Christmas Gifts

What do you get a 8 month old for Christmas?  She doesn't really NEED anything but at the same time I want to make it special since it is her first Christmas while at the other same time I don't want Christmas to be all about presents for her.  I guess this is the first of many more parenting decisions to come.

Christmas Card Pictures

Here are some of our "ugly Christmas sweater" pictures.

I couldn't really find an ugly Christmas sweater for Megan so I ended up buying a $3 cardigan at Walmart and then making felt pieces to glue on.  It actually didn't end up being too ugly...whoops!  

Holiday traditions

I know most of you don't comment on here, but I know people visit!  I would love to hear what holiday traditions you have.  Now that we have little Megan there are so many traditions I want to start but I know I won't do.  I have too many ideas and wants that I know we don't have the resources or time to do.  So....what are some holiday traditions old or new that you do or will be doing with your little ones?

Eating...or not

My husband and I are really good eaters.  Really good.  We hardly ever say no to food, probably eat more than we should and just really enjoy food in general.  So when I started noticing that my daughter didn't eat much and wouldn't eat when I tried to force her, it really killed me.  I never thought I would be one of those parents that would do whatever it took to make sure my kid would be eating enough.  If I happen to put a bottle in her mouth at an angle that is awkward for me and she starts eating, then I stay still.  It's happened on more than one occasion where my husband is holding the baby, I come over and stick the bottle in her mouth and she starts drinking then we both don't move.  It doesn't make sense because both of us do not need to be there but the baby is eating, so we don't move.

So for all you parents out there that have great eaters, be thankful!

Pictures...

I just realized I have no pictures posted on my blog!  I'm so used to just uploading pictures onto facebook and never really took the time to put some on here...

So here goes!
~in no particular order and not edited(gasp!)~

The night before she was born

A just born shot!

Couple of weeks old

One month

About 6.5 weeks old and Megan's first time at Disneyland!

So happy to be at Nordstroms!  2 months old

Megan's 100 Day Celebration

At my cousins wedding in Malibu

Making her try on silly little hats

Cancun at 5 months

San Francisco at 6 months

Things I love!

I've been wanting to do a post like this for awhile but never got around to it.  Now that I'm actually writing it, I realized that so many things I've loved have already changed!  Babies grow so quickly and in so many ways that something I may not have been able to live without has already come and gone.

I guess I could start with some of the things that Megan has used from the beginning and is still using to this day.

1.  The pacifier....she loves it, we love it...cannot live without it.  I know a lot of people are against pacifiers for one reason or another, but I don't care.  In particular, she loves the Soothie ones.

The one complaint I would have in regards to these pacifiers is that they can't be used with most pacifier clips.  The only one that I've found to like are the Booginhead Pacifier Clips.  The Soothie pacifier clips that are made for this particular clip is extremely bulky and heavy.  

2.  Her Security Blanket aka magic hankie!  

These Aden and Anais Security Blankets have been another lifesaver in our household.  They are so lightweight, small and thin that I have no worries when I stick one in the crib with her.  There have also been many times when she is crying and I give her the magic blanket and she just stops! 

3.  The Pack n Play 

I didn't get one with all the fancy bells and whistles but have already used this more than I can count!  I used to keep this in the living room and she would nap in here, get her diaper changed in here and sometimes just lay here.  Now that she is past the napping in the living room stage I just keep it packed up in the car and use it when we are out.  If we go to a friends home for dinner and want to put her down, all it takes is a minute or two set up and down she goes!  

4.  An exersaucer!

A friend loaned us hers and I initially didn't want it!  I wanted as little baby stuff as possible and especially baby stuff that looked like baby stuff if you know what I mean.  But she insisted I take it and would need it.  Now I am so glad I have it!  Now that Megan is beyond just the laying around stage and is in the "I want to be upright and doing something" stage, this is perfect.  She is entertained in here, and has been for the past 2.5-3 months, and it gives me time to get things done.  

That's all for now....there are a MILLION products that could be reviewed in terms of baby stuff, i.e. bottles, toys, cribs, diapers, formula, and the list goes on and on.  

