Life of a Domestic Engineer!

Party planning

2010-02-07T09:45:00.000-08:00

Well, my handsome little man is turning the big ONE soon! In 20 days, I'll officially have a one year old! I can't believe it. To think I was huge and pregnant this time last year, and now, he's almost walking/talking. Anyway, I decided to have his birthday party at the park. I hope the weather treats us well! Plus, I'm getting a lot RSVPs already, people saying that they can go. Which is great! I wanted this to be a day to remember, but of course, Alex won't remember any of it. But it's still my responsibility because he's my baby boy.

Since we're doing a cookout, I just figured we'll do hot dogs and hamburgers. I'm finding out that there is a lot more involved and I'm starting to plan really far in advance. 20 days in advance is pretty good I think. Especially since I'm such a procrastinator! Anyway, I've got to say that I'm really glad he was born in February because a lot of cook out stuff is on sale due to the Super Bowl. I'm going through the store ads and finding some stuff that I can buy right now, and freeze it so we'll save some money in the long run. I have to make a run to Randalls today because it is the last day of a big sale and I don't want to miss out on some of the condiments.

Here is my list of things to get at Randall's:

30 hot dogs
30 hot dog buns
30 hamburger buns
5 soda 12 packs
1 bottle of mayo
5 bags of chip
2 bottles of mustard
2 bottles of ketchup

I estimated that this should all cost me around $65. I'm not trying to spend too much, especially since we don't have our tax return yet. So hopefully it will pay off to be a little frugal. All of this stuff will keep for 20 days, so I'm not worried about things getting spoiled. The buns and hot dogs will just go in my freezer. Plus I don't know what we're going to do with that much soda!

Some of things that won't keep till a few days before:
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Veggie platter
Fruit platter

That's pretty much it! The platters run a little expensive, so I'm going to obviously hold off till I can get a bargain or I may just make my own platters. Another thing I have to shop around for soon is the CAKE! Wish me luck!

11 Months Old!

2010-01-31T20:40:00.000-08:00

Well the little man is 11 months old and I'm starting to think about his first birthday. I know, I'm terrible. I really should've thought about this beforehand. But now that it's a month away, I have some planning to do. I figure we can have a party at the park. We can do a cookout and invite whoever wants to come. We have family and friends here in Houston, so it should be a good turn out. If not, it'll be personal and fun either way. And I hope Alex will be walking full time by then so he can really enjoy the park!

Should be doing homework

2010-01-30T19:46:00.000-08:00

I'm distracting myself and decided to post my latest finished project. It's the West Point School Crest. Let me know what you think! My mom is currently working on a cross stitch pattern as well and she's going to frame them together. I already sent her my completed work. I'm working on finishing Alex's birth record (only a year behind, that's not so bad right?) And I'm almost done with a few pillows for my living room. Just a couple things to make the place a little more homey and to get good use out of my new sewing machine!

Home Remedies

2009-10-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

So James is home today from work, sick with the flu. As always during this season, we all have to be careful with the flu. We fall into the same routine whenever either of us get sick. Here are some things that work for us, and maybe they'll work for you too.

EmergenC

This powder is packed full of vitamins and unique flavor. It helps strengthen your immune system.

Echinacea

Completely holistic, but can be found in a tea or pill form. We usually drink it in a tea form. Much like Vitamin C, this plant helps strengthen your immune system. James and I get the tea with the peppermint in the bags because peppermint also helps those nasty sore throats.

Soy Milk

As mentioned earlier, we drink Echinacea tea. Something that is so soothing is drinking it with steamed soy milk. Especially when you're sick, it's best to avoid dairy, so we substitute with soy milk. It's full of protein and is amazing with the light vanilla taste.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Of course, you can't go through any illness without going back to chicken noodle soup. This stuff DOES work. However, the way we eat it isn't like most.

Kimchi

We add Kimchi to our chicken noodle soup. Kimchi is a Korean food staple and it has plenty of good nutrients for anyone. By far, the best thing for someone who is sick and does not want to eat anything. When I got sick with the flu a couple years ago, I could not keep anything down. As soon as James made chicken noodle soup with kimchi, it was the only thing I could eat. The joining of these two is from my mother. She started making this for me when I was sick. It is SO incredibly good.

Chicken Broth

Whenever I got nasty sore throats, I would just drink a cup of chicken broth every couple of hours. It cleared my sinuses and I was eating something!

All of these are our personal remedies. They work really well for us and it cuts our sick time down by half. We rarely have Nyquil or Sudafed unless we can't sleep at night. The main goal is to help the immune system as much as possible. I hope it gives you some ideas for this upcoming flu season.

Megan's Munchies Popcorn Giveaway!

2009-10-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

Megan's Munchies is having a Gourmet Popcorn Giveaway! Check it out!

Lookie! Sunday Fun!

2009-09-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

So when we were out in Albuquerque last week, I had a gift card to Macy's. So my mom and I went roaming around Macy's, just to see what they have to offer and Mom decided she wanted to buy Alex's Halloween costume. So here is his fitting. I know Halloween is a month away, but I couldn't resist posting this picture! And in case you can't tell, it's a dragon costume! I love it!

Yummy!!

2009-09-25T22:38:00.000-07:00

I know LA is the city of skinny Hollywooders, but how can you be skinny when you live close to this???

Fun Foto Friday!

2009-09-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

So Stacey and I got together and decorated cakes! It was definitely a learning experience and I know what to try for next time. I did the cheesey romantic cake for James. He was bummed that he didn't get to enjoy the cake decorating experience. But I think for next time, I'm going to try cupcakes and I will definitely work on roses!

Fun Day at the Park!

2009-09-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

James and I took Alex to Walter Hall Park today. James had the morning off, and starts his first overnight shift tonight. He wanted to take Alex to the park and have some fun with us. They have an adorable rock wall there for little ones, and James couldn't resist. We can't wait to take him to a real climbing gym and expose him to the thrill!!

So I did it!

2009-08-28T20:41:00.001-07:00

I submitted Alex's photo to the Great American Photo Contest! So please, please, please!! Vote for my cute baby boy!

Fun Foto Friday!

2009-08-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

I was having fun in my kitchen and I'm going to post a blog about this later, but it's about which utensil to use to make omelets.

A taste of home (New Mexico home!)

2009-08-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

New Mexico is not the most well known state. But if you're from the Southwest and are familiar with Mexican cuisine, you KNOW about green chile. And the rule of thumb is, if it isn't from Hatch, it's not any good. Hatch is a small town in the southern part of New Mexico and every year, the town holds an annual chile festival. People from ALL over come and get their roasting on to get some good chile. And you're not limited. There are reds, greens and about all in between. When we lived in Albuquerque, there was a chile roaster on about every corner and just the smell made your mouth water. Every year, my mom goes down to Hatch and gets at least three 10 lb bags of green chile. They will roast them for you and then my mom, James and I would go through the task of peeling the chiles. It was marvelous and hot! Mom would freeze a few bags for us and we'd keep it in our freezer, using some here or there. Being Asian, we'd sometimes eat green chile, rice and seaweed. Oh it's so good! New Mexico puts green chile on everything, you name it and they ask "Red or green?" I always ALWAYS say "Christmas chile" because I want both! And I'm greedy! Well, today, I missed New Mexico so much that I busted out the green chile.

Tonight I made turkey green chile enchiladas! They were quite delicious and it was great to have a taste of home! I got the recipe from the Hatch Green Chile note page from Facebook. All I did was change it to ground turkey and it was still quite yummy! Here is the recipe:

Turkey Green Chile Enchiladas

Ingredients
1 pound roasted skin-on green New Mexico chiles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
5 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
10 (7- to 8-in.) corn tortillas
1/2 lb of ground turkey, cooked
2 cups coarsely shredded cheddar or jack cheese, divided
Sour cream
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Peel, stem, seed, and chop chiles.

2. Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chiles, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken broth and simmer until reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare tortillas: In a small frying pan, bring remaining 2 cups chicken broth to a gentle simmer. Working one at a time, very briefly dip tortillas into broth to barely soften. Transfer each tortilla to a large baking sheet (you may need 2 or 3 sheets). Do not overlap or tortillas will stick.

4. Divide 1 1/4 cups cheese equally among tortillas and top each with shredded chicken, dividing evenly. Wrap tortilla around filling and transfer, seam-side down, to a 9- by 13-in. baking dish.

5. Pour chile sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake until cheese is bubbling and browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

If you can't smell the goodness from here.. Well, I feel sorry for you!

Oh the green chile goodness!

GOALS!

2009-08-22T10:19:00.001-07:00

I have a long list of goals, like finishing my Master's, getting a teaching job, learning how to cake decorate..

But one of my goals that I have to constantly work on right now is my weight loss goal. I know I've mentioned it before, but I recently got inspired so I'm going to stick to my guns! Especially since my and James' birthday is soon and our anniversary is coming up after that and I want to look pretty in pictures and in dresses! Anyway, this is one way of keeping me accountable.

I'll be updating as I go, so let's hope a true transformation will begin!

Interesting read

2009-08-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

I am reading the most interesting book about the legacy of divorce. Basically, how divorce affects the children and the future. It's a longitudinal study that has been going on for 25 years. The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: The 25 Year Landmark Study reads like a novel. Very informative and shocking!

Hoarse baby

2009-08-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

I'm concerned about my boy. I don't think he's been crying more than usual, but his bedtimes are getting more and more difficult. As a result, I think he's losing his voice. He doesn't have any cold symptoms or anything indicating that he's sick. So he's just got a hoarse voice. I feel awful. I miss his cooing.. If it doesn't get better in a day or two, I may call the doctor.

Marriage

2009-07-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

Don't take this as a bad post. It's just me venting about what I think marriage should be. Believe me, I love my husband and he's doing such a wonderful job. I couldn't ask for a better man. I have a lot of faith in our love and marriage because of our foundation.

My parents have rules since being married and James and I have adapted them as our own. A lot of it comes from observation, and the fact that it helps our marriage. These are a list of our own rules and we're pretty good at following them.

1) Never talk to a member of the opposite sex about marital problems. It's okay to talk to family, that's a given. But I would never find it appropriate to talk to a guy about my problems with James. Just sets up for a bad situation.

