Happy New Year!

As I sit here reminiscing over events in the past year, I am reminded of how gracious and wonderful God has been. Earlier this year, I was able to see two close friends tie the knot with their significant others, and even had the honor of being in the wedding party for one of them. Soon after that, I found out we were going to have a baby, and God blessed me with a fairly smooth pregnancy throughout the nine months. Six weeks ago, I gave birth to an adorable baby girl, and shortly after that, two friends of mine announced the arrival of their beautiful baby boys - one even born on Christmas day! Despite all the economic troubles this country has been in (which unfortunately, none of us are immuned to), I can't help but think that there's more to life than worrying about our finances. I mean, the celebration of two people joined in holy matrimony and the miracle of life! What can be more precious than that? Indeed, 2008 has been a year of great joy for me on a personal level.

Merry Christmas!

We spent baby's first Christmas in Chinatown -- her second trip out to New York since she's been born (first one being her one-month dinner this past Saturday). We woke up a bit later than expected, and I thought we were going to be late for Christmas service, but surprisingly, we got to church right when it started. I had to feed baby K though, so we still ended up missing the first half hour of service. Afterwards, we went over to my mother-in-law's place since it was too cold to roam the streets of Chinatown. She was cooking up a storm so it felt like a sauna in the apartment, the dogs were barking, the bird was screeching - all factors not conducive to getting a baby to go to sleep. We eventually got baby K to quiet down and were confined to spending the whole afternoon in my mother-in-law's bedroom, being that it was too noisy anywhere else, especially with the dogs running around. That evening, we went to M's brother's place for Christmas dinner. As always, there was too much food left over and everyone had to doggy bag some home. At least now, our lunch and dinner for today is provided for.

Baby K was so good all day long yesterday, except at my mother-in-law's place when all the animals were making a racket and when the fire alarm went off (I wasn't kidding when I said my M-I-L was cooking up a storm), which is more than what I can say for her now -- crying like there's no tomorrow. It's as if she knows when she's in the company of strangers (or other family members) and she purposely acts all good and innocent, but when it's just mom and dad around, that's when her true colors come out.

There are some babies where it's hard to tell what their gender is, but I never thought my little one was one of them. I always thought her features were feminine enough that it's pretty obvious she's a girl... or maybe I'm just biased b/c I'm her mother. However, I've had strangers come up to me and question whether she's a boy or a girl. I don't get offended, but I just find it funny b/c baby K is dressed all in pink. Would anyone actually put a baby boy in that color, fully equipped with a pink hat?? I would hope not...

Here's our Christmas cutie giving everyone a little wave:

We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and much love, peace, and joy in the New Year!

Nicknames

Here are some nicknames we have for baby K so far:

• Baby-cakes
• Cutie Pie
• Little One
• Chiquita Banana
• Little Egg Roll
• Fussy Baby
• Munchkin

Oddly enough, I don't think we've ever called her by her actual first name. And I have no doubt this list will grow longer as time goes on. It's hard to believe this time last month, we weren't even parents yet! That day at the delivery room seems so long ago now. Time flies. People say babies grow up fast and to enjoy them while we can, but easier said than done, especially when all I hear is her nonstop screaming and crying. All part of the joys of parenthood, I suppose. In any case, happy one-month old, baby K!

Turbulent Weather Week

It was close to 70 degrees on Monday, then it dropped down to about half of that the next day, accompanied by snow, sleet, and rain, and today it mellowed out in the 40s. What a roller coaster week in terms of temperature changes! It was so warm on Monday that we even took baby K out for a walk around the block. Too bad she slept the whole way through, but at least it was nice for mom and dad to get some fresh air. We also paid a visit to our next door neighbor's house to drop off their Christmas gift and to thank them for the little outfit they got baby K. It's interesting to see the types of noise that bother our little one -- she can sleep through the loud, high-pitch barking from our neighbor's dog standing a mere three feet away, but yet the slightest whisper across the room can startle her and cause the beginnings of her incessant crying. Hopefully, the weather will hold up on Saturday, when we have to make the drive out to Chinatown for baby K's one-month dinner.

A Family Of Three

I now realize what people mean when they say having a baby changes your life forever. It has just recently hit me that we are now a family of three, and with a newborn in our hands, the worries and restraints have multiplied exponentially. No longer are we able to take trips to places like Argentina and go trekking on the glaciers (good thing we've been there and done that already). Instead, our days are now filled with dirty diapers and waking up all hours of the night for feedings. This new lifestyle called parenthood is definitely an adjustment, which is nothing we could have prepared for. But despite all the gripes I can make, being a mother is not something I would give up or change for the world.

