! I can hardly believe it. We are totally not ready for the baby yet, so we have to get ourselves together. While the room has been completed for a while, we are still waiting for the back piece of the crib to come in as the first one was missing some holes needed for assembly. My mom gave us money for the glider and dresser. We have the glider , but are waiting to see if the dresser we want will go on sale. We began our childbirth classes this week and it was not a whole lot of new information because I've been reading up on it for years, but it was good to hear it instead on read it. We also watched a pretty realistic video of one couple's experience with natural childbirth.

I'm working on finishing the two blankets I've started for our baby, but got sidetracked making a pair of booties, which are almost done. I'm really tempted to start a new project for the baby, but after these booties, I really have to move on the blankets or else they won't be ready for our sweet gal.

The Baptism Outfit 

Our pooped out pooch Kona. What a tramatic couple of days. She had knee surgery, but is back home now. 

Baptism Dress & Kona Update

Below you'll see photos of the Baptism Outfit I've been working on. I modified Debbie Bliss's Eyelet Dress. I'm up to picking up stitches for the armband and I'll have to do it for the neck too. It's my least favorite thing to do. But I'd like to finish this project by next Tuesday so I better hop to it.

I recently came across another DB pattern (http://www.debbieblissonline.com/books/bc/bc_11.htm) that I think would be perfect with this Baptism Outfit. It's a matinee jacket from the Baby Cashmerino booklet. Unfortunately the book is now out of print. I am watching it on eBay, but I don't really want the whole book. We'll see...

Welcome Home Kona!!! We picked Kona up around 2:30 today. The techs said she did great, much better than last time. She's very sleepy now. I've posted photos of her here too. We're so glad to have her back home! Thanks for praying for her!

Knee Surgery for Konster

Kona rode excitedly to her vet visit this morning, poor thing didn't know what was about to come next. She just loves car rides. We arrived at the Animal Surgical Clinic and once inside she knew it wasn't good. I think dogs have a great memory when it comes to the traumatic experiences they've endured. Dr. Bennett came to examine Kona and she would not go to him or give him any of her customary licks of affection. She just looked up at me with her poor puppy eyes as if to plead with me to save her. We signed the paperwork and then the vet took her away. She'll have her surgery around 2-4 PM PST today. It's the second time around for Kona, so I'm less worried, but I still feel so terrible for her. Like Dr. Bennet said, "She'll have a matching pair and will be good as new".

I'll post a picture of her after we pick her up tomorrow. No doubt she'll look doped up.

As for the Baptism outfit, the shoulders are attached! I'm just having trouble picking up stitches for the arm bands and neck.

Valentine's Day Dud

Well for a second year in a row, we've had a yucky dinner. It does carry on our tradition of going to cheap eats/dives for Valentine's Day. We just wish it was a good eat. Anyway, read about last year in the Archives.

This year we went to the Steel Pig because Ken had a hankering for southern style BBQ. It's a dumpy kind of place on Aurora with pool tables, some random arcade games, a waitress who looks too young to be allowed in, and a cook who swears while watching the basketball game. I don't know who was playing...We were one of two couples eating there. They received decent reviews on citysearch.com, came recommended, and we had a coupon from our trusty Entertainment Guide. We ordered the Combo for two that came with three sides and three meats. The sides were decent (mac and cheese, rice and beans, cole slaw), but nothing to write home about. The ribs, chicken, and fish were not good at all. The fish was the best out of the three. It's no Everett and Jones in Oakland, CA.

As for my self-imposed deadline for the baptism dress...I fail. I'm up to the neck shaping for the front, but not done. It's almost there though. I'm granting myself an extension until next Tuesday.

I wanted to start something for the Knitting Olympics, but missed the Opening Ceremonies. It's neat to see what everyone's doing.

http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/olympics2006.html

What a mess!

It was a lovely weekend here in Seattle which means we had no rain. Sadly we couldn't enjoy the outdoors with our dear dog Kona because her left knee is bothering her. Being that she does not know her own limitations, we did not take her out to enjoy the weather. Kona would just run around like a rabbit at the park. So she's limited to her short walks to do her business. She's been lifting her knee to walk on the hardwood and we can tell it is stiff when she first wakes up. My poor baby. I can't go through watching her go through another surgery, but it's very likely. Papa feels bad for her too. It's not a big battle like last time, he knows she'll need surgery eventually. Pray for our pup. She's such a joy to me and I want her short doggy life to be a good one.

