Merry Christmas!

December Recap

I feel like the past month has had such a whirlwind of events. The week after I got back from LA, we went out to Chinatown on Sunday (despite M's reluctance since the weather was awful) and had lunch with JM after church to get caught up with what's been happening at church (isn't it ironic that we have to get updated from someone who hasn't been there in months when we've been going there every two weeks?).

Baby K was cranky at the restaurant, but she had missed her morning nap (not uncommon on the weekends) so I didn't think too much of it. Our lunch with JM ended up lasting for three and a half hours (lots to catch up on!). By the time we were done, it was dark out. Baby K slept for most of the car ride back, but woke up some time before we made it home and started crying. I was sitting in the front passenger seat and reached to the back of the car to comfort her. When I felt her hand, it was burning. I had M pull over and I went to the back to take off her coat and give her some water. That seemed to calm her down a bit, but she was still not a happy camper. We got home, took her temperature, and it turned out she had a fever of 103.4 degrees. M and I stayed home the next day, brought her to the doctor, and was told she had an ear infection. We alternated between giving her Tylenol and Motrin to bring her fever down, but it kept coming back up every time the medicine wore off. That night, her fever rose to 105 degrees. We called the hospital call center (it was past midnight already) and they told us to give her a lukewarm bath, which helped tremendously; she felt so much better that she was even clapping her hands in the water.

It took three days for baby K's fever to completely clear up. I didn't bring her back to daycare until Thursday. However, by that time, we noticed a rash developing all over her torso and back area. It didn't seem to bother her, but it was quite disturbing for us, seeing the red dots all over her body. I did some research online and figured it was roseola, which is suppose to go away on its own. We called the pediatrician the next day (M was worried because he noticed it had spread to her arms) and they gave the same diagnosis (geez, I felt like I could've been a doctor!). Accordingly, the rash was gone by Friday, allowing us to breathe a great sigh of relief.

It took a few more days after that for baby K to get her appetite back (oh, did I forget to mention the part about her vomiting?). Dinner time was quite a challenge, but I was reluctant to force anything down her throat since I didn't want her to throw it back up. I was afraid she wasn't getting enough nutrients, but she was still pooping every day (often multiple times a day!) and she still had tears in her eyes when she cried (otherwise it could be a sign of dehydration) so I just let her eat as much as she would. Baby K finally got back to her normal "good" eating habit two days ago. One thing I've noticed about our little girl though -- she's not a big fan of veggies (which I'm surprised about since I love veggies). She'd eat all the pieces of chicken I give her with no problem, but when I leave veggies on her tray, she would hand them back to me or drop them on the floor. It's pretty funny sometimes (when it's not so frustrating!), and it's amazing to see how she's developing her own personality and communicating to us her likes and dislikes.

We had our first big snowstorm for the year last Saturday. Baby K and I went to a lady's brunch at AFD's place to enjoy some good food and good company while daddy was out shopping in the area. By the time he came to get us, the storm had really picked up and it didn't seem as if the plow trucks were doing much to clear the roads... or maybe the snow was just coming down too fast. The drive home was pretty slow, but we eventually got there. Baby K was so tired from the day of fun that she slept through most of the evening, allowing M and I to make lasagna for dinner that night. Comfort food for a cold snowy night -- it was perfect!

We woke up the next morning to find over a foot of snow covering our house. We brought baby K out in her little snowsuit. I laid her down on the snow and was afraid she would sink in and we'd lose her, but I guess she was too light; she just kind of stayed on the surface. She was not a fan of the snow though. I accidentally brushed some snow on her face with my glove and she immediately started crying. That was pretty much the end of her "fun day in the snow."

So we moved on to the dirty work: clearing out the driveway and sidewalk. M used the snowblower for most of the driveway but since he has a bad back, I spared him from shoveling and did that myself (we had to shovel parts of the driveway and sidewalk since the snow was too high for the snowblower). My arms were still aching two days later, but I suppose it's good preparation for carrying our growing little girl, who's getting heavier each day.

This morning, M was in baby K's room, sitting by her crib and watching her. She wakes up all of a sudden, sees M, and yells out "da-da!" with a grin on her face. It was such a priceless moment I wish I could have captured it on video! Times like this, there's no greater gift than being a parent.

Fire and Water

I'd like to thank those of you who offered your condolences. Your kind words mean a lot, and I truly am grateful to have friends like you in my life. The weekend has left me emotionally drained; I am still exhausted despite the nine hours of sleep I had last night, and want nothing more than to climb back into bed. But yet I chug along, praying for enough energy to get me through the day. My eyes were all red yesterday (I suspect due to sleeping with my contacts on during the flight back) that M thought I had pink eye. They weren't itchy so I wasn't as concerned, but I acquiesced when he told me to wear glasses instead of contacts. They look fine today, so I can affirm that I do not have pink eye.

We had the viewing for my grandmother on Friday. It was limited to just family members, but there were still about 25 of us who filled the room. In front of the casket was a long table filled with my grandmother's favorite foods. An urn was placed in the middle of the table for burning incense. The Buddhist monk performed whatever ritual was common for such an occasion, chanting non-descriptive phrases in what I can only assume was Mandarin. At one point in time, he had us all follow him in a line to walk around the room while he continued chanting. After circling the confined space for the fourth or fifth time, we looked over and realized that a little fire had started where the incense was burning. I still don't know how it happened, but we were able to quickly get it extinguished.

My grandmother's interment was on Saturday. The ceremony was over and we were up at the burial site by late afternoon watching the lowering of the casket into the ground. Off to the side were some of my uncles burning paper "money" and other "valuables" when all of a sudden, the sprinklers went off. Not only that, but it was only limited to the area where my grandmother's grave was. It would have been comical if the affair had not been so somber. I mean, seriously! Aren't these things timed? Don't they usually go off in the mornings or even in the middle of the night? It took a while for the workers to turn the system off, but they eventually did.

One of my cousins said that the fire and sprinkler incidents were signs from my grandmother, assuring us it was okay to leave. That's one way to look at it... or they could all have just been a mere coincidence. But I don't think there are such things as mere coincidences. To me, things always happen for a reason. I tend to believe they were more signs from God; I just don't exactly know what they mean.

Grieving

Earlier this year, when M and I were contemplating on a vacation spot, Los Angeles won by a landslide despite the long flight we'd have to endure with a 10-month old. People would ask, "Why LA? Why not somewhere closer, like Florida?" My answer was simple: "I wanted baby K to meet her great-grandparents." It seemed like a good enough reason back then, but little did I know how much that trip really meant...

My grandmother shares the same death date (is that what you call it?) as John F. Kennedy. She passed away on Sunday, November 22. It came as a shock to me when I heard the news that afternoon. Having seen her only two months earlier, she appeared to be in good spirits and good health. I guess you never know though. My mom reminded me that she was 90 years old after all, and that she lived a full and happy life, but that did nothing to stop the sadness from overwhelming me.

Our trip to LA two months ago is just another example of God's impeccable timing. I am so glad my grandmother got to see baby K; I will always remember the smile on her face as she held baby K on her lap. The picture below with the four generations of females in the family will be cherished forever.

My Babbling Baby

Here's our talkative little girl during dinner time (just a warning: you may want to lower the volume). We even managed to capture her clapping in this video! Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Baby K!

