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.

Madness?

This just in - CK is moving back to Chicago! Just a couple more weeks to go. Just need to somehow organize and "finish" 8 years of work, finish those still-on-going experiments, hire a mover, pack, sell, ... and somewhere in between make two more trips to Chicago for Immigration appointment and a wedding ... and entertain mom and show her around Dallas. Hm.

Well, Dallas dear, you have been great and I've grown so fond of you. Alas, it's time to forge ahead and build Ko-Dauk future!

Re: Wedding Planning
We have the date (May 14, 2010!), ceremony location (Punta Cana!), have the Dinner confirmed with a menu, found a travel agent, and have an officiant.  We are done now, right?  No?  ...  oh, yeah...we still need a photographer, videographer, CK needs a dress (and decide on hair/make-up, accessories, shoes, etc.), CD probably needs an appropriate suit and a tie (maybe no tie?), need to confirm the wedding party, find appropriate attires for the wedding party, need to arrange flowers, cake, after party, ceremony music, favors ... and DIY projects of Save-the-Date's, Invites, Place cards, Programs...seating chart...guestbook...whoever said planning a wedding is "fun"?  What else? What am I missing?  Please do tell.

Oh, I forgot, I also need to find a new job!

Uncomfortable day

So, I've been debating how much of wedding planning details to put on this blog. If you know me, you know that I'm very open. I love to share. However, this is our wedding we are talking about! Shouldn't there be some surprises for the guests? ... Well, so I've been holding back. Not that anything's been planned yet. But there are little details here and there I so wanted to share and discuss and get feedback and vent...etc...

I guess today made my decision easy. This morning, I got an email from CD regarding safety concerns in Mexico. ... Wait, let me step back a little. I'll get back to the email shortly.

First, after much thought, we decided we want a DW (Destination Wedding). I've been absolutely overwhelmed researching all over N. America, Hawaii, Caribbean, etc. for a perfect place (stress inducer #1). Eventually, I decided that most certainly, I want the ceremony to take place at a chapel. This helped to narrow down resorts significantly, since not many have an on-site chapel. This was great at first since I could cross out places and come up with a short list. Then, it became not so great since it also meant we now have very limited options (stress inducer #2).

Top 4 places I've narrowed down to are in Hawaii (main island) and in Mexico (Riviera Maya and Los Cabos). Hawaii, to me, seems a bit too far and the airfare seems it will be quite more than it will be to Mexico. To CD, Mexico's recent uprising of violence (mostly due to the drug infighting) is a major concern. So then, Caribbean and/or within US or Canada would work out better. BUT...the cost of DW within US/Canada would require more help in planning (unlike a resort where one place would take care of everything) and if they did provide the service (or if we hire a planner), the cost is outrageous! We might as well have the wedding at our beloved city - Chicago. Problem with the Caribbean is that I have not found a single resort with a chapel! Sigh~ :(

I have gotten suggestions as to rent a few villas in the Caribbean (and perhaps find a local church, if there is one) - but who do we go to in order to plan the wedding part? It seems to me I have to talk to multiple people to arrange this; but the beauty of DW and one of the main reasons we decided on DW was to simplify things. Having to negotiate with multiple vendors/venues does not seem simple to me...

Anyway, back to the email. Why did I have an uncomfortable day today? Well, CD forwarded me an email from a friend who is an expert in International Security...and his outlook on Mexico was not all that positive. I momentarily got very upset (the two Mexico resorts were my favorites and I've seen so many pictures and videos that I was sort of leaning towards them...a lot...), and instead of taking a moment, I broke the cardinal rule of email ettiquette. I fired off a nasty, b!^chy email back to CD going off on how if he doesn't want to do a chapel wedding or go to Mexico, he should speak up now; and, I think I also said I'm not compromising... Well, it was totally uncalled for.

I was even more upset all day (my mind and heart were just so "uncomfortable" for the lack of better words) because I knew I not only ruined my own day, but CD's as well. Of course, I'm also too stubborn to apologize right away, so waited all day to call him. (OK, I did try to weasel out by sending little texts, but I don't think they worked since his replies were a bit terse.)

Well, so there. This blog will now contain ups and downs and the details of our wedding planning. Hopefully, in short time, you'll read about some progress!

BTW, we are thinking anywhere between late January - May, 2010, wedding. We haven't completely ruled out Chicago; and at the very least, we are keeping an open mind to holding small receptions in both Chicago and Toronto (Toronto to appease my parents' friends and to do Paebaek* ceremony, which may not be feasible to do at DW).

!!! I JUST WANT A DATE AND A PLACE, ALREADY !!!

*Paebaek is a traditional Korean wedding ceremony. This website has a good description. Click on the top banner for more detailed description.

Being apart...

It's been a week since I returned to Dallas. To say it's been frustrating and lonesome(?) would be an understatement. I feel that this is time when we should be cherishing every moment of excitement and actively looking and planning for the future (of course, including the wedding)...but we are hundreds of miles apart and I just can't find any motivation to go about my day.

CD's been very supportive and does his best to brighten my day. But when the moment fades, I'm back to being lethargic again. :(

I'll get over it soon. Perhaps it has to do with, in part, my dis-satisfaction of progress at work...(don't feel like elaborating on that part, at least not today)...

I share this because the down side also make up a KoDauk moment I want to cherish. Because one day, I'll look back on this post and say: "how silly! now you can't wait to have some time to yourself!"

...ooh, I can't wait for that day! ;)