Korean translation for Natural Birth Plan

This is L's actual birth plan so you may have some differences, but this should get you started if you are planning to give birth at a Korean hospital. I do not read Korean and did not write this (just cut and pasted), so please double check this before you use it.

BIRTH PLAN FOR THE ~ FAMILY
(~ 패밀리를 위한 분만 계획서)

I prefer a natural, vaginal birth. Please help me achieve this in the following ways.
(저는 가능한 한 자연 분만을 원합니다. 아래에 적힌 내용을 참조해 주세요.)

1st stage of labour (분만 1기)

I prefer
1 No males, students or non-essential personnel to be in the room.
(분만실에 꼭 필요한 분이 아닌 인턴이나 실습생, 특히 남자분들을 들여 보내지 말아 주세요.)
2 To avoid internal vaginal examinations unless they are medically necessary or I request them.
(꼭 필요하거니 제가 원할 때에만 내진을 해 주세요.)
3 To avoid having my membranes ruptured unless medically indicated or discussed with us.
(꼭 필요한 상황이 아니면 양수를 인위적으로 터트리지 말아 주세요.)
4 To manage my pain on my own. Please do not offer drugs for pain relief. I will ask for it if I need it.
(진통 경감을 위한 약을 쓰지 말아 주세요. 필요 시엔 제가 말씀 드리겠습니다.)
5 If the baby and I are fine, to be free of time limits.
(저와 아기만 건강하다면 너무 진통 시간에 연연하지 말아 주세요.)

2nd stage of labour (분만 2기)

I prefer
1 Not to lie on my back
(똑바로 눕지 않게 해 주세요.)
2 To adopt whatever position feels right for me at that time (for example, squatting, side lying, on all fours
(진통 중 가능한 한 제가 마음대로 자세를 바꿀 수 있게 해 주세요.)
3 To be allowed to rest and wait if I do not have the urge to push straight away, if the baby and I are fine
(아기와 제가 괜찮다면 힘주기때 너무 급하게 재촉하지 말아 주세요.)
4 To push instinctively rather than be coached or told when to push
(힘주기때 제가 스스로 알아서 할 수 있도록 너무 코치를 하지 말아 주세요.)
5 Measures taken to try and ensure an intact perineum (warm compress, massage with lubricant, gentle pressure on baby’s head to stop it coming too quickly)
(perineum이 제 역할을 잘 할 수 있도록 따뜻한 마사지나 지압을 좀 해 주시고 아기 머리가 너무 빨리 나오는 것을 방지하도록 아기 머리를 부드럽게 눌러 주세요.)
6 To risk a tear rather than have an episiotomy (unless a medical emergency)
(위급한 상황이 아니라면 회음부 절개보다는 자연적인 tearing을 원합니다.)

After birth (분만 이후)

I prefer
1 To wait until the umbilical cord stops pulsating before it is clamped and cut
(탯줄이 스스로 pulsating이 멈출 때까지 자르지 말아 주세요.)
2 Skin to skin contact with my baby
(아기와 제가 스킨십을 바로 할 수 있도록 해 주세요.)
3 Not to have my baby’s nose and mouth suctioned unless it is medically necessary
(응급상황이 아니라면 아기의 코와 입에 suction을 하지 말아 주세요.)
4 Time to allow the placenta to deliver spontaneously
(태반이 자연적으로 배출되도록 기다려 주세요.)
5 To avoid injection to help control bleeding and deliver the placenta, unless medically necessary
(의학적으로 꼭 필요한 경우가 아니라면 지혈이나 태반출산을 돕는 주사나 약물을 사용하지 말아 주세요.)
6 To delay newborn procedures (weighing and measuring, etc) until I have had time to breastfeed my baby
(제가 충분히 아기에게 수유를 한 후에 아기 체중 측정이나 키 측정 같은 신생아 관리를 스케줄대로 해 주세요.)
7 To wait until after I have fed my baby before having stitches, if possible
(스티치(봉합)를 하기 전에 제가 아기에게 먼저 수유할 수 있도록 해 주세요.)

