Are We Bad Parents?

When my high school friend heard I took Jordan, who just turned four months yesterday, to Disneyland, he told me not to spoil him which quite honestly, baffled me because ummm... yeah.... no. In fact, the poor child was so captivated by Disneyland's lights, sounds, smells, structures, rides, and people everywhere that he was unable to concentrate while eating all day (he wanted to see everything around him!) and refused to sleep all day (he did take a few short naps).

All day long, I didn't know if I should laugh or cry because he looked so cute as he fought to stay awake, slowly blinking and focusing on everything in front of him. He was absolutely captivated by the different art pieces on the wall and huge mirror behind our seat at Club 33 (for a detailed look inside the VIP private hidden secret of Disneyland, read my friend Paige's blog post), stupefied by the whirling lights, shooting lasers and blinking targets on Buzz Lightyear, mesmerized by Daddy and Mommy both pulling their slingshots for the Toy Story ride/game and enthralled with Ariel, Flounder, Scuttle, Sebastian and even Ursula in the Little Mermaid ride. As good parents, we might have thought it was time to leave after dinner, but we, along with our friends, the Camerons (who had a 5 month old baby Alex) and the Rasmussens, decided early in the AM that our departure would follow the 9 PM showing of the World of Colors, which was well worth it (yes, even at the expense of our very tired babies).

Though Jordan probably can't see color yet (the pupils develop the ability to discern color around 6 months), the thumping of the music all around us (carousel of color!!! the wonderful world of colorrrrrrrr... yeah, song's still in my head two days later) was enough that even in the dark as I tried to feed him on the floor, he was not having it and wanted in on the excitement. So he rode on his Daddy's shoulders (Andy supported him since he is not strong enough to sit up on his own yet), clinging onto Andy's ear and hair, and his eyes seemed to grow larger with each splash of water and flashing image and color. But the moment Andy got tired and I took over, his eyes blinked slowly and Andy told me to turn him away from the show and in that millisecond, he was out. Poor thing had been so tired. Unfortunately, his parents who had seen the show a year ago when he was still cooking inside my womb, knew how amazingly awesome it was and convinced everyone to stay for it!

The very next day, Jordan turned 4 months old!


His current statistics (as of last week) are:

Head: 75% 23 cm (I think....)

Weight: 75% 15 lbs and 13 oz

Height: 90% 26 inches

It's amazing to me that just four months ago, my baby was just a pooping, peeing, burping, spitting, sleeping machine with occasional glimpses of a smile. These days, his poops are less frequent, he only pees on me once every 3-4 days, he has fake cries and real cries, is trying so hard to roll over (he rolled from tummy to back fives times in a row one morning and I guess decided he was over it... has only happened once since then) from his stomach to back and back to front and gets frustrated when he gets stuck on his side, and will coo and try to talk, smiles so much when he's in a good mood, and is just so intent on observing everything around him.

I love him to pieces and I can't believe when we last went to Disneyland with our Voluntears passes around Halloween last year, he was still swimming around inside of my stomach - and making me sick btw, all we did was watch shows and I felt like fainting many times - ugh, at least the experience did not make me dread dole whips. We got our fix of dole whips and raved about it while the Camerons did the same with corn dogs and Jeff with his popcorn. I guess we all have separate preferences but one thing we had in common - we had a blast at Disneyland!

p.s. This is what you get when you ask a stranger to take your photograph - the castle is cut off! Booo!!!

p.p.s. At the end of the night, the babies were OUT and some daddies.

The "Can't Sleep" Syndrome of Going to Disneyland!

I'm not a die hard Disneyland fan (mostly because we can't afford it and I'm lazy even though I know it's less than an hour away without traffic!) but just like when I was a kid, I cannot go to sleep the night before a trip to Disneyland because I am so dang excited. If I were to retreat to bed right now, I would just toss and turn, imagining my day tomorrow and still wondering what I am going to wear (it's something I did as a teen and I guess some habits die hard).

I am thinking of all the rides I can go on! I am thinking of all the Mickey Mouse shaped food! I am thinking yo ho yo ho! I am thinking it's a small world! I am thinking I hope I see some pretty princesses (have you ever thought, hmmm they were much better looking when I was a kid). I am thinking of the popcorn popping, ice cream stands, and adorable themed uniforms the workers will greet me in. I am thinking of the smell of vanilla permeating the air as I walk down Main Street (yeah so they pump peppermint during the Christmas season and did you know the doors and windows on Main Street are proportioned to look big so you feel little when you're there?... clever!). I am thinking of the Dole-Whip that Andy introduced me to last time! I am thinking of the basketball court inside the Matterhorn that I won't get to see but the Abominable Snowman that will freak me out (even though I'm a grown woman). I am thinking I should go to sleep now. And most importantly, I am thinking how much better Disneyland will be when you're not nauseous and unable to go on any of the fun rides (when we went with our Voluntears passes I was two months pregnant and NOT a happy camper) and instead introducing the world of happiness that is Disneyland to your almost four month old who won't understand a thing and will be exhausted.