Baby K is three weeks old today. Life has been a blur to me since I've been home from the hospital. I follow the same routine each day, the majority of it spent in front of the television while tending to baby K. Sadly enough, I can tell you the TV line-up I follow each day from morning to evening. While the media provides some form of mild entertainment, one can only stand so much of Rachael Ray, Drew Carey in The Price is Right, Judge Judy, and the Game Show Network. Maybe one of these days I'll finally muster up the energy to start working on that baby book I got as a gift... not to mention the scrapbook I've been meaning to finish up during the pregnancy. Of course, I'm being idealistic here since it all depends on baby K's cooperation, and one thing I've learned as a new mother - babies tend to do what they want, not what you want. Here's a more recent picture of our little cutie pie:

Happy 1 Week Old, Kayla!

We are proud parents of a beautiful baby girl... part of me still finds it unbelievable. Of course, I am brought back to reality every time I hear the sudden burst of loud crying, which unfortunately, is quite often during the night times. M and I are still trying to nail down a routine for the graveyard shift (and naturally, baby K is not making it easy for us), but we're managing. I'm still recuperating from the aftermath of childbirth, and to be honest, this recovery period is a lot more painful than the actual labor and delivery. It's all worth it though.

Here are some cute pictures of baby K yawning and sleeping. Isn't she adorable?? I've been taking snapshots of her every now and then, but haven't had a chance to download them all yet, so these were taken earlier on from her first day home.

Top 10 List

These are my personal thoughts. Everyone's experience is different. Feel free to share yours by adding a comment.

Top 10 perks of being pregnant:

1. The realization that there is a baby growing inside you.
2. Seeing the baby when you get an ultrasound and hearing the baby's heartbeat at the doctor's.
3. The awesome feeling you get when the baby first moves.
4. The anticipation (and reality) of going (and being) on maternity leave.
5. People holding the door for you.
6. Well-wishes, words of congrats, and compliments about how great you look (even if they're lying) from people, especially strangers.
7. Baby showers.
8. Having the dear hubby wait on you hand and foot. No cooking, no cleaning -- take full advantage while you can!
9. Decorating the baby's nursery.
10. The miracle of LIFE!

Top 10 problems of being pregnant:

1. Abstinence from sushi, coffee, and soda... in general, the need to watch what you eat.
2. Drinking milk and eating yogurt. Ughh... dairy.
3. Bodily aches and pains.
4. The inability to sleep and the constant tiredness.
5. The urge to pee all the time.
6. Forgetfulness, clumsiness, making more mistakes at work.
7. The lack of grace in movement; succumbing to waddling.
8. The constant worrying about the baby... although this is just the beginning!
9. The lack of clothes that fit, especially towards the end of the pregnancy when you've gotten so big to the point that even maternity shirts are a tight stretch across your abdomen.
10. The endless waiting and the unknown of when the baby's going to come.

First Week On Leave

My first week being on maternity leave (or more formally referred to as Short Term Disability, even though I don't feel like I am disabled) was fairly uneventful, but productive. I finally got around to washing all the baby clothes, blankets, towels, sheets, accessories, etc. Despite all the items being so small, there were so many of them that I still ended up doing three full loads of laundry, and I still have clothes beyond 3-6 months that I haven't even touched yet. I also cleaned all the bottles, organized everything in the nursery, ran some errands that I've been putting off, and even attended a Baby & Me class offered for free at our library (focused on sleep and young children... it felt weird being the only pregnant woman there, surrounded by mothers with newborns and young toddlers running around). Mid-week, M and I took a trip to Rutgers University in Piscataway to have our car seat inspected (no thanks to the East Brunswick Police Dept who never called me back!). Good thing we did too, b/c the way we installed it was way off! We also went to the lawyer's office and provided them with all the information needed to draw up a will, but we still need to wait until after the baby's born before filing all the paperwork. At this point, I think we're as ready for the baby's arrival as we can ever be (at least I am). Unfortunately, I don't think the little one feels the same way, since she shows no signs of being ready to come out (despite her running out of room to move around inside of me). One more week to go before her due date! Let's see when she decides to grace the world with her presence!

Here's a picture of what the nursery partially looks like: