It's all goood...

Bye Bye Roseola! Pardon this delayed post... wanted to let y'all know(those who ain't on facebook) that Michelin baby is indeed feeling a lot better! As the pediatrician predicted, the roseola rash cleared up within 2 days after we saw her or 6 days long days in its entirety. Chuperbaby is back to his normal, happy, and chubby self!

Michelin-tire baby has finally started solids! Actually, Jacob started solids the same day he got his 6 month shots and subsequent fever which lead to roseola. At his 4-month check-up, the pediatrician decided against starting the butterball on solids since he is 30-40percentile points overweight for his height. I haven't had a chance to post pix, but my fat lil baby is comprised of about 20-30 rolls, including 4-5 BACK rolls. I didn't even think it was possible to have so much fat on ones back?! Anyway, Jacob was such a good sport about starting solids, even though he wasn't feeling too well. We first started him off with oatmeal, then rice cereal, then bananas, and now sweet peas. The butterball actually is somewhat pickier than we thought. I thought he'd down everything that came his way but so far he is impartial to oatmeal and sweet peas, anyone would be right? He's so laid back that even if he doesnt love oatmeal or sweet peas, the lil champ will still eat it. Just takes a lil more patience on my part haha. Jacob does like rice cereal and he especially likes bananas. We have sweet potatoes, carrots, and apples lined up in the near future. Naturally, all organic (it's kinda hard NOT to get organic babyfood) Actually, now that I think of it, his first food was the artichoke haha. I know, so mean haha. It was a mere experiment, way before the pediatrician gave us the green light for solids. Judging by the disgusted look on his face, I'm thinking Michelin baby is impartial to artichokes as well.

Apology Note to all of Tiramesu's amigas that are mommies.
Dear friends of mine that are mommies,
Before I gave birth to our lil blessing Jacob, I truly thought that you exaggerated what you were going through. You all told me that you've never been so tired or so exhausted in your entire life. That motherhood is sooo hard. That your life will never be the same. Forget about getting a good nights sleep. It's the point of no return. Well, please accept my apologies for not fully believing you and brushing you off.

I always thought they were all abuncha whiners. I thought that they were just trying to scare me. Back when I was naive and pregnant, I thought.. psshhh... I can handle being a new mom. Doesn't look THAT hard. haha... boy o boy, I've never been so wrong in my life. Even though I'm somewhat athletic, I used to be a baby-sitter in high schoola and college, almost the big 3-0, quasi-educated, and am super blessed to have a lot of awesome family and friends around me - sometimes, especially recently with the whole roseola thing, I find myself literally short of breath at least twice a day from all the demands of being a mommy. There's constant feedings, diaper changes, laundry, bath-time, sleepy-time, stain removal, running errands, cooking, going to work, taking care of everything, and when I have time - I try to read him the Bible and LA Times. Even though I'm totally beat-up at the end of each day and wake-up every morning feeling even more tired then having not slept at all - I actually have an easy baby! I can't even imagine if Jacob was fussy all the time, a light sleeper, and a light feeder. I just know if and when we are blessed enough to have baby#2 (NOT ANYTIME SOON), that he/she will not be as easy as JAcob. I should be and I am really really thankful for my mild-tempered baby. Thank you God!

The good news is that even though I'm doing exactly what all of my mommy friends did to me, which was - to try to scare the living crap outta me, I know that they were just being honest and needed to vent. Back then, I should have given them more sympathy. I always thought they were all abuncha complainers. So back to the good news: the trials and tribulations of being a new mom are complete'ly worth it all. Chuperman and I have never been so happy in our lives. We love being mommy and daddy to Chuperbaby. He makes our hearts melt on a daily basis, especially when he smiles, laughs, giggles, dances, makes funny faces, flips over, I can go on and on. Of course most of the time we are too busy to fully enjoy our bundle of joy, but truthfully, at the end of the day - this is what we've wanted and waited for for our entire lives. Praise the Lord for this miracle. Why is God so amazing?