In case of C-section (만약 제왕 절개가 필요시)

I prefer
1 Regional anaesthesia (epidural or spinal block) if possible
(전신 마취가 아닌 경막외 마취를 해 주세요.)
2 To avoid a chest X-ray
(X-ray는 찍지 말아 주세요.)
3 If a chest X-ray is necessary, please cover my baby with a lead apron
(꼭 X-ray가 필요시엔 앞치마나 천으로 제 배를 가려 주세요.)
4 To hold my baby after the C-section, if possible
(가능하면 수술뒤 바로 아기를 제게 안겨 주세요.)
5 To delay newborn procedures (weighing and measuring, etc) until I have had time to breastfeed my baby, if possible
(제가 충분히 아기에게 수유를 한 후에 아기 체중 측정이나 키 측정 같은 신생아 관리를 스케줄대로 해 주세요.)

Other
Breastfeeding support (모유 수유시)
1 I would like a lactation consultant to check the progress of breastfeeding my baby during the days after birth
(분만후 모유 수유 전문가가 일정한 시간마다 저를 방문해서 모유수유를 도와 주시기를 바랍니다.)
2 Please provide a breast pump, if needed
(유축기가 필요 시엔 좀 준비해 주세요.)

Infant vaccination (신생아 예방접종)
1 Please vaccinate our baby against Hepatitis B.
(간염 B 예방 접종을 해 주세요.)

Thank you. (감사 드립니다!)

Back in Seoul: The Hits Keep Coming

The trip wasn't bad, no big disasters anyway. We got home about 9pm and went to bed about 11pm. Ian did try to get up at 4:30 am, but we got him back down for another hour. We got up and out the door by 10:30am.

The first hit was Seoul traffic. It was bad and the driving style is really annoying here. It is so easy to forget that. I had to lay on the horn--something Koreans don't do much--but, I rolled with it. It's pointless to get too worked up about traffic because it is a constant and you can't change it.

Next hit, my allergies started raging. My nose is running like a faucet and I don't seem to have tissues in any of the usual places. Annoying, but not critical. I need to neti and restock the tissues.

Then, I realized we are out of trash bags. You need special government trash bags here in Korea. Again, annoying but no big deal, I just need to stop by the market to get some.

On with my day, my first stop was to the Dragon Hill Business Center to get my cell phone re-activated. I stepped out to the playground and made my first call to my best friend on the post. We hadn't been good about keeping in touch because it is hard to coordinate phone calls with the time difference and she's not a big e-mailer. She did say that a lot had changed while I was gone. I was looking forward to seeing her and hearing the news.

Now, the big hit: she has breast cancer and is leaving for the US on Thursday.

What?!? They don't know if it has spread. She will find out soon. They are removing her breast and several lymph nodes to test them. I just got my notice for the Pittsburgh Race for the Cure. We have a team for Marci, my friend and theatre director whi had breast cancer several years ago. My cousin just had breast cancer last year. Both are survivors and I believe my friend will survive as well. It is shocking because she is young and has no family history or other known risk factors, but many people are in this category. I need to be more diligent with breast self-exams.

I will miss her and I send her my thoughts and prayers for a quick and easy recovery. Does anyone have any advice/resources/support suggestions that might help her?

International Travel with Baby and Toddler: Back to Seoul

We're back in the ROK! We made it and here's some travel advice based on the trip.

I traveled with Ian a lot during his first 2 years of life. I wrote a post about traveling with baby a long time ago. You can read the recommendations here.

Traveling with an infant is a lot easier than traveling with a toddler and much easier than traveling with an infant AND a toddler! But, if you are prepared, even though it is long, it won't be bad or traumatic, just long.

So, I am going to give the specifics of my situation and then give general advice. Hope it helps!

