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Wednesday, 02 December 2009

10 months!

Hi! Hope you’ve all been great and staying healthy! I’ve been so busy but I promised myself I wouldn’t miss Evan’s monthly updates so here I am. I realized I have to do this now since he’s closer to being 11 months than 10 months now!

10 Months!

Dear Evan,

I feel like I can hardly catch my breath as time keeps slipping through our fingers. While I can’t for all of the new milestones you’ll be reaching…a part of me wishes we can just stay here for a bit longer and enjoy now. My favorite part of each day is this silly moment we have of tumbling around on the floor, giggling and just being mushy.

I think when we look back on this past month we’ll realize that we celebrated Halloween for most of the month of October!

* You started transitioning to two naps.

* Your top left tooth popped out and then the top right one followed soon after! There’s a gap as both of the top two teeth are just starting to grow. We jokingly call you a baby hillbilly – the cutest hillbilly we’ve ever seen.

* On Halloween we went to a Xanga Halloween party at Amy’s Playground. Youkeun was nice enough to set up a photo booth for the event! You dressed up as a piece of galbi! Then at night Mommy & Daddy went out with the Hongs and Uncle Kevin to the West Hollywood Halloween Parade.

* Daddy went on a bunch of business trips again but we were okay on our own since we had so many visitors this month.

* You think Bella is a comedian. You laughed so hard when we put a pumpkin hat on her. Bella was hiding under a big blanket. You realized she was under there so every single time you lifted up the blanket and saw her you would crack up!

* You said “ummmm-ah” loud and clear although I’m not sure if you meant me or if you’re just practicing sounds.

* We hosted a welcome home party for Aunt Katherine and Nathan. After everyone left we realized the place looked like we had just thrown a crazy frat party or something…it was trashed! It was so fun though and I can’t wait to throw more parties.

* Daddy said you stood on your own but you haven’t shown Mommy yet.

* Dr. Cohen said you’re really strong. I already knew that as there are so many times I’m amazed when I see you lifting chairs, pushing boxes and resisting me. You’re a superhero baby! Dr. Cohen also said that since you’re cruising so well you actually have the capability to walk whenever you’re ready. I don’t mind if you wait to start walking though. I’ve heard that it gets a lot harder keeping up with little ones once they start walking.

* It was Daddy’s first birthday as a daddy! We had a bunch of celebrations – with buddies, in Corona with Grandma & Grandpa and at Aunt Katherine’s place.

* One day you pooped and it got everywhere. While I was washing it off you threw up. I put you on the ground to clean up and saw blood and realized you had a cut on your toe. Then before I had a chance to put on your diaper you peed! It was a day filled with poop, pee, puke and blood!

* Mommy went to Aunt Sue’s baby shower at Jack & Jill’s Too while you & Daddy hung out with the other babies and daddies. Afterwards Mommy & Daddy went to Aunt Sarah’s birthday dinner at Lola Gaspar.

* We went to Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch. You were a big hit as one of the pumpkins. Who would’ve thought a pumpkin patch is a celebrity hot spot? There’s even a section where the paparazzi hang!

* Here are some of the other highlights of our month – Aunt Teresa’s birthday, Sophie’s 1st birthday party at Airport Park, Audrey came to visit, had a playdate at our place with Calista, Desmond & Nathan, went to say “happy birthday” to Uncle Davin, visited the Kim family in PV, ate lunch at Panera with Aunt Miny & Uncle Steve, went to Ellie’s place for crafting sessions every week, shopping day with Halmoni @ Westfield Culver City, lunch with you plus 6 girls, Mommy & Daddy went out to Lawry’s for Uncle Stephen’s birthday, and we went to the park for the first time by ourselves.

Until next time…stay happy and healthy! I love you!

Love,
Mommy

10 Month Check-up

Weight: 20 lbs 11 oz (41st percentile)
Height: 28.5 inches (41st percentile)
Head circumference: 46 cm (60th percentile)

Other News…

- We recently had a chance to be interviewed for Fox News. It was a segment on online shopping and Ebates. It was such a fun experience! Even Evan & Bella were filmed, hehe! I’ll let you know when they post the segment on Ebates.

- Evan’s first birthday (dohl) is coming up so soon! I’ve been so busy trying to plan but I haven’t done much yet. We rented a photo studio as the venue so the great thing is that it’ll be an empty canvas but the hard part is trying to fill it! If you have any helpful tips, vendors, websites, etc.~ I’d appreciate any kind of help I can get.

