Gerritt's Zoo Trip - Day 1

Feeding of the giraffes


Climbing the rocks


The elephant


Zebra & antelopes


The magnificent peacock (He was walking around the tables of people eating outside. He acted like a turkey - puffing up, shaking his feathers, & running after everyone who got too close for his comfort zone).


Leopards!


A ride on the historic, recently restored, carousel


A well-deserved rest in the afternoon

It's a Memorial Day weekend & one of the rare times I didn't have to work on a weekend. I've been wanting to go to the Woodland Park Zoo for a while (last time we went was when Gerritt was an infant). Since my husband was sick (he got the viral gastroenteritis the kids & I had earlier in the week), it made sense for him to stay at home with Sophia, & for Gerritt & I to rediscover the zoo together. We got there at about 10:30 am & left 4 hours later. We weren't disappointed - lions, zebras, elephants, hippos, gorillas, & meerkats - just to name a few. It was great to see Gerritt's lit-up face & sparkly eyes! I got to relive meeting a new animal for the first time through his eyes. The day ended with a ride on a beautiful, recently restored, historic carousel, which I got to ride as well. Although we didn't get much of the promised sunshine, the rain has sprinkled only briefly. It was wonderful to be in nature (even if it's artificially created) & to learn more about wild animals. It helped that I was well prepared with snacks for Gerritt: bananas, string cheese, yogurt, sliced strawberries & water. They were all gone by lunch time. Mommy's & Gerritt's first zoo outing together - a success!

Miso Soup with Tofu & Vegetables

This is one of my favorite comfort food soup recipes. It is light, but nutritious & especially beneficial when recovering from any type of a viral infection.

Ingredients:
5-inch piece of wakame (type of seaweed, may use dulse or arame instead)
6 cups of water
1 medium potato, peeled & diced
1 large carrot, chopped
5-6 large fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
A handful of fresh enoki mushrooms, whole
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil for sauteing the mushrooms
4 tablespoons light or mellow unpasteurized miso paste (I use Westbrae Natural's Organic Mellow Brown Rice Miso Soybean Paste)
1/4-1/2-lb firm tofu, cut in cubes
2-3 cups of fresh baby spinach (may use other chopped greens such as watercress, kale, collards, or bok choy)
2-3 cloves of crushed garlic
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Place wakame in a bowl of cold water & soak for 5 minutes. Put water, potato, & carrot in a 3-quart pot; bring to boil. Remove wakame from water & chop into small pieces, removing the spine. Add chopped wakame to soup. Lower heat, cover pot & let soup simmer for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are tender. In the meantime, sautee the shiitake mushrooms in olive oil & add to the soup (I use my cast iron skillet for this). Near the end of cooking time, add chopped greens, garlic, tofu cubes, enoki mushrooms & let simmer for 2-3 minutes more. Add the miso paste in the very end (it's most beneficial when unpasteurized & doesn't require boiling). Garnish each bowl with scallions.

Side notes:
Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting rice, barley and/or soybeans, with salt & fungus kojikin for several months. It is high in protein & rich in vitamins (especially vitamin B) & minerals. The taste, aroma, texture & appearance of miso vary by region & season. The most common flavor categories of miso are Shiromiso (white miso), Akamiso (red miso), Awasemiso (mixed miso) & Hatchomiso. A common Japanese breakfast is built around rice & miso soup, with the addition of leftover fish, chicken or other meat from dinner the night before.

Enoki mushrooms have a mild flavor & crunchy texture. Traditionally, they are lightly cooked, but can be eaten raw. They contain a powerful anti-cancer polysaccharide called flammulin. Enoki also stimulate the immune system & have antiviral & antibacterial properties.

Cooking in cast iron skillet will add necessary iron to your diet. When food is heated in cast iron (especially foods high in moisture & acidity like tomatoes), trace amounts of iron leach out of the cookware & into the food.

It's Not Over Yet

Sophia with her Russian nanny Irina


Ice cream time with Daddy (notice that Sophia is standing all by herself)


Gerritt burying himself in freshly dried laundry (It was really funny hearing him yell for help. I keep being surprised at his imagination - he can create a game out of nothing, it seems).