As most of you know, I went back to the US mid-December to spend Christmas with family and then prepare to have baby #2, due March 9. I was preparing to be in the US for 4-5 months, so I brought a lot of stuff, including, mailing a few boxes back. We were traveling with our dog (a 65 lbs boxer) as well and had to have two vans to drive us to the airport. I did not bring my stroller with me because we just didn't have the room and I figured that I wouldn't use it much in Erie, Pennsylvania during the winter. I brought my Ergo with me to carry Ian, if necessary. This turned out to be a mistake because, at 28 weeks pregnant, I could carry a 30 lbs toddler on my back for reasonable distances, but when we landed in Chicago, we had to walk miles to get through customs and it was not pretty. We checked Ian's carseat because he wouldn't have sat in it for such a long flight and we couldn't have managed dealing with it while switching flights. I arranged to borrow an infant carseat from a friend in Erie so I would not have to bring the infant carseat with us as well.

Now, onto the trip back.......

After Eva was born, we went to the State office to get a raised-seal birth certificate. Babies born in Pennsylvania have an official birth certificate sent in the mail for free, but the time-frame is within 6-8 weeks of the birth. You must have a birth certificate to apply for a passport, so we went to the office and paid for two copies. You also need a social security number to apply for a passport. The hospital usually handles this, but make sure they do it. Once we received the SSN in the mail, we sent her passport application in and paid to expedite it. Let, me emphasize that WE turned her passport application in, because both parents have to be present to submit it, or you need a notarized document from the absent spouse giving you permission or a court document demonstrating sole custody or a custody agreement, in order to get a child a passport. We received the passport back, 10 days after we sent it in.

We did not book her flight until we had the passport in hand. Not even a baby can fly internationally without a passport. Government bureaucracy is unpredictable and you cannot count on a quick turn around. It turns out that the free official birth certificate that was supposed to take 6-8 weeks, arrived in about 2.5 weeks, but you can't count on that. Also, it is a good idea to have multiple copies of the birth certificate anyway.

I mailed a few boxes to Korea from the US. We have a US government mailing address in Korea, so it wasn't that expensive. It wasn't cheap, but the value of the contents exceeded the cost of the postage so it was worth it. After the birth, Curt went back to Korea to work while we waited for the documents to come through. I also wanted Eva and I to have had our 6-week check ups before we went back. Curt flew to the US to bring us back because with all the luggage we had, I did not want to attempt that trip by myself. He brought Eva's carseat in one of his suitcases so we had it to bring with us and could return the borrowed seat. Also, while in the US, my mom bought me a MacLaren Volo for the times when I might need a stroller. This is an excellent stroller. It is the entry-level MacLaren and is very light, but has nice features and is definitely much better (as far as pushing/sun shade, etc.) than the $20 umbrella stroller you can buy.

We had 7 full suitcases (we were entitled to 8 since Eva had her own seat). We planned to check Ian's carseat, gate-check the MacLaren Volo and bring Eva's seat on the plane. We also had two small roller bags, my husband's laptop bag/briefcase, a diaper bag and another shoulder bag for carry on.

Our trip began at 3am when we left Erie to drive to the Cleveland airport (just under 2 hours away). My parents came with us so we needed both the van and the truck to get all the people and luggage to the airport. My parents stayed with us until we got checked in to make sure that our bags we not overweight and then we went through security. Both kids slept through the drive and the first flight to Washington, DC. We had a 5.5 hour layover in DC so we arranged to meet a friend (pictured above with her baby) at the airport to pass the time. Also, it didn't take long to realize that we had made a mistake by bringing Eva's carseat on so we checked it in, during our layover. Between our laptops, cameras and baby stuff, we had too much to carry-on to deal with the carseat.

The flight from DC to Tokyo took off on-time and was a surprisingly light flight. We had 4 seats together at the back of Economy Plus. Ian had fallen asleep in the stroller in the security line and slept for a few hours. Enough time for me to watch a movie and for Curt to get some rest. When he woke up, we used snacks, stickers, books, etc. to keep him entertained. Eva woke up periodically to eat. Neither one had ear trouble. Ian fell asleep about mid-flight and slept the rest of the way. He didn't even wake up when we got off the plane. The stroller was far away, so it was a pain, but my husband carried him and managed both roller bags and his briefcase by stacking the roller bags.

The flight from Tokyo to Seoul started boarding shortly after we got to the gate. It was probably the longest 2 hours of the trip. I watched a program, slept and there was still an hour to go. It was also very light so there were plenty of extra seats.