My Little Climber

My apologies, but you'll have to view this video sideways. If anyone can figure out how to rotate this (without any kind of special software installed), please let me know!

Upcoming Birthday Weekends

Baby K is so special that she gets two birthday parties this year! Her birthday happens to fall on a Wednesday, smack in the middle of the week, so we're going to have a family get-together this weekend, and next weekend, some friends will be coming over. I suppose we could have gotten away with just one celebration, but it would've been too much to have 40 people over at our place at once (plus kids!), so though it's two times the work, it's also more manageable this way.

I'm usually pretty anal and have a list for everything I do (M makes fun of me and my lists all the time). However, old age and laziness (or stress) has kicked in, and I'm not as organized as I used to be. I think we have most tasks completed, but we still have to place the order with Boston Market (yes, we are getting this thing catered), order the balloons, and clean the house. Gosh, I hope I'm not forgetting anything!

As for daycare, since all the kids in baby K's room are so young (baby K is the oldest there), I haven't decided if I'm going to do anything next Wednesday. It's baby K's actual birthday, so I would like to, but I don't know what. It's not as if I could bake a cake for all the kiddies to enjoy. If anyone has any ideas, let me know!

Daycare Situation

A few weeks ago, I blogged about some qualms I had over the care baby K was receiving at daycare, given that there's been some turnover and a new person had just started in her room (see here for old post). I gave it my best shot... I really did! However, additional incidents happened since then that got me even more worried -- so much to the point that I was in tears one day last week when I picked baby K up.

Earlier this week, M and I had a call with VB, the person in charge of the infants area, to voice our concerns and to see if baby K can even switch to another infant room. Apparently, we were not the only parents who had spoken up about Mal's performance (although I think we were the only ones with a long laundry list of blunders she committed). One of the measures they were going to take was to ensure that Mal would not be left alone with the infants at any point in time. Mal was off on Wednesday, so that was a non-issue. Then comes Thursday. Imagine my surprise when I went to drop baby K off yesterday and saw that Mal was the only caregiver in the room! One of the other parents was sitting outside the room holding her son. I asked why she wasn't going in, and she said that baby L (baby K's classmate) had just hit her head and she was waiting to see if Mal can handle the situation (obviously not, since baby L continued crying and Mal continued ignoring her). I told the parent about the conversation I had with VB, and that Mal was not suppose to be alone with any of the infants. We spoke for a few more minutes before going into the room. By then, there were five infants in there, and Mal should have called for backup but she failed to do so until another parent told her to (they are only suppose to manage a maximum of four babies at a time). I felt so uneasy that I stayed there for over half an hour until LB, baby K's primary caregiver, came in.

Once I got to my desk, I immediately e-mailed VB, asking why Mal was left by herself with the infants. VB said that she shouldn't have, and would investigate what happened that morning. She must've had a long talk with Mal, because I noticed a dramatic improvement when I went to pick baby K up last night (also, Mal was not the only caregiver there). This morning, I was glad to see three caregivers in the room (and Mal wasn't one of them). I don't know where she was and I didn't bother asking. I don't want to get the woman fired, but at the same time, I don't think she's necessarily fit for the job. It takes a very special kind of person to work with infants so young in age, and not everyone is cut out to do it.

On a related note, baby K's daycare is hiring, so if anyone has experience working with kids and is interested (there's an infant caregiver, toddler caregiver, and pre-school teacher position open), please let me know.

11/10/09 UPDATE: Mal tendered her resignation! Next Friday will be her last day. I was shocked. Though it was her choice to leave, I can't help but feel guilty over how things played out. Hopefully she'll be able to find something else more suitable for her.

Baby K With Shopping Cart

Here's a short video of baby K walking with her shopping cart (and daddy cheering her on in the background). Our little girl is going to be a shopper, just like mommy!

Baby K is laughing as she's watching this video with me right now =).

2009 Harvest Festival

The daycare had their annual Harvest Festival today, where all the kids dress up in their Halloween costumes and parade around the BMS campus. There were so many lady bugs out there (just about every other baby had the same costume as cutie pie!) that it took me a while to find mine. Here's the two of us enjoying the fall weather. Baby K was cranky (mommy woke her up early this morning and she's missing her nap), so no smiles for the camera. Too bad daddy couldn't be there as well, but we'll make it up this Saturday when we go trick or treating around the neighborhood. Maybe we'll be able to get baby K to smile then.

Our Rainy Sunday

So what do we end up doing on this Sunday where it's 42 degrees outside, rainy, wet, and miserable? We should've been out in Chinatown, but instead are stuck at home cleaning up after baby K's pee. Baby K still had an ear infection when I brought her to her pediatrician on Friday, so she was prescribed a different (stronger) type of antibiotics. I think this new medicine is giving her a bad case of diaper rash. Her bum area is all red and irritated. We've been trying to leave her diaper-less, but it gets messy when she pees. We've been keeping her in the pack n' play all afternoon, covering the mat with a large trash bag and a towel, but somehow, baby K managed to lift off the towel and trash bag and pee onto the sheets, mat, and even the carpet. What can I say, our girl can aim. I suppose pee is still better than poop, so it could've been worse.

We called the doctor this morning to tell them about the diaper rash. They prescribed some anti-fungal ointment to treat it. It's just amazing how you take one medication that's suppose to make you all better, but it ends up having a side effect requiring you to take a different type of medication to treat the new symptom. M was just about to step out to the pharmacy to pick up the ointment when baby K's last pee debacle happened. Now he's busy cleaning and disinfecting the family room. Meanwhile, I have a fussy and crying baby K sitting diaper-less on my lap while I am typing this, and I am praying that she does not pee on me. Ahhh... gotta love the joys of parenthood!

On another note, baby K turns 11 months today! Battling an ear infection and diaper rash... what a way to spend this day. My poor baby.

Another Year Older...

Another year wiser??? Maybe, maybe not...

We went out for Korean food yesterday to celebrate my birthday. I was actually itching for some dolsot bibimbap, as the last time I had it was 11 months ago -- on M's birthday actually, and two days before cutie pie was born. I think at that time, I was hoping the spicy food would trigger some contractions and get me into labor (another old wives' tale). No such luck, but baby K was born two days later and it all worked out anyhow.

We forgot to bring baby K's high chair to the restaurant, so we stuck her in the stroller. She was not happy about that at all. I kept her busy for a while with Cheerios, but there's only so much I can feed her without ruining her dinner. She started acting up and getting very fussy. Eventually, I took her out of the stroller and M and I had to take turns holding her while the other wolfed down dinner (trying not to burn our tongues) in the hot stone pot. M was sick too, so that didn't help the situation. All in all, it was a very somber birthday dinner. In retrospect, we should've just ate at home and saved ourselves the trouble. Being able to spend time with the hubby and baby K was enough for me; we didn't need to do it at a restaurant.

Breast Cancer Awareness

October is breast cancer awareness month, so I will take this opportunity to remind all the ladies out there to perform your monthly breast self-exam. I blogged about this back in January 2008, so feel free to read that entry for tips on early detection and prevention.

