mommy-to-be gift: 3 in 1 accessory

christmas shopping begins... 

and i think i found a gift for my sister, a mommy-to-be... will she love it or hate it? you tell me!

it's a hooter hider, a car seat cover, & a shirt/poncho all in one!

spotted on Family Style

you can find it here.

why can't all weekends be 4 days?

wow.  what an exhausting, but fun weekend!

i seriously wish a work week lasted only 3 days...

don't you?

it was rare for me to be at home for so long, so i made a feeble attempt at bringing out some creative juices.  we had the turkey feast with the in-laws AND my parents at our house for the 1st time that went... surprisingly well.  here's a last minute centerpiece i made with pumpkins (the ones we forgot to throw away from halloween) and leftover paint:

used non-traditional fall colors for a festive dinner... okay, i only had blue, white, & gray paint @ home! (photo by hubby)

(that night, i did the unthinkable. i went to the outlet mall at 10pm for black friday deals with a friend in the freezing cold.  crazy? yes. fun? yes.)

the next day started out with a baby shower so i tried to make a fun gift by taking her registered bath frog storage unit and stuffing it with lots of goodies! cuter than a gift wrapped box, no?

boon frog bath storage filled with boy/girl onesies, good night books (kaila's favorites!), boon squirt utensils, & infant toys

then off for a date night with the hubs to an indian engagement ceremony/reception - let me just say, we were stunned.

i wonder what their actual wedding will be like!

and finished the weekend with a mini girls night! 

@ sepia with a delicious 1/2 off bottle of wine - their sunday special!

hope all of you had a fabulous weekend as well!

pain free feet?

there are so many jobs out there where we are on our feet ALL day long.

whether it's just standing in one position hour after hour (surgeons, cooks...)
or running around like a mad-woman like me,

we NEED comfy shoes.

i never bought crocs because i was scared of blood or amniotic fluid falling into the holes.
instead, i have been wearing these black dansko clogs.

the good: my feet don't ache at the end of the day.

the bad: they are heavy and you can't really run in them.

i thought about getting a pair of toms for work, but never got around to it.

they do "one for one" - with every purchase, they give a pair of shoes to a child in need.
how great is that?!  and i heard they are super comfy.

but why buy one for me when there's TINY toms?  i couldn't resist & bought a pair for kaila.

samurai kaila always refusing to put new shoes on - luckily we have sesame street podcast!

what do you think?

toms is also doing a special "design your own toms" for kids at nordstrom this saturday.

i'm thinking i'm going to avoid the malls this weekend though...

if you are one of the brave ones, happy black friday shopping - don't get trampled!

and happy thanksgiving!
can't wait for the feast tomorrow!

kaila monday: pretty in pink

pink & gray.

the tried and true combination of colors that bring out the innocence & sweetness in little girls.

love love love.
after my 24-hour shift at the hospital, i spent a lazy sunday with my kaila.

did i mention how much i love this little one?

outfit: crewcuts cardigan, babygap longsleeve, babygap gray jeggings

and i wanted to share that...

happy monday!

midazzle me!

<< midazolam = a potent anxiolytic & sedative with amnestic properties >>

the drug i give to all ages from wild toddlers to nervous grandpas every single day.

it is truly magical.  within minutes, they are calm, relaxed, a little sleepy, & memories of the fear of surgery vanishes... they definitely go to la-la land. 

and guess what? i feel midazzled! i finally finished work after 10pm on my late call day which means... i have the day off today!  woo-hoo!  i am slowly forgetting the horrific week of being on-call every other day - i am definitely drifting off to la-la land.

sadly, i will be working a 24 hour shift on saturday, but i am at peace with it because i got midazzled.  why are days off on the weekdays so much better than the weekend?

well, la-la land always consists of my sweet sweet kaila.

although i sometimes wish i had some of that midazolam juice to give her...

here she is, layer by layer.

kaila is dressed in baby Gap from head to toe! 

i have become a baby Gap lover.

wishing you a midazolam-filled friday!

after 12 years...

we still have it.

we carry each other when we are down... or at least try.

we have the romance...

we know our roles...

we don't let each other fall...

we love wifey even if she's crazy...

because we are equally crazy...

we look good together... ;)

but most importantly, we LOVE each other.

i love you hubby!

thank you for 12 amazing years together...

 we still have it.