So, I started thinking that I'd better get announcements ready so that I can just finalize, stamp, label and mail them after the baby comes. Is this part of nesting? What was I thinking when I thought I could make them? Susie lent me a bunch of stuff and I got it at church today. I tried my hand at a couple of simple designs because there is no way, I can get some cutesy complex design with multiple layers, colors, and ribbons together. I just want a postcard type thing with one design on the top or a bottom corner. I burned the paper while heating the powder and the samples don't look good. Somehow the powder isn't melting and the final products look no better than a first grader's Valentines. Oh well...

I do have a back-up plan, here are a couple of annoucements with pups I found online listed in order of preference:

http://www.babyshere.com/babyshere/girbesfrien.html
http://www.tinyprints.com/ProductView_1047.htm
http://www.carrieskiddiecloset.com/store/WsDefault.asp?One=1298
http://www.adorableannouncements.com/product_info.php/products_id/176

The last one is too expensive for me, otherwise it would be closer to the top. If you have a favorite, do tell.

Well, after dinner, yes after, I ate Flaming Hot Cheetos and an orange. Now my white shirt is covered in bits of embossing powder, red Cheeto dust and orange dribble. I better go start a load of laundry before Desperate Housewives starts.

Passed GTT & A Week of Tea

Passed my Glucose Tolerance Test! Hurray. No need to watch my carb/sugar intake or prick myself after meals. No chance of abnormally large baby. Thanks for your prayers and good thoughts.

Today I went to Village Yarn and Tea , with my friend Esther and her friend Lana. A decent winter sale is going on until February 19th, so of course I could not pass up the opportunity to make a small purchase. I bought a nice bulky alpaca with a mix of gray and lilac to make a scarf with and a very cute lavender flower button for the baptism dress. Since they are open until 8 PM on Thursdays, we stayed to have some tea and knit. I had the Decaf Assam and a scone. It was altogether a lovely experience, but I wish they would carry a decaf Earl Grey.

Yesterday, my friend Pam treated me to lunch at the Queen Mary Tea Room. Thanks Pam for a nice afternoon. I feel so English this week as I've taken "proper" tea twice! After deliberating between chicken salad or a dish called Breast of Chicken with Two Mustard Sauce, I decided on the latter and did not regret it. It was absolutely scrumptious and I will try to replicate it at home. There I had the Decaf Apricot Tea which I had the last time I went as well. The tea is very fragrant and they give enough to keep it hearty after multiple pourings. Again, my wish is that they would carry a nice Decaf Earl Grey.

My projects are coming along. No completions to report. I did put a nice dent in the baptism dress tonight.

My latest craft endeavor is to try rubber stamping/embossing. I have two cute puppy stamps that I want to use for a birth announcement. If it winds up being too time consuming and challenging, I might just opt to purchase announcements. I scoped out the Paper Source while on a date with Ken last night (we went to Mora's in Bell Suare for ice cream) and boy is paper cha-ching. After all is said and done, I will probably spend about the same on supplies to make my own. When I take into account all the time and effort, it might be worth it to bay about 100 bucks for 100 announcements. I did find some really cute ones with puppies online. We'll see. Susie and Stella are going to lend me some basic materials to work with so I can figure out if this is yet another hobby I want to pick up.

Failed Gestational Diabetes Test

Well, yesterday was a disappointment...I found out that I failed the 1 hour glucose test, so I had to go in today for the 3 hour glucose tolerance test (GTT). It involved fasting for 10 hours prior, getting a baseline level drawn, then drinking a super concentrated glucose drink followed by three more blood draws on the hour. I decided not to worry too much about it as only 15% of those who fail the first test, go on to have gestational diabetes.

On the bright side, I had about three hours to read and knit while waiting for blood draws. I finished the back side of the baptism outfit and started the front. I have about 1.5 inches of the front. Whoo hoo. My goal will be to finish in two weeks time, so how about making Valentine's Day my deadline for the baptism outfit!

Uncompleted projects:
1. Cornflower Blanket
2. Stroller Blanket
3. Baptism Outfit

Projects I can't wait to start, but have to wait:
1. Another baby sweater
2. Baby overalls

Paint Job Completed!  