2) Never go to bed angry. This is based off the biblical verse to not let the sun set on your fury. And I agree with that. There have been nights where James and I would be up for hours, just talking and trying to resolve whatever is going on. Plus, when you fall asleep angry, you just start your day angry and that's never a good thing.

3) Always sleep in the same bed. This was a huge observation based on divorce parents. As long as you're constantly there with your problem, you have to face it and deal with it. It's always better to deal with it and resolve it than sleep in another room and avoid it.

4) Never storm out during a fight. Walking out is always a bad thing. It usually makes things worse. I found that it just makes James even angrier with me because it gets the public involved.

5) Never fight in public. Stems from the storming off rule, it would be embarrassing for us to fight in public.

6) Don't use the "D" word. The word "divorce" is poison. How can you expect to stay with someone forever if all you say is that you want a divorce?

We're not perfect. We don't follow the rules all the time. But to make sure that there isn't more complications to it, these are our rules. We love each other and that's what a marriage is truly based on.

Fun Foto Friday!

2009-07-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

I love how my hair is a mess! Gotta love my new coffee mug!

Taking the big plunge!

2009-07-14T19:10:00.001-07:00

Well, I applied for graduate school. And to be honest, I'm scared out of my mind! I applied for my Master's in Secondary Education with a focus in Math. I really believe that I'm going to be a student for life! I do want to start working, the education field has always been intriguing to me. Just a few things I have to think about:

How soon will I start to teach after I get my degree?
What about Alex? Should I wait till he's in preschool?
When I get pregnant with my second child, will I take a break or just continue working?

Ideally I would teach fairly quickly and Alex can go into daycare. I would tell myself that it wouldn't be too bad since a teacher's schedule is no where near as demanding as any other job. Plus, I would get summers off and once Alex starts school, we'd both be on the same schedule. I want to be around for those precious moments but I also feel the desire to work. I'm really torn. I keep thinking that if we were in Albuquerque, I would go ahead and start working and leave Alex with my mom.

I also think about maybe just getting my Master's for right now and then get another Master's in school counseling later, and when our kids are in school, I can go to work. I'm unsure. I love staying at home with Alex, but with the current job situation, I feel that James and I should have some sort of a back up plan.

I wish this could be easier. I wish that we were closer to my family and if we had to put Alex in daycare, he could stay with my mom and it would make my choices easier. I'm not sure where my dilemma is. Is it the fact that I might be leaving Alex? Or that I don't want to put him in a daycare? Would I want to put him in one? What if I don't like being away from him? What about if we have another child? So many choices.. So much to decide..

Motivation?

2009-07-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

I have tons of laundry to do. I need to clean out our bedroom.. I still have this big to do list and not a lot of it is getting done! I just wish I could hire a maid and have her do it all for me! Plus, Alex is being a real handful lately. I try my best to play with him and clean during his nap times. But I think he's teething, so he's been really fussy. Well, we're going to Albuquerque this week, so maybe thinking of that will get my butt into gear..

Fun Foto Friday!

2009-07-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken at my mother in law's house over the 4th of July weekend. I thought it was adorable and appropriate.

4 Month Stats!

2009-06-29T19:46:00.001-07:00

Well today Alex had his 4 month well visit. And he was a good boy as usual. He weighed 21 lbs 10 oz and was 27 inches long! So he was 95th percentile for length, but well above the 97th percentile for length. The doctor isn't concerned about his weight now, since he is exclusively breastfed. But she did mention that when we start solids with him, we may need to monitor his weight a bit more. I'm just glad he got a clean bill of health and now we officially have to install the convertible car seat we got him. I don't want my baby to grow up! I want him to stay this size!

Scale Sunday!

2009-06-28T20:29:00.001-07:00

So I've been internally battling with myself, deciding whether or not I should post my weight and what not. I'm not trying to be super skinny, just enough to get down to a healthy BMI and get more energy to take care of Alex. Before too long, this kid will be crawling and I will be even more exhausted. Well, my answer is I will keep track on here, but nothing like a full time weight loss blog. After all, this blog is about everything I do as a stay at home mommy, which includes my scale troubles. Here is my weight for today:

6-28-09 : 184.0 lbs

I just plan on posting my weight once a week. And I'll be able to look back and see it when I need to. My goal this week is to hit the gym at least three times for an hour workout each time. And it's going to be tough since I'll be in Austin for the weekend ;-)

Feel the burn!

2009-06-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

So today, I finally got off my lazy butt and went to the gym. I had not been to a gym since my dad came to visit, about two months ago. I've been running a few times, but I don't get a great workout running. I had been checking out gym prices, and found out that Bally Total Fitness had the best deal. I don't know if I want to start a separate weight loss blog or not. Battling weight problems is technically something Stay-at-home moms do, so I may just keep track of it here, along with the healthy eating and recipes.

After the gym, James and I decided to take Alex to the community pool, and we had a blast. My side of the family is part fish. My dad use to scuba dive and I use to be on swim team, so we love the water! Can't wait till he enjoys the water more, but he wasn't scared so that's always a good sign!

Fun Foto Friday!

2009-06-26T11:46:00.001-07:00

James threatened to post this if I didn't.. So I figure this was the perfect time! This is me, cooking my chicken fried steaks.

Behind.. And Chicken Fried Steak!

2009-06-25T05:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I had a one week trip to Albuquerque and I had my father in law staying with us for about two weeks, so I'm sorely behind on my blogging. I apologize! The one nice thing about my father in law's visit was that it motivated me to try new recipes. I've made some new things that I haven't tried before. And one thing that was a big success was the Chicken Fri ed Steak recipe that I got from the Food Network by Alton Brown. Here is some visual aids, to show how I did it.

Ingredients

2 pounds beef bottom round, trimmed of excess fat
2 teaspoons kosher salt I used regular salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 whole eggs, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Cut the meat with the grain into 1/2-inch thick slices. Season each piece on both sides with the salt and pepper. I was able to find pretenderized beef bottom round steaks at Kroger, however, I was not a fan. If you do get it, ask the butcher to cube it. It looks like toothpick holes basically. This recipe calls for seasoning with salt and pepper, and then tenderizing. I obviously did not do that. But I don't think it jeopardized the flavor.

Place the flour into a pie pan. Place the eggs into a separate pie pan. Dredge the meat on both sides in the flour. Tenderize the meat, using a needling device, until each slice is 1/4-inch thick. Once tenderized, dredge the meat again in the flour, followed by the egg and finally in the flour again. Repeat with all the pieces of meat. Place the meat onto a plate and allow it to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking. This was the messiest part of the cooking. The coating of flour. Since I was doing 5 steaks, my fingers got super coated.

Place enough of the vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a 12-inch slope-sided skillet and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the meat in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook each piece on both sides until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side. This is one of the reasons why I want a cast iron skillet. You can fry things so much better and it adds a bit of extra zing to your food.

Remove the steaks to a wire rack set in a half sheet pan and place into the oven. Repeat until all of the meat is browned. These are before and after shots, compliments of my husband James.

Add the remaining vegetable oil, or at least 1 tablespoon, to the pan. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the flour left over from the dredging. Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pan. Whisk until the gravy comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Add the milk and thyme and whisk until the gravy coats the back of a spoon, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste, with more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve the gravy over the steaks.

Looks delicious? Actually, it's quite yummy! I'm adding thyme in the first picture. I always feel fancy when I add fresh herbs to my dishes. The second picture is testing the gravy. It's a great test to make sure it's ready to serve.

This is the final product! Ha ha, I didn't mention that I also made mashed potatoes and green beans as well. One tip about green tips when serving it with Chicken Fried Steak, use chicken broth to soften it up. Adds a ton of flavor and compliments to the dish.

Alex's 100 Days

2009-06-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

Back in the day, the infant mortality rate was high in Korea. Often a baby would die before it reached 100 days old. So, whenever it happened, there was a huge celebration. Since the introduction of Western medicine and through proper diet and research, it's now known that a baby can easily surpass 100 days. So the celebration does not seem to be important. Actually, currently, a professional picture is taken. If you enter a Korean family's house, you can more than likely find a framed picture of the baby dressed in nice clothes. So, following tradition, James and I had a photo shoot with Alex when he turned 100 days old. We also got some family portraits done since we don't have a professional picture of the three of us. The photographer is Vanessa Sanchez, my brother's girlfriend. Very talented young photographer.

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3 months later and they get to meet!

2009-05-24T09:24:00.001-07:00

Ever since James and I got married, besides my dad, another person that wanted us to have kids is my baby brother. My brother is 3 years younger than me and he's currently going to school to become a graphics design artist. I've seen a lot of his stuff and I'm really impressed at his talent and creativity! I think I missed out on that creativity gene but Matthew (my baby brother) has it in spades. When Alex was born, Matthew was suck in New Mexico all by himself. My parents were out here in Houston to support both James and me. Matthew had a lot of school work going on and midterms were coming up so he was pretty busy. Anyway, Alex and I were hoping to come out to New Mexico much sooner than now. However, Alex's doctor did not feel comfortable letting us go just yet. So now Alex is 3 months old and we're going to New Mexico in a few days but Matthew, being the considerate person he is, will be coming out here to help me fly out with Alex. I'm excited. It's been awhile, and Matthew finally gets to meet his nephew! Can't wait! This is a picture of my brother with a balloon under his shirt at my baby shower. What a nutter!

Hot house!

2009-05-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

I got the hankering to make some Korean soups since it's been awhile. And I had to call my mom on how to make her beef broth. I remember she would spend DAYS or WEEKS boiling, making her own broth. I use to think she was crazy but now I see it's well worth it! So I'm currently making my own. I bought a couple ox tail bones (which I've only been able to find in an Asian market) and I had to make the initial boil to get the fat out. Now, I'm boiling more to make the thick broth. Then, I'll put them in sandwich bags and freeze them for later use. Here is the basic recipe:

Beef Broth

2-3 ox tail bones
1 HUGE pot

Fill the pot up with water, and add the bones. Bring to an initial boil then let it cool. Take the fat off the top of the water and add more. Boil for as long as needed to get a thick, dense color broth. Could take 2-5 days for the first time. Can use the same bones to make more, will need to boil longer.

