Thursday, November 26, 2009

Toilet Time!!


He looks so proud of himself!
This was such a big step for Thomas, it deserved a blog posting all of its own!
Thomas pooped on the toilet!!!
YAY!!
We have noticed for a while that the only time he stands still is when he is pooping. So we've started trying to catch him when he does this and put him on the toilet. Usually he will have already pooped and we would dump it in the toilet and then let him flush it. This was followed by a reward of a treat snack.
But then today, he stopped moving, started grunting, and we whisked him to the toilet! We popped him on the seat and Voila! He did it!! YAY!!
We were so proud of him and he seemed pretty proud of himself too! ^.^
Hopefully this will continue and one day soon he'll be toilet-trained!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Time for #2?


The day Thomas came home from the hospital.


He's growing up so fast! 18 months old now!

These days we've been talking a lot about having a second child. We tend to favour the idea but it only takes a few hours of crabby, high-energy, Kimchi Kid time to change our minds again! Yet for all it can be hard at times, we feel he would benefit from a sibling. He is a social little boy like his daddy and he loves to play with others. He has so much energy as well that having a sibling close in age would probably provide a good outlet for that energy. Basically, we have decided on having a second child and are just waiting for ourselves to accept that fact! Hahaha...
Part of the delay is my weight, we really don't want to conceive again until I have shifted the pregnancy weight that is still clinging stubbornly to my hips and tummy. I've made good progress thanks to my personal trainer, but having a husband addicted to late night fried chicken makes it hard!
I've started taking my pre-natal multivitamins, we've notified the kindergartens that I hope to be pregnant next March and we've discussed things with our doumi. The Kimchi Kid will be starting preschool in March so she won't have as much to do until #2 arrives, but to our delight she said she wouldn't dream of leaving us! That was a big relief, she has been such a huge help with Thomas she is like family now. I can't imagine #2 without her!
So now, my question for everyone out there: Any tips on having a girl??
Haha..I know several family members and grandmothers are hoping for a girl as am I. I like to believe a girl will be quieter, more peaceful, enjoy playing with dolls and stuffed toys instead of hitting things with sticks and running in circles. As much as I love the Kimchi Kid I do wish he would sometimes sit still!! So please, if you have any tips, leave a comment! We'll keep you posted! ^^
Cheers!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Remembrance Day

Today is November 11 in South Korea. This is a very special day in Korea. It is a holiday known as "Pepero Day". What is pepero you're wondering? Simple. Chocolate coated pretzel sticks. That's right, while we try to remember and honour those who have sacrificed themselves for our freedom, people here bliss out on chocolate coated pretzels.

11/11 apparently looks like these chocolate pretzel sticks so a savvy marketing executive decided it would be the PERFECT day to push this sugary snack. This day has gotten bigger and bigger each year! It is bigger than Halloween and almost as big as Christmas here! Nevermind that it happens to be on a very solemn and sacred day to a large part of the "Western" population they envy so much. Nevermind that most native "English" speakers could easily tell any Korean how today is NOT about a chocolate pretzel but more about something that should be VERY near and dear to Korean's hearts. After alll, technically North and South Korea are STILL at war. They have simply had an armistice agreement for the past 50-60 or so years. They owe so much to those who have fallen to defend the lifestyle they have now. I suppose it is somewhat ironic that the freedom many of our countrymen fought for here during the Korean war allows them to have this ridiculously commercial chocolate pretzel fest.

No matter what, I try to remember what this day is about. I take my moment of silence. I remember, and I cry a little. I am living this life because of the sacrifice of others, and for that, I am eternally grateful. I hope and pray we remember this, so that Thomas does not have to grow up in a world torn by war.
Lest We Forget.

Thank you to Joanne.

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Monday, November 9, 2009

The New Addition to Our Family!


The Kimchi Kid loves Eddie!


Meet Eddie!

Tom and I decided to enjoy the mild Fall weather and freedom from Thomas on Saturday. We went for a nice hike up wonmi-san, Wonmi mountain. The leaves were gorgeous, the air was crisp, we had a lovely conversation and enjoyed ourselves immensely.
When we came down the mountain we had to walk along the road to get back to our car for about 20 minutes. We came across an old man selling birds on the side of the road. They were very pretty and we stopped to look at them. Under all the cages, tied with a ragged piece of red ribbon was this adorable little puppy. His fur was matted and dirty, he had no food or water and children were poking at him, screaming and laughing.
I felt so bad for him! He was so happy to see us and so friendly, it broke my heart to leave him behind. As we walked back to the car I started to cry thinking of him. Tom and I discussed the pros and cons of taking him home as we walked. Eventually we decided we would drive by and ask how much he was selling him for. I pulled over and Tom hopped out to ask.
After about 10 minutes Tom came back with Eddie in his hands! I burst into tears, I was so happy! He was only 20,000won so Tom couldn't not give him a better home. We have wanted a dog for Thomas for a while, and we had agreed to wait, mainly because our doumi was not interested in having a dog to care for. But we just had to give this sweet little face a home!
We immediately took him to the vet to get checked out. They gave him the once over, bathed him and clipped his nails. He was so upset to be separated from Tom. We could hear him yelping from outside the office! Once we got home with all the supplies we could need he was 100% devoted to Tom.
We've been working to teach him paper training but so far he prefers to hold it and go outside. We've had about 5 accidents in the house each day, but most have been outside and really, we've only had him 1 day! He comes when we call him, responds to his name, sits on command, and doesn't whine or bark much once we leave the house. So far he seems to be a loving, intelligent and energetic little puppy and a very welcome addition to our home! We hope to keep you updated with all the future antics of Eddie and the Kimchi Kid!