I truly never thought I would be one of those parents who brought their tiny not even speaking or walking yet kid to Disneyland because really, what can he go on and what torture for him, right? Say hello to your stroller babe, you will be in it for most of tomorrow. *sigh. Sad, right? Yet.... now that I'm a parent, I understand life must go on and your kid will just adapt and really, it will make him stronger, less difficult and make parenthood much happier! So, yes - we might not be the best parents but neither are our friends because we're all bringing our babies (four kids less than twelve months) to Disneyland tomorrow! Hey, they are free before 3 years of age and I personally think Jordan will enjoy the change of scenery. He will also be able to boast that he went to Club 33 before he was even 1 year old. Yes, we are going to Club 33, the super elite, VIP, magical and special restaurant inside Disneyland that one must be a member in order to be granted access in. Lucky for me, the Firm I work for has membership and one of the perks of working there is that I can go. Despite having been once for a company kick-off meeting, I'm thinking tomorrow will be much more memorable and fun.

I should go to sleep. Like a kid who's going to Disneyland tomorrow, I can't. And the funny thing is, it's not a figure of speech.

What I Learned Today...

Today I learned, if I am going to bring something to a picnic for others to partake of, it should be something I enjoy eating in case nobody eats it except for me and I come home with a big bowl of it.

No regrets - I am happily eating my own broccoli salad tonight, tomorrow... basically until it's gone!

I also learned to be very careful with what kind of underwear and work out pants you wear to a cardio kickboxing class held in a studio with large windows where everyone outside can see in because of a thing called melvilles (wedgies to simpletons).

No regrets - the class was well worth it!

Sometimes I'm Hoity Toity Because I Just Am...

One of the perks of living in Los Angeles is the proximity of the Fashion District downtown. Once a month on the last Friday, the ninth floor of the California Mart (my junior prom was here, it was weird to say the least) becomes the hoity toity haven for cheap baby stuff.

I've been a couple of times and at first, was appalled by what any toddler or infant would need Diesel jeans and moreover by the "discounted" price of tiny t-shirts and onesies with seemingly trendy phrases being sold for $10. That's not a deal. It's a steal (in the bad way)! I might have better luck at the local Goodwill where the spit and milk stains might pass as "cool" if faded on purpose (or so I'd claim).

But as we came across one store in particular, I saw diaper bags for $10-$40. Given diaper bags from Target cost $20, these originally retailed bags of $100 - $300 (think Storksak, Reese Li, Babymel) were indeed a reason to spend some hard earned cash! As I browsed some more, I saw very cute Sunday Best outfits similar to what I might find at Janie and Jack for $10-$15 and other deals at stores that sold to little boutiques in Los Angeles that I had never heard of but were - even I must admit - pretty darn cute. Besides going to Ross, Nordstrom Rack and TJMaxx and going through the mess of clothes that are all well priced or even making a trip to Macy's when they are discounting last season's stuff, this was pretty much the next best thing. I got so excited that I eventually made my way back once with my mum and once with my mother-in-law and plan on going back for more!

And so I wanted to share this bit of insider information (the good kind Martha) because sometimes it's fun to feel hoity toity and know you didn't spend that much for it. Nobody can see the markings of "sample" inside my bag and it's a pretty sweet bag - better than any free Carter's bag you could get from Babies 'R' Us for buying a certain amount of baby stuff (yes, you know the deal, almost everyone got a free bag for spending more than $50).

So if you're in Los Angeles or know someone around, send 'em to the ninth floor of the California Mart on the last Friday of the month for some cheap hoity toity baby stuff. It's well worth a trip.

Leftovers from Pregnancy

There's this restaurant on Green Street in Old Town Pasadena called "La Luna Negra" which serves tapas and sangria (think alcoholic grape juice soda with bits of fruit in it) and has entertainment like flamenco and bands playing all the time. It's quite a sight to see when you drive by, very festive looking and really grabs at your attention and the food is quite good but it is a bit pricey and if you're tall like my 6'4 lil brother, the height of the chairs and table are quite uncomfortable.

