The joy of motherhood

SO today, I had another motherly opportunity to clean up Isaac's poop in the bath tub. I quickly picked up the majority leaving one small piece as Isaac kept saying "poopoo." I turned around to retrieved the last piece, but no luck, "where did it go?" I asked him. I then looked down into the tub and saw that he had stepped right on it, smooshing it flat and scattering the feces all over the tub. I think he even got disgusted himself, because he wanted to get out of the tub immediately!

Isaac has been going through talking stages like lightening. He now can point out objects and tell you what they are without you asking or prompting. Every time we go by this flower pot by our house, he will say "fla-wer". When he hears Dan urinating in the bathroom, even if he is several feet away, he will say "peepee." When Isaac lets out a little fart, he will grab his diaper and say "uh oh." And if you ask him what Nemo says he will give you a whole sentence ("Ah-oo-ah-ee-ah-o-o-o!") that sounds just like the part of the movie when the tank is initiating Nemo to tankhood. Every morning I will pray with Isaac for our day, now he is even saying "amen" with me at the end of the prayer.These are just few examples, but it is so funny to see him grow. We taught him buggers awhile back and everytime we ask him where is his bugger, he would grab his nose and say "yewwww." The other day, I was caught red handed picking my nose in plain view of Isaac, as he goes "yewwww" to me--that taught me only thing, DO NOT PICK YOUR NOSE AROUND YOUR SON, BECAUSE HE WILL POINT IT OUT TO YOU!

As for me, I am feeling great. Definitely showing --pictures to come. We are excited for this next baby ultrasound, gonna find out if it's a boy or girl in a couple weeks. I am feeling some movement now, with different positions I can feel the baby. Now, I am slowing getting to the point of feeling winded again. But regular exercise has been giving a lot of energy for the day, thank God.

This week...

This week has been long for various reasons, but for one thing that I can say is that God is good all the time. When we might not know why different things happen for various reasons, we can only trust that God knows better than us:)

Isaac has been great! He had a cold over Easter weekend, as you can see from his Sunday best outfit, he was pretty crabby. He has been talking up a storm and constantly voicing his opinion. He is like a little man. Today, we went out to Dim Sum with the Stalls and filled our bellys up with some good food. Elizabeth was on a quest for the "milk powder and cream pastry" (its better than what it sounds) after four different bakeries and finally at our final store, we found it at last!

This afternoon, Dan and Isaac spray painted his table set and went around the house to wash the windows. Isaac may not be able to do much, but he sure loved being Daddy's helper! Isaac understands a lot of what we tell him. He is even able to start pointing out objects that he notices on his own without us prompting him. Today, we were out in Chinatown, he suddenly said, "airplan" and pointed to the sky, it even took Dan a few seconds to find the plane.

Isaac's new bff

Using the spoon

He actually ate the whole thing by himself.

American Idol Toddler

The box

This is definitely his new favorite game.

A Lazy Rainy Saturday Afternoon

Parenting

The past week or so, I've been having random conversations with my girlfriends about parenting. And it got me thinking....so I figure I'll share my thoughts about parenting. Sally-it was really great talking to you!

First of all, as parents we are blessed to have kids in our lives. I will be the first to say, I am not the perfect parent. In fact, I'm far from it, but by the grace of God, he is teaching Dan and I about parenting every day as we grow with Isaac. I don't think we can ever be fully prepared to be a parent- financially, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Isaac is at that age where we need to start thinking about discipline. I am reading this book called "Don't make me count to three." It's written by a Christian mom who wrote about her experience in a love-oriented discipline. It has been interesting to read, and to implement some of the stuff with Isaac. Isaac is pretty good at listening. I think the biggest thing of all is him understanding me and me trying to understand him. I want to raise my kids in a God-centered surrounding and through that raise them to be God-loving people. I don't want to be their friend, not just yet, but for now, their parent. I pray that my relationship with my kids will grow through the years and not distant due to the "teens." I think those are just excuses for parents to justify why their teen are not close to them. I think it is possible for the perfect balance. Since I am a working mom (well, part-time), I am doing things differently compared to someone who stays at home full-time. I'm not working for money or prestige, but purely for the fact that God has called me into a profession and also the important role of a mother. God will never give you anything you cannot handle. And that has just been it for me, He has blessed me with a great life. When I am working, I feel that I am at the place where God wants me to be in terms of serving his people. When I am at home, I feel the love that God has for me as He teaches me to love my child. I can now almost understand how much he loved Jesus and what an incredible sacrifice it was to send his one and only son. I do whatever I can to make sure that my child is safe and healthy. with that said, I guess all in all for me as a parent is to be Christ-center and being prayerful throughout this journey...any thoughts?
well, Isaac just got his 15 months check...30.5 inches and 24pounds and 10 ounces..you would think he would weigh more by the way he eats, but he is only 50th percentile. He much have his dad metabolism! I am jealous!