I'll probably be doing several more posts like this as I think of different products that I have used and loved or could have done without.  

Thankful...

~I'm copying a blog that I follow, but wanted to do the same~

What I'm thankful for:

1.  God

2.  Byoung

3.  Megan

4.  Family

5.  Friends

6.  Tyson

7.  Health

stage fright

I always come up with blog post ideas when I'm out and about and can't wait to come home and write it out.  As soon as I get home, I completely forget what I was going to write about.  For example, while I was driving today, I remember thinking about a great blog entry and now can't for the life of me remember what it was!!

Solids

As I venture into the world of solids I feel so overwhelmed.  It should be easy, right?  Baby is hungry, wants more than just milk so feed them some food.  But the more I read up on everything the more confused I get.  There are studies out that say you should delay giving this and that to your child to help prevent allergies and then there are studies that say just the opposite!  Don't feed your child carrots too early because of the nitrates!  Carrots are ok, the nitrates don't cause any harm!  And then the whole allergies issue....The list goes on and on.

So you know what I'm going to do?  I'm going to do whatever I feel is best for Megan.  We'll see if that makes me a bad parent.

I will try and be good about documenting how I introduced solids and post them on this blog, if you are interested.

Megan is almost 6 months old...

Megan is almost 6 months old and I'm already stressed thinking about planning her 1st birthday party!!  Can you believe it??

If you aren't familiar with how Koreans throw a first birthday party then google it.

I feel stressed.

If I won the lotto...

If I won the lotto I would open a up a kids clothing store.  As a parent all you want for your child is good quality clothing at affordable prices that makes you squeal in delight when you see it!  I've been to a ton of kids clothing stores now and there are stores that I like a lot but not any that I absolutely love.  More and more I'm finding actual mom's who are starting online shops and clothing lines that sell just what mom's want for their kiddos.  One shop that I stumbled upon is http://www.tadashop.com/ .  I LOVE the style, collection and quality of their clothes.  How CUTE is this dress?!?

or this striped onesie:

or this romper:

I only wish I had the wallet to buy all of this!  

Flying with an infant

I had so many questions before our trip to Cancun about flying with an infant that I decided to finally write a post about it.  There are tons of bloggers who have done the same thing, I will be documenting how our experience was for our baby.

We flew to Cancun with a 2 hour layover both ways.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...it gave us a chance to stretch, for Megan to roll around, change her diaper in an open area(the plane changing tables are not the most ideal!), and grab a bite to eat.

My suggestions:

1.  Take a carrier.  We took a Bjorn carrier and loved it.

It was an extra piece of luggage that we had to carry around if we weren't using it but it made going through security so much easier than having to hold her and try to collapse the stroller and car seat.  Another plus was that she loves being in the Bjorn and staring at the world around her!

2.  Take a stroller, wether it's an umbrella stroller, snap and go or whatever floats your boat.  Just know that it can get damaged when you gate check it (they do sell gate check bags but we decided not to invest in one and it turned out fine!).  After a lot of going back and forth between the umbrella stroller and snap and go, I decided to go with the snap and go.  

She is fine in her car seat and can actually sleep in there as opposed to the umbrella stroller AND we had storage space!  I also figured she might need a carseat in Mexico (even though there were times we drove while she was not buckled in!)  

3.  Someone told me to pack a separate little bag of essentials that I could keep handy, as opposed to under the seat, of stuff that I would need i.e. diapers, wipes, bottle, extra paci and toy.  I wish I had listened to her because it was a PAIN trying to grab something everytime I needed it.  

4.  We were able to travel with my in-laws and my mother in law brought a blanket with her.  My first thought was "why in the world does she have a huge blanket with her?" but in the end I was so grateful for that blanket!  You probably don't need as big a blanket as we had any blanket or coat would probably suffice.  For 3 out of our 4 flights we were lucky enough to have a whole row to ourselves, so we would just lay the blanket out and she would just lay there playing with her toys.  I was grateful for that blanket and not having to hold her the whole time like we did for our first flight.