How does your garden grow??

2009-05-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

So I went to HEB today to get some food to make for dinner. There was a great sale on bratwurst, so I'm going to do Rachel Ray's Chianti brats. James LOVES them and has requested them a couple times, but I've been too lazy to make them. Another thing that is made with the brats is pesto pasta, and I usually use the regular basil and pinenuts for my pesto. As I was searching around HEB, I saw some real basil plants and I got SUPER excited! James and I were JUST talking about how I need to get started on my garden and more than anything, I want to grow my own herbs. I use to grow sunflowers and beans in my room when I was younger. Since we don't own the house we currently live in, I can't quite build my DREAM green house or garden yet. But I'm looking at some options and if I save enough, I may buy one of these and start my herb garden. I found it at Home Depot. My make shift green house ;-)

Fun Foto Friday!

2009-05-15T15:57:00.001-07:00

Crib Time!

2009-05-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

So tonight is the night! Alex is currently sleeping in his crib and will hopefully be like that for the night! We put his white noise machine in there, so he has some familiarity. He cried for a little while, but fell asleep. I just hope it lasts. I'm already extremely lonely without him, especially because James just left to work another overnight shift. Alex isn't quite 3 months old, but he was getting so huge for his bassinet, that a change really needed to be made. He's been pretty consistent sleeping 6 hours a night, and last night he actually slept 7 hours. So I hope this trend keeps up. He's growing so fast! Where does all the time go??

Live Long and Prosper

2009-05-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

So my mother in law is coming next weekend to spend time with Alex. She said she wants James and I to have a date night, which would be great. James and I haven't really had a date night since Alex has been born. Well, we were talking about what we would do and we decided to go see the new Star Trek movie. I've heard a lot of great things about it and I'm VERY excited to see it. There are many reasons. But the biggest reason is that I'm truly a Trekkie. It's sad. I LOVE Star Trek. Now, I won't succumb to the Star Trek vs. Star Wars thing because I truly believe that Star Trek is mainly science fiction with a little fantasy and Star Wars is mainly fantasy with a little science fiction. Two completely different things, and I love them both. However, I have my father to blame for my true Trekkiness. Ever since I was born, I was watching Star Trek. I can quote Star Trek movies and I know stupid trivia because my dad and I would play trivia games AND we collected the Star Trek collectible cards. One thing I don't/won't do is learn Klingon. Sorry, I'm having trouble remembering Korean and that is a REAL language. So I really eagerly look forward to the new movie and my reviews on it. I know it's not like the old Star Trek and I don't expect it to be. That is one of the reasons that the last two Star Trek movies did so poorly is because they didn't appeal to a larger audience, just the die hard Star Trek followers. Anyway, if you've seen it, don't tell me anything! I don't want to know! I'm just waiting to see it with my own eyes!

Tonight I made James' favorite. It's from Cooking for 2, but I modified it a little.

Spicy Turkey Tomato Soup

1/4 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small onion, chopped (I prefer red onion, better crunch)
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup canned Mexican diced tomatoes
1/3 cup uncooked whole wheat spiral pasta
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 chopped green chile or 1 can of green chile
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper, optional (if you want it spicy)

Cook the turkey in a saucepan with a little olive oil. Season it with the garlic and black pepper. Add the zucchini and onion and cook till turkey is done. Add in broth, tomatoes, pasta, cumin, green chile and jalapeno. Let it simmer till pasta is tender, then serve.

Hubble Telescope

2009-05-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

I have two zucchini loafs in the oven, my son asleep in his bassinet and my husband just left for his second overnight shift for NASA. While I'm waiting for the bread to finish, I'm just going to take a moment to explain how historic this shuttle mission is. To put it very briefly of what James does for NASA, he works for Boeing contracted to NASA. He studies the thermal signatures of the shuttle, to make sure it doesn't burn up or freeze. This mission is the last mission to the Hubble Telescope. The Hubble Telescope is located 300 nautical miles from Earth and it gives us an extended eye to the unknown universe. The Atlantis crew is going up to Hubble one last time to make final repairs. NASA hopes that these repairs would last Hubble about 10 years before it no longer works. Currently NASA is working on another telescope that will go out much farther than Hubble. One of the reasons that this mission is so dangerous is because IF something were to happen to the Atlantis shuttle, the Endeavour would have to launch in order to go up and save the crew. During normal missions, it is not a big deal because the shuttle is docked to the space station. But for this mission, there is no safe haven for the crew. The odds are there, but we're all praying that they are slim. Anyway, this is one last maintenance for the historic Hubble telescope. It has given us such beautiful images to look at. This image has often be referred to as "The Eye of God."Well, my zuchinni bread is done and I'm off to bed!

Fun Foto Friday!

2009-05-08T06:04:00.000-07:00

I swear he wasn't crying! He was just sucking on his hand. Fun at Pac Sun!

Knives

2009-05-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

So I was chopping up some green onion today and I was frustrated because I had to sharpen my knife, YET AGAIN! I use to think my mom was weird because every time she took out her knife, she sharpened it. Well, now that I cook all the time, now I need to have a sharp knife all the time. James loves watching "How It's Made" and he saw a special on ceramic knives. These knives are so awesome, you don't have to sharpen them! The Kyocera knives were featured and we decided to get them for my mom for Christmas one year. Keep in mind, my mom has been using a knife for decades. She can chop, peel, dice, slice.. Like no one's business. And when we got those for her, she actually cut herself! The reason being, the ceramic knives are deceptive. They are extremely light to the touch, but incredibly sharp! So another tool that I need for my kitchen someday... Going back to my green onion, I made Hot and Sour Soup today. Here is my recipe:

Hot and Sour Soup

4 cups of chicken broth
2 tbsp cornstarch
4 slices of tofu
1/4 lb mushrooms
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp black pepper
1 egg - beaten
1 cup bean sprouts
1 chopped green onion

Combine 1/4 cup of chicken broth and corn starch. Combine the remaining chicken broth, tofu, mushrooms, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, green onion and pepper over high heat. Mix well, bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, stir in the cornstarch mixture until it thickens. Slowly stir in the beaten egg to form egg strands. Add the bean sprouts and simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Family! Woo hoo!

2009-05-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

My dad came for two weekend visits to see Alex. During the week, he went to Alabama on business, so Houston was a half way point for him. Anyway, my daddy FINALLY got to spend some quality time with Alex. He got to feed, hold and burp him. But of course, when Alex dirtied his diaper, my dad said "I've already done it, it's Mom and Dad's turn." Apparently my dad was worried Alex was going to cry when they met, but it was quite the opposite. They both had a great time together. Here is a picture of my boys, just missing my brother!

My dad left yesterday afternoon. After we took my dad to the airport, James, Alex and I were just laying down for a short nap when we got the call that James' brother Ronnie, wife Eighmy and daughter Alina were coming to visit too! In case you don't know, Alex and his cousin Alina are the same age. Eighmy and I were both in labor at the same time. Alex was born at 1:53pm and Alina was born at 5:05pm. We haven't seen them since the babies were only a week old, so it was great to have them over. The babies got to see each other and everyone ate all of my oatmeal cookies! What the heck?! Anyway, here are some pictures to see the difference in sizes between Alex and Alina. As posted before, Alex weighs 17 lbs 7 oz and his cousin Alina is 10 lbs 12 oz.

Tonight I'm making Korean Yellow Croaker (have never found this except in Asian markets) and cooked tofu. For the Yellow Croaker recipe, I'm sure you could do this recipe for trout, or any other type of whole fish. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan on it in the future. They are my mom's recipes, very simple but extremely tasty:

Yellow Croaker

2 Yellow Croakers (fish)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder

Clean the yellow croakers and add the salt, pepper and garlic on the fish. Let it sit for an hour to marinate. Put the fish on a skillet, medium heat. Cover the fish and let it lightly brown on each side. Eat fish whole, make sure you warn those you serve it to! Look out for fish bones. We usually use chopsticks to eat this.

Cooked Tofu

1 package of medium firm tofu
1 tbl salt
1 tbl sugar

Cut the tofu into cubes and put into a bowl. Add the salt and sugar. Make sure each cube has some sugar and salt on them. Put the tofu on skillet on medium heat. Let it lightly brown on each side.

Four

2009-05-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

Go to your fourth folder and post the 4th picture in that folder. Then tag 4 friends to do the same.

This is from Thanksgiving 2008. From the left: James, me, my mother in law Shirley, my sister in law Eighmy and my brother in law Ronnie. Eighmy and I were (obviously) both pregnant at this time and James was working over night shifts for the shuttle mission. He was running on energy drinks at that point. I tag James, Kara, Tina and my mystery friends!

Note to self..

2009-04-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

ALWAYS put vinegar in the water when making hard boiled eggs.. More on this later..

Growing baby

2009-04-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

It's all known that Alex is a big boy. He had his 2 month appointment today. Poor baby had to get his shots :-( Now, James and I have been aware that Alex does weigh quite a bit. We know that he is heavy but he also pretty long too. So we got his official weight and length at his appointment and this boy is 17 lbs 7 oz and 25.25 inches long! He is in the 97th percentile for length but he is certainly off the charts for weight! Doctors expect babies to double their birth weight by 6 months, but it looks like Alex is going to attain that by his 3rd month! I asked the doctor if I should be concerned and she said no since all I've been doing is breastfeeding. And of course, breastfeeding is the best thing for both mom and the baby. To give you an idea of where he stands on the chart, here it is for boys (yes, it's different for boys and girls):

Looks like I need to go shopping for more clothes. He's growing so fast! So tonight, I'm making chicken enchiladas and here is my recipe:

1-1.5 pounds of chicken (breast or thigh)
4 cups of chicken broth
1 tsp of Chili Powder
2 tsp of black pepper
2 tsp of garlic powder
2 cans of enchilada sauce
1 can of diced Mexican tomatoes
1/4 cup of diced spicy peppers of your choice
1 small chopped green bell pepper
1 cup of Mexican shredded cheese
8 corn or 5 flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put the chicken broth in a saucepan, add the black pepper and garlic powder. Add the chicken into the broth mixture and bring to a boil. Leave chicken till it is cooked thoroughly. Drain the broth, then shred the chicken.

