LA Zoo with Linnea

We had a great time with Linnea at the zoo. It was both Micah and Linnea's first time there. Although it was crowded, the weather was really nice. The animals were out and moving around which is always nice to see. When will meet up again???

Chanukah!

We celebrated the last night of Chanukah at Bubbe's with the Reno Rubins. We were so excited that we could celebrate with everyone... the food was great, the company was wonderful, and the game of the night was not Dreidel but Backgammon! Uncle Steve brought his set and we were all obsessed (Jawsh and I even have it on our iphones now). When will we see them again???

Merry Christmas

Micah's first Christmas at Harabujee and Halmoni's house was filled with family, fun, and two toddlers going nuts over Thomas the Train. Micah was asleep most of the time but Noah and Kaitlyn were full of energy and loved all the attention. What will it be like next year when Micah is one???

Merry Christmas Eve

Uncle Bill surprised Kaitlyn and Noah with their very own Thomas the Tank Engine ride! How is Billy going to top this next year???

Happy Chanukah!

We are starting a new tradition to celebrate a night of Chanukah with the Shields, especially since Micah and Kyre are best friends. It was a great time of showing off babies, eating homemade latkes (thanks Jawsh), and lighting candles. Next year we celebrate at Jay's place... will his latkes taste better???

Happy Birthday Linnea

Today we celebrated Linnea's 1st birthday. Micah slept while Linnea crab-walked (you have to see it to understand) towards Noah throughout the party. We have been trying to get the kids together to take a trip to the zoo... (Joel) when is that going to happen???

Daycare?

I am so blessed to have the option to take the boys with me to the daycare at my work. I went back to school to introduce Micah to my first grade students while Noah spent time with Phelan in the nursery. Noah did okay for awhile but started to cry when he wanted to leave and when he realized that we were not there! How long will it take for him to adjust???

Vegas baby, baby, and baby

We went to Las Vegas with my brother, Michelle, and Kaitlyn and a few of his friends. We had a great time introducing Noah and Micah to my aunts and uncles. Although there is not much to do in Vegas with a toddler we did manage to go to the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef and of course a trip to my uncle's Baskin Robbins shop. Uncle Bill only lets special customers try all 31 flavors and Noah was well on his way, but we had to be good parents and stop him. I wonder what flavor Noah will like when he gets older???

A glowing breast?

When Micah is fussy Jawsh likes to show him the light in the hall and Micah usually calms down pretty quickly. At first I thought, "oh he likes the light," but Jawsh thinks it resembles a woman's breast! Would you agree???

2 months!

Micah had his two month check up. He is in the 90-95th percentile in height and weight, and in the 70th percentile for head circumference (Noah had a bigger noggin when he was that age). He also got his first set of immunizations and he cried and screamed so much, I cried with him! How will we handle his next appointment???

Come and knock on my door...

Uncle Zach has moved into our complex! A close friend of ours said we could have a sitcom based on our lives. I wonder what we would call it???

Back to Disney

Yes, you read it right... back to Disneyland. As annual pass holders we have the convenience of going to the park and not having to feel like we have to stay all day (plus who could with little ones). We were back for a few hours so Aunt Kelly could spend some time with her niece and nephews at the happiest place on earth. If you ask me, the happiest place on earth is wherever your loved ones are, wouldn't you agree???

Hi Jeremy and Rebecca

The Davis Rubins were in town over the Thanksgiving break and it was so nice to see them. Noah got reacquainted with his cousins while Micah enjoyed meeting them for the first time! Jeremy is off to college and Rebecca is off to claiming his room... time has flown fast! Where will Jeremy go to school next year???

Micah's first Thanksgiving

We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with traditional American fare and some Korean food throw in. Noah tried asparagus and green beans and loved it! What will Micah like to eat???

Happy Birthday Noah!!!

