Daisy's Practical Guide for New Moms

Everytime a friend gets pregnant I find myself emailing her a list of practical suggestions, things I've learned after having three kids, etc. because EVERY SINGLE KID is different, so what can you do to embrace the things that you hope will be consistent, things you will likely need and reuse later, and avoid the fluff and material advertising guile of the baby world out there?!  Below is the list I normally send to my friends, the ones who know me, my disregard for nonsensical expensive baby crap, and the ones who know my experience of becoming a first time mom was SUPER difficult.  I was and still am definitely not a baby person, in fact I can't wait until my babies are over a year old, despite looking back and thinking they grow up so fast! This list is dedicated to Wendy, a dear friend who is pregnant with her first!  I'm so excited for her and all the fun information overload she's about to get by reading this post.  WOO for Wendy!!!

As a preface, to this day, I still think going from none to one was harder than one to two or even two to three.  The learning curve and self-doubt that comes with being a first time mom is undeniable, as evidenced by the list below!  I just remember constantly feeling out of the loop, receiving an overload of advice from everyone, solicited or not, and never knowing how to navigate the internet mom world of conflicting advice.  My only conclusion is, forget the rest because you're what's best!  I've co-slept, not co-slept, and yet my kid has still fallen from the bed a few times (hard to admit.. but it happens). Babies are tough and you'd be surprised at all the stuff they can go through, that said we've also been to the ER four times, sat in the ambulance twice, and had babies in the hospital for operations twice.  Life as a parent ain't ever easy, but it is going to fly by as fast as everyone says and be as rewarding and amazing too!  So yes, this may be a bit overwhelming, but... in no particular order, here's my list.  ENJOY!!

1. SWADDLES 

Aden+Anais swaddles 4 pack from Amazon 

Any other swaddle or baby blanket is too bloody small, don't waste your time with the other "receiving" blankets from Target, Babies R Us, or Burlington Coat Factory, the only swaddles large enough, made from muslin, and with cute prints, are these!  Sometimes, they have sales on the less popular prints, you can use it to wrap on your baby in a stroller, carseat, or even if you want a quick cover while nursing if you're shy like myself.  Also, the bamboo blankets are a huge recommendation from my mommy friends.

2. BOOSTER

Fisher Price Booster Seat from Amazon

High chairs take up too much real estate in the home, this can be hidden when baby is not around, and can be wiped off with a baby wipe, with the tray removable and washable, you can even put it in the dishwasher to sanitize!  All my babies started sitting in this from the moment they started eating solids, it gives enough support even for the smallest of babies who isn't quite sitting on their own yet.

Insignia fast table chair from Amazon

We also have this chair, though I only recommend it if your'e a germ-a-phobe and plan to travel a lot.  The perks is that you can just attach this to any table/countertop/etc. with baby, but the downside is the huge gap between the table and the baby, where a LOT of food falls to the ground.  I only pull this out when we have multiple babies dining at our house, because a tray is still better for baby when self-feeding.  All parts can also be removed and washed, and it can be folded and tucked away, which is why it's so compact and easy to travel with.

3. BABY BOTTLE STEAMER

dishwasher basket for bottle accessories from Amazon

Even though I nursed all my babies for 9-10 months, they all took the bottle from 10 months to about 2 years old (yeah, you're not supposed to, blah blah blah) so washing bottle parts 3-4 times a day is a nightmare.  In the beginning, we use the steamer for washing pump parts or when our premies used the bottle, but the dishwasher sanitizes just as well and we run it about twice a day, so this trusty little sidekick is a must.

4. BOTTLE STEAMER 

bottle steamer from Amazon

Any brand will do for this, ideally you want the steamer brand that pairs with the bottles you pick (see next item), but for purposes of illustrating what I'm talking about, I put the Philips one because that's the one we have!  I don't use Phillips Avent bottles, so you don't have to have the same brand, but it helps with everything fitting nicely.  That said, you can also use the steamer to sanitize your pump parts, I always washed them first with soapy water and then zapped em in the microwave in my steamer for 4 minutes.  It's nice to have around and I always use this when I don't have enough parts/bottles to wait for the dishwasher to run.  For me, that's when I was pumping every 3 hours with my premie babies (#2 and 3), and we were trying to preserve the nipples from the hospital that our babies loved so much before using the other store bought ones.

5. BABY BOTTLES
My only advice is to pick one YOU like.  This means style, number of parts, etc., because all the mumbo jumbo about this reduces reflux or colic is all a bunch of marketing crap.  There is no nipple that accurately mimics the breast, there is no nipple that any baby is more likely to like and there is absolutely no magic bottle that will make your baby's colic go away (that's why they all say reduce on the labels).  There is just the nipple you give it, whether it's yours or an artificial one.  Trust me, I've bought all the bottles available at one point in an effort to get my son to take a bottle, but he would not!  He refused until the nipple he was drinking from dried out and he had to eventually switch over to an expensive pre-made formula (the only one he would take).

Any bottle you pick will be good, but stick to one system so you can mix and match parts easily

My recommendation is the Playtex Ventaire, but that's also because I use it and like it.  There are five parts to take apart and wash, but it's easily put together, and I'm used to it.  I've heard great things about the Tommy Tippy brand, the Avent bottles, and of course the Dr. Brown's, but again, it's all a preference so go to the baby store and take a lookie.  To me, they are all the same.

6. BABY BOTTLE DRYER RACK FOR COUNTERTOP

Cute grass drying rack from Amazon

The reality is your life will become ALL ABOUT BABY.  Your rooms will be taken over by baby stuff, toys, leftover diapers, wipes, etc., and your kitchen will also shortly be overcome by baby bottles and pump parts (if you are pumping).  I wish I had gotten this drying rack sooner, it is so cute and great for the kitchen countertop and minimizes all your baby junk to one corner.  When my babies are out of baby bottle stage, I use this rack for drying their sippy cup or thermos parts.

7. DIAPER TRASH
Here's my advice on a diaper trash.  DON'T get one.  Whether you live in an apartment or house, get used to taking the diaper trash out frequently.  Oddly, your babies' poops will be about 3 times a day in the beginning if you're as lucky as me, but they are small and normally don't even smell that bad.  This is the only time the diaper trash will conceal the smell.  Once they start eating solids, the smell is so putrid, it doesn't matter how often you change or sanitize your diaper pail, poop is sitting in there, it's going to stink.  Getting rid of our diaper pail was the best decision we ever made.  We threw it away when our second born was about a month old.  I enjoy the walk to the trash outside of the house everytime a child poops, even now with two little ones in diapers.  Pee diapers can go in any trash, except for the morning one, which is normally a lot heavier and can be stinkier.  Do yourself a favor and ditch the diaper trash, just take the diapers out.  Better yet, go with cloth diapers and flush the poop down the toilet as soon as it's out.