My frickin' diploma: I thought frickin' UCI was gonna mail me my masters disploma. Apparently they sent me a notification in April to pick-up my diploma from the registrar's office. Nope, never got the notification. The sad part is that it didn't even dawn on me that it's been 10 months since I graduated and I still hadn't received my diploma yet haha. Sometimes I actually still think it's 2007.

BTW, Sorry for being MIA!! I'm gonna try to be better about returning phone calls, emails, text messages, IMs,etc. Hope everyone is doing well! Especially you preggo momma's (tamsters, nidsters, klime!) (apparently, i have a lot of non-posting non-commenting subscribers ... this is good, I'll try to keep up with my posts)

Sweet dreams y'all! To happiness and good health!

Double whammy

Last night, chuperbaby's fever subsided and finally he was in a better mood and regained his appetite. However, this morning his whole body broke into a rash. So luckily Chuperman happened to have the day off today and we all went in to see his pediatrician. We told her how it played out: low-grade fever of 100-101 for first 48 hrs, irritability, loss of appetite, poor sleep, diarrhea, then following the fever onset of generalized rash. The culprit is roseola infantum, a virile infection. Poor lil guy... no wonder he was so miserable! Jacob was dealing with the synergistic effects of both the immunization shots and roseola.

Chuperbaby's appetite is back and his fever is gone - thank God, but he's still wearing cranky pants. It took me 1.5hrs to put him to bed just now. I used various methods to try to calm him down including a new one, pushing him around the house in his bassinet stroller for 30 minutes. Usually, when chuperbaby is a bit fussy at bed-time, Chuperman plays the piano and it usually works like a charm. But tonight the usual tricks didn't really work.

The pediatrician reassured us that roseola is pretty harmless and that the symptoms should go away within 2 days.

I'm not asking for a vacation to Bora Bora or a fancy steak dinner, I just want to be able to sleep for 12 hours straight for once! A massage would also be nice. I noticed that my whole body is becoming increasingly sore. Every morning I wake up to sore joints in my hands. Don't ask me if I want another kid right now! haha.

Gonna squeeze in some rest before chuperbaby wakes up in the middle of the night again.

6 month vaccination shots...

... not good. On Monday, my lil Jacob got his 6 month vaccination shots. Three of em in the thighs. That was the easy part. Since then, he has developed a mild fever at 100.7 degrees F, just enough to get him royally pissed off at mommy and revert back to the sleeping schedule of a one-month old Jacob with 1.5-2hr sleeping intervals. Naive tiramesu was not ready for this post 6 month check-up misery since after getting 4 shots at both 2 and 4-month check-ups, there was barely any change in his temperament. Who is this cranky baby who ain't feeding or sleeping well? I want my good-natured mild-tempered and happy Jacob back!

cranky, pissed-off baby = cranky, sleep-deprived, beat-up (physically, mentally, emotionally) tiramesu

yearning for....

happy chuperbaby with healthy appetite and sleeps through the night = happy tiramesu = happy wife

Unfortunately, now i can't attend tonight's Wed night women's bible study, not like i had the time or energy to do the homework....

tiramesu's mommy night out with girls!

I'm alive! The last few wks flew by in a wink of an eye. I didn't even get a chance to stalk, i mean catch-up on other peeps blogs! Man, I'm behind - there's just too much to do and not enough hands. If only I had 8 arms like an octopus, I could really accomplish so much more.

Shoot, this post will be rather brief but better than nothing right?

Flashback to a more carefree time.....
"Sex and the city yo!!"-pic



After omakase din din at Echigo.

