We will leave our house at about 7am tomorrow to head off to the airport. I don't think I have mentioned it here, but we are flying back to the states for the holidays for Nehemiah to meet his grandparents and aunt and uncles. He will even get to meet not one, but TWO of his great grandmas, as one will be flying in from Florida just to see him. This is truly a great blessing.
I've been teaching again, so between that and trip preparations (and figuring out Christmas gifts!), there's been a lot on our plates. I teach for no longer than 2-hour stretches, and we've got a great schedule going where Nehemiah doesn't often need to take a bottle of pumped milk so that I am able to just feed him right before I leave and right when I get back. I am a little anxious over how the trip will affect our schedules, but it will be fine in the end.
I haven't pushed any schedules on him, but he has pretty naturally made his own. His poops even follow one! It's nice that this has naturally happened because it has enabled me to learn how to better take care of him when he is fussy or what have you. For example, he's often really fussy at about 7 or 7:30am. Putting him in his bouncer helps him feel more comfortable and relaxed at this time so that he is able to thank me with a nice present. (And boy, are they starting to get stinkier!)
I've documented Thursday of last week (the 17th) as his first official smiles day. I had a few before that day, but that day really seemed to start it all off. He smiles more and more each day. He has also started making "cuter" baby noises instead of only grunting. Today was a pretty big increase. We are both in love with these sounds. Nehemiah loves bath time so much, so we get a lot of adorableness out of him from that.
It seems silly to note this, but one day before he turned 4 weeks, he shed his first tear. It broke my heart. I was doing something in the bathroom (probably rinsing one of his diapers) when he started crying, and he got so upset that he shed a tear. My poor baby. ;~;
We are both in love with how much cuter he grows each and every day. It truly is amazing.
His eyes are actually currently blue. We thought they were brown and even noted such on his passport application, but they are a dark blue for now. They will almost certainly turn brown by his first birthday. I checked to make sure eye color is not noted on the printed passport just in case, and it's not. ^.~
I am a little anxious about all of the flights going smoothly, so if you could pray about that, that would be wonderful. I am, unfortunately, the type of person who imagines a lot of what *could* happen but probably won't, and I let it get to me. This is why the internet and the news are sometimes dangerous for me. It's not even that I am afraid of flying itself--I love it! It's other little things, so just if you could send some prayers, they would be greatly appreciated.
Anyway, I have a bunch of things to get done that I am obviously not getting done by sitting here. For the family and friends back in MN reading this, see you soon!
Much love and many prayers to you all~
Monday, December 21, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Our Big Baby
Nehemiah weighed in at 5.46kg (12 lbs) today! My husband and I were thinking more like 5kg. I can't believe it, though my arms certainly can. This boy is huge. He is 57.2cm (22.5in) long now, though I am always skeptical of how accurate those measurements are. He took his Hep B shot like a man--just cried for two seconds and was back to sleep.
We had to go see a specialist after his appointment to check his left hip more. It's still clicking, which I knew, so we needed to be sure there weren't any problems. Praise God, everything looks normal! I was so worried that we would have to put him in a harness or cast. If it's still clicking after 5 months, we have to check it again, but otherwise, all is well.
I also had an appointment today. My blood pressure seemed high, but that's because I didn't let myself rest a little before taking it. I weighed in at 63.8kg (140.36 lbs). That is roughly 6kg (a little over 13 lbs) over my pre-pregnancy weight at one month post-partum.
My doctor commented on my bosom, lol. She was surprised how small I still am despite exclusively breastfeeding. Of course, size doesn't matter, but it does seem like most women do go up quite a bit. For me, these are big. ^o^
Anyway, the little mister is currently in his carrier because nothing else will satisfy him. I need to do a write-up of my favorite baby products so far for sure. As such, I will keep it short for today.
God is so incredibly good!
We had to go see a specialist after his appointment to check his left hip more. It's still clicking, which I knew, so we needed to be sure there weren't any problems. Praise God, everything looks normal! I was so worried that we would have to put him in a harness or cast. If it's still clicking after 5 months, we have to check it again, but otherwise, all is well.