In a saucepan, combine the shredded chicken, chopped bell pepper, chili powder, diced spicy peppers and diced Mexican tomatoes. Add 1.5 cans of enchilada sauce and 3/4 cups of cheese and cook over medium heat till sauce thickens.

Put the mix into the tortillas and roll them into a light greased casserole dish, laying the enchiladas side by side. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over all the rolled enchiladas. Put the dish into the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Take the dish out of the oven and add the rest of the cheese on top of enchiladas. Let the dish cook in the oven for another 5 minutes, then serve.

Tip: If using corn tortillas, use the microwave and a lightly damped paper towel to soften the enchiladas.

Keep the beat!

2009-04-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

This kid is amazing! Just wanted to share. I'll post a blog about my dad's stay shortly.

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

New Mexico.. Here we come!

2009-04-26T11:59:00.001-07:00

So Southwest had an AWESOME deal going on today where the Wanna Go fares were half off to Albuquerque! I guess they are trying to push folks to fly out to New Mexico. I couldn't believe it! Now, we have always flown Southwest because Hobby Airport is only 15 minutes from our house and my dad gets great Southwest specials. I've been wanting to buy the tickets on our own, and had been looking for cheap tickets for awhile. I signed up for DING by Southwest which have daily cheap ticket rates, but not always from Houston to Albuquerque. Since they had this special today, I saved $50 compared to DING rates! So it's official! Alex and I are off to New Mexico! We'll be flying out May 28th and will return June 8th. I'm so excited! I can't wait! I just wish James could come with us, but due to his crazy shuttle schedule, he'll be working his butt off. There is a shuttle launch schedule May 11th to repair the Hubble telescope and there is another launch date set for June 13th which James is responsible engineer for his group. So much going on, I can't keep up! Anyway, I can't wait for green chile and the Sandia Mountains.

Fun Foto Friday!

2009-04-24T14:53:00.001-07:00

Accessories for my kitchen

2009-04-22T18:43:00.001-07:00

I have an ever expanding cookbook collection mainly because I have great friends that find these and think of me. I want to buy more and try out new things. I use to get the "Cooking for 2" magazine and make a lot of things from there. Many of which James keeps asking for over and over. Well, for my birthday, I asked my adoring husband for a cast iron skillet to add to my kitchen because no cook can be without one. Now, I see something I MUST have. I first saw Alton Brown on Good Eats use it and now I want it!!! Check it out! I found it on ThinkGeek.

Comparison

2009-04-20T20:41:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to post this real quick. This is a baby picture of James on the left, and a picture of Alex when he was only 3 days old on the right. Can you tell he looks just like his daddy??

Dancing!

2009-04-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

This season, the husband and I got addicted to Dancing With the Stars. I don't know about you but I LOVE watching competitive dancing. I use to dance/cheer when I was younger and was in musical theatre in high school, so watching choreography like this gets me really excited and pumped up! What's even more exciting is that James (the husband) gets excited and into it too!

The dancing on the show is amazing and I'm so jealous of the talent on there. However, watching all of that just makes me want to dance even more. When I first met James, we hit it off right away. I mean RIGHT away (insert giggle here). Upon meeting him, I was talking to a mutual friend and the first thing he said to me about James was "He's a great dancer!" Well, I immediately told James what I had heard about him and he just laughs. My husband loves to swing dance and two step. He would go to the weekly swing dances at his school and from what I understand, the girls would love to dance with him. After we started dating, we use to go to a country bar and dance a lot. Now, I thought I was a decent dancer, but my dancing is small potatoes compared to my groom. I would be as lost as Cloris from Dancing with the Stars.

James and I are always thinking of things to do together. In truth, that's what keeps you connected with your partner. Being able to share things, whether physical or not. James would watch the shows I want to watch and I would go do the activities that he would want to do. He's introduced me to a new world of hobbies I never thought I would pick up such as rock climbing! And he never thought he would learn as much about fashion from TV (like from America's Next Top Model). One true passion that comes from both of our unique backgrounds is dancing. We both love to dance. So a new adventure we hope to embark on soon is taking some serious dance lessons! And maybe someday, we'll look like this...

Hiccups Remedy??

2009-04-19T14:04:00.001-07:00

So yesterday, after great fun at the Scrapbook Junkie and even greater fun driving through flooded streets *grumble*, James and I were laughing with each other and I ended up with the hiccups. Now I don't know anyone that doesn't like having the hiccups. When my poor baby boy gets the hiccups, I feel bad for him because it takes over his entire body. Anyway, I asked James to get me a glass of water and he asked why. I told him that I was going to drink from the far side of the glass in order to get rid of the hiccups. He didn't believe that it would work. If you don't already know, hiccups are basically a spasm of the diaphragm. Depending on how extreme the hiccups are, there are some simple remedies that can cure hiccups.

According to Health911, something sweet or something tart will work.

This just reminds me of the Mary Poppins song. I've tried it once, but it didn't really work for me.

Another common remedy is simply holding your breath.

But how do we know how long to hold it for? And personally, I can't hold my breath if I'm hiccuping. It just makes me laugh.

A funny remedy that just makes me laugh even more is the scare/surprise tactic.

I thought this would work, but when you're expecting it, it never works. I've never been able to be surprised like that.

SO, my home remedy has ALWAYS been drinking from the far side of the glass. And for the record, if my hiccups aren't too bad, it ALWAYS works. So I highly recommend it in the future.

Late Night

2009-04-17T22:07:00.000-07:00

So unfortunately my daddy won't be coming this weekend. There was a change in his plans, but he does hope to come out soon. Either way, we'll be here waiting for him :-) I talked about bottle feeding Alex in a previous blog post, and I mentioned that I was worried. Well, my mom had bought us these great Playtex Bottles.

It has been successful! James was able to feed Alex without problems. I was worried about nipple confusion which was a moot worry. Alex has been doing great with it and James has been so helpful in willing to bottle feed Alex when I need a break or when I need to catch up on housework. James also loves it because like any man, this is also a great time for them to bond.

Space Node 3

2009-04-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, NASA officially named Space Node 3 "Tranquility." Which is in honor of Apollo 11. That part is understandable. What is not understandable is why NASA had a poll going on to figure out WHAT to name Space Node 3. Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report on Comedy Central asked his fans to write his name as a suggestion for Space Node 3. In reality, his name got the most votes! The second was the name "Serenity" which was an option that NASA posted itself. Well, Sunita Williamson announced the official name on the Colbert Report however, to honor Stephen Colbert's dedication, they decided to name the new treadmill after him. Here is the badge that they're going to put on the treadmill.

On a side note, James was named responsible engineer for his team (Thermal Analysis) for the STS 127 which is set to launch June 13th. How exciting! I'm so proud!

Daddy's Girl

2009-04-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

When Alex was born, my dad couldn't really be around him because he was sick with the flu. Ever since James and I have been married, my dad has been asking when we're going to have children and now that we have, he is so excited. It was a bit sad that he couldn't spend any time with Alex right when he was born, but now my dad is flying in tomorrow to see him! I'm very excited! My dad was in the army and he is all about the army pride. Before Alex was born, he even bought him an Army teddy bear. That is how he met my mother in Korea. He is a wonderful man with a giving heart and he is even happy with being called Hadabogee, which means Grandpa in Korean. When my dad found out that we were naming the baby Alexander, he immediately asked if he could call him Lex. And I told him of course, since it will be a special nickname that he will be called by my dad. I love my daddy and I can't wait for him to be here! Here is a picture of the men in my life. It was taken at Christmas. You can see where Alex gets his light eyes from. Starting from the left: James, My Dad, My brother Matt

Back on program

2009-04-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

I am out of shape! Whew! I haven't had a decent workout since right before I got pregnant. I like going to the gym and just jumping on the elliptical and getting lost with my iPod. Well, I don't have a gym membership now, which is fine. I know plenty of people that got fit at home and that's what I hope to do. One thing I hope to invest in someday is the Wii Fit. But that involves buying a Wii first. As for right now, I'm sticking to running around the neighborhood and Comcast's ExerciseTV videos. With all the working out AND breastfeeding, maybe I'll get my prepregnant body back ;-)

Milk Donation

2009-04-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

So we weighed Alexander two days ago and based on our home scale, we THINK he's about 16 pounds. He's in Step 2 diapers, but I plan on waiting for his next appointment before he's officially in Step 3. Did you know that you CANNOT buy Step 2 diapers in bulk? I've searched all of Walmart, Babies R Us and Sam's Club and there are not boxes of this stuff. Just as well, he's just a big boy.

I had my 6 week check up and talked to the midwives of getting Mirena. While I would love to have another child, I just want to wait a little while before we start again. So I have an appointment for it to be inserted in two weeks. Very exciting! No more pills! All the midwives were surprised of how BIG Alex is. And they were talking about how I'll be burning calories with all the breastfeeding I've been doing. In fact, to keep my milk supply up, I've signed up to donate my milk to the Mother's Milk Bank at Austin. I'm going to donate 150 oz and possibly continue bi weekly donations. Let's hope Alex slows down in growth or else we'll need to buy a convertible car seat soon!

Exhausted!

2009-04-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

"Sleep when the baby sleeps" which is great advice. I can't say enough how important it is to have rest. I've been pretty tired and Alex can be a handful. I honestly DO NOT know how some women do it. I've never been a woman that has been depressed. I usually find content in almost every situation, but when you have a crying baby, it's REALLY hard to feel happy at all. Especially when you don't know why that baby is crying. I broke down in tears a couple times because Alex would be fed/dry/burped and yet he would still be screaming. I didn't know what to do so I just started to cry myself. A lot of it had to do with how tired I am. I never thought I would be a power napper, but that's how life is for me right now. I sleep for 2-3 hours at a time, then there is feedings, changings, and burpings. One thing I love again.. COFFEE!!

James was especially sweet to me yesterday. He noticed how tired I was yesterday and let me take a much needed nap while he tended to Alex. Of course, he only brought him in when Alex wanted food. Which is fine.. We haven't introduced the bottle to Alex yet. I just cleaned and sterilized the ones we have now, so we may try to do that this week. I am REALLY nervous about it.. I don't want him to get nipple confusion, so I may just slowly introduce the bottle to him. My mom got us these really great bottles by Playtex which have the wide nipple that helps with breastfed babies. Anyway, remember to sleep when the baby sleeps!

