A penny for Noah's thoughts

What is he thinking???

Fourth

It's amazing to think back to last July 4th... Michelle and I were at the Hollywood Bowl, pregnant, pushing eachother up the hill to get to our seats. Now we're almost back to pre-pregnancy bod, making sure Kaitlyn and Noah don't push eachother! It was such a wonderful experience to be pregnant at the same time. What are the chances of that happening again???

Florida sunshine

My cousin, Suzy, flew in to CA for less than 24 hours! Before she flew back to Tampa she came by for a quick visit and we were able to see her portfolio (she's a wedding photographer). Great stuff. Check her site at: www.suzyminphotography.com- anybody getting married soon???

Pool party

Kaitlyn has a little pool in her backyard and Noah was invited over to swim, well actually, to take a dip. When Noah got in the pool, Kaitlyn splashed water on his face and took all of the toys he played with. Despite that he had a good time, but Kaitlyn had a better time. When will they learn how to swim???

A friend for Noah

Noah made a new friend today... 21 month old Angeline. Noah has good taste because Angeline cleans up after herself (and Noah), is very smart (she mastered the shapes toy quickly), and she knows sign language! Will Noah's good taste in women continue throughout his life???

ADO(RED)

Noah and Kaitlyn were sporting their RED shirts so I tried to do a photo shoot of them. I thought I could send this to GAP and the babies would be discovered, make a million dollars, and have their own line of toys or something... then reality struck. Kaitlyn was too busy showing off her crawling moves (yes, she's now crawling) and Noah was too busy trying to avoid her (yes, he's learning how to push her away). So for now the dreams of being discovered are on hold, but in the meantime Noah is still DELIVE(RED) and Kaitlyn is still DIAPE(RED). How cute is that???

Best babysitters

We were so fortunate to spend time with the Reno Rubins! What fun it was to have them in town. While we were busy playing Rummy Q, stuffing our faces with ice cream, and watching Talledega Nights, Noah managed to get some play time with his twin cousins, Mary and Seth. They were so great with him... they changed his diapers, built amazing toy towers, and even gave him a bath. They are going to be great babysitters when they go back home. Can we say... Babysitters Club???

Oy vey!

Noah's wardrobe expanded with an addition of two shirts. He received a bright green one from Uncle Zach that says, "Someone who loves me very much went to Israel and got me this tshirt" and the other one is the one you see before you. "Oy vey" is a Yiddish expression translated as "woe is me." Everyone got a kick out of both shirts... which do you prefer???

The Original Uncle Bill

Tonight Noah got to meet the original Uncle Bill and my Aunt Suki. Uncle Bill exposed us to all 31 flavors of ice cream and called us every Christmas to ask us what we wanted. My brother was named after him and now Noah has an Uncle Bill who will carry on the tradition. What will Noah ask for first???

WNBA or Art?

Kaitlyn is going to play sports whether she likes it or not... Billy will make sure she can hoop it up like Sheryl Swoops and swing a golf club like Michelle Wie. Here is Kaitlyn in training: palming a ball. Sure it's not a basketball but she has to start somewhere. Uncle Jawsh will balance the athletics by teaching her art. Which will she like more???

Playing with Bubbe

Grandma Caryn, affectionately known as, Bubbe, came to spend the afternoon with us. Noah enjoyed playing peek a boo and being held by his one and only Bubbe. Noah has been vocalizing for weeks saying uhma... when will he say Bubbe???

Sleeping babes

This picture is just too cute... who do you think woke up first???

Nursery

I am so blessed to have a nursery on site at my work. Although Noah is staying at home with Jawsh it's great to know that we have the option to take him to my work with me. Carter and Savyor were ecstatic to see Noah. Will he get along with the others as well???

Mommy's work

Jawsh brought Noah to my school while it was in session and the kids freaked out! I wasn't sure who they were more excited to see... Jawsh or Noah. I wonder if they'll visit again before the school year is out???

Hello Cousin

Noah was all smiles when he saw Cousin Adam... when will he meet Jenny and Jon???

6 months

I can't believe Noah is six months old. He shares this day with the Stars Wars 30th anniversary. Will the force be with Noah???

Temple time

Noah enjoyed Rebecca's bat mitzvah so much he was on his best behavior for the three hour long service. Great Aunt Gail didn't even know he was there because he was so peaceful. I think the song he liked the most was Hee-Nay Mah-Tov. In 13 years Noah will have his bar mitzvah. I wonder if we'll have it at Sea World???

Double trouble

We were sharing the good news of Noah's first tooth when Great Aunt Julia copped a feel and found another growing right next to it! Noah's almost six months and has two emerging pearly whites. Time flies fast, doesn't it???

