Dinking around outside: Korean style!

Yowza, another month goes by without a post!

How am I, aspiring Expat author of globe trotting adventures, supposed to build up an audience if I don't publish our faily experiences of awesomeness?

Right Watson. The holidays sped us right into a season of English camps, my visa trip to Fukuoka, and landing me in crutches with a sprained ankle for a week!

Check back for the following link updates:
* Everything you ever want to know about taking your E-2 visa trip to Fukuoka, Japan (with video, step-by-step explanations & recommendations!)
*  A new *writing section* that I'm starting on my blog (whoop! But no specific title yet..) Yes. The secret is out: I'm writing a book!
* Recent Kid outings and where to go for real fun in Daegu! 
* And yes, a new *kid korner* devoted just to my kiddos (photos, videos, artsy stuff, and their little oh-so-fast growing up ramblings!)

So as you can see, there is much to update. But for today...the cool weather compells us outside for some playground play!

~Chelsea

What to do while you're waiting for a Skype call...

So what does a momma do to occupy a 2 year old and a 4 year old while waiting at the computer? Well, you can do this: watching how candy canes are made! Or...

Play with photos like we did! Yes, and while we waited for family to join us for a pre-Christmas Skype call, we had our fun taking pictures on our laptop. Sometimes a 15 hour time difference (South Korea to Alabama) can make it difficult to stay in touch---but when schedules finally align and you get to see family you haven't see in way too long... it makes the wait all the more worth it!

Great talking to you Mom, Brandon, Amy, Carson, Camron and baby Calen! We love YOU!!! 

xox Team CAZ

Mapping the Madness: Another teaching guide to South Korea..

I'm not usually keen on blogging about other people's blogs, but this one caught my eye. I think it's a pretty good low-down for those of you considering coming to work/teach in Korea. Check it out!

Mapping the Madness: Another teaching guide to South Korea..., Work in South Korea

As always, eat your pickles!
~ C

Monday Madness: Follow-up to the Mogyeoktang & our Weekend!

Alright. It's Monday, already. Where did the weekend go?

I know, we were home all weekend because the kids were sick! Ack! Well, ok, not quite.

Now mix a little 'cabin fever' being stuck indoors most of the time with some videos, and you get this video! {so, click it!} Just one of many posts forthcoming of videos and pictures taken during this oh-so-long weekend (indeed, we desperately tried to amuse ourselves with limited space, no t.v. and only ourselves and the computer for company!)

I'll tell you what though. For all those spicy mommas in foreign lands like me, one quick solution lead us out out to the local coffee shop. And it's only about a 5 minute walk from our villa. Now, you ask, how do you occupy young kids in a coffee shop? I've got the solution. It's called, you bring games! Indeed. One particular game we brought was a Korean style balancing game using green, orange and yellow wooden stars on top of a 'moon' block. It was quite fun! And yes, it helped to buy the kids their favorite 'snack' on the way over there: gum!

So as you can see, Ayden & Zynia did a fine job chilling when their momma so needed a little coffee-chill time. They were bundled up quite well, and they even listened to me when I told them they needed to hold hands and walk together on the way home (check out picture; cute, huh?) We even ran into an old co-worker of mine way back in the day when we worked together at Yeungjin~ Julian! So good to see old acquaintances, especially this holiday!

Boy, isn't it getting so cold lately? Even a trip out to the nearby tree-a-la-garbage-pile to dispose of daily waste gets to be a fingertip-numbing experience! And we're in Daegu! Gadzooks..imagine how much colder it is up in Seoul!

Ahem, side note. {Mom, are you reading this? Yes, I bet it's warm in Alabama where you are now. Sitting by the fire. Under Brandon & Amy's wonderful Christmas tree. Watching Carson and Camron, running around in joyous play, giggling and laughing, while Amy nurses Calen and Brandon sips on a beer. Lucky you! And Chelsea, the black sheep of the bunch, is sadly stuck in colder than a tit on a boar in the forrest, Daegu...Boo! Hoo! Well, at least my butt is warm with our floor-heating system! Sheesh!!} Now, what was I saying..