Sophia's new favorite game - playing with a balloon (She can do it for up to an hour at a time)


Gerritt organizing his cars for the night (This process involves much precision & concentration - which side is this trait from, I wonder?)

Just as I was getting ready to have a well-deserved rest after 2 difficult & busy weeks, both of the kids & I developed signs & symptoms of viral gastroenteritis (or, commonly called, the stomach flu). Poor appetite, nausea, intestinal cramps & diarrhea started on Monday morning & lasted until late Tuesday for Gerritt & I, & Wednesday evening for Sophia. Constant washing of sheets & clothes (even the biggest diapers couldn't hold the large volumes of diarrhea - I apologize for the grafic nature of my description); grumpy kids & my constant worry about keeping them well-hydrated - you can just imagine. Thanksfully, this stomach flu was nothing like the one Gerritt experienced when he was a baby (constant diarrhea every 20-30") when he became lethargic & almost ended up in the hospital for IV hydration if not for my forced liquid feedings with a syringe. I thought I had food poisoning at first, however, when the kids developed diarrhea as well I said to myself, "Oh, no... Not this! How much more can I handle?" They say God will never give you more than you can bear, so we have weathered this storm as well. I didn't even have to call sick for work since my Russian nanny took care of the kids in our home.
On a good note, today I got clinical privileges to insert & remove the implantable contraceptive rod called Implanon all by myself. I saw a patient from Australia who's had it for 3 years & she was so happy with it, she wanted the old one removed & a new one placed, so I did both under the supervision of my Assistant Director of the Clinical Services. Another service I can offer to my patients!
Gerritt & I continue our evening reading sessions & this is the list of his favorite books from the past few weeks:

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by B. Martin & E. Carle
The Best Pet of All by D. LaRochelle
There Was an Old Monster by R., A. & E. Emberley
Suzy Goose & the Christmas Star by P. Horacek
I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric Kimmel
Ready for Anything by Keiko Kasza
Do Your ABC's, Little Brown Bear by Jonathan London
Nicky and the Rainy Day by Valeri Gorbachev (one of my favorites)

It is just amazing how he never gets tired of reading the same books over & over. And if I attempt to shortchange him (read only 1 or 2 books instead of the usual 4-5) because I am tired, he catches me every time. :-)

Sophia's 1st Birthday Professional Photos

 

The Hong family with Shon's Mom (I must notice she looks amazing for being in her 70s!)

 

Take 2

 

 

Brother & sister

 

Finally, a smile!

My husband picked up Sophia's 1st birthday photos today from our photo session last Saturday (May 15th). We all wore the traditional Korean outfits to commemorate the special occasion. Like I said in my earlier posting, it was hot & too close to kids' naps time, but somehow we managed to get a few decent photos. The only way Sophia would not cry was to hold on to the car keys, so that's how they came to be in ALL of the photos. :-) Gerritt got a full set of professional photos on his first birthday, so we certainly didn't want Sophia to feel less special just because she was our 2nd child. So here you go...

Difficult 2 Weeks

Daddy & Sophia laughing


Gerritt, Anna & Kate snuggling on the blanket outside


Sophia standing! (she has been doing it for a few seconds at a time, then crashing for the whole past week, walking is definitely not far off)


Sophia sleeping in the stroller outside (this was yesterday & she slept for FOUR hours, sleep deprivation is catching up with her too!)


One of my favorite sleeping pictures of Gerritt (he usually sleeps on top of his brown doggie (instead of a pillow) & holds a hot item of the week (book, car, sippy cup, plastic ball, etc). This week it happened to be his monster truck. :-))

I've had the worst 2 weeks in a long, long time. I feel like I am about to loose it from all the unexpected stress. Let's see... What happened?