Curt's friend brought his van to pick us up. It was a tight fit, but we got everything in and finally we made it home about 9pm last night. All-in-all, it wasn't bad because the kids slept a lot, but it was very long!

Now for the general advice:

Documents

Whether your baby is born here or in your home country, you should find out the procedure and timeframe for getting all the documents your baby needs to travel and be a citizen. Even if you are married to a Korean and your baby will be a Korean citizen, you need to make sure that baby can travel so you can go back to your home country to visit your family. You don't need to have immediate travel plans to get these documents as soon as possible. You may not be able to accomplish much of anything beyond baby care for a few months, so if you don't make it a priority, time will pass and then you might forget and then have to scramble when you want to travel.

What to Pack/Carry On
Like all my advice, this section starts with,"It depends." As I wrote on my original blog piece, you can't travel light with a baby, so you have to try to travel smart. Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you make smarter decisions:

Do we really need this during the trip?

To answer this question, ask yourself: Where are we going? How long will we be gone? Will I be traveling alone or will I have help? (You can request help from the airline, but you should still prepare to be able to handle things yourself) How old are my children? What do their personalities tell me about how they will react?

*Laptops, jewelry and other electronics need to be carried-on to prevent theft or damage. With all the baby stuff you will need to carry on, do you really need your electronics and jewelry? I had a big camera bag and my laptop. I was going to be in the US for months and there was no computer at my parents' house. They have work laptops, but nothing I could use whenever I wanted to use a computer. I determined that I needed my electronics and big camera (digital SLR).

*Clothing: If you have easy access to laundry (like at your parents' house), pack fewer clothes, especially for yourself. However, you need to bring layers to account for the temperature changes on the plane and you need to bring a change of clothes on the plane in case of an explosive diaper. For toddlers, I like the second outfit to be pajamas. You can put them on when it is time to go to bed to help them get in the mood to sleep and use them as a spare outfit if they have an accident.

*As for toys, don't bring a lot. If you are going home to see family, they will most likely give the children gifts. If you are going on a tour, there won't be a lot of time to play with toys. Bring light things like paperback books, two little cars, a note book and crayons, stickers, etc. for the plane ride and leave most everything else at home. If there is a special doll or stuffed animal or security blanket, bring it. Even for us, I mailed some of Ian's toys and brought some in the suitcase, but I really could have left everything because between what my mom had at her house leftover from my brothers and what Ian received as gifts, he didn't need anything, even for such a long stay. He did use the toys I sent/brought, but he didn't need them. Some people swear by dvd players. I don't have one, but if your toddler has favorites, you might want to bring one if you have room. If you are in Business Class and above, you'll have your own screen and will be able to choose movies, however, Economy Plus and Economy, it varies by flight and airline. Every time I fly, even on the same airline, it is different. Sometimes we have individual screens and sometimes we don't. Don't count on it.

*Carseat: This depends on the age and personality of your child and where you are going. In general, if your child can walk, you are better off checking the carseat on a long flight because the child won't sit in it and you'll appreciate the extra room. On a short flight with no transfers, you might be better off carrying it on to avoid it being handled by the airline (can get dirty or beat up). If you are going to see family and there is one you can borrow, then maybe leave yours at home and borrow one for the trip. For an infant, I still prefer to check it, but I hold my baby all the time anyway. I would rather have the room than be able to put her in a carseat.

*Strollers: Gate check your stroller. I like to carry my baby and push carry-ons on the stroller. Or now, with Ian being too heavy to carry for long distances and too young to be expected to walk quickly for long distances during a grueling trip, I like to push him in the stroller. In the future, I will bring my Volo (ultra lightweight umbrella stroller) to push Ian and I will just carry Eva. When I just had Ian, I brought my Inglesina Zippy so I could push the luggage or the infant carseat through the airport and then I gate-checked both. If you are bring a stroller, gate-checking is a good idea because it lessens the dirt and damage to your stroller.