Oh, yes, yes..today. What's on the agenda today? Well, my Monday-off has been filled with working on my TESOL lesson plans (this is the last week, thank goodness!) and preparing some comedy-skits for my crew at Yeungjin to perform on Thursday's Christmas year-end party. This should be something--maybe a knee slapper or a sympathy clapper. I'm hoping for the former! We'll see. Stay tuned for an update on the matter! Until then, I'll be silently wishing I were home & with family for Christmas! :)

Until the next post, eat your pickles!
~ Chelsea

Three Korean Syllables = One great CLEAN weekend start!

So here it is. The weekend. Classes are over. Kids will be picked up from their Korean daycare soon. And you know what's on my mind? It includes getting naked, getting into something hot AND cold, and it costs roughly 9,900 Won for us to go. Any guesses?

Here's a hint: It involves doing something us Western folk would normally think of an activity we consider a private matter. Now you give up?

Ok, no more torture, my little pickles. It's called the mo'gyoek-tang(모굑탕). Otherwise, the public bath. And it's the kids' favorite Saturday morning activity! Who would have thought! And no, it's not quite the 'spa' experience, either. It's seriously a cleaning fest!

Check out this funny video I found on Youtube concerning Korean public baths. The animation is quite dead on with what you'd find in the women's bathhouse!

A lovely little thought back to when I posted about the Korean public baths  back when I was quite the newbie to Korea and Korean culture (and as a side note, I can't believe I posted that in 2005, well-over 6 years ago!) Rereading it made me snicker (and somewhat shutter!) from the memory of it. So, happy reading down memory lane :)

What is boils down to is that Korean absolutely love the idea of getting clean. In fact, I would almost call it a sacred, cultural act. But you don't have to take my word for it. Check out the following articles for some interesting reads about Korean Bath culture: the KNU times, fellow blogger, or even the LA Times.

Until the next post, happy scrubbing, and eat your pickles, kimchi and coffee!

~ Chelsea

Time for a REVAMP!

Zynia can't believe it either!

Indeed, it's about time. What, you're back? The lowdown? Yes, we're back. Daegu it is. And it's parte deux, yo!

So here's the scoop: my 2nd blog-in-waiting, In a Giant Pickle, will house photo opps, pretty things, and whatever catches my fancy. Yes, yes, double yes. Pictures of the kids too!

And (drumroll, please!), I finally get myself signed up with Tumblr. Oh, yes, my little pickles, we're getting this show back on the road with the korean experience at Tumblr. Fun times..

This time, with a little more coffee, kimchi and not to mention, some pickles. Did I mention I love pickles?

It's all slow to come, but don't lose hope! We're gearing up for the holidays.. and there's LOTS of fun to be had!

Enjoy your pickles,

Chels & the kiddos

It may be April 1st, but it's no joke..

C'est le grand adieu!

Well, my friends.. it looks like the time has come! It's been over a year since my last post, and according to my close consultation with the internet (we still discuss, you know, from time to time), it's only obvious that that would put this blog in the dead zone! No updates, no following, yo! So what does that mean for The Korean Experience?! Drum roll, please.

As you've probably seen--or happened upon (thanks to Google)--I've slowly been writing less and less since becoming a momma. Yeah, well, I can blame it on the birth of my son, Ayden, how life takes a huge, dramatic turn (sometimes for the better, sometimes the worse) and us parents know that when you've got a moment to spare, it ain't gonna be updating a blog: it's gonna be sleeping (or breast pumping, or snacking, or finally showering since you can't remember when was the last time you did so...am I right?) Sure, there are mommas out there, Miss Suzie-homemakers, juggling life with a zillion kids, working AND going to school, and yet they still blogged.. but I wasn't one of them! lol. What I was doing was better. I was raising my son and daughter, speaking 2-3 languages daily (counting French, if I was up to the head trauma!), pounding pavement and fighting the local adjummas in the nearby markets for my share of cheap food, healthcare and education-related activities! Oh, and I can list another 100 pages or so of things I settled for, and what I wanted to do but didn't, or couldn't, cuz of some significant 'other' that had his thumb placed on my head for way too damn long.. and now that sweet baby Zynia is nearing 5 months, and my amazing Aydenbear (..still in awe) is almost 2 and 1/2 years old.. I've finally realized it's time to lay The Korean Experience to rest. At least, for now, since...

