October 3, 2011
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First Month
Hi buddies~! Thank you for all your kind words about the newest addition to our family! I meant to update sooner but having a toddler plus newborn means no time for anything else. We made it through the first month though!
Tired!
I know all about sleep deprivation~ having experienced all-nighters throughout my life. However, the kind of tiredness that comes from having a newborn is just a whole new level of exhaustion. Sleeping for only 1.5-2 hours at a time really takes a toll! I think it’s harder this time around because I can’t just sleep all day~ I need to be up for Evan.
I realized though that I need to make an effort to capture these fleeting moments through photos and writing or else they’ll just be lost in a tired haze. I love looking back at old photos/posts from years ago. It’s so nice that I can see all the newborn updates I had for Evan all in one place. Although I’m sure I won’t be able to update as much now…I’m going to try!
Joy
Joy went from 7lb 3oz at birth down to 6lb 9 oz a week later then up to 10 pounds at one month. She’s so different from what I remember with Evan. She’s more vocal and lets you know if she doesn’t like something~ lol! She loves to snuggle and is always content sleeping on me.
5 Year Anniversary!
We just celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary! 5 years ago we were running around preparing last minute details for our wedding and packing for our honeymoon in Italy & Bora Bora. 5 years later we were rushing to get all the baby things ready for Joy and packing for our hospital stay.
A lot may have changed but the one thing that always stays the same is our love & friendship. I feel so blessed to have the most wonderful person in the world as my hubby!
I haven’t been able to wear my engagement ring for a long time now. Andy surprised me with a ring~ a creative rendition of my engagement ring.
I was cleaning and found something from our wedding. I couldn’t believe it~ I had forgotten all about this little sign. I don’t know what made us write it that way and capitalize Joy. It was all meant to be!
Favorite Dress
You’ll never see me doing a fashion post~ lol! I’m the least fashionable person ever but luckily I have awesome friends. Gina, my super fashionista buddy, got me an H&M dress a long time ago. I thought it was funny to see how much I love this dress~ I’ve taken it all around the world!
Happy Birthday Teresa!
I remember watching her from afar on the first day of law school. She was really pretty and had long black hair. I couldn’t hear what she was saying but something about her exuded confidence. I’m pretty reserved so I just kept to myself but I could see her chatting it up with all sorts of people. I remember thinking…I wish we could be friends. Lol! Little did I know then that she would become one of my best friends.
You see, Teresa is my person and I’m her person. We always keep tabs on each other. We know when the other one is about to leave on vacation and note in our minds when they’ll be back. We know when the other person is sick with a cold or just has stomach issues. We talk about deeply personal issues or about just how many exclamation points is too many in one e-mail.
Teresa makes me want to be the person she believes I am. I’m often humbled by her perception of me. She sees the good in me that I have a hard time seeing. It makes me happy though and gives me motivation to want to become that better person. She’s just so wonderful I can’t even describe in words.
When I was pregnant with Evan she did tons of research and made me an incredible basket filled with things I’d need during my pregnancy. As busy as she is as an attorney she still reads my blog and makes it a point to comment about it. It’s really mind boggling that as smart as Teresa is (UCLA Law even paid for her schooling so she’d go there!), she’s also so creative and can bake and take photos like a pro.
I love how Teresa can be friends with and talk to anyone. She even brings back presents from her vacation for her nail lady and used to bake cookies for her favorite retail store manager. I always watch the timer on my phone as I listen to her voicemails because it’ll certainly pass the 1 minute mark and it cracks me up. I love how “stopping by” means sitting around and talking for 1 or 2 or maybe even 3 hours. I love how she loves Evan and Joy. I love how we’re just like family now.
In my heart I’m always wishing and praying that great things will happen for Teresa. She undoubtedly deserves it. Teresa, if you’re reading this, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Thanks for being you.
iPhone Love
These days my iPhone has become my #1 camera~ lol!
Until next time~ hope your days are filled with lots of love & laughter!
Comments (62)
Awesome post Jenny! I always feel nice an warm inside after reading your blog. Joy is growing healthy and strong and kudos for you for taking care of two kids full time on your own. You are so awesome! Happy Anniversary! You and Andy are perfect for each other. I love the ring he gave you. He’s definitely a keeper! We miss you guys and hope we can see you soon! Love you much!