We are all at risk for getting breast cancer if we are a woman (it occurs in about 1% of men) and if we are getting older. There are certain factors that may increase that risk, but just because we don't have any of those factors (i.e., no family history of the disease, eat healthy, exercise daily) doesn't mean we are immuned to it. I attended a breast cancer awareness seminar earlier this week. Someone in the audience gave a testimony of how she had breast cancer when she was 25 years old. She was young and had none of the risk factors that would be a cause for concern; by the time she was diagnosed, the cancer had moved to Stage 3. She is now 29 years old and has been in remission for four years. One of the ladies she went through radiation with was 22 years old, the mother of two (both breastfed), did everything right by the books, and again did not have any underlying factors that put her at a higher risk. By the time she found out she did have breast cancer, it was in Stage 4.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer a woman may face in her lifetime (excluding skin cancer). It can occur at any age, and the majority is detected by patients themselves through their self-exam. It's important to know your body and talk to your physician if you notice anything different. Some healthy behaviors you can adopt to lower your risk (they're good habits to have anyhow): maintain a healthy weight, eat fruits, vegetables, and grains, exercise, limit alcohol intake, and choose to breast feed your children if possible.

Daycare Going Downhill?

I've been pretty satisfied with the daycare baby K is in since she's started, but recently I've noticed a downhill spiral in the care she's been receiving. I guess it started earlier in the summer, when they got rid of "Maya," one of the caregivers in her class. Maya took a bit to warm up to with the parents, but she was great with the kids. There was no explanation as to why she was leaving; I just got a call from one of the administrators out of the blue one day informing me that it was Maya's last day (obviously, she got let go), and she would be seeking employment elsewhere. With Maya's sudden departure and the staff's active vacation schedules, the summer was pretty chaotic. There would be different caregivers in baby K's room tending to the children on a daily basis. The lack of consistency and stability irked me (especially as that was when baby K got her two boo boos within a week), but deep down, I knew it was only temporary, so I didn't fuss about it too much.

One of the other regular caregivers in baby K's room is a student, and she had to go back to school full time when the fall started. Her hours were cut to two days a week, but at least she was still there those two days, giving me some peace of mind... or so I thought. A week ago, she informed me that Friday was her last day. With her gone, there'd only be one person, LB, left who truly knows and follows baby K's routine and schedule. LB is very sweet, has a big heart, and loves baby K. If LB was to leave, I'd truly consider pulling baby K out of there.

The daycare recently hired someone to permanently be stationed in baby K's room. "Mal" started last week. I must admit, I have some reservations about her. On her first day, when I arrived at the door of baby K's room, I looked in and saw that everything was a mess: toys were thrown all over the floor, all the babies were screaming their heads off, one of the other parents who had dropped his son off was actually holding another baby to comfort her, and it looked like everything was out of control (Mal was there with someone else, not LB). I totally would not have left baby K in that kind of environment. Fortunately, one of the other parents who had dropped her daughter off was also unhappy by what she saw and spoke to the Director, asking her to keep an eye on things. As I was getting baby K settled in the room, the Director came in and helped out, putting me more at ease. Only then did I leave baby K to go to work. Granted, that was Mal's first day, so I had to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Fastforward to this week: Mal had mistakenly wrote baby K's name on someone else's baby food. When I saw it in the refrigerator earlier this week, I questioned why baby K's name was on it, since I never brought that food in for her. It would've been an honest mistake to make, if it weren't for the blue sticker stuck on it, making it an easy indicator to tell who it belonged to (every child's food, cups, and bottles are color-coated, and baby K's is green)! I mean, c'mon, if I could see the sticker just by a second's glance, how could she not? Then yesterday, when I went to pick baby K up, I noticed her shoes were missing. I couldn't find it anywhere, so I asked Mal about it. She had mistakenly placed it in someone else's cubby. When I changed baby K that evening, I was shocked to see the diaper she was wearing: size 1!! My girl has not been in size 1 diapers in over six months! What the heck!? Did she run out of diapers, and they neglected to tell me (which I knew was not the case, as even if she did, they would've found a closer size diaper)?? Clearly, CLEARLY, the diaper was too small! I was so infuriated last night. Baby K is still recovering from a diaper rash; putting her in a diaper two sizes too small does not help the situation! I knew Mal was the one who changed her b/c she was the only person left (all the other caregivers had gone for the day), and it was her initials on baby K's Daily Experience Sheet. I made a big stink about it when I dropped baby K off this morning. At first, Mal did not want to take responsibility for it, but I told her point blank that she was the one who changed baby K. Eventually she apologized, but it did little to boost my confidence in her.

One other pet peeve -- not a big deal, but I'll get it out since I'm venting already. I use the Playtex bottles with the disposable liners. When baby K finishes her formula, Mal doesn't throw away the liner and rinse the bottle (as she is suppose to); she places the bottle (with the dirty liner and all) into baby K's cubby for me to take home. I didn't notice the first time until I got home and took the bottles out. Now I check to make sure the used liner is thrown out and the bottle's been rinsed before I leave.

Hopefully things will improve once Mal gets a better handle on things. It's her second week, so maybe I'm being a bit harsh. I don't think my expectations are too high though. My biggest fear is that she's preparing the wrong formula for baby K. I mean, if she can make those other mistakes, how do I know she'd be cognisant of everyone's allergies? I went to check up on baby K during lunch today, and she seemed fine. Times like this, I wish I could be a stay-at-home mom.

A Rough Night

Last night was a rough night for us. When I tried to put baby K to bed, she started crying hysterically. I took her out of the crib and carried her for a little while; that seemed to work for about five minutes, at which point she started crying all over again. It wasn't just any crying; she was screaming as if she was in serious pain. I've never seen her in such hysterics before. She had a bit of a diaper rash, but we suspected that that wasn't what was really bothering her. M thought she might have an ear infection, but without having a doctor check her out, there was no way of knowing for sure. After about an hour of baby K's non-stop crying (she was so exhausted but wouldn't go to sleep), M and I finally decided to call her pediatrician's office, which gets routed to the hospital's call center since it was after hours. M spoke to a nurse, who told us to take her temperature, give her some Tylenol (or Motrin, which works better), and soak her bum in a tub of warm water with baking soda to help with the diaper rash. We did the first two (her temperature was 100.3), but baby K got knocked out right after taking the Motrin, so I just let her sleep (not that we would've gone ahead with the baking soda bath at midnight anyhow). The nurse also instructed us to call the pediatrician's office the next day and schedule an appointment, which we did once they opened at 9am.

I must say, last night was probably one of the worst nights we've experienced since baby K's been born. It's the worst feeling, being a parent and feeling helpless to alleviate the pain your child is in, or not even knowing what the problem is. Unfortunately, I know there will probably be more to follow. As we watched baby K sleep, M said to me that he had a tight knot in his stomach (from worrying). I simply nodded, for any words that came out of my mouth would have been accompanied by a steady stream of tears that I was trying to avoid. I couldn't respond and tell him that I didn't have a tight knot in my stomach; all I had was an extreme ache in my heart for my poor baby girl. She's normally a very tough cookie (doesn't even cry when getting her shots!), so it must've been something severe for her to react the way she did.

This morning, baby K woke up all smiles. It was as if last night's episode of hysterics had never happened. We took her to the doctor's and it was confirmed that she has an ear infection, so she needs to be on antibiotics again. At the rate she's going, she'll be totally immuned to Amoxicillin by the time she turns 2!