8. DIAPER BAGS
If there's one thing about being a mom that I love, it's that I got to learn about diaper bags because boy, do I love diaper bags.  Real diaper bags, of course, ones made intentionally for use with a baby, have so many friggin pockets in them, they are just fantastic!  My only recommendation is to get one you like, one that is soft but has an exterior that is easily wiped down (Storsak, Petunia Pickle Bottom, etc.) and one that comes with an amazing amount of pockets, zippers, etc.  Premium name brand diaper bags like Storksak come with a lot of accessories also, like diaper changing pads, clips to attach to your stroller, etc. but any bag with pockets will do.  You can always buy a changing pad (one that can be wiped down).  You will need all those pockets if you want to be prepared.  This is what I carry in my normal diaper bag: thermos for each child, band-aids, neosporin, dishwashing liquid, diaper cream, baby powder, diapers, wipes, snacks, pen, wallet, chapstick, sunblock, lipstick, hand sanitizer, phone, checkbook.  Obviously, I could go with less, but I'd rather be over prepared than under prepared.  If we're going out of town, I also always carry a thermometer and Baby Tylenol.  I've pretty much been using the same two or three diaper bags for the last five years.  It does get a little dull, but to change it up, I sometimes wear a side body bag with my phone and wallet only, and leave the diaper bag on the stroller when it's parked during outings.

9. BABY POWDER - please, for the sake of your baby's wet tush, get some baby powder.  Also, stash some in your bag for beach days cuz it helps remove sand easily!

10. BABY WASH - I'm not an organic crunchy gal, so I'm not going to suggest any all natural soaps, but the only thing that matters for me is that it's tear-free, so Johnson and Johnson is the natural brand I go with, there's all sorts of different scents that are fun to load up on.  A head-to-toe wash is also great, two in one for the win!

11. DIAPER RASH CREAM - As for diaper cream, I like Desitin.  Any cream will do though, just make sure you do not apply unless your baby's bum is DRY (enter baby powder).

12. BABY SUNBLOCK - Your baby isn't technically allowed to have sunblock on until about 3 months, that said, if you're going to be out and about in the sun, be safe and follow Daisy philosophy that a little bit of sunblock won't hurt.

13. BABY HATS - Just going out for a bit in the sun?  Your baby's skin is VERY SENSITIVE, so please... put on a hat!  Follow the Asian moms and PUT ON A HAT!

14. BABY WRAP/CARRIER - We have a Bjorn, but for us, it's between the Ergo and the Bjorn.  The Ergo is praised by EVERY mom I know as super comfy and easy on the shoulders.  The only downside is the baby can only front face you or lie on your back facing you (UPDATE: the Ergo 360 now lets baby face out, where have you been Ergo?  My shoulders need you for my fourth!).  The Bjorn is not bad, but my shoulders definitely feel my 30 pound babies after a while of wearing them.  You can face the baby in or out but only in front of you (and not on your back).  These are the structured carriers that you should get.  There are also soft ones like the Moby or the Solly Baby but for me personally, they took too long to put on and I didn't like wearing my babies to do stuff, but I have friends who swear by them, so it's all a preferential thing.  Either way, we're so lucky to have these options now because you can do so much while wearing your baby!

15. BATH TUB - If you have a big sink, this isn't really necessary, but having a tub to bathe baby in every 3-5 days after the umbilical cord has fallen off (so as to not dry them, my kids all had pretty bad eczema) will come in handy.  This one comes with two options on the ends of a newborn (laying down at an angle) or a toddler (they can sit upright), so we always used it until baby was about 10 months, and then we transitioned to a bath tub.

baby bath tub

16. BATH SPOUT COVER

bath spout cover

We love having a bath spout cover because we've personally been injured on it, so who knows what could happen to a baby who might stand up or bump into it whilst sitting, etc.  Plus, it's super cute! 

17. BABY MONITOR
There are so many new monitors out there now with video imaging, but in my humble opinion, if you have the cash to spring for a video monitor, save your money and get a normal monitor for sound only, and then put the rest of the money into an Owlet Baby monitor that will beep if your kid stops breathing, retail value currently $250 (and it literally JUST came out end of 2015 otherwise I'd already have it!).  After all, that's the real fear right?  There's no need to keep obsessing over what the baby's doing in the crib, get a regular monitor for sound and an Owlet Baby monitor for peace of mind and comfort.

Owlet Baby monitor

18. NURSING COVER - I'll be the first to admit, nursing is a natural thing and I hate using a cover in public when I'm trying to get baby to latch, but nurse in front of my extended family, own dad, father-in-law, brother, and brother-in-laws?  Kinda weird... so I like having a nursing cover so I can be covered when I'm with extended family.  Out in the public, I could care less and yes, if i'm in your store, I'm the mom who will sit anywhere I can find, dressing room or display, and nurse.  A mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do! When I want to be covered, this is the way to go.  Full coverage and it can be dual purposed as a carseat cover or a blanket for baby, a scarf, or a shopping rack seat cover.

Covered Goods nursing cover

19. CARSEAT COVER - So depending on when your baby is born and where you live, you might want a casual carseat cover or something with a little more warmth and coverage.  Like I mentioned above, the Covered Goods nursing cover can be a carseat cover as well...

20. NOSE FRIDA - Every hospital will send you off with a basic blue aspirator bulb syringe, you can google how to make your own at home saline solution (1 cup of water boiled with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, boil for 15 minutes, cool to room temperature), you put a few drops in baby's nose and then use the aspirator to suck out any extra boogers or stuffy noses.  The Nose Frida is a more effective aspirator that uses your suction to get it out, it's a lot more powerful than the basic blue.

the basic blue aspirator

Nose Frida on Amazon

21. EAR THERMOMETER - Must have, especially since babies hate putting thermometers in their armpits and you'll hate putting it in their bums.  This is a nice compromise because you can use the forehead and then later, when they're a bit older and willing to sit still, the ear.  A little pricier than most thermometers but definitely a better option than a basic thermometer.  Anytime temperature is over 100.3, you'll want some Tylenol around.

ear and forehead thermometer on Amazon

22. BABY TYLENOL - Just have some on hand, I like to stock up at Costco.

23. SIPPY CUPS/THERMOS - Something odd to load up on when preparing for a new baby, but if you put it on the registry, it's nice to have and not have to grab later when your kids are having sippy cups.  My suggestion is a thermos because it keeps stuff cool for 10 hours, and then a sippy cup of a brand that's consistent so you can mix and match parts.  This is our favorite Thermos, Dagny just got one for Christmas, and it comes with a little handle now (the boys don't have that on their Spiderman and Lightening McQueen ones).

24. SNACK PACKS - Lately, my older kids just take off the entire lid which makes my babies want to do the same, but if used correctly, these are amazing!  There's just enough give so your itty bitty hands can reach in for the snack, but not a large enough opening that they can spill all those snacks out.

best snack packs!

25. CLOTHES - Here's what I've learned from clothes.  Do not buy newborn clothes until your baby is born.  You just never know if they might end up being a premie or a chunk, newborn clothes fit babies about 8-10 pounds and then DONE.  It's really only important to have maybe 5 outfits for newborn size, maybe a few more if your baby blows out or spits up, and depending on how often you're going to get out, 5 cute outfits with the rest being bleh stuff or comfy cozy PJs for at home (I didn't get out much in the beginning).  They grow out of it fast, and while it's fun to have a lot of fun clothes, it's more important to have stuff you like!  You'll need more after newborn.  When baby is small, I prefer zippers, they're easier to use in the middle of the night when you're emotional, sleep deprived and deliriously wondering why you decided to have kids.  There are also jammies with no legs just a zipper, these are great but don't transfer easily into a carseat so keep that in mind and limit the amount you get.  It's fun to dress up your babies, but if you're going to get fun cute little outing outfits, limit it to 1-2 cuz these suckers grow fast at the baby age.  We go to Church normally with baby around 1 or 2 months, but I avoid super cute baby Sunday best clothes until about 6-9 months and even then, they will wear it about 2 times and then grow out, so you only honestly need about 2 nice outfits.

