Baby J's Dol

I owe a huge thank you to my mom and sister-in-law for doing most of the work. I’ll post all the party details once I receive more photos.

I feel very lucky to have wonderful sisters-in-laws and I truly enjoy spending time with them. We have taken a cooking class, ate our way through several afternoon tea events, relaxed together for mani/pedis, and most recently, we took a flower arranging course by Celedon and Celery, a New York based event/floral planning company.

Celedon and Celery held a workshop in downtown Los Angeles inside Opulen Studios. We parked directly across the street in a $10 lot and walked over to 1309 Flower Street.

Entrance to Opulen Studios

There were about 15 stations set up along the perimeter of the room. Each station held our essentials: apron, paper towels, shears, rose thorn stripper, floral twine, a 6 by 6 vase (6 inches tall and 6 inches diameter), and some aspidistra (the green leaves).

An individual station

View of the room, looking towards the entrance

Assortment of flowers

The first thing we did was rub the leaves with a paper towel to distribute the natural oils. This added a nice sheen to the leaves. Tip: the oils have antibacterial properties, so lining the vase with the leaves helps flowers last longer.

Shiny Aspidistra

Aspidistra lined vase

To hold the arrangement in place, we skipped the foam and gridding tape. Instead, we inserted each stem at a 45 degree angle so that they eventually interlocked with each other.
Tip: when preparing a stem, cut at a 45 degree angle and shred the base of the stem by making vertical cuts up the stem. This helps increase the amount of water the flower can absorb.
Here are the basic steps to making an arrangement (not sure if it is viewable in google reader):

We also made a quick hand bouquet using these flowers:

Hand Bouquet - Before

Hand Bouquet - After

The class was about 2 hours long and we each completed 2 arrangements. We were given a large fabric tote to carry everything home in. We loved the flowers that were used: roses, dahlias, ranunculus, lisianthus, calla lillies…all very feminine and popular type of flowers. There was a lot of technical information presented, but I feel like I forgot most of the details. The main things I took away from the class:

• Change the water daily.  Clean water is key to long lasting arrangements
• If you use the powder “flower food” packets, only use about 1/3 of the packet.  Too much will cause the flowers to bloom and die quickly.
• Strip all the leaves off of the stem so that they don’t rot in the water.

Dear Baby,

Right now you are sound asleep in my bed. You prefer sleeping on the soft bed instead of your fancy crib. I should be more strict about making you sleep in your crib, but I secretly love it when you fall asleep next to me. I can’t help but kiss your chubby cheeks and rub your head (a rather large head – 75% according to your pediatrician)

Earlier today, you had your 12 month well-visit and you displayed a wide variety of emotions. Your eyes were so bright and happy when playing with the wooden cars and shape sorters in the waiting room. But your happiness quickly turned to dislike when the nurse tried to take your underarm temperature. You did not want anybody prodding or poking at you. When it was time for your shots, you would not remain still and cried tears of pain when the needle broke your skin.

It made me think back to how much you have grown since you were born. Pediatrician visits used to be so easy because you would just lay on your back without moving, unable to flip over. Shots were not a problem because you did not know what to expect and pain was foreign.

As I watch you grow and explore the world around you, I am filled with mixed emotions. I’m in awe at how much you have grown, yet when you are snuggled in my arms, you feel so tiny and helpless. You appear confident while playing with other kids, but a look of helplessness will quickly show up on your face if one of the bigger kids takes your toy. You don’t like it when I hug you too closely, but you hate it even more if I am too far away.

I don’t know when I’ll be done making Baby J’s album. I worked on it the most during all those late night pumping sessions. I really need to put more effort into finishing the album or else I fear it will become an incomplete project.

So to end this post, here is a picture of us exactly 1 year ago today. As soon as he was born, they plopped him on my chest, took him to the corner of the room to clean and wrap him, then they brought back this screaming little baby.

In the delivery room

Baby J’s head popped up and was ready for the day at 8:00am. He crawled around the top of our bed for a few minutes before climbing down and making a beeline for the living room couch. He likes to climb up on his tippy toes and peak over the armrest in hopes of seeing his dad working away on the computer.



