(practical) things I've learned, so far, as a mom:

1.  Ergo v. Baby Bjorn.    ERGO WINS!  hands down! No contest.  I'm so thankful that my cousin gave me an ergo recently (a couple months ago).  I bought the baby bjorn before CB was born and it was good to have... but once I got the ergo and figured out how to use it properly, it's been SOooOOO much better.  Maybe I'm biased because I'm short and don't have neck muscles and have a humungo baby..  but seriously.. the baby bjorn makes my neck hurt!!  and the ergo.. sometimes I forget I have it on and that I'm carrying CB.  It's so light!  The waist support is crucial!  Also, I like the ubbubah mode (carry on back).  The extra hood to block out the light when she's sleeping and the pouch and zipper pocket are also nice.   If I could do it all over again..  I wouldn't buy the baby bjorn at all.

2.  If baby poops in the car, find a laundromat.  Without a flat surface, it makes it difficult to change the baby... and sometimes there are long lines in disgusting bathrooms that have even more disgusting changing tables (or end up not having a changing table at all).   Laundromats have the flat tables where people fold their clothes and it's perfect changing table height.. (again, maybe it's because I'm short).  I use my disposable changing table cover and change her there.  It's great. Who wouldve thunk it?

3.  Never buy a combination stroller.  I bought one.  I thought.. who needs the infant car seat frame stroller when you can just by the huge combo one that you can click the infant car seat in AND you can use it as a stroller for a LONG time.  I was an inexperienced non-mom who didn't know realize that i should be thinking about lugging a huge stroller around and unfolding it WHILE holding a baby inside an infant car seat.  no fun...  and i may have to buy another stroller anyway because i can't JOG with this one.   So, if I could do it all over again, (next child perhaps?) I'd buy an all-terrain stroller (not planning to jog a marathon with the baby) with a infant car seat insert.  OR  the infant car seat frame stroller and a jogger.  This is just my opinion..

4.  Sing & read to baby daily, that will develop habits that will allow for special times together in the future.  The day Carrie came home from the hospital my mom sang baby songs to her.  Since then, I've been singing to her daily and reading at least 2 times a day to her.  Even though she's at the age where she likes to move a lot and doesn't let me hold her all the time.. she'll stop for singing and reading time. Carrie focuses and pays attention to me as soon as I start singing familiar songs or reading her favorite books.  Its a great time to stop and snuggle with her.   (In fact, sometimes she gets upset when I finish the book that we're reading or when "itsy bitsy spider goes up the spout again"). 



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5.  Babies don't need shoes until they can walk.  So instead, I got these shoe-socks from Jazzy Toes that have been wonderful!  They don't slide off like other brands and they truly have fit her from 0-12 months (well, so far).   =)  Carrie's now at the age where I should probably buy her nice soft-soled shoes so she can walk in the grass at the park, etc..  but she hasn't needed it up til now.  (and I've wasted my and my mom's money by buying her too many pairs).  Before I was a mom I gifted a lot of 0-3month soft-soled shoes that I now know were probably useless. (so sorry!)  Hopefully this will help prevent other people from making the same mistake.  =D





Well, that's all for now.  More to come later...  Hopefully I'll remember to look at this when we have another baby and hopefully this is helpful to other new moms as well.

  *sighhhhhhhh* today was the service to send-off EBCOC folks...  it was still difficult to listen to the entire sermon in the nursery (have to remember to listen to it sometime this week) but all the babies calmed down by the time PJ did the commissioning prayers..   I had a hard time containing my tears.. (i totally failed)
Don't get me wrong, I'm SOOOooOO excited for them to start their church down in OC, but I'm totally gonna miss Alina & Hannah (and the guys too.. i guess). 

Alina was my classmate & accountability partner in college (along with Patty) and seeing her grow from her conversion & baptism to now has been so amazing.  She's definitely found the perfect match with Jonathan... (who else would have a mismatched sock wedding theme?)  Her creativity in planning get-togethers have blessed so many at our church.  I am so grateful for her friendship & the joy she brings to every gathering she is in.

My freshman year, Hannah was the very first older sister from Eastbay (other than the ones who already knew me from HS) to reach out to me.  Ever since, she's been a confidant and an ever-accommodating and loving sister.  I can share my heart and soul to her and she knows just the right words to say to encourage or rebuke me.  When I fell sick, she was one of the few sisters to reach out to me frequently and ask about something other than my health.  We make sure to catch up often and although we never finished our book (the book we started 4 years ago), those times have been full of love, learning, and grace.  Now, she is one of my dearest friends and I can't imagine life without her. 
 
As I look to the future and think selfishly about them leaving me, I know that it will probably be even harder for them..  I pray that God would grant them much hope (and faith) & new friends that are as big of a blessing in their lives as they have been in mine.  

Carrie's grown a lot in the past month... 

physically, she's gained almost 4 pounds... =P (daniel calls her "chubsters") Her cheeks are pure fat (although it looks like she has two jawbreakers in her mouth) and her wrists have fully disappeared (it's been swallowed by the meeting of her arm fat & hand fat).  Her calves are the only part of her body with no rolls.. oh and her face.. =D She's in the 90th percentile for her head circumference, weight, and length... see the rolls on her arms?  that was over 2 weeks ago... she's juicier now.. =D

she stays awake longer after her meals, well, some of the time... and now she stares intently into our eyes and occasionally will smile at the faces she sees... unfortunately, she seems to smile more at the toy monkeys than at humans..    She follows mobiles with her eyes and tries to talk (coo) to her monkeys..

we call her pony because she grunts a lot.. like a pony revving up to go somewhere... really, she grunts a LOT.

during tummy time, she can occasionally lift her head and turn it to the other side (after a few stressful moments and some hard work) and now she tries to kick off and lift herself.

it's actually really cool to see all this development.. she's always changing..  i feel like we should be documenting every moment (which we pretty much do with our digital camera). But then again, we don't want to spoil her and not do the same with her siblings (right, hannah?).   =P

Daniel and I really love being first-time parents... it has definitely changed our family dynamics.  Her name Carrie means "loved" and she is definitely loved.

Our church family loving her through prayer & baby dedication:

Nomi & Carrie are gonna end up doing a lot of things together..  so thankful she has a group of friends at church already.

I used to think that being a mama's boy/girl was only for weaklings.  I was an independent, proud, little girl.  (my mom says that when she tried to cuddle me to sleep as an infant, I would pull away from her)  My brothers were/are both so dependent/clingy with my mom and I totally looked down on their weakness.  David was especially bad.  He would cling to her legs when she was teaching songs for the toddlers at OMC... there are still pictures of him grasping onto her skirt while she's doing motions and singing.  I was NOT a weakling. 

but i am now.  I want my mommy.

My mom is leaving tomorrow.  She's been up here since December 19th... (we thought the baby would come early) and she's been doing most of the cooking and cleaning.. and once Carrie arrived, she has helped sooo much with taking care of her... It's been over a month and I feel dependent on her for survival.. =P (it's actually pretty hard being a new mom).  Nathan finally gets her back (he cried the first time he left to be at home without her).

Daddy, can I borrow umma for a year or so?  I promise you can have her back after Carrie grows up... but maybe not, if we have another.. =P

I hope & pray Carrie is not like the proud little independent rebellious me... and I hope I become like my mom.

Gosh, I'm gonna miss her. 

Carrie's gonna miss her too.

we're finally home with our baby girl, Carrie Emma Shin.

will update later with more details & pictures.