Happy Anniversary and all the happiness in the world to you and your family
Happy 5 years anni AND Happy one month Baby Joy!! Shes sooo cute! I just want to pinch her cheeks and squeeeeeze her with lots of ppoppo! Evan is growing up so fast! I could totally see him being the BIG brother and giving Baby Joy all the love and care she needs =) and WOW ur hubby is the best! Love the ring! Happy 5 years again~~
I don’t know how you can manage to take adorable photos, blog and take care of the kids! In any case, I’m so cglad to see your updates cause I get to see your cute kiddies. Joy is such a doll! I love that picture of Bella sleeping on her. Love seeing you guys so happy!
I love reading your posts Jenny! You definitely inspire me to blog as often as I can when the baby arrives.
) It’s truly to watch your family blossom with new additions. Melts my heart when I see photos of your little ones and especially the love that Bella gives to each of the babies, she is so good with them and I love how she hasn’t missed a beat and has been a apart of every little thing with them. I don’t know how you manage to do it all but you definitely show me that it is possible. I just LOVE LOVE all your photos, they are so beautiful and it makes me want to practice more.
Happy Anniversary to you and soul mate! and happy birthday to your friend Teresa who also sounds like an amazing person!
Only such a beautiful inside and out can be surrounded by so many wonderful people! xoxo
You have some of the cutest kids ever!
Happy anniversary!
PS. How did you get the balloons to stick on the brick wall like that?
I’m with Connie…. feeling so warm and fuzzy all of a sudden! Loved reading this post. So many HAPPY things! Happy one month to Joy, Happy 5 years to you & Andy and Happy birthday to Theresa! That photo of Bella and Joy…. oh sososooo precious. I know you made that pretty flower clip right?! Big bro smoothing lil sis….awwww! Too much cuteness all around. You & Andy are so blessed with your 3 babies.
) Hope you get some zzzzs!
yayy!!! soo happy to see more joy pics!! love the ones of her laughing – soo cute!!! i totally know what you mean about camera pics… i use my camera phone ALL the time now… it’s a lot easier than lugging the big camera around sometimes!!!!
<3 <3 <3~! Glad you and your family are doing well =) Joy’s so adorable just like her big bro Evan!
happy anniversary!!!! joy is beautiful – in the last row of pics she looks like a baby evan! i know it can be an adjustment to be a mom of 2 but hang in there! miss you guys
you should have your own photography studio! i love your pictures~ congratulations on your anniversary too!
happy 5 year anniversary!!! can’t believe it’s been so long!!
omgosh joy is SO precious and gorgeous! LOVE the pictures of your beautiful family (esp the one of bella and joy!)! seriously melts my heart.
andy’s so sweet to get you that flower ring!! so pretty.. but.. is it wrong that it hurts me to know that your harry winston isn’t being worn?! -.-
thanks for updating us on life with joy! i can’t even imagine how tired you are. hope baby girl starts sleeping through the night soon so her mama can get some good rest too!
love you guys!
Love this post and your pics of Joy and Evan~ I think my favorite are the iPhone pics b/c it’s life in the raw and unscripted! Thanks for keeping us updated even though you must be so sleep deprived~
Joy has already grown so much! Seeing Evan, Bella, and Joy all together makes my heart skip…such a beautiful set of babies you have! =) I know the beginning months are hard with sleepless nights but if anyone can do it, it’s you!! They are so lucky to have you and Andy as parents! Happy 5 year Anniversary! I wish you both many many more to come. I can’t wait to hold Joy and run around in the sand with Evan! Miss you~!
jenny, congratulations again and again and again on your bundle of joy and congratulations on your five year anniversary with your wonderful husband. every time i read your blog, i get all warm and fuzzy inside. you’re a truly exceptional person and it’s no wonder you have so many amazing people around you, you have that special something that makes people want to be around you and know you more. wishing you all the best from my side of the world. i miss you so much buddy! p.s. evan is getting cuter each and every day. i’m going to have a daughter so i can marry her off to him heehee
omg, joy is soooo adorable. it’s been FOREVER since i’ve been on xanga, but such a “joy” to read your post.
Hehehe… I definitely get exclamation-point-happy in my emails.
Such a cute post, Jenny! And, wow~ what a crazy coincidence with having “Joy” spelled that way in your wedding, long before she came and blessed your home with her name’s origin. ;) You are so blessed to have such great friends in your life! Makes me want to call up my girlfriends and chat on for hours about nothing!
I LOVE the photo of Joy with her new playmate! So cute. Looks like you guys are adjusting well with the added addition… so happy for you! Happy 5 years!! Cheers to many many more.
you’ve really got your hands full with a toddler and a newborn – and they’re both so adorable!
glad things are going well for you! and congrats on the wedding anniversary!!
anniversaries always make me excited, even if I’m not even married yet haha
@Rycecakes - Your comments always make me feel warm & fuzzy! I love you buddy~~! Thank you for always loving us and being so supportive. I miss you and hope I get to see you soon!