We're no longer in Korea (wow, I never thought I'd be saying that... so, let me pause a moment and soak that in.)

....and so (deep breath, wipe tear, clear throat), it doesn't quite make sense to continue talking about the experience of living in Korea if we're not there, right? It's almost like the name of my blog was a forethought to having lived in Korea, as if I should be writing about it, about the experience, after having lived there (wrap that one around yer head!) Because, let me just say, the experience was far greater and far more life changing than I ever would have imagined! Thank God for closure. And not necessarily, a closure to an entirely good experience one would consider by 'western thought,' if you will. But that's another great story waiting to be written. Nonetheless, I cannot quite live with the idea of throwing this blog away, either. I guess it would nullify every damn thing I went through; and that, my friends, is not an option!

So here's the plan.

I still can't believe it's been almost 5 years since the inception of this blog (back in 2005, huh?), and there's quite a few resources on this blog that have been/will be useful to future ESL teachers. So, lucky for you, I'm leaving this blog up. AND, I'm extending the invitation for you to write me* (my loyal or passing readers) for questions, concerns, inquiries, wise-crack jokes, or the like (here's your que to slap your knee...) should you choose to do so. Mind you, I was an ESL teacher for nearly 5 years in Daegu, and I recruited teachers as well as networked within the Daegu community (although, once you have kids, your focus on life changes quite a bit, and I migrated to the "not quite a foreigner any longer, but yet not quite Korean either" spectrum of local expats). Sure, there are still 'lifers' in Korea (or about Korea, and my blog has long since stopped ranking anyway), plus a few of the well-known faves, but I'm the *lucky one* who said auf wiedersehen to my Nazi boss and got out (!). You can send all correspondence (and money?!) to kimchiandcoffee (at) gmail (dot) com*.

On the other hand, I will be Vlogging/Blogging vicariously, but where and with whom, is yet to be determined. There is so much to talk about back home in the Pacific Northwest (and man, is it GREAT to be home!), my creative momma skills are just waiting to be put on display for ALL the world to see! So make sure you check back on this post for an update!

To all my experiences, all the people I've met, all the places I've been---and to Daegu, my 'home away from home,'.......

Adieu!

~ Chelsea

Spreading the Word: New Daegu Magazine, Valentine's Day Treat & New Website Look Coming SOOOON!

Hey all...

Wow, a year ago was my last post. Can you believe it? I'm SOOO in need of updating. Pfft!

Ayden bear is nearly 16 months (and working on getting his last 4 Canine's--ahem, that means he's acting like 3, so you can imagine!), I'm teaching now at Yeungjin College Kindergarten (and L-O-V-E it!), I've been frantically getting all my ducks in a row to get going on my Master's....and in the meantime, realized I need to not only update this website, but give it a new look. So where does that leave me? Right in the middle of "shit to do" and "don't know where to start," alley. Yep! So here goes, I'm starting somewhere with the first set of footprints on this long haul...


Top of my list, the new Daegu magazine called "Daegu Pockets" which promises to be filled with loads of information, bilingual in Korean and English. What a neato thing, eh? It's about time! Foreigners realizing their presence here in Daegu, for all the world to see. Check it out!

Second, the Alliance Francaise de Daegu (which I'm geekily apart of) here at Kyungpook National University will have a little "Gouter Saint Valentin" for all you French speakers. Starting at 330pm, there will be refreshments and cake for those who come to sing or recite a poem about love. C'est merveilleux! So come out and support the French Alliance of Daegu, and practice your French, meanwhile :)

Last, but certainly not least.. I'll be updating this website with a new look here shortly. I've played around with some varieties, pictures, new gadgets, but alas.. this website was last updated when I was a single, free-wheelin' chic, scootin' on my buddy's hot-rod (my Daelim is still kicking, though barely!) and well---I no longer fit that profile (tragic..) Now I visit the local Korean public bath for kicks, and hang out with the family at HomePlus and eMart on Saturday nights instead of partying all night at the local club. What a life change, yo.

Okay, enough for now. Time to head out and get some exercise I promised myself at the beginning of the year (not to mention, W160,000 less in my pocket for 3 months!)

Ciao, et a la prochaine! See ya next time :)

~ Chelsea

Our little Bubbly Butt!

Finally a moment to sit and relax with my cappuccino mix!

