It seems as if it's been forever since I've posted. Probably so because it has. A lot has been happening for our little family. If you couldn't tell from the title of this post, we're now officially Jersey.

Life still has it's challenges. Babies still fuss, mommas are still terrified, and dads are overwhelmed. But we're getting settled into our new home and we couldn't be happier. Nonetheless, we've been at our new house now for about a month and a half now and we are nowhere near done painting or unpacking.

Overall, things are just.. great! I couldn't think of a better place to raise Noah. There's so much for us to do here and there are so many young families and babies for Bohk to socialize with. He and I have joined a local meetup and have been attending many baby friendly events and playdates. Just the other day we met up with another mommy at the park and before that Noah and I went to a baby sing-a-long at the local library. Everything from Whole Foods to Hobby Lobby is close by. Not to mention there are plenty of restaurants. I suppose my only gripe would be that everything closes early here. Many stores even close on Sundays. I guess coming from New York I'm going to have to get use to a more suburban area.

Noah is doing well here too! He has transitioned from his "mermaid dance" (this is where he lays on his belly, lifts both his arms, and kicks his legs out) to almost crawling. He now smooshes his head into the floor and uses his knees and legs to push off and away! He's desperate to crawl. Desperate. He could care less if he falls on his face every time. Noah is determined. He's also an efficient roller. Baby proofing, if not before, is now a major priority.

Jon is a tad bit further from work but nothing we can't handle. He's super excited about our new place. Absolutely in love with our backyard and is BBQ crazy. So far, we're spending our weekends painting and slowly getting our place in order. Last weekend however, we spent the day out and about. We went shopping and took a nice stroll in downtown Montclair. Downtown Montclair has plenty to eat and lots of shops to visit. Not to mention, this great Cuban place we found. Great food and good atmosphere. It was a bit crowded though. Was to be expected on a sunny Saturday afternoon.


For all the months I've missed here is a quick photo collage of my Bohk.

I still can't believe how much he's changed. One minute he looks like Jon, then he starts to resemble me, all to just return to the spitting image of daddy.

Noah is now 7.5 months old. At his last doctors appointment he weighed in at 15.6lbs and 26 inches. Developmentally we're also in a whole new world. The doctor said that he's still too young to know the idea of permanence. She used the example of: if you put a toy down in front of him and then put a blanket right over it, he'll still be looking for the toy instead of realizing it's still right in front of him.

So naturally when I got home, I tried it. I put down his Sophie and placed his taggies blanket right over it. He moved away the blanket, grabbed Sophie, and looked at me like I was stupid. I knew it! He's obviously the smartest baby ever. ;] *takes off mommy goggles*

Given the above, he knows when I leave his side. He knows he's alone. Let the tantrums commence. If he's hungry or tired there is no putting him down at all. I wouldn't hear the end of his screams of bloody murder. If I were to put him down, I try to stay within sight or at least earshot so he would know I'm not far. Epic Fail.

If I had to pick just one cute thing he does lately it's reaching out for us. When daddy comes home, he looks at him nonstop turning his head and leaning. He also knows his mommy of course and reaches his arm out towards me. So precious!

Noah is truly, honestly, definitely, the most handsome, smart, calm, stubborn, wonderful little man ever.

I leave you with this...



Cheers.

Saturday . January 04, 2014 . 2:58am


Early Saturday morning our precious Noah finally decided to arrive! If you know me or have been following my pregnancy, you know that I was and always have been terrified of childbirth. Come to think of it, I'm scared of a lot of things. Too many things. Here's how everything turned out...

I had a regular OB visit on Thursday January 2, my original due date. It was a typical visit, heartbeat and cervix check. At this time I was 3cm dilated and 80% effaced. I had dilated 1cm more than my previous visit. Other than the normal pregnancy symptoms, I felt nothing out of the ordinary. That afternoon I felt a bit crampy and uncomfortable, which for me, was nothing to be alarmed about. After all, cervix checks aren't the most enjoyable things. However, the next day I continued to feel cramps and pain in my pelvis. Around noon I started to time the pain, unsure if they were even contractions. You see, my great auntie tried to convince me they weren't. She has given birth three times, though the last was about fifty years ago, and knows exactly what it should feel like. I told her everyone's body is unique and that we all deal with pain differently. She concurred, but of course didn't really agree. Six o'clock finally rolled around and my contractions were coming every five minutes. At this time I decided to go to the hospital.