February 27th, Alexander is here!

2009-03-07T14:39:00.001-08:00

So I finally have a few moments to talk about the arrival of Alexander! I’ve been getting a lot of questions and I hope that this answers some of them. First off, to start with a disclaimer, labor isn’t pretty. Hollywood made it seem so clean and easy, but the truth is, it isn’t. Ha ha! You see movies where the pregnant woman screams “My water broke!” and they rush to the hospital. After 2 minutes of pushing, the baby appears! Reality, it does not happen that way. Now, here we go:
On Friday, I was fast asleep till about 3:30am, then I woke up in extreme pain. How to describe this pain? Think about the worst poop you’ve EVER had to take and it decides to grow arms and punch around! For a moment, I thought I had to go to the bathroom, but shortly after I realized I was just in pain. I really thought I could work through the pain and go back to sleep. I even got in the bathtub to help myself relax, but it all seemed moot. Eventually, I crawled back into bed around 5am. James usually senses when I come to bed and he’ll cuddle me, but that morning, I screamed at him “DON’T TOUCH ME!” He realized that I wasn’t comfortable and that I was in fact having contractions. Right away, he started to time them. This part is gross, but a reality for most women, the pain got so bad for me that I had to run to the bathroom to throw up. Having taken a birthing class, we both knew that this was a signal I was in active labor. I couldn’t concentrate on relaxing during the contractions while lying down. I actually had to stand up for a lot of my labor. So, James calls the midwife after timing my contractions for an hour, and she said it was time to come to the hospital.
After one of the most painful car rides of my life (not blaming James, just the labor), we finally get to the hospital where I’m wheeled into my delivery room. I’m going to stop for a moment to describe this room. It’s like a little hotel room with a nice bed, couch, rocking chair, a Jacuzzi tub and TV. James finds this great channel on the TV that plays instrumental music and shows nature scenes, which played the ENTIRE time I was in labor. I kept the room especially cold, probably around 60 degrees or so. I felt bad for my mom (who arrived later) who doesn’t like the cold, and was wearing a blanket my entire labor. So back to the labor story, I got there and changed. The midwife checked and found that I was 5-6cm dilated and 90% effaced. To be honest, I was really surprised! I had wanted to be dilated quite a bit before I got to the hospital, and I did try to labor at home for as long as possible (before I started to throw up). I didn’t think that I was dilated as far as I was since we left the house around 6am (remember, I woke up only at 3:30am in extreme pain). So I was pleasantly surprised, but I still didn’t expect my labor to be short by any means. I stood around the room for a long time, dealing with contractions. Sometimes I would do a slow dance with James, or I would just lay my head on the bed and stay standing. I did throw up a couple more times, and at around 10am, my midwife checked me again and I was 8-9cm dilated. So I was officially in Transition Labor. I DID notice the contractions getting rougher and longer to deal with. The midwife suggested that I get in the Jacuzzi tub and relax. I loved it, and James even made the comment that I was falling asleep between contractions. My mom thought that was funny because she did the same thing when she was in labor with me. After awhile, the midwife comes to me and asks if I wanted her to break my water and try to get pushing started. I did not want that to happen, and asked my midwife if we could wait an hour to see if I could break my water on my own.

Well, I gave it two hours. I waited and tried my hardest, but my water wouldn’t break. So after the midwife checked me again, I was fully dilated and fully effaced, I let her go ahead and break the water. After that happened, Alex’s head went into zero station and I had to prepare to push. I pushed for 1.5 hours and finally, my son was here! The pushing was a lot harder than I expected, but the end result was more than worth it. That’s all I can type for now. If there any questions, let me know!

Slaves to NASA

2009-02-19T08:05:00.000-08:00

SO, NASA's soonest launch has been delayed a couple times. The original launch was set for February 12th, then was delayed to no earlier than the 19th and now it is set for no earlier than the 27th. James' entire work schedule is based around the launch. His team does 24/7 monitoring of the thermal conditions of the shuttle. So he works 1 out of 3 eight hours shifts during the day. The last mission, it was a bit rough because he worked during the Thanksgiving weekend but he still was awake for dinner. He was burnt out by the whole thing, but it was a rewarding experience and now we know what to expect. The only problem is (of course) is that our son isn't here yet and we want the initial bonding time with James and Alex before he goes back to work. I really really really hope that the shuttle launch isn't till the beginning of March and he'll be able to spend the first week with Alex before he has to work hard for NASA. I'm extremely proud of James, I can't imagine the work he's doing. I just also want James to feel included with the baby.

Getting closer..and more drama..

2009-02-19T07:57:00.000-08:00

So yesterday, I had my midwife appointment. And when Dawn checked his heartbeat, she noticed it was on the low end. It was about 110 bpm and she decided to do a non stress test, so I laid there in the office for about 20 minutes with the fetal monitor strapped to me. The big problem was that he was extremely active at this time, so they didn't get the readings that they wanted. So, Dawn sent me over to L&D to do more long term fetal monitoring. I went over, got hooked up and after an hour, she came by and noticed that his heartbeat baseline is still considered a little low. She talked with Dr. Mott and decided to just continue to monitor while I ate and drank (since I didn't have anything for almost 4 hours). Dawn told me that it seems that he just has a low heart rate and she even did an ultrasound to check that he was still doing "unique" activity, such as practice breathing and opening/closing his hands. They weren't freaking out, I suppose they just wanted to know what was going on. After a couple hours more of fetal monitoring, they decided to send me home. I'm going back on Friday (my due date) to do some more monitoring and Dawn said they are probably going to insert the prepidil gel so I won't go too overdue. The nurse at the evaluation room noticed that I was contracting a bit, and she said it was either due to the vaginal exam or I may go into labor soon. They couldn't quite tell, but I just seem to be 1 cm dilated.

After I got home, I cried. I knew there wasn't a lot to worry about. I wasn't really freaking out. I was just very emotional. I came home and cried my heart out. James comforted me wonderfully and even made me dinner so I wouldn't have to stress out. I love my son so much already, I'm so already attached, that if anything were wrong with him, I'd be terrified! I want him to be here, in my arms. My due date is tomorrow and I can't believe he isn't here yet. I wish he was. My life doesn't seem complete without him now...

Yesterday's news

2009-01-29T06:22:00.000-08:00

I went to the midwife again yesterday, for my 37 week appointment. Technically, the baby is now considered "full term." This means that I could deliver any day and he should be healthy. Doesn't mean I don't want him to come out before he's ready though! I asked the midwife to do a pelvic exam, mainly because my dad was really curious if I was progressing at all. TMI, but she said my cervix is soft and I was "half a fingertip" dilated (0.5 cm). So I have 9.5cm to go!

It was funny because since 4am yesterday, I've been feeling crazy contractions. Nothing too extreme since I was able to drive to the hospital and all. I just feel the menstrual like pain and it was on and off for a few hours. I was finally able to sleep through them after I got home from my appointment. These are more intense than the regular Braxton Hicks contractions, but I can still manage just fine. I'm NOT having high hopes that this means I'll be delivering anytime soon. I know that this could last for weeks (which will drive me crazy) but it's something the body naturally does to prepare for delivery.

To keep my hopes at bay, the midwife said that I should plan on having my baby 10 days after my due date. I'm not anxious to have him right away. It's more for selfish reasons as to why I would have him now, but I know that in due time, he'll be here. I'm just getting more and more uncomfortable. I can tell that he's already somewhat dropped since my heartburn has finally stopped. And now, I'm dealing with a new symptom, swelling of the feet. Luckily, my hands haven't swelled yet, so I can still parade around with my wedding ring on. I haven't been able to sleep very much, or when I do, it's only for a few hours at a time. I sleep at weird times and I don't know if I can keep my promise to my boss that I'll be working till the day I go into labor.

Speaking of my job, my boss is a great woman. She's really nice and friendly and asked what I would want to do when the baby finally comes. Since I didn't have a resolution, she offered to let me bring him for awhile. I told her that we could do that, but in the end, not to be surprised if I decide to quit and stay at home with him. She seemed to expect that, but she doesn't want to let me go just yet. Either way, I still have my job after Alex is born.

Our house is almost done! We're hoping everything will be ready by the time my folks fly in. Our dining room table was finally assembled yesterday and our living room has been rearranged. Alex's room is almost in order and we're slowly organizing and putting things away. I'm getting excited and really want my nesting instinct to kick in full gear (being one of the many signs of labor). Anyway, on that note, with these false labor contractions, I'll be signing off for now.

Weekly appointments!

2009-01-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

So we went to the midwife this past Tuesday. She didn't do a dilation check, since they don't normally do those. But we did give her a copy of our birth plan, which she was really open to. She recommended that I start taking evening primrose oil, to ripen my cervix and that will help me not be over due. James and I went to Kroger and got me some capsules. I was reading on the web that some women actually insert these next to their cervix, but I think I'll just stick to taking the pills for now. I'm crossing my fingers that I won't be overdue. I just want him to be here and healthy as soon as possible. I don't want to rush this, but according to the ultrasound tech, my due date is February 17th and that means I'll be considered full term next Tuesday.

I'm very excited that we're moving into weekly appointments. James won't be able to attend all of these, which is fine, since his work schedule is so crazy anyway. I'm just happy he's excited and involved at all. I am getting a little frustrated with those asking questions about when Alex is coming. Although I would love it if he was here tomorrow, it's entirely out of my hands. I can see why the midwives don't check all the time because that raises expectations too much. It's VERY likely that I could be late. Even though I don't want to be, I don't doubt that it will happen. All we can do now is wait...

Getting started!

2009-01-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

So we have finally started on Alex's nursery! There is a lot that still needs to be done! We still have to buy bedding and I've been throwing around more ideas. His crib's brackets were recalled, so we're waiting for a response from Storkcraft to find out when the new ones are coming in. James changed his mind and decided to make his room themed for airplanes instead of rockets. We painted the base blue, and we're going to put clouds up. I've asked James if he wanted to make model airplanes and hang them from the ceiling. I've thought about getting some shelves for Alex's room and painting them the green color of the bedding. There is a lot to consider and a lot to do. Just hope we'll have it all done before he gets here! 2 more weeks and I'll be considered to be full term!