Courtney to Seattle

Dr. Fister visited us over the weekend. She decided just a little over a week ago to stop by. We had so much fun catching up and just lounging around. As you can see, we ate pretty well too!

Dan also decided Isaac needed another haircut. Instead of going out and spend $$$, we decided Daddy will do the honors. To my surprise, Isaac was very good. He sat on his red chair out on the patio reading a book, while Daddy cuts away. In the beginning, Courtney and I were a bit worried, because it looked like a rat just bit through his head, but Daddy redeemed himself, and Isaac now looks like a little boy!

Happy Birthday Michael! (sorry few days late)

Wishing a happy birthday to my brother-in-law Michael Lee! May your year be another full of blessings as God continues to bless you and May in abudance! Isaac misses you too. He points at your picture everyday. You may only made it in his baby book once, but he loves you to pieces!
Happy Birthday!

Yay! Dan is home!

I haven't been able to blog because Dan has been gone at a review course in Texas these past few days. Boy, it's different without him. I am thankful for a supportive, very involved husband! Isaac had a hard time with him gone in the beginning of the week. He would cry during bedtime looking for Dan.

Speaking of my son... we were suppose to go pick up Dan at the airport last night. Just 15 minutes before I was about to get ready to leave, Isaac started crying from his sleep. I went down and picked him up thinking we'll just get ready and go, the next thing I know, he started vomiting thick chunks of food from lunch. I caught with my hands and try to stay as calm as I am. Secretly thinking to myself, we might still be able to go the airport...well, once that thought slip through, he vomited again. This time all over me and my clothes and the carpet. So, that was it. I had to call Dan, who was excited for us to get him that he'll have to get a ride home. By the time he got back it was 11:30pm. All three of us were pretty tired and Isaac was still dry heaving. He stayed that way all night waking up every couple of hours crying and holding his tummy. This morning, he was a little bit better, but started having diarrhea and fever and some more vomiting. Poor baby! We just put him down for bed, I pray that God would give him a restful night and heal him for this. Pray for him.

Isaac at the park

Here is a few pictures of Isaac and I at the Wright park behind our house. He really likes the slide and the swing and basically freedom to walk around in a hug open space.

Auntie Michelle here! Oh, and Tantrums?

Michelle was here the past weekend for a short visit after her ski trip at Whistler. It was a blast to hang out with her. We visited the Space Needle, EMP, Pikes Market, and the world famous Starbucks. Well, famous to Michelle. She held her breath as she walked into the original coffee shop and I quote, "I feel like I am meeting a celebrity." Isaac was even able to say her name and know exactly who she is...

Speaking of Isaac, he had his first tantrum over the weekend. We went to University village for a shopping break and visited the MAC store. Like father like son, they were both mesmerized by the tech world. I took Isaac to the kiddy playstation and let him play around with the keyboard. After a long while, I suggested we leaving and started walking away hoping he would follow. Not only he did not follow me, he replied "NO" and proceeded to fling his body backwards on the ground crying. Finally, Dan came over picked him up and told him we have to go. Isaac started kicking and screaming as we walked out the door. We had to put him down on the sidewalk to let him calm down. Every minute he got to leave, he would want to walk back into the store. Dan tried to hold him and he would just push him away. Thank God this only lasted a few minutes! I can't believe how much will power a little guy has already! We are going to have to start discipling.

What should I eat?

