A book, a baby, and a walk

Look how great my life is. I can combine three of my favorite things in one. I can put Airi in the baby carrier and let her sleep, but if I stop, she gets fussy, so I have to keep walking. But, if she is sleeping, then she does not want me talking or singing to her. So, I may as well read. And walk. And hold Airi close. How great is that?

Baby Seats

Last month, when we took Airi home from the hospital for the first time, I spent about an hour getting the car seat just right. It reminded me of another difference between American customs and Korean customs. In the U.S., we start our babies off in a rear-facing car seat. As they get bigger, we move up to front-facing car seats and then booster seats and then regular seat belts in the back seat. Finally, after a decade or more, children can sit in the front seat of a car.

In Korea, the best place for a newborn baby is in her mother's arms, even in a car. Babies can stay in their mother's arms for a few years until they learn to walk. Then, they can stand in the back or front seat and look out the windows. Next, they are old enough to run around the back seat. Eventually, they get tall enough to stick their head out the sun-roof. Finally, they get so big that they have to sit down in a seat. Of course, a seat belt is still pretty restrictive and is still optional.

Lullabies

Avram sings lullabies for Airi when she's fussy. He sings English songs, but the words are always changed. For example he sings "Poop poop, where are you?" with some camping songs.

He tells Airi, "You're the only one who doesn't run away when I sing a song." How can Airi run away? Even she can't stand up. But it's very interesting that his songs work very well to stop fussy Airi.

After Airi grows up and when she asks her friends about the songs she heard from his father, I'm sure no one knows those songs. But his songs are all funny, so she can make her friends laugh with the songs.

I am looking forward to listening to Avram's lullabies for tonight.

That Warm Loving Feeling

To celebrate the end of Rie's birthday, we gave Airi a bath. Airi ate lots of milk and then we changed her diaper. Once the water was ready, we took off her clothes and diaper and I carried her to the bathroom. I enjoy that special close feeling of holding my naked baby up to my chest and cradling her in my arms. The warm feeling spread all the way to my belly. After a moment, I realized that the warm feeling was only on my belly. Another moment of reflection brought the realization that the warm feeling was not emotional, it was physical. Airi had peed on me. Thank you my beautiful daughter for the wonderful memories.

"Welcome to our family."

Airi is a good girl. She already follows her father's bed time schedule. She also follows other things too.

When we hear farts and burps, now we ask who did it. Eventually I have to do them. Then my husband makes a big smile and says, "Welcome to our family!" He looks very happy then. Airi does a good one everyday. It seems like she learned them from one of her parents since she was in my belly.

Airi is growing up fast. She's longer and heavier, so it's hard to lift her up when I hold her. I don't go out for exercise these days, so lifting her is one of my exercises.

She started to smile back at us these days. She smiles after she eats, falls asleep, and stays in our arms. Her smiles make us happy very easily. Especially after not enough sleep.

She seems like that she talks recently. Avram and I often talk and answer to her. It's fun:)

She also started to use her hands when she eats and when she doesn't want us to bother her. It makes it easier to figure out what she wants.

The funniest thing is that she is surprised at hearing farts, burps, and hiccups by herself when she is falling asleep and unfortunately she wakes up. Then I have to start everything again such as breastfeeding, walking in the room and changing diapers:(

She likes that I hold her and walk in the living room. She sometimes checks by opening her eyes if I really work for her. She sometimes opens one of her eyes, sometimes opens half of her eyes to watch me. When I am cheating, she starts to warn and cry.

She's curious about many things around her in our place, so she's excited walking around in the living room. Me? I am tired of walking in the small room hundreds times in a day. It's very BOOOOOORING, so I look at her face. Then I get sick from watching one thing too close for a long time. When my eyes are closed eyes, then Airi's eyes become so too:D

Some of her clothes and her bath tub are already small for her. It's very nice to see that she's growing so well. Watch them in our videos. Enjoy!

That Special Time of the Year

We are now in that special time of the year, after I have had my birthday and before Rie has had hers. I am 16 days older than her and today is the exact half-way point between when I was born and when she finally got around to being born.

We have been sharing the stories about what our parents went through when we were born. My mother sat outside a classroom and took meticulous notes on the timing of her contractions while my father took a final exam on the other side of the door. Rie's mother got curious on the due date, so she crossed her small island and took a ferry to the town with a hospital on the next island. She went to the mid-wife's house and asked if it was time. The mid-wife checked and said "Yes, come on in." Rie was born a short while later.

I especially like this time of year because I can tell Rie things like "You may not understand now, but you will when you are my age" and "Respect your elders." I also get to tell her about the things that happened in my lifetime, but before she was born. Wings released their first album. The West German Chancellor received the Nobel Peace Prize. The Golden Gate Bridge had a blackout. Bangladesh broke away from Pakistan. "Diamonds are Forever" opened in the U.S. The Waltons came to T.V. and "A Clockwork Orange" opened.

The world has changed a lot in my lifetime. More so than it has in Rie's lifetime.

Rie Wants Steak

Rie has been wanting steak for a few days now. We had time this afternoon to walk over to one of our local Outback Steak Houses. When we go for a walk, I wear the baby carrier and Airi rides up front. She pretty much sleeps the entire time we are out of the house, especially if she is in the carrier.

I was able to enjoy my hot soup at lunch. Airi slept through it all.