Separation Anxiety

Baby K has developed a bad case of separation anxiety. I don't know if it's as a result of the trip and spending the entire week with us, or if she's just at the age where she recognizes us, but for the past three days, she threw a tantrum when I left her at daycare. The second she couldn't see me, she started bawling (even if I was just across the room putting away her bottles). I felt terrible leaving her crying, but it had to be done. It got a little better today, as she was preoccupied with looking at the other babies around her, so I was able to make my escape with little resistance. But baby K is pretty independent; I'm sure she'll be fine by next week.

Vacation in Los Angeles

We survived our first week-long vacation away from home. More importantly, we survived baby K's first flight! It wasn't easy, but we made it through, and I would do it all over again if I had to. It was worth all the stress, packing, heavy lifting, and frustration dealing with a crying baby on a packed plane just to see the smiles on my grandparent's faces when they saw baby K. Too bad I didn't know, otherwise I could've coordinated the trip better and made it there in time for my grandma's 90th birthday celebration the week before.

We did not visit any of the theme parks this time around since baby K is too young to appreciate them. Here are some of the places we went to instead:

• California Science Center
• La Brea Tar Pits
• Griffith Observatory
• LA Farmers Market
• San Diego Zoo
• Old Town San Diego
• Gaslamp Quarters
• Coronado
• Santa Monica Pier

Throughout the week, M and I were worried about the rental car we were driving. I rented it at Hertz through Priceline, and got a Pontiac G6 with over 40,000 miles on it. The first day, it drove fine from the airport back to my uncle's place, but soon after that, the car started making funny noises upon initial acceleration, and we suddenly heard squeaks on the brakes. M called up all the neighboring Hertz locations in the area (there must've been at least six of them), but none of them had any full-size cars we could exchange it for, and the drive back to LAX would've been too far. The closest vehicle they had was a compact car, which would've been too small. Fortunately, we got through the week without any extreme car trouble (just had to add some air to one of the tires). I don't know if we'll rent from Hertz again given all the problems we had, but I guess if we do it through Priceline, we won't really have a choice. It almost isn't worth the hassle just to save on a few bucks, but we'll see.

Baby K didn't seem to suffer from much jetlag on the trip there or back... she was just more tired than usual, but at least she was up during the day (aside from nap time) and slept through the night. She did get very fussy on our way back and was crying halfway through the red-eye flight. It seemed as if her gums were bothering her b/c she kept trying to eat my hair and put anything she can into her mouth (except she didn't want her toys). We're used to her putting things into her mouth, but constantly trying to eat my hair was something new. We just kept stuffing her with the Graduate puffs. She'd quiet down for about two seconds, and when the puff was depleted, she'd start crying again. There were quite a number of babies on the flight (I saw at least four strollers parked on the walkway before the plane), and ours was the only one I heard crying on the plane. Ah well. At least we didn't hear anyone verbally cursing us out (even though they were probably doing it under their breaths).

Hmm... our next trip... I wonder if it's too ambitious to shoot for Asia. =P Maybe so, but before I get ahead of myself, I have to renew my passport and get one for baby K.

US Open 2009

The Y family enjoyed the day at the US Open yesterday. M was afraid it would rain, but the weather held up and we had a great time. We caught the tail-end of the men's doubles semi-final match at Arthur Ashe between the Bryan brothers and Dlouhy/Paes. We would've gotten there earlier, but it took us a half hour just to go around in circles to park the car. After the match ended, we walked around for a bit, checked out SmashZone and watched while other people attempted to whack the tennis ball coming at them 70 to 120 mph, then eventually made our way to the Louis Armstrong stadium to watch the women's doubles semi-final match between Black/Huber and Vives/Sanchez. By this time, it was mid-afternoon, and baby K was napping away in her stroller. We weren't too into the doubles matches (I had no idea who the players were), so we left Louis Armstrong and checked out some of the teen players in the open courts.

Baby K woke up just in time to eat. After we fed her, we went back to Arthur Ashe for the match between Novak Djokovic (my favorite) and Fernando Verdasco. I was holding a diaper bag and baby K in my arms (M behind me with the folded-up stroller and formula bag) and about to ascend up the stairs to our seats when someone grabbed my arm. It caught me by surprise and my initial thought was that we bumped into someone we knew (what are the odds of that happening on a weekday?). But instead, I turned around and faced a woman I've never seen before. This stranger says to me "you have a beautiful baby!" to which I responded a simple thank you, smiled, and walked on. It was totally weird. I'm thinking... why would you stop someone just to tell them they have a beautiful baby when they obviously have their arms full and want to get to their seat?

Baby K would not sit still during the match. She kept babbling and wanting to move around. I'm sure the people sitting around us were cursing us out and wondering why we'd bring a baby to the US Open. Eventually, we just decided to head out so that we'd get home in time to feed baby K. We didn't get to watch too many matches (ironically, we see more of it on TV), but it was a day well spent. Maybe next year we'll bring baby K back on Kid's Day, and hopefully by then, she'll be old enough to appreciate it more.

Two Mishaps In A Week

Earlier this week, baby K got a little boo boo when one of the other kids pushed her as she was trying to pull herself up using a bar on those buggies they put the kids in. She ended up hitting her lip against the bar. This happened late in the day, so part of me felt bad -- if only I had gone to pick her up 20 minutes earlier, it could've avoided the accident. I know she's going to get little injuries here and there (especially considering how active she is), but I try to keep it to a minimum as much as possible. The daycare filed an incident report, but not much else came out of it. I guess they see little things like this happen so often that to them, it's not a big deal. My little girl getting hurt though -- that's a big deal to me!

This morning, I got a call from the daycare (my heart always races when I see the number pop up through the caller ID), informing me that one of the other kids bit baby K on her finger. I got very upset about it, and even more upset when I called M and relayed the message to him. I went to see baby K during lunch, and she appeared to be fine, but now I can't help but worry (more than usual) when she's not with me.

I'm sure part of the reason for the incidents this week was because baby K's regular caregivers were not there (who allows them to take vacation anyway??). The people watching her were teachers from another room, and they probably are not as familiar with the children's behavior (or misbehavior, in this case) as the regular caregivers would be. I know I can't shield baby K from getting hurt forever, but what bothers me is that in these two cases, they were provoked by other children; it's not even as if baby K caused the injuries to herself (not that that would've made it any better). This just makes leaving her so much harder when I drop her off in the mornings now.

Back To School

Seeing school buses out on the road is a sure sign that school is back in session. Where did the summer go?? I normally don't mind stopping for school buses since it's usually a pretty quick encounter: blinkers go on, stop sign comes out, bus comes to a complete stop, child(ren) get on, parent waves, stop sign retrieves, blinkers are shut off, and the bus carries on to pick up the next child. All this happens in about a half a minute, sometimes longer if the child is not already waiting by the curb.

Today however, the parents decided to have a full five-minute conversation with the bus driver, turning a 30-second delay into a huge traffic jam. Vehicles were backed up as far as I could see. It's so different living in the burbs... people patiently waiting in their cars, not a honk to be heard. This would definitely not have flied had we been in Manhattan. Infuriated taxi cabs would've probably went around the school bus, ignoring all traffic rules in search for their next fare. That's one thing I do not miss about NYC.

