The Picnic Fail

A few weeks ago, we eager beavers decided to try for a picnic on a Sunday afternoon at our nearby park. Cheese, crackers, hummus, blueberries, ginger soda, salami, and sourdough bread for us, milk for Noah.

We were feeling pretty proud of ourselves for pulling this off.

Minutes after we settle, we notice a swarm of wasps hovering in the nearby grassy area. Being the nervous first-time parents we are, we thought it would be safer to move across the park.

At the exact moment Terah had crossed the lawn with our stroller and picnic regalia, Noah decides to regurgitate the entire contents of the bottle he had just downed. I'm not talking mouthfuls. The. Entire. Bottle.

The following scene ensues: I'm yelling for Terah to come back and help me, Terah's rushing back, the stroller catches on some bump in the grass and topples over - spilling our belongings all over the grass, and Noah continues to gift us with a firsthand view of what's in his stomach. And did I mention everyone was staring at us?

Needless to say, our picnic ended up on our dining room table. With Noah in a fresh change of clothes!

Father and son

I woke up last Saturday morning to Terah proudly showing me this clip of how he kept Noah entertained. Please especially note the burp cloth shoved between the seat and the baby to catch all the spit up our son produces.

Non-refundable

After yet another long evening of struggling to calm our little monster down and putting him to bed, we sometimes plop our tired bodies on the couch for a few minutes and our conversations often go something like this -

Michelle: We can't return him, can we?

Terah: I don't think I ever want to do this again...

Is being a parent rewarding? Terah thinks it will be once Noah becomes a professional baseball player that gives us lots of money. In the meantime, we'll have to settle for watching him happy and growing. And growing he is!

He has discovered how to stand up in his bouncer. Yikes!

King of the world

Crazy hair is... still crazy

Making it difficult to feed

Although we can not sit, we insist on sitting up

One of my all time favorites

Happy 4 years!

Sometimes I like to quiz Terah on these dates...

November 29, 2003 - Told Terah I'm ready to do this.

October 29, 2005 - Engaged.

August 12, 2006 - Married!

Not once has Terah actually passed the quiz, but it's still been a happy 4 years. Happy anniversary!

We may appear normal

But then you open up our kitchen cabinets and find this...

Exhibit A.

And you open up our pots and find this...

Exhibit B.

And our counters covered in this...

Exhibit C.

Exhibit A - Chinese medicine that apparently all decent Chinese women are supposed to have for the month after birth. My policy when handed a bowl of dark liquid with who knows what was inside? Don't ask, just drink.

Exhibit B - Again, don't ask just drink.

Exhibit C - The aftermath of having 2 breast pumps and transporting bottles of milk everyday to my parent's place.

When the post-partum Chinese lady left, I lost 7 pounds in 5 days. That's because she was feeding me at least 4 eggs a day.

And finally I leave you with flashcards on the TV...

And a picture of my desk that pretty much sums up the past two months: my printer and my hospital-rented pump.

It's definitely time to take back my life, my kitchen, and my home!

don't let this face fool you

It's 5am and I've been up for the past hour and a half thanks to this guy...

Done and DONE.

Verdict: Having a baby might've actually been easier than trying to take the bar 2 1/2 months later.

But I DID IT. Or should I say WE did it. Because it took the entire Chern village, and I can never thank my family nor Terah enough. When the proctor called time on the third day, I broke into tears of sheer relief.

It has taken everything in me to do this, and I am truly blessed to have had so many people rooting me on. Come November, when I find out if I passed... I may care, and my future employers may care, but it brings me great comfort to know the God I find my strength in will likely not care... and neither will Noah. He is now ours to keep and day 1 of full time motherhood just began for me!

The cake my family bought me to celebrate coming back from the bar.

P.S. Terah wanted me to add this picture was taken with his spiffy new iphone, a gift from his parents!