I also had an appointment today. My blood pressure seemed high, but that's because I didn't let myself rest a little before taking it. I weighed in at 63.8kg (140.36 lbs). That is roughly 6kg (a little over 13 lbs) over my pre-pregnancy weight at one month post-partum.
My doctor commented on my bosom, lol. She was surprised how small I still am despite exclusively breastfeeding. Of course, size doesn't matter, but it does seem like most women do go up quite a bit. For me, these are big. ^o^
Anyway, the little mister is currently in his carrier because nothing else will satisfy him. I need to do a write-up of my favorite baby products so far for sure. As such, I will keep it short for today.
God is so incredibly good!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
One Month!
Yesterday, we went to Igloo Self-Photo Studio to take some photos for this year's Christmas card and for other purposes. I haven't taken the time to resize the photos so that they don't take up all of my storage limit, so here are just a couple for now. We are very happy with how they turned out. I love these self studios!
Anyway, going back to the topic, Nehemiah is one month old today! It feels both as though time has gone quickly and as if it's been longer than that. He has gotten so big. We'll find out tomorrow just how much he has grown. He is getting so strong as well. He can lift his head so high and support it himself while vertical for quite some time. He doesn't do it to his Appa, but he sure likes to kick me sometimes!
Nehemiah and I spent the day mostly alone, however. Hee Suk's father passed away about one hour before our little one's exact one-month mark, so he is down in Daegu now. It still makes my heart ache that he will never be able to meet him. Hee Suk said that Nehemiah's picture was displayed next to his bed, which I think is very special.
I will update again soon with his stats from tomorrow's visit to the doctor. I wish Hee Suk could be there. I need someone to hold me as I hold Nehemiah while he's getting his shots. Okay, I am joking. Sort of.
Otherwise, it's late, and I am finally finishing up dinner while the diapers are now rinsing. I was so proud of myself because I felt like I was doing really well with managing my time to be sure I finished everything up by a decent time, but Mr. Cranky Pants was extra clingy tonight and had no idea what he wanted. Either way, today did go much better than my previous "mommy and me" days, so I am happy. He really is a wonderful baby. We are greatly blessed.
Lord, please hold Hee Suk and all those whose lives his father touched in Your arms as they mourn. Please also continue to shape Nehemiah in Your image according to Your will, helping him simply thrive through the days, weeks, months and years.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
4 Weeks Old
And just two days until he is one month old! I cannot believe how quickly time has passed, but what's even more unbelievable is how big (and heavy!) he has gotten.
The sleeper he is wearing no longer covers his entire body. When he was born, it was longer than he was (from shoulders down) so that his feet stayed tucked inside.
Not anymore!
These aren't the greatest comparison photos, but here he is a few days after birth and today:
Definitely filling things out now!
As if possible, he has grown more adorable.
He has had a strong neck since birth, almost immediately being able to lift and turn his head, and he continues to get stronger. He is simply amazing.
He seems to be getting closer to genuine smiles. Nehemiah really is a joyful baby. I love being able to just sit with him curled up on my chest to just live in the moment. Hee Suk also adores holding him...so much so that he can often be found waking him up or encouraging him to eat right when I've sat down to have some me time on the computer. -.-; He's just so in love.
I forgot to mention that his US passport arrived on Saturday. Woohoo! I am so glad that is finished. Now we only need to wait for his social security card to come in. I kept laughing when I was looking at his passport. He is just way too adorable.
Hee Suk applied for his Korean passport on Monday, and he will be able to pick it up on Thursday. I am so happy that we found epassportphoto.com to take and print his passport photos ourselves. It saved us a ton of time and money, as well as a few headaches, I am sure. Korean passports require a smaller photo than US passports, so I just allowed more whitespace in a different print and cut it down to size. We had no problems whatsoever doing this.
Anyway, I had best be off to shower and get some rest. More updates to come, including plenty on "Nanny 411."
Thank You, my God, for Your incredible blessings. May we teach Nehemiah to love just as You have so wonderfully loved us.
The sleeper he is wearing no longer covers his entire body. When he was born, it was longer than he was (from shoulders down) so that his feet stayed tucked inside.
Not anymore!
These aren't the greatest comparison photos, but here he is a few days after birth and today:
Definitely filling things out now!
