Christmas & Em's first designer shoes! - Week 6

Em’s starting to grasp things and able to hold on with a little bit of help, although she needs no help in grabbing my hair and not letting go. :) 

We gave Em a little bit of prune juice this week per a nurse’s advice…a BIG MISTAKE!  We should have waited it out or tried other methods first.  She has been going none stop since.  She doesn’t seem to be bothered by it, but … we are definitely suffering.  Not only from having to change her constantly, but also emotionally – constantly worrying and obsessing over her poop.  I am reminiscing the glee from Week 1! 

Em enjoyed her first Christmas.  We decided it is still too early for Em to face a crowd, i.e., church, so we spent the day quietly at home.  We opened gifts in the morning, and went out for a walk and dinner.  It was Em's first time dining out.  She initially fussed a little when her stroller came to a stop, but as soon as we picked her up, she was perfect.  We took turns holding her and enjoyed our family meal!

Em's shoes (from her daddy) are her first Stuart Weitzman. Alas, still too big!

Looking forward to the day we can go shoe shopping together.

Mommy time - Week 5

Time accumulated at home started to get under my skin, then morphed into short temper and snarky comments.  Chuck graciously (and somewhat forcefully) kicked me out of the house for a few hours on a Saturday afternoon.  I opted to head to the mall for pedicure and seriously pondered whether I should buy one of those massage chairs for home…

Em enjoys play time, although tummy time seems to get her frustrated a little.  She has pretty strong neck and back to hold herself up, but still weak in her arms.  She loves to watch her mobile go round and round, stares at the rattles with wide eyes, and even kicks around quite a bit.  

This week, we attempted to start a nighttime routine of getting Em to bed, and tested putting her in her crib overnight (vs. bassinet in our room).  Well, it didn’t work out so well, mainly because she is so much more active during late evening (see Week 4).  Dim light and soft music did not help when the baby is wide-awake and incessantly wanting to feed (not to mention the TV noise from the living room seeping in to the nursery, but more on this later).  We will revisit this in another few weeks when her sleep bouts are a little more consolidated.

Mrs. Independence - Week 4

Grandma K has left and I’m learning each day to be more and more independent.  Chuck’s very hands-on, but the fact of matter is he has to be at work.  This week, Em and I started venturing out all on our own – by car and on foot!  When we got to our first destination, might I say on time, it felt like such a feat! 

Em bursts out into laughter nowadays – some in response to our silly faces, some spontaneously in her sleep.  We are also noticing that she seems to be more demanding in the late evening.  The hours between 9PM to 2AM have been hit or miss, particularly if I’m getting a break and Chuck or Grandma K is on watch.  Both of them seem to think the cause is her showing preference for the “boob” over the bottle.  Hmm…

...Could you even believe that this sweet face can throw a tantrum?  I think not.  :)

Em also had her first visitors this week!  The Panaros came to visit with lots of goodies from the Korean market (thank you!).  Their son is 3 years old and the daughter is 10 months old.  Em really had no clue that she had her first play date, but we are all looking forward to more to come!  

Getting acquainted - Week 2 & 3

Em’s cord fell off in week 2, and she’s starting to show more facial expressions, including her beautiful smiles!  Em is surprisingly alert and curious of her surroundings as a newborn.  I find myself already starting to worry how to entertain/stimulate her. 

My mom, Grandma K, came to visit from Toronto.  It was so helpful to have her around.  Thanks to her gentle ways, we learned Em loves to take bath.  We also ventured out around downtown.  Grandma K did not approve at first (in Asian culture, newborn and new mom did not leave the house for at least 30 days!); nonetheless, she came on board and we enjoyed a little shopping, gelato, and a cup of Joe!