photos of the day...

valentine's day morning

the living room of first time parents

sleeping companion

gurgling cup

saw this at starbucks one day and just had to have it

bedside bunny

I know I am a hopeless blogger when I find myself sitting in bed at one thirty in the morning fixing up my blog. Sure I have better things to do, sleeping for one, but it's easy to get carried away. The reason I spend so much time on my blog is not to self-promote but merely just for fun. Today is Valentine's day, I hope everyone has a sweet Valentine's. My sweet baboo has to work, so I will be spending my night watching A Charlie Brown Valentine with the baby.

Cure for cold, chamomile tea and homemade cookies.

Eli got a bouncer and baby gym from his grandma. I had high hope for the bouncer even though he didn't like the swing we got. We gave that a try the other day, he stayed on it for a good five minutes before he let out his signature cry. He's not fooled by some plastic devices, he's too smart for that. He insisted on real human touches, a tight hold from his mom and dad that is.

I tried to use one of those wax hair removal kits at home tonight. It's my first experience with wax hair remover. Don't want to get into the messy details, let's just say I won't be doing it at home anymore.

The women at church threw me a baby shower today. I had a wonderful time, and so did Eli. He didn't cry until after everyone has left, the longest he has ever gone awake without crying. We also got some very nice gifts. Eli doesn't know it yet, but he's one spoiled baby.

We had Eli's pictures taken by our friend Amanda today at the church. After 90 minutes of baby crying, these are some of the end results. They turned out really nice. Eli got some baby acnes, and despite his crying, he's still one photogenic baby.

Vacuum cleaner is hands-down the best household appliance. It picks up dirt and dust blah blah blah, but most importantly, it puts crying babies right to sleep. I have heard it many times, but didn't believe it. Today we tried it on Eli. As soon as we turned it on, boom! He's out. The problem is he wakes up as soon as we turned it off. It's funny to see him freeze whenever we turn the vacuum back on. They should make mobiles or baby CDs that play vacuum sound.

When is it going to stop snowing?! I feel like I'm back in Michigan.

I was pretty excited that Steve & Barry's was coming to town. I finally had a chance to go check it out yesterday. Whoa! Everything was $8.98 or less. I came out of the store with two big bags of clothes and they cost me less than $100. I'm feeling rich. I bought couple pairs of jeans and lots of tees. My maternity clothes are too big for me now and I'm not quite back to the pre-maternity size yet. I can fit into the old jeans, but my chest is too big for most of my old tops.

Another happy purchase, I found my favorite ice-cream at Hy-Vee today. I know they sell Blue Sky creamery, but they never had my favorite flavor the green apple. It's so smooth and dense but not too rich. What a delight to end my day with a few spoons full of creamy sweetness.

We took Eli with us to the local Chinese New Year celebration. He was pretty good for half of the time. As first time parents, it's nerve wrecking to take your baby to any kind of public setting. You don't know when he's going to burst out crying. Little babies are unpredictable. They are like bombs, you don't know when they are going to explode. We were with Eli at a antique store few days ago when he started crying as soon as we walked in the store. I panicked and stormed out with him. I heard other babies cry in public before and didn't think it was a big deal. I guess it's different when it's your own causing the embarrassment. What's the best strategy for public display of a cry baby? I'm going to apologize for our baby's behavior until I become desensitized.

Bath time...

What are we doing?

Wait! I don't want to, don't make me. Wah!!!!!

What is this? Water?

This isn't so bad.

This wash cloth is yummy.

Happy to be 1 month old.