Today is Noah's birthday!!! We went to Disneyland to celebrate. We spent our morning in Fantasy Land and Toon Town. Noah and Kaitlyn loved The Small World ride, but the highlight was meeting Mickey Mouse. Later that evening, we had a small Baskins Robbins cake for Noah to enjoy (he is getting another cake, a Barefoot cake, at Thanksgiving). What will we do for Noah's 3rd birthday???

Smile, Noah, it's your Birthday!

We celebrated Noah's 2nd birthday with Bubbe's brisket dinner and birthday brownies. The theme was happy faces... he had happy face brownies, happy face birthday hat, and he received happy face stickers and pajamas from Bubbe. Noah loved every bit of his birthday celebration... what will the theme be next year???

Best buds

Jawsh and Jay have been best friends for almost thirty years! Will Micah and Kyre follow in their footsteps???

Halmoni's birthday

Both my parents follow the lunar calendar, therefore, the date of their birthday changes every year. We weren't really prepared this time around with Noah being sick and adjusting to having two kids, so in a dash we bought a Baskin Robbins roll cake for my mom. It was a nice change from the Barefoot cakes (but those are still the best). My dad was holding Kaitlyn and Noah so my mom got to blow out her candle. Wonder what she wished for???

Day out with Thomas

We ventured to Perris to see Thomas the Tank Engine today. Noah and Kaitlyn really enjoyed playing in the tents with the legos, getting tattoos, and meeting Sir Topham Hatt. They even got to ride on a train, but they were a little bored. Next time (yes there will be a next time) we know to forgo the train ride and let them jump in the Thomas bounce house. Will Micah get into the Thomas franchise???

White gold

The pump is back out, the parts sterilized, and the bottles ready to go... finally Jawsh can help out with Micah's feedings! Micah consumed 2.5 ounces first time out and only left a little bit of milk in the bottle. For any mommas out there who have pumped we know how precious our milk is... right down to the last drop. Will Micah finish his bottles from now on???

Micah's best friend!

We want to congratulate Jay and Delee on the birth of their beautiful son, Kyer Jacob Shields. He was born at 7:03 PM and weighed 7 lbs and 15 oz. Here it is straight from the daddy's mouth: "Delee and the baby are doing fine... Delee had a long but relatively easy labor and both her and the baby should be home soon." When will Micah meet his best friend???

Sick =(

It started Saturday evening with Noah losing his voice, having labored breathing, fever, coughing, vomit, and of course tears galore... Noah has an upper respiratory virus! When will he feel better???

66

We celebrated Harabujee's 66th birthday today. Bill went to Newport Beach at the crack of dawn to purchase fresh lobster and crab for a yummy seafood lunch and of course Halmoni made a delicious Barefoot Contessa cake. Of course, my dad did not have a chance to blow out his own candle with Noah and Kaitlyn around... but he didn't mind. Noah's 2nd birthday is just around the corner... what kind of cake will we have for him???

Election 08

When Micah was born we were in the hospital room watching the news of the 7 billion dollar bailout. Now only six weeks later we were in our living room watching history being made again. This time on a more positive note... Barack Obama won the electoral and popular vote to become our 44th President. Finally a step in the right direction. Wonder what will happen next???

Keep ya head up

Micah is starting to lift up his head on his own... wonder what milestone he'll hit next???

Gordon-o-Lantern

In honor of Noah's fondness for Gordon the Big Express Train, a character in the Thomas the Tank Engine series, Jawsh carved the pumpkin in his likeness. Noah really enjoyed helping de-seed the pumpkin and blowing out the candle inside. What will Jawsh carve next year???

Trick or Treat

We took Noah to the mall to go trick or treating. The first stop was See's Candy where they were passing out their milk chocolate gold coins. Unfortunately, Noah did not understand the whole concept of trick or treating just yet. He was intent on holding one piece of candy (the lollipop) and did not care to collect anymore. What will it be like next year???