If friends are going to gift larger clothes, try to load up with some 6-9 months, 9-12 months, and around 12 months, the baby sizing is all over the place.  12-18 months?  That's a big gap, but it's a great time to have your kids walking around in too large clothing (Chinese style) until it fits and avoid having to continually stock up on items.  Carter's runs small, Gap is pretty true to size but kind of short, Gymboree and Janie and Jack run big, that said most of my kids have been on the smaller side of the scale (Bubba definitely outgrows stuff faster than Jordan did).

26. SWING - Here's my advice on swings, if you can, BORROW one.  It's so short term, you will use it for about 6 months, maybe a tad bit longer, and they are a lifesaver in the beginning, but for the price and for the real estate they take up, it's not necessarily worth it.  Plus, each baby is different and some won't even want to fall asleep in a swing!  Of three babies, only one fell asleep in the swing consistently enough for it to be worth it.  We borrowed my sis-in-law's for the first baby and I think it's a bit of a win-win because you can offload your unused swing to someone who needs it if you have one, or borrow one and give it back when done.  I'm willing to lend out my swing whenever, so if anyone nearby wants to borrow it, HOLLER!!!  There are so many swings now, ones that actually swing, ones that move right and left, front and back, turn, etc. - anything will do to be honest.  Personally, the sleeker new ones that only go left and right and front and back without swings might look better at home, but not sure if they feel the same.  Not like your baby will know though so just pick one and cross your fingers that baby likes it.

27. CARSEAT/STROLLER SYSTEM - This is a tough one.  I really like our Chico Keyfit 30, that said, we had to buy one that would fit a premie so our premies could pass the carseat test.  We were surprised to learn that most carseats are too big for a four pound baby, and only a few on the market actually will be allowed to take the carseat test (a test every NICU does, they put the baby in the carseat, and monitor them for two hours to make sure they don't de-stat).  That said, we never bought a stroller to fit our carseat.  Depending on your budget and preference, there are so many out there.  Here's my advice: visit your closest Buy Buy Baby (if you don't have one nearby, you might have to make multiple trips to baby stores, Burlington Baby Depot, Target, Walmart, etc.) and test them all out.  When I say test them out, I mean bring along with you three different weights -  a 10, 20, and 30 pound weight (yes, bring them all.. sounds ridiculous, but it'll help!) and PUT them in the stroller, stroll it around, and then, take it out, and try to collapse it and put it away... how's it feel?  Bring a friend with you, a husband, a mom, whatever - get a second opinion.  That's what you'll be doing a lot with your stroller, so figure it out - don't just look at it and push it around without anything in it!  Reviews are important but at the end of the day, it's what YOU want and what YOU'RE comfortable with.  I would say if you know you're going to have more children later on, think of a system that you can add to, or be prepared to sell and buy another one when you get number two.  We do have an Urbo stroller from Mamas & Papas that we absolutely love which was gifted to us from friends in China, it's stayed with us despite having more kids now.  It's also great to have some tiny crappy umbrella strollers for those times when you don't need to put extra clothes and diapers in your under carriage.  Let's face it, you'll probably end up with 3-4 strollers if you're as insane as me.  But it is fun to splurge on baby stuff every now and then.  And if you're going to splurge, let it be on something you can use everyday!

28. PACK N PLAY - There are some pretty dope pack n plays these days.  I keep seeing this nifty one that's low on the ground, like a tent, pop up in my Facebook feed.  If I were a new mom, I might get a cool new one, but any one will do.  These are great for traveling, you can't check it as a free item (like you can with strollers and carseats), but they are a necessity for traveling with baby so they can sleep in it.  Although, if I'm truthful, I'd admit that with baby #3, we just find a corner, stack some footrests (if available) or big pillows around her, and clear the floor near her.  She has managed great, but that's probably not a first time parent's preference, plus it was only for a few nights.  We'll definitely be glad we have a pack'n'play when we go to Washington D.C. for two months and then Orlando for one.  Here's a great site to get more input on pack'n'plays!

And there you go, that's my list, hence the title "Daisy's Practical Guide for New Moms" cuz I'm all about practicality.  Good luck!

Monthly Girl Stickers

Free download, for personal use only!  Print on sticker paper and cut out with scissors or a punch (I prefer the punches because you can even get a 2" scallop cut out and it's more uniform than cutting by hand).

This set is pastel.  Stay tuned for other colors.

Click on the below to download the PDF files.  

Monthly Baby Stickers 1-4 Months Pastel

Monthly Baby Stickers 5-8 Months Pastel

Monthly Baby Stickers 9-12 Months Pastel

Life Changing

When you put Destitin or any diaper cream on your kids bum, you will notice how disgustingly thick that stuff is - you can use a wipe to try to remove it before you wash your hands, but it's pretty powerful stuff.

My new life changing epiphany of a hack?

POPSICLE STICKS.  I have a bunch leftover from making airplanes for Jordan's birthday (planes theme) so now, they sit in my diaper basket and when I need to lather up my son's bum, I just use that stick - give it a whirl in the Destitin cream and wooosh.  Wipe it all over his bum WITH the popsicle stick and my hands stay clean.

Best solution ever.

I'm a freaking genius.

Impeccable Timing

This morning, my husband blessed our second son, Adam Watson.  In our Church, kids aren't eligible for baptism until the age of 8, believing that to be the age when kids can discern and choose for themselves.  So when a baby is born, a father is able to bless him and that is when the child is added to the Church records.  Well, three months later Adam is finally on the record as a part of our family!

We were lucky to have so much family nearby for the blessing (for Jordan's, a lot of people had to drive or fly in), and since I'm the only member in my family... I'm glad we're in Utah for Bubba's blessing because in place of my side of the family, we had lots more of Andy's side and friends who also came (like the Rasmussens who were there for Jordan's baby blessing too!) because they all live near by us now!  It was a bit sad that we missed our brother-in-law, Jeff, by three days, but Bubba was getting too big for his blessing outfit which May had to extend the back so we could button it for... at least we'll all be together for my new niece (coming soon) Labor Day weekend.

The morning was quite hectic... I'm surprised we made it through .. we scrambled to get everyone out the door and I came home after the first hour (our church is three hours) to get some of the food ready and change Bubba into his outfit.  Looking at the photos, I am unhappy with my flat hair.  So far, I have had flat hair for two blessings of my children.. we'll have to see if I succeed with the next child.  We changed Bubba into his blessing outfit right before the Sacrament started (which is when he's blessed), and Jordan into his nice new white pants to match Bubba at the same time.  Well, to my surprise, Jordan's pants are still white (even after eating earlier today) but .... Bubba had a blowout a mere seconds before he was to be blessed.  It was not pretty.  He has impeccable timing.  But he sure looked absolutely adorable in the outfit my mother-in-law made for him.  I was thinking he'd just wear Jordan's outfit since Jordan only got to wear it once and it was also made by her and soooo cute.  But she would not let that be, and made him the cutest outfit as well!  Now I'll have to keep good care of both outfits so they can give it to their sons to wear for their blessings.  Hehe.

One thing is definite - is a blessing I will never forget.

I'm so grateful we have a home to host family and friends in without it being super duper crowded.  The kids were able to run around and go to the den but also hang out in the living room.  We have a large enough kitchen for the food and a dining room and living room for guests to eat in.  So nice!  I love having a home!!!