- A telephone fight with my Mom ending with her hanging up on me (don't even ask, it's a long story)
- ATM skimming incident resulting in someone taking $300 out of my checking account & all of the resulting time-consuming bank/police paperwork/phone calls
- My nanny announcing she was underpaid by $40 last week even though I am pretty sure I paid her correctly
- The whole family being sick with a terrible cold (the type that goes into your sinuses & chest & causes nasty, dry cough lasting for weeks at a time) & resulting sleep deprivation from Sophia waking up every 1-2 hours (the only way she was able to sleep for longer than 2 hours was in almost upright position in a semireclined stroller)
- I didn't receive my Nurse Practitioner license renewal notification & by the time I realized this & mailed the required renewal documents, it was too late to receive the license on time, causing me to miss a week of work & a disciplinary report from my manager
- To top all of these off, yesterday I was backing out of my driveway & hit a lady parked right by the mailboxes (no one ever parks there in the mornings, however, she works for the US Census Bureau & was waiting for my neighbors to come out), resulting in about $1300 damage to her car (I should add that I was sick & very sleep-deprived & running late for work)

All of this in addition to the usual of Gerritt refusing to be potty-trained; me eating only 2 meals a day (if I am lucky; most of the things I attempt to eat are taken away by Gerritt or Sophia) & feeling hungry while working; & Gerritt being really clingy & wheepy in the mornings while saying, "Mommy stay," causing me to run late for work most of the time. Unbelievable! Can these 2 weeks get any worse??? This is a definitely a sign that I am overworked & juggle too many responsibilities. I worked for almost 5 days this week (Tuesday - Friday with a half-day on Saturday) (and that's with calling in sick on Monday for the hospital shift). I am in the midst of ultrasound training, which requires a long commute to a different clinic. With Sophia being sick & unable to sleep this whole week, I am so sleep-deprived, my head is spinning & my ears are ringing & I have a hard time concentrating (only another parent would understand). It is impossible to do it all, especially with such young children. Everything I do I want to do well, & I am just spreading myself too thin. "Slow down" & "Take care of yourself" are my mantras for the next few weeks. My husband took Gerritt & Sophia to his Mom's with an overnight stay today. Hopefully, one afternoon & night free of the kids would be enough time for me to recharge my batteries.

A Funny Observation

This is what happens when Mommy lets Gerritt unpack groceries unsupervised!

Happy 1st Birthday, Sophia!

I love birthday candles!


Gerritt helping Sophia to blow out the candle


Hugs & kisses from Korean grandma


Yummy!


Sophia in traditional Korean outfit

Today we've had Sophia's 1st birthday celebration. She turned one yesterday, but we've delayed the festivities until today (Saturday). We drove to Tacoma to share this special occasion with my husband's Mom, so I took a bunch of decorations with me. The first birthday pink & white balloons, the Happy First Birthday! banner, a candle, the first birthday hat & bib, pink napkins - all were ready to mark our little girl's first big milestone. We even stopped by the New York Cupcakes bakery this morning to buy vanilla cupcakes with pink frosting for Sophia & chocolate cupcakes with whipped cream & chocolate shavings for Gerritt. "Uncle" Ananth was able to join us as well & put many smiles on Sophia's face by making her laugh.
The morning was filled with the trip to the Korean photo studio for professional family photos while wearing the traditional Korean clothes. Sophia was cranky due to teething & a recently-acquired cold, but we've managed to get a few decent shots. We all got warm quickly due to multiple clothing layers & the hot photo studio lights. So as soon as the photo session was over, Sophia was dressed down to just her onsie & Gerritt to his pants. He did surprisingly well, smiling at all of the right moments & staying still instead of trying to run away as usual. Sophia wore the beautiful pink silk outfit bought by my husband's Mom especially for the occasion.
In the afternoon, my hubby & I decorated the room while the kids napped. We've adorned the table with bowls of colorful fruit & a huge Korean rice cake embellished with raisins (to bring good fortune). Our attempts at getting a cute photo of the birthday girl & her big brother continued in the evening. We lit a single candle in Sophia's pink cupcake, & Gerritt blew it out. Sophia had her first taste of the cupcake & loved it! She had the cake & frosting in both of her hands & all over her face - an unforgettable sight. For gifts, Sophia received a pretty dress with cardigan & a fabric doll (with removable purse, bear, hair clips, shoes & dress) from grandma Chris & grandpa Gerry as well as money from her Russian grandma. She has also received a vibrating teething toy from her nanny Irina. My husband & I gave Sophia a big stuffed white cat as comfort toy hoping to make the bedtime & middle-of-the-night awakenings easier. Gerritt has had his stuffed brown dog for almost 2 years now & rarely parts with it (so we had the same idea for Sophia).
By 8 pm, we called it a wrap & headed back home. At bedtime, Sophia tossed & turned for over an hour trying to relax enough to fall asleep. She kept trying to stand up, which resulted in her falling on the mattress over & over. Sophia would not give up, but giggle, & then try again. Finally, I had to say no to the up-and-down game & hold her down for a few minutes. She was definitely overstimulated to fall asleep on her own.
Sophia's first birthday behind us, & we keep on dreaming about getting more sleep. She slept all through the night (with a few awakenings, but without asking for milk at least) for 3 nights in a row this week, however, woke up again for a feeding for the past 2, probably due to teething. The 2nd pair of the bottom teeth are poking through.
When Gerritt turned 1 I was already 2 months pregnant with Sophia. After tactful inquiries, we've informed my husband's Mom that baby #3 is not in the plans until Sophia is at least 2 years old. Just the thought of having 3 kids in college at the same time makes the idea of having another baby in the next year unappealing.
We are certainly ready to be done with celebrations. My birthday, Mother's Day a week later, then Sophia's birthday this past weekend - happy times, but stressful too. The whole family is sick with a cold, so we just need to "veg out" for the next couple of weekends. :-)