It was around seven o'clock at night by the time I got to the hospital and was admitted. I was in triage for a bit while they checked to confirm I was in active labor. And sure enough, I was. My water broke when my OB was checking my cervix and I was then given an IV. I was officially being moved to labor and delivery! After my water broke my contractions started to come every two minutes and they were becoming quite painful. I knew I was getting an epidural but not until I was moved to l&d. That felt like forever. By the time I was in my room, I was holding tight onto the rail and crawling up the bed. I was finally given the epi at around 10pm and by midnight I was ready to push.



here's one last shot of me while Noah was still safely nestled inside

My epidural was turned off and by the time Noah was ready to make his appearance, I was feeling everything. After a grueling hour and a half, my little one was finally here!




Mommy and Daddy were finally able to hold little one after patiently waiting for the last 10 months! I remember thinking to myself while pushing that I wasn't going to be able to do this. The pain was so excruciating. And although the dream of holding Noah in my arms was within reach, I was unsure if my body was going to be able to hold on. I remember not even being able to hold my legs. If it wasn't for Jon and the nurse, I'm sure my legs would have gave out. A short hour and a half later Noah was on my chest, his cord being cut by daddy. It was so beautiful. It was more than I ever imagined.




We're a family now and I can't wait for all the things to come...


Cheers.

Just when I started to wrap my head around 2013... BOOM! Another year gone.

In 2012, I dreamt about 2013 with so much excitement, so much anticipation, and 2013 didn't disappoint in the least. There were moments which were much harder than I could have ever expected, but just as I'd hoped, it was the best year of my life.

Obviously, Noah and Jon are responsible for most of this, but last year has taught me more about myself and becoming a mother and a better wife. Most importantly it made me realize how much I really am capable of. I can't believe it's over and I have absolutely no idea how that happened.

In 2013, I visited Korea, was married twice, and got pregnant with little one. I crossed off my life's dreams left and right. Could the new year live up to its predecessor?

It's 2014 now and I'd like to take the time to wish you all a Happy New Year!

Since ringing in 2014, I've been spending a lot of time thinking what it is that I envision for this new year, what it is that I want from it. From myself. More so than any other year, I feel I have a true opportunity for a fresh start. There are several aspects of my life, more than I could count, that need tweaking and I feel ready to dig deep and put in the work. There really is no time like the present, am I correct?

More than anything, I want to stop making excuses for my shortcomings. Phrases like, "I really can't find the time" or, "There's only one me" frequent my vocabulary more than they should. I want to stop complaining about time, and more so Jon's time, because the more attention I give to lack, the bigger lack becomes.

Once I've loosened my grip on the clock and allow time to flow as it should, I plan to re-prioritize the important things in my life.

Health. Physical, Emotional, Spiritual. I want to make more time each week, to blog, sit in silence, take a warm bubble bath, serve others, and simply reflect. I want to get out of the chaos, away from the constant chatter of people and the buzz of electronics. I want to eventually find a church our family would be excited about attending, one that we could raise Noah in. I want to finally start the next chapter in our life of being a true family. I want to simplify my world and get back to the basics.

Relationships. I want to strive to be a better wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter, and friend. Send a handwritten note just because, cook a meal for someone ill. Smile at more strangers. Chat with the cashier at the grocery store instead of running off to my next errand. See the good in everyone I meet and be more selfless.

Creativity. I plan to turn off the television, put down the iPad, get off the phone. A lavish meal, a fun drawing, a post that's been lingering in my head for ages. I want to paint my nails, listen to super loud music, and dance wildly with my husband and son.

I once felt bad for looking toward 2014 with apprehension, scared it could never live up. But who am I kidding. 2014 marks the start of a whole new chapter in my life. We embark on this grand journey.. the three of us. It will be the best of them all.


I'm avoiding the term "resolutions" because statistics prove that those things are never successfully resolved. Instead, I keep this as more of a personal mission, a direction I wish to take.


Here's to you 2014... let's make it good.


Cheers.