PHOTOS

Happy 2008!~ Sorry for the lack of posts (I'm always apologizing, aren't I?). I can't believe that Christian is already turning 2 in less than 4 months!~ Time sure flies when you're having fun. Seriously, WhereTF did 2007 go??

Life's been pretty hectic here. Ben started a new job so he's hardly home. I'm still trying to get used to being a stay at home mom (which, really, I don't think I'm cut out for it - I miss working. But then I don't want to work and miss Christian all day and plus, we're planning on having another baby soon so what's the point of working other than the fact that we could use the extra income but then I'd have to spend that money on daycare. So I'd be working to send him to daycare so that I could work.) *sigh* My mom always says that if you can afford not to work, even if you have to sacrifice some luxuries, it's worth it for your child. But sometimes, I miss the stress of work. Emails, conference calls, meetings, proposals, deadlines. I thrive on that kind of stuff.

Nowadays, my day starts off with changing Christian's diaper which sometimes takes about 30 minutes because he hates diaper changes and I tell him we can't start the day without doing a diaper change and so I won't let him out of his crib and if I try to take him out before he's ready to change his diaper, he'll kick and scream and then I'll kick and scream and then I'm in a pissy mood because I want everything to go smoothly so why can't you just let me change your filthy diaper so we can go on with our lives already because I'd really like to get out of the house with you after feeding you breakfast, washing you up, brushing your teeth, rechanging your diaper, changing you out of your pajamas and into a cute little outfit so we can go to Target to buy some crap we need for you or the house and then make a stop at Whole Foods to buy all your organic milk, cheese, bread, eggs, yogurt, fruits and vegetables and then get home in time to put the groceries away which I have to carry while you like to defy me by not walking into the elevator because you'd rather play with mommy's car alarm but I need to get all these perishable groceries into the refrigerator. So I have 4 plastic bags of groceries and a large purse in one arm and then I have to pick you up and carry you with a sippy cup in the other arm and then get to our front door, put you down, put the groceries down, get my house key which you insist on taking so that you can open the door yourself and really, I'm all for you being independent and learning and shit like that but please, can I just open the door so we can put the groceries away and I can wash your hands which you for whatever reason HATE to do so you end up screaming and not standing up on the step stool that I pull up to the kitchen sink so you go limp and then I have to hold half your body with one arm and then use the other to wash your hands that you're pulling away from me - all so that I can feed you lunch by noon while you watch the Noggin channel and then rewash your hands again after we've finished lunch because you like to poke your food with the fork and then grab it off the fork with your bare hands and then shove the food in your mouth and then I have to change your diaper again, put on some fresh clothes because the ones you were wearing got dirty from your little lunch fiasco and then get your bottle of milk ready and warmed up to feed you by 1pm and then I put you down in your crib and you go off to dreamland for 3 hours. if I'm lucky. During that time, I pick up all the food crumbs and pieces of chicken, broccoli, rice porridge off the floor, wipe it down, get to the high chair, take off the tray top, clean up the chair itself because it's got food stuck all over it, grab all the dishes from the dining table, put it all in the kitchen sink and start doing all the dishes that accumulated from breakfast until now all the while I'm thinking how the hell does one little kid produce so many dishes and I haven't even eaten yet! Then I go on the computer and check emails and then omg, it's already 2? So I start cleaning because ever since I've had Christian, all of the sudden, I'm the biggest germaphobe and I need to have everything sterilized. Sterile, sterile, sterile! Kitchen counters, kitchen floors, wood floors, door knobs, play area, toys, remote controls. I swiffer the floors. I steam the floors. Look at the time. Crap! It's 3! Jump in the shower. Clean myself, clean the bathroom because Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are fucking awesome when you're in the shower, just keep a Magic Eraser sponge in there and wipe down the tub and tiles, rinse and voila, all sparkling clean! Dry myself. Try to moisturize. Get dressed. Look at the time. 3:30. Think to myself, okay...I have some time. Let me just lie down for 30 mins before he wakes up. As soon as I lie down, close my eyes, and I'm about to drift into sleep, the sound of Christian wimpering or making