Mother's Day Reflections

Mommy, Gerritt & Sophia


Gerritt & Sophia playing side by side & sharing nicely :-)


Daddy's girl!


Mommy & Gerritt


Our family

On Saturday, May 8th, Chris & Gerry arrived for another visit as well as to celebrate Mother's Day, my belated birthday (May 2nd) & early Sophia's birthday (May 14th). Their travel to our house has become a monthly tradition since we are still afraid to keep the kids in the car for longer than 1 hour. In addition, I worry about Gerritt & Sophia damaging something in Chris & Gerry's spotless house filled with beautiful antiques, fine furniture & rugs. And, the thought of packing everything we may need, "just in case," overwhelmes me. Our past travels with baby Gerritt resulted in disappointment & great fatigue since his nap & bedtime schedules were all messed up. So, I am happy Chris & Gerry choose to inconvenience themselves in order to visit us so often.
So, I've been thinking how my life has changed since I became a Mom. Let me see...

1) I now walk around with stained clothes most of the time. I like to dress up for special occasions & there is usually a mad rush to take photos before the kids "ruin" my outfit. It is a rare day that I go without doing laundry at least once (ice cream smeared on the couch; Sophia spit up; Spike's so excited he peed on the blanket, etc.). If I am staying home for the day, there is just no point in changing my stained clothes because the new outfit will be stained within a couple of hours. If I am going out, a stain dab with a couple of baby wipes usually does the trick.

2) I now eat most of my meals cold, & I don't remember the last time I ate a meal uninterrupted. The kids & their nutrition come first, & meal times are so busy that usually by the time I sit down to eat, my food is cold & unappealing. It is pureeing the food for Sophia; feeding her while trying to keep her from smearing the food in her hair & clothes; finding an interesting toy to distract her with so she would eat a few more bites; accomodating Gerritt wanting to sit on my lap (since the food on my plate tastes better than on his :-)); it is getting him another drink; it is sneaking in a few more bites into Gerritt while he plays since he was "done" after just barely tasting the meal. The list can go on & on.

3) My "me" time now consists of running errands alone. It actually feels like a luxury to go shopping by myself, without one of the kids constantly disrupting my train of thought by running into people/things, wanting to be picked up, putting the things I didn't ask for into my grocery cart, etc.

4) I have lost a lot of my privacy. Even such typically private necessities as using the restroom or taking a shower are usually disrupted by Gerritt knocking on the bathroom door while simultaneously trying to open it, or Sophia whining because she lost the sight of Mommy all of a sudden.