To those of you pregnant out there, what should I eat? nothing makes me feel better. Sometime I would think I have a taste for something and then I would feel horrible afterwards. As many of you know that we are expecting our second child sometime in the early fall. Well, with this pregnancy I 've been a lot more nauseous and have already vomited three times. Tonight was probably the worse. We just had dinner and for some reason night time has been the worse for me. I never seem to be able to find the right food that would settle in my stomach. It doesn't help that I don't want to cook either. All I want is deli sandwiches and citrus juices. So we, Isaac, Dan and I, were sitting the living room playing the next thing I feel is a wave of nausea. As always, I assumed it was just going to be dry heave and will get better after I gag a little. Well, with the heave I had more coming than I thought. My hands were full of vomit as it drip down my shirt, pants, and the carpet as my 14th month old son watched in shock and Dan turning green and proceeded on gagging. Needless to say, I did feel much better afterwards. Overall, I'm adjusting well,but I can relate to those pregnant girlfriends of mine. The nausea is not fun and the fatigue seemed worse this time. I've been taking 1.5 hours of nap daily and if you know me, I NEVER TAKE NAPS NO MATTER HOW TIRED I AM. But now, here I am could barely open my eyes around 2pm. But all in all, we are excited for this baby and have started to prep Isaac with his new sibling.

Isaac has been a bundle of joy. He has been talking up a storm and voicing his opinion. He enjoys going ot the park and climb up the slide like a big boy. Today we took him to the zoo, and for the first time, he was able to focus on the animals and really have fun with it. He is such as sweet baby. After I vomited, he kept coming over to me looking upset. I could tell, he knew mommy didn't feel good.

Down the easiest green run on Blackcomb.

Another in the oven

We saw the heart beat today so it's official. We're expecting a second child, due in September.

Coincidentally, Dan's twin brother is expecting as well, and, surprisingly, they share the exact same due date!

Weekend at Whistler, Canada B.C

It has been a great long weekend at Whistler. May and Michael came to visit and also to take part in the ski trip, while Maureen at the very last minute generously decided to come to help babysit Isaac. What a dedicated grandma! She flew all the way from Chicago for the long weekend to spend with Isaac in Canada. We stayed at the Aspen condo; we had a full kitchen, a fireplace, and one bedroom. Overall, we enjoyed skiing down the two mountains, Blackbomb and Whistler. Lets just say, it's definitely not the the Midwest. Taking the gondola up the mountain, you really realized that it is literally a mountain you are ascending. The scenery was amazing and the skiing was actually a bit frightful for me. I think the first green we went down was probably 8 miles long from the middle of the Blackcomb all the way down. Dan, Michael, and May patiently waited for me to move each ski along. I was about to have a panic attack up there. Just looking down to see how far I have to go literally freaked me out! But praise God for downlifts and moral support! The second day was much better for me. Whistler had a family zone area that was nice and challenging, but not scary to go down. We had lunch on top of the mountain, while Dan tackled a couple of the black diamonds by himself. Sorry honey, no one else could go with you.
As for Isaac, he spent a good couple quality time fun days with Grandma. Maureen took him shopping and sledding. And I can't forget her homemade chicken noodle soup to top the day off after a long day of skiing! By the end of the weekend, Isaac could say "May" and "Grandma" pretty well. For Michael, he would point to and always loved to play with him. He's always been partial to men.
I can't believe he is only 14 months old! His latest new "tricks," which he seems to be adding to daily, are pointing to his toes and hands. Signaling for "more" has never a problem, but now he can say it.

Freak-out or freaking-amazing

I usually don't bring work home with me, but I thought this was cool. Muscle fiber detail and slight pigmentation to my right iris.

Natalie's Birthday

In addition to Mindi's visit, Isaac was also invited to another birthday party. Ms. Natalie Stall turns 2! It was a very nice get together. As you can probably see, Isaac and Dan both really enjoyed the birthday cupcake.

Isaac is now approaching 14 months and seems like overnight, he had already turned into a little boy. He can communicate so much better now as in what he wants. I actually have to start hinding the golden fish crackers because whenever he sees the box, he askes for more. Now, we can ask him to go find something in the other room and he will come back with the correct item. It's amazing with the little brains of theirs. It's amazingly absorbant!
As for me, I am now working Monday and Tuesdays, so five day weekends for me! Isaac is enrolled in super shrimp swim class that Dan takes him on the weekends. Dan's schedule are much more predictable now so that has been really nice. Lets see...well, until next time.