Back from New Mexico

2009-01-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

So we had a blast in New Mexico. I miss it so much, the beauty of it and the sincere surroundings. I can't wait to show Alexander when he finally comes. I'm getting more and more impatient. I wish he was here but I KNOW he has to stay in there longer. I'm 33 weeks and 3 days along and in less than 4 weeks, I'll be considered to be full term. So, a MONTH!! I still don't have anything ready!!

Huh???

2008-11-26T18:22:00.001-08:00

I know that every woman has a different plan for her birth. I know that every woman is unique and wants different things. I don't try to judge anyone for their decisions because even though they make decisions I don't agree with, I will still respect them as a person. I don't think that all women are as OCD about knowing about the birth like I am. But there are women out there that know more than I do, especially since they've been through it before. Either way, I KNOW that women out there do things differently than I do.

But something bothers me.. I was reading my EDD (expected due date) group forums and a girl that was due ONE DAY before me already had her baby. ONE DAY! I know Alexander is not ready to come out. The womb is a very important place for the baby's development. That is why they stay in there for 40 weeks. They need that time to develop and get ready before they come out the big world.

As I understand it, she had a C-section and the only reason she listed was because the baby was breeched. That REALLY confused me. I went to my midwife appointment today and I found out Alexander was breeched and I didn't bat an eye. I know he'll turn in the right position when it comes time for his birth. I know that there are things I can do to help him turn. My midwife even told me that they don't really look into that sort of thing till I'm about 34-36 weeks along which makes perfect sense. Why should it matter this early in the game where he is? Heck, he could be transverse and I wouldn't care.. Well maybe I would because that would be uncomfortable. Either way, I don't mind and as long as he's healthy, there is nothing more I could ask for.

So it is wrong for me to see this to be odd? Granted, I do have a bias opinion because I'm adamently against C-sections. I will everything in my power to not allow one to happen for me and Alex. Her baby came out to be just under 3 pounds and 13.5 inches long. That's under half the usual weight the baby is suppose to be! I know.. It sounds like I'm bashing her. I'm just highly confused. I will pray for her and her baby, that her baby will be healthy and there will be no long term effects from this. I also will continue to pray that Alexander develop in me as long as he needs to and that he'll come out healthy and strong, just like his father.

Speaking of my strong son, since he is breeched, he has certainly been kicking my pelvis lately! And it's not to a small degree! His kicks are getting stronger and stronger, and they are hurting more and more. He has been kicking directly onto my bladder and it HURTS! If he kicks it hard enough and in the right spot, it feels as though my urinary tract is on fire! But my midwife said that was normal, especially because he is breeched. If he was the other way, he would be kicking my ribs. So I don't know which I would prefer, so I guess I can deal with the bladder kicking. Anyway, we have our 3D ultrasound set up for Dec 10th and James' parents will be attending. It's going to be exciting to see him in a new light!

Stubborn Baby!

2008-11-02T09:30:00.001-08:00

So apparently Alexander is a foot long now. Which is hard for me to believe! I DO have a pregnant belly now. Things are going well. The only thing I would complain about is Alex likes to lay on my sciatica nerve sometimes. This allows my lower butt and leg to go through pain, which is not fun. Other than that, it's good. I love being pregnant.

I had an appointment on the 29th and things seemed to be going well. My midwife said that I gained a little too much weight. But I didn't gain ANY weight during my first trimester. So I'm not looking at it as a bad thing. When she measured me, she saw that I was actually measuring a week farther along than I was suppose. Well, either this means Alex is going to be a BIG baby or he may come sooner than I think. I hope he comes soon. I'm dying to meet him.

In other news, we applied for a rental house. It's a 3 bedroom/2 bath house with a 2 car garage. I'm crossing my fingers that we actually get the house!! We will hear from them tomorrow. I just really want a room for the baby. I don't think I can wait till our lease is up. I want to paint his room, pick out furniture, decorate it and organize it. And just for everyone's curiosity, we plan on doing a rockets and space theme!! We already found stencils for planets and astronauts! Talk about influencing him early ;-). Anyway, I'm trying hard not to keep my hopes up but I can't help it!

Kicking!

2008-10-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

Yes! Alexander has been kicking! A lot! It is a funny feeling and I can't really describe it. Of course, NOTHING describes this feeling very well. It's kind of like popping pop corn in your belly. James has been able to feel him now and is loving every moment. A couple nights ago, I was tossing and turning, and accidentally woke up James. Alex was moving a lot and I placed his hand on my belly. Finally, after Alex decided to let Daddy know it was him, James gasps and asks "Was that a kick?" I got so excited! It's been weeks and I've felt so bad since James hasn't been able to share all of this with me. He's happy now that he's finally made some sort of contact. It's crazy though, Alex is only super active when I'm relaxing or getting ready to fall asleep. I guess he's starting early on making my life interesting. I'm now 23 weeks along, more than halfway through the pregnancy. 17 more weeks to go and I can hardly stand it!

Dear Alexander...

2008-10-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

I may not be the best mother in the world, but I will try my hardest for you. I will give you everything I have as a mother, all the wisdom, guidance, happiness, love that a mother can give to her child. I will make mistakes, I'm human. I will ask you to forgive me, and I will hope you forget them. I will punish you when you do something wrong and I will NOT enjoy it. It will kill me to take away any joy and happiness from you, but it's all part of the learning process.

We'll learn together, Alexander. I don't have this parenting thing down. I don't know what I'm doing. I just know that I'll love you unconditionally. There is nothing you can do that will make me deny you as my son. I would gladly give you my life to make you happy. I will sacrifice everything that I have and that I am to give you everything you deserve. You don't know this, but you deserve the world. You deserve all the love in the world.

My wish for you is to grow up and to find your place in the world. To find out what God has intended for you to do. I pray that you find a woman that will complete you, a job that will fulfill you and a relationship with God that will be everlasting. You don't have to be a CEO to be successful. You've got all the opportunities in the world ahead of you, I just want you to take advantage of them. All I want is for you to be happy. And I will try my hardest, my life, my everything to help you get there. I love you, son. I will always love you. No matter what you do, no matter where you are, your mother will always love you.

With love,

Mom

To non-pregnant people

2008-10-12T12:35:00.001-07:00

Dear Non-Pregnant Person,

I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. ..

If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me- then you should probably read this twice.

1) The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having ababy is "Congratulations!" with enthusiasm.

Any other response makes you an a$$

2) Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase "my baby".

3) On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in 2, the pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you.You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it. The same goes for the name of the baby.

4) The body of a pregnant women should be treated the same as any other body.You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus,cervix or how they plan to use their breasts.Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.

5) Likewise, no women wants to hear comments on her weight- ever.A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face.Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended.The only acceptable comment on appearance is "You look fabulous!".

6) By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on thefact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes.

7) There is a reason that tickets to L&D are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may soundcrazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals.Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents.Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited.This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor,delivery, the hospital and the parents home.You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to "help out".If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you willbe asked for it.

9) If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should cleanup the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way.Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering withbreastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.

10) The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents.Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are are being given the privilege of seeing their child.Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.I hope this helps- it sure makes us feel better.

Signed,

All Pregnant Women

Some thoughts..

2008-10-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm not meaning to sound judgmental, mad or anything. I think it's mainly my hormones that magnify anything that I may be feeling. I feel as though some people shouldn't really have the right to tell me what to do when they're not pregnant and when this isn't their baby. I won't go into specifics, but I will post a pregnancy letter that explains how I feel.

My brother in law told me that I read too much. I didn't think that was a bad thing. Yes, I read a lot. I like to read. I would read anything I can get my hands on. When I don't know something, I want to study it. I guess it comes from being in college for so long. I want to be informed, I want to know what's going on, I want to answer my own questions and concerns. I decided a long time ago that I wanted to understand what I was getting myself into when I got pregnant. Keep in mind, I said UNDERSTAND. By no means do I KNOW what is going on. They say every pregnancy is different and that every woman is different, so I just want to understand what's going on.

I already have a birth plan. I know what EXACTLY what I want when the birth happens. James and I have talked it about many times and we have our list of things that are GOING to happen when Alexander is born. I don't entirely trust the hospital system. I've heard so many bad things that's happened, but I like to prepare for the unexpected. I would like for us to be by in a hospital in case something is wrong, but that's my OCD getting in the way. I'm finding more and more women don't really know what kind of birth they want to experience. The common saying I've heard is "I just don't want an episiotomy." I'll post my birth plan on here after I've finalized it. I have a lot more reading to do about Vitiman K shots and eye drops. Anyway, I'm just expressing how I feel right now.

Halfway!

2008-10-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

So on October 3rd, I was officially halfway through my pregnancy. I now have 131 days till I can expect this baby! Here's a gross picture of me, but I promise the future ones will be better!

It's a BOY!!

2008-10-12T12:10:00.001-07:00

ALEXANDER JAMES BYERLY

Never have I felt more preggo..

2008-09-26T01:28:00.000-07:00

So.. I woke up this morning and I have this huge protruding gut! And I'm in shock! I'm a big girl, but certainly not THAT big! Last night was really special. I was reading and all of sudden, I felt a real KICK! I try to wake up James to try and feel it, but poor guy was sound asleep.

Here's why I actually feel preggo now:

1) Baby is finally moving around, I feel random flutters and some kicks.
2) My gut is sticking out more than ever! Need to start wearing more t-shirts!
3) My hip/back joint hurts like crazy! I cleaned our apartment, and now I'm feeling the consequences!
4) My appetite is back and bigger than ever! I am constantly eating now! Gotta do more exercise!

I'm sure this list is going to change, but as of right now, I feel.. fat and icky and preggo!

Counting down

2008-09-18T22:13:00.002-07:00

I'm going to get a count down ticker to put on here.. I really can't wait to find out the gender of this baby!! Oct 1st is the big day and that means I have 13 more days till I know whether or not to start calling the baby Alexander or Eliora. I know, we changed the names.