As for the spread, I was quite unsettled for a while about what I wanted to do.  We finally settled on pulled pork sandwiches and I even had the energy and time to make a "Welcome Bubba" sign and put his announcement (not yet mailed) in a frame along with some $1 chalk labeled tin cans for the utensils.  That felt like a lot to em.  Next time, I will try to cut some fresh flowers from our yard to put on the table too!

Tammy, my sister-in-law, helped me with some delicious pina colada punch and my father-in-law and her made cole slaw to go with the pulled pork sandwiches I made in the crock pot.  I also made some almond jelly with fruit cocktail (it's like the Chinese version of being Mormon).  For the cake, we went with Costco, and some friends brought additional desserts.  I was nervous about not having enough food, but we had plenty and too much cake!  Cake for days....

We tried to get a photo of the spread but from the looks of it, were unsuccessful (they just disappeared from the memory card).  Oh well.

We did, however, bust out our trusty tripod and got some great photos!  A few people had left the party already, but here the rest of us are!

what a beautiful garage you have! 

why thank you... thank you so much...

all pointing to Bubba.. I always think I'm taller than I am.. I am bending here, thinking I would cover someone.. who I am not sure.  

us with Tammy and the girls (Jeff to be photoshopped in) and May and Dennis

us with the Barkers

us with Jan (Ike to be photoshopped in)

us with the Los (Ronny to be photoshopped in)

cousin love

Jordan would rather jump off the couch than take photos

ready... set...

grandparent love

Dear Boppy....

Dear Wanna-Be Boppy,

I know a boppy is a popular nursing pillow and that I call you my wanna-be boppy or even boppy for short. I want you to know it is bceause when Jill, my cousin's wife gave you to me - all I knew was that you looked like the American boppy even though you were from a Taiwan store called Mammy Village. When I went to the site to check you out, I was apalled by the actual boobs and breast pumps in the product image gallery, as well as the postpartum bodyshaping and weird keep your belly small type underwear shapewear products. Then, when I went to a breastfeeding class at the hospital and the lactation Nazis told me a brest friend was far better than a boppy, I was a bit sad since you were my wanna-be boppy, not wanna-be brest friend but you did not seem to mind since you had a button similar to the brest friend's velcro, so really - you were better than a boppy or a brest friend!

When I was pregnant, I liked walking around with you around my waist, giving me support in the rear to balance with my growing baby bump. I enjoyed your existence as a "hey, I'm pregnant friends" accessory, back support, and even attempted to sleep next to you a couple of times (I found my body pillow from college was more comfortable and less awkwardly shaped but I still loved you so much). You were my best inanimate friend.

When Jordan was born, you rested beneath him, giving him a nice contour to rest inside. His tiny body fit so perfect into your arms and he loved the company you kept. We also invited you to our nursing sessions as a cushion for Jordan to rest atop, but my doctor advised me against feeding atop of nursing pillows (to help reduce spit-up and improve digestion), so our time was cut short. You remained a permanent fixture during Jordan's day time naps and continued to bring joy into our lives.

Now that I'm no longer pregnant and Jordan is no longer a newborn with limited movement and restrained neck muscles, we have fallen apart. Sometimes I forget you are there, waiting for us, just letting the dust fall onto you. Though we did not abandon you, you are far from present in our lives these days. The few times I even tried to put Jordan on top of you, nuzzled in like he was in his newborn days, he screamed and arched his back and stretched his arms and legs out in an attempt to roll over and out of you. I know you were sad, but I want you to know - he does not know what he does, he is too young to know the pain he may have caused you.

Well, I am excited to tell you - we have found another purpose for you. You have graduated today. From now on, you will serve as a cushion for my laptop and an intermediary between the heat from the computer and my sensitive lap. You will also serve a dual-purpose as a cushion for my husband's neck. You are similar to a neck pillow sold in airline gift shops but much bigger and more comfortable.

Though we have grown and changed... you are still able to serve a purpose in our lives and hence, remain a part of our family.

It's funny how our relationship makes me think about how as life changes... as my worries change from how to put bread on the table to how to make bread on the table to how to feed my children the bread on the table to how to teach my children how to have bread on a table for themselves... there is a constant source of love and support from God and Jesus and that I am guided along the way through the Prophet Thomas S. Monson and his Apostles as well as our Church leaders.

It reminds me of how much I love the living waters of our faith. Though Church is every week and can feel routine and repetitive besides General Conference which is once every six months and Stake Conferences which are for a group of Churches in our area every so often as well (because I'm unsure how often they really are... I think also 6 months...?), every message spoken is to be heard with the heart AND mind, enabling us to know for ourselves there is truth in action. I know sometimes I may hear the same advice, the same prophetic counsel, or even the same "miracle" testimonies of others, but each time I do - the emotional epiphanies and uplifting tranquility I feel remind me that the Spirit I am feeling is testifying of the truth there. It is quite tremendous and I am lucky to have these constant reminders of why the commandments are important, why prayer matters, why scripture study will strengthen me, why a good attitude is imperative, and the list goes on... but why all these things matter and help us to enjoy the full blessings God bestows upon us.

Pretty neat. Thanks for giving me that insight wanna-be boppy. You've done so much. You're great - don't you ever forget.

We Got Ourselves A Routine Folks!

It only took five months for me to finally establish and fall into a comfortable, effective and efficient (yes former auditor am I), yet flexible routine at home with Jordan. After many an exasperated sighs and regretfully defeated glances into a mirror, I grew tired of the miserable looking still in my pajamas at 11 AM without brushing my teeth and oh yeah, don't forget that nasty kink in my hair, when was the last time I washed it curiosity reflection that was none other than me, a new mom struggling to make it work.

Yet for the longest time, a routine felt inevitably prolonged especially with us taking off for vacation in Orlando for a week with Andy's family, another two weeks in Utah for one of Andy's routine, and then camping last weekend (which means a lot of sleeping in the pack n play for Jordan).

Alas, I'm happy to report the good news, the exciting news, the amazing news, is the following
1) one look from Jordan melted my heart and made me forget all my worries about the dirty sink, the dust covered furniture, the nasty bathrooms, the undone laundry, the unfinished projects, the unwritten e-mails, the errands to be run and the lists to be finished
2) despite having less time during the day to myself now that Jordan is constantly awake, the nights are much better and my sleep patterns have normalized to include sleep
3) I've learned that I can't do it all in a day, I shouldn't be a facebook stalker-holic, and I prioritize what I want on my list.
4) having a supportive husband makes you feel less of a failure when you report on your day and all you did was play with the baby and change 4 poopy diapers
5) my routine is not always so routine

One day out of the week, Jordan and I go to the grocery store.
One day out of the week, Jordan and I go visit my mom.
One day out of the week, we don't leave the house and I lounge in my PJs all day
One day out of the week, we vacuum, dust or clean the bathroom (normally not all of the above).
One day out of the week, we visit with friends.
And that's five days. Seems like nothing right? Yeah, just wait until you have a baby.

Things we do regularly include praying, scripture study, the dishes, laundry (it's more like every 2-3 days but frankly, it feels like everyday), making the bed, brushing my teeth and putting on my contacts (we add it to the list or else it never gets done), sending a "Daily Dose of Jordan" photo to a few choice family members, making dinner, playing Words with Friends, and the rest is engulfed with baby time - playing, singing, storytelling, diaper changing, stroller walks, etc. As for working out, I aim for 5 days a week and probably end up around 3 but with five pounds left to go, my pre-pregnancy weight goals before child #2 may actually be attainable!