*Snacks/Drinks: There are liquid restrictions, but I was able to get some juice boxes through security. Even prepared formula and pumped breastmilk have some restrictions on how they much be packaged to bring them on. Double check with the airline before you fly so you can comply. If you are going through the US, Europe, Japan, they are very strict. Other countries, like Egypt were not. I brought a few juice boxes and then an empty sippy bottle for Ian.

As for snacks, bring lots. Small bags of M&Ms will provide portion control, but go a long way in occupying a toddler. Don't worry about toddler nutrition when flying, bring things that they like and are snackable. We brought like bags of candy, cheddar bunny crackers, raisins and granola bars. Kids don't like to wait to eat. It is expensive to buy things at the airport. Snacks will keep them in the seating area.

*Diapers: Bring twice the maximum amount of diapers you could possibly need for the trip. They do not sell diapers at airports. Most likely, unless your baby gets diarrhea during the trip or you get stuck in an airport overnight due to weather delays or political uprising (like Thailand last year), you will have plenty of diapers leftover so that you can last until at least the next day before you have to go out and get more. Now, I do cloth diaper at home, but not on trips. The diapers take up too much room and who wants to spend vacation doing diapers? I did bring them to the US for this recent trip because I was there for so long, but if I had to do it over again, I would have left them at home. Washing them wasn't a problem because I had free laundry at my parents' house, but they take up a lot of room. I just hate to pay for diapers, but truthfully, it was easier for Ian's school to use dispoables when he was at there and then with all the side trips to Pittsburgh for appointments and other places to see other relatives, I ended up using a lot of disposables.

*Medicines: Carry on several days worth of daily prescription meds in case you get stuck in an airport due to weather, etc. and bring a few of whatever you are likely to need like a pain reliever and an antacid. Bring all medicines that baby could possibly need: baby tylenol for fevers/teething pain, anti-gas drops, ear analgesic for ear pain, teething tablets for teething pain, saline nose spray for stuffy noses, bulb syringe if baby needs to be suctioned regularly. I didn't need any of this stuff, but I was glad to have it. Again, liquids must be in a quart-sized ziplock bag to get through security.

*Blanket- the airlines have blankets, but they aren't the warmest or cleanest. Even in the summer, it can get cold on a plane. I like to bring a blanket that is big enough to cover me as well.

Optional items:
Diaper/wipes case click the link for the review
Go Go Kidz Travelmate: It turns any carseat into a wheelable item with a retractable handle. This is good for carseats that are bigger than the infant carrier models because they are too heavy to carry and don't fit in a stroller.
Cases for carseat/stroller: They protect the carseat/stroller from dirt and damage. The airline sometimes puts a plastic bag over them, but it is usually ripped when you get them back. The bags are definitely worth it for frequent travelers.
Back pack kid leash: Good for toddlers in the airport during layovers so you can kept track of them in a busy airport but let them explore. My son went limp and wouldn't hold my hand so this really helped to give him some freedom but keep him safe. ( I brought it on this trip, but he is 2.5 now and II didn't need it.) However, it doesn't work if you really have to go somewhere quickly. You are better off using a stroller. If you buy something like this, don't spend a lot of money because they are of limited use to most people.

That is all I can think of for now. If you have any other helpful travel products or travel advice, please comment!

Baby Talkin'

I was talking to a friend on the phone last night and was telling her some of the funny things Ian says like,"My penis is on backwards."

She said,"Does he actually say 'penis'?"

I said,"Yes, of course, what else would he call it? Peepee? He also says 'vagina'*. I hate cutsie names for things."

Even with nursing, I make the ASL sign for "milk" and say "milk". Not "numnums" or "nursie" or anything else. It is just not my style. In fact, it annoys me. If a special word is child-initiated, then that is less bothersome and can sometimes be cute, but so often, you hear moms talking "baby talk" words to their infants. Moms, training babies to use made up/cutsie words.

I admit that babies take the most stoic or style-conscious mom and turn her into, what she previously considered to be babbling idiot with an unending stream of silly nicknames (for your baby) and made up songs. It happened to me. Ian is currently "My Binka-Dinka-Doo." And there are more. Many more, but I won't torture you with them. I am not immune to the power of baby. In fact, I am not immune to the power of puppy, you should hear my songs for Roxxy, like,"If I can have Roxx, I don't want no puppy, baby."