@Mad_Wife - Thanks!! =)
@jenniahn - Thanks sweetie!! I love seeing pics of your J because (1) she’s so adorable and (2) it gives me so much to look forward to. So post some more pics mama! =)
@always_ss - Thanks buddy!! I don’t manage at all~~ you should see how messy the house is! My mom always complains that I spend too much time on things like “memory keeping” and not enough time on cleaning/cooking!
@JayMonKeee - Buddy~ thank you so much for your kind and inspiring words! I’m totally going to hold you to your word about blogging more when the baby arrives. I promise~ it’ll be priceless to document those memories. You might feel tired and too busy but the extra effort will be so worth it when you look back and see your photos/words/memories all in one place. =)
@JL789 - Awww~ thanks!! Re the balloons~ they weren’t actually sticking to the wall. It’s easier to just tie them all together and then tie the top and bottom corners to something (we used pipes). I haven’t tried tape but I’m thinking that would work too.
@HSookiC - Buddy~ you are always so sweet! I’ve been so exhausted but your words totally lifted me up. Thank you! Yes~ I did make the flower clip, hehe. If I had time I’d make hairpins all day long. =)
@BustMyGroove - Thanks buddy! Hope you guys are doing great! Once Joy is bigger we have to set up a play date! =)
@ka_woman - Thanks my dear buddy! I miss you!!! You know~ there are a lot of times I think back to the things you wrote about when you blogged about parenting stuff. Thanks for sharing all your experiences/advice! =)
@pinkplaid610 - You’re so sweet~ thank you! Hope you & the girls are doing great! =)
@chopsuey119 - My darling buddy~ thanks so much for your kind words & support! You’re always so sweet! Lol~ thanks for sharing my pain about the Harry Winston ring! One day I might just have to get it resized. I’m so happy we get to share this motherhood journey together~ especially as our girls grow. I love watching M grow~ she’s so beautiful and seeing your love for her makes me so happy. It really shows me how precious the mother-daughter bond is! =)
@korean_angel214 - Thanks sweetie! Hope you’re doing great!! =)
@cheendy - Thanks my love! I can’t wait for you guys to visit. I want to see the boys running around in the sand! We need to plan way in advance for your next day off. =)
I know it’s harder to keep track with kid #2 (taking pics, writting down milestones), but that’s what xanga is for! Thank you for sharing all the great pics with us! I’m next in line (in case you haven’t seen my post this week, hehehe)
@petitetokio - Buddy~ your words are always so sweet and inspiring! You make this tired old mommy feel so good. Thank you, thank you! I feel the same way about you. You crack me up~ Evan would be honored to court your future daughter. =)
@missdoya - Thanks buddy!! I got so excited thinking you were back on Xanga to post updates! I miss J’s monthly videos. Hope you’re doing great! *hug*
@Jeanie - Thanks so much! I’m so happy we found each other in this giant blog world! =) I’ll try to respond to your email soon~~! I need to find the notes I took when I was making those pillows. They have the right measurements! =)
@waiszeblogs - Thanks buddy! Hope you’re doing great~! Wishing you would update too! =)
@raspberryjade - You’re so sweet~ thank you! =)
@KhrystalSun - HELLO~~~ you just made my day! Thank you for sharing such wonderful news! =)
awwww, ive been waiting for this post! joy is growing so beautifully and cant wait to meet her. isn’t it crazy how just a few months ago we were having lunch at the montage and now we are mommy of two!? i know these last month has been tough and tiring but at least we know this is just temporary. Lets just enjoy these tiring moments and hope that they will sleep an extra hour tomorrow
happy 5 year!!! you guys are a perfect couple..we love you jenny and andy!!!!!
ps- kudos to andy for alwayssss being so sweet! dave will need to talk to andy more often.
@trueClassic - Thanks buddy! Yes~ so crazy how much changed in just a few short months. It was sooo good seeing you & E. I was so out of it though~ it turned out to be the hardest day ever and made me never want to go out again, lol! Can’t wait to see you again~ hopefully by then I’ll be more adjusted. Lol~ don’t tell Dave! Dave is still considered the “nicest” though! =)
Happy anniversary! you take the most amazing pictures. No one understands the exhaustion of having a toddler and newborn unless you have experienced it – running after a toddler all day and not sleeping all night. Hope you have help.
@skippeeahn - Awe =) So sweet of you. I know I should!
joy is super cute! can’t wait to meet her. (when can i visit?!) happy 5th anniversary! now that a month has passed, i hope you’re getting into the groove of joy and evan’s schedules… hang in there! it gets easier, for sure!
