peekie wu!

This Thanksgiving, I was thankful for the gift of free will.  I decided, after much deliberation, to stop pumping and breastfeeding.  With my impending move, I've already experienced so much stress and exhaustion, and having to pump all the time wasn't helping.  People who love me have already been suggesting I stop for a while now, just for my own sake.  I actually don't mind breastfeeding because of that sweet bond it creates between mom and baby.  But, pumping is another beast altogether.  Being stuck to a location that has an outlet for power, and refrigeration to preserve the milk, at regular intervals, definitely felt like a ball and chain.  The transition is tough for Ethan because he's grown an attachment and familiarity with breastfeeding.  Our next steps with him are to attempt to reduce the amount of milk he's taking in a day, as well as finding another means of coaxing him to sleep.  We'll find a way, one day at a time. But ooooh, the freeeeeeeeeee

Been wrapped up in preparing to sell our house lately, so it's been a bit crazy.  But, I thought I'd share this from one of my favorite blogs as of late: " At church on Sunday her teacher talked with the kids about how they are all created with different talents and gifts. She’s been asking me about her gifts and talents ever since. I told her our gifts and talents are often the things we do that make us really happy. She declared she is talented at sewing, crafting and spray painting. I smiled and confidently agreed. " - Ashley from her blog It really struck a chord with me because I'd always wondered about what gifts or talents I have.  I remember it's always something they ask you to fill out in fun questionnaires as a kid.  It would eventually morph into a question about what major I would want to pursue in college.  I assumed the answer to that question would be whatever I'm good at.  But, I like Ashley's description better.  They're the

Raising a baby is difficult.  It's hands-down, the most difficult job I've ever signed up for.  But, with one smile, giggle, or snuggle, and my heart has melted into those little baby hands.  Lately, I've often looked at him and wondered, how did you grow up so fast?  Why are your baby rolls slowly disappearing?  How do you have my eyes?  Being a mom is weird.  It's like you see yourself in a little human that you've created and raised.  At the same time, he's completely his own human with his own little feelings and thoughts.  Ethan is constantly on the move these days, ready to explore the world.  So, last night, as I was rocking him to sleep for the night, I held him close to me, smelled his babyness, and kissed his cheek; Relishing that moment of him just being a baby for however long he'll let me. a blurry, grainy, but perfect shot from this past Sunday

I recently made some purchases from Target, and am in love with the softness of the fabric!  They seriously feel like those expensive cotton tops from brands like Splendid but at a fraction of the price.  Target's also running a promotion on clothing items right now that marks the prices down even more.  I thought I'd share it since they're only available online, and it's difficult to really know what you're buying online even if you've read what its made of.  I got these PJs: http://www.target.com/p/women-s-fluid-knit-tap-pj-set/-/A-15584522 The top fits so well, so I'm pretty tempted to wear it out as a normal tank top as well.  The bottom is super short, so it's definitely only sleepwear appropriate or for bummin around the house. Btw, if you aren't using ebates to shop online, you totally need to.  Since I've started using it, I've already cashed in $180 in cash back rewards with minimal effort on my behalf.  It's basically

I recently discovered some new apps that I've been really enjoying: Suru, Seven, and Timehop Screenshot with app icons at top First up: Suru (99 cents on itunes) I've been looking for a new note-taking app lately to up my organizational game.  In searching online for popular apps, none of them seemed to have the most important feature to me: nesting notes.  The ability to nest notes was really important because I needed to be able to keep track of a wide expanse of things without having to scroll through pages and pages of notes to visually find what I was looking for.  Specifically, I needed this to keep track of my goals in life.  I really wanted to get back on the horse of keeping track of my goals because I've let go of any sort of discipline ever since Ethan was born.  I gave myself plenty of time and space to just explore what it's like to be a new mom, but now, I'm ready to get back on track.  I really liked how Suru lets me organize my thoughts at m

I came across this on Instagram a week or so ago, and it really struck a chord: pinterest source They're all things I believe in, and have been consciously aware of at one point or another, but it's a great reminder for my daily life. Speak with integrity: My number one pet peeve in life is fakeness.  Fakeness, manipulation, and putting on a front are all things I really detest.  So, this first one is really the very core of my beliefs.  I've always said, that if I were to live in the  Divergent world, I'd definitely belong to the Candor faction (and Lucas to Amity).  But, the other notes that go along with this aren't things I've always focused on.  I could definitely work on using the power of my word for love, in other words, not speaking against myself or gossiping about others. Not taking it personally: Yea, my brain knows to do this, but my heart has a hard time cooperating.  Whether it's work or my personal life, I need to remember that w