However, when it comes to body parts or any other nouns, I use the real word. I have no desire to use anything else, except for the words that Ian has made up himself and even then I try to resist so he learns the proper word. Ian has a habit of abbreviating. He calls the refrigerator "the fridger". He calls bananas "'nanas" and zucchini "'cchini". It does sound cute to me, which demonstrates the power of baby, because as much as cutsie nanes made up by adults grate on me, child-created names from my own child still seem cute to me. Still, I try to resist and use the proper names.

*According to sex therapist, Dr. Laura Berman, we should be saying "vulva" instead of "vagina" because "vagina" is just the internal part. Need to make that change.

6 Weeks!

Happy Easter

Coloring eggs yesterday:





Eva helping:

Finding (plastic) eggs this morning:

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Cairo Connie tagged me for a new meme that’s been traveling the globe and will keep going until it reaches every corner of the world. It`s called Around the World in 80 Clicks.

The 5 Things I Love About Being a Mom:

1. Seeing the best and worst of myself and my husband combined into two perfect, unique creations.

2. Fully living in and appreciating the sentiments behind cliched statements like,"unconditional love", "they grow so fast", etc. You can't ever imagine what it will be like until it happens to you.

3. Exploring the world through a child's eyes is both beautiful and hilarious.

4. Knowing and believing that so many things that used to be important are really trivial in the grand scheme of life and happiness. When you have kids, you know what is important.

5. Learning to be present in the small moments of life like breastfeeding, cuddling, holding a child's hand to cross the street.

I tag two other expat-in-Korea moms: Sarah of Quest for Cuteness and Melissa of Expatriate Games

Product Review: JJ Cole Diaper and Wipes Pod

Gimmick or great? I wasn't sure of the answer when I bought the JJ Cole Diaper and Wipes Pod last week as an attempt to lighten my load.

A little background: I am the type of person who puts my stuff in with the diaper bag. I can quickly fill a diaper bag with everything but diapers. I bought a bigger diaper bag to accommodate two kids, but, I just filled it with my own stuff, even before Eva was born. It wasn't organized in a way that benefitted me either. But, no matter what bag I have, I realized I needed to change my strategy when it comes to what I carry.

The majority of things I do and places I go, do not require me to carry tons of diapers at once. Even if I am going to be out all day, I am not usually far from my car. The JJ Cole Diaper and Wipes Pod holds a changing mat, small wipes case (you buy separately or buy the travel pack of wipes) and a few diapers (2-4 if you really stuff). It has a handle so you can carry it easily or hang it off a stroller. It is also small enough to fit inside a diaper bag or bigger bag and it keeps the diapers from getting mashed.

The day after I bought it, my mom took Ian to a play. I couldn't go because I had a terrible headache. I just handed her the Pod and off they went. On the trip, I used the pod constantly. The changing mat isn't plush (that would be too big and defeat the purpose), but provides a barrier between your child and the floor of the car (where I changed Eva) or the baby changing stations in public restrooms (where I changed Ian).

There are other versions of this product like:

Diapees and Wipees
Patemm Pad
Diaper Clutch

The most innovative is the Patemm Pad, many of the others are basically fabric envelopes. It is interesting because you expand and contract the concept of a diaper bag and can get to the same place. I would have liked to see the Patemm Pad in person to compare to the JJ Cole Wipes Pod, but it wasn't at the store. I think it might be bigger than I want. I liked the JJ Cole version because of the small mat and attachability. Also, it was available at Babies 'R Us when I wanted to buy it.

So the question becomes, if you contract your diaper needs into a small JJ Cole Diaper and Wipes Pod, do you really need a bigger diaper bag and if so, what for? Well, I think you do need a bigger diaper bag for longer trips and to hold the Pod and messy things like sippy cups, snacks or bottles. Many are either washable or have removable, washable liners. Also, the good ones are designed to hold the bottles, cups and snacks. However, you can find non-diaper bag bags that will work for your needs if you'd like. I think I will go back to my smaller diaper bag when I go back to Korea. I am going to keep my heavy planner and extra diapers and wipes in the car or perhaps get a small purse for my things and put them and the wipes pod in a sling tote type bag. I like having my things the kids' things together because it is only one bag to remember instead of two. Easier to carry one bag instead of two. However, the exact combo is yet to be perfected. I will experiment this summer and update.