Sometimes the impossible just doesn't seem possible. Everyone said - you'll adapt... you'll adjust... you'll get it. They were right.. it just takes time! So for the moms who are just starting off, or for the pregnant moms who have no clue how they will get there once the baby comes out and is not so easy to take everywhere, rest assured - if I can do it - so can you!

You may even have time to make up baby stories/songs:

That's not my baby, his hands are too small

That's not my baby, his head is not bald

That's not my baby, he poops a lot more

That's not my baby, that's not what he wore

That's not my baby, his eyes have no lids

That's not my baby, he's wearing a bib!

Thats' not my baby, his lips are too thin

That's not my baby, a cleft on the chin?!

That's not my baby, I'd know if he laughed

That's not my baby, that's what I just said!

Jordan and I made that up while we were driving yesterday. Twas much fun.

Full Circle

When I was a baby. I imagine my parents were my world. Jordan's recently been attempting to kiss us by taking a big bite towards our face - he only knows to open his mouth when confronted with our face and the word "kiss." We are his world. We change him... feed him... bathe him... take him everywhere with us... entertain him... sing to him... cuddle with him... sleep with him... and really, I suppose he has no choice in the matter.

When I was a toddler, I'm told I squealed with joy at any expression of love and was always trying to talk. I ran to my parents with open arms, joined them in song and conversation (attempted) and could not stop loving them more. I wanted to be them. I wanted to do what they did.

When I was a little older.. an adolescent, I asked why. And then I followed up any answer with another why. I enjoyed irritating my older cousins and parents by repeating everything they said, refused to play the "let's be quiet game," and didn't let out that I could now spell (because parents always spell out what they don't want you to know). I was told to stop talking back but I had not a clue what I did wrong. I liked using the phrase "I told you so!" with my hands on my hips, elbows perked at matching 45 degree angles, as if to add how much I really told 'em so!

When I was a tween, I rolled my eyes and got in trouble. I talked back and I got in trouble. I didn't play with my brother and I got in trouble. I didn't help out around the house and I got in trouble. I got in trouble a lot. Or so it felt.

When I was a teen, I just wanted to hang out with my friends. I learned what it mean to be grounded. My parents kept telling me how important college was, kept sending my to SAT classes, Chinese school and made me play the piano. I muttered under my breath a lot and felt like I knew more than my parents. Duh.

When I was in my 20's, I missed my parents. I hoped they would keep paying for me but I enjoyed being able to treat them to a meal with my real job. I wanted to make them proud but I hated when they nagged me. I wanted to know their opinion but I didn't want to let on that I did.

When I was in my late 20's, my parents became my friends. I could sometimes talk to them like adults now. But... they were still my parents.

When I had a kid, I realized for the first time - how much my parents actually did for me. As I am worrying about every odd breath out of my son's mouth and nose, I'm appreciating the efforts, the rules, the boundaries, the worrying and the love they incessantly showered me with (despite my rebelliously difficult times).

Funny how it comes full circle. I don't think my children will ever love me as much as I love them because I can't imagine the love I feel for Jordan being reciprocated. That is how much I love him!

Internet Footprints...

As the world of blogging turns, many of my friends have opted to go private. They control who sees their blogs through an invite only option that most blogs allow. I have often weighed the option of going private, but have instead resorted to placing self-imposed limits on what I will and won't share via our blog. I'm not a huge photo blogging person but as my post about Orlando demonstrates, as difficult as it may seem, people are capable of change.

While most bloggers like to share stories complete with photo depictions and others just like the lure of having your blog made into a blog book (it's all the rage!) for keepsake and for your future posterity to have, I'm more of a therapeutic blogger. Yes, I do it for selfish reasons. I like to write, re-read my own writings, and laugh at myself in the future.

Ever since my mom gave me my very own "My Diary," around ten, I have been scribbling nothings of my life. I still have notebooks from grade, middle and high school of my day to day accounts, complete with drawn photos of where we all sat when we went to the mall food court. Most of the writings are rather mundane and here's a fun one from high school, "Dear God, Today I went to the mall with Grace, Jennifer, and Yolanda. We had a lot of fun. We saw some cute boys. We did not talk to them. Do you think I will ever get a boyfriend?" And in my own defense, there are some other entries about wanting straight A's and where I will go for college. Oh and yes, I wrote to God instead of a "diary." I felt like that was better than an inanimate object and despite not being religious, I was always spiritual, and I wanted Him (if He existed) to know what was going on in my life. Regardless of how pointless my diaries used to be, it is amusing to refresh myself on the hardships of life back then As I grew older, the diary turned into man hating journals where I would write about relationships and often look back and laugh at how hopelessly "in love" I thought I was with every guy who broke my heart. I joined xanga in 2002 and ever since, have been a part of the world wide web and that is where my first internet footprint started.

My old diaries and man hating journals are stashed away at my parents' house somewhere, my xanga no longer exists, my blog has now merged in with Andy's as our family blog and I still have my own public blog and I journal via a private blog (today I did this... and this... and then this... kind of blog, it's not interesting but it's for me). But today was the first time I stopped and thought about what all my blogging would do for my future posterity. How weird to be in a generation where one can google friends and find what is out there, be it blog entries about their birth, naked photos of them, or embarrassing stories? I kind of feel sorry for my kids. They will have no way to stop me until it's too late.. but should I be more careful about the internet footprints I'm leaving for my children? Or maybe I should go private? Thoughts?

Traveling With Child

I always wonder to myself what is worse when traveling in a plane... the crying baby, obesity, or static cling. Having the ability to selectively sleep through anything, the crying baby has never been an issue for me. Instead, I have thought the same thing every person thinks before they become parents ... my kids won't be like that to which I now can safely retort, JUST YOU WAIT! As for the obesity, it's one of those glaring issues that nobody wants to confront in case feelings are hurt, but everyone secretly crosses their fingers that what little room they already have on the plane is not taken by a larger stranger. And as for static cling, men are oblivious to it (or Andy was and is) and it creeps on you and then sticks up out of nowhere (literally).

I found myself pondering on all three as we flew with Jordan for the first time ever. I had done some premature research by glimpsing at some friends' blogs, skimming over some internet suggestions, and even spoken with some more seasoned traveling parents. Looking back, we missed some pretty obvious things.

I knew we were allowed to gate check a car seat and stroller - I did not know where exactly the "gate" was that we were to do so - neither did Andy as he carried the car seat up the plane's staircase. I know now - you get your tags for both at the gate and then leave it outside of the plane entrance - if there's a tunnel, you take it into the tunnel, if you board the plane by walking up stairs, you leave it at the base of the stairs. I felt beyond novice as I advised all the flight attendants that this was my child's first flight ever, hoping that tid bit of information would justify our ignorance.

I knew Jordan could fly free on one of our laps until he was 2 - I did not know I should bring documentation of such in the form of a birth certificate. I have since scoured the FAA website (it's not a friendly one) for exact regulations because one of the Southwest representatives told me the FAA fine is $10,000 if I do not have adequate documentation on a flight. I'm not sure whether to believe her since I can't easily navigate the FAA.gov website but I quickly obtained a copy of his immunization records from his pediatrician via fax (love technology at times like this) which suffice as evidence of his birth date for now. Being that the birth certificate does not have a photo of him, it seems like a rather useless regulation that can easily be manipulated but that's just the auditor in me thinking outloud.