點解人生BB﹐我生BB﹐但是我生的是個大喊包?你日喊夜喊難道不累嗎?小小的個子何來喊得聲嘶力歇的肺?真是說他喊到拆屋一點都無誇張。雖然做媽媽的看到自己的Baby喊得那麼淒涼會很心痛﹐但有時他哭得起勁時會無意間笑一下﹐看見他那個哭笑難分的可愛樣子真是不知好嬲定好笑。

Eli has reached his 1 month old mark. He's thriving everyday beautifully. Of course, some days are harder than others, a heck lot harder. It's never clear what makes him happy or sad. No matter what you do, sometimes he just likes to be a grump. I love how he will start to smile, but then all of a sudden he decides he wants to cry for eternity instead. Regardless, I still treasure that split second of smile. I'm sure that's just the beginning of more long last happy moments. As for me, my first month of motherhood has taught me so much. I have learned I'm much more patient than I thought. I also for the first time truly appreciate the nice set of breasts God has blessed me with. They are not made to fit the expensive lace bra or to make me feel more like a woman. They are for nurturing my baby, which makes me a good mom. I'm not going to apologize for saying that either. Making milk is the one thing I'm good at right now. I wonder what I can do next.

I found a cute little store today called "Eden". They sell fragrances, novelty soaps, candles etc. all my favorites. I was going there to get the Kai body buffer that was shown on Oprah's favorite things. Apparently everyone saw the show and was trying to get their hands on this. I wasn't able to get it at the store, but I already ordered it online. Anyhow, this has become my new favorite store. I like how it's not like most fragrance stores where the smells are so strong that put people off. I always find it calming to burn a nice scented candle. It must be a nice job to have working with so many nice aromas everyday.

Breastfeeding is no easy task. It takes skill and a great deal of patience. No doubt breast milk is the best food for babies, but I understand why many women give up breastfeeding, I almost did. It's hard to continue when your nipples start to crack and bleed. It's easy to want to take the easy way out to bottle feed, it's easier and no pain. But you have to remind yourself you want what's best for your baby. I haven't mastered breastfeeding yet, but it's getting easier. That seems to be the way with my newfound motherhood. Just keeps getting better.

These are my few favorite things these days:
1.Nutella spread. I love putting it on graham crackers.
2.Sophia Shorai's version of "Hello Goodbye" from the Target commercial. I'm addicted.
3.Rice congee with chicken that my mom makes.
4.My Moby wrap. Eli usually falls asleep minutes after I put him in it. It's a life saver.

These days I have been obsessed with reading anything babies related online. As a new mom, I feel so inadequate. I think I have read everything there is to read, but I still feel helpless, like a kid playing mom. Today started out as a terrible day. Actually it started last night when Eli was crying on and off for three hours and kept my mom and I awake. We did everything we could think of but nothing helped. He didn't go back to sleep until five this morning. During this whole ordeal, my mom told me to go back to sleep and she would take care of the baby. I couldn't sleep hearing my baby crying his lungs out. I'm very sensitive to any noise Eli makes. I know babies make noise, and it doesn't always mean they are in pain. That's something I need to learn to adjust. Every time I hear even the slightest sound coming from the bassinet, I run over to check if he's okay. Most of the time it was just him trying to pass gas in sleep. I feel terrible every time he cries, and if I can't console him, I feel like a bad mom. I wonder what he thinks of his mom when he's screaming for help and his mom doesn't have a clue what he wants. Every night I go to bed praying to God for patience and wisdom to care for my precious little one.

So that wasn't it. We thought we found the solution of Eli's constant crying, but we were back to the same old crying phase today. He's the biggest cry baby I have ever met. It bothers me a great deal when I hear him cry even though I know that doesn't always mean he's hurting, just the way babies communicate. It quickly turns into frustration when I can't figure out what he wants. I have done everything, feeding, burping, changing, cuddling, back to feeding again but nothing seems to help. Does anyone speak baby?

We have had a couple of rough days with Eli. He seemed to be having a lot of indigestion. He usually arches his back and his face turns bright red when he tries to pass gas or have a bowel movement. At first we thought it's normal, every baby has gas, but lately he has been doing that constantly. It got to a point where it affected his feeding. I had watched my diet and avoided food that would cause gas in breastfeeding babies, but that didn't help. He had gotten more irritable and impossible to console. We finally got him some Mylicon anti-gas drop, and I think it has helped. He felt asleep within minutes after we gave him the drop. Poor baby and his little body, I hope we have found the solution.