Papa putting on the "Pixie Wing".  

Dog's Year

Yesterday was Chinese New Year and we are officially in the Year of the Dog, 4703. We celebrated by going to Peking Wok in Factoria with our friends Sarah and Esther Park. The meal was not bad.

Baby Song was given another puppy outfit by her auntie Sarah Park's mother. It's quite cute and I can't wait for our baby to wear it. Ken has finished most of the baby room. The little one also received three stuffed dogs from her other Auntie Sarah Kim! She went a little nuts and brought over three stuffed puppies! Thanks for all the lovely gifts.

With our friend Andrew's help, he put up the border last week. It looks great. The green, which I doubted, turned out to be quite nice once the border went up. Pixie Wing, the light lavender, also became more prominent. Ken also put in a new light fixture and it makes a huge difference in the look of the room as well.

Ken was able to pick up the crib today with Pastor Fred's help. He borrowed his mini-van and they trekked to Tukwila, but we hit another snafu! The back of the crib does not have all the appropriate holes drilled into it, so it cannot be properly assembled! Ken does not want to risk drilling the holes himself in case he damages the crib. UGH!!! Another setback in the completion of the nursery. We're trying to figure things out with USA Baby.

Today, I went to knitting and made progress on the baptism outfit. The back side is almost complete. Another couple of rows and it will be done. Thanks to Jeannette who helped me interpret the shaping of the neck and shoulders!

Nursery Update and Blast from the Past

I thought this past week would be a light one, but it turned out to be quite busy, so this is my first post. I also had an emergency OB visit b/c I thought I might be going into pre-term labor, but it turned out to be normal cramps and aches.

Ken began painting earlier this week. Poor guy, prepped the room and painted both colors by himself. All I did was wipe down the wall areas I could reach. I'll help with hanging the border either tomorrow or Monday. The only thing is the shade of green I chose isn't what I expected. Ken offered to repaint it, but I don't want him to be troubled. He already compromised on allowing two paint colors instead of one. We'll see how it looks when we change the light fixtures.

We finally agreed on a crib and purchased it at USA Baby. Hurray!!! The problem is that it would not fit in our SUV. So we don't actually have the crib at our place yet. We have to figure out what to do there. We did bring home the mattress though. I feel like we're getting closer to finishing up the room.

So many babies recently. Our friends the Dinovo's had twin girls, dubbed the Twinovos last week. Their names are Raye and Sabine. My friend Misun had her girl Ella and Young Jun's wife gave birth to Julia. So far, all girls in 2006!

Today, we met with the Barons! They are visiting from Boston and staying with Joey's brother and sister-in-law who live in Ballard. We have not seen them since our wedding. I can't believe I babysat Reuben and Nina and now they don't really need sitters. Reuben is in 7th grade and Nina is in 5th grade and they are both just terrific kids. Seems like Japanese Anime is the current craze for them. Kudos to Debbie and Joey for raising such well-rounded and articulate children.

Ahh...knitting. I have started a new baby blanket with my purchase of MarL La from Elann. It is knitting up fast! The baptism outfit is now almost nine inches long! This is the most knitting I've done in a while.

Twenty-five days of rain...

Seattle will likely break her record of 33 straight days of rain if our current weather pattern keeps up. Earlier this week, we did have one day when the lovely sun peeked out. Unfortunately, I was at work at the time.

The rain really puts a damper on pet ownership. It's hard to gear up to walk Kona. Luckily she's pretty good about doing her business efficiently. Once we get home, we go through the routine of wiping her underside and paws. If it's really bad, I actually blow dry her so that the wet dog smell doesn't linger.

Papa finally moved the futon out of what will be the baby room. Then I organized all the baby's clothes. We've gotten a lot of gifts already and I couldn't resist a few purchases, especially when there are great sales going on now. But I have to say, I've exercised considerable restraint, but I did count nine pairs of socks!

Currently, most of the outfits fall in the 6-12 month category. Ken, aka Papa's sister sent us a bunch of 0-3 month sets that will definitely come in handy come April. Thanks Auntie Sophia!

New project for the baby: Yesterday I began a baptism outfit. I only have about 2 inches so far, but I'm excited to see the project through. I'm using a white cotton/acrylic blend that I ordered from elann last week. The description said that it washed well.