I knew feeding him during take-off would help reduce the change in air pressure by distracting him - I did not know the sights all around him at 4 months would make it hard for him to focus or that the tiny seats make it hard to feed (if the elbow rest is on the right, it's hard to feed him on the left and vice versa and I always had one elbow rest up since Andy and I had two seats between us).

A full flight makes for very difficult feeding, especially since larger passengers tended to pick the empty seat next to Andy (maybe because he doesn't take up much space so there's room for them to overfill and because we have a baby in our aisle, so it's a mutual agreement that neither will be too irritated?.. not sure but we are 2 for 2) but it's smart to ask ahead of time, say while you're boarding to the ticket attendant or the flight attendant who greets you as you enter the plane.

One thing that never crossed my mind in preparing for Jordan's first flight was the possibility of a diaper change. I figured he has slept through 9 hours in a diaper, so what was 3.5 hours? He figured he'd poop while in the plane, not once or twice, but three times would do just fine. What I have since learned is there are usually diaper changing tables in front of the plane but lucky for me, we had our own pad and room on the flight he chose to poop multiple times. We went into super speed diaper changing mode but the airplane air mystified him as he marked his territory on the empty seat between us which we quickly cleaned with a wipe and hand sanitizer (but makes you think twice about how clean airplane seats are, eh?). Note - make sure your husband does not laugh and happily exclaim to your baby, "Marked your territory eh son?!" outloud on the plane for nearby passengers to hear. An announcement is not necessary and this is unlike the announcement that it is his first flight to score some empathy points.

As for the crying, it's inevitable - it will happen even if for a bit and I felt quite prepared as I planned for the worst and hoped for the best. I thought Jordan did quite well as he was easily calmed if we held him close and whispered his favorite song into his ear - The Wheels on the Bus go round and round.... round and round. I'm not sure why that's his favorite, but he absolutely loves it. Works every time! The other thing you can hope for (which I didn't but I may going forward now) is that someone else's child is worse than your own so yours will always seem great in comparison. We had a couple screamers on the flights that Jordan was not too happy on, but everyone near us seemed amused by his short spouts of crying while many concocted their faces into big goofy smiles in an attempt to get a smile out of him. Thus far, Jordan does not like to smile for strangers (except at Church). Stranger danger!

But all in all, traveling with Jordan was really not as bad as I anticipated. And, as I sat there yesterday with him asleep in my arms, a bit nauseous (you can't take Dramamine when you're nursing), munching on the in flight peanuts, lost in my gaze at his adorable sleeping face, I couldn't help but wonder, Is he enjoying this flight? He looks so peaceful and so--dang it, this freaking static is SO ANNOYING I wonder if Andy - nope, no static on that short hair. UGH!!!!!!!!!! Where's my hair tie? UGH!!!!

So there you have it. Static cling wins as the worst.

My Super Clutch Save

This Sunday, Andy had post-call so I was going to Church with Jordan alone. I embraced the opportunity to be punctual on my own (this will probably be a normal situation once we're in Residency) and prepared by taking a shower at 7:15 AM which gave me ample time to feed Jordan at 8 AM. One thing about Jordan these days is that he is becoming sillier when he feeds, often smiling, stopping to stare and ensure I am paying attention before he continues to eat. He will come off of the boob, look at me with his puppy eyes waiting for me to respond, and when I say something to him, he will smile, look around and then latch on again. He cracks me up but I try not to smile and instead sternly advise him it's time to eat, not play, and surprisingly he always looks as if he understands until the next time around.

Following his 8 AM feeding, I geared up to get him into his Sunday best but as I was getting ready to dress him, we were joined by the loud blast of his poop. His face was priceless - a sort of clench in his jaw which immediately turned into a glorified sigh of relief. I waited a couple of minutes, because he usually has more poop on its way and going too quickly to the diaper changing table spells trouble. As predicted, within mere seconds, a second blast of poop was heard. So I took him to his favorite place these days, the diaper changing pad.

Once on the pad, he looked up at me with excitement, probably because he now recognizes the routine and understands he will feel a lot better down below soon. I prepared by taking out two wipes which were to my right, then opening a new diaper to my left, proceeded to unbutton his onesie, opened his soiled diaper and carefully placed it to my right. He was all smiles and giggles as I changed him and then, his expression immediately changed. I braced myself, already knowing there was a huge possibility this meant more poop and without disappointing me, he started to poop more. Since his poop is not yet solid as he is only drinking milk, imagine a shade lighter than peanut butter (like almond butter) with a consistency of tomato soup - thick but still creamy and liquidy. At this point, my left hand is holding his two feet in the air and my right hand is holding a wipe, his butt is stil covered with poop, the clean diaper is to the left - ugh, too far, the soiled diaper is to the right - ugh, also too far, so I quickly think what else I can do. This is when I decide I will meticulously try to balance the one wipe I'm holding to rest on my palm instead of between my fingers and try my best to balance his watery poop.

Have you ever tried balancing a book on your head and walking down a straight line as you do so? That's how it felt... only my mind was racing with - please don't poop so much that there's no way I can catch this. Please don't kick too hard with your feet, I can do this (wouldn't have been a huge deal if I didn't - just messier and more time consuming to clean), please hurry and finish pooping! And then, just like that he was done. Only now, I had to carefully, with every ounce of balance and precision, move the wipe covered with liquified poop to the soiled diaper and drop it in. I even slowly moved my body with it, so that the jerk from my arm to the hands holding it would be smoother. I got closer... and closer... and then BAM - it was in!

I did it! The third poop was safe and sound in the soiled diaper, and I finished cleaning Jordan up. I dressed Jordan, changed my mind on outfits about five times (it's still hard with most of my stuff too tight!), quickly braided my bangs, put Jordan into the carseat, and off we went! It's as if Jordan knew Daddy was missing and was on extra good behavior getting to Church, through Sacrament and even the second hour of Church. He didn't start to get restless until the third hour, probably missing his Daddy who has been taking him to Elder's Quorum during the third hour for the last two weeks, and then, he just wanted to go outside and lay on the couch and stare at Jesus.

I am still smiling at my clutch save of the diaper that morning. It made my day! On the drive to Church, we even sang (well I sang but he was happy about it) made up songs about being punctual to Church according to the melody of "I Will Survive." It was pretty sweet. It went a little bit like this....

(keep in mind I improvised it...)

At first we were late, we never made it on time... Kept taking too much time to find out what we was gonna wear, we shoulda gotten ready sooner, we shoulda picked our clothes before, we shoulda prepped better, coulda made it to Church on time BUT NOW we are! We're on our way! We're gonna make it there before it starts, it feels so good on time! .....

It's what we did at the Ronald McDonald Camp for Good Times all the time, only our stuff rhymed more but hey, Jordan loved it!

He's a Boob Guy

When people ask me how my newborn son of nine weeks is, I really don't know how to answer. Without having any other children, do I really know good from bad from ugly?

What I do know is, he is pretty happy most of the time. He cries 90% of the time because he is hungry, 5% because he wants to fart or poop and 5% because he thinks he is getting hungry. With that said, 95% of his unhappiness can quickly be soothed with some milk. His bedtime is at 10 PM and he usually wakes up to eat at 3 AM and 6 AM (though this only started two weeks ago) so overall, no real complaints.