Ah well, summer's coming to an end. I guess I should now anticipate spending extra time in my commute to work.

Graduate Puffs Video

Here's a short video of baby K enjoying her Graduate puffs. She's becoming a pro at eating these on her own. I'd like to start giving her Cheerios, but M wants to wait until she's done with the puffs so that she won't get confused. I don't think she would, but Cheerios are harder, and they don't automatically dissolve in your mouth (or if it does, it takes a lot longer), so I'll wait until her top two teeth are out. She's been having all the teething symptoms this past weekend, so it should be any day now!

"Backseat Parent"

Why do people feel the need to brag about their kids or teach me how to parent my own? Maybe it's a cultural thing with the older Chinese generation, but what happened last night annoyed me. We attended a dinner in Brooklyn celebrating the christening of M's co-workers' two children. We sat across from a couple with a 10-year old daughter. When I was feeding baby K her formula at one point, the woman says to me condescendingly, "You're still using a bottle to feed her? At nine months, your daughter should be using a cup by now, or drinking out of a straw. They should be using a cup at six months on!" Then the husband says, "Yes, and you should start weaning her from diapers. My daughter didn't have to use diapers after the age of one!" He looks to his wife for confirmation, and she says "two." Then he goes on to brag about how his 10-year old daughter is able to take care of herself when she gets home from school, and how she prepares dinner for the rest of the family. I just looked at them politely and nodded, all the while thinking to myself, "You parent your kid your way, and I'll raise mine my way. It's great that your daughter is so self-sufficient, but personally, I'd like mine to develop some more social skills." Their daughter was very shy. Every time someone came over to talk to her parents (and/or to her), she would hide her face in her father's chest and clam up. When someone came over to take a picture of them, she covered half her face with her hair. My nine-month old baby (who I am not ashamed to say is still using a bottle to drink her formula!) can interact with people better than that.

I can't stand it when people (especially strangers!) criticize and judge new moms and dads, make them feel like they're doing a bad job, and give them unwarranted advice on how to raise their kids. Their comments were probably not intended to demotivate and discourage, but it certainly feels that way. Hopefully I can be a better role model for my child and not talk down to other parents doing the best they can to raise up their kid(s).

My Busy Baby

Baby K has sure been keeping herself busy these past few weeks. Here are some things she is able to do now:

• Crawl (forward and backward)... and she does it at lightning speed! I can't take my eyes off her for one second for fear she'll get herself into trouble.
• Wave (although she's very selective on who she waves to, and she only does it when she's in the mood).
• Pull herself up and stand from a crawling or sitting position. She still needs to hold onto something for support while standing, but I couldn't believe it when they told me this at daycare!
• Clap her hands. I saw it for the first time this morning while changing her. Hopefully she'll cooperate and show daddy this new accomplishment when he comes home tonight.

SIGH! My little girl is growing up so fast! She went for her nine-month check-up earlier this week. I thought she would be at least 20 lbs by now (she certainly feels like it!), so I was quite surprised when she only came in at 18 lbs 5.5 oz. Baby K got her hepatitis B booster shot and was such a tough cookie, barely letting out a peep. She did give the nurse a nasty look afterwards, but who can blame her?

Task for mommy and daddy this weekend: baby proof the house! We definitely need to put up those safety gates now!

Homemade Pizza

We decided to make pizza for dinner last night, and I was actually pleasantly surprised that it didn't turn out to be a major disaster. It was very easy to make -- just knead the dough for a bit, flatten it out (it would've been more helpful had we had a rolling pin, but since we didn't, we improvised and used a tall cup, coating it with olive oil so that it wouldn't stick to the dough), add spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese, your choice of toppings (we used mushroom and broccoli florets), and when you're done with all that, just pop it in the oven for 20 minutes at 425 degrees, and voila! It's done! Here's our yummy masterpiece (before and after it was cooked):

Daddy's Girl

Proud Mommy

I can't help but beam with pride as I see how quickly baby K picks up on things. We first introduced the sippy cup to her about two months ago, but she never quite got the hang of it, playing with the cup rather than using it for its intended purpose. Week after week, we were always "too busy" doing something else, so we never really gave it to her to practice as much as we'd like. We decided to try again today, only instead of putting water in the sippy cup, I mixed in some apple juice in hopes that the sweetness would entice her to suck from the sprout. Low and behold -- it worked! Our little girl can now draw liquid from the sippy cup! Granted, she still thinks it's a toy and enjoys playing with it as such more than anything else, but I am so proud of her!

Another breakthrough on the baby food front: Graduate puffs... those little pea-size snacks made by Gerber that taste like cardboard (yes, I've tried them -- they smell better than they taste) but is good for babies because it melts right in their mouth. The first time I gave it to baby K, I put it directly into her mouth (probably a month or two ago). She hadn't quite mastered the art of chewing yet, so I think it just melted in her mouth. She also didn't seem to care much for them, so I waited a few weeks before trying again. When I did, I put a few puffs on her tray table and watched her pick them up with her fingers. She just played with them until they melted in her hand (except for the few that ended up on the floor and eventually in the trash can). As much as I coaxed her and demonstrated by example, she wouldn't bring the puff into her mouth. We tried again today. M placed a few on her tray table and she proceeded to pick them up with her fingers again. She played with them, but this time, she also put the puffs in her mouth - all by herself!

I understand that what my baby has achieved today is no different than what other babies her age (or even younger) can do. It doesn't mean baby K is more advanced or smarter than others, but that doesn't make me any less proud. I am just grinning from ear to ear! =) If M and I had been more diligent in teaching her, baby K could've probably picked things up sooner. But I'm in no rush for my little girl to grow up. She works according to her own pace, and as long as she's happy, healthy, and safe by our side, I can't ask for anything more.

Baby K nearly has the crawling thing nailed down. Now my next feat is to get her to call me "mama!"

Rest for the Weary

I had no idea how exhausted we were, but after putting baby K to sleep at around 9:30 last night, we staggered into bed ourselves, with no intentions of actually falling asleep. We were just going to rest for a few minutes, but the next thing we knew, the alarm clock was going off and it was 6:00 in the morning. We had left all the lights on downstairs, the air conditioner running, the radio playing in the kitchen, our leftover dinner still sitting on top of the stove, baby K's bottles unwashed, and a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. I guess we were more tired than we thought. Despite having gotten a little more sleep than usual, I don't feel any better rested. Hmm... maybe it's time to hire a cleaning lady.

Weekend Recap

I had a wonderful time on my date with the hubby on Friday. After dropping baby K off at daycare, we stopped at Starbucks for some coffee before driving to the AMC theater in Hamilton to catch a movie. We didn't really have a particular movie in mind that we wanted to watch, so when we got tickets for "Julie and Julia," it was based more on convenience and process of elimination than anything else. I was slightly amused looking around the theater and seeing how we brought the average age group of the audience down by about 30 years (I guess now we know what senior citizens do with their time).