As if possible, he has grown more adorable.
He has had a strong neck since birth, almost immediately being able to lift and turn his head, and he continues to get stronger. He is simply amazing.
He seems to be getting closer to genuine smiles. Nehemiah really is a joyful baby. I love being able to just sit with him curled up on my chest to just live in the moment. Hee Suk also adores holding him...so much so that he can often be found waking him up or encouraging him to eat right when I've sat down to have some me time on the computer. -.-; He's just so in love.
I forgot to mention that his US passport arrived on Saturday. Woohoo! I am so glad that is finished. Now we only need to wait for his social security card to come in. I kept laughing when I was looking at his passport. He is just way too adorable.
Hee Suk applied for his Korean passport on Monday, and he will be able to pick it up on Thursday. I am so happy that we found epassportphoto.com to take and print his passport photos ourselves. It saved us a ton of time and money, as well as a few headaches, I am sure. Korean passports require a smaller photo than US passports, so I just allowed more whitespace in a different print and cut it down to size. We had no problems whatsoever doing this.
Anyway, I had best be off to shower and get some rest. More updates to come, including plenty on "Nanny 411."
Thank You, my God, for Your incredible blessings. May we teach Nehemiah to love just as You have so wonderfully loved us.
Monday, December 7, 2009
We Won!
We won a stroller! Capella holds a contest every month where you submit responses to three prompts: 1. Introduce your family; 2. What do you look for in a stroller?; and 3. How will you promote our product if we pick you? They pick three people every month to win a stroller. They used to also do car seats, but for some reason, they've only done strollers for the contests this year.
Hee Suk is the king of such contests these days and studied past winners' responses. Most of the past winners had used photoshop to create something spiffy, so I told him that if he typed everything up, I would photoshop it all. I'm not that good, but it's fun for me to pretend I am.
Here is our entry. Check it out! It's all in Korean, but there are plenty of pretty things to look at. Did we go over the top? Yes, but it saved us over $200!
I'm really hoping we get the "emerald green" one, but I have a feeling they will send red. We'll see!
We are very truly blessed!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Things I am Thankful For
I wanted to do this on Thanksgiving, but it was such a hard day that I could hardly manage it. I want to list out some of the things that I am thankful for as they relate to being a new mommy. There are, of course, far more things to list than possible, but here are some (in no particular order):
-Being the second oldest of six children. This probably is at least in my top five. What I learned from watching my own mother and from helping out myself is just far more valuable than I think most people could ever know. With all of the modern developments in childcare nowadays (gadgets for washing bottles, breathable everything, etc.), I would have gone insane trying to figure it all out if not for having those memories. My experience has saved us a ton of money, I am sure, and has helped us get a bit more sleep. I guarantee you our baby is much happier because of this as well. God has not blessed me with a desire for a big family myself, and the only thing that makes me sad about this is that our child(ren) will never have such memories to fall back on some day when it's time for them to have their own babies.
-I.R.I.S., America's Next Top Model and Project Runway/Models of the Runway. I.R.I.S. is my Wednesday and Thursday night show, ANTM is Friday, and PR/Models of PR is Saturday. Seriously, knowing that "my shows" are on in a day or two helps me keep my sanity sometimes. You should have seen me last night, as Hee Suk was out of town again, when I turned on KBS2 to watch I.R.I.S., and the 30th Annual Blue Dragon Awards were on and running over. I about lost it, but I kept holding out for it to start soon (which it finally did).
-Nehemiah's bouncer. To him, family meal time is very important, so he often wakes up just as we sit down to a meal. It's so great to have to keep him distracted, even when it's only for a couple of minutes.
-What to Expect When You're Expecting, The Complete Book of Breastfeeding and What to Expect: The First Year. If you know anything about me, you probably know that I hate reading. However, I new that Dr. Internet was not going to cut it for me with regards to pregnancy, childbirth and childcare. While there is great info on the internet, there is also too much sometimes. I love these three books to no end. They have saved my sanity and preserved my peace countless times.