After about 30 minutes of playing with dad, it was time for breakfast. Baby J crawled to the kitchen, brought over a box of cereal and signaled to us that he wanted to eat some by saying “mam-ma” which means food in korean. I try to keep the cereal boxes higher up so that he cannot reach them, but sometimes I forget…much to Baby J’s happiness. He sat and enjoyed some cereal with dad.

Around 11:00am, we were on our way down to San Diego for a family Christmas Eve get together. We left around nap time, so Baby J slept during the 2 hour drive. We picked up some El Pollo Loco chicken as our potluck contribution.

Buckled in and ready to go

We all had a great time catching up with family, eating as much food as possible, laughing through a vicious white elephant gift exchange, and singing Christmas carols.

Eating puffs with cousins

Random assortment of food

Desserts

More food

3 Babies in a crib

Playing ball with cousins

Getting ready for the gift exchange

By the time 7:00pm rolled around, Baby J had not napped since the drive down and was getting cranky. He fell asleep as soon as we started the drive home and didn’t wake up until Christmas morning.

Relaxing at the hotel

The next morning, we woke up early and headed out over the bridge to Hotel Coronado. We ate a breakfast buffet at Sheerwater. Afterwards, we walked around the hotel grounds and snapped a few photos before Baby J decided it was time for a nap.

In front of Hotel Coronado

During Baby J’s nap, we checked out of our hotel and drove over to Balboa Park. The park covers a huge area and is home to several museums, gardens, walking trails, theaters, and of course, the San Diego Zoo! Baby J would have had fun looking at the animals, but I thought the $42/ticket cost was too pricey…maybe when he is a bit older.

Walking around Balboa Park

Reuben Fleet Science Center

Balboa Park - disliked touching grass

I cannot wait until Baby J is old enough to enjoy the Reuben H Fleet Science Center. I remember my 4th grade class trip to the center and it is one of my fondest memories. The center is filled with fun and interesting hands-on exhibits for kids and an IMAX dome.

Quick Review:
BEST – Walking around Balboa Park
WORST – Gaslamp and W Hotel with a baby

One thing he really loves to do is play with balls. If it is a small ball, he’ll hold it in his hand, then toss it to you. If it is one of those big bouncy balls, he will sit on his knees/shins, hold onto the ball with both hands, raise the ball over his head and throw it down. It’s a fun way to play “catch.”

Development:
- He points at people/things using his index finger.
- It looks like he is getting his 8th tooth.
- He can crawl up stairs and climb/slide feet first (on his belly) back down. It helped that he learned how to get off of our bed because now when he encounters a drop, he’ll maneuver feet first to get down.

One more month until he turns 1!

Loves banging things together!

The weekends are starting to get busy with little outings that help keep us from getting too stir crazy inside. Lately, we’ve been going to Santa Monica in the early morning hours. Baby J loves to watch the crowds on the pier and relax on the swings.

Taking a little nap under mom's hiking umbrella

Watching a roller coaster zoom by

My brother found a fun indoor playground, so we’ve been taking the babies to play and burn off some of their energy. It’s great because there are a lot of toys and play equipment for them to use. The best part…the mess/clutter stays behind when we leave.

Trying to use a walker

Sleep:
- He still naps about 3x’s per day, but will sometimes skip his mid-day nap
- Sleeps from 8:30pm – 6:30am, but still wakes 2-3 times. Most nights, I am still co-sleeping. Other nights, I’ll put him in his crib to sleep, but will bring him to bed with me after his 1st wake-up.

Other:
- He is wearing size 3 – 4 diapers depending on the brand.  I like Huggies Overnights for nighttime use, but prefer the softness of Pampers for daytime.
- Clothing Size: 6-12 month and 12-18 month
- He loves to eat! The only thing he has not liked so far were korean chestnuts. I try to feed him solids twice/day (about 3 oz each time), but usually just give him a taste of different foods throughout the day. He is still nursing, but I supplement 8-10 ozs of formula a day.

