iPhone love

hello again.  life has changed quite a bit.  i somehow finished residency.  i still can't believe it.  and today is day 28 of 35 - the days i have off before i step into an operating room as the real "boss."  words can't express how happy i am to be able to spend quality time with my little gal - it has been absolutely lovely.  here are a few snapshots i posted on instagram of our time together.

1. park giggles with her new "purse." 

2. dress to impress day at school.

3. all about the tutu.

4. dotty day, the day she wouldn't touch the visiting animals at school -  it was not fun watching it. 

5. this is how much she loves froyo.

6. breakfast is served! i could eat breakfast foods all day any day.

7. day 13 i got sick. these are the eyes that healed me.

8. enjoying mommy's first vintage finds from an estate sale.

9. discovering our neighborhood. 

10. princess kaila - off to disneyworld tomorrow!! 

what girls do best - shop

hubby has been busy working.  that means more mommy and kaila time!  i keep saying girls rule to k, but she still thinks daddy is a girl.  oh well.  having a girl leads to lots of shopping for the ridiculously cute clothes.  i made a rule to myself to try to buy things only on sale and NEVER go over $30 on an item.  ...then came DVF for Gap.  i had no idea how expensive the collection would be!  i went to a preview sale today (collection debuts 5/15) and the peer pressure got to me.  all these moms grabbing dresses left and right - i felt like i had to keep up!  even though they kept restocking right behind us. haha.

{iPhone pics}  

on k - navy ruffle dress, lavendar cardigan, navy/silver tights: crewcuts, boots: borrowed (old navy)

this is kaila's "smile" courtesy of hubby's chandler-esque smiles.

proof i turned into a nightmare mommy shopper.

hmph.  too bad most of the gorgeous dresses i got will have to be returned.  still contemplating what to keep and be guilt free...

photo frame love

i hope you don't mind me sharing our christmas card with you in . . . february.  i was so happy to hear wonderful things about our mini fashion shoot with kaila.  who knew a photo frame could make pictures so fun?  i highly recommend it!

k was definitely working it in a crewcuts dress & belt - zoolander pout and all!  [minted card]  

hello valentine.

i created my first DIY valentine's day cards for kaila's new preschool friends.  the inspiration came from SallyJShim.  i added googly eyes, ruby red rhinestone smiles, love extremities, and a name banner to make it extra cheesy.  but how can you not resist extra cheesiness on valentine's day?

four different fabric hearts cut out from k's first birthday party decorations.

teachers got the gigantic googly eyes.

all were packaged with candy.

and i made one for our valentine.

since kaila doesn't know how to write her name yet, her contribution included smearing gluestick everywhere {most eyes ended up being cloudy}, placing heart stickers, and trying to eat everyone's candy, of course.

***
for those who may be wondering why it has been almost a year since i have posted...
four words can almost explain my absence - pregnancy, fetal loss, depression.
the good news is that i found the happy me.
happy blogging.

sound of music birthday.

after a heartbreaking morning in the last few hours of my 24-hour shift - i witnessed my first pediatric death on a 3-year-old - i went to a celebration of a 3-year-old's life.  strange how life works, huh?

* * * *

the theme of the party was the sound of music, the birthday girl's favorite movie.  it was an intimate gathering for her adorable friend, colette, & i'm so happy i was able to witness kaila having a blast!

genius idea, no?!  a ball pit in a pack-n-play!

K & C having a ball.

delicious cupcakes made by her friend! i had to drag K away every 5 min from eating all of these.

happy 3 colette!

K was in heaven.  eyes closed and all.

hair pieces to match the sound of music. :)

K wore this for maybe 30 seconds.

and decided to put it on top of ava's cute head.

watched a part of the classic while eating lunch.

at the end of the party, i found K like this.  i guess she was ready to go!

K then threw a temper tantrum at home demanding she sleep with her goody bag, the cookie bag, the balloon, & her blankie, of course.  i wish i had taken a picture - it was a sight to see.  haha. 

my ballerina.

i'm a little sad our K didn't get to join dance class this winter/spring since her interest seems to be at a peak & anything to keep her entertained during the gloomy winter days would have been lovely.  i blame the class title of "mommy & me" at a local dance studio.  perhaps that was the reason daddy forgot to sign K up for dance class?  but why is a class called mommy & me when there are so many non-mommy caregivers? hmphh...  at least we had fun dancing at home in her tutu! i truly believe she felt like a little princess ballerina.

on K: leotard & ballet flats - old navy, tutu - gift

quick snapshot with our fujifilm instax camera

pure princess joy.

 i absolutely adore her love for dance.  her moves are definitely better than mine.

scaredy cat, scaredy cat.

my kaila is a BIG scaredy cat.
her greatest fear you ask? kids & noise.
as she gets older, her fear seems to be growing.  how do i help her?