Tired out from his first day at our home, he fell asleep with his head in his food dish.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Happy Fall!


The cutest bumblebee in town!

Well the leaves are changing colours, the weather is cooling down and Halloween is past!


Seo Young, Thomas and Ji Oo enjoy the colourful leaves in Jungang Park.

Looks like Fall is here! We hope everyone had a great Halloween.
We did our little Kindergarten parties and had a fun time.

Thomas was the cutest bumblebee around, I was Minnie Mouse and Daddy was Frankenstein.


Baby Bumblebee and Mommy Minnie Mouse!


Scary Frankenstein Daddy! This mask made and still makes Thomas cry!

I also made Jack O'Lantern cookies for Halloween day.

Frosted with vanilla buttercream and topped with chocolate chip faces!

Hope you all have a lovely Fall and enjoy the colourful leaves!
HUGS!

Friday, October 23, 2009

The Kimchi Kid lives up to his name!


Thomas and SeoYoung sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

These days I barely have time to sit down, let alone write a blog! The Kimchi Kid is a never-ending ball of energy, and even with reducing my work schedule I am hard-pressed to keep up with him. The best I am able to offer are brief snippets of our daily life and the occasional photo.
Thomas has developed several new and amusing habits/tricks recently.

1. Using a light stick, turkey baster or toy golf club he will repeatedly turn on and off any light switch in the house that he can reach. During this time he will repeatedly say "Wow!'.

2. When he gets tired, he will take either Daddy or myself by the hand, sometimes both of us, and say 'Night-night!" and walk us to the bedroom to go to sleep.

3. Anytime he wants something to eat, drink or play with, he will also take us by the hand, lead us to said object and point to it, saying "Kaka" for snack, "Mool" for drink and "Eego" for any other item.

4. He has discovered trains, and calls them "chee-chee" whenever he sees them. "Chee-chee bo-bo" is the sound Koreans say trains make.

5. When he has a wet or dirty diaper, he will bend over to look at it or point to it and say "Gi-gi" which means dirty. He will also make the sound "Sssshhhhhhhiiii" when he pees or daddy pees.

6. We've been trying to raise him so he isn't a cry-baby like a lot of children here seem to be. Anytime he falls down we tell him in English and Korean "You're ok!". This usually works well with him. He will get up and continue to play with few tears and an occasional hug. He has become quite the sturdy and strong little boy as a result.

7. He has mastered the art of standing on his ride-on truck to reach things he normally wouldn't be able to reach. Any time he gets quiet, I KNOW he is getting into trouble! I caught him in the kitchen trying to get snacks from the counter by the sink.

He is constantly surprising us with new vocabulary and abilities these days. We feel really blessed at how strong, active, healthy and intelligent he is becoming.

In other Kimchi Kid news, here are a few of the fun and funny things he has done in the past while!

* During lunch prep, the doumi placed a dish of kimchi on the table. Thomas has become taller, quicker and stronger so he took the bowl of kimchi off the table, ran into his playroom and started eating it before the doumi even noticed it was gone! This was plaid old kimchi, usually most people consider it spicy, but Thomas just munched it down!

*While playing with Daddy, Thomas managed to stick his finger up inside his nose high enough to cause a monster nosebleed! Then he ran away laughing, while Daddy and I laughed with disbelief.

* During bath prep time, I took of his diaper before going into the bedroom to get his towel. When I took it off he said "Ssshhhhiii". I just laughed and said "No, bath time." When I returned to the living room I realized he had said it because he had to pee! He had peed all over the living room floor and looked quite proud of himself!

* Thomas seems to love golf. On his first birthday he picked the golf ball off the tray of items at the party. He had never seen one before, so it really surprised us! Then while we were in Texas he was obsessed with Harabeogi's (Grandpa) golf clubs and golf balls. So once he came home to Korea he had no golf clubs or golf balls to play with. Instead, he took a spatula off of the kitchen counter and started hitting a basketball around the house with it. I ordered him a golf set shortly after I saw this! ^^
Basketball-spatula golf!

Well, the Kimchi Kid is ready for bed and tugging at my hands, so I guess I have to wrap this up! Hope everyone enjoyed this brief post! Cheers!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Sweet Home Gyeonggi-Do!

Yes, we're back in Korea!
Yes, it is earlier than expected!
Yes, there is lots to share!
Yes, we are jet-lagged!
Yes, I am staying home for 1 week in case of the dreaded SWINE FLU!
No, I don't think we are actually sick.
No, I am not writing more now because I am tired and cranky.

Enjoy this photo for now.

CHEESE!
Cheers!