After I dropped Ayden off at the daycare, I sped home to clean up the house and do some laundry before I was off to work. Our little guy was just drifting off to sleep, as he usually does when we take him in the car. It's hard dropping him off to be cared for, when of course, I'd rather keep him to myself all day long. On the positive side, I get a few hours to do stuff I normally can't do when I'm taking care of Ayden.

Workwise, I don't have quite the inspiration that I used to have at FLI, especially knowing that I'll most likely be transferring to either the kindergarten or the college side after my contract is up. I just don't want to deal with ever-fluctuating schedules, last minute changes and of course, ENGLISH CAMP! Ugh.. I told Ahsan that I'm through with English camps. No more. Done! Now I'll be looking forward to summer and winter vacation, free time and travel---no longer burdened by a discombobulated camp season!

I've been taking so many videos of Ayden, I feel a bit overwhelmed by what I have and how much I want to upload for the family to see. So I just put it off another day, especially since Ayden has gotten so busy-body; he's very fussy, he always wants to sit upright, and when I leave him for a second to roll on his own, he gets very vocal and lets me know he doesn't like it! I feel a bit drained for energy, but definitely a lot better considering that I had spent the latter part of February and now March being sick--combo between a mild cold and allergies. Not fun stuff!

Here's a few of my favorite pictures of Mr. Ayden, taken between February and March. These are the "firsts" that I'm most proud of!

Ayden's first roll-over on his own!

The first quirky little home family picture (Ayden has a new sleep outfit!) We actually took a family photo in December, so this is the official second family photo. Aren't we just cute?

First family trip to the zoo!

First trip to Homeplus with the carseat
(my hands were getting tired holding Ayden all the time!)

A not a first, but one of many beautiful pictures of our boy sleeping: actually we went "walking at the park" for the first time, and as expected, Ayden slept the whole time!!

Ahsan and I have coined another lovely nickname for him. So instead of "pumpkin noodle" it's now become "bubbly butt" (which is quite funny because Ahsan's family name is "Butt"--and I've long since told him he needs to spell it like "Baht" or "Bauht"--considering the English spelling, of course. I personally don't want to be called Mrs. Butt: so, thankfully, Ahsan's family gave him his mother's last name, Manzoor, which is a thousand times better!)

So here's to our little Bubbly Butt, Ayden. We love you! Momma and daddy are so proud.

By the way, I posted NEW VIDEOS of Ayden at my YouTube site. Ayden is just too adorable!

Ayden is getting SO big...

Our little punchkin (fusion of "munchkin" and "pumpkin", cute huh?) is growing like a weed. Literally. I was browsing through some videos~just a few of the zillion I have taken~and realized just how behind I am at updating everyone.

This particular video was taken when Ayden was 3 months old~ January 11th. So for the next few posts, I will refer to pictures and videos uploaded on both Flikr and YouTube sites, seeing as I have so so many pictures and videos now...honestly, our little boy keeps me oh-so-busy, I barely have time to shower and think about what's going on tomorrow, let alone update my blog and various communication devices! lol.

Motherhood has definitely blossomed for me. I feel like I finally understand what my mother went through, taking care of my brother and I~ particularly how she may have felt being a single mom, managing her work schedule, taking us to/fro school, coordinating when we went to see our dad, and just dealing with the ins and outs of daily life. That's exactly what I'm going through... and my husband just loves that I manage to not only work, but keep the house clean, take care of our little guy (to and fro daycare, too!), and somehow get a little sleep all within a 24 hour period. Quite a transition from my life just a year ago!

It's surely not a walk in the park.. but I love our little punchkin more and more each day.

Well, looks like I have 30 minutes of--OMG--free time before I pick up our little bun from daycare. And yes, I will eventually talk about daycare here in Korea, because it's long overdue. Gawd, where the hell have the past few months gone? Little Ayden is ALREADY rolling on his front, he always wanting to be upright, and he's now babbling up a storm. Isn't this little guy precious?



I don't mind not sleeping, but I need my freetime to exercise my stress off! So.. I'm off to get my heart pumping...

Until next time!

The new E2 Visa Hoopla...