we were at a birthday party this saturday, and it took a good 20 minutes to get her to stand by herself without clinging to me like static!  then when a guy was giving instructions to run across the field, she was the only one standing there screaming her brains out!  the other kids younger and older were all happily running back and forth.  should i be worried? {okay, to be honest, we are...}

and of course, the last 10 minutes of the party, she decided to have fun in the bouncy house like a normal toddler... the joys of parenthood, right?

alone with kaila.

kaila was all mine on saturday.
and i LOVED every minute of it!  just don't tell daddy. 
from crazy work hours to daddy being a sahd {stay-at-home-daddy}, it is very rare to have mommy-daughter days... even hours.  and i was peeing in my pants from excitement. why? with a sick mommy these past few weeks, she has been glued to daddy & i was oddly jumping for joy to pry her little hands away from daddy's legs.  but don't you worry - we had a blast!

* * * *

i was getting ready as fast as i could {how do you other moms look so fabulous with a toddler next to you?} and i notice K wasn't next to me & it was quiet.  not a good combo.  i went to every room in the house, came back to our bedroom, and saw this peculiar shadow.

so i sneak inside the curtains and find her putting on makeup! as soon as she realized she was discovered, she runs to pull the curtains! i guess i invaded her privacy...! she cracks me up.

i am definitely going to plan more of these days....
love you kaila.

photoshop 101.

ok. maybe it should be photoshop -001.
i always fancy all the work my hubby does with his photos so i decided to give photoshop a real try.
but why are there a million options??? and a hundred little tools that all look the same? fairy duster, tear drop, lasso?
thanks to sydney from the daybook, i followed her mini tutorial with a photo of my K.

K is giving the "paparazzi" in LA the STANK eye.

what do you think?
maybe i should use my free time dabbling in something else...
yep!  FREE time.  the chicago snowstorm might give me a snow day from the hospital tomorrow.
how crazy is that?! yippee!!
snuggling with kaila watching a movie and munching on popcorn sounds like the perfect plan, don't you think? 

can we go back in time...please?

this weekend was one of the longest weekends i have ever experienced...
and not a "great-i-did-so-many-fun-things" long weekend, but a "terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad" long weekend.
our miss k is sick.
fevers that won't break, a terrifying cough where her insides feel like they are coming up, and sleepless nights filled with crying is just a taste of our lives these last few days...
why is it so heartbreaking to see your little one in pain that all you want to do is take away her germs and smear it all over your body to make the little buggies go away?

it may seem like all i do is complain... but i promise you i can be a very happy person!
this is what i wish we could be doing right this minute.

enjoying our maui pool...

go away black clouds.

it has been a loooong time since i have posted....
after a week of sun in LA & Maui, the family is back to its old routine.
and it is kicking me in the butt!
i can barely keep my eyes open from pure exhaustion.
it has been discouraging... one moment i'm enjoying life with all the guilty pleasures of doing absolutely nothing but have the warm sun on my face and then BAM!  back to the real world with 24 hour shifts & long days... days where nothing is going right.

when i see this pic though, i can't help but giggle.

the countdown begins...

FIVE more days of work & here we come LA & Maui!!!
is it just me or is time really flying by these days?
how is the weekend already over!?

we spent part of saturday at kaila's 3rd cousin's 1st birthday party.
joelle, the adorable birthday girl, is the daughter of the daughter of the mom who is kaila's grandpa's cousin... confusing, huh? haha.

the birthday girl in her fabulous korean hanbok.  she is TOO cute for words!!

here's K with her favorite toy.  on K: Janie & Jack sweater, Gap gray jeggings, Ugg Boo boots

the party happened to be right when K is supposed to be snoring away for 2 hours.
to prevent major meltdowns, the iphone was her best friend... and ours.
how do other parents keep their kids entertained when they are out dining??
it's still a mystery to me...

new year traditions

growing up, we did the korean "sebae" year after year.
we would wear our colorful korean hanboks & bow to our elders wishing them many blessings in the new year.  we were then rewarded with new year money - all those crisp dollar or even hundred dollar bills as a kid was pretty exciting!

now that our kaila is old enough, we taught her how to "sebae" and she was a pro!
she kept bowing and bowing...

K was skeptical at first.

she decided to give it a try.

her graceful bow.  we were proud parents at this moment. :)

K was proud of herself, too.  :)

K decided she deserved a clap.

she cracks me up! 
LOVE family traditions.  don't you?

merry christmas!

i can't believe this will be kaila's 2nd christmas already!
we are definitely on santa's naughty list this year.
we opened all our gifts already... we didn't finish putting up all our decorations...
and i will be that woman pushing people around tomorrow doing last minute shopping.
am i the only one that feels like the holiday is coming & going too fast?!

AND my kaila is growing up too fast!
her holiday outfits sure have changed....!

K @ 6 months in just a santa hat with all of her pudge!

K @ 18 months.  who said leopard prints can't be festive? :)

merry christmas!