Flashback? Nahhhh... haha. The above pic was taken over the wkend! I took some much needed time for myself to go out with the girls. It was totally what I needed. Just some time to hang out and not have to worry about the next feeding, poopy diapers, bath time, wah wah. The whole night was awesome... getting ready and glammed up was super fun, enjoying a nice baby-free omakase sushi dinner at Echigo in Santa Monica, and watching FMP get thrown into the pool at a club for his bday hahaaa. I must say that even tho I had mounds of fun, it was a lil awkward being at the club without chuperman. I couldn't be more sober cuz i was too cheap to buy more than 1 drink. Btw, we ordered a cocktail and it cost a whopping $12 for mostly ice and juice. Anyway, I've never been so sober at club in my life!! No wonder ppl get pissed drunk at clubs cuz it ain't that much fun when you're completely sober.

When I spent the night at torosushi's place, I really really missed chuperbaby&man. Anyway, it was a super short "vacay" time for me.. only 22 hrs... I'm looking fwd to my next vacation already!




After ramen brunch on Sawtelle.



Lil guy's favorite toy! Thx anan and elgato! Michelin baby LOVES his singing blue octopus! He especially likes head-butting the octopus man.


We're celebrating our 3-year wedding anniversary today!! =D =D =D


Have a happy and safe 4th of july!!

More to come....

Metal mouth?

So, Chuperman and I paid a visit to the dentist over the wkend. Not like I didn't know this before but the dentist kindly reminded me again that my teeth are crooked and that I need braces. Most ppl don't find my teeth offensive b/c i have a small mouth with small teeth haha. He encouraged me to get braces now when I'm relatively young, instead of when I'm like 60. Why didn't I get em in junior high?! Cuz my teeth were fine back then. I think my teeth have traveled and become "overcrowded", and now i'm stuck with a worsening crooked overbite.

So, I'm on the great big hunt for a good orthodontist in the Irvine/Newpopo area. I'm willing to travel a 10-15 mile radius outside Irvine if the orthodontist is that good. So, anyone want to recommend their orthodontist to me?

Hopefully I can get away with just invisilign!

5 months 1 wk old!

Where does the time go?! My posts have been rather scant lately... my bad! It's a combination of minimal access to my own laptop (had to use chuperman's desktop and laptop), lack of pix uploaded (chuperman has been plenty busy, uploading pix is usually his job), and constantly tending to lil jacob!

So, where do I begin? Well, let's just start from the most recent since my memory is getting worse by the second.

Mommy trying to relive carefree days with Ottergirl! I spent a good part of my wkend with my high school friend Ottergirl and her fam. After Jacob went to bed last Thurs night, I was able to sneak out and drive down scenic PCH to my hometown - Dana Point/Laguna Niguel, to see Ottergirl and her family. I thought I was arriving after they had dinner to celebrate her dad's 60th bday, but in fact, dinner started really late and I arrived perfectly on time to accidentally crash their dinner party. doh haha... We had a grand ole time chowing down on lamb chops, eating cake and ice crm, and running down to the Bat Cave for more fine wine. I didn't really know what I was drinking, but it was damn good. It's always a good thing when the wine is a flowin! I also had some cocktails - 2 grapefruit juice & tequila drinks. Surprisingly, my tolerance was really high that night! They informed me that grapefruit juice is a diuretic, which in fact negates the affects of alcohol. Perhaps explains my non-drunk state for the evening. Skinteresting eh?

Then the next evening, Chuperman, Chuperbaby and I tried mtng up with Ottergirl & Co. at the Beachcomber of Crystal Cove but they were running a bit late, so we took the opportunity to take some pix (COMING SOON) and to satisfy our hungry tummies while we waited by scarfing down an order of delicious fried calamari at the bar of Beachcomber. We also saw a school of friendly dolphins showing off their jumping skills really close to the beach!
Anyway, Chuperbaby was so cuute at the bar. We sat him right on top of the bar, and he kept looking around - left,right, left, right - observing the frenzy of waiters, food carried atop flying saucers:P, and hungry customers. It was quickly approaching his bed time so we had to leave soon thereafter. We briefly saw Ottergirl & Co., but Chuperbaby urged us to take him back home:P