Ok. I've been sucked into the "you have to know about.." category because I'm a fellow EFL Teacher here in Korea. And, though I've stayed away from talking much about EFL related stuff (well, I've had a kid, for one--and he surely keeps me busy) I decided it was time to contribute.

Everyone is talking about it. You can read it daily in various blogs. There's tid-bits of gossip you hear at work, or on the street; and up to this point, it has sounded like nothing but hearsay. The new E2 Visa laws have caused a lot of commotion in the ESL/EFL community.

The Korea Immigration website posted about this topic, but I think if any native English speaker were looking to get the right information--and the necessary documents to get their E2 Visa accordingly (especially newcomers who plan to come and teach in Korea)--a huge question mark pops up.

Who has the low-down on what's really going on?

For the past month while on maternity leave, I had been helping out a Korean friend who works as a recruiter, finding teachers to work for hagwons in Daegu. She didn't even know about these new requirements that supposedly took effect as of January 1st, 2008. One thing I DO know, however, is that schools will no longer be able to find teachers quick. And if you want to tack on a part-time job working for another school (at your own risk, of course), these new E2 laws won't apply to you. You'll have a whole new set of issues to deal with yourself.

EFL Geek has posted on this, and I found the site to be the most informative. The widely read Marmott's Hole also posted an interesting take of the E2 situation through an article written for the Korea times. I also ran across EFL-Law.com has some particularly important links to consider, too.

So what's the deal? Does anyone have a definitive answers?!?

Well, I fell upon the G4F of Korea website, dedicated to bridging the gap between Korea's foreign population and the government. TONS of valuable information to be had, so check it out; however, as of yet, I haven't found any new information regarding the new E2 visa requirements. In the meantime, I'll be surfing the web for more info on this matter...

Triple M: Make More Milk...huh?

My last post for 2007. What should I write about? I've posted only a handful this year, and I want to make this last post of the year a good one.

Okay, I thought this would be special: December 31st, and being 12noon, I've got just 12 more hours to remember 2007. Not that I want to remember ALL of it--the year, I mean. Honestly, it's truly been one HELL of a year: 12 months of highs and lows that have both drowned me, and resuscitated me--during the same boat trip, too. I won't bore you with the details, but for those of you who know me, you know that there are many things about 2007 that I DON'T want to remember. And...with that said,

On the upside, I wanted to share with you my most precious gift of 2007.

No, it wasn't finding out I was pregnant on February 14th, and telling my family during my trip home shortly after. It wasn't the unwedding party we had with both my family and Ahsan's at Ali Baba's on May 20th (our original wedding day, but that never took place). And no, it wasn't the actual day Ahsan and I made a split decision to tie the knot by paperwork on July 9th, in the best interest of our baby, who was then yet to be born.

The most precious gift was given to me on October 11th, at 4:15am, after 9 hours of pushing from head to toe, and even begging the doc to cut me open (C-style, that is..) Voila: baby Ayden was born.

I remember in a flash moment, both lips and fingers were covered in blood from kissing this screaming, naked thing, moving on my chest--thanks to the nurses--still attached by umbellical chord and the placenta, which was still deflated inside my womb. Ahsan, behind me, smiling and having to hold my head up (my body was so flacid and weak from going med-free, au naturel..) And there was my mom, in awe (or stunned, if I remember her face correctly), managing to capture this precious picture with unbelievable steadiness.


This was my most precious gift: life. A life given to me--whether by mistake or intention, I am certainly blessed, and if only words could express how wonderful it is to see a little piece of yourself looking back, and smiling at you, everyday. For this, I would go through labor 9,999 more times.

So I was watching Oprah the other day (syndicated reruns, how nice) and fell upon them talking about The Secret, which sort of hooked me from the beginning. You have to check it out, because it turned my negative thinking into a new attitude, and a kind of positive enlightenment suddenly took over. Check it out and you'll know what I mean.

I started to think about what I was grateful for, what God has given me, and that I need to forgive in order to move on. And believe me, I never thought I could forgive those things, events, or people that I was focusing on, nearly killing myself over, agonizing because my life wasn't going as planned, because I didn't have control or because I felt I was just stringing along and observing life's events instead of participating in them. It is amazing when you realize that you do have control, and you can make changes. So I've decided to start the new year on the right foot, and that means, with a new motto and new thinking.

Perhaps you can call me an idealist.