Except... well, there is one thing.

You see... my son, well ... errr he's kinda sorta a boob guy. He absolutely loves eating and he loves getting his food - breakfast, lunch, linner, dinner, afternoon snack - all from mommy!

So of course the only real frustration so far has been his refusal to take a bottle (I am constantly amused at this given the lactation Nazi consultants who always instill fear in you about what if you give him the bottle and he refuses the breastmilk? but somehow, nobody ever talks about the what if he won't take the bottle? situation) It almost feels like this situation is taboo and that is why nobody ever warns you about it, just like hemorrhoids after birth (I know, nobody told me either but you push for hours upon hours so it only makes sense...)

We have now been through five different bottles (Avent, Playtex, Playtex flow with the bags, Medela, Tommy Tippy), six different nipples, attempts while he's not so hungry, starving, or somewhere in between, and along the way, I have lost count of all the different ways we have attempted to coax him into taking a bottle. I have researched it in depth (google counts..) and I know they can smell their mommies 20 feet away so I have to be out of the house, I know I can't be the person with the bottle because it'll confuse him and I know I am definitely NOT alone. Countless other women have dealt with the same issue today, yesterday and tomorrow.

Hopeless. Dejected. Rejected. Wanted. Needed. Trapped. Loved.

These are just some of the emotions I go through, and after a while, it's really not so bad. This may be the one time in my life Jordan needs and wants me more than anyone else (take that future wifey of my son!)

Gag. Puke. Grimace. Cry. Stare.

These are the motions Jordan goes through when we give him the bottle. And as of late - biting down on the nipple and staring at us until bottle is removed is his thing. At least he's smart, that much I'll give him credit for. I guess there's no way around it - my baby is definitely a boob guy. Typical male.

Fortunate for us, the power of prayer is really helping me stay calm and I know without a doubt that progress is on its way. In just a mere two days, my sincere prayers feel like they've been answered despite Jordan puking up one day and not taking more than .5 oz the next day. That's how I know prayer works... when there's not much improvement yet I feel good about it, like I can deal with it and it's not going to bring me down. And in a few weeks, I'm hoping that means he will take the bottle and I can be apart from Jordan for more than two hours at a time. Only time will tell.

Something Familiar and Not Too Far Away...

Yesterday, Jordan and I trekked over to Arcasia to have lunch with three of my four bridesmaids, two were visiting - one from San Diego and the other from Hawaii and we all call Arcasia our hometown so naturally we met there to dine.

Though we only live a short 10 miles away .... absent a direct freeway, it takes roughly 20-30 minutes of commute time. I usually avoid making the trip to Arcasia but lately, the reality of my lil family moving for Andy's residency combined with a growing grandson who may move away encourages me to make the trip out there more often to visit my parents and brother - especially since I'm not working! I started with yesterday's trip.

Lunch was so much fun with the girls! It's always comforting to meet with old friends and catch up, gossip and talk about life. It helps me to imagine the feelings of homecoming that will be felt when we are reunited with loved ones after this life. And if that is what we have to look forward to, why wouldn't it make sense to make the most out of this life here and now?! It's something familiar and not too far away...

These are my girlfriends from back home from left to right, Grace (San Diego resident these days), Wendy (Hawaii wanna-be local these days) and Annie (who treks between Arcadia and Brentwood), Julia was missing cuz she had to work....sucker! (ps I am loving maternity leave in case you didn't know) This photo was hard to take and after three tries, we settled. Sorry Baby Jordan - your mouth is cut off!

After lunch with the girls, Jordan and I headed over to my parents' house to find my mom, wai puo. While there, I fed him and enjoyed the nice cool room (my parents leave their AC on 24/7 in the summer,something we can't afford) and Jordan also enjoyed some tummy time on wai-puo's couch. I realized something about Jordan today. He sure likes attention. Attention of my girlfriends and attention of my mom snapping photos of him.
Besides eating, pooping, peeing, sleeping, cooing, and farting, Jordan is also missing his nama (Andy's mom is grandma but our nieces call her nama). He was lying on a mat when May called and was on speaker and he must have recognized her voice because he got really excited all of a sudden and started doing that arm flapping mouth opening thing he does. It was fantabulously adorable-errific!

With My Bare Hands

I've always know my hands were important tools - ones that help me create projects, type words, exclaim in disbelief, gesture happiness, motion frustration, and wave - yes wave. Lately, I have found new useful ways for my hands to operate.

The first happened Tuesday morning. I awoke to Jordan's grunty screams, on the verge of wailing which is basically his way of communicating, "Time to eat Mommy!" It had been two and a half hours since his last feeding so I was not too tired. I got up, untied the nylon we wrap around his swaddle (it's a good trick, more on that in a later post) and pulled him out. As he got ready to eat the boob, he let out a huge groan simultaneously with a loaded fart. As I was gearing up to switch positions, the potential blowout (I did not have time to look) began to come to realization as it began to leak onto my hands. With one hand on his back and one still on his neck, my hands cradled the incoming blowout and I pleaded for help from Andy who was dead asleep. I called his name a couple more times to no avail and finally, got up, still holding onto Jordan and trying my best to catch it all in my hands, urgently nudged Andy as I emphatically called out, "Andy! Daddy! Help PLEASE!!!" He awakened with a shiver and then groggily reverted back to his sleepy state of mind as I explained, "He had a blowout, I need help please!"

I guess I thought my bare hands could take care of it - but I was wrong.

The next happened this morning. After feeding Jordan one boob, it was time for him to get changed (it's also how I wake him up to focus on eating the other boob). He seemed so calm as I put him on the diaper changing table, and his eyes slowly fluttered open as he noticed me about to change him. I unbuttoned his onesie and glanced around for the pee pee washcloth, our new strategy for avoiding him peeing on us. We place a small washcloth on his pee pee and if he does decide to pee, we have something there to soak up his pee and usually nothing else gets wet. Since he had peed on his washcloth earlier this morning, there was no replacement washcloth yet. I stared down at him, so peaceful, still fighting to wake up and quietly groaning and thought I will just change him quickly, it will be okay. Of course, you can all guess - this is precisely when he decided to pee on me! Only it was just a bit and I successfully cleaned it with a wipe (and most of it went into his belly button). His new diaper was underneath him and ready to be fastened when all of a sudden, he decided to pee again! Only this time, there was a lot! I tried to follow the path of his pee, and without much there to help me, decided my bare hands would be able to catch his pee. I guess I forgot I have holes between my fingers that even when held together, are there!

Yes.. having a kid makes you think you're invincible - or it makes me think I am. Given the lack of sleep and newfound responsibilities, I also thought I had super powers that would help me catch watery poop and pee! Guess I have to remember there is only so much I can do with my bare hands!

Infinity Exhaustion

It's understandable that our days are a lot more exhausting than they used to be because of this bundle of joy, apple of our eye, cutey patootey....

but this weekend taught us a whole other level of exhaustion, one I have tokened (just now mind you) as infinity exhaustion.

Normally, a nap helps mitigate the intermittent sleep through the night and normally, my days involve boob feeding, sleeping, eating, reading, watching tv, talking on the phone, browsing the internet, a walk around the neighborhood, and some cleaning.