This is one of my favorite high school pictures. Can you tell which one is me? I'm at the front row the 4th one from the left. I have so many good memories and some good friends whom I still keep in touch with today even though we are thousands of miles apart. We were all once so innocent and carefree. As much as I miss that, I'm glad I'm where I'm at right now. I have a great job, comfortable house, and most importantly a lovely family. It may sound weird, but sometimes I enjoy having responsibilities. They remind me of my purposes in life.

After much considerations, I decided to get a laptop. The only computers we have are in the basement, and since I spend a lot of time on the internet everyday, this will make it easier for me to watch the baby. Tuesday we went to the Bestbuy nearby, but they only had the displays but nothing in stock. They told us they are focusing on their TVs sales right now because of the football season, and the best time to buy computer is in Feb. By then they will have most of them in stock. Why would they display something that they don't have in stock? It will be faster if I get it online. Luckily, we found the one we want at a different location next day. By the way, after being trapped at home for a couple weeks, it's nice to get out and get some fresh air. Having a baby at home has made me a speedy shopper. I had to make sure to get back on time to feed the baby. Besides, I actually missed him.

I dug out couple of my baby pictures to see if we look any alike. Looks like he got his chubby cheeks from me. It wasn't that long ago when I was a baby myself. Hard to imagine I would grow up and have a baby of my own.

My life has turned upside down for a week now. Things are getting better everyday. I have a feeling my blog will be all about burping, diapers, and sore nipples for a while. I developed a mild case of baby blues when I first came home. I would cry a lot usually after the sun goes down. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to love my son. My friend said she felt like she was a babysitter instead of a mom the first month after she had her first son. That's exactly how I felt. I had a baby crying and screaming and I didn't know what he wanted most of the time. How do you deal with a baby that cries constantly? I was scared of my own baby. I tried everything, the five S's, breastfeeding, cuddling with him. Just as I thought I had a defected baby, things seemed a little bit brighter when I saw his smile for the first time. I think he had a small laugh one time when he made a "hee-hee" sound. When things get really tough, I just have to remind myself about that smile or laugh, and everything will be just fine.

It's been a week since Eli was born. Thing are getting a little bit better. He still cries a lot. I wonder if he has baby colic. He has shown some signs and symptoms of it, and I was told that colic runs in my husband's family. Last night was Peter's first night going back to work. I was quite nervous about handling Eli by myself at night. Peter has been the one doing most of the diaper changes and putting him to sleep. I have no problem with changing diapers, but I suck at calming him down. I get frustrated and lose my patience easily. After trying for two hours putting Eli to sleep without success, my mom came to my rescue. She took over so I could take a nap. When I woke up, I found Eli sleeping in bed with her calmly and peacefully. He ended up sleeping 4 hours straight twice last night. This morning, he's more alert and was able to interact more. Same with me too, I feel most rested since I have been back from the hospital. I'm so grateful my mom's here.

Our first baby boy Elijah Michael Armstrong is finally here. He's two weeks early, but because of a sudden onset of mild preeclampsia, they decided to induce me. I would love to write a lengthy blog about how my three days labor induction went, but my body is still not up for it yet. The important thing is we have a healthy and beautiful baby in the end. We brought him home two days ago. Trying to adjust to the new mommy role is not easy. It's very overwhelming at times. I wouldn't be able to do it without the support of my husband, family and friends.

My mom got in okay last night. What a relief. This is the first time my mom has ever seen snow. She saw the ones along the street and thought they were styrofoams. Oh silly mom. I was really worried about my mom traveling by herself because of her bad case of motion sickness and very limited english speaking. She told me she got lost a few times at the O'Hare airport and had to ask people for directions. I guess she's not as helpless as I thought. I'm looking forward to this weekend because both Peter and I have four days weekend off together.