The other night, I was up late, trying to get Ayden to sleep: 2am rolled around and he didn't want to do with any sleeping, at all! It wasn't working--rocking him, singing to him, or putting him in the swing/slider. I just realized that I was all out of breast milk, and I needed to pump more--quickly. Well, the little tyke wanted ,우유 (milk) pronto, and I couldn't express fast enough. So in a fury, I got up to make him formula, nearly tripping over Ahsan who was fast asleep on our heated floor--and then it dawned on me. I've got to make more milk! And not just in the literal sense. Sure, I need to up the pumping to have more supply at hand, but then I got to thinking about what that Oprah segment was all about--creating what we want out of life. I'm a glutton for self-help, I suppose. So I went on a rampage and realized in my thinking, that make more milk is precisely creating what I want out of life. And what I really wanted was to create more, do more, feel more, act more, be more.

Milk is to a baby as ... what? You wanted me to finish the analogy for you? It's exactly what you want it to be. And that's the secret I found out.

Make more milk. I wonder if I should start a new line of journals called that? Journaling is your ticket to psychological freedom. lol. That would be a winner indeed!

So for the time being, I'll start the year 2008 with a smile for myself, a positive attitude for Ahsan, and my darling Ayden on my hip (and breast pump machine in tow so I can make more milk!)

Happy New Year everyone!!

~ Chelsea, Ahsan and baby Ayden

Christmas NOT...

Bah-humbug! I have to say, Christmas was anything but ordinary this year. Newly married, new baby, but same country as last year, and a complete let down. Of all my 29 years of Christmases past, this has got to be the most uneventful, and the most disappointing--except for spending precious time with Ayden, I can honestly say I don't want to repeat this Christmas. How tragic! I was peeved because Ahsan told me just Christmas eve that he had to work on Christmas day, and I had the morning planned to cook breakfast, open presents, and enjoy Christmas together. Okay, so I shouldn't be so dissapointed because Ahsan is Muslim, and he doesn't celebrate Christmas.. but holy cow, if I knew he had to work, I would have made plans for Christmas instead of chilling at home with the baby, waiting for snow to fall! Last year was a blast~and we DID celebrate it (although Ahsan didn't know about giving gifts and at the last minute went out to buy me one!) It was great because we had spent the day in our pj's, making Christmas food with a house full of foreigners, who all gathered together to create a little piece of home in Korea. Perhaps that is why I wanted to go home for a bit during the holidays--to cheer up my spirit from this crazy 2007 year, and start the next on the right foot.

I did however visit my buds Ron and Susan at their pad for awhile, with baby Ayden in tow and a little cranky attitude to serve up. They offered fresh coffee and a chocolate pretzel. Yum! Oh, and Susan's sis, Marinel, and her boyfriend Greg were there hanging out. I don't get to see them often, and they left FLI just right when I came on. Bummer! In any event, I got to hang out with them, and I took a video of our little dude with Ron and Susan. Check it out~

Christmas eve was a blast, on the upside. Just like a scene from an old 40's black and white flick, we all mistakingly believed we were heading over to our doctor's house for the eve celebrations. Boy, how wrong we were! Ahsan and I chaotically loaded the car up with a few gifts that I bought, grabbed the baby and the Christmas cake, and headed over to meet our friends, Sae-bin, and her mother, who were supposed to take us to the doctor's house. The doctor, being, the gal who looked over Ayden when he had a 2 week long Bronchiolitis stint during his second month; Sae-bin also works for her at their clinic in Palgon mountain. What a good nurse she is! Anyhoo, when we arrived at Sae-bin's house, both she and her mom were roaring to go. "Why are you coming here? We're supposed to meet the doctor at YOUR house. She's on her way NOW!" saying in half English, half Korean.

WHAT?!

Supposedly, we had made plans only a few days prior, for the doctor and her family to come to OUR house for Christmas eve. HUH? Sae-bin and I thought we were going to THEIR house for the festivities. What a blunder! The doctor said 'Next year, come to our house for dinner,' and I said, 'Sometime, we'll invite you over for Pakistan food.' Ahh, the confusion begins; that's why it's so important to understand what was said, in Korean or in English! Neither of us understood what the other person had said! lol. So we frantically made our way back home, Sae-bin and her mom in tow, back to our house to clean up and start chow (oh, God, we were SO hungry too.. and we were SOO looking forward to good Korean food, then-thinking we were eating at the doc's house.) We arrived just when the doctor emerged from her car. Quick, Sae-bin. Stall the folks so we can make a dash to clean up and cook! And was there cleaning to be had. I was just lucky I had already done a half-ass clean up just the day prior.

