July!

So, I'm not great at keeping things updated, but I'm trying!! Here are some highlights of our summer so far...

Getting out and about and visiting friends!

We've had some great chances to visit with friends in Korea, here visiting, and some we haven't seen in ages! Plus some great times hanging out and exploring with our small group! The kid outgrew his first carrier, and has been loving his Moby wrap, staying close to mommy... and getting to explore while not being too far away from MILK!!! (don't mind my "hat-trying-on-face" haha!)

THE KID LOVES FOOD!

Though the Canadian and American Paediatric Society both recommend exclusive breast-feeding for the first six months, the kid had been showing signs he was ready for more than milk. First, he's always hungry! Also, he watches us eat and has been smacking his lips and reaching for our food while we're eating. One day he actually grabbed a chocolate from my hand as I was unwrapping it! >.< So we started him on rice cereal and since then he's also had apple sauce, sweet potato and pumpkin! Last night was his first pumpkin and HE LOVED IT!!! He's an eating machine... which brings us to highlight #2:

PUMPKIN HEAD GREW!!!

So, believe it or not, the kid was a bit short for his age ~ I know, hard to believe! He had actually been measuring well under the 50th percentile, in fact, since he was born he was mostly around the 20th percentile for height and 50 for weight! But he hit a HUGE growth spurt recently and is now around the 75th percentile! YAY!!! His legs are finally growing and making him look more like a little human than a big-headed cartoon character! hahaha...

BEST $20 EVER SPENT!

We bought the Pumpkin Head a jumperoo, and once he got the hang of it he fell in love with it! At first he didn't know how to stand on his own when being held, now after using this, when we hold him he only wants to stand! "Forget laying, sitting is boring! STAND ME UP!!!"

The Drive-In Theater

So I didn't get any pics, but after weeks of grumbling that we couldn't go to the movies anymore we finally remembered there's a drive-in theater FIVE MINUTES from our house! How we let it go so long, I don't know... but we went and it was AWESOME! We saw Eclipse, and I don't care what you think, Twilight movies are like eating jellybelly and ice cream in your pajamas! Meaning they're like candy ~ light, no substance, but dang it feels good!! hahaha...

We put on our comfy clothes, popped popcorn and made lemonade and brought pillows, then cuddled up in the car and watched the movie. A slight bummer, the heat and humidity was SO BAD that we broke down a few times and turned on the car to run the AC ~ I know, terrible... but there was a diesel SUV next to us with his on the whole time, and other cars were doing the same as us... it was too hot that night. Next time we'll go on a cooler night so we can keep the windows down. (if you don't live in Korea and think we're wimps, remember Korean summers is like 1000% humidity and we do have a baby!)

OK ~ those are my highlights of the day. I'm going to sort through some photos later, so I can give a better glimpse of how the PH is growing!

New Interest ~ Teething Jewelry!

OK~ I've decided to go with the Manduca, but I want ALL the accessories (more than I'd realized when I made the decision!) so I'm searching for the best price online now...

In the mean time, I've found something new I'm eyeing... teething baby-safe jewelery!

I first saw some of these necklaces and bracelets at a maternity boutique when I was back in Canada last summer. At the time I thought it was a bit odd, but a cute idea... now that the Pumpkin Head puts EVERYTHING into his mouth I'm a bit more keen on the idea!

While looking up websites I came across this ABC article attesting to the growing trend. These days there are quite a few companies who make these items and are selling in smaller boutique shops and online. Most carry bangle-style bracelets and necklace pendants ~ but man, I really want some sort of earring!

I used to be a necklace person, then a few years ago I had an allergic reaction to something and stopped wearing all jewelery for a few weeks... after that I would rather wear bold earrings and no necklace (plus I think it makes my neck look longer). :p~

Some people warn that these items encourage babies to put jewelery into their mouths ~ and that could be a valid point. But at this age, PH doesn't understand the word "no" and will put things in his mouth anyway ~ so it may as well be safe and soothing for him. Plus, even if I wear no accessories, he'll find SOMETHING to suck on... >.<

Anyway, this is what I've got my eye on:


This is a set from the "Teething Bling" line from Smart Mom, and is made from a food-safe, phthalate-free, federally-approved silicone.