Breastfeeding?  Yes, obviously, these days.  It's pretty much the norm now, and it's nice to hear that there are actual laws allowing it to happen in public.  Now, I'm not going to be flashing the whole world because I can, but that's also my personal preference.  Back when we were babies, formula was actually advertised as better than breastmilk, so I was raised on formula.  Whenever I see people preparing formula for their babies, I'm a little envious of how convenient it is.  At the same time, I can appreciate how convenient it is to always have milk "on hand" with little to no prep involved.  With Ethan in daycare, I am also well aware of how nice it is to not have to wash bottles since we do during the week.  I take breastfeeding pretty seriously because it will be my baby's main food source for at least the first year of his life.  Because of this, breastfeeding is a huge commitment physically and time-wise.  I avoid serious forms of caffeine (

One of the many things I didn't realize when I was pregnant, was that bath time would be an evolution once baby was born.  It's something I never really thought much about in the realm of baby products.  As baby gets older, what we use during bath time changed. Newborn Ethan Infant stage : In the beginning, babies don't need baths at all!  That sweet baby smell of a newborn is indescribable and absolutely precious.  Babies don't actually sweat at all because a lot of their sweat glands haven't fully developed yet.  Also, they don't do very much besides eat, sleep, and poop in those beginning weeks, so there isn't that much to clean besides their butt.  All we did in the beginning would be to wet one of those baby washcloths with water, and wipe his face and hands.  That way, he'd be fresh for new kisses... Puj Flyte I nfant stage, post-umbilical cord detachment : Once that last bit of the umbilical cord falls off, or is gently pried off in

9-month old Ethan in the Janie & Jack outlet I kinda wish I had bought this hat for the cute factor, but I held back.  Also, mom said he looks like Guomigdang...not sure what that means, but all I wondered was if Ethan started a new job delivering newspapers on a paper route.  I refuse to be his mode of transport though, he'll have to find someone/something else!

8-month old Ethan chomping on some bread at Hog Island in SF Ethan has finally cut his first tooth!  It's been three weeks already, and it actually has come up quite a bit.  I was feeding him dinner with my fingers, and felt something very sharp.  It was difficult to see the top of the tooth that's coming out because he's always moving, but it's easier to see now that it has poked out more.  He never had a fever, but did start coming down with a cold around the time the tooth came in.  But, I'm not sure if it's teething-related since the babies in daycare were also sick around that time.  I'm eager for him to get more teeth, so that he can start chewing more solids.  Hopefully he doesn't get more pain from them though!

 8-month old Ethan not happy that he's not sleeping on the gorgeous Californian coast Before becoming a mom, I certainly had a few things I thought, I won't do that when I become a parent.  Well, that my friends, no matter how you sugar coat it, is being judgmental.  They say you don't really know what it's like for someone until you walk in their shoes.  I've definitely walked those parental shoes now, and feel like I have a pair too many if you ask me. The first thing I said I wouldn't do was, to let my kid use my phone during dinner or anytime really.  When meal times become a multiple times a day, daily battle with a very short attention span diner, I see the appeal of using technology as a distraction.  We don't do it often or even once in a while, but when my mom is visiting, it becomes a popular option.  I think I forget about it as a potential solution to keep my son still for more than two seconds.  The option does pop into mind when we'

Baby carriers are so important if you want to be able to get anything done, especially while still on maternity leave and baby is sleeping most of the time.  Actually, scratch that, babies usually sleep better when being held, so carriers can be a godsend if mom needs a few more minutes of peace and quiet.  I never really thought much about baby carriers before because I got two as gifts and thought I was pretty much covered.  We got the Baby Bjorn and the Ergobaby .  We never really used the Baby Bjorn because I kept hearing all this hype around the Ergobaby.  My lovely MOH and bestie gifted us a special, designer print ergobaby pictured below:     We used the infant insert with it when Ethan was only a month old, but he quickly grew out of that insert.  The ergobaby was very comfortable to use because it kept him so close to my body, which dispersed his ~8lbs pretty well.  The only drawback to using it, as with most carriers actually, is that both Ethan and I would get extr