The movie itself was okay... nothing earth-shattering, but it held our attention for the two hours we were there. Meryl Streep gave a great performance as Julia Child, her annoying qualities you can't help but find endearing; she provided the much needed comic relief. I wonder if Julia Child's cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" will now skyrocket off the bookshelves as a result of this movie. Not likely, but then again, you never know.

We went to pick baby K up at around 4:00. As usual, she lit up my face the second I saw her. The Y family then went grocery shopping to get some last-minute items for the family barbecue we had the next day. Here's baby K entertaining her aunts and cousins on Saturday... no surprise that she was the center of attention:

On Sunday, we drove out to Chinatown. Since we got to church a little late, we didn't bother going into the sanctuary; we headed straight upstairs to the nursery. Here's baby K playing in there:

It's hard to get our little girl to smile for the camera, but she finally did in a picture with daddy (too bad both of them were looking away):

Baby K on all fours getting ready to crawl forward:

Hooky Day with Hubby

M and I are taking the day off tomorrow to go on a date -- the same date we were suppose to go on nearly two months ago for our 4-year wedding anniversary, but was postponed because baby K threw up that morning and we ended up taking her to the doctor's. I don't quite know what we're doing yet, but whatever it is, it'll be sans baby. Just brainstorming on what our options are... we can drop her off at daycare, then go get some breakfast, maybe catch a movie, have lunch in Princeton (good time to go now since it's summer and school is out), and walk around the Princeton area before we realize we miss baby K so much that we have to go pick her up. Or then again, we can bypass the whole movie, lunch, and walking around idea and just get baby K right after breakfast. Or better yet, why bother even bringing her in to daycare at all? Why don't we just spend the whole day with her? :)

Okay, now I'm just getting carried away...

Saturday Outing

The Y family trekked out to Manhattan on Saturday and spent the afternoon with some friends of mine from junior high school, one of whom I haven't seen in nearly 16 years. If e-mail was as popular then as it is now (or if it even existed back then!), we probably would have kept in touch more. Poor excuse, I know, but better late than never. It was great seeing everyone, and we vowed not to let another 16 years pass before we all get together again.

Here's baby K and baby C playing together. While the grown-ups were catching up, the little ones were busy getting to know one another. It was priceless watching them interact, especially when they were screaming at each other at one point (or maybe that's just their version of baby talk). It's nice that baby K has a play-buddy so close in age (born just 11 days apart!). We look forward to our next play-date.

4am Wake-up Call

Baby K has been waking up consistently at 4am (or thereabouts) for the past few weeks. I'm not sure if she's teething or waking up from a nightmare (can infants even have bad dreams?), but it's been tiring me out to the nth degree. Two nights ago, she also woke up at 1am. I was able to get her to go back to sleep pretty quickly, but when she arose again at 4am, she wasn't as accommodating. She's fine as long as I am there, but once I walk away, five minutes later she'd start screaming for dear life when she figures out that she's been left alone again. A couple of times I was too exhausted to stay up, so I brought her back to bed with me. That's something I try not to make a habit out of, so most of the times I force myself to stand by her crib while she goes back to sleep. I would even change her diaper in the dark (I avoid turning on the light at all costs) so she'd be more comfortable, but that doesn't seem to help. It's usually an hour later by the time I am able to stumble back to bed in peace.

Baby K's nightly awakenings are almost becoming an unfortunate routine. It comes expected; the one night she doesn't wake up screaming will be a welcomed pleasant surprise. Part of me thinks that because we've been so spoiled with her good behavior from birth, we're now making up for it at the 8-month mark. It's tiring, but life is all about the baby these days... and so we chug along, doing what we can for this little bundle of joy.

Rain, Hail, and Flash Floods

M and I were commenting yesterday afternoon on how lucky we were that the rain held out all day. I think maybe we jinxed ourselves by saying that. We left Manhattan at around 5:30, but not before I had him stop by Starbucks to pick up a frappacino. It started raining once I got back into the car, and got worse fairly quickly as we approached the Holland Tunnel, but good thing there wasn't a lot of traffic from the Hudson Street approach, so we made it through without any problems. Once we got to the New Jersey side, everything was all dry -- not a drop of water in sight. I even said to M how surprised I was that there was such a big difference in weather just across the river. Again, I may have jinxed us by saying that.

As we went onto the Pulaski Skyway, the clouds above us darkened and rain started coming down with increasing speed. We got onto Rt. 1, and by then, the loud plickering and plackering of the rain on our car was so loud we couldn't hear the radio anymore. I kept looking towards the back seat to see if baby K was okay, but fortunately, she was sound asleep, oblivious to the storm we were entering into. M slowed down and put on his hazards, and for good reason, since we had pretty much no visibility to anything in front of us. We saw cars pulling over to the shoulder of the road, so we did the same. By then, hail had started coming down. We stayed put for a few minutes, amazed and frightened at how other drivers could zoom by without their lights or hazards on. When the hail stopped, we made our way through the torrential downpour and got onto Rt. 22, where we discovered some flash floods. Pearl went through a river of water that was probably close to the height of her tires at one point. At a few other spots, the flash floods were so bad that we had to find a detour to get around them.

We eventually made it home in one piece, but I have never been in a moving vehicle with such horrific weather. Even the days of heavy snowstorms in Binghamton did not compare to this. In retrospect, I should have whipped out the camera and taken some shots of our commute home, but of course, it's always easy to think of these things after the fact.

My Little Yankees Fan

In honor of the Yankees' winning streak since the All-Star game, here's our little cutie pie sporting her Yankee gear. The pictures were taken on Saturday, in anticipation of their sweeps against Detroit and (hopefully, today) Baltimore. Now if only we can beat the Boston Red Sux, that'll be a real cause for celebration! In any event, the Yankees are now leading the division... let's hope they keep it up!

Domestic Travel

This will be the first year in a decade that I do not travel outside the US. Granted, the year is not over yet; I still have five months to plan an international getaway, even if it's to the neighboring country of Canada. But given that I need to get a passport for baby K and renew my own, I have a feeling any travel we do this year will be US-bound.

I do miss leaving the states, breathing out that sigh of relief when the plane lands safely at its destination, exploring a new land I've never been to before, trying different foods, seeing the street signs in a foreign language, getting lost, and most importantly of all, having my passport stamped (no surprise to those who know me well). But the arrival of baby K has opened up a new chapter in my life. Our travel plans now require a lot more cost, packing, planning, and mental preparation. Just thinking about all the things we'll have to bring with us (the stroller, car seat, pack 'n play, diapers, formula, bottles, baby food, toys, extras of everything!) is getting me stressed already!

With that said, we are ready to take baby K on our first family vacation this fall. My initial thought was to go to Los Angeles so my grandparents can meet their great granddaughter (first in the family!), but the six hour flight and three hour time difference is a bit too intimidating as a first trip with our little one, so that's been put on the back-burner. We've also considered a shorter flight to Florida, but it'll be smack in the middle of hurricane season. Anyone have any other suggestions on a nice vacation spot for a family of three (one infant) within the continental US?

It's July Already!

Where did the time go? Hard to believe it's the middle of summer already! My brother, sister-in-law, and nephew stayed over the last weekend of June. Here's a picture of baby K with her cousin, little A. They are so adorable! And yes, baby K will be a Yankee fan just like daddy and mommy (by default) are.