some sort of sound just hits me like nails to a chalkboard. FACKKK. Please God, just 15 minutes, please? I just want to lie down and rest. Please? No? I can't? He's calling for me? Can't he just wait? He might have a poopie diaper? It's okay, his butt won't rash up too bad, will it? Okay, okay...fineeee...I'll go get him! Go into his room, take one look at his adorable "I-just-woke-up-so-my-eyes-are-all-puffy" face and melt. Hello Sweetie, did you have a nice nap, love? Are you ready to change your diaper? No? Then you know the drill. We're not doing anything until we change your diaper so it's your call. Stop crying. You know the drill. Yes, I know you are grunting and pointing to go outside to the living room. But no, not until you're ready to change your diaper. You want a cracker? Okay, we'll have a cracker AFTER we change your diaper. You pooped. I can smell it. PeeYooo! STINKY!~ Let's change your diaper, okay? Stop crying. Christian! No. We have to change your diaper first! NO! CHANGE. YOUR. DIAPERRR!!!! Christian, mommy is getting MAD. Is this how you want to start off after your nap?? Stop it. We're changing your diaper...NOW. Here, play with this toy. Christian, don't throw it onto the floor! ARGHHH. How about froggy puppet? Will you let froggy puppet change your diaper? Yes? Okay, let mommy put on the puppet and then we'll have froggy change your diaper. Here we go. Taking off the diaper, wiping you down with 20 wipes because mommy can't stand the thought of any residual poop left on your behind. Put on a fresh diaper. Put your pants back on. Whew. That only took 20 minutes. Okay, let's go get you your juice and snack. Sweetie, I need to put you down so mommy can grab a new sippy cup and add your 1 oz of pear juice to 6 oz of water concoction in it and then get a lid and a straw. No? You don't want to be put down? Fine...let me just kill my back trying to carry all 25 lbs of you and goodness you're only 25 lbs, why do you feel like you weigh 50? while I bend down into the fridge and get your juice ready. Okay, here's your juice. Can you go now and play so I can get your snack ready? Yes, I'm getting your "nana" (banana). Stop getting upset. You're gonna get it in a few seconds. Here- here's a cracker. Eat this. Leave the kitchen now so I can get your stinking bananas, pear and cheese into a little plate so you can eat it in your high chair. Okay. Ready. Lift you up. Get you in. Here you go. Eat. My gawd, it's already 4:45. Where does the time go? Okay sweetie, let's wash your hands cuz you've got mush all over it from your snack. And by this time, it's getting dark. And did I tell you that I totally suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder aka SAD? As soon as the sun goes down, I'm sad. I feel alone. It's at that time, I suddenly feel like a single mother because I know that Ben won't be home for at least another couple of hours...a couple of very looooong hours and by the time he gets home, soon after, it's time for Christian to go to sleep. So after his snack, we try to play. But I'm so burnt out, I don't feel like doing anything. Christian's begging for me to turn on the tv cuz he's bored and I try to hold out as long as I can. Usually til about 5:30. Then, reluctantly, I turn on the tv and let him watch one of his little movies - Ratatouille, Nemo, Open Season, Madagascar, Ice Age, etc. Then all of the sudden...peace and quiet. He knows when I'm about to turn on a movie so he climbs up on the couch, lets out a sigh, puts a big content smile on his face, puts one arm up on the arm rest, leans back into a pillow and waits in anticipation as I slip in a dvd. Then he zones out. And that's when all of the sudden, I feel like a failure because I should be teaching him his abcs, his 123s, reading a book, spending quality time with him, taking him out to the park to burn some energy.... but I've failed. I've resorted to turning on the tv. The one thing that as I read all these parenting articles, they all say is not good. They say it delays language development. That it doesn't really help them intellectually like this article states. So I say to myself, okay, starting tomorrow. No. more. TV. ..... Shyeah right! Then 6pm rolls around and it's dinner time for him. Get his food ready. Warm everything up. Wash his hands again (yes, I told you...i'm a BIG GERMAPHOBE). and he eats or I spoon feed him his porridge while he tries to shove turkey loaf into his mouth. And I drink. Wine. Lots of it. And he makes a mess. And then he's finally done. Leave the mess of food all over the floor & table to go change his diaper again. Plop him down on the couch to continue watching his movie. Clean up the mess. Then Ben comes home. FINALLY! YAY! Then I go to the computer and zone out. Ben turns the TV off and plays with Christian. Christian comes alive when he sees his daddy. They play. They giggle. They run around the house. And I sit. In front of the computer with my glass of wine.