Photos by Bob & Dawn Davis Photography & Design taken in 2008

the brilliant hubby

besides being a loving stay-at-home daddy to kaila, a loving hubby to lucky me, he is a spectacularly amazing artist (words from sesame street - ha!).

the art of photography is his passion & talent.

i want to share a few of his photos from a family photo shoot.

with chilly winds & tired kiddies, the "perfect" photo that most people desire was no where to be found.

but who wants that perfect photo anyway, right?

i am more in love with these...

hubby's love for photography + complex mind = awesomeness :)

shhh... pictures borrowed from Frenzi Visuals fb.

passing gas

my job is to "pass gas" all day long.

it can be difficult at times, joyful at times, & stinky at times - similar to your gas passing moments?

the anesthetic gases are quite pungent, but not as stinky as kaila's.

she was having a hard time falling asleep the other night, so i let her cuddle with me in our bed.

she loves to move around & somehow her little tushy was right up against my face.

and i of course, don't move! i love being in close proximity to her!

bad move on mommy though. she let me have it with a noisy smelly fart.

i had to laugh though.

i love it when she passes gas.

if she was awake, she would have said "bahng-goo" (fart in korean).

i'm proud to say i'm a gas passer for life & so is my kaila. :)

happy friday!

i wouldn't stand behind this gassy lady. :) k sporting the chosen puffy coat from Gap.

side note: working in the pediatric world definitely gives you all the ugly winter viruses.  kaila & i have been in a vicious cycle of giving each other the bugs the past few weeks.
(the reason behind my non-existent blog posts)
hoping the bugs will leave us alone this weekend...

daddy daycare

when i'm at work, i ask hubby to text me pics of kaila to brighten up my day.

i'm thinking, a happy kaila pic would be great.

this is what hubby sends me...

food coma?

angry kaila...

daddy letting k raid my closet

i guess any pic of k will have to do!

don't let these pics fool you though.  hubby is an amazing stay-at-home-daddy!

:: ::

more adventures of daddy daycare at kaila's blog: www.novemberseventeen.com

double date + a high chair

grandma (our loving designated babysitter) was busy,  so we ended up taking our "terrible twos" one-year-old to an elegant early dinner at Home Bistro.
table for 4 + a high chair please!

the Good:
our double daters were entertained by the hilarious kaila - which meant her trying to throw goldfish crackers into their mouths & giggling with joy.

there was never a dull moment from freakishly loud fake cries to kaila somehow quietly escaping to the back kitchen.

our out-of-state friend got to physically squeeze k's chubby cheeks & play with all of her cuteness.

of course, mommy selfishly got to spend more time with her baby despite all the chaos.

the Not so good:
rice dinner we prepared for her was fed mostly to our clothes & not her mouth.

a table for 4 turned into a table for 1.5 after clearing more than half the table to prevent her from dipping her fingers in wine or worse, in the lit candle.

the moment you allowed yourself to enjoy an adult conversation with your friend, kaila was up to no good - standing on her high chair ready to jump down. (please tell me i'm not the only one that doesn't strap her into those things)

at the end of the night, i was thinking, "what did we adults talk about?" 

k saying "hi" & hubby sticking a fork in his head mid-dinner. strange. thanks for letting kaila be our+1!

will we do this again?

probably. :/

friday journal

i am 3 weeks away from finishing my two-month pediatric anesthesia rotation & boy am i relieved!

i was given praise for my skills today & was given the pep talk to pursue a pediatric fellowship - which means another year of residency! i am the one counting the days left of my residency!

i can't believe i actually contemplated it. these kids must be getting to me! 

oh, the little people - they are so dear to my heart, but honestly, the days are so draining.

