Are you surprised I’m back so soon??  I am!  I’m going to try really hard to not fall behind in posting as I have so often in the past.  Thanks so much for all of your support and encouragement~ it helps!

WEEK 4

1 Month Check-up

Weight:  10 lbs 5 oz

Length:  22-1/2 inches

Our pediatrician has been awesome so far.  He’s featured on this website called Video Jug (sort of like a video encyclopedia) as a pediatric expert.  It’s really helpful for us to see his viewpoint on issues and just get general info (i.e., newborn hospital procedures, vaccinations).  Here’s the link if you want basic baby info in video form!  For the non-mamas, there are lots of how to videos like “how to replace a blown fuse,” “how to choose a digital SLR camera,” etc.   

WEEK 5

Bellatine’s Day

We wanted to give Bella a special present for Valentine’s Day so we took her out for some alone time.  Bella got to be a Beverly Hills doggy for an afternoon shopping on Rodeo Drive…hehe!  She got tons of attention and we were thrilled to see a perk in her step and that big fluffy tail wagging like crazy. 

One of our neighbors called us to ask about what it’s like to have a dog because her daughter really wants one.  She asked if her daughter could borrow Bella for an hour each day so she could learn how to be responsible for having a dog before they got one.  Wow, what great timing.  When Bella needed a friend the most…one showed up in the form of a shy little 12-year-old girl. 

A Mother’s Love

I read an article from The Pump Station that really touched me.  The author (Jessica Sacher) talks about how she lost her mother 20 years ago and not a day passes that she doesn’t think of her.  Here is an excerpt:

“For those of you who are still lucky enough to have your mother, relish the time with her.  Don’t wish that she would go away and stop nagging you.  Overlook her faults, criticisms, and human frailties.  So what if she doesn’t fold the towels the way you do, or load the dishwasher the way you do?  So what if you can’t find where she put the lasagna pan after she made you dinner. 

Give her the gift of spending time with you and her grandchild.  Let her spoil this baby in the best sense of the word.  Let her hold this baby while you take an extra 10 minutes in the tub for yourself.  It doesn’t matter if she drives you nuts, or says the wrong things at the wrong time. 

Or, if you are lucky, as I was, and your mother is your best friend, tell her and treasure her for today and for this moment, because who really knows what tomorrow will bring.“

I need to keep this article and remember to always be thankful to my mom for all that she does for us.  Just yesterday I told her I didn’t have a small pan for eggs and she told me she was going to bring me hers.  She came over and ended up making stuff in the kitchen and cleaning until 3 in the morning!  Then she woke up early to go straight to work.  When it comes to her kids there is never a moment’s hesitation to put our needs/wants in front of hers.  The ironic thing is that the people closest to you see the best of you but also the worst.  I know that it’s wrong but I do get annoyed with her at times and don’t show enough appreciation.  That’s why I think it’s so important to sometimes just sit down and reflect on our relationships.  That’s what I’m doing right now. 
 

The Babysitter

Hey buddies!  Thank you sooo much for all of your sweet comments/messages!!  I especially appreciated reading them while feeding Evan by myself in the middle of the night.  I can’t believe I’m a mama now!      

WEEK 1

Bella, Orphans & Hormones

I was told so many times that the post-pregnancy hormones could cause me to be really emotional.  Didn’t think much of it until it happened to me.  Two moments from that first week stand out…

(1)  It was middle of the night during our first night at the hospital.  Evan started whimpering a little so I got up to check on him.  As I approached his little plastic bin I thought about orphan babies and how they have no one to love and comfort them.  I picked him up and tears came down my face as I thought of all those motherless babies crying themselves to sleep.  I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for orphans but I never felt the depth of their loneliness until I held my own baby in my arms and imagined what it would be like for him not to be loved.

(2)  As you all know, Bella is my furbaby and I love her with all my heart.  It was really hard coming home from the hospital and seeing her not getting as much attention.  She was confused, curious and maybe a little sad/miffed that we brought home this little being who was suddenly taking up ALL of her parents’ time.  I’d see her with her head down in a corner or being shooed away by someone and it made me so sad.  I tried to make time for her but I was just too exhausted.  The exhaustion and guilt finally got to me one night because I started bawling at 4am and couldn’t stop for an hour.  Things are much better now but we’re still all adjusting.  For those of you with pets…how did you make the baby+pet transition go smoothly?

WEEK 2

Breastfeeding Woes

I don’t think I’m being a drama queen when I say that breastfeeding has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done…even harder than law school and passing the bar…even harder than the actual labor.  Maybe it’s so hard because it’s also one of the most important things I’ve ever had to do.  Maybe I should’ve actually read some of those books on breastfeeding while I was pregnant.  I thought they were boring so I didn’t.  Instead, I sat in a dimly lit room at 5am with one hand on Evan and the other flipping through a breastfeeding book trying to figure out what I was doing!  I don’t have problems with milk supply…just latching.  I even went to a lactation consultant.  It just isn’t clicking.  Everything in my chest area hurts.  OUCH.  I hope we’ll both get the hang of things soon!

WEEK 3

“WHAT?!  You’re going outside?!”

Korean and Chinese people have very similar (stringent) traditions re postpartum care.  Don’t go outside, don’t be cold, don’t do anything for the first month.  It was like 85 degrees outside and my mom told me I had to wear a sweater inside the house.  I guess they believe that your bones and insides are all loosened/messed up after giving birth so you need to recover properly or else you’ll suffer from bodily aches and pains when you’re older.   

The first few weeks I sort of brushed it all off.  We even went to a wedding!!  It was Andy’s friend’s wedding and when we RSVPed we thought Evan would at least be a month old by the wedding.  However, it ended up that Evan wasn’t even 3 weeks old!  I didn’t want to go but I just couldn’t back out because I know what it’s like to plan a wedding and have people back out at the last minute.  So I brushed out the knots in my hair, squeezed myself into a dress and shoes, pumped some milk and went to the wedding.