Okay, I'm officially sick of being pregnant. My tummy is getting heavier, feet are more swollen than ever, breasts are freaking sore, just feeling more miserable everyday, and yet no signs of labor. They said the baby will come when he's ready, but I'm ready NOW! I have more people telling me how uncomfortable I look, that's because I am. When I told people I'm only couple weeks away, some of them said I carry it well. What the heck does that mean? How come I don't feel so well? I don't want to do anything anymore. Just wanna lay down and wait for it to happen. I'm sure when it does happen, I'm going to freak out. I just hope that he's not going to be a giant baby.

We had our Christmas this pass Sunday since both Peter and I have to work on Christmas and unable to go to KC to join the clan. We got so many baby gifts, mostly clothes. Gee, what a spoiled baby already.

The bathroom is almost done. Peter has been working so hard everyday to get everything ready. He's doing housework on top of remodeling the bathroom. I know it's all worth it in the end, but sometimes it breaks my heart to see him working so hard. I know he's really tired. It's a good thing my mom is coming early, she's going to help out around the house. As for me, I will try my best to be patient.

P.S. If anyone has any suggestions on how to induce labor naturally, pass it along my way.

It's getting really cold. I have to watch my steps extra carefully now a day. I almost fell on ice the other day. Good thing husband was there to catch me. As I am getting closer to my due date, I'm getting butterflies in my stomach. I wonder what it will be like to meet this little person for the first time. We still don't have a name picked out yet, but we are constantly working on it. I was looking at some of the babies clothes today and couldn't believe how tiny they are. Also, I started to feel more braxton hicks lately. Holy crap! I'm really going to have a baby real soon.

Who will you vote this time around? Better yet, how would you vote? Most people vote for their own party regardless of what they believe, and that's the downfall of the bipartisan system. What about voting as a Christian? I don't believe that God is neither democrat or republican. Most Christians like to say that if you are a Christian, then you must vote for a republican. Really? Let's look at one of this year republican candidates for example, Rudy Giuliani. How much of a Christian am I if I vote for someone who's pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage? The thing is now a day, it's unclear what makes a democrat democrat, or a republican republican. As Christians, we should vote for Christian values not a particular party. A lot of Christians think that it's a non-Christian thing to not to vote. They think God gave us the right to vote, and we should exercise it even when the choices are against Christian values. They like to use the "lesser evil" approach. If I have only two candidates to choose, and both of them are anti-Christ, choosing either of them would be wrong. As Christians, we should not partake or endorse any sins, not even political sins. This is not intended to discourage people from voting. I will only cast my vote to someone who I believe represents the Christian principles and not just vote for the sake of voting.

We are so broke. I'm looking at our bank statement online, and it's not pretty. Thanks to the baby, our expenses are going to be huge these few months. I'm sure it will continue to expand. Anyone want to donate to the first time parents fund?

I put in my usual 12 hours work yesterday with only 1 hour of sleep the night before. That's what happen when you have too much diet mountain dew. I need to switch to caffeine free. Needless to say, it didn't take long for me to fall asleep tonight. The problem is I woke up 4 hours later. That's why I'm up blogging at 3 in the morning. At least that's 4 times longer than I slept last night.

Does anyone hate Walmart as much as I do? I don't usually shop at Walmart unless it's for special occasion like when I need to get a gag gift for a white elephant gift exchange. So yesterday I wanted to make chili, and I needed to get a dutch oven. I didn't want to commit to an expensive Le Creuset since I didn't know how often I will be using it. After searching online for a bit, I found this nice reasonably priced one at Walmart. I went to store and they were out. When I asked one of the Walmart "friendly" employee that's stocking nearby if she could find out if another Walmart had it. She hesitated for a second and said she would have to walk to the jewelry counter to call. I could sense that she found my request troublesome. From what I saw, the jewelry counter was only 15 feet away, so I said okay. When we got the counter, she asked this other lady to make the call. I didn't think it would be a problem since they seemed to be having a slow day at the jewelry counter. This lady was even more put off by it. She leaned over the counter with an annoyed face, and she was biting her nails the whole time we were waiting for the other store to pick up. I finally had enough and told them to forget about it. There's no smiley face there. I ended up going to Bath Bed & Beyond and got a Caphalon one like this one.