There are certain "sounds" that make me feel at home or relaxes me. The sound of dishes and utensils cling clanging in the kitchen. The sound of wine pouring into a glass. The sound of Ben emptying his pockets when he gets home - loose change, taking off his watch, pulling out his cell phone off the clip, pulling out his wallet. And the sound of Christian and his daddy running around, laughing and giggling is absolute music to my ears. And so Ben gives Christian a bath, they play, they giggle some more. Then he puts on a fresh pair of cute jammies. Ben warms up the milk. They read a book (Christian loves all the Karen Katz book series) and then they come over to the computer area so Christian can give me a kiss. And you hear him puckering all the way from his room and he has this adorable grin on his face as they make their way to me and he leans in and goes "mmmm-mwa!" and gives me a wonderful kiss and then they go to the kitchen, get the milk and Ben puts him to bed.

So that's a typical day here at the Ahn household. Some days are more pleasant than others. Yes, I have a nanny who comes 3 times a week to help me out. And you would think those days are the days I have "off". But, not really. Those are the days I'll shower in the morning instead of during his nap. But then I'm out of the house all day - running errands, doing some shopping for the house or the family and then I go to the grocery store, get home and start making dinner. Seriously, I don't understand how our moms worked and always managed to have a home cooked meal ready for everyone at the end of the day. And then clean up after the whole family.

Anyways. I wasn't planning on rambling the way I just did. I just wanted to post some pics of my cutie pie and then I guess I had some mental diarrhea seep out.

So, without further ado... Here are some random pics of my little spark plug. ^_^

At the park...in deep thought.



Wearing mismatched jammies...

Wearing FOBalicious PJ's from Korea with equally FOBalicious house slippers that I found in Ktown. But oh-so-cute, right?



His first Pony Ride...


The corn dropped on the floor but he was crying so hard for it, I think I actually gave it back to him. He loooooooves corn. He'll eat the whole cob and then some.


Playing at the putting green with Grandpa Stu at the Country Club near Ben's parents house.


Posing for the camera in his new red cap. He loooves hats and has a whole collection of beanies, caps, visors, etc.


Again, posing for the camera in his new Paul Frank Pimp Hat that he got from his Auntie Cindy for Christmas.


Whenever we'd go somewhere and see kids in a red wagon, he'd stare at them with envious eyes. So, we finally bought him one for Christmas and he looooves it.


Doing "Sae Bae" on New Year's.

Such a little ham...

K, that's all folks...for now. I promise. I'll try to update more.

xoxo~

Halloween 2007

Christian had so much fun this Halloween. We went to the annual Montrose Spooktacular event near our house. Picture a street very similar to Larchmont with a bunch of cute shops and restaurants with the street closed off so little trick-or-treaters and puppies dressed in adorable costumes can safely roam around while the local merchants give out candy. There were game booths, live bands, food booths serving yummy foods like fresh tamales, corn on the cob and they even had costume contests!~ There was also a magic bounce castle and bouncy slides for the kids. Christian had so much fun seeing all the people dressed up and he'd "woof" everytime a puppy would walk by.

We dressed him up like a little doctor/surgeon - a bunch of ppl came up to us saying how adorable he was and they all wanted to take pictures with him. He was like a little celebrity. I wasn't sure if I was very thrilled about all the random ppl busting out their digital cameras snapping away at him. There were other families with children that wanted to take pictures of him with their kids but he wasn't having it. He kept running away...lol.

Hope everyone had a fun and safe halloween. Here are a few pictures of Dr. Christian Ahn!~ ^_^ Enjoy!~

Dr. Christian Ahn, Chief of Surgery, arriving at the hospital in his convertible...


Making his rounds...

Checking on his first patient...

Taking a break to have a snack....


Charming the nurses with his signature smile....

And finally...the last patient of the day!~


Whew! What a day...I'm pooped! It's hard being this cute and smart!

San Diego Trip 2007

Dear Christian,

We had so much fun in San Diego, didn't we? You even had your noona Kat to play with the first few days.You went swimming in the pool...

Afterwards, you'd rest in your lounge chair in your cute little robe and take sips of your refreshing pear juice...Then you played by the lake with Daddy...And you enjoyed eating corn...
And you loved jumping on the couch....And eating your whole grain crackers...
And wearing our sunglasses....
We went the the San Diego Zoo and took silly pictures...