Kinda cool, eh??

Choosing a new carrier

The past few weeks have been pretty good and we've been focusing on becoming more active. So odd, we go through phases of being home-bodies or out ALL the time. I'm not sure if we've ever had a perfect balance.

Nonetheless, we've made some discoveries about life with a wee one recently. First of all, using a stroller in Seoul kinda sucks ~ baby wearing is the most convenient thing to do! Plus Pumpkin Head would rather be carried and rests better that way (in addition to all the other benefits of baby wearing). Finally, I'm the only person I know who does this, but I can nurse him while on the go when I've got a good carrier (I just lower one of the straps and use my nursing cover ~ something I need to rave about soon!).

So about carriers, the cheap (Safety First) baby carrier we bought from costco is crap. Well, for twenty bucks we knew it wasn't the best ~ and we definitely got our money's worth from it! It's perfectly fine for little ones, but Pumpkin Head is not little... And the Moby wrap is great and PH loves being in it ~ BUT it's a HUGE pain in the butt to do up in public when PH is screaming and needing to be nursed or carried ASAP. Living in Asia I've discovered I have this gross fear of what could have been on the ground and I don't want my Moby to touch the floor.

So, I'm on the hunt for a new carrier. I'm looking for a soft structured carrier and right now my top three choices are the well known Ergo, the Pikkolo and the Manduca. All three have pros and cons, but are pretty much the same idea. So at this point I'm weighing the pros and cons including costs and shipping.



The Ergo Baby Carrier (http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/) is the one people generally know, and it's pretty common in Korea. I can buy it on Gmarket for less than $100 ~ the Ergo site has the originals priced at $110.


#2 ~ The Pikkolo carrier is about $130USD and up. The perk of this one is that the straps and cross at the back and it's easier to buckle up alone. Many of the carriers sold in Korea are complicated or need 2 people! >.< I've tried on a friend's and loved the feel of the weight distribution, but I didn't like that the waist strap was not flattering on my butt! :(



#3 ~ The Manduca Carrier. German made and uses an organic cotton / hemp blend. It seems to have all the advantages of the others, plus I hear it can cross at the back and it has a zipper that opens to increase the body length ~ which is a plus for older or taller kids, and PH has height potential! I've tried this on in the store and liked the feel! The straps are thicker and has more padding than the other styles ~ though some say too much. It also has safety buttons on the clips, though the husband didn't like it (mostly cause he couldn't figure it out and took a chunk outta his finger!). It is available here, but at double the cost of the Ergo...


So, this is what's consuming my time these days... any thoughts out there???
~b

June recap!!

K...

so I look at my blog each day and think I should write something... then I think I can't write anything new, until I write all the cool things that already happened... but then never do that!! >.<


June was a great month for us! Liam is getting SO big and he's really changing every day! He laughs SO loudly now, and is always grabbing things and putting them in his mouth.

He's been loving spending time on his play mat, and gets very excited when he get's a toy into his mouth or jingles the frog enough to make music!

This mat was a gift from Jason & Amanda... and he uses it ALL THE TIME!! ^.^




Though he's not rolling over often, he constantly lays with his butt and legs in the air, then rolls from side to side.



May and June brought A TON of mosquitoes... One morning Liam woke up with ELEVEN (11!!!) bites ~ mostly on his head! ㅠ.ㅠ so we finally bought and put it netting over his crib. Awesome part ~ NO bites since... strange part ~ Coopz thinks he's too far from Liam and can't keep an eye on him, so he tries to bury his way under to be closer!! hahaa... one morning I woke up to Liam happily chattering away to Cooper, like usual, and Cooper under BOTH layers of netting!!



This month we also took a three hour car trip to the OEM retreat... Oak Vally Resort was gorgeous. It rained, and we didn't really do much, but we all enjoyed our time there. A highlight was hanging out with the other parents and babies!

OK... that's all I have time for at the moment... but stay tuned for more updates!!
<3
~b

i carry your heart

i carry your heart with me
by E. E. Cummings

i carry your heart with me
(i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it
(anywhere i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)
I fear no fate
(for you are my fate, my sweet)
i want no world
(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)