Bipedal independance

No...Elizabeth isn't walking yet. Well, not on her own that is. She can kind of walk if she's holding onto something or someone. What happened today is a good sign that she may be closer to walking on her own. If there is something to balance herself against (e.g. the couch, coffee table, my leg), Elizabeth can and will stand up. She's been able to do that for awhile now. Tonight though, showed that she was ready to start standing on her own without any support.

First, she stood up leaning against her playpen and then took a step back. The result...standing on her own. Also, we were on the couch and Elizabeth was right next to me. All of a sudden she pushed herself to her feet and stood there on the couch for a second before squatting back down. I was rather excited. The last one was really neat. We were on the floor and she propped herself up like usual while holding my leg. Then, she dropped her hands and stood there for about 5 seconds. I wasn't holding her legs and she wasn't leaning against me. It was all her and her wobbly legs. I was ready to catch her if she fell, but instead she just eased herself back down to the floor. Man, she's growing fast. -T

A teething baby

Is no fun. We posted not too long ago that Elizabeth got her first two teeth. Well, she's probably getting more. We think the next ones are the top ones. You know how when you have a bad toothache and your mouth is all sore and stuff? I wonder if that's how it is to be teething. Anyway, between that and having a cold, Elizabeth hasn't been sleeping too well the last few nights.

On Thursday, I woke up at my usual 5:30AM to get ready for work. However, Sana wasn't in bed when I got up. Instead, I found her sleeping on some blankets on the floor in the baby's room. Apparently, Elizabeth had woken up in the middle of the night and was having a hard time going back to sleep. This meant that Sana didn't really get good sleep either.

Well, I got my turn the following night. I woke up in the middle of the night to Elizabeth crying over the monitor. So, I went over and picked her up to try and get her back to sleep. Immediately she fell back asleep on my chest and I thought she was passed out enough to put her back in the crib, but as soon as she hit the mattress, there was the crying. This same thing happened to Sana the night before. As a result, I decided to lay down on the blankets on the floor with the baby until she was sleeping deep enough to move her. I ended up spending the rest of the night on the floor with the baby. When I woke up in the morning, Sana was looking down right over my face probably thinking the same thing I was thinking the night before..."What the...baby couldn't sleep?" -T

Nine months sure does fly by

Being pregnant for nine months is a LONG time. Watching a baby grow for nine months is just a moment. I can't believe it has already been nine months since Elizabeth was born. We went for our nine month check-up today. At our pediatrician's office, there are only two out of five doctors that do nine months check-ups. The others go from a six month to one year visit. We sure are glad to be with the doctor that we have. There were many questions to ask the doctor at this visit and we got some really great answers to some challenges we've been having.

Elizabeth is growing very tall! She is now 28.5 inches, putting her in the 82nd percentile for her age. On the other hand, her weight is only 17lbs 6oz, putting her in the 25th percentile. She isn't loosing weight so the doctor says that it is fine. She says some babies are genetically born to be thinner or heavier than others. Since her birth, she has always been tall and lanky.

For the past month, I've been giving her lots more full fat items, but it appears to not have helped much. Also, she is such an active girl. Moving, jumping, crawling all day long. She probably burns many of the calories she consumes in a day. I'm going to have to figure out a way to put more calories into her meals.

We've been debating whether or not to get the flu shot and H1N1 shot this year. As parents, you want your child to be safe whenever possible, but we also wanted her to be strong on her own and build her own immunity as well. We've been talking about it for months and still hadn't made a decision by appointment time. When we brought the issue up with the doctor, she told us that she was in the lowest risk group and that it was up to us to make a decision. She wasn't going to recommend the shots either way. Well, it turns out that the decision was made for us. They were all out of the vaccines so there was no getting them today.