Outstanding projects for the baby
1. Finish baby Blanket in cornflower, started before baby was conceived
2. Add buttons to cardigan, also started before baby was conceived
3. Seed stitch bootees, started on Sunday, 1/8
4. Start new baby blanket. What was I thinking when I ordered more yarn from elann.com earlier this week? I'm not even done with the first one. But it is a bulky yarn so it should go fast. Take a look: http://secure.elann.com/productdisp.asp?NAME=Classic+Elite+MarL+La&Cat=NEW&ProductType=5&Count=8

I am also debating starting a project for a friend's baby. Just not sure I will be able to finish in time...We'll see...

Misun and Jin Mo's Ella arrived yesterday! She was a whopping 8lbs and came out with one push. Guess that's what you get for #2... Congrats Misun and Jin Mo.

Well, I promised pictures a LONG time ago and they are here.

The first one is of our long expected baby, due to arrive on April 29th, 2006. We can't wait to meet our little one and pray that Kona will do well with our addition. We're trying to keep the sex a secret, but both Ken and I have slipped in conversations with friends. We hope those who know will keep it quiet! Shh!

Right now, I'm making plans for the nursery. The theme of course will be puppies/dogs. I purchased a border with cartoon dogs and will likely paint the walls and light green and cream color. I've also been trolling eBay for accents/accessories.

The other photos are of Kona after her surgery. Seems so long ago that she was limping and avoiding activity. I was so worried about her, but she's just fine now. Pray that she doesn't injure her other hingleg. That would set us back another two thousand bucks!

Lastly, remember the yarn I bought during my birthday trip to Fairhaven, Mt. Vernon and Poulsbo? Well, I am finally on the finishing for the little cardigan. It's almost done now. Actually the pic is inaccurate b/c last night I finished all the seams while watching Desparate Housewives. Now it only needs the buttons.

That's it for now, I'm off soon to Downtown Seattle to meet my best friend from college, Sarah Park, for lunch. I plan on doing some shopping husband-free. It's so hard to for me to shop, even window shop with Ken. He's such a downer.

The One I'm Knitting For...Have to finish a baby blanket and start and finish an outfit by April!  

Kona and her friend Rocky. Took about 3 months for Koney to fully recover, but she's good as new now and able to take on Rocky. In this pic they are looking at crows or some such bird.  

My poor Kona post-op back in August. I cried when I dropped her off for surgery. 

Baby Sweater in Spring '05 I started with the yarn I bought in Poulsbo, WA last March! Almost done! 

Post Holiday Energy

Christmas and New Year's came and went so quickly. It was like whirlwind over here. We had lots of events to attend and friends from out of town. We caught up with an old college era friend, Young Jun who was in town for a brief business meeting. Our old community group leaders Sam and Quenna were in Seattle visiting Quenna's parents, so we met up at the good old kid's section of Barnes and Nobles at UVillage. It was nice to see Lydia and Hannah all grown up. Seemed like we had so much to do and so little time to reflect on 2005, our Savior's birth, and our much anticipated baby. Now that my mom is back home in L.A., I'll have more time to prepare myself for motherhood and think more about resolutions. The first one is to blog more consistently.

My mom or grandma was in town for more than two weeks. It was nice for Kona and Rocky, the Maltese we are/were dogsitting on and off to have my mom at home and vice versa. They kept each other company. She made us meals, helped clean the house, and nagged me about resting more.

Well onto knitting. I haven't posted in ages, but I've been knitting. My baby blanket, initiated even before the positive pregnancy test, has gotten frogged and is now on track. I ripped it out to locate the mistake while Ken was in line for our rental car on Oahu. I must have been working on it for forty-five minutes. It has traveled to many places since it started. LA, Vancouver, Oahu, the Big Island and Vancouver again. I hope to get it done in the next month or so. It needs another good 24 inches! Yikes!

My mom crocheted a little baby sweater while here and I'm working on the finishing for a cardigan from Debbie Bliss's Baby Knits for Beginners.

Promise to post pictures soon. My elann order came too. Just used the gift certificate from my Secret Pal from SP4! Was afraid to sign up for SP7 b/c of the baby coming in April and all. Thought I might let someone down. Anyway, thanks Lillium for the elann certificate. I saved it for a special occasion and bought yarn for baby outfits.