- We’ve been invited to a once in a lifetime experience – a wedding in India. I’m sooo torn though. Our baby bear will only be one. I’ve always wanted to go to India BUT I can’t imagine being apart from Evan for so long (around 10 days). Have you been away from your baby for an extended period of time? Please tell me it’ll be okay!!

- Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Saturday, 31 October 2009

9 months!

Hi everyone! Hope you’ve all been doing well~! We’ve just been busy here as usual. I know people say this all the time but I seriously don’t know how time goes by so quickly.

9 Months!

Dear Evan,

Now 3/4 of your first year of life has passed. At times like this I reflect and can’t believe how much all of our lives have changed in such a short period of time. I guess I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you for bringing so much joy into our lives.

* You’re always trying to stand now…it’s like your full-time job.

* You got your first real cold. I was so heartbroken when you couldn’t eat well because of your plugged nose. You also started to go from 3 naps to 2. It was a really difficult time because the two of us were quarantined at home alone for a week with no help. You were so fussy and grumpy that for a bit I forgot how much of a happy and mellow baby you normally are.

* You were playing by yourself all the way across the room from Daddy…but when Daddy showed you the tadpole book your face lit up and you crawled back really fast!

* Now you can flip the pages of your books on command. I’m so happy you love books!

* You tried tofu and puffs for the first time.

* Daddy tried to bench press Mommy and we were laughing so hard we woke you up and you cried. Sorry!

* We have to watch you really closely now or else you’ll get into everything!

* Mommy left you for one of the longest stretches of time. I was worried but you were really good and followed the schedule. Whew!

* Mommy & Bella went on a girls’ day out to the park. Next time we’ll take you too so you can see the beautiful view of Lake Hollywood from the park.

* Aunt Connie & Trystan came over and we went out by ourselves to a restaurant for one of the first times. I was proud and thought to myself…Am I starting to get the hang of this mommy stuff??

* We had a picnic at the park for Aunt Sue’s birthday. It was so fun just hanging in the sun with good friends and yummy food.

* This was another month of adventures – we visited Ella, went to Audrey’s 1st birthday party, Aunt Gina, Uncle Albert & Hershey visited, went to Gavin’s 2nd birthday party, went to Adventureland with Caitlyn, you were reunited with Nathan, had lunch with Mommy’s old co-workers, a Cheesecake lunch with your gorgeous gal pals Abbie & Eleni, lots of bonding with your grandmas & grandpas and celebrated Uncle Steve & Aunt Srivitta’s engagement.

Mommy is a big cheeseball. I found that the lyrics to this song truly embody what I wish for you.

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow
And each road leads you where you want to go.
And if you're faced with a choice and you have to choose
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.

I hope you never look back but you never forget
All the ones who love you and the place you left.
I hope you always forgive and you never regret
And you help somebody every chance you get.

Oh, you’d find God's grace in every mistake
And always give more than you take.

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold.

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too.
This is my wish.

Love,
Mommy

Swagbucks – Amazon Gift Cards

Sorry for the delay! You’ve all been so awesome about signing up for Swagbucks that I’ve been getting a big bunch of gift cards. Thanks so much! always_ss, I’ll be sending you a $5 Amazon gift card! I want to share another $5 gift card so audreysmommie, I'll be sending you one too!

Favorite Lens x 2

Bella was trying to get under the covers in bed and knocked my camera to the ground. My favorite lens shattered – the Canon 50mm f/1.4. I use it like 90% of the time. I went the next day to get another one because I couldn’t live without it. I have other lenses (even one that costs more than 3 times as much) but I always go back to my trusty 50mm. Thought I’d share for anyone in the market for a new lens. One of my friends was new to the DSLR world but he got this lens and his photos look so good!

Canon has three 50mm lenses and I’ve only heard great things about all three – get the 50mm f/1.2 if you have $1,600 to spare or the 50mm f/1.8 if you’re on a tight budget. If you’re in between…get the 50mm f/1.4!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I won a little contest for submitting this quote…

“Eat, drink & be scary!”

Thursday, 01 October 2009

8 Months + Anniversary!
Hi buddies! How’ve you been? The last few weeks were up and down…luckily, mostly UP. However, the downs really make you realize how hard being a mom is sometimes. Hope you’ve been doing great~!