This weekend, we had three big events on Saturday and two big events on Sunday and these "events" came with short naps that did not alleviate the fatigue caused, resulting in a very tired mommy me.

Our family and friends came into town for Jordan's one month Chinese celebration and baby blessing. We started our Saturday morning with lunch in Little Tapei (Monterey Park), followed by a trip to a free carnival complete with bouncy obstacle courses, carousel swings, pony rides, cotton candy, popcorn, sno cones and a train ride! Jordan had a fabulous time in his stroller and slept through the whole thing while our nieces, Sophie and Violet, enjoyed themselves with Sophie going on the pony ride and the carousel swings! We were able to catch a quick respite before heading over to my hometown for a one month dinner celebration.

My way too generous friends, who have brought over gifts for Jordan every time they have visited (which has been 3 times over the last 4 weeks) brought more gifts again. They just are incapable of showing up empty handed but I am so grateful for their excitement, generosity and excellent taste!

My BFF Grace, aka the sister I never had (until Tammy came along that is...) got Jordan and me a CD with nursery rhymes and songs - how exciting since all I can recall is twinkle twinkle little star and part of the itsy bitsy spider... hehe
Julia and her husband Eric got us a jellycat rabbit from Yolk (hipster Silverlake store with really cute gift wrapping!) since Jordan was born in the year of the golden rabbit and 28 dollars for him being 28 days old (we had our one month celebration a few days early). This is on top of the two packs of Pampers they brought us, three pints of gelato, dozen of mini Dot's cupcakes (I know, I'm spoiled by my friends) and delicious - no scrumptious and mouthwatering homemade mac n cheese, cheese puff pastries and gooey cheesy and garlicy french bread! I'm bummed I didn't get a photo with the Chins but they are now infamous in our family and being invited to all our family "potlucks" and were even offered room and board if they flew out to Utah with their cooking creations.

My dad, true to the Asian stereotype, took a bunch of photos but Andy's uncle Ike, a professional photographer, took over some of the camera taking and we got a bunch of photos with everyone! My favorite photo of Jordan from the one month with OGO*.
He just looks so comfortable in OGO's arms. The first official photo with both sets of grandparents!

The set menu was a very traditional Shanghai banquet so I was not shocked when my brother in law and even husband were a little scared off by the sea cucumber but I was shocked when our friends Jeff and Passelly tried almost everything! The menu was even authentic for me but I'm glad there were some adventurous eaters! Needless to say, I was way to stuffed after the trio of desserts - eight treasure rice (my favorite!) sesame rice balls and slices of oranges that Yogurtland (which is right next door!) was only a distant and now unattainable dream. *sigh

That night, my infinity exhaustion began. Everyone was outside watching I Am Number Four and it wasn't that late, but I could smell the sweetness of sleep and I was OUT. But after a feeding at 4 AM, I could not fall asleep again. So unable to sleep, I started revamping our blog. Big mistake. Adrenaline still on my side, I took a shower at 6:30 AM, fed Jordan at 7 AM and realized, my timing is way off. Given his two hour feeding schedule, he would be hungry at .. precisely... 9 AM - which is when Church starts and the baby blessings are always towards the beginning of the Sacrament hour! Oh no! To counteract his hunger, I fed him again at 8:20 AM and kept my fingers crossed.

I was nervous whether my parents, brother, aunt and Grace would make it on time. I didn't want to pressure them about being punctual (given my own track record) but knew if they showed up a bit late, they could miss it all! As we drove into the parking lot, I saw my dad - couldn't miss him in his black dress shirt and red tie. We walked in and I saw my mom, brother, aunt and not far away, Grace was walking towards me in a cute vintage blouse, slacks and a bright turquoise sweater (she had been unsure what to wear and proudly told me she picked out a good conservative outfit for "church"). I breathed a short sigh of relief and was excited for them to be at Church with me - this was a first for me as well as them and throughout the meeting, I tried my best to explain to Grace what was going on just like someone had done for me my first time at Church but technically, it wasn't Grace's first time at an LDS Sacrament meeting. She had been to once at the Singles Ward to listen to me give a talk but now I was sitting next to her and able to give her more insight into the Sacrament prayer and sing the hymns with her.

The blessing was absolutely beautiful and touching. Andy blessed Jordan to grow, learn, know that his parents and Heavenly Father loved him, to choose the right, gain his own testimony, desire to do good, serve others, serve the Lord, find a good wife, get married in the Temple, be a good husband, be a good father, and devote his life to the Lord. Since I didn't grow up in any Church, it's hard to explain what a baby blessing is to my friends who did as they often ask me if it's a baby baptism. Not having seen a baby baptized before, all I respond with is that in our Church, revelation has advised us not to let children get baptized until they are eight, the age of accountability.

A baby blessing is a sacred, happy and family happy ordinance within our Church that is similar to the blessing that Jesus gave to the little children in Mark 10:16. When Christ did this, he had the authority from our Heavenly Father which we in the Church have through the Melchizedek Priesthood. It is a privilege for Jordan to be given his name and blessed by his father who holds the priesthood and that our son is recognized by God. Maybe Jordan knew this because he was an absolute angel during the blessing - not a peep, not even a poop or gassy moan/grunt that he often lets out.

However, Jordan was unable to stay quiet throughout the entire one hour and ten minutes of Sacrament meeting and about 15 minutes towards the end, he started moaning, grunting and farting. Maybe the sound was magnified to Grace and me because we both freaked out, and left to change him. After changing him, we realized he was hungry and I realized that my dress was not conducive to feeding him! We gave him a little bottle of boob milk and then, rushed to get a photo with the family before going home. It was cold outside and everyone was everywhere and of course, this photo depicts the frenzy in mommy me as I am trying to calm Jordan and get the family over for a photo together.
A picture can say a thousand words. Priceless isn't it?

Luckily we got everyone (except Zach who was running around somewhere) into a photo but unluckily, my bangs were a mess - attempted tuck behind the ears that puffed up resulting in a very odd little extra loop of hair that is in EVERY photo! Ack!

I wore red shoes to match Andy's red tie but the photo didn't capture it... bummer.

L-R back row: My brother Ray, Andy's dad Dennis, Andy, Jordan, me, Andy's sister Tammy, our niece Violet, Andy's mom May, our niece Sophie, brother-in-law Jeff, cousin Luke, Uncle James; L-R front row: My dad Hung, mom, Dee, BFF Grace, Aunt Jan, Uncle Ike, cousin Ania, cousin AJ, cousin Emily, Aunt Monica... and somewhere in the grass nearby Zach is running around.

After the blessing, we went home to get the house ready. Our delicious meal consisted of Cafe Rio barbacoa salad/burritos, mac n cheese, cheese puffs, french bread, a strawberry and blueberry dessert, a Cathy's Bakery Chinese chocolate strawberry cake and tons of drinks (we never have drinks at our house besides water so that was exciting too!). It was a great time with our family and friends and everyone overloaded on carbs with the freshly made cheese puffs (which kept coming out of the oven in batches so we just kept eating them).

Infinity exhaustion hit me again that night as I once again, was OUT while the family watched a movie together - this time an 80's flick - Mannequin!

Oh sleep, how I have missed you. Regardless of the infinity exhaustion, I had a blast this weekend! I am so grateful for all of our family who made it out. Infinity exhaustion and infinity fun!

*OGO - "oh great one," a phrase coined by Andy's dad for his grandkids to address him instead of Grandfather or Grandpa.