Watch me ride

Here is Dada and Noah at the park on Noah's new tricycle. He is slowly learning how to pedal but at this point he just keeps his feet steady on the pedals. We really like this Radio Flyer model because Jawsh can help Noah steer. When will he ride solo???

Aunt Michelle

Here is a picture of Aunt Michelle and Micah. Don't you like the way Micah is posing in his sleep???

"Open eyes Micah"

"Open eyes Micah" is something that Noah likes to say a lot. Here is a shot of the two brothers smiling at each other with their eyes open! Isn't this precious???

GG2

Grandpa Art and Grandma Tina drove all the way from Reno to meet their new great grandson. They have nicknames for all their grandchildren and great grandchildren. Noah is GG1 (great grandson 1) and Micah is now referred to as GG2. Micah had a great time being held all afternoon by Great Grandpa Art... when will we see them again???

Perfect Pumpkins

Today we went to Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch with the family. Micah is now three weeks old so we thought it was time he ventured out in the world... although he was wrapped up in the stroller for most of the time. We had a great time picking out pumpkins and watching Noah and Kaitlyn play in the huge pumpkin jumper. What will we dress the boys up in next year???

Cousin Kaitlyn

When the family came by the hospital to meet Micah, Kaitlyn was asleep in her stroller. When she finally met Micah at my parents' home she was a little shy, but in true Kaitlyn fashion she warmed up quickly. She likes to say "shhhh baby" and she also likes to touch his feet. Here she is helping me burp Micah (and the good thing is that Noah wants to help out more when he sees Kaitlyn interacting with Micah). I wonder how Micah will react to Kaitlyn???

Kaitlyn's Gym

This week Noah got to visit Kaitlyn's place of play called My Gym. Jawsh really enjoyed it there because it was a change of pace from Gymboree. Noah enjoyed the ball pit, hanging from the bars, and playing with Kaitlyn. When will he go back???

Happy Birthday Bubbe

Today we spent the day with Bubbe to help celebrate her birthday. Noah had a great time with her at the park and we all enjoyed lunch and Sprinkles cupcakes. Wonder what Bubbe wished for???

Dimples

Per Kelly's request... here is a picture of Micah with his eyes open. And as you can see, he has dimples... isn't he adorable???

Aunt Kelly aka E-mo

Kelly was in town for about a week. We're so glad that Noah got to spend some time with her while she was here. Not only did she buy him a butterfly shirt (which he loves) she also spoiled him with Pinkberry and See's candy while they were at Century City together. Here they are at our place playing with his toys (and you can see his new haircut). When will Noah get to visit her in DC???

Third times a charm

My mom and sister came over today to drop off some food and to spend time with Noah. Originally they had planned to go to Gymboree but I made a special request for them to take him to the Yellow Balloon for a much needed haircut. In the past, Noah screamed and cried but this time around I heard he was as cool as a cucumber. Who knows if it was because he has been there before with the same stylist, or maybe it was because my mom was holding him. But upon further examination, it looks like he had a cookie in his hand so maybe that is the reason he didn't freak out. Either way I'm glad he didn't cry. Will he be cool with getting his haircut from now on???

Phototherapy (again)

Micah has a slight case of jaundice so we are back to using the phototherapy blankets. We have been taking him back and forth to the doctor's office to check his progress and this time around it's not as stressful because we went through this with Noah. Will all second time experiences be less stressful since we've been through it before???

Brothers

Today went a little better. Noah came by the hospital with Halmoni and Bubbe and he was calmer than the day before. We were also better prepared. Jawsh went to the hospital gift shop and bought some gifts to give Noah from Baby Micah... a balloon and a wooden train. This helped a lot! Here they are... the Smith brothers. I wonder if they will have a great relationship like Jawsh and Zach???