-Others' experiences. One of my friends here told me while I was pregnant that she was uncomfortable breastfeeding in public still because it's messy. I am so glad she mentioned that it was messy for her because I have not really seen this in any of my books. When he starts coughing while feeding, and I notice it's because I've got a fountain of milk that won't stop than sometimes squirts all over his face, I know that there are others going through the same thing (or something similar).
Another friend of mine always says to herself and others, "It gets better/It'll get better." It's a bit of a mantra for me sometimes now. It really does help to get through some of the harder times.
-I don't know how to simply put this, so I'll just say our son's quirks. When I feel like I am not doing a good job, him laughing in his sleep or sleeping soundly on my chest helps me to feel so much better. (I am currently trying to capture his sleeping laughs on video and what I call the "Do I know the Muffin Man??" look in a photo.)
-That Nehemiah's grandmothers live in different countries. OK, so it's a little sad, yes, but anyone whose baby has one Korean grandmother and one Western grandmother knows what I am talking about. No, I don't keep him wrapped up in blankets all day. Yes, I do walk around the house in minimal clothing and drink *gasp* cold water! And darnit, I'll snap his onesie if I want to! I just can't imagine what would happen if they were together and wanting to take care of him.
-Hee Suk wins everything. I can't count how many things we've gotten free because of him. Countless photo sessions, the ear thermometer, a baby blanket...we're 95% certain he's won us a baby stroller valued at about $250 as well. That's not even half of it.
That's about as far as I can get for now. I've got a poopy diaper to wash out and food to eat. And I.R.I.S. may or may not be in in 45 minutes...
We are so greatly blessed!
-Being the second oldest of six children. This probably is at least in my top five. What I learned from watching my own mother and from helping out myself is just far more valuable than I think most people could ever know. With all of the modern developments in childcare nowadays (gadgets for washing bottles, breathable everything, etc.), I would have gone insane trying to figure it all out if not for having those memories. My experience has saved us a ton of money, I am sure, and has helped us get a bit more sleep. I guarantee you our baby is much happier because of this as well. God has not blessed me with a desire for a big family myself, and the only thing that makes me sad about this is that our child(ren) will never have such memories to fall back on some day when it's time for them to have their own babies.
-I.R.I.S., America's Next Top Model and Project Runway/Models of the Runway. I.R.I.S. is my Wednesday and Thursday night show, ANTM is Friday, and PR/Models of PR is Saturday. Seriously, knowing that "my shows" are on in a day or two helps me keep my sanity sometimes. You should have seen me last night, as Hee Suk was out of town again, when I turned on KBS2 to watch I.R.I.S., and the 30th Annual Blue Dragon Awards were on and running over. I about lost it, but I kept holding out for it to start soon (which it finally did).
-Nehemiah's bouncer. To him, family meal time is very important, so he often wakes up just as we sit down to a meal. It's so great to have to keep him distracted, even when it's only for a couple of minutes.
-What to Expect When You're Expecting, The Complete Book of Breastfeeding and What to Expect: The First Year. If you know anything about me, you probably know that I hate reading. However, I new that Dr. Internet was not going to cut it for me with regards to pregnancy, childbirth and childcare. While there is great info on the internet, there is also too much sometimes. I love these three books to no end. They have saved my sanity and preserved my peace countless times.
-Others' experiences. One of my friends here told me while I was pregnant that she was uncomfortable breastfeeding in public still because it's messy. I am so glad she mentioned that it was messy for her because I have not really seen this in any of my books. When he starts coughing while feeding, and I notice it's because I've got a fountain of milk that won't stop than sometimes squirts all over his face, I know that there are others going through the same thing (or something similar).
Another friend of mine always says to herself and others, "It gets better/It'll get better." It's a bit of a mantra for me sometimes now. It really does help to get through some of the harder times.
-I don't know how to simply put this, so I'll just say our son's quirks. When I feel like I am not doing a good job, him laughing in his sleep or sleeping soundly on my chest helps me to feel so much better. (I am currently trying to capture his sleeping laughs on video and what I call the "Do I know the Muffin Man??" look in a photo.)
-That Nehemiah's grandmothers live in different countries. OK, so it's a little sad, yes, but anyone whose baby has one Korean grandmother and one Western grandmother knows what I am talking about. No, I don't keep him wrapped up in blankets all day. Yes, I do walk around the house in minimal clothing and drink *gasp* cold water! And darnit, I'll snap his onesie if I want to! I just can't imagine what would happen if they were together and wanting to take care of him.