Congrats again! Joy is sooo beautiful and you must be proud. Good work mama! Now dont forget to get some rest!
I can’t believe you came by and left comments on all my posts, you’re too sweet especially when you’re tired and have two littles.
You always leave the kindest words, thank you. 
Happy birthday to her, and happy anniversary to you and your husband! 
These photos are so precious <3 I love the round letters in gray and pink and her flower hair accessories are SO CUTE. Man I totally want a little girl to put on little headbands! I don’t know how you get such great pictures of the perfect moments, like that smile and Bella resting her head on Joy~ (well, I know, because you got the skills!) I seriously need to practice. I am having so much trouble focusing and getting non-blurry pictures because Luke keeps moving.
Your friendship with Teresa sounds amazing. How wonderful to have a friend like family.
I always look forward to your updates, can’t wait for the next one~ but always most important to enjoy the time you have with them right?
I just love your blogs! I’m so jealous how you’re always able to capture the sweetest moments with your family~
@hongfamilia - Thanks buddy!! You can visit anytime! We are pretty much housebound these days so we’d love to have you over. We have no groove going on yet…I’m just trying to make it through day by day. I can’t wait for things to get easier! You do this parenting thing so well and make it seem actually manageable~ I’m struggling!
@hana_sj - I love your posts buddy! Even when I’m sleep deprived and so exhausted~ when I have a free moment I love checking in on my favorite mommy blogs~ like yours! Thank you for encouraging and sweet words! I totally get blurry photos all the time~ I always take so many so some are bound to come out okay. =) Photos of kids and dogs are so hard because they move so much and never listen~ lol!
@MissBride - Thanks buddy! You totally understand what I’m going through~ totally! That means so much to this tired old mama. Hope you’re doing great! =)
you daughter is so so sweet! i miss my baby’s newborn days already…
precious! i love your blog jenny~ thanks for sharing all the pictures…(NOW) i know how hard it can be to get around to the photo (editing, posting, blogging)…you do it so well! <3 Joy is beautiful! I love the picture of her with the BIG smile on her face. What a precious girl~
happy, happy all around! isn’t it amazing to have friends that stick by your side through it all.
You have an amazing family and friends. I think it just reflects what a truly special person you are Jenny!
do you let joy sleep like that on the boppy/snoogle? i’ve been letting max sleep on his belly too. isn’t funny how lax you become the 2nd time around? LOVE the picture of bella and joy. you should get that framed and put it in her room. max gained 5lbs in the first month. my jaw dropped at his 1month check up.
super adorable! such precious photos!
wow!!! i rarely ever check xanga but decided to stomp on over today and found a whole entry about your new addition, Joy!!!! congrats!!!!! wow, how awesome is it to be a mommy of two now?? give you big props! i dont know if ill even be able to handle one later.. but yea, your entry’s great and your family looks so happy
hope all is well!
hi, jenny!!!! CONGRATULATIONS on the arrival of baby Joy and happy happy anniversary to you and your hubby!!! i ALWAYS love reading your posts…but sometimes i just never get around to leaving you a comment…just know that i ALWAYS love reading your posts!
i so so so wish that i was able to keep up with all the memories like you have done with evan and now joy…maybe i can try again whenever God blesses us with baby #2 
hugs to you!!! you always inspire me 
Congrats on your new bundle of Joy!
aw buddy ~ so many happy news and pics in this post. the ones of evan and joy melt my heart. you’re seriously so deserving of all of it – a beautiful new baby, a handsome adorable son, the best hubby ever who just bought you an awesome bling bling (pls tell stephen what andy bought for you!!), and your wonderful, talented friend teresa. you definitely have a blessed life!
oh i forgot the dress – loves it. it looks so good on you ~ it’s international just like you! you’re even lucky to have a fashionable personal stylist!
@sue_shi - Sorry for the late reply buddy! I just fell off the face of the Internet trying to survive being a mommy of two! Yes~ we let Joy sleep on her tummy or on a Boppy if we’re watching her. You’re right~ so much more easygoing with that stuff the 2nd time around. Hope you’ve been doing great! I’m going to head over to your site and hopefully you’ve updated! =)
@theparks - Buddy!!! I was so happy to hear from you and have totally been meaning to write you back but things are just so crazy sometimes with two. I’m so forgetful these days and hardly get anything done! You are so sweet~ thank you for your kind words! Hope you’ve been doing great! I wish you would update with posts about your little guy & your awesome crafting projects! =)