Friendly skies

Noah's first trip on an airplane went really well... we flew to Nor Cal for Rebecca's bat mitzvah. Noah slept peacefully in his seat and had many admirers. Now we know that we can take him anywhere! Next stop: Maui. Anyone want to join???

Mom's day

Mother's day came and went... Jawsh returned from Cabo safely and we watched the season finale of Survivor (one of my favorite shows). Caryn told me "everyday is Mother's day," which I believe because Noah is just too perfect. Wonder what we'll do for Dad's day???

Wanted: best friend

Jawsh and Jay have been best friends for almost 30 years and we hope that Noah will also know the joys of having a best buddy. So, now that Jay and DeLee are married, the next step is making a best friend for Noah. When will that happen???

First tooth

Of course this would happen while Jawsh was away in Cabo... the emergence of Noah's first tooth. In this picture he's not crying because of the teething process, rather, Kaitlyn was in his space rolling back and forth. Thankfully Noah is cutting teeth in his usual fashion... chill style. Will he be like this for all the milestones???

We'll miss you

Michael's family is moving to New Jersey... We are so excited for them but saddened that Noah (and Kaitlyn) will not be able to play with their cousin when they grow older. When will we see them again???

Yum

Have you ever seen the Magic Bullet infomercial? This is probably the best gadget that we have purchased so far and has helped us make Noah's food. His first fruit was the avocado... we were going back and forth between that and the banana. In honor of Jawsh (the avocado is one of his faves) we went with the green. What will his first veggie be???

Stand by me

Noah's been practicing how to stand (and walk) with Jawsh. While we were visiting Harabujee he didn't want to be left out of this fun... especially since Noah cries with him at times. The nickname, Haesahm, no longer applies (see previous posts to understand what I meant by that). Noah spent about 5 minutes practicing standing and walking with my dad laughing it up. When will he take his first steps???

Rice, rice, baby

Today is Noah's 5 month birthday and to celebrate he ate his first solid food. There was much debate over which to try first but we ended up going with the usual: rice cereal. Boy, did Noah enjoy that! He eyes kept tracking the spoon and he did a great job eating! It was too cute watching him. What will Noah eat next???

First day of school

Noah went with me to a school event where he met one of my bright students, Jai'Lynn. She wanted to read him a book and that she did. Noah was a great student which is no surprise. People often say that preacher and teacher kids are the worse, but Noah will prove them wrong. Can you see how well he pays attention???

Fish, sharks, rays, oh my...

Uncle Bill, Aunt Michelle, and Kaitlyn came to visit Noah today. We ended up in Santa Monica visiting the small aquarium and walking the promenade. The babes could see the marine animals but that was about it so needless to say it wasn't a long visit. We will have to return when they're older, don't you think???

Bachelor days

Uncle Jay came to visit and was surprised to see how big Noah has become. Jay has those big Popeye arms from drumming and he was getting sore arms holding Noah, who is now about 18 pounds. This is one of the last pictures of Jay as a bachelor as he is getting married next month. When will Uncle Jay visit again???

Getty baby

Jawsh will be writing about this special day...

Like the great Parthenon in Greece, the Getty Museum sits perched atop a hill, overlooking the expanse of civilization as we know it. It's sandstone and marble halls containing over 3,000 years of artistic expression and accomplishment. It's many visitors gawking at the view, the sharp angles of sunlight, and the plethora of statues, paintings, and photographs. But there was one special visitor, who was seeing it as if it were the very first time. Wait, it was the first time. It was Noah's first art museum experience. He was so enthusiastic he was drooling at the mouth. And I could not have been prouder, viewing the ambitious works of Tim Hawkinson and walking the gardens with my son and wife.

Happy Easter

My mother has never purchased Easter baskets for me or my siblings but now that she is "Halmoni" that has all changed. This Easter Kaitlyn and Noah received their first baskets with a big stuffed bunny and tons of candy. Practical? No. Fun? Yes. This pose is typical of the two... Kaitlyn exploring her world and Noah wanting some space away from her. Will they be like that when they're older???

Blessings

With the addition of Kaitlyn and Noah in our family, we feel blessed in so many different ways. This past weekend we had an opportunity to bless them through baptism. The two were sprinkled with water and prayed for by Pastor Isaac. What a wonderful experience it was to have them blessed together, wouldn't you agree???

Daddy's boy

A lot of people say that Noah looks more like me than Jawsh, but these pictures prove them all wrong. Noah is a carbon copy of Jawsh when he was an infant (with the exception of the eyes). Do they look like twins or what???

Bobble-head babies

Here is the card Jawsh made for Billy's 30th birthday... funny huh???

Chug, chug, chug

Many people warned us that Noah would not "take to a bottle" but he has proved them wrong. He eats well and Jawsh is very responsive to his hunger cries. Here is a picture from Jawsh's perspective when he feeds Noah. Cute eh???

