letter to an eighteen month old

Dearest J, 
You're 1 1/2!  So crazy to think about! :)  Every day is a new adventure.
I'm not sure how much longer I can keep bimonthly list this up. Your vocabulary is growing exponentially and you're doing so much that it might almost be easier to start recording what you can't yet do instead!

Needless to say, we are always so proud of you, and we're thrilled and thankful God chose us to be your parents :)  I love you!


This is what you can do at 18 months (learned in the past 2 months):

• Mimic almost any word we ask you to say.
• Laugh delightedly when we guess correctly what you're trying to tell us (You also shake your head and say no or get mad when we guess incorrectly)
• Stomp just your right foot and clap along to music.
• Jump (although you usually don't quite get off the ground)
• Show me your hair, tongue, teeth, cheeks, hands, fingers, elbows, armpits, and feet when prompted. 
• Turn on and unlock the iPad.  Due to my morning sickness this past month or two, we finally started letting you watch some Baby Einstein videos or home videos.  You can navigate the YouTube app and know to press the home key when you've pressed the wrong button.
• Throw away trash (and your rolled up diapers) when asked to do so.
• Listen to directions fairly well (unless you get distracted).  For example, this morning, you brought me two glue sticks you must have found in my desk drawer.  When I asked you to put them back and to close the drawer, you obeyed :)
• Lie down on the floor unprompted when it's time to change your diaper or to pray before bedtime
• TMI warning, but you (sometimes) let us know when it's time to change your diaper.
• Identify pictures of most animals, modes of transportation, and household items in books when prompted
• Bow when prompted to say thank you or a formal hello/goodbye in Korean.  Depending on your mood, this can vary from a quick head nod to a deep 90 degree bow. :)
• Pull your hand back quickly and frantically say "Hot!" when you see the stove/oven or anything mildly hot.  You also do this and say "Ouch!" for things that are sharp, like Christmas tree needles.
• Open the pantry doors (even though the handles are above your head) and "go shopping" for boxes of jello and canned soup.
• Use modified sign language for "help" (the same one you made up before 14 months) and "sorry."  For "help," you try to say "help" and knock two fists (in thumbs up position) together.  "Sorry" is the same as "please" (open hand instead of sign language "S").
• Throw tantrums when things don't go your way.  These can sometimes quickly be resolved when we distract you with something else.
• Hug and kiss your stuffed animals and your baby sister in mommy's belly

Words you now say (learned in the past 2 months):

• Down or Down-dare (downstairs...your favorite place in any house!)
• Up (usually a request for us to hold you so you can see something better)
• No
• Door
• All done! (still accompanied by sign language)
• Sounds for animals-  bear/tiger (throaty roar), turkey ("gobble gobble"), rooster ("cock-a-doodle-doo!"), frog (ribbit), duck ("quack quack"), cow  ("mooooo"), chicken ("bawk bawwwk"), monkey ("ooh ooh ah ah ah"), 
• Bye! (You wave and say this when leaving, when someone else leaves, and every time Daddy takes you downstairs while I'm still upstairs)
• Joe, Dan, Fred.  When we correct you, saying "Uncle Joe,"  you respond with "Uh-joe!")
• Bap (Korean for 'rice')
• Gim (Korean for 'dried seaweed')
• Joh-  (Korean informal way of saying "give it to me," even though we always teach you the formal way!)
• Bboh-bboh (Korean for 'kiss')
• Yeah
• Ew! (Said regarding anything that looks out of place (like a piece of lint on the floor), and also your dirty diapers)
• Wow!
• Whoa!
• Ooooh (in awe)
• OK!
• Ow! /Ouch!
• Hot
• Door
• Blue bib
• Juice
• Apple
• Eat
• Choo-choo (as in train)
• Girl
• iPad
• Peepee/poopoo
  
  Words you've recently made up to consistently mean something else:

• I - you! - I love you
• Jee-uh - Jesus
• Peez - please
• Die-der- diaper
• Mill- milk  (instead of "me! me!")
• Dow - cow
• Dat (or 'meeoow') - cat
• Eesh - sheep
• Shhhh- fish
• Buh - bus
• Truh - truck
• Bo - boat
• Mo - motorcycle
• A-pay - airplane
• Trah-duh - tractor
• Buy - bicycle
• Try - tricycle
• Bootball - football
• No - snow
• Jee! - "cheese!' (usu. when you see the iPad or sometimes the camera)
• Heh-oh? - hello (when playing with phones)
• Own - phone
• Dop - stop
• Elp - help
• Duck - stuck
• Dum - drum
• Gas - grass
• Ree - read
• Booh - book
• Ai-cheh - high chair
• Uh-pyoo-uh - computer
• Ee-oh - video
• Ee-ull - cereal (we often get confused between whether you're saying video & cereal)
• Beel - peel  (you call clementines "beel" because I'm always asking if you want me to peel them for you)

sweet sixteen :)