Needless to say, the evening went well. Sae-bin let the doctor know about our mix up, and we all rolled with laughter. 'Twas quite the funny situation!

A snapshot of the evening. We managed to cook some lamb and rice, with fruits and yogurt.. without having gone shopping too!


I'm thrilled for the New Year. I wonder how it'll go. Surprisingly, I'm positive and enthusiastic about it.. really hoping to finish this year with a BANG! Until next time...

Thanks Julian..

A few weeks ago, I went into work to join our teachers for a photo op.

One of our teachers, Julian, is pretty handy with taking photos. I joined the crew, wandering with Julian like a little sheep, looking for the best light for him to capture us in.

These are but a few of the photos that Julian forwarded to me... some head shots, unbelievably professional. I must say, I'm jealous of his Nikon SLR. But oh, it's only $1200. Sigh.

By the way, isn't Ayden adorable? He was 7 weeks old in this picture (taken November 29th). So kissable..

I'm so lucky he caught me on a good hair day. Cheese for the camera. Pure cheese.

I'm getting this down...sort of!

Motherhood is looking good. Today, I was relaxed all day, and I didn't stress but once! Of course, if you would have talked to me about how I was doing with this motherhood thing even a week ago, I would have probably--embarrassingly--broke down crying (luckily, I was nearly closeted for the first 3 weeks in my apartment--and I have Ahsan to thank for that...) Needless to say, though, I did go through hell and back, and I'll explain a bit about that later.

Be prepared, this is a major momma post! (Still deciding if I want to keep up with the other Bebe-do blog...gawd, I can barely keep up with this one!)

Seriously, though, it's a great feeling to know that I have a few things down pat. First, the breast pumping. Okay, I'll save the details, sauf since day one I've never gotten our little Ayden to latch on, and I blame the hospital for that: every time they brought him in to me to share some R&R, he was full, fat, and fiercely asleep. Dead to the world of the awake! On that front, I have realized that bottle feeding in the first few days of life could seriously pose problems for breast feeding later. Oh, yes it does. I felt guilty at first, but now I have come to terms with the fact that not everything can go as planned! The most important of course, is that this baby gets all the nutrients he needs to grow healthy. I have kellymom.com to thank (and my sis-in-law too, for recommending the site!) for especially supercharging my knowledgeable momma status.

So, now I breast pump, and I'm learning quickly that it's an art! What a pass-time it has become! I now have TWO bottles and have learned to cut down the breast pumping in HALF. Truly amazing. Believe me, 15 minutes breast pumping verses 30 or 40 goes a long way when it comes to taking care of a baby that feeds every 2-3 hours! So I wear, literally, breast pump bottles as often as I feed Ayden. So strange.

Sleep. Yes, tell me about it. There is no such thing as sleeping more than 4 hours straight, when you're a new mom. I think, however, I've found a little secret to getting him to sleep a bit more: since 분유~formula, digests slower than breast milk, I found myself giving Ayden a 60-80ml bottle of formula around the time he normally goes to sleep.. nearly 1:30am. Soon enough, he was sleeping all the way to 6:30 or 7am! Still don't quite like using formula unless we're pressed for time, have to leave, and I don't have enough expressed breastmilk ready.. or EBM. Ah, the acronyms you learn as a new mother!

Now it's time to upload some major Ayden pictures onto my Flikr pages!

Our little bean is 4 weeks old!

I am totally hypnotized, and I can't wake up! And neither would I want to with this precious face staring back at me!

This month has been one, long, amazing journey--and it hasn't been easy to say the least. Today, our little Ayden (Alyraza, as Ahsan likes to call him) is nearly a month old: 4 weeks to be exact. I was talking to my mom on Skype today, and she corrected me that one month and 4 weeks are not the same, and it just hit me. I have been a mommy for more than 672 hours.