When I learned I was pregnant and the dark line on my belly button that runs from the top of the belly down to the bottom of the belly, is in fact called the linea negra, I could never get the two straight. I often called it the luna negra on my stomach. Yes, a restaurant was on my belly. Apparently, the mark is caused by the hormones in your body (as everything is whilst pregnant) and fades after you give birth some months later.

Understandably so, I did not freak out when the line did not disappear on my stomach immediately after giving birth. In fact, I was so calm about the natural line on my belly, that I failed to realize the rim of dirt that was forming around my belly button.

Recently, on our road trip back from Arizona, I sat in the backseat with Jordan and for some strange reason, got bored and began to look at my belly button, wondering when the luna negra would disappear. This was my first encounter with the rim around my belly button that I immediately thought was just part of the luna negra. But remember I said it's a line? My line was still there but significantly lighter than the circly part of the luna negra that in contrast to the fading line, looked quite distinct and huge. Ugh, I thought. Pregnancy in all its glory and beauty can also be quite disgusting sometimes. Ugh. Ugh again. And then.... I wondered. No... It couldn't be, but..... but what if?

So I started to rub at the rim around my belly button. Shocked and a bit disgusted by myself, I realized it was starting to rub off. I grabbed for a wipe (pretty convenient to have Jordan around at times like these), and began scrubbing the circumference of my belly button with the wipe. Remember picking the Elmer's dried glue off your fingers when you were a kid? This was ten times as fun and yet, part of me cringed at how long I had let my belly button deteriorate to its current state of grimy leftovers.

I don't remember what Andy was doing at this point. He might have been on the phone (I think this is the only time he calls most of his friends... while on a road trip!) or singing to the music playing from Pandora on our bluetooth system (yes, it's quite sweet), but afraid to admit what I was doing that exact moment, I might have started up conversation to distract him. In fact, I 'm quite sure I did exactly that. I did however recall the events for him later but did not have any evidence to show for it (this I did purposely, nobody should ever know exactly how much dirt was on my belly button).

So for all my pregnant friends or soon to be pregnant friends, please beware - the luna negra/linea negra - whatever you want to call it... it is a hormonal stamp of pregnancy in the shape of a line and a line only. There should not be a circle involved. Don't be like me and wait for the line to fade away before you realize the circle of leftovers.

Token Asian Baby

Despite having grown up in Arcasia, my Asian roots haven't done much for me in terms of mom friends and baby play dates. I think this is due to the fact that most of my Asian friends from back home are still sans baby. According to their timeline of wanting certain accomplishments checked off first, a strong desire to travel more, a suitable income, a required number of years married before starting a family or simply no time, babies have been postponed and as such, I am the first baby momma in my group of Asian friends.

Lucky for me, everyone in my building is having babies and the same goes for everyone in my Church! As a result, I have made random friends with baby's mommas in our apartment complex and from other babies' mommas at Church.

At Church, there is a maternity lounge complete with rocking chairs, a diaper changing station, boppys, a sink, speakers so you can hear what is going on during Sacrament and a mirror to fix your clothes for afterwards. Since Jordan began going to Church after being a month old, we have frequented this maternity lounge often and met so many other mothers and babies while there. It feels good to be part of a special VIP club known as Motherhood, and even more fun to know I'm not the only member in the My Baby Won't Take the Bottle Club.

A few weeks ago, one of my preggers walking buddies, Nicole, who lives up the street from us, decided to have a 2011 Babies Party which we co-hosted! We overestimated the amount of games a mom of babies all less than seven months could accomplish but still had a great time meeting other babies and mommies, munching on an assortment of potluck-ed lunch and conversing about our babies. It was reassuring to talk about each baby's milestones, realizing that all babies cry, all babies have some serious blowouts, and a lot of babies hate the bottle. It was also entertaining to watch the other babies, the little ones who cried like Jordan used to, the big ones who could roll over, and all the babies spit up and drool just like Jordan does from time to time.

It made me think about all the for profit baby play date groups and how lucky I am to have a group of women to turn to for questions and company from both Church and where we live at no cost. I feel grateful for both tender mercies from the Lord and I am looking forward to more moments of Jordan being the token Asian baby.

Already Thinking About Leaving California

I keep a pretty close track of our net worth through Mint.com and I'm dreading the day the medical school loans hit and our net worth plummets into the negatives. On the bright side, I'm also looking forward to a potential residency somewhere where gas and groceries (our two largest monthly expenses) are not so expensive! Then again, the fruit in California by far surpasses the lack of variety elsewhere. Of course, the heat in the summertime here is also quite difficult and a trip to the beach is just too time consuming. Although, there is the option of the beach here.