We played in the playground and you loved going down the slide with daddy....We went to a Winery where you played

and got thrown up high in the air by daddy....We went to the Wild Animal Zoo Park and you saw Ivan the Giraffe....
And we rode the merry-go-round....
And you sat on a big rhino...
And then at the end of the week, you drove us home.... ^_^

Labor Day

We went to a bbq at Ben's aunt's house on Labor Day. Christian had so much fun playing with his cousin who's 4 months older than him.


Holding hands.... aren't they so stinkin' cute?!


Christian giving his cousin "ppo ppo". It's so cute, he gives kisses all opened mouth - saliva and all~


Some random pics...

Hip Hop Christian....


Christian playing on the stairs in our building...

Putting on Daddy's sneakers....
Watching TV in his Ikea Chair... (this chair is fantastic and I'll be writing a post soon about a bunch of Ikea stuff)

Doing his fake cry...


Riding his little trike with his Thomas the Train Helmet with no shorts on...
The past 4 months have been really hard because it took me this long to adjust to his new found independence. He's walking all over the place, he's semi-talking, he's throwing tantys, etc. But now, I've come to finally adjust and accept how he's growing up and it's beginning to be so much fun! I love spending time with him and watching him grow. We've put off having baby #2 because I was having such a hard time with Christian hitting toddlerhood. But now, I think I'm finally getting the hang of it and maybe in a few months, we're really gonna try for #2. I'm so sad that Christian is growing up so fast even though it's such a joy to watch. I miss holding a helpless little infant in my arms and breastfeeding... goodness! This is how we're able to continue having babies, I think. You suddenly forget about all the pain you go through with labor and the sleepless nights because the joy of being with your baby and experiencing them grow is so much greater than any pain you will go through. I loove being my baby's mommy!~ ^_^

But here's a warning for you moms with babies who are younger than Christian on what to expect: About a month or so ago, when Christian was about 15 months, he started getting night terrors. We battle these several nights a week. He's a very good sleeper - usually sleeps 12 to 13 hours straight every night (he's been doing this since he was a little over 6 months) but the night terrors will wake him up in the middle of the night and he'll cry uncontrollably and then after about 15 minutes, he'll finally snap out of it. It's so sad to watch and so hard on us because we're so used to being able to sleep through the night. Even though these terrors wake the whole family up, I actually don't mind too much because this is the only time I actually get to have Christian in my bed with me. He's such a "sleep by myself in my own crib" baby that I really enjoy the nights that I get to hold him in my arms and stare at his sleepy face. All I can say is, yes, these night terrors are quite a nuissance, and yes, you'll lose some sleep over it, but it's all part of the game. Just be patient and be there for your baby and enjoy the quiet nights you have with them... cuz they're not going to stay this young for very long!~

We're off to San Diego this weekend for a week! Not sure that I'll be able to post before then, but I'll definitely post a bunch of pics from our trip when we get back. Hope everyone is doing fantabulous! Life is good... =)

Touching Article

I just read this article and it put a lump in my throat. It's so hard to raise a child even with 2 parents. To be a single father, AND go to school AND work...that, to me, is just unimaginable. Holy cow!

I know this kind of thing isn't uncommon nowadays. But something about this particular family is tugging at my heart. Maybe it's the fact that Mike Schieding has a son, almost the same age as Christian. Maybe it's because I've had a very hard day dealing with Christian and his tantrums and I don't even work OR go to school.

I'm so touched by this. I emailed the editor to see if I can somehow donate some money to him to help him out with his situation. If anyone else is compelled to do the same, please email me. We parents need to look out for eachother! ^_^

Photos

Woah... 2 posts in less than a week?! Is it possible? Well, now that Ben's home with me I actually have some free time! I'm loving it! For those of you who don't know, we recently sold our our restaurant and through the process, the one thing that I've learned is that there is nothing more important than Health and Family.

When Ben got the shingles back in May, it was so hard on all of us. I think that was the last straw and we realized that working your ass off to make money is sometimes not worth it if you're compromising your health and the time you spend with your family. I was worried at first about selling the restaurant because it would compromise our lifesetyle. But after seeing Ben so sick and how exhausted we all were (him running the restaurant, and me taking care of Christian) plus, the lack of time we spent together and comparing it to now - omg...TOTALLY worth it. I looove seeing Christian and Daddy interact together and Christian seems happier because he's not alone with his grumpy mom all the time.