Relaxing

He looks like a roly poly

9-month Well Visit Stats:
Head: 46cm (75th %)
Length: 28.5″ (50-75%)
Weight: 19 lbs 4 ozs (25-50%)

Baby stuff:
Common words used to describe him: Rambunctious, Sweaty, Loud, Hyper

Development:
- He is cruising along edges of furniture.
- Claps his hands and is starting to do High Fives
- He can get up on all fours, but prefers to army crawl. I’ve seen him go from all fours to a sitting position, but not consistently.
- This kid is high energy and does not stay in one position for more than a few seconds.

Sleep:
- He thinks that his crib is a torture chamber. The minute we put him in it, he is crying to get out.

Other:
- He is wearing size 3 – 4 diapers depending on the brand.  Huggies fit a little smaller than Pampers.
- Clothes: 6-12 month size
- He is starting to show a preference for solids over his bottle of milk. If he sees anybody eating real food, he’ll want to eat too. I’m still just giving him solids for “fun” about twice a day.

He can demolish an entire plum within a few minutes!

8 Months

Baby stuff:
Common words used to describe him: Energetic, Strong, Wild

Development:
- He can now sit and play with toys for about 5-10 minutes before he gets bored.  He still cannot go from laying down (flat on his back or stomach) to a sitting position on his own.
- He’s semi-mobile! He can army crawl, but has yet to get up on all fours.

- He can go from sitting to an army crawl position.
- Teeth: his upper front teeth have grown in, so he now has 4 total (2 upper and 2 lower front teeth)
- Playtime with cousin P consists of a lot of grabbing each other and fighting like sea lions

Sleep:
- He started to pull himself up in the co-sleeper, so it was time to pack that away and buy a real crib. We didn’t have room for a full sized crib, so I ended up getting a Stokke Sleepi (color: grey). I was originally going to use a travel crib (like the bjorn or graco), but decided that I wanted something that didn’t add to the growing disorderly feel of our tiny place.

- Nighttime sleep is okay (wakes every 3-4 hours). He has been sleeping with me for the past few weeks while we waited for his new crib to arrive/get set-up.
- Daytime naps are good. He is usually up for 2 hours, then needs a 1-3 hour nap 3x’s/day.

Other:
- He is wearing size 3 Diapers.
- Clothes: 6-12 month size
- I trimmed his bangs for the first time.
- Car rides are much better! He will still fuss and cry, but rarely will he get hysterical.
- When seated in the carseat, he pulls on the car seat canopy and has even pulled it off the hinges.
- He squawks and screams a lot for no apparent reason. He definitely has not found his indoor voice.

Baby stuff:
Common words used to describe him: Rough,

Development:
- Once he is put into a sitting position, he can sit unassisted for a few minutes. I’m not sure when he will be able to go from lying down to sitting by himself.
- His baby babble consists of mostly vowel sounds: long “a” and “ooh”
- His bottom front teeth popped out shortly after the 6 month mark.
- When Baby J is with his cousin, they won’t play together, but they seem to acknowledge each other and try to steal each others toys. They usually try to avoid too much eye contact with each other.

Sleep:
- Sleep is pretty much the same as last month. He has been sleeping in the co-sleeper, but he is outgrowing it. We don’t really have room for a crib, but I may just have to get one and squeeze it in somewhere.
- He just started sleeping on his belly. He seems to sleep better/longer in that position.

Other:
- He is wearing size 3 Diapers.
- Clothes: 6-12 month size
- He is drooling less.
- Car rides are getting better, but he will still cry sometimes.
- Solids: I skipped the rice cereal and started giving him solids after he turned 6 months. I am using the baby led weaning method, but I don’t mind if he is given a taste of pureed food when he is with his grandparents. So far, he has tried: peaches, broccolini, plums, cherries, sweet potato spears, cucumbers, and carrots. I don’t feed him solids every day, and when he does have solids, it is really just for fun/taste.


- Baby Carrier: I still use the baby bjorn carrier most of the time. It is lightweight and very easy to use. But the best part…Baby J doesn’t fuss in it!

We went to Seattle for a wedding, but left Baby J back at home. The hotel had set up our room in preparation for the baby (crib, toys, toiletries, diaper genie). Seeing the empty crib made me miss him, but I really enjoyed the trip without having to worry about baby stuff!

Four Seasons hotel crib...cute sheets!