Of that time, I haven't slept more than 2--correction--3 and 1/2 hours straight (as of last night, thank GOD... the little munchkin slept from 1am to 4:30, and then up again at 6:30 for another feeding, finally waking up at 9am to start the day!) I've gone nearly to hell and back (yes, I had the much-anticipated post-partum baby blues) and I've had the pleasure, if not the ecstasy, of seeing the world through a child's eyes watching my baby plump up from 3.9kilos to over 5.4 (maybe more now.. and that's going from 8.69 lbs to almost 11!)

Today, Ahsan gave me the third greatest gift (okay, the first being our baby--what a birthday present! the second, being to actually name him!) and.. this so-called gift being the ultimate-wish-I-had-it-sooner BABY SWING! My God, if I only knew what a blessing it would be.. now I can buy myself a bit more time, toss the baby in, and away he sleeps. Truly amazing.

Alright. Baby asleep? Check. Husband asleep? Check. And now the momma.. yes. That's me. I'm off to sleep too.

ps. I've ALREADY got over a thousand pictures of this sweet little gift of God, and just don't know how I'm going to post them all! Check back soon over at my Flickr photos for those beautiful Ayden pictures I know you're anticipating!

xox Chelsea

The birth..

Ayden Ahsan Pyper Manzoor

was born Thursday, October 11th at 4:15am weighing 3.940 kilos or 8.69 lbs

He is the most beautiful thing ever created!

Time to roll on out...

Ayden, your time has come~
You're a week late, the doc said,
time to roll on out, sleepy head!
Get up, let's go, Momma wants to see you now, fo'sho!
There ain't no more space,
this belly has gotten tight,
And every little movement,
just doesn't feel right!
October 10th, here we are,
9:30am so close yet so far!
Start the meds, contractions begun,
Pop your head on out, little son.. cuz it's your birth day!

xox Your Mom & Dad

Anxiousness & the Momma's here!

Already a week and 3 days into Mom's stay.. we've been waiting patiently for this little bun to pop out. Ayden is now 4-5 days overdue, and if nature doesn't take its course, we are going in to get induced Monday morning!

Mom and I have had quite a bit of fun, actually. Eating out downtown, sipping coffee at DaVinci's, playing house, and shopping when the desire hits. Tonight we stopped at HomePlus and picked up some extra stuff to tie us over for the next few days~including some red wine for me to celebrate when I've given birth!

I've actually held up quite well, I think.. considering my stomach is huge and backaches have been intermittent over the past few days. I'm walking bow-legged, and I'm definitely feeling QUITE ready for this little guy to make his appearance. Actually, we made a quick trip to our hospital on Saturday, and the doc said I was about 2 fingers dialated.. just about 25%, giving us the choice to be check in and induce labor with Petocin or wait a few days and let nature take its course! Well, it was a beautiful Saturday, and I didn't see the need to get the ball rolling so quickly.. afterall, I had quite a few things to finish up at the homefront before it was labortime!

Alas, here we are, Sunday night.. and I've uploaded an update video for ya'all to check out on MyTube. I'll be posting these regularly to keep the folks at home current. If everything goes well, I'll be back around Thursday, bringing baby Ayden home! For now, Mom and I are going to celebrate with a mini haircut and some rock & roll music before it gets too late...

:) Chelsea

Introducing: The Bébé Experience

Hello, Hello, Hello! Hello, Hello,

While pondering the events of today--what do I do first, that is..--I came across the idea of making a dramatic separation between my Korean Blog (as it has slowly been changing from its original purpose, justifiably, to make room for the bébé bun and his arrival) to that of another blog, now titled, The Bébé Experience (how original: there were too many "baby experience" websites, so I gently changed the name!) And so, this new bébé blog will be dedicated solely to discussing motherhood in all its splendor, with perhaps, a whip of French and a twirl of multiculturalism: after all, our bébé bun is both Pakistani and American! How unique, how spirited, you comment. Indeed. So why didn't I think of this sooner? I call it, a baby-do. (--check out the new blog for an explanation on this fabulous new word construction!)

So feast your eyes, if you are so curious; but give me time, as I have yet to adjust the website, tweak it a bit, and add the many, many, MANY photos I have taken and have yet to take relating to my baby experience.

Until next time,

Chelsea