As you can see, I vacillate periodically about our soon to be (guess it depends where we match right?) departure from California. I have started to slowly accumulate a list of the pros and cons of living in Southern California, and I'm hoping to maximize on the pros before we leave. Those would include, but are not limited to, seeing my parents and nearby family often (it's funny how my cousins all live nearby but we probably only get together for big holidays or events), eating lots of authentic and cheap Chinese, Korean and Thai food with a dabble of Japanese when my mom takes me (Andy isn't a huge fan of Japanese), loading up on Thrifty ice cream every week it's 2 for $5, getting boba and shaved ice from time to time, going to Hollywood Bowl before we leave, visiting the downtown LA fabric district some more for fabric and trim (for those craft projects I will one day get to), and maybe a trip to Disneyland.

My list isn't that extensive because in thinking it over, there's not much about So Cal that I'm really attached to besides my roots in Arcasia and the food here. Although I like shopping at the Grove and the Americana, I can live without both and in the limited time I've been away from home (think college, living on the westside and my short stint in San Jose), the local grocery stores and shopping malls are usually the first things I become acquainted with. Not because I am that crazy of a shopper, but because I like knowing where things are ahead of time. In case you didn't get the memo, I'm sort of a planner.

I also find comfort in the fact that my parents will probably never leave LA, so we will always be coming back. I know we're not leaving yet, but in many ways, I'm already thinking about leaving California and what it entails because we're going to be going out of town for a few weeks to Orlando for vacation and then Salt Lake City for a rotation Andy has with the University of Utah. That's a long time away from our lil LA apartment that has become home and it's going to be a sort of test drive for me while I'm there. When Andy's cousins were here, they kept exclaiming, "We don't have that in Utah!" and the more they commented on little things like the Chinese sausages and Yan Yans on sale at our local Costco to the nearby Chipotle and all the fro yo places, I started to fear the unknown and already began missing So Cal.

Much is the case with life. We often take for granted what we have, always thinking about what we don't have. Today, I'm going to stop thinking about leaving California and what I have to gain, and enjoy the things of California that are at my disposal now. I'm thinking, a work out at the outdoor mall with an amazing ginormous fountain that mimics the Bellagio's (but not that big), some fro-yo or boba and a visit to my community pool. It's the simple things in life that we tend to overlook and hate on... well, today, I'm not going to hate, I'm going to appreciate.

Have You Ever?

Farted at the gym thinking nobody would hear since you couldn't hear it, only to realize you were the only one in the vicinity to be wearing headphones?

Wondered if your head is misshaped because every time you use your new iPhone, you hang up or merge calls without trying to just by the leaning of your head onto the touchscreen?

Really hated the trending fashions and thought about how you might be "that girl with the 80's hairdo" only substitute 80's with 2000's?!

Gone a few days without washing your hair, only to realize the oil helps you style it better?

Subsequently discovered that baby powder when rubbed into your oily hair can cover the shine and smell?

Looked through photos but only looked at yourself, and ashamed of your own narcissism, but unwilling to stop, felt bad about it?

Thought about having another kid right away after the first so your kids could have birthdays near each other?

Gone through every single outfit in your wardrobe only to realize nothing looks good and you've created a pile of junk so you throw it into the laundry basket instead of refolding it?

Yeah, me neither. Just saying.

Part of Your World

Who didn't want to be a mermaid when they saw the Disney version of The Little Mermaid? (cuz Hans Christensen's version is a bit sad...) I know I did - and I even looked up what "reprimanded" meant in the dictionary, thank you Disney, for enhancing my vernacular prowess at only seven years old!

So, when I came across this blog post from Shawnie on 71 Toes, I couldn't help but post (even though this is my second post in one day!). Check out photos at her blogpost - I'm sure it's something you could make, but I am not that crafty nor do I have that much time ... maybe my sister-in-law will make it if we don't win it... what do you think Tammy?

I get an extra entry if I post about it. Hey, did you ever enter a contest for your "niece" and really want to keep it for yourself if you won? Yeah, me neither.. duh, it's for my niece if I win. Here's hoping I win!!!

Inflatable Fun House

Remember those bouncy houses at birthday parties, in parks, at fairs, company picnics, grad night at the high school, elaborate house parties in the Dena or college reunions?

I always thought they would be too expensive for my kid but I found one that is currently free and Jordan is loving it.