First family picture

Noah came by the hospital today to meet his new baby brother. We were concerned about how Noah would react... he came in and immediately wanted to leave. We think he was a bit overwhelmed with everyone in the room and of course trying to figure out who this baby was. Jawsh made him a shirt that said, "I'm a big brother now" but Noah doesn't get that just yet. Here is the first family photo of us. Although Noah is not at his happiest, I think this is the perfect picture of my new family. Wouldn't you agree???

Micah Min Smith

Micah arrived today, September 27, 2008 at 8:16 AM. He is 6lbs. 14 oz., 19.5 inches, and absolutely wonderful. We went into the hospital the night before around 11:00 PM and I thought they would send us home because I was not dilated enough, but by morning I was ready to have the baby! My wonderful support team, Jawsh, and my doula, Michelle, helped me deliver Baby Micah. The birth went very well... all natural with no epidural! This was such an amazing experience! How will Noah react to his little brother???

Make a wish Kaitlyn

I know this video post is a little late... but hey we've been busy =) This post is especially for Kelly. We didn't want you to miss your niece blowing out her 2nd birthday candle. Isn't it great that she can do this by herself???

35 weeks

I am now 35 weeks pregnant. Here is a shot of me and my two boys... don't you like the way Noah and I match???

Uncle Z

Zach came by tonight for dinner and spent some time with Noah. Here they are watching a show. I love this image of them... isn't is great how Noah is copying him???

Kaitlyn's 2nd Birthday

Today we celebrated Kaitlyn's 2nd birthday. The theme was Thomas the Train and the whole house was filled with balloons and streamers (Billy even rented a Thomas the Train jumper). There were lots of kids and even more adults... it was a day full of fun. Noah's 2nd birthday is approaching... wonder what we'll do for him???

Chuck E Crazy...

We took Noah and Kaitlyn to Chuck E Cheese's today. I would love to say that they had a great time there but that would be stretching the truth. I think they were both overwhelmed by the lights, the rides, the kids, the noises... basically everything! We did manage to find a few things they liked to do, but this was a clear sign that we are holding off on amusement parks until Noah gets older. When will that be???

BaRACK the vote

At 22 months, Noah knows who the next president should be! Will our country agree???

Butterflies

We took Noah back to the Natural History Museum to say farewell to the Butterfly Pavilion which ends in a few days. Noah had a great time and his fascination and love for these flying bugs continues to grow. Will he want to be a butterfly for Halloween???

Pediped's photo shoot

Noah had a photo shoot for Pediped footwear in Santa Monica. He modeled two shoe styles that are coming out in Spring 2009. Here he is with another model showing off the shoes that will be featured either in the catalog or online store. I wonder if he'll make it in the national campaign???

30

Here is the official 30th birthday photo. My mom made some good Korean BBQ and a yummy chocolate cake! Noah and Kaitlyn took turns blowing out the candle, but I still made a wish. Wonder if it will come true???

GGA and GGT

Great Grandpa Art and Great Grandma Tina are in So Cal visiting for the weekend. We met up at Shoreline Village in Long Beach where we enjoyed a nice leisurely stroll and yummy treats like yogurt, ice cream, and caramel apples. It's always so nice to see Noah with his great grandparents. Tomorrow we head to the beach with them... wonder if they will go in the water with him???

Surprise!

Jawsh threw a nice surprise party for me (with the help of Cathy, Cindi, and Zach) for my 30th birthday. Jawsh arranged for Cathy to watch Noah while we were out having a nice lunch at Spago's (little did I know that they were setting up while we were gone). Jawsh really pulled out all the stops... he even made Noah a shirt to wear for my party. It was great to see a lot of my friends there to help usher me into my 30's. What will this 30th year bring???

Forward facing... finally

We recently moved Noah's car seat so it is forward facing. We know that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a child be 20 pounds and one year of age before switching them to a forward facing car seat and that he qualified a long time ago, but we were happy to play it safe. I will say this, Noah really does enjoy his new view in the car and feeling like a big boy. When will we install Baby #2's seat???