Yes, it costed me four times more, but the purchase was much more pleasant.

Oh, looks like I have time to get one more hour of sleep before I start my 12 hours work day.

Dear Rice and Pasta,
I miss you...

Things are coming along nicely. Peter has put down the floor in the bathroom. It looks good. We have also cleared out the used to be computer room to turn it into a nursery room. We have chosen the classic Winnie the Pooh theme. I'm not a big Pooh fan, but the classic Pooh Bear just screams nursery. Besides, Peter insisted on them. I thought I was lucky just to get him to go to the store with me, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that he actually cared enough to have an opinion about the nursery. Doesn't it look cute though?

Aunt Suzy and Lynne got us the bedding set, a Pooh Bear plush toy, some decorations, and some baby clothes. They are so nice and soft. What a lucky baby. Tomorrow I will continue my search for the perfect car seat and stroller.

I'm playing with gif files. Never knew how easy it is. It's kinda fun.

I was going to have my first baby shower today, but it was canceled due to the untimely winter storm. Boo~ I was looking forward to see our Kansas cousins this weekend. Of course I'm disappointed, but I'd rather them be safe and stay home. Peter finally put together the crib. I'm at 34th week now, technically I can give birth anytime now without any risk. I think tomorrow we are going to shop for stroller and car seat. I can't believe how many choices there are. We want one that's sturdy but not bulky. We still haven't decided if we are going to be cloth or disposable diapers. Personally I prefer cloth, but I'm not sure how leak proof they are. I can't believe how many things we still need to get. I'm so grateful for baby shower.

The hospital gift shop and salon were having a sale today. Everything was 30% off. Didn't really need anything, but I went to check it out anyway. There I saw this tourmaline ceramic flat iron marked as $120. My first reaction was "what the?!", and it's not even a CHI. After listening to my co-workers who have this kind of flat irons, though not the same brand, telling me how well they work and how much they love theirs blah blah blah... I was convinced it's worth the money. I thought I had a good deal when it ended up being $84 after the discount until I looked it up online tonight. They cost less than $70 every site I looked at. Needless to say, I'm pretty pissed right now. I feel like a SUCKER. I'm going to call them tomorrow and demand a refund.

I'm sure anyone who reads my blog can sense that I have been a little down lately. To perk myself up, I went to get myself some new makeup. I'm quite happy with my purchases. After much researches online, I decided to try Laura Mercier's foundation stick and foundation powder.

I have used Laura's foundation before. I was very pleased with it, but I'm a makeup junkie, so I never just stick with one thing. I had since then switched to Bobbi Brown and Cliniqe. I'm glad to finally be back with Laura again. I wore the two foundations all day at work today, and I was very happy with the result. Not only did they not feel heavy on my face, my complexion was completely evened out giving me a "flawless face" look (Laura Mercier's signature look). I also bought a new blush from NARS called Orgasm.

Such a beautiful color that will compliment any skin tone. I feel a little better already.

Bathroom renovation updates. We still got a long way to go. My favorite part is the glass block window. All done by Peter. The tiles are not perfectly align. Peter said it adds a little character. I don't know about that, but I'm just gonna have to deal with it. It's too late to take it all down and redo it now.

This is the color we picked for the wall. It's called plum passion. It's hard to see in the pictures, but it's a light green, and it goes well with our salmon color tub.

I hope to be able to post the final product real soon. I miss taking baths.

Feeling nauseous this morning... I have been up for 18 hours. As I'm yawning in front of the monitor, I try to think of anything to do besides going to sleep. I'm being irresponsible.

I have not been watching my diet as closely as I should. Even though I have only gained 1lb in the past 3 weeks, I feel like a bad mom already. This baby sure knows how to put a guilt trip on his mama.

(Yawning...)