It's my stomach and everything surrounding it, leftover from birth and still hanging out until I start taking my work outs more seriously. And it is an inflatable fun house. He steps on it and just loves the squishiness of the stomach, the undulating waves it creates of air that boost him up and down. The table is not as fun. Daddy's stomach is not as fun. Even the diaper changing pad is not as fun.

Nothing beats your own inflatable fun house. Just ask Jordan.

Report Card Time

I've come to realize this motherhood and housekeeper thing (the two are distinctively different!) can be very defeating at times. And that's why I need to motivate myself with a report card (yes I was a goodie two shoe with straight A's until high school... those occasional B's really humbled me)!

When it comes to motherhood, I have for the most part, felt pretty good about it. I know I can't communicate with Jordan yet but he usually smiles if I gawk at him and usually is quite happy when I sing, read, or make funny faces at him. He seems to recognize my voice and I am the source of all food thus far... so no complaints right? Wrong...! It's when he has a rare occurrence of - I'm not happy no matter what you do - that really throws me off. When he's smiling one moment and projectile vomiting the next, leaving me without a towel or idea of how to clean it up with the least amount of potential damage. Or when he's not hungry but doesn't want to play and is still crying (we think teething but that could just be our excuse for not knowing how to appease him!) and he doesn't want to be put down either! Oh boy. The normal thoughts that occur at this point are ... what have I gotten myself into and how will I make it with more than one child?! and of course is it normal to still be in my jammies at 10 AM without brushing my teeth or putting on my contacts yet? interrupted by man am I hungry.. if only I could sneak away and get a bite to eat! If I gave myself a report card for motherhood, it would have a lot of suggestions for improvement but I would tell myself that staying positive is half the battle which I've managed to do so far by finding the joy and humor in everything, even the poop and the puke (I think I prefer poop.. the smell goes away after being wiped, as for the puke... it kinda lingers.... do you have to, do you have to let it linger.....Cranberries anyone?)

When it comes to housekeeping, I feel pretty good about it IF - OPERATIVE WORD - IF I have time but the whole motherhood thing really puts a kink in my routine for housekeeping. I'm normally loads behind (pun?) in laundry washing and folding (someone really needs to invent a machine that does that for you already and go on Shark Tank!), my sink never has room to refill my Brita and when I do attempt to clear it, I find myself stepping in my own self created puddles of dirty dishwater that has somehow managed to find its way to the floor, our living room is already overflowing with toys (I know he's a baby, but yes, he already has toys!), not to mention the pile of junk mail I have to sort through to find the real mail (if I get another credit card invitation because I've been pre-approved yet again.... ugh) that is a constant centerpiece on our dining table and the bathrooms that are still not getting their normal bi-weekly clean-up! If I gave myself a report card for housekeeping, it would say .... "prioritize and definitely needs improvement!"

Maybe I'm too harsh on myself (and maybe I'm fishing for some compliments while I'm at it...), but this whole self imposed report card consideration has got me thinking more and more that I should in fact give myself a periodic review. I got one in the workplace (which btw, is so much easier than this motherhood and housekeeping thing, hands down without a doubt!) and I was able to find ways to improve and was rewarded for it through both positive affirmation from co-workers and superiors as well as compensation, so why shouldn't I give myself one now that this is my full time job? Just because I chose to be a mother, doesn't mean I'm not held to any standard and should be working towards being more efficient and effective (key phrases from the work world). So I decided to do that. And I also decided to give myself a little reward if I do well and do find myself getting better at accomplishing what seems like way too much in way too little time.

I know Jordan sometimes spontaneously vomits... what can I do to ensure the victims (him, me, the couches, the carpet, anything in his path at the time of vomit) are safe? The answer... more towels! Towels here, towels there, towels everywhere! I know Jordan only sleeps for an hour to two for naptime durign the day, so how can I maximize these spurts of time and finish my housekeeping chores? Good-bye Facebook, good-bye Pinterest, that will do, good-bye to you! With the time I waste on you, I could be doing so much more - it's true!

Alas, report card in my life to stay. Report card in my life today.

Report card time!

You Know You're Old When...

Our cousins (Kristy and Kylie, ages 13 and 17) have never seen or even heard of Clueless. To add insult to injury, after I popped in the DVD to have 'em watch it so I could enjoy it in the background while I'm online, the first commentary I heard was "That's such an ugly outfit!" I had to immediately turn around and advise 'em that everyone (including myself) had one of those plaid skirts and knee-highs with Mary Jane's. Whatever... as if, I'm totally like old now, totally buggin'.