Originally, we were going to name the boy Aiden James, but James found out that Britney Spears has a son named Jayden James, and he didn't want the confusion between our son and her son. And he didn't want there to be any teasing, so to prevent it, we changed the name entirely to our second choice, Alexander James Byerly.

The girl's name was going to be Elora. However, what kinda bothered me about the name is that there is no origin. The name basically has no meaning. Alexander means "leader of men." So we looked at the baby names and found a very similar name of Eliora, which in Hebrew means "The Lord is my light." I loved it so much that we decided to use it! Anyway.. the count down is too much!

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-18T22:13:00.001-07:00

We're very blessed that the Lord has taken care of us. For those who were wondering, we made it through the rage, known as Hurricane Ike. First and foremost, our prayers are out there for those who are still rebuilding and/or taking shelter in this time of need. We're thankful to have such wonderful family to be with during the storm. Also, a big THANK YOU for all the prayers and communication help from all of our friends and family. Here's our story..

Thursday, James goes to work and everyone was fairly shocked to see him there. With the threat of Ike at our heels, a lot of folks decided not to go into work and get their families and homes ready. James continued to text me all morning, expressing his concern about the hurricane, and was asking me to prepare for a departure to Humble. He stayed for only an hour and then came home. We got all of our stuff ready and figured out a route from League City to Humble that didn't involve major highways. There were mandatory evacuations in progress, and while our city was only voluntary, we were worried that we would be too close to the sea level that we'd get trapped by the storm surges. We hopped into our cars, filled with some clothes and necessities and headed to Humble. It took us 3 hours to drive a normal 1 hour trip. We made it to Humble, thanks to the hospitality of Ronnie and Eighmy. That night was filled with fun and laughter, as there were speculation of what Ike would do.

Friday, we found out that a lot of stores had closed early. Many were preparing for Ike. Watching the news, we saw that a lot of folks were stuck on Galveston Island due to the large waves brought on by Ike. The news was filled with updates and a lot of precautions to take due to the upcoming hurricane. While the night came on, the lights started to flicker. The wind was getting worse. We filled the bath tubs with water, which was very dirty. The power gave out after midnight. Candles were lit and the winds were noisy. Everyone was getting tired and decided to sleep away the storm. James opted to sleep in the bathroom, which worked out because the cool floor was nice since the air conditioning was no longer working. He didn't want to fall asleep in the bedroom, worried that debris would hit the windows and we would wake up with glass in our face. He fell asleep fairly quickly, I stayed up and listened to the wind. Around 5:30am-6am, I heard silence. I knew it must have been the eye of the hurricane. I finally was able to fall asleep and wait to see what Ike had done.

Saturday, we wake up sweaty and hot. We move to the bedroom but still hear the winds outside. I text my friends, letting them know that we were alright and asking for information since we did not have power/internet. The response was wonderful, we knew for sure that Ike was gone and we were to expect rain bands. Our neighborhood is roughed up and Houston in general has no power. There was a curfew in place, but not wanting to be indoors any longer, we actually found a restaurant that was serving hot food.

Sunday, a lot of the power is still out. We took a chance and actually found a Walmart that was open. We didn't get all the supplies that we needed, but fortunately were able to find flashlights and extra candles. There was also a Lowes across the street of Walmart, and they were out of a lot of things as well. Home Depot were having generators shipped, there were few gas stations open, restuarants with power were starting to serve on limited menus, and everyone was waiting for FEMA to arrive. We found a bar despite the curfew, and got a chance to relax.

Monday, we needed gas. We had to get it for James' truck since we had not filled up since we left League City. We drove past a couple of closed gas stations and saw some hope with a huge line waiting on the frontage road. We sat there waiting, slowly moving forward and saw that it was closed to the public. Frustrated, we drove and found another gas station with a line. James got out and spoke to another person waiting and was informed that everyone was waiting for a generator for the gas station. We waited for a little while, but the weather was actually really good, being dry and cool. James went inside to get some water and found out that there was no generator coming, and everyone was waiting for the power to come on. Frustrated again, we left and headed north. We finally saw another line that seemed a little more promising. James didn't want to waste time again, so he walked and asked if there was gas. There was hope! There was gas and the lines were moving very efficiently. The workers of the gas station let cars in one by one as those that filled their tanks were leaving. Regretting that we didn't get gas tanks, we finally filled up the truck with gas and headed back home to assess the damage. On the long drive, we could only imagine what we were coming home to. We didn't expect to come home with no damage and with power! We were in shock! We thanked God for giving us this, and decided it was time to come home. We drove around a little more and found a FEMA POD. We waited in line for 2 bags of ice, 2 packages of water and a box of MREs. The line moved very well, as they were just throwing the stuff in your car as you drove by them slowly.

It's amazing to see how people come together during this time of need. James and I have already decided to give back and help those who need it. We're all together in this and no matter what, we can rebuild.

15 Weeks Picture

2008-09-08T22:04:00.001-07:00

I'm 16 weeks and 3 days right now, but I seriously just look fat now lol! My future sis-in-law is showing much more than I am and she's 6 days behind me! Oh well, I'm sure the belly will get bigger. I haven't gained any weight between my last two appointments, so I guess the fat is going somewhere! Anyway, I'm off to bed. I'll post 17 weeks pictures on Friday. Hopefully we won't be evacuated due to Ike.

Baby's Heartbeat!!

2008-09-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

So here is the video!! Enjoy!!

Baby Hearbeat

Appointment today

2008-09-04T19:57:00.001-07:00

We had our monthly appointment today. And everything is going great! I actually haven't gained any weight since my last visit, and she said it was probably a good thing. It would be more troublesome if I actually lost weight, but I still have the nausea sometimes. James actually taped the heartbeat, so hopefully I'll be able to post it on here soon.

The heartbeat was between 158-164 bpm which is good! The heartbeat was good and strong. Although, the baby was moving around like crazy! The midwife had to search over and over again for the heartbeat. But at least we know the baby is still in there! It's funny, I still don't really feel as though I'm preggo. But, I guess I won't feel this way till I feel the baby moving. Which.. I have *maybe* felt. No definite kicks yet, that's for sure.

On a very exciting note, our next appointment is going to be our big gender ultrasound!! It's scheduled for Oct 1st, so I'll be 19 weeks and 5 days along. Just need to find a 3D/4D ultrasound place because I need the paperwork filled out before I can have the REALLY cool pictures and videos! Well, hopefully next time I can post a video!

My new sweet baby - Eliora!

2008-08-27T14:25:00.001-07:00

What do you think about my little new baby Eliora?
MakeMeBabies.com - What will your baby look like?

Woo hoo for internet shopping!

2008-08-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

So James and I have utilized the internet for all our shopping needs. I bought this bassinet from craigslist for only $60.
It's cute and it comes with a remote. The baby will be in our room for a few months after it's born, so it's small and mobile.

James found a car seat and stroller, plus 2 base units for just $100 (normally $240) on the internet. And it's still in really good condition!

The color isn't the same. But I couldn't find a picture that was the same color. These are the only things that we have gotten so far. I don't plan on buying a lot of new baby clothes or anything since the baby grows so quickly. One thing I do want to get some of is baby diapers. BUT, one problem we do have is that there is a space issue in our little apartment. So we may end up getting a storage unit to put all the extra crap we have, and making more room for the baby. Oh to have a house someday.. I'm sure that day will come. We've been considering buying a foreclosure house. Just need to wait and see what opens up when our lease is coming to an end.

Week 14!

2008-08-26T18:54:00.001-07:00

So I'm officially out of my first trimester. My next prenatal appointment won't be till I'm at 16 weeks, but now I'm four months along in my pregnancy and things seem to be running smoothly. I really don't know how the baby is doing, mainly because I haven't felt fetal movement yet. I've read that I should be feeling a definite kick or something between 16 weeks and 20 weeks. So hopefully, it will be soon. Nothing says you're pregnant like feeling the baby moving. So I just have to wait. Hopefully, James and I will be able to record the baby's heartbeat at this next visit, and if so, I will post it as soon as possible. A fun fact from Baby Center is that my baby is now about the size of a lemon!

I'll write tomorrow about how swimming was and how long I can swim. I should try to swim for at least 30 minutes, but literally, I should just swim till I get exhausted. So it could be 15 minutes or 1 hour. Wish me luck!

BMI

2008-08-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

My BMI is in the overweight range. So, that means, according to the doctor and ALL the books I've read, I should only gain 15 pounds during this pregnancy. This does scare me a little being an overweight preggo woman. Automatically it means that my labor may be more difficult for me. What does that mean for me?? EXERCISE!!

I haven't had a lot of lately, but I need to go back and find my groove. I'm going to check out the local indoor pool tomorrow. Since it is an indoor pool, it means I can swim all throughout winter time. Swimming has always been said as one of the best forms of exercise for pregnant women. Why? Mainly because you'll be able to work out without the pressure on all the joints. I find it very relaxing and rejuvenating. So I'm going to try and implement an exercise program into my everyday routine, whether it be walking or swimming. Wish me luck!

Designer Gowns

2008-08-26T18:42:00.001-07:00

I didn't think I would see this, but it's so awesome!! Designer hospital gowns are now available for independent sale. I will be looking into this more when I get closer and closer to my due date!

Gender Prediction

2008-08-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I just want a healthy, happy baby. I can't say that I want a boy first to be the "big brother" or that I want a girl to play with. My mom wanted her first born to be a son, typically because it is Korean expectations AND because she wanted the whole "big brother" aspect. Well, she did not get a boy, she got me first and she doesn't regret it. My brother was born about 3 years later and we're very close. He's very protective over me, and vice versa. So I can't say that the big brother has to be there. My husband has a big brother, granted they are brothers, so it automatically made things more competitive. But even now, I can see that my brother-in-law is protective over my husband, but it also goes both ways. SO, having a boy first would be great, but to me, having a girl first would be equally wonderful.