5.  I'm sure most moms already know this but always pack an extra change of clothes.  We had an early morning flight so I just kept Megan in her pj's....during our layover I changed her into something cooler so she wouldn't be burning up when we arrived in Cancun.  I actually had two onesies and some pants for her just in case she spit up or had any other accidents!

6.  Teethers, pacifier and toys.  Our little baby decided to start teething at the beginning of our trip and so these saved her poor little gummies and our ears!  I tried not to take too much but wanted to give her some variety so I brought her Sophie, a teething ring and links (I never understood why people would buy these but Megan LOVES them!)

7.  Forego the cute diaper bag that you had to buy when you were pregnant and take a backpack!  This worked for us since it let us be hands free and had a little more space.

8.  Breastmilk, formula and water.  I took both just in case she wouldn't nurse.  Lucky for us she nursed on every take off and landing!  I gave her some of the breastmilk anyways during one of our layovers.  Fyi, every website and blog I read about flying with a baby recommended having the baby either nurse, take a bottle or pacifier on take off and landing to help equalize their ears.  

9.  Take extra diapers and wipes and change their diaper before each flight and hope they don't poop in the plane like Megan did!  Like I mentioned earlier, the changing tables on the plane are not ideal.  What we did was Byoung went into the bathroom and changed Megan while I stood outside the open door and handed him the diaper and wipes as he needed.  You don't have to do it that way, I'm sure you can change them yourself people do it all the time, but this way worked for us.

10.  Last but not least, don't stress about it!  Babies cry!   

I think that is all!  I hope this post will help some of you as you fly all over the world!  

~Megan was 5 months old~

pretzel m&m's

I love the new pretzel m&m's. SO GOOD! Are these new? Either way...I love them.

My hair is still falling out like a mother. I am SO dreading the regrowth process...GAH!

I need my sister to show me how to post pictures and track how many of you are visiting my blog! Help me, sister! =)

4 months young!

I am always thinking about this blog and what I could put in here but for some reason I just can't do it. Stage fright maybe? But for Megan's sake, I want and need to keep up with this.

Megan will be 4 months old/young this week! I still can't believe it...I feel like I've had her forever! =) And I say that in a good way. I haven't documented any of her milestones so I will list them off here:
1. we have a roller! As of 3.5 months, I believe, she started rolling. I love coming into her room after a nap and to watch her roll around while babbling....it totally melts my heart.
2. As of this week, she has finally started reaching for things. It's not all the time, but she is definitely doing it consciously.
3. This one is probably my favorite! She started laughing....and it kills me when she does it!! Luckily Leslie was able to get it on video..I can't wait for laughing to become a regular thing! Sadly, she's laughed more with others than with her parents! But I'll take anything.
4. I'm sure there are a million other milestones but I can't think of any now....sad.

There are a million other things I wanted to say but I forgot it all. I do promise to be back soon!

i have a baby!

I have a kid. I still can't believe it.

I've had this blog for awhile now but never had any desire to write in it (I actually still don't have much of a desire to write) but I figured might as well start. You see, I have the worst memory ever and I will forget all the milestones that this baby will hit, I will forget all the pain of recovering from labor, I will forget how painful breastfeeding is and I'm sure I'll forget a lot of other things. So I thought I should document it so I can look back on it one day and laugh.

The baby is exactly one month old today. I can't believe it. How the heck does time move SO slow and yet SO fast?!

She doesn't do much yet except sleep, eat, cry, stare at you and smile in her sleep. Oh yeah...she did roll over twice from her stomach to her back which apparently makes my kid a genius! woohoo!

Since this is my first real entry that I am making public, it is rather lame. I have to build up to becoming a blogging extraordinaire. Dooce.com is my inspiration!

I will slowly learn how to add pictures, make the layout more me and so on and so forth. But if you are willing to stay along for the ride, please do! But I will warn you...there will be lots of stuff about babies, breastfeeding, and possibly life.

Let's begin!