Outside the doctor's office

Strong heartbeat says the nurse

Head circumference is 17.76 inches

Getting undressed for the examination

After the doctor's office, we went to lunch. The baby must of have tired, because she slept through the entire meal. That has never happened before. This was the first restaurant meal without a third mouth to feed. Tim and I sat around her, making sure she wouldn't wake up or roll over. Elizabeth woke up so refreshed, she was ready to conquer the world. -S

This is a bad sign

A few weeks ago, Sana got a replacement credit card. She took the old card of her wallet and left it on the table to throw away. Well, Elizabeth saw it and had no problems picking it up. I think she smiled while playing with the credit card. We still have it laying around the house and Elizabeth has chosen to add it to her toy collection. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. You know..."Daddy, can I borrow your card? I need to go shopping." One of my fears...the credit card bill. -T

Go Speedracer, Go

We have this little "car" thing that Elizabeth likes to ride on. She can't quite get on it by herself, so somebody needs to sit her on it. On the flip side though, she has no problems getting off, although one foot seems to always get stuck as she slides off. She can't really move by herself either, so she needs a nice, long push to get around the place. One thing Sana tried and I have adopted as my own is pushing her from behind a bit faster than normal. It is rather amusing to watch her reaction to this sudden burst of speed. She holds on to the handlebar, picks her feet up, and with a big smile, slightly leans back to enjoy the ride. We can tell she likes this activity because there is always a smile for each ride. Sigh...that'll be a great memory. -T

Frozen Yogurt, my favorite

It's been so warm lately, we went to eat frozen yogurt at the neighborhood Cafe, Bambu. It's a short walk from our home, so we took a stroll there to have some yummy fro-yo. We usually get the original flavor with a few fruit toppings. This time, we had strawberries, kiwis, and mochi as our toppings. Elizabeth really likes the frozen yogurt here. The whole time we were eating it, she was leaning into the table, anticipating her next bite. -S

You're my friend, A

Elizabeth had a fun time playing with A on Thanksgiving. Usually, she can only stand being in the playpen for 5 minutes, but with A in the playpen with her, it could have been all night. They shared their toys, laughed at each other and studied their books.

Luckily for Elizabeth, she had a friend to play with on Thanksgiving. Otherwise, it would have been a night of crawling around and being passed around. A is a very good walker and eats well on her own. Elizabeth has many things to learn from this 언니. -S

Reading our own books

Let me show you how to turn the page

Mommy, I'm having fun. I don't need to come out yet...

What shall I play with next?

Baby's First Thanksgiving

Not only was this the baby's first Thanksgiving, it was the first one at our home too. Usually, we have Thanksgiving at one of our relatives' homes, but this year, Tim and I hosted our very first Thanksgiving meal.

In attendance (in relation to Elizabeth): Grandma and Grandpa Kim, Great-grandma Kim, Great Aunt Pae, Uncles Chris, David, Seung-Han, Auntie Bora, Mom's Friend Auntie Jenny, and friend A.

Everything turned out great, especially the turkey, which Daddy made. GO TIM! I hope he makes it every year. It was so delicious. The baby's favorite, cornbread and mashed potatoes. -S

Sippy cup pro

Happy Birthday 삼춘!

Dear Uncle David - Happy 26th Birthday! Thank you for loving me from Chicago. On this third visit you've come to see me, thank you for babysitting me, feeding me, and of course, changing my diaper. I will try to remember you and not cry the next time I see you. Love, Elizabeth

Can I blow out your candles?

Preview of Holiday Outfit

First visit from April 12, 2009

First Thanksgiving Sunday

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, we have church Thanksgiving. A day to celebrate all the things we are thankful for, before the Lord. This year, we are thankful for our growing bundle of joy. For her health, the challenges, and the happiness she brings to us and our family. We are also thankful for Tim's steady job, a cozy place to call home, the support and love of our wonderful parents and nearby friends . We're also thankful for our blog followers, especially for your comments that encourage us to continue blogging.

After worship, we had a traditional Thanksgiving meal with all the usual dishes accompanied by many different types of kimchi, of course. Elizabeth had many first tastes at this meal. Usually, you're suppose to wait three days after each new food, but since she hasn't had any reactions to any foods yet, we let her try a few new things at this meal. First tastes: turkey, croissants, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. The best reaction was the cranberry sauce. We saw the funniest sour face we have ever seen. She did the sour face a second time she ate it too. Then she opened her mouth for another bite, and this time ate it happily. -S