My parents are set that I'm having a girl. IN FACT, my dad is telling everyone at his office that he's having a granddaughter. I held a baby shower for a good friend of mine that recently had a girl, and my mom decided to keep all the decorations for when she co-hosts my baby shower. The biggest reason that my parents think that I'm going to be having a girl is because they both tend to have prophetic dreams. When my mom was pregnant with me, she thought I was going to be a boy but my dad had a dream and SAW me and told her that I was going to be a girl. Well, a couple years ago, when my mom was going through some scary health problems, my dad knew she was going to be alright. God gave my dad a dream, seeing my mom with all her grandchildren, happy and healthy. He said that the oldest grandchild was girl, therefore, the one that I am carrying must be a girl. My mother also had a dream that I was having a girl. I've had a couple dreams with me holding a baby, and she was covered in pink. James had one dream, but it was a boy. So we'll see!

Just for fun, I referred to the Chinese Gender Prediction Chart, and it says I was going to have a girl. It has been correct for both of my mom's pregnancies. And it has a 80% correct prediction rating! The confusing part is that you have to base it off your Chinese age. What a lot of people don't understand is that it's based on your CONCEPTION age, basically, how old you are plus 9 months. The Chinese New Year is usually in February, so the rule does not apply to January babies (for some reason). I don't really know all reasoning or logic behind, maybe something I should research more. But technically, even though I am 23 years old, I am actually 25 years old in my Chinese age. Anyway, we'll see! Our 20 week ultrasound has not been scheduled, and that is the earliest we can find out the baby's gender. So we'll know in the beginning of October!

Starting Aversions

2008-08-09T19:15:00.001-07:00

Well, I found out a couple weeks ago about aversions. I can't have seafood. Nothing. Nada. I can't eat anything fishy whatsoever or else I get ill. I found this out when I was thinking about seafood. I really do love seafood, I mean I am part Korean! Seafood is a huge part of the diet! But, I can't have any right now. It makes me sad. The thought of seafood makes me ill. I made the mistake of eating New England Clam Chowder and I did not leave the bathroom for about 4 hours.. It was sad. Oh well, I guess I'll have to stay away from it for awhile.

Week 12

2008-08-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Baby Gaga again:

"Even though your little Einstein’s body is still growing quite rapidly 2 inches long right now, the overall super-speedy growth of their amazing brain continues to leave the head proportionately larger than the body— and is actually slightly more than one third of their total body mass! The head and neck are still straightening at this point as can be seen by their little chin lifting off of the chest. Your baby is also actively rehearsing “breathing” by using amniotic fluid to prepare the lungs for future air respiration.

The big news: your little pooper is now officially going to need diapers! Although a majority of the waste produced is transferred to the mother’s system for discharge (to avoid having it linger in the amniotic sac), some urine is released to the amniotic fluid and your baby will actually breathe it in before it passing it on to your for discharge. Not to worry, urine--in this particular form, is completely harmless to your baby."

Been Gone

2008-08-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

I've been really bad about updating this. I've had a few things happen since my last post. My father in law came and stayed with us for about 2 weeks, this was my main distraction from not posting anything. Another thing, I've been pretty distracted with CafeMom which is a great website just to communicate with other women that are either trying to get pregnant, already are pregnant, or are hard working mothers.

Last Monday, August 4th was my second prenatal appointment. My father in law joined James and me as we all heard the baby's heartbeat for the very first time. I was a little anxious at first because it took the midwife a while to find it, and she calmly told me that if she couldn't, she would just do an ultrasound. Well, all way to the left of my pelvis, the baby's heartbeat was heard. It was at 170 bpm, and I was so excited! The appointment went fine, and overall, there doesn't seem to be any sort of complications. I have only gained one pound since my last visit, but recently weighed myself and found that I've lost 3. I blame my nausea mainly for this. I can't eat anything, so I don't really gain weight. Either way, I know that the baby is healthy and I'm just doing the best I can to keep my own body healthy.

Tomorrow I plan on taking a belly picture, even though I know that I'm not showing, it's just for a reference in the future to see how far I've come.

Week 8!

2008-07-14T07:52:00.001-07:00

Same courtesy of Baby Gaga:

"Woohoo! You've got one whole inch of baby inside of you! Your little embryo has finally reached the one-inch mark (30mm). And if it were possible to take a peek, you could actually see your tiny baby without a telescope! What’s more, your baby is finally starting to take on some very distinct human features. For starters, their little tail (really just the spinal cord) has disappeared completely. It’s nice to know your baby can no longer be mistaken for a sea creature! Additionally, both their toes and fingers are prominent with very little, if any, webbing. Upper and lower limbs all show recognizable joints (elbows and knees) and the lower limb bones are starting to ossify. But don’t expect your baby to resemble either parent quite yet. Right now, your baby’s head is disproportionately larger than the rest of their body--making up almost half of your little one’s height and weight!
"

Ultrasounds!

2008-07-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

So James and I went to my appointment last Tuesday and got an ultrasound done! Here are the pictures! I have to tell you.. seeing the heartbeat was extremely overwhelming!

The baby is between the Xs!!

Week 7!

2008-06-30T01:19:00.000-07:00

This courtesy of Baby Gaga:
"Our baby is really beginning to develop more physical definition this week – their oversized head isn’t just large and oblong anymore, it’s actually a little bit pointy. The tiny receding tail bud is now starting to be overshadowed by the growth of their legs, which are now complete with knees and the beginnings of toes. Their eyes and ears are the most visible features on their head and their miniature bones are starting to harden throughout their body. You also have some variation on a boy or a girl at this point, although their genitals won’t be visible enough to determine which color cigars you’re going to buy until around the 16th week."

I'll write more about my own symptoms later.

So when IS my due date??

2008-06-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

In reality, I just have a hunch that it's mid-February. I don't know the EXACT date mainly because my menstrual cycle fluctuates between 28-31 days. So I would have to say, the EARLIEST due date I have at the moment is February 17th, which is cool. The latest one I have is February 21st. So mid-February is the safest thing to say. Of course, it mainly depends on when the baby wants to be born, which could be whenever!

I have an appointment with the midwife on July 8th and I hope to get something a little more finalized. I also hope to have the first pictures of our new baby! I'm very excited because this baby doesn't "quite" seem real till I see the baby or at least hear the heartbeat. James is going with me and we'll be in there together, looking at the baby!

More things

2008-06-22T22:42:00.000-07:00

Just thought of a couple more things that I miss..

6) Oysters - Raw oysters to be exact. James and I went to Hooters a couple weeks ago to get some but they didn't have any. And then about 5 days later, I found out that I was pregnant... Oh well.

7) Over Easy Eggs - I love them. LOVE LOVE LOVE them. But I can't eat them.. Sad.

In fact, today James and I went to Denny's after church. I could only eat a couple spoonfuls of grits and barely any of my scramble eggs.. I was grossed out.. James got fried over easy eggs, and I had to leave the restaurant because the smell grossed me out..

Some things I'm really starting to miss...

2008-06-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

So of course when you're pregnant, you have to make sacrifices which include your body and your mentality... I've been extremely tired lately, sleeping for good chunks of the day. When I first found out I was pregnant, I let out a sigh, knowing that I have to be more picky about what I eat and what I put into my body... This is just a list for right now of the things I miss eating:

1) Sushi - I'm a sushi-aholic, heck, I even get the grocery sushi if I see a chef actually making it!
2) COFFEE - I use to work at Starbucks, I love coffee, I love the smell, the taste and the euphoria I get when I drink it.
3) Soda - If you know me, there isn't a time where you'd run into me and I wouldn't have a soda in my hand.. Screw caffeine free stuff, doesn't taste the same.
4) Salt - If I want to suffer from water retention, I have to keep the sodium (like soy sauce) to a minimum.
5) Tea - I can't have a lot, but it still sucks to have so little. Oh well, it's all for a good reason.

This is just a beginning of a list of things I'm starting to miss. I won't regret sticking to a great health plan and I'm excited about things to come. I need to give it time to try my patience.

Woke up cuz I got hungry

2008-06-19T01:14:00.001-07:00

And I made this! Hee hee

Nausea

2008-06-18T21:36:00.000-07:00

So this is a mild part of pregnancy. I'm not sure how bad my morning sickness will be, but it's getting to the point to where I make myself eat. I know I need nutrition for the baby, so I don't try to skip out on the essentials. But the nausea isn't fun. I feel queasy at times. It hits in the morning most of the time but there are some evenings that aren't easy either. Actually, this is the major symptom I had that made me realize that I needed to take a pregnancy test. Either way, it sucks. My tummy just hates me.

So I'm Pregnant..

2008-06-17T04:22:00.000-07:00

Let's start from the beginning. My husband, James, and I have talked a lot about having children. But our biggest fear was having one before we finished school. The option to having children is something we both wanted, so I stopped taking birth control back in January 2008. Well, we both graduated in May 2008, and decided to cease preventing the making the children. We didn't think that we'd get a baby right away!

We found out on Friday, June 13th. Granted, it was a bit early for us to find out, but a lot of the symptoms were already there. I couldn't even get out of bed in the morning because I felt so nauseous. I decided to take a pregnancy test that night and James and I both found a very faint line. Well, not so long ago, I bought the book, What to Expect When You're Expecting. And in the book, there is a section talking about the faint line. All pregnancy tests have a control line, and a line that shows it detects the hCg hormone. This is the hormone that all women get when they are pregnant. In fact, there is almost no case in which the line shows up and the woman is NOT pregnant. No matter what, no matter how faint the line is, you're pregnant.

See, I KNEW this. But I really didn't want to believe it. Seriously, I didn't accept the fact that I'm pregnant. I'm a very visual person, and I still can't grasp the idea that I'm pregnant. I think it'll become more real to me when I hear the heartbeat and I see the ultrasound. So when I saw my faint line, I didn't want to believe that I was pregnant. But James was already excited. We started talking about the baby and what we need to do. James already felt bad for calling the baby "it" and so we dubbed it "Baby Byerly" or Baby B. So it will be Baby B till we know the sex of the baby.

We decided to wait to tell people. We told a few folks at first, but I couldn't contain myself as I got use to the idea of me being pregnant. So now, it's public knowledge that we're with child and I am between 4-5 weeks along. I haven't set up an appointment yet with a doctor, which I will do soon. But according to Baby Center, I may be due between February 16th-23rd. We're both very happy and very excited. And I plan on blogging more about how I'm doing and any pictures that we accumulate.