We've been spending a lot of time at the dojang lately and Emily LOVES it.  She can walk around and she loves playing with the older kids and trying to participate in class.  She says hi to all the kids and squeals with laughter when they're training.  We want her to start classes as soon as she seems ready, probably around two and a half years old.

 

Being out and about and running errands with a walking toddler is new territory for me so I'm still practicing everyday.  She rarely wants to stay in the cart or her stroller so I have to strategically plan errands at places where she can walk around without getting into too much trouble and I can easily scratch a few things off my to-do list without feeling overwhelmed.  I think I might have to get a child backpack restraint but we'll see.

Loves stickers these days

Insomnia rarely visits these days but tonight, it's gotten comfortable.  Maybe since my mind has been go, go, go since Emily woke up this morning, this is my brain's way of giving me some "me" time, at 1AM (I'll pay for it in about five hours or so).  I've been browsing food blogs for the past hour, one of my favorite things to do, and making mental notes of dishes I'd like to try.  I came across this blog just now and I'm enjoying looking through the recipes. 

Korean Bapsang

Fashion, makeup and impeccable style come so naturally to a lot of my girlfriends but for me, it does not.  For me, cooking and food hold my interests longer.  I'd much rather work with ingredients to create a dish than fashion pieces to create an outfit.  Similarly, I'm more excited about adding a coveted "piece" to my kitchen than to my closet lately.  I'm sure watching my mom take such joy and pride in her home cooking as I grew up is a huge factor in why cooking is one of my comfort zones.  As busy as my working mom was during our childhood, we rarely ate takeout.  She also packed our lunches well into the beginning of high school and as much as I cringed everyday at how uncool I was for bringing a dorky lunch in junior high, I'd do anything for one of those lunches right now!


This would be a pretty amazing view while cooking.  A girl can dream...

LOVE

I took Emily to story time at the Diamond Bar library this afternoon and I think I will wait until she's a little older to go back.  She kept getting up and walking away to touch things screaming, "appa" most of the time.  We took a little break by the kid friendly computers and then when craft time started, I was hoping she'd be interested in the materials but she tried to suck on a sharpie and got really mad when I took it away, haha sorry baby!! 

Now that's she's getting the hang of getting up and walking to do/touch whatever she wants, I'm getting plenty exercise chasing after her.  I better start doing some cardio when she's mastered full on running!  Baby proofing with a walking toddler is on another level.  Mommy is tired!!

This looks funny, Mommy!!

Emily is finally napping and it's been one heck of a morning.  She fell and got a booboo on her forehead, had a major, MAJOR meltdown at her usual noon naptime and refused all three things I cooked for her lunch.  She ended up having a banana and milk.  I also went for a walk this morning with the dogs but couldn't stay out long because everytime a dog barked, I got freaked out and had flashbacks from the traumatic pit bull incident. 

Enjoying homemade popsicle

I came across this picture on Pinterest yesterday and fell in love.  How clever and cute?!  Lunch is a struggle for me since I'm too busy trying to feed Emily so I end up eating something fast (not healthy) or eating her leftovers, which leaves me hungry by dinnertime thus contributing to poor meal choices.  I think I might try this out on Sunday and prepare yummy salads for the week.

Another current obsession of mine is a Le Creuset French Oven.  Aren't the teal and orange absolutely beautiful??  It's amazing how cookware brings me such joy these days.  I'm obsessed with soups, stews, slow cooked meals and I really want to invest in one of these.  If I can bring myself to save and splurge on one of these, it will definitely be an heirloom piece I will pass down to whichever child loves cooking as much as I do.  I sometimes see them at TJ Maxx or Homegoods but I read that they're usually mismatched pieces, meaning the lids don't properly fit and they don't take enough care to package them properly for shipping.  I'll still keep my eyes open though when I'm bargain shopping and maybe I'll get super lucky. 
 

 

booboo :(

Easter Weekend

Emily didn't take pictures with the Easter bunny and we didn't do anything really "Easter" to celebrate.  She'll most likely enjoy an egg hunt next year and I'll make her a cute Easter basket then.  We spent almost two hours at Gymboree yesterday during open play time and she had a blast.  Her new favorite word is, "uh-oh" and she'll drop things on purpose and say "uh-oh!" and giggle.  She also stops and points at things on the floor in the aisles of the market or Target and says, "UH-OH!" 

She's been obsessed with bubbles lately ("buh buh") and Jane emo got her some Gymboree bubbles.  They are the Rolls Royce of bubbles!  THE BEST!!  I highly recommend!

Practice makes perfect

We spent the afternoon at the dojang today and Emily loved watching the little tigers class and got smothered with attention from all the older kids.  She LOVED it!  Afterwards we went to Gymboree and she had so much fun.  All the kids were walking or running which gave her the motivation to stand up on her own for the first time and take off.  She did so well with today's activities and was squealing with delight throughout the entire class.  Too bad I don't have any pictures or videos.  I was sure she was going to sleep on the way home from all the fun but her energy was through the roof!  She stayed up until 10PM (only a 50 minute nap all day) and was having fun practicing walking.  She's kept walking over and over again and stoop up on her own a few times.  I can tell she's getting braver and braver.  I better get my running shoes ready to chase her!

Shorts were a little too big.  She'll fit into them by summertime!

14 Months

Emily turned 14 months on Sunday and I wasn't able to update the day of like I usually do.  I just took a nice hot shower and have a glass of wine to unwind and I feel human again.  We spent the entire day at home today and I can tell Emily got a little bored.  She's been showing signs of boredom lately when we're home too long and loves going outside lately to practice walking or interact with people.  She's been flirting a lot with strangers lately, giving them big grins and waving at them.  She especially loves other babies and children and will start to shout in their direction to get their attention.  It's super cute.

14 Month updates:
-Babbles A LOT
-Says umma and appa (mom and dad in Korean) and a few other words we haven't quite figured out
-Loves to practice walking and refuses to stay in her stroller or cart, but still holds on to my finger because she's just not quite ready to let go yet
-Breakfast is her most favorite meal of the day.  This week she's been devouring homemade blueberry pancakes
-She continues to prefer broccoli and carrots over chicken nuggets or cheese

It's incredibly fascinating to watch the gears in her head work lately and she still surprises me everyday.

Shopping with Grandma