Roadtrip!

We just returned from Eva's first roadtrip. We were supposed to leave on Saturday, but my friend got sick and I had a headache so we didn't leave until Sunday. My mom went with us instead of my friend. We had to make a much shorter trip as a result cutting out planned excursions to Savannah, Richmond and DC. The two main objectives of the trip were to let my sister see Eva and bring Roxxy to live with my sister.

We took two days to get down. Both kids did very well. Here we are at a rest stop:



We decided to leave Roxxy in Georgia with my sister and her dog because apartment living in Seoul is just not good for her. Plus, Teddy, Kate's dog, is lonely. They have a big yard and dog=friendly neighbors. There are dog parks to visit as well. It was hard to leave her, but the right thing to do, Kate is in medical school, so we may end up with both dogs at one point as well when she starts her residency. Ian cried on the way home,"I don;t want Teddy to have a friend. I want Roxxy with us."

I told him we didn't have a yard and he said,"We have a yard in Pennsylvania."

"Yes, but we are going back to Korea and we don't have a yard there."




The return home was not as smooth. We went home in 1 day and Eva did really well the first 17 hours, but the last two were rough. Yes, she mainly eats, sleeps and poops, but someone is almost always holding her. She was over the carseat! Ian fussed more as well, but at 2.5, he is bribable. When we arrived home, Ian was asleep so I put him in his crib. Eva was awake so we floated in the bathtub and then I held her closely all night. This morning, she was smiling.

Potty Time: First Underwear

A few weeks ago, we went to a playdate where one of the kids peed on the potty. All the adults clapped for her and then Ian and Ramey ran to the bathroom and wanted to go as well. I was in the other room and Tanis called out,"Ian peed on the potty."
Well, he peed on the floor because he was on a little girl's potty without a splash guard, but close enough! Ramey went as well. I was so inspired, I bought Ian his first underwear. I told him about it, but didn't put them on since we will be traveling soon.

Two weeks later, we went back to the same playgroup and Stella peed on the potty again. Ramey ran right to the bathroom and she peed again. Ian said,"No thanks."

However, later that day when we got home, he took off his diaper and told my mom that he wanted to pee on the potty. She put him on and he pooped! Then, he asked for his underwear. I put them on and he walked around for about 20 minutes before peeing on the floor. He cleaned it up and asked for more underwear! He lasted longer the second time, but we put him in a diaper before he went outside. This gives me hope for the big potty push when we get back. When I really start, though, we are going to stay home for a week and wear underwear all the time and from that point on, wear underwear. I will have to bring changes of clothes and more underwear.

I only have a three pack of underwear at this point. I need to get more!

Eva's Retro European Fashion Show

All these were my outfits from Germany.

Baby's First Road Trip: Plan B

We (Eva, Ian, my friend and I ) were supposed to leave this morning on a road trip to Georgia to see my sister and take my dog to live with her while we are in Korea (another post on that later). Unfortunately, my friend got sick yesterday and I was struck down with a blinding headache. My headache is a bit better today, but I didn't get any of the preparations for leaving done, yesterday.
In the original plan, we were going to stop and see friends in Richmond, VA and the DC area on the way back. Neither stop is really "on the way", though.

In the revised plan, we are going to leave tomorrow after church and my mom with go with me instead of my friend. We will not be making the additional stops on the way back. It will still be a long haul (over 13 hours if we didn't have kids and dog), but not as long because my mom needs to be back. I was going to just do it on my own, but since she offered, it will be easier with another adult.

Before and After: Part II

Before:



After:


Belly photos by my friend Colleen.

Before and After

Before:



And After:


The maternity photos are by my friend Colleen taken a week before Eva was born. If you are in Erie, check out Colleen. She is very affordable and gives you the disk with your edited images so you can print as many as you want or just share electronically.