Little A (I guess I can't call him a baby anymore) was so cute. They came over Saturday night after a full day of fun at Sesame Place, so the whole family was tired. My brother was trying to get A to go to sleep, so he told him that if he went to bed, I would give him some books in the morning. The next day, I was in the kitchen at 7:30am preparing baby K's bottle, and everyone else was still sleeping (or so I thought). Little A comes downstairs, looks at me, and points out the window. I didn't know what he was pointing at, so I asked him what's outside. He says to me "it's morning." I started laughing, realizing he wanted the books my brother had promised him the night before. I told M to finish preparing baby K's breakfast as I took little A upstairs to pick out some books. It was nice spending time with them. We don't get to see them nearly as much as I'd like.

This past weekend was the July 4th holiday. We went away to Pennsylvania on a retreat with our church. This was our first time away from home since baby K was born, and packing was a lot more stressful than I expected it to be. We had left it to the last minute, not out of laziness or choice, but M and I had been busy at work, so by the time we got home, we were both exhausted, not to mention we still needed to take care of baby K. Fortunately, we remembered to pack everything for the most part. We did have to make two runs to Walmart over the weekend, one to pick up extra formula (I thought we would run out, but we ended up not needing it), and another to get butt paste for baby K, as she developed a bad case of diaper rash during the trip.

Baby K refused to take her afternoon naps over the weekend. There was too much going on -- the new environment, the many faces, the loud music during worship time, the constant attention she was getting... she was just taking it all in and didn't want to lose out on anything. I don't think she's gotten back to her normal napping pattern yet, but at least she's still sleeping fine at night. Now that we've experienced being away from home for three nights, it's time to plan our family vacation for the fall!

We didn't take too many pictures at the retreat, but here's the two of us playing with baby K:

Baby K and Jeremiah

These pictures are about a month old (from 5/31/2009); I'm just a bit behind in posting them. They were taken a few weeks ago at church, right before service started. Aren't they adorable?? No, I am not playing matchmaker here, but Jeremiah looked so cute playing with baby K that I couldn't resist whipping out the camera (although to be honest, I was following Jeremiah's mom's lead... I'm usually too lazy to get the camera out, thus missing a lot of Kodak moments).

Jon Less Kate, Plus Eight

I first heard about "Jon & Kate Plus 8" while I was on maternity leave last year, and I caught a few episodes of it on TLC every now and then. The kids were cute enough to retain my attention, but I was never an avid follower of the show. The big house, expensive toys, and frequent vacations just seemed like they were using their children to furnish their lavish lifestyle, especially when I see an episode of Jon having cosmetic surgery for hair implants.

Now Jon and Kate are all over the media. A ten year marriage dissolved... just like that! It's easy for outsiders to judge and give an opinion, but who really knows what went on behind closed doors? Was there infidelity on the part of either spouse? How long has this anger been building up, and would it have made a difference if they got to the root of the problem earlier? What is the root of the problem?

My heart goes out to their eight children. I can't believe they are still continuing on with the show, but I suppose the bills have to be paid somehow. I wouldn't be surprised if viewership dropped significantly, and it eventually gets canceled. I could just feel the tension in the air from yesterday's episode. All that negativity can't be healthy for the kids!

What A Day!

I would use this forum to wish my wonderful hubby a Happy Anniversary today, but since he never reads my blog, I'll save myself the trouble. Yes, four years of marital bliss, and we are still going strong, looking forward to many more years to come!

Today also marks baby K's 7-month birthday! It's amazing watching her grow, seeing her do something different each day -- even if it's as simple as turning the page in a book when we're reading to her, or moving a toy from hand to hand. Our little girl is getting so big now. She's also quite the acrobat, always flipping from her back to her tummy and vice versa, especially when she's in the crib. She kept playing around in there so much last night that we had to bring her back downstairs and put her to sleep in the bouncer, and then transfer her to the crib once she was in deep sleep. It wasn't a good night though. Baby K woke up at around 2am, and I had to carry her for a bit. She cried once I put her back down in the crib, but eventually fell asleep as I massaged her chest and head. This was the second night in a row she woke up crying; I hope this isn't becoming a habit.

Baby K is still coughing and sneezing a lot. She has all that phlegm in her that just doesn't go away. M says she was so congested two nights ago that she couldn't breath -- that's why she woke up crying. We left the humidifier on for her last night. I don't know what else we can do; it's not like we can give her any medicine to take away the phlegm, and she doesn't seem to be able to cough it out.

I was particularly stressed this morning because I had to get to work before 9am in order to prepare for a meeting I was hosting. M started feeding baby K half an hour earlier than usual so that I would get to work on time, but baby K didn't want to cooperate and refused to eat after taking a few bites. Halfway through the meal, she pretty much threw up everything she ate. She was still in good spirits though, so I continued feeding her the rest of the oatmeal and sweet potatoes. Once done with the solids, I took her out of the high chair to change her clothes while M cleaned up the mess. When we came back downstairs, baby K even finished the rest of her milk. Granted, I was in a hurry this morning and didn't spend as much time burping her as I normally would, but that certainly did not prepare me for what would happen next.

When we got to the daycare, as I was taking baby K's jacket off, she suddenly throws up everything she ate this morning... and I mean EVERYTHING. It got all over her clothes, my clothes, the floor, and it just kept coming out, even as I was moving her to the changing table where there was a sink nearby. Baby K was soaked in her own vomit, but yet she was still as happy as can be, smiling at us, wondering why mommy looked so scared. We got her changed and sat her down to play with some toys, and she acted as if nothing happened. Baby K only had one extra outfit at the daycare, so I'm hoping she doesn't poop through her diaper today, otherwise she'd have nothing to change into.

I called up the daycare a little while ago to see how baby K was doing. They said she took her late-morning bottle fine. The nurse checked on her, and said her ears, nose, and lungs were all fine, so hopefully this was just a one-time incident not to be repeated.

More of Baby K...

Here's Baby K enjoying her tummy time:

Baby K holding her own bottle with mommy and daddy (separately) feeding her:

Daddy made a mess giving our cutie pie her rice cereal... all over the face!

I was looking back at some of the old pictures and videos we took of baby K since birth... it's amazing how much she's grown in the past 6+ months! One thing's for sure -- she's definitely helping me build up those muscles on my biceps!

We just bought a new car seat for baby K last weekend. It's still a bit premature for her to upgrade to the next level, since she's suppose to sit rear-facing in the car until she's one year old, but figured we'd take advantage of some coupons I had for Babies 'R Us. My immediate concern is that she will soon exceed the height limit for the SnugRide car seat she's currently in; she only has another inch or two to go. I'm not sure what we'd do at that point since the new car seat we bought is not rear-facing. I don't suppose we can keep her in the SnugRide until she turns one...

Another major purchase to be made are safety gates... I say major because we need multiple of them. One downside to living in a house with so many staircases is the effort one must go through baby-proofing everything. Baby K can almost stand by herself now, but first thing's first... she needs to learn how to crawl. While we're doing everything we can to help her develop both mentally and physically, I'm not rushing it. I know she'll get there in time, and I'm just trying to enjoy the moments we have now, while she's still small enough for me to cuddle in my arms.