Anyways, here are some recent pics of my cutie-pie angel-face!~

Christian and Daddy wearing their matching swim trunks in Maui. Ben was wearing a bandage because of the shingles. Christian was having a love/hate relationship with the waves. Note the look on his face - he was both scared and intrigued at the same time.



At the Old Lahaina Luau where he got lei'd for the first time. lol...

He had soooo much fun dancing and eating and just walking around! You can tell when he's really happy because his eyes just disappear! lol..




Slurping a mango smoothie at the aquarium. Is that face to die for or what?!


Cruising around in his Tot Wheels while sporting his flashy shades. It was like at 7pm but he insisted on wearing his sunglasses. and then he kept checking himself out in the mirror!

He's already learning how to drive the car himself - it's so cute to watch.

K, that's all for now folks. Stay tuned for more posts to come soon (hopefully). ^_^

Baby Gear - July 2007

Apologies to everyone who check my blog occassionally looking for an update. There have been so many times where I've felt compelled to write but just couldn't find the time. But to make it up to everyone, I'm working on a "how to" make baby food entry. I've taken some pictures of the process but I'm thinking I might actually video tape it and put it up so everyone can get a visual of all the steps. So be on the look out!

But in the meantime, here's some cool baby gear that you all may find useful for your babies or babies to be.


High Chair -


When Christian was just months old, I was still in a state where I wanted the most innovative, coolest, hippest and most expensive baby gear available. Now, I realize that that was just plain stupid. I had my heart set on the Flair High Chair by Boon. Not just the standard version but the Elite version. Why the Elite? Because the Elite had the cool orange backing whereas the Standard just came with a plain white backing. For $200 more, my baby could eat in modern style with the cool orange backing. Totally worth the extra $200, right? Oh and did I mention that this $399 high chair has a very cool pneumatic lift feature so you can adjust the height of the seat? See, totally worth the money. Thankfully though, this chair wasn't available on the market when it was time to put Christian in a high chair. Otherwise, we'd be $400 poorer while my kid would be styling in his State-of-the-Art chair.

Here is what I settled for.
The IKEA Antilop High Chair for $18.99. AND... for $5 more you can get the matching tray to attach to the high chair. This chair is fantastic folks. Clean up is a cinch and if it gets too dirty to clean, hey, just buy another one. Sure, it doesn't have the cool orange backing or the awesome pneumatic lift feature but it gets the job done. And it's modern, simple and sleek style won't make your house look all tacky like those big bulky Peg Perego or Graco high chairs. Besides, before you know it, your kid will grow out of the high chair and will want to sit in his/her own "grown-up" chair.


Eating Out - I just bought this yesterday after seeing a friend of mine use it at a Dol this past weekend. One of the best purchases I've made so far.This Booster Seat by Fisher Price is awesome. It attaches to virtually any chair and it comes with it's own little table tray. There's also 3 different height settings and for older babies, you can remove the green backing. For a mere $24.99, it's totally worth the money. I bought mine at Target yesterday because I needed to use it last night at a restaurant. But you can get it at Amazon for a couple of bucks cheaper and it qualifies for free shipping. Amazon is also having a special offer through Shutterfly where you get a free 20-page casual photo book if you purchase the seat by August 15. Soooo worth it. And you can even use the seat at home!

Grocery Shopping

I've had alot of inquiries about my high chair/grocery cart cover. It's by a company called Cuter Than a Duck's Butt. I did a ton of research before I finally decided with getting this cover. It's plush, easy to wash and fits virtually any cart/high chair. Although it's a bit on the pricey side, if you're a germaphobe like me, this is a must-have for your trips to the grocery store.


Floor Mats

We have hardwood floors. Christian has had more than his share of accidents on them. I've been meaning to get some play mats but everything out there is so ugly. You've all seen the infamous, ugly, bright-colored interlocking Alphamat or something like it. *Barf* Who the hell wants this thing laying around in their living room?

Well, thanks to the folks over at Skip Hop, we modern parents now have an alternative. Coming in August is the new Skip Hop Playspot.

It'll be available in 3 different color schemes and you can preorder yours at Amazon.



Costing $79 for 20 tiles, the interlocking shapes allows you to create a mat to your room's dimensions. I'm planning on ordering 2 sets since our living room space is pretty large. I love the colors and the mod design. I can't wait to get this!

There are more things that I want to post but right now, I must tend to my baby. If any of you have discovered any cool, useful products, please share! I'd love to hear about them!