Sixteen months and always on the move!  There's never a dull moment with you around. :)   J, you amaze me every day with all the things you're learning!!! I thank God for you, little boy  :)  Ever proud of you!
This is what you can do at 16 months (learned in the past 2 months):

• Pull yourself up onto dining room chairs (This makes life more interesting for your dad and me).
• Climb, climb, climb.  As in, trying to climb up the bookcase while standing ON your toddler bike while giving your mommy another heart attack.
• Kick a ball
• Throw things over the baby gate and down the stairs...and then beg for us to get it back :)
• Point to your eyes, nose, mouth, and ears when prompted.  You also willingly do it for other people (you know, in case they forget where their facial features are...)
• Pretend to sleep and snore, especially when you see pictures of people sleeping
• Dancing that consists of bending and unbending knees, nodding head, and waving fingers back and forth with both hands.  You also tell us when you want to dance by saying "more!" and pointing to the ipod jiispeaker.  Favorite music:  Psalty (old school stuff that Daddy grew up listening to!)I
• Attempt to imitate us when we wink (you just forcefully close your eyes quickly!)
• Twirl (I guess "spin" would be a less-girly word to use)...and, to my delight, you can do it on command! :)
• Bring us your shoes (and our shoes) whenever you want to go outside.  You also love to clomp around in our shoes!
• Fold your hands together and bow your head to pray before meals, unprompted.
• Bring your daddy the mail, piece by piece.
• Point to each member of extended family in photos when we prompt you with a name.  You do this with the people in the room, too (including emos, samchuns, noonas, hyungs, and "tia").  You can also recognize Mommy & Daddy from our childhood pictures!

Words you now say (learned in the past 2 months):

• Amen! (after and often during prayer)
• Sounds for animals-  lion (throaty roar), dog (high pitched "arf! arf!"), cat (meowww), pig (snort)
• Oh no!
• Hey man (Daddy taught you this one)
• Baby (what you call yourself in pictures and any child you see on the street, no matter what age)
• Noona (Korean for "older sister")
• Shoes
• Whale
• Boo!

Words you've recently made up to consistently mean something else:

• Burr - bird
• Buh! buh! - up
• Me! me! me! - milk
• Guldul (or similar sounding gibberish) - goldfish crackers
• ih-mo  (Emo= Korean for maternal aunt)
• Ha!  (haraboji & halmoni = Korean for grandpa and grandma)
• Eez - string cheese
• Ow - outside
• Dar - car
• May - mail
• Bah! - bath
• Hah- hat
• Bruh - brush
• Boon - spoon
• Eh-doe! - Let's go!

election 2012

So I have an EMBARRASSING confession to make...

 I've never voted before.  Not ever...in the past 12 years of being able to!  It's so, so bad, right?

I am in no way a political person.  But now that I'm a mom, I'm conscious of the fact that I want to set a good example for my boy to recognize that we live in a country where we have the freedom and right to vote!  And we should!

But the thing is, this year's election has me all confused and bewildered over who I should vote for!  I found this civil forum online (personal interviews) hosted by Rick Warren for the 2008 election with Obama and McCain.  I watched clips of it and was very interested to see this year's, because basically he asked each candidate the same questions (which they answered one at a time, with the other in a sound-proof booth)...but I couldn't find anything on youtube.

I finally discovered that Rick Warren had actually canceled the forum this year because:

“It would be hypocritical to pretend civility for one evening only to have the name-calling return the next day,” Warren told the Orange County Register. “I’ve never seen more irresponsible personal attacks, mean-spirited slander, and flat-out dishonest attack ads, and I don’t expect that tone to change before the election.”

Anyway, with all of this confusion, I found a lot of comfort and encouragement in the following message by Max Lucado.  So thankful for a King who sits on the throne, no matter who is in the Oval Office!!!

Praying for the leadership of our nation...

psalm 71 = wow.

But as for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise You more and more.
My mouth will tell of Your righteousness,
of Your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim Your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord;
I will proclaim Your righteousness, Yours alone.

Since my youth, O God, You have taught me
and to this day I declare Your marvelous deeds.
Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare Your power to the next generation,
Your might to all who are to come.


...it's like a heart song begging to be written.

fourteen

Months, not years...*heart attack averted*

***please be forewarned:  this is a Dear Baby post...just my attempt to preserve the present***


Baby J, you are no longer.

Toddler J, you are fourteen months today!  You started jibber-jabbering all day long today - an attempt to mimic our conversation?  Or your way of expressing what's on your mind? Either way, I love it.