here's a typical day: 

a bubbly happy toddler who finally trusts you after spending a good amount of time blowing bubbles & racing cars on the table, eagerly comes into your arms just to have you smush a scary mask against their face with stinky gases. they look at you with tearing eyes that say, "i trusted you! why are you doing this to me?" -  and my heart breaks every time i see those eyes.  then you meet the next kid, who is terrified of every single dust & object in the room and your ears go numb from all the hysterical crying. but don't worry, you have the powerful medicine to make him mellow out. that's another mini fight though as you or the parent struggle to get the syrup in his mouth.  now the 3rd kid turns out to be an 8-week-old premature infant who is completely helpless and so tiny that you can't believe you are poking him with needles & putting tubes down his throat... just as you are massaging your neck from the strenuous day, you have your next patient, who has cerebral palsy and multiple medical problems because their selfish mom decided to do crack, PCP, & alcohol all at once while pregnant. but guess what? the day is not over.  the last patient is a sweet 1-year-old getting a routine procedure that decides to laryngospasm upon awakening and gives you a real mini heart attack.  sweat is dripping & the heart is racing but at last, the workday is over...

and the first thing that pops up in my head? KAILA.

i rush home to kaila to use any bit of energy i have left to hear her giggle & play silly games.

i just melt when i come home & you can physically see a smile growing across her face until she laughs and throws me a hug. *sigh*

i hope you all have a good weekend!

*giggle*   *hug*

boardgames on walls?

kaila is already 16 months old & i am still working on her bedroom decor.

but there is always room for change, right?

we did finally hang up an art piece that was the theme of her 1st birthday party (few pics from this post) -

a framed "hungry hungry hippos" boardgame.

i am not kidding when i say our kaila is ALWAYS hungry & hence the nickname hungry hippo since she was born. :)

maybe some of these boardgames can be on a wall in a nursery or kid's room.

i did get that nostalgic feeling when i was looking up old classic boardgames... i wish i could remember the exact name of the alphabet scrabble-like game for kids that my korean-only speaking grandma would play with me... God, i miss her.
what was your favorite boardgame growing up?

who's the better model?

as you all may already know, hubby is a super talented photographer - he has that artistic eye that i will never have.... and he always wanted a "model" to help him practice different techniques. unfortunately, he has a wifey who is a little bit more insecure post-baby & can get really awkward and shy in front of the camera. since no one was around, i tried to loosen up for an impromptu shoot in the meat packing district.  

model mistake: too big of smiles.  outfit: Tucker for Target dress, Zara cardigan, Hue tights, BCBG boots, & Vale "K" initial necklace

then i took the camera in my own hands and was surprised & thoroughly entertained by how hubby came up with some really good model poses right off the bat! he is a natural in front of the camera! but only if it doesn't require smiling. otherwise, he turns into Chandler from Friends - sad ugly smiles.  don't worry hubby model, you are all man to me. i <3 you.

the model lesson: use legs for comfy body language & look cool like hubby. haha.  outfit: A/X skull cap, project e vintage button down, Fidelity jeans, Adidas Stan Smiths

hubby wins the model contest, huh?

nel cielo: the Publican

hubby & i really enjoy fine dining. actually, eating out in general. ok fine, we love to try anything new & get out of the house!  so a few years ago, he created a "diner's club" called nel cielo.

sounds silly, but i LOVE it!

the last saturday of every month we go out with friends to chow down on scrumptious foods.

we get to meet friends of friends & enjoy each other's company while trying out a new restaurant in chicago.

it was on a long hiatus due to marriage & baby, but i'm so glad nel cielo is back! 

where did we go?

everyone around me shared how amazing the food & beer was at the Publican & it didn't disappoint.
here's a sample of the many dishes we devoured.

porchetta

oysters from new zealand to massachusetts

bouchot mussels

the only group pic of the night

with a group of 10 hungry bellies, we enjoyed a meal of pork, beer, pork, oysters, beer, & more pork.

sadly, i am not the biggest fan of pork & oysters, but was happily satisfied with the fried perch & sweet potatoes, the farm chicken with frites, the bouchot mussels, & of course, the smores tart with cinnamon ice cream. yumm....

i would definitely recommend this place!

good times!