Baby K Update

Some recent milestones:

• Baby K finally rolled over for us (or for daddy, rather) -- on both sides from her tummy to her back and vice versa. She's been able to do it for a while now (I've seen it once a few months back); she's just been too lazy to.
• She can hold the bottle by herself. Of course, she gets tired after a while and lets the bottle drop, but nevertheless, I'm so proud of her! She picked this one up pretty fast. Now the next step is to get her to do it on her own, without me actually placing her hands on the bottle.
• Baby K is on size 3 diapers at home. She's still finishing the last pack of size 2s at daycare, but I suspect those would be gone in no time.
• I started her on green beans yesterday, and she seems to be enjoying them... at least enough to finish what I give her. =)

Here's our cutie pie, all smiles. This photo makes her look so chubby... a classic example of how the camera adds 10 lbs on you. In this case, it's all in her cheeks!

Breakfast Battle

It is always a challenge to feed baby K in the mornings. She'd open her mouth, take in the rice cereal or veggie, swallow, and just when you think she's going to cooperate with you for the entire meal, she'd refuse to eat any more. She tests my patience to the max, but I normally don't give up until she has eaten a majority of her food, and I normally win (even if it means being half an hour late to work, which I was earlier this week). Today, however, baby K won the battle. I had to trash her carrots that were left untouched in the bowl, and it was not for my lack of trying. Try as I might, but when baby K decided to throw up her food, I took the hint that she's had enough. It left a mess, but fortunately was contained within her bib. She was still able to finish her milk, so I guess it was just the homemade carrots she didn't like. What a princess (that's what they call her at daycare, fittingly) -- so young, and so picky with her food already! She'd better not make this a habit!

The Family Y

It's been over a month since we've been out to Chinatown for church and to visit the grandparents. Between the three of us taking turns getting sick, we've been hibernating in the burbs, trying not to infect anyone else. I'm pretty much fully recovered from my cold (although the chest pains are still there), but M has been sick this past week, and didn't even make it to work on Thursday and Friday... and then baby K caught something Friday night. Other than a short visit to Queens for a barbecue on Saturday, the Y family laid low this past Memorial Day weekend.

M suspects that baby K has severe allergies and not a cold. It came suddenly, and was gone almost as quickly as it appeared, aside from the cough that lingered a couple of days more. Whatever it is, I just hope it doesn't come back. Baby K still had some phlegm in her throat this morning, but at least the sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes are gone for the most part.

Being cooped up at home all weekend, we decided to make use of the Gorillapod we bought and take a family photo. It was tough getting our cutie pie to smile, but at least she was looking at the camera:A few days into eating solids (rice cereal and carrots so far), and baby K got fussy all of a sudden, refusing to open her mouth after several bites and not finishing her milk. She's always been such a good eater, so her disinterest in food came as a big surprise. With the solids, it seems like she prefers carrots from the jar to the homemade ones, which is odd. It's easier for us, but not as cost-effective. Daddy wasn't too happy to hear that, having "slaved over the kitchen to prepare baby K's food" (according to him). We still have some more mushed carrots in the freezer, so like it or not, she's going to finish it. With the milk, I suspect it may be because I gave her ready-to-use formula instead of mixing the powder formula as I normally do; the taste was probably different and she didn't like it (not that I blame her, after taking a whiff of that stuff myself). She's also getting more full on solids now, so her milk intake can probably decrease gradually. As a result, I've decided to forgo her last feeding of the night. That makes it almost a 12-hour stretch between meals, but she did just fine last night. She still gets about 28 ounces over a 24-hour period (if she's not fussy and finishes her bottle), along with the rice cereal and veggies, so that's plenty.

This morning, we moved onto sweet potatoes (from the jar). Baby K started to act up again after taking a few bites of rice cereal (which coincided with the time M came into the kitchen). Daddy tried unsuccessfully to coax baby K to eat. Eventually, he gave up and left the room to get ready for work. The second he did, baby K started to cooperate and allowed me to feed her. She finished all her rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and bottle of milk with no further resistance. I told M he's no longer allowed in the kitchen when I'm feeding baby K -- and I was only half-kidding. We'll see how meal-time goes tonight.

Here's a video of baby K for your viewing (and listening) pleasure:
(WARNING: Be prepared to lower the volume.)

Sixth Month Doctor's Visit

Baby K just turned six months yesterday (woohoo!), and went for her doctor's visit this morning. She received the last of her series of vaccinations for DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis), polio, haemophilus influenzae Type B, and pneumococcal bacteria. Next visit: the last of her hepatitis B shot (she's already had two since birth). Poor baby... she'll be getting shots at every doctor's visit until she turns 5!

Baby K is now 15 pounds 8.5 ounces, and measures almost 27 inches long. She's in the 25-50 percentile for weight and 75-90 percentile for height (baby's gonna be taller than mommy!). The doctor gave us the go-ahead to start her on solids, first with rice cereal, then oatmeal, then with the orange veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potatoes) and fruits (apples, pears, peaches, bananas), followed by the green veggies (green beans, peas). I did not know this, but apparently, orange veggies are easier to digest than green ones. Since baby K is doing so well with the rice cereal, I'm tempted to skip the whole oatmeal phase and go straight to the carrots. We have a few jars at home already that I am anxious to start her on. I know they'll go quick though (our baby can eat!), so time to whip out that blender and start making our own baby food!

Feeding Time

We tried giving baby K solids again yesterday -- this time with her strapped on the high chair. I must say, the whole experience went better than I expected! I can only hope she's this good all the time when we're feeding her. Here's a little clip of it:

Still Sick

Unfortunately, we didn't get to go out to Chinatown as originally planned for Mother's Day. The cold I had on Friday lingered throughout the weekend, progressively getting worse on Saturday until I took my temperature that evening and realized I had a fever. I tried sleeping it off, only to be awaken in the middle of the night, finding myself drenched in sweat. I started shivering when I attempted to pull the comforter off, so reluctantly, I forced myself to go back to sleep boiling with the covers over me.

Although our Sunday plans were scrapped, I still had a memorable Mother's Day. M managed to extend this holiday for me by three days... On Thursday, I received the roses from 1-800-FLOWERS. On Friday, M presented me with a framed picture of baby K and me. And on Saturday, he gave me a Precious Moments figurine that says "Mom, Your Love Makes Me Blossom" (I now have 64 figurines in my collection!). I almost expected another gift on Sunday, but M admitted he didn't have anything else up his sleeve since he thought we were going to be out all day (which was why he gave me everything early). He also took care of baby K most of the weekend since I was sick, so I was grateful for that as well.

We tried feeding baby K solids for the first time yesterday. Her pediatrician told us to hold off until she's six months, but she's nearly there and I can tell that she's ready for it. Baby K didn't spit it back out (as I've read some babies do), but I don't think she's a big fan of it either. She took in some rice cereal and swallowed, but the majority of it ended up on her face since she kept moving around so much. We fed her while M was holding her, so maybe we'll try putting her on the high chair next time to keep her more confined.

Meanwhile, I am still trying to battle this terrible cold. Add headache and scratchy voice to my list of symptoms today. At least baby K is feeling better. Well, she's still on antibiotics, so she ought to be. When she was sick last week, I remember praying to God that if someone has to be sick, let it be me rather than baby K. I can't complain, since God answered my prayer.