The next day, which would be Saturday, Ah-Ma was super nice enough to watch Chuperbaby for the day! So I headed back down to DP to chill with Ottergirl & Co. on their boats docked in the Dana Point Harbor. In the AM, we went out to sea on the big boat. It was a bit choppy and i could have easily been tossed off the boat:P Then we had a lovely lunch at DP Yacht Club. I had the most scrumptious French Dip sandwiche and a bloody mary. Then I had to pump (on the boat - in the galley) haha. A few moments later we headed back onto the water, but this time on the smaller boat. It was super duper nice and relaxing. We cruised around DP harbor, which is much more calm then the rough waters (for which I was thankful for). There were plenty o party peeps chugging down various cocktails while navigating their boats haha. I had to leave, but the crew ended up going back to the club for more drinks! I just can't keep up! I'm so weak.

Thanks Ottergirl and family for the good times!! I felt young again.. like the good ole carefree high school and college days=D

(DANA POINT HARBOR PIX PENDING OTTERGIRL - since i had to bring my pump, a cooler to put the liquid gold in, and change of clothes, i forgot to bring my camera that day - damnit)

Back To Reality - It was a super exhausting wkend for me b/c I, in fact, get seasick. So all day Saturday I was having trouble walking in a straight line. My tummy also felt weird too haha.
And, it seems like my poor baby has caught a cold. Darnit. It's his 3rd cold since he started daycare=/ NOT COOL.

On top of Jacob having a cough and runny nose, my patience is wearing thin. It's been 5.5months and I would like to give-up on BFing. I feel like im running a marathon race - I have to just keep on going and going and going until I reach the finish line, which is Jacob's 1yr old bday on January 2, 2009! Feeding my baby au naturale and the pumping is taking a toll on me. The constant feeding and pumping is just not cool. Even when the baby sleeps through the night, I still have to wake-up in the middle of the night. I know.... whine whine whine, I am so ungrateful... I just wish I could sleep for 10 hrs straight and finally catch up on sleep- without waking up to pain and discomfort. I'm constantly walking around like a zombie. I need some major encouragement and a kick in the bum.

On a happier note, it's all worth the pain, sleepless nights, and tears of frustration - especially when I look at Jacob and see that he's growing up quite nicely. He is just so mild tempered for a baby. Jacob is more independent these days. He's okie with laying around by himself now haha. Chuperbaby doesn't constantly need to be held. He likes the swing and kickpad much better than before. Jacob is an excellent feeder and he still sleeps a lot! Even though he has a cold, he still is able to sleep for a solid 10.5hrs straight. I am 100% positive that he got the sleeping gene from me haha. Jacob definitely got the eating gene from BOTH mommy and papa piggy=P haha. Chuperbaby is overweight for his height haha. We'll prob start solids next month. He's turned over a few times already and can scoot in reverse, forwards, mini U-turns haha

Taken last week. Chuperbaby in a well-insulated (more like over insulated, literally appropriate for the arctic) polar bear costume hahaa

Im done pumping, time to hit the hay! Will post pix as soon as they're uploaded!!

13.5hrs!

Happy 1st of the Month! I can't believe it's May already and Jacob is about 4 months!!

Last night, Jacob went to bed at 7:45pm and woke-up this morning at 9:20am!! If I'm calculating correctly - he slept for over 13.5hrs straights! Then he woke up to feed then went back to bed and woke up at 12:10pm - for a grand total of over 15hrs and it's only mid-day. He'll prob take another afternoon nap! Jacob loves sleeping in like a college student. I'm thoroughly enjoying this while it lasts!

During the 7 or 8 hours that he's up in a 24hr days... he enjoys feeding, reading, listening to music, sitting in the carseat, playdates with various girlfriends :P, and now trying to sit-up:

Videos:

and playdates with Josephine and Ava: