Lots of blabbing on

I am too tired to put forth that tiny bit of extra effort required to upload new photos today, so I am just going to type out what will probably be some wretchedly long-winded piece that most will take one look at and pass right over. :)

I am still waiting on the mythical second trimester energy boost. There's no urge to try to take over the world on this end yet. I cannot complain, though. I have had it almost way too easy thus far, so it's only fair that the fatigue is prolonged (though it still doesn't nearly compare to what some others go through!). I am surely still counting my blessings!

Fooding
The end of last week brought on a craving for kalbi, Korean-style beef ribs which NO ONE can pass up, unless they are a vegetarian or vegan, I suppose. We decided that the only way to satisfy this was to go venture off to some nice buffet (oh, darn) and that this would best be done after the Happy Mom's Fair we were planning to attend on Saturday.

Hee Suk's Friday night schedule wound up getting canceled, so even though we knew we'd be going to a relatively pricey buffet the next day, we still went out for samgyeopsal, some delicious Korean tabletop grilling, at our favorite spot (Donenu). We are almost averaging once a week at that place these days! We decided to try their kalbi there to see if we could satisfy my craving without the cost, but it was no use. It was not the same taste I was seeking. Hee Suk was all too happy to still be going to the buffet the next day.

So to continue on the fooding theme, we decided on dinner at the buffet at Sejong Hotel. There are two kinds of buffets in Korea--cheap and expensive. Cheap buffets tend to not keep their cold food on ice and their hot food hot. I'm pretty relaxed about all of these eating "rules," but that is one concept I am not comfortable with. Thus, to get some good quality food, you're usually finding yourself dining at a hotel's buffet. Let's just say I still didn't want him mentioning the price after we found a $20 discount. It was definitely worth it, though, and we justified it as our second trimester celebration.

The kalbi was exactly the right taste, and they even had grilled eel. I was not feeling eel that night unfortunately, so Hee Suk ate enough for the three of us. :D Their salads were actually quite nice, and the fruit was very fresh. I absolutely fell in love with some of their assorted fried foods because they tasted so light and just absolutely delicious. I want some more! Their dessert stand was also great, and they had Häagen-Dazs ice cream. I am actually not such a huge fan, but Hee Suk was in heaven. We ate way too much, but it was so good.

Since we were close to Krispy Kreme, I had planned on buying some while we were out. We couldn't even THINK about food after that, though! I wound up getting a box on Sunday, though, when I met a new friend (yay!), which I justified by saying that so long as we have the donuts in the house, I cannot order pizza. I am pretty sure they will be gone by tomorrow afternoon.

The Happy Mom's Fair
It went extremely well! The place was hardly very crowded, so I was very pleased. It wasn't as big as we had expected, but they run the same fair on a bigger scale in September, which is absolutely perfect for us. We now have a lot of great information that we can research, and when the fair comes around again, we can easily figure out what special deals are worth investing in right then and there and which are not as fantastic as they want you to believe. It also comes at great timing, just two months before we are due!

I should mention that one fabulous thing I noticed was that vendors were not snooty if you decided not to buy something right then and there. This is an issue we both have with in-person shopping here because people will seriously make you feel guilty for not buying something from them quite often. We may have been blessed simply by the fact that I am not quite so far along yet to really necessitate purchasing a lot of what was being offered, but either way, it was really nice to walk away with the vendor smiling. I truly appreciated it.

We did put down a refundable 50,000won deposit (simply, $50) on a photography package that includes a maternity portrait session. When I saw their setup, I knew right away that I wanted to go to this place. Other places I have walked by on a daily basis have some pretty boring maternity photos, though absolutely gorgeous baby photos, and this was the first (and only, as it turned out) that had some fantastic pregnancy portraits to show off.

Also, I cannot BELIEVE how inexpensive photography is here. I feel like we are stealing from them. You can hardly find someone to design an album for you for the cost we are paying for a few different sessions, which include an album and a million other things (even ALL images on a CD!). They also have a number of studios to choose from, so I am just super excited.

For anyone interested, here is a link to their sample galleries: Apple Tree
Links on the left: 50 days, 100 days, 1st Birthday, Junior, Maternity, Family, Outdoors, Star Mania

Another great deal we scored was a pair of maternity khaki capris for 10,000won. That was a major score! They are super cute. I would totally be wearing them if it weren't for this cold rainy front that moved in today.

Unexpected
One thing I didn't expect either of us to become interested in was cloth diapering, which I know is quickly growing in popularity in the states. I couldn't understand how it was done at first, but after finally talking with a vendor there and looking up more information online, it's pretty simple! It obviously requires more laundry, but it is amazing how much money it can save you in the end, nevertheless how much better it is for baby. (I don't care what option others pursue--I am not trying to convert or condemn a single person here.)

When we walked into the fair, I couldn't get over how many cloth diapering stands there were because I just assumed most people here used disposables. It wasn't until the very end when the vendor we wound up speaking with held up a sign about some free giveaway at 4pm that we got in line, got our freebie, then decided to ask some serious questions. Hee Suk was even very emphatic about it after talking with the lady from one of the bigger companies there. I am super excited to be looking into this more.

For the Next Fair...
My short list:

-I hope they have some vendors to check out some carriers and slings. All they had were strollers and some carseats. I want to see some carriers and slings!

-Enter the maternity fashion contest! I would have done it this time, but I would have been too shy with such a comparably small belly.

-Look into pricing for necessities such as a tub online and in stores to see if they are offering a better deal there.

-Milk all of them for all the freebies they've got! (You'll get to see all of the great stuff we walked away with when I post pictures.)

-Make sure Hee Suk enters his name into all drawings because he wins EVERYTHING (he did win us something there!). I will enter mine in as well, of course, but I never win a thing.

-Make note of which vendors we definitely want to revisit.

Update on the Bra Crisis
It really was a crisis. I ended up nearly losing it trying to find what I wanted, so I just decided to pass up looking for something without an underwire that could work as a nursing bra and just find something. God seriously led me to this new friend of mine, C (who is also expecting and married to a Korean!), because it turns out that while we were walking around, one underwear shop had some great bras on clearance for 5,800won--super cheap! I wound up buying two for now, and they are just heavenly. I pray I don't go through much more growth during pregnancy, though, because B is considered big here!

Oh, and Korean sizing wasn't so bad to figure out. On our way home on Saturday, I did stop by one vendor in the subway station to get sized (little did Hee Suk know that that was all I was hoping to get out of the visit, heheheh). That led to more stress because what I at least heard wound up not making much sense, and I was not able to find what I thought I needed online. I figured it out, though, and all is well.

Anyway, I have spent way too much time here and must be off! Pictures will come soon.

Thank You, my Lord, for blessing us so greatly each and every day and for the particularly special ways in which you blessed us this weekend. Though we sometime stray, You never stop leading us in Your ways. Thank You, my King!