5) There is no such thing as a quick errand anymore. Before I leave the house, I make sure the kids are dressed appropriately & have clean faces & diapers; I have a diaper bag packed with diapers, whipes, Gerritt's water/Sophia's formula, light snack, an extra change of clothes, & the kids' favorite toys. Once everyone is strapped in their car seats, I quickly run back into the house & spend about a minute freshening up (that's about all the time I can afford).

6) I have become a master multi-tasker & a great pursuader. Gerritt has recently learned to say, "I don't like _______" & "I don't want to ________." So getting him to do what I want while making him think it was his idea takes a lot of patience & time. Sometimes my husband looses his cool & just forces him to do something, which has resulted in, "I don't like Daddy. Daddy leave," at bedtime.

It is really hard to imagine that parenthood/raising children comprises only about 1/3 of our adult lives. I haven't expected parenthood to be so intense & all-consuming. It is the most important job in the world & a spiritual calling (at least for me). My wish for this Mother's Day is to be the best Mom I can be by loving my children unconditionally & helping them to fulfill their full potentials & to become their authentic selves.

Happy Mother's Day!

Gerritt dancing with his 1st girlfriend Ira


The tambourine dance


The yellow tulip dance (the woman with blond hair is Tamara, the Russian daycare's owner)


The mini theater puppet presentation


Handmade presents for Mommy!

This weekend we'll be celebrating a Mother's Day (of course, I fell in love with this holiday once I became a mother). Gerritt has surprised my husband & I with a nice concert at his Russian daycare. The celebration started with singing & the couple's dancing (Gerritt was one of the 3 girl/boy couples selected especially for this occasion); progressed to circle dance with tambourins (later yellow tulips); then mini theater puppet presentation, & concluded with all of the children handing their moms their handmade presents. It was a sunny warm day, & we've concluded the evening with sharing apple cake & juice outside. My hubby & I have enjoyed the concert very much & felt so proud of Gerritt (he's come a long way from his Christmas party). Instead of running around without a purpose, he was engaged, paid attention & remembered some of the words to his song & most of the steps involved in the dancing. Gerritt didn't even attempt to sit on my lap, but knew he had an assigned job to do. He was just adorable (he gave it all he had), & I felt so privileged to be his Mommy! My husband & I were exchanging smiles all evening. I still have Gerritt's photo hanging on the wall in the kitchen from when he was just 5-6-weeks-old, & it is amazing to me how he developed from a tiny helpless peanut into a real boy. Being a mother is truly the most rewarding job on earth!

The Wildlife in Our Back Yard

Steller's Jay! (It took me a while to capture this image since jays are very cautious & fast)


A squirrel eating her peanuts


This squirrel has been fed so many times, she lost her fear of people


Loads of fun for Sophia!


One of the miniature horses at the farm near Gerritt's daycare (The children visit & feed them cabbage regularly. I felt compelled to add the horse's photo here since Gerritt talks about it quite often.)

This all started with my craving for roasted in-shell peanuts & one rainy afternoon a couple of months ago. I was staying at home with the children that day & needed some new entertainment to keep them out of trouble. I had to make dinner & clean up the house before my husband's return from work. Both were not possible with clingy Gerritt constantly saying, "Mommy, come! Mommy, come!" & crabby teething Sophia wanting to be held. It was a cold rainy day, & as I looked at the squirrels digging in the flower beds in search of food, I suddenly got the idea of sharing my favorite snack of peanuts with them. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with squirrels excitingly crunching on the nuts right in front of our kitchen glass sliding door & Gerritt & Sophia squealing with happiness due to live animals being in such close proximity. I bought myself some time, & the kids were entertained for at least half-an-hour.
Fast forward several weeks, & we now have regularly visiting squirrels, crows, & Steller's jays. That, combined with the often present hummingbirds, surely creates nice childhood memories for years to come! :-) Putting the nuts out for our back yard guests is now Gerritt's daily ritual. The key to a happy squirrel & bird-feeding experience is to keep the doggie door closed since Spike will not miss an opportunity to chase a creature that got too close. We used to have visits from raccoons, however, they have, unfortunately, stopped ever since our neighbors bought 2 dogs. Even though we live in the city, thankfully, nature is all around us!