We Ain't Getting Any Younger

Meet Kristy and Kylie, our cousins from Andy's side of the family, ages 17 and 13, respectively. Kristy and Kylie love shopping, playing with Jordan, cooking and cleaning (for a reward of fro-yo, who wouldn't?!) and whatever else their sweet cousins (mostly me) suggest.

At first I was intimidated as I was unsure how we would pass the time with two teenagers for ten days, and even more frightened by the fact that we would pale in comparison to the awesome time they had at Tammy's last summer as that trip included lots of restaurants, theme parks, touristy fun stuff and two little girls to nanny. But once they were here, my fears quickly subsided as I elated with joy in the upside of having help and company around and so far, I think (think being the operative word) they are having a good time as well. It actually reminds me of why I want a big family - it's so much more fun with more people around although, I think I'm going to be a bossy mom... haha. I mean, I TRY not to be bossy, but I definitely am not shy about suggesting how we should approach certain things, about asking for help and about waking them up to get the day started (the first couple of days they were here and we got ready for bed at 10 PM, they asked what they were supposed to do now because they usually sleep at 1 AM, 2 AM or 3 AM - but lately, they've been exhausted and turning in at 10 PM, 11 PM and 12 AM- not 1 2 or 3 AM!)

The girls are easily amused with shopping trips and they laugh at almost everything Andy and I say (we're not that funny though.. really...), making us feel quite good about ourselves. We've spent a lot of good quality time teaching them how to play new board games (Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride European version), wasting time on the WII with Super Mario Bros. and comparing our brain capacities with Big Brain Academy, going through Preach My Gospel together for family scripture study, watching movies, swimming in our complex, going on adventures (Korean BBQ, Venice Canals, Manhattan Beach), shopping, eating, and just hanging out. Along the way, it is more and more evident that Andy and I are not getting any younger.

The first indication: In the car, we were educated on the various types of cars one can spot while driving, call out, and punch the other. I only knew of punch buggie, out of state and personalized license plates, but there is a litany of things to call out now. We were advised so matter of factly that all we could do was laugh in response, not even processing what they said but laughing at how ridiculous the game had morphed for this new generation.

The second indication: Sunday afternoon, we were enjoying food with some friends at a Church Break the Fast (we fast once a month and a nice family from Church puts on a huge potluck after the day of fasting - loads of fun and tons of good grub) and exchanging advice on babies with some of the other families who are with child or expecting. As we talked about how tiring it gets to wake up and feed your baby multiple times throughout the night, I mentioned how I had moved the diaper changing pad into my bedroom for an easier walk late at night (Jordan still sleeps in the pack n play in our room for now). Kristy laughed and called me lazy, but quickly rescinded the comment and explained that she could relate since she had a mechanical baby before. . ...

..

...

.

...

Seriously?!

...

..

.

.

Yes, I said mechanical baby. Remember egg babies? Well, the year of sixth graders above us started to fry their eggs on school property so when I got to sixth grade, we had orange babies. We treated those oranges like our babies until school was out, then left them in a corner until school the next day (except BFF and I took our assignments pretty seriously, when we went to taekwondo class, we advised Master that we had to leave our orange babies at the front of class or it would be neglect and he laughed and said ok... sure we were silly little kids asking if we could put our oranges, safely nestled in the carriers we had created up by the mirrors in the studio). Well apparently, eggs or oranges are not an option anymore, now - they have mechanical babies!

These mechanical babies, as Kristy so kindly informed us, did not interrupt you during the day, but immediately after school, within 15 minutes, the mechanical baby was programmed to wake up, cry if not fed or changed, and required constant supervision. This included night time feedings and all the fatigue that comes with having a baby. I can appreciate technology discouraging teen pregnancy this way but I'm quite glad we didn't have that growing up.

The third indication: We write letters on Sundays and accordingly, Kristy and Kylie joined us. I jokingly asked if they knew how to address an envelope to which Kristy replied "not really... no, why would we need to? We have phones and facebook." Kylie, on the other hand, thought really carefully and hard before answering in "the to address goes in the middle and the return address is in the upper left corner?" I poked fun of her, asking her if she had learned that at school. She said yes and I asked if it was in History class and she told me it was in English class. I guess she didn't get the joke. Later, while I was feeding Jordan, I asked Kristy to please put the stamps on the letters to mail out and she asked me if the stamps went in the upper right corner before she did so.

Those are the first that come to mind, but the reality is we're not getting younger, but how could we be when our tiny tiny baby is now a big big baby?

At only three months, he is in the 90% for weight and height at 14 lbs 5 oz and 25 1/4" and a little more behind in head size with 75% at 42 cm.