3 Year Anniversary!
Just Married – Italy, Bora Bora, Michigan & NYC
Anniversary 1 – South Africa and London
Anniversary 2 – Punta Mita
Anniversary 3 – Home Sweet Home

What happened to the travel bugs? We decided on taking a staycation this year. We didn’t want to stress about planning a vacation, the logistics of getting ourselves there with a baby and losing time packing, preparing and in transit. We figured we’d save a lot of time and money by staying home and just spending time together. I found that it really doesn’t matter where we are as long as we’re together. We could have fun at some fancy resort but we could also have a blast just lounging around at home doing nothing.

One of the days we went to show Evan where we got married. It was so relaxing just laying around on the grass staring at the gorgeous ocean and scenery.

8 Months!

Dear Evan,

Here’s an old adage that I’d like for you to always remember -- treat others as you would like to be treated. From the janitor at work to the president of the company you work for, from your doctor to the checkout stand guy at the market…just be nice and respectful to everyone. Mommy tries to always do that. You’ll definitely come across people who don’t make it easy but I just try to put myself in that person’s shoes. Sometimes just being yourself may bring a pleasant surprise. I bought your playzone play area from someone on Craigslist. Other than the fact that she was a bit curt, it was nothing out of the ordinary…just a typical transaction. However, a few weeks later I got an e-mail from the woman saying that because I had been so nice to her she’d like to give me another set for free! One set goes for like $100 plus tax & shipping. Wowee.
I’m really loving this bond we’ve worked hard to create. What will I do when you grow more independent and don’t need Mommy as much? Eek! Please try to stay a baby a bit longer!

Love,
Mommy

8 Month Check-up

Weight: 19 lbs 13 oz (32nd percentile)
Height: 27.5 inches (40th percentile)
Head circumference: 45 cm (53rd percentile)

Swagbucks Update

Thanks so much to all of you who signed up for Swagbucks!! I really hope you get the hang of it and start getting some Amazon gift cards. I wanted to thank you for signing up through me…I got so many Swag Bucks just through referrals so I was able to get more $5 Amazon gift cards. Just let me know if you signed up and started using it…I’ll pick someone and send you one of the $5 Amazon gift cards. It’s only $5 but still~ just a tiny token of my thanks!

If you missed the whole Swagbucks discussion then here’s the link to my previous post. If you want to sign up here's the link. Thanks!

Family Portraits

Here are some photos from the super talented Youkeun Oh! It was really windy and cold that day but he managed to make it seem like we were all happily basking in the sun. I really can’t rave enough about Youkeun. I’m always so critical when it comes to photos with me in them but I actually really love these! He was able to capture us as us…being goofy, laughing and just so happy together.

Youkeun’s awesome wife and baby made us the “E” and it turned out to be a perfect addition to the shoot.

By the way, if you’re interested in working with Youkeun then mention that you read about him here and he’ll give you 10% off. Not only is he talented, he’s sooo nice! Here’s the link to his website.

Sunday, 13 September 2009

7 months!
Hi everyone! Can you believe summer is already over? I feel like it just flew by and now people are already talking about the holidays. Anyhoo, hope you’re all doing well~!
7 Months!

Dear Evan,

Well, here we are buddy. We made it through a super busy month. This month was filled with busy days driving all over Southern California meeting old and new friends.
- You had your first solids – rice cereal. We were so excited and were all ready to film and take photos of the big moment when you took that very first bite…but then you flipped over the bowl all over Mommy! We couldn’t stop cracking up as Bella circled you like a shark trying to steal some food.
- We went on playdates all around Southern California from Tustin to West LA.
- Daddy came to babygroup with all of the other daddies to see what we do every Tuesday.
- You got to spend quality time with your aunties and uncles who love spoiling you with attention because they don’t have babies of their own yet.
- Your buddy, Ella, was born on July 24, 2009. We went to visit her in the hospital and she looked so tiny next to you!
- You got your first 2 teeth! One day I looked and I was so surprised to see a tooth. The second one came in just as quickly so all of a sudden you had TWO bottom teeth!
- You can do “jam jam” (open and close your hand) when we ask you to if you feel like it.
- We participated in a research study on baby development at UCLA. You’re doing your part to contribute to the betterment of babies everywhere.
- You’re able to sit up by yourself for longer periods of time but you still topple over sometimes.
- You’re doing a modified crawl everywhere now – you push yourself around with your arms. One day you’re going to realize that crawling with your hands and knees is a whole lot easier than pushing your entire weight around with your arms!
Every single day is a new adventure for us. You’re constantly learning new things and changing. The best moments are when I see something click in your head when you realize you can actually do a certain thing and then a smile just lights up your entire face.