-Hee Suk wins everything. I can't count how many things we've gotten free because of him. Countless photo sessions, the ear thermometer, a baby blanket...we're 95% certain he's won us a baby stroller valued at about $250 as well. That's not even half of it.
That's about as far as I can get for now. I've got a poopy diaper to wash out and food to eat. And I.R.I.S. may or may not be in in 45 minutes...
We are so greatly blessed!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Don't Know How Far I'll Get...
Last week was crazy, to say the least, but we did get Nehemiah his US citizenship. I will try to do a write-up later on what it entailed. Thankfully, I had contacted another expat who had just gone through the process, or else I might have shown up without my college transcripts. The US Embassy Seoul website needs a little updating.
Nehemiah turned three weeks yesterday, and since then, he's been a bit fussy. He's in his bouncer right now with just a diaper and socks on because I have no idea what he wants. It's given me a couple of quiet minutes thus far at least. (Spoke too soon.) He has fussy time for 3-5 hours every morning starting around 6 or 7 am because he gets gas and wants to give me a nice present to change. I think he's also just been really tired but has been fighting off sleep. He still just does not like to burp, so that's causing issues, too, of course.
Through a program at our public health center, we are able to get a practically free nanny/maid to help us out. I was completely against it at first, but with Hee Suk needing to be away with his father, I said, "OK, if they will let us use one for just a couple of hours a days to help with cooking lunch and tidying up a little, that's fine."
Her first day was yesterday, and I didn't have a meltdown only because I was able to call a friend and my mom to rant and get my sanity back while she and my husband went grocery shopping. She criticized the air in our apartment, the size of it, this, that. Hee Suk thinks that kind of stuff is helpful, but I take it personally. I had the little mittens on him because Koreans like to over-dress babies, but she said he should be able to have his hands free. There is no winning with these people.
She mentioned several times how his skin is not good because of the air. He has baby acne from my hormones. I'm O-, he's A+. I'm female, he's male. Et cetera. Woman, back off the baby. She even suggested lotion, which our doctor and several books say NOT to do because it will just make it worse. She was told on Monday that she was to have nothing to do with the baby, just to help cook and clean a little.
Anyway, no Hee Suk today, as he is down in Daegu again, so I hope everything goes well.
Well, it looks like this is about as far as I'll get. I will try to post more and get pictures uploaded later.
God bless~!
Nehemiah turned three weeks yesterday, and since then, he's been a bit fussy. He's in his bouncer right now with just a diaper and socks on because I have no idea what he wants. It's given me a couple of quiet minutes thus far at least. (Spoke too soon.) He has fussy time for 3-5 hours every morning starting around 6 or 7 am because he gets gas and wants to give me a nice present to change. I think he's also just been really tired but has been fighting off sleep. He still just does not like to burp, so that's causing issues, too, of course.
Through a program at our public health center, we are able to get a practically free nanny/maid to help us out. I was completely against it at first, but with Hee Suk needing to be away with his father, I said, "OK, if they will let us use one for just a couple of hours a days to help with cooking lunch and tidying up a little, that's fine."
Her first day was yesterday, and I didn't have a meltdown only because I was able to call a friend and my mom to rant and get my sanity back while she and my husband went grocery shopping. She criticized the air in our apartment, the size of it, this, that. Hee Suk thinks that kind of stuff is helpful, but I take it personally. I had the little mittens on him because Koreans like to over-dress babies, but she said he should be able to have his hands free. There is no winning with these people.
She mentioned several times how his skin is not good because of the air. He has baby acne from my hormones. I'm O-, he's A+. I'm female, he's male. Et cetera. Woman, back off the baby. She even suggested lotion, which our doctor and several books say NOT to do because it will just make it worse. She was told on Monday that she was to have nothing to do with the baby, just to help cook and clean a little.
Anyway, no Hee Suk today, as he is down in Daegu again, so I hope everything goes well.
Well, it looks like this is about as far as I'll get. I will try to post more and get pictures uploaded later.
God bless~!
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