It's amazing how quickly he's learning more with each day. He now sleeps from 10 PM - 7 AM (though I sometimes wake him up to feed at 6 AM), still won't take the bottle, loves tummy time, has better head control, grabs a lot more (of clothes and hair - lots of Kristy and Kylie hair, but still won't go after toys or the teething giraffe), is drooling a lot, learned to suck on his entire fist, likes to lick his seatbelts, prefers being held, will have spurts of talking in coos, is fascinated with green trees, smiles a lot more, and is fitting into his clothes from 6, 9 and even 12 months! Ah!!! Big baby!!

his blessing outfit that Nama made.... doesn't button in the back anymore!

but still fits nicely otherwise, and looks good in photos (his feet didn't fit the matching booties since he was a month old so I didn't bother at three months...sad)

Everything Is Cuter!

Lately, I've noticed Andy and I both tend to shorten, double up or rhyme our words with Jordan. It seems we think doing so makes us more baby appropriate.

Case in point: Let's go change your "diap-diap!"

Another example: You're just the "cutest-wutest!"

And another: Do you want to "eat-eat" now?

If you haven't had a baby yet, just you wait - I swear it's more natural when you're the parent just like it's more obnoxious when you're not.

At Long Last!

My mom loves re-telling the story about my obsession with "aye-shui" when I was still learning how to talk. I would alway beg for "aye-shui" which was confused as water since "shui" (think feng-shui) but when water was brought to me, I would continue to cry and ask for "aye-shui." Finally, upon taking me to the land of pink dots, pink spoons and 31 fantastic flavors to choose from, I exclaimed with joy and said "aye-shui!" That was when they got my muddled disoriented demands as ice cream.

I've never had a favorite ice cream flavor. There are just too many that I love. Among my favorites are rainbow sherbert (cuz it's rainbow, do I need to say more?), bubble gum (because there's bubble gum in it and only select places would sell it, but it's kinda gross now that I think about it), cookies n cream, cheesecake, black cherry and mint n chip, BUT... yes, there's a but, BUT I would only eat mint n chip if it was from Thrifty because everywhere else had chips that were too big and distracted me from the ice cream itself.

I thought I had a new favorite ice cream flavor last year... a discovery of pineapple and coconut together in one fantastic swirl of wonderfulness, also from Thrifty. But just recently, Andy and I discovered my NEW and NOW favorite ice cream flavor.

Get ready for it. It's legend... are you lactose intolerant? ... dairy!!!

Lemonhead! Oh my my.. how do I even begin to describe it? It's a bit tart but not too much, a bit creamy but not too much.. a mix between sorbet and ice cream with pixie dust lemonhead pieces.. oh, just magical I tell you!

Lucky me that my husband loves ice cream every bit as much as I do because Rite-Aid (the only place I know that sells Thrifty but who knows... wonder if the El Monte Thrifty factory has tours...) has 2 1.75qts for $5 or 2 for $6 (I know, I often wonder how many I should get when they are 2 for $5) and last week, after we finished our first ever Lemonhead ice cream, we kept dwelling on how wonderful it was, hoping for more, as we lacklusterly got through the rest of Black Cherry. So this weekend, Andy came home with not one.. but two Lemonhead ice creams! Delicious. I seriously think about Lemonhead ice cream at least three times a day, excited for dessert at night! Miam I tell you!

So yours truly finally, at long last, has a favorite ice cream. Lemonhead, I declare you are my favorite ice cream ever!



Disclaimer: Thrifty did not compensate me in any shape, way or form to rave about their ice cream. They are, without a doubt, the best ice cream for the price, and if you buy it in the store (like my parents did for me as the past time for Laundromat days), it comes in a square scoop!

Chicken Soup for the Skin

My mom pays for me to have a facial once a month and she looks after Jordan while I am getting my face did. I went last week and had to endure half an hour of her and the other Chinese facial lady telling me I was losing the elasticity in my skin, gaining wrinkles faster than I knew, all due to the fact that my son was taking all my nutrients from my milk. Why wasn't I making the black chicken soup concoction my mother had supplied me with (I have four pieces of black chicken in the freezer, waiting to be made into soups to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles on my face) like I was supposed to as a good Chinese daughter?! I held it in. Are you letting yourself go so young? Still I resisted the urge to talk back. Didn't I know in less than a year, I'd be an old hag? The urge to scream, I DON'T BELIEVE YOU BECAUSE YOU TOLD ME TO EAT CERTAIN THINGS SO I WOULD HAVE MILK BUT YOU NEVER DID AND YOU HAD MILK AND ALL THE AUNTS TOLD ME TO AND WERE FASCINATED WHEN I HAD MILK BECAUSE THEY NEVER DID. Patience. Calmness. Tranquility. You can do it Daisy. Just. keep. calm.