It's been an emotional roller coaster day today. I had a doctor appointment today. Everything is fine, but before the appointment, I had a nervous breakdown. I'm not sure what pushed me over the edge. All of a sudden I had this unexplainable and overwhelming anger. Instead of controlling it, I let it control me. I was hysterical. After 20 minutes of crying, throwing and kicking things, I finally calmed down. I still don't know what came over me, but sure it would be concerning if I wasn't pregnant. These days I blame everything on hormone.

These are Peter's favorite cookies "toffee crunch cookies". He has been begging me to bake these. They have oatmeal, toffee bits, coconut and almond in them. I know it may sound too much, but all the ingredients compliment each other very well. Because these are thin cookies, they are not as rich as you may think. I was going to bake a cake too, but it's 3am already. I think I need to get some sleep especially when I'm still dealing with some leftover bronchitis. Now I'm going to bed smelling like cookies. Um... how sweet.

Every year I look forward to Thanksgiving, but this year I'm a little freaked out. This Thanksgiving reminds me just how close I am to my due date. By Christmas, I will be in a state of panic. In a couple months, I will be holding a tiny person in my arms. That's just too weird. Before I start hyperventilating, I should remind myself how blessed I am. I truly am grateful for what God has provided me and my husband all these years, and now He has blessed us with our first baby. We indeed have so much to be thankful for.

Our bathroom renovation is going along nicely. Husband is doing a fine job, I just hope that it will be done on time. I can tell Peter is feeling the pressure too as the baby due date approaching quickly. Today he worked on the glass block window. It turned out so good. I will post some pictures later. We have subway tiles all around, and we picked out an elegant pedestal sink. I think when it's done, it's going to look awesome.

Good news! My mom got her visa, and it's good for 10 years. She probably won't stay the whole 10 years, but at least she can get in and out of the U.S. without problem. She plans on staying for 6 months this time. Can't wait to have mom's home cook meals again.

I'm sick again. I have gotten sick so many times since I have become pregnant. I was feeling fine all day, then while we were at Lowes picking out paint color, all of a sudden I felt very weak and achy all over. It was strange. My legs were so weak that they were about to give out. I had to get up in the middle of the night and slept on the couch because my throat was too sore when I was lying down. While I was lying semi-comfortably on the couch, I saw this news on TV talking about an outbreak of a mutated cold virus that has killed 10 people in the U.S. Being a dramatic emotional pregnant woman as I am, my first thought was that must be what I have, I'm dying. So I rolled off the couch and looked it up on the internet. Although I have some similar symptoms, I don't think that's what I have. If you are reading this, please do pray for me for an uneventful final stretch of my pregnancy. I can't believe we are almost there.

Amanda is hosting a baby shower for me. She even used one of the pictures she took to make the invite. How nice!

My friend Amanda took these pictures. I thought they were a little cheesy at first, but it's my first pregnancy, and I'd like to share this experience with my family and friends. There are more in my photo album.

So many updates, but so little energy. I have developed gestational diabetes, so I have been checking my blood sugar and counting carbs. Good thing I only have couple months left. So far I have been able to keep it under control most of the time. I let my blood sugar slip once a while, but not bad at all. I didn't gain anything, in fact I lost 1 lb since the last doctor visit. I will still have to watch it after the baby, they said most women develop type 2 diabetes few years later.

My mom is going to apply for her visa. I wish her luck, and hope that they will let her stay for at least 6 months. I will take as much as I can get.

So I failed my first glucose test, I FAILED! Now I have to go back to have the three hour test. A lot of women fail the first one and pass the second one. I hope I pass. During my last visit, the nurse practitioner said we have to watch my weight. I must have gained more than expected in the past few weeks. I feel like a big fat cow. I should probably start some light exercise like walking. I have been so inactive lately mainly because of lack of energy. Maybe some exercise will do me good and give me more energy.

Peter has done a lot of cleaning and fixing up around the house lately. I'm so grateful to have such loving and wonderful husband.

This my new go to video when I need a good laugh. So adorable and contagious.