Love,
Mommy

Swagbucks – Money For Online Searching
So I follow a ton of these mommy and money-saving blogs and I kept hearing about Swagbucks. I finally decided to take a look and sign up. Before recommending it to people I wanted to try it for a few months to make sure it’s worthwhile. I’m glad I signed up because in the past 2 months I’ve already gotten $60 in Amazon gift cards. I know it isn’t that much but hey~ it was all for just searching the internet which is something I always do anyways.

Swagbucks is an online search engine where you do searches (like with Google or Yahoo) and you periodically win “Swag Bucks” which you can later redeem for prizes. It’s really simple. I think the hardest hurdle for me was to break my habit of automatically going to Google to do searches.

PROS:
- It’s like getting paid to do internet searches! Who doesn’t like free money?
- The search engine is powered by Google & Ask.com.
- It’s really easy once you get into the habit of using it. I feel like I could get even more Swag Bucks if I tried harder (like following them on Twitter, referring people, etc.) but I haven’t done a lot of that stuff yet.
- It’s fun! Sometimes I’m just randomly doing a search and I’ll win a Swag Buck and it’ll put a smile on my face.
CONS:
- Sometimes the search results don’t seem as thorough as the ones I’d normally get from Google. For example, I’ll see that Swagbucks has 4 pages of results while Google has like 10. Not really a problem for me since I’m not doing any kind of real serious business sort of searching.
- Even though the results are from Google & Ask.com I find that it can be a little odd sometimes. For example, I’ll type in “yelp los angeles” and the actual Yelp link shows up as the 2nd link.
TIPS:
- It doesn’t help to just sit there and type in random things to search. I’ve tried that, hehe.
- Install the toolbar so you don’t end up forgetting to use it. Plus, the toolbar gives away free Swag Bucks sometimes.
- I don’t do this but the bloggers I follow do – they sign up for the newsletter, Twitter and Facebook and get free Swag Bucks like that too. Those guys must be doing something right since they’ve already gotten hundreds/thousands of dollars in gift cards/prizes.
- Instead of typing in a web address like Gmail or clicking on my favorites, I’ll just type it into the toolbar and then click the link. Yes, it’s one more step than necessary but I’ve won a bunch of Swag Bucks that way!
- Just go for the $5 Amazon gift cards which cost 45 Swag Bucks each. I think you get the most bang for your Swag Buck that way. I just get the code and enter it into my Amazon account and it’ll be there the next time I buy something.
- You get Swag Bucks for referring your friends!
Sign up here >> [Click me!] and let me know if you like it and if you have any questions!

Random Rumblings & Questions

* I’m sooo behind on everything Xanga~ posting, commenting and messages. Sorry for always being so tardy in keeping up with you guys! Hopefully I’ll be able to catch up soon. I had one simple goal when Evan was born…to post at least once a month so I could chronicle his growth. Evan is already 8 months and I’m just getting around to doing his 7 month post! *sigh* Sometimes I feel like there are sooo many things I want to do but I just don’t have enough time to do them. Can you share how you keep up with Xanga -- posting, your subscriptions, commenting??

* I’ve been hearing rumors that Xanga might be shutting down. I hope not! Are you staying or is there another good blogging site you’d recommend?

* Any suggestions on nice gifts for 1-year-old boys/girls & 2-year-old boys/girls? What are some of the best gifts you’ve received or given? I love giving gifts so I usually spend a great deal of time and effort trying to pick out the best gifts. I wish I could still do the same but it’s getting harder now that it seems like birthdays are coming up every other week!

* THANKS and have a wonderful week!!

Monday, 10 August 2009

Quick Update~!

Hi! Thanks so much for taking the time to give me your input on sleep, churches and vacuums. I really appreciate it!

I just posted Evan’s film from Fifty Foot Films on a protected post!

For the Dapple gift packs...Congrats to yun_bug (she was the first to say she was interested plus I love her, hehe) & tubecozy (I picked randomly and she’s also quite awesome). Okie dokie, hope you’re all doing well~!