100 days

Noah celebrated his Baek-il at Harabujee and Halmoni's home. The Baek-il celebrates the 100 days after a baby's birth. The number 100 has an inherent meaning of maturity and perfection. Family brought presents and wished Noah good health and blessings. We had two types of rice cakes prepared: baekseolgi (steamed rice cake) and bulkunp'at gomul (red bean rice cake). The steamed rice cake is shown in the picture and has the symbolic meaning of holiness whereas the red bean cake expels evil spirits that may block good fortune. Will Noah appreciate all of these things that we do when he gets older???

Behind the scenes

Here is a sneak peek of Noah posing for his Baek-il pictures. We were very surprised how well he reacted to the studio and the photographer. Don't you think the pictures came out well???

Sitting pretty

Throughout the day Jawsh helps Noah practice sitting in his seat... it's really amazing to see how strong our little boy has become. Before we know it Noah will be sitting up straight on his own. Time flies fast, doesn't it???

Mr. Mom

Jawsh is at home with Noah for a few weeks now that I am back to work (I had to post this picture of the dvd that Joel made for Jawsh... love the creativity). Jawsh is really great with Noah and he's enjoying the bonding time. How will I cope being away???

Happy V Day

Billy bought Kaitlyn and Noah matching Valentines Day outfits... cute huh???

The big 3-0

We had a wonderful time celebrating Jawsh's birthday with family and friends. What a sight... look at all those candles! After Jawsh blew them out we had to turn the fan on! I wonder if Jawsh's birthday wish will come true???

Uncle Zach

Noah finally met his Uncle Zach visiting from NYC. I think they got along very well. Uncle Zach and Uncle Bill have similar likings: they both love hamburgers, watching movies, and the glory days of the Bulls... will Noah have the same things in common???

Noah's first job

Noah and I were at our favorite baby store and we met a talent scout for the Dunstan Baby Language DVD. She took a picture of Noah and he received a call back for a screen test (he was chosen out of 250 babies). Noah's job was to cry on camera, which he did on cue. I'm not sure if Noah will make it on the final DVD but it was worth going to the session because he received a stipend for five minutes of his time. I wonder what his next job will be???

Happy two months

Even though Noah has been here for a short amount of time, we can't imagine life without him. He is the joy of our lives and we feel so blessed. Every day there is something new that we learn about him; he loves to look at the chandelier lights, he loves bath time but hates it when I dry his hair, and he really likes it when Jawsh sings, Fly Like an Eagle. I wonder what we'll discover next???

Hae-sahm

My dad and mom enjoy their roles as Harabujee and Halmoni. When we visit they want to hold Noah and he obliges by being very calm. My dad has started to refer to Noah as hae-sahm (which means sea cucumber in Korean) because he feels soft and lays still peacefully content. Hae-sahm is a term of endearment but I wonder if Noah will like it when he gets older???

What's up cuz?

Kaitlyn likes to say hi to her cousin Noah. They are really cute together don't you think???

Healthy baby

Today's doctor visit brought us joy and sadness... The joyful part was finding that Noah is growing and developing fine (he is now 12 pounds). The doctor also stated that Noah was "advanced" as he is turning from front to back, smiling, and "talking." The sad part of the visit was holding my son in my arms as he received his first set of immunizations. We have never heard him cry like that before. Jawsh even said his heart broke watching it happen. How are we going to handle his next set of shots???

Hello Great Grandparents!

Noah met his great grandparents, Art and Tina. He is not only their first great grandson but the only one on their side with no dimples! Dimples or not, he is still the cutest boychick (Yiddish term of endearment for little boys) in the family! Or am I just biased???

Tranquility

Last week Noah met his Great Uncle Marty, Great Aunt Gail, and Second Cousin Rebecca. Aunt Gail shared this fact about the meaning of Noah's name in Hebrew: Noach means "tranquility" (Genesis 5:29). Noach appears in the Bible as the builder of the Ark, whose family survived the Flood. In kabbalah, Noach is another name for Shabbat, the day of rest and tranquility. Jawsh wants to call him Mr. Tranquility. Does that sound like a comic book hero's name???

Happy New Year

In Korean tradition, we greet our elders with the new year's saying: "say hay boke-mahn he pah du say oh". If we observe the meaning of the greeting "say hay" means 'New Year', "boke" means 'blessings', "mahn he" means 'a lot' and "pah du say oh", 'please receive'. It literally means "Please receive many New Year's blessings". Noah followed this tradition and bowed to his Harabujee. After bowing, Noah received some money, symbolizing good luck and good wishes. 2006 was such a great year, I wonder what 2007 will bring???