I'm always on the lookout for new books to read to Ethan.  While he may not actually understand what I'm saying or always look at the pages for very long, he does seem to enjoy the activity.  He loves turning the pages all by himself, looking back and forth from mommy and the book while reading, swiping the books onto the floor (and look for them after they've fallen), and occasionally chew on a corner or two.  As he's gotten older, he's definitely gotten more involved in baby-handling the books himself, and finds himself absolutely tickled with enjoyment when I've said a very funny-sounding word.  His current 9-month favorite sounds are, "Boo!" "Yo!" "Zoo."  When he was around 4-5-months he thought "Zzzzot!" "Buzzz" and "Skunk!" were simply hilarious. Here's a few of the books that are part of his reading adventure thus far... A cloth book for super infant days, but one that he still loves to this

Ever since becoming a mom, convenience has been the name of the game.  Believe it or not, it's difficult to even find time to get to the market.  Therefore, I'd say about 99% of my shopping happens online now.  Subscription boxes have become a staple for me.  I used to be subscribed to birchbox, the makeup/skincare sample service, but a girl only needs so many sample packets.  Once I found out about these 3 below, I was hooked.     First, is my citrus lane subscription box.  It's a service that delivers stuff that my baby can use.  I should also mention that ever since becoming a mom, I have developed a baby stuff buying addiction.  If there's an AA group for that, I probably should join it.  But, in my defense, if there's something that can help make our lives easier, funner, or smarter for baby, what parent would deny that?  I've gotten 3 boxes so far, and I've really liked/used every item I've received.  In my most recent august box, my favorite item

There's this tag that's been going around on youtube that I'd like to film and post as well, but really, who has time for that when I could be sleeping.  Just keeping it real here.  So, I thought I'd post it here for fun.  What are the five things I would tell myself the next time I get preggers? 1. Plan Early This could be many things, but most specifically, plan to be ready for the new baby by the 36 week mark.  This is considered the full term mark, although most estimate 40 weeks for a really done baby.  Ethan came early at exactly 39 weeks, and I started getting symptoms of labor the whole week leading up to it.  So, I didn't have enough time to do everything I wanted to do in the nursery.  I know it's not important, but it would have been nice to have everything ready and picture perfect way ahead of time so that I could actually just enjoy the last few days of pregnancy.  We didn't really pack our hospital bag until we had headed into the hospital the

I knew I would be learning a whole lot when we decided to have a baby, but there are a few things I never expected to pick up along the way.  1. I know how to properly fold a fitted sheet      I also know how to neatly put away all the bed sheets into a nice little pouch thanks to pinterest, but that's besides the point.  One of the not so fun things of getting a whole lot of baby stuff is unpackaging everything.  Especially the toys, oh my word.  There is a twist tie, or more commonly, those plastic circle jail thingies in every nook and cranny.  Twist ties are also not sufficient sometimes as they usually have to have tape over themselves too.  But, back to the fitted sheet: not that I bought a huge amount of crib sheets, but I'm a fan of sheets in general.  So, after opening a few of them, I started noticing a trend of how they were folded.  I think I took notice of how they are folded because crib sheets are so small in comparison to normal king or queen sized sheets.  So,

We finally got to try the cronut!  Well, not THE cronut, but a Safeway croissant donut shaped like a hex nut bolt thinger!  It was mighty fine ;-).  Hopefully we get to try donut savant's version sometime, someday.  Why are they only open until 2pm on Saturdays??  Definitely not baby schedule friendly...haha

My very first Instagram book!  It's kinda like a photo diary if you think about it...

Happy birthday to the bestest sister a girl could ever have ;-). This past year has been a whirlwind of happiness and love.  It's bound to be followed by double the love, triple the pop rocks on your face, quadruple the foxyness, and infinite more secrets like tennis ball pockets and beach treasure hunts!  Love you nola ;-)

Because I'm still getting over a cold, I decided to regularly cart around a thermos of something warm to soothe my throat.  Hacking up a lung is not a good look...anywhere.  I cannot believe it's been 7 years since this: Shannon had thoughtfully made me a personalized Starbucks thermos mug for a birthday or Christmas before.  Man, the memories!