It just doesn't make sense to me but it's a sore topic for my mother and me anytime she is giving me advice I don't quite buy.

She called me today (we talk almost once a day but sometimes our conversations are very short because I want to be patient and not get upset at her illogical assertions) and again asked if I was taking seriously the fact that I NEEDED to drink my chicken soup and then offered to buy my facial cleansing products if I had run out ... (her passive aggressive way of assuming I'm not using any when I in fact AM!) *sigh. So for lunch today, I waived a white flag and in my defeat, had soup. And some cheese and Ritz crackers. And a boiled egg with ketchup. But I definitely had the soup.

When Andy came home from work today, I told him, "I had chicken soup for lunch today" and he replied, "It shows, the wrinkles are gone now." Oh how he humors me.

I guess chicken soup is not good for just the soul, but for the skin as well.

Who Am I Kidding?

I love blogging way too much to stay away and I'm proud to report that my progress from my last post has been less facebook stalking and online time wasting, as a result, I am rewarding myself with a blog post.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the lactation consultant Nazis. If you haven't met them before either because you are sans kid or never went down the road of boob feeding, you are in for a treat! They vary in temperament and style but without a doubt, they all share the common mission objective of getting you to successfully boob feed your baby - no matter what the cost! They drill fears into your brain about nipple confusion and tell you it's painless if you're doing it right. They are liars!!!

To give credit where due, my first lactation consultant in the hospital was candid with the truth. She told me I needed to develop calluses for boob feeding, just like one would do on their fingers if they were learning to play the guitar (if you aren't sure what that means, try it - and then say hello to the pretty calluses you get on your fingertips). I guess it's just like lifting weights and wanting to use gloves (I do.. yes, even with my wimpy 10 pound weights) to avoid having nasty calluses. She advised me that once I got pass the rough part of growing calluses, I'd be okay.

Unfortunately, nobody ever told me about the fact that my baby might not take the bottle. I'd only heard the opposite, not to give my baby the bottle too soon in case he got confused and would only take the bottle. So far, I have not heard of any cases where this is a true story. Instead, there is an underground world of mothers who struggle to get their babies to take the bottle instead of the boob. One of the comments I got from my last post about such struggles was that said person fed her baby in the car over the carseat. Now this may sound ridiculous to you, but if you ever find yourself on a road trip, interrupted by frequent pit stops to feed and change your baby who won't take a bottle, you may also try it.

Guilty as charged. TMI maybe?

Sadly, the carseat got in the way and it only worked for about three minutes (apparently Andy timed it, hoping we could buy more time as we coasted on the highway from Arizona to California). It makes me laugh because that is what we have resorted ourselves to (I completely covered the windows on both sides) and although it is way too much information, I share it because I hope every person reading this who may become a mother in the future... who maybe considers boob feeding... who might not want to be chained to their baby because they are the only source of food.... who might want a break every now and then... who might want someone else to feed their baby once a day.... might realize that a bottle of boob milk a day, fed to your baby with a bottle, might not be such a bad idea, even while they are boob feeding! I wish somebody had told us that before. Maybe we'd be in a different predicament now.

Until then, we will keep praying and working on it.

Also happy to report that our physical therapy wannabe exercises which we learned from youtube (the internet is a wonderful thing if used correctly) have shown improvement in Jordan's neck. He seems to be looking left more often though he still prefers the right. We will keep at it! We are also sincerely asking Heavenly Father for his help everytime we pray. Our prayers are being answered as his cries seem to decrease with each subsequent exercise we do on his neck. Yay to diligently presevering and praying!

And... I thoroughly cleaned the bathrooms and did some laundry before we left for Arizona this past weekend to visit our friends (the Bluthes, yes we just saw them last weekend but we're on a Bluth high) and get Jordan's three month photos taken by our talented most likely will be a super expensive professional photographer in the near future Jenn. Of course when we came back last night, our house reeked of rotten garbage because of the food in the sink that didn't get sinkerator-ed and the few (less than 5!) dirty dishes I left. I quickly cometed, lime juiced and baking soda-ed that sucker but it still slightly stinks of leftover garbage that has been rotting for three days. Yeah, I'm not the best housewife... not yet at least, but I'm working on it and one day, I know, we will come back from vacation and our house won't stink. One day....