This is what you can do at 14 months:

• Walk (& almost run) all over the house!
• Crawl up and down stairs
• Climb up onto our laps or the couch by stepping on objects
• Climb onto my back for a piggy back ride
• Identify and point to familiar people when prompted
• Identify and point to familiar toys/stuffed animals when promptedM
• Bend over & pick up an object while standing
• Throw a ball overhand (your absolute favorite game)
• Pound on a drum & piano; strum a guitar (your 3 absolute favorite instruments)
• Follow 2 step directions
• Point to your eyes when prompted
• Look wherever I point
• Turn pages in a book
• Wave goodbye/hello, blow kisses, "talk" on the phone
• Laugh when you hear loud laughter, clap when you hear applause
• Put your head on the floor/bed when told "good night!"
• Dance and bop your head to music
• Eat with a fork, drink from a straw
• Scribble with a crayon
• Give hugs and kisses
• Brush your teeth  (although help is needed for thorough brushing)
• Bow/nod when prompted to say thank you (in English) or hello (in Korean)
• Push Mommy & Daddy's heads together to make us kiss;  push others' hands together to make them clap
• Fold your hands together and bow your head slightly before eating or when we say, "Let's pray!"

Signs you know:

• More
• Please
• All done
• Milk
• Please give it to me (in Korean)
• Thank you (sort of)
• Help (work in progress)
• Outside (a sign you made up yourself to consistently mean "go outside")

Words you say:

• Appa (Daddy)
• Umma (switched to Korean for Mama, ha!)
• Mool (Korean for "water")
• Ball (probably about 352,983 times a day)  :)
• Mum-mum (baby cracker brand.  But you use it to mean any type of snack food)
• More (just started saying this recently)
• Uh oh!
• Duck
• Dog
• Bear

Words you made up to consistently mean something else:

• Ba - this can mean bird, butterfly, ball, brush
• Nana - banana
• Da - downstairs
• Mo  (Gomo = Korean for paternal aunt)
• Brrrr - balloon
• Doop - soup

No matter what you do (or don't do), always remember that I'm proud of you and that I love you!  Thank you for making each day so joyful, and my heart so full :)

what? 2 posts in one week?? miracle!

I just love her voice.

And this video is the cutest, sweetest thing.

abc's

Saw this survey on Crystal's blog and it totally brought me back to my high school days, when we'd email all our friends these type of surveys.  And yes, I filled out and forwarded every single one. :-P  Here we go...

A. Age: 29  (haha. never mind that my birthday is 2 weeks away...)

B. Bed size: King.  And it's the most comfortable bed you will ever encounter.  (no wonder J never wants to sleep in his crib...)

C. Chore that you hate: The absolute worst - cleaning the kitchen floors.  Never feels clean and makes me sad :(

D. Dogs:  Love them...especially golden retrievers and dachshunds.

E. Essential start to your day: coffee & a bagel. hugs from my boys. 

F. Favorite color: fuchsia :)

G. Gold or Silver:  I used to always and only wear silver, but in the past couple of years, I've discovered I like dainty gold too.  So...both.  How's that for indecisive?

H. Height: 5' 4"

I. Instruments you play:  Piano (bad), Clarinet (worse), & Violin (abysmal).  Would LOVE to eventually learn the guitar one day...

J. Job title: Kindergarten teacher & Stay -at-home mom (part-time for each)

K. Kids: one almost-14 month old boy that steals my heart daily.  23 little five year olds that wear me out but make me smile.

L. Live:  by faith...relying on grace...

M. Mother’s name: Deborah

N. Nicknames:  I love nicknames - especially giving them to people!!  Unfortunately, my name is not too conducive to nicknames (although some call me sarrilly or sayre).

O. Overnight hospital stays: Being born, 3rd degree burn, foot surgery in China, giving birth

P. Pet peeves: Grammar/spelling mistakes (esp. from teachers), redundancy with acronyms (PIN number, ATM machine, SAT test).  

Q. Quote from a movie: "It's tradition!"

R. Right or left handed: Righty! 

S. Siblings: Older brother Dan, sis-in-law Kat, younger sister Es, & bro-in-law Fred, bro-in-law Joe and sis-in-law Sarah

T. Time it takes you to get ready: I always think I only need 5 minutes, but my husband knows to allot extra time because I can be pokey.  He actually sometimes tells me we need to aim to be ready an hour earlier than we do, just so we can be out of the house on time.  I think this is an undeniable part of why our marriage works :)

U. Ultimate Vacation: Our honeymoon to Alaska was actually #1 on my list.  Next up would probably be the Caribbean!  Or the Maldives. I'm dreaming of crystal clear water, colorful fish, and white sand...

V. Vegetable you hate: Beets.  Although I must say they're not that bad when juiced and mixed in with lots of sweeter fruits/veggies that mask the taste...

W. What makes you run late: My forgetfulness. I think I lose my phone at least 4 times a day - no joke.  Thankfully, I discovered this week that J (who is obsessed with phones) understands the word "phone," remembers where I put it, and points at mine when I've lost track of its whereabouts. 

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth & head (softball-to-the-eye scare!)

Y. Yummy food that you make:   Mr. A would say it's my stuffed crust pizza.  But then again, he's not picky and very generous with compliments... :)

Z. Zoo animal:  Penguins.  OK, they can be smelly, but they're so cute!  Love the waddling and diving into the water...