chip + salsa

New Addition to the Family!

2010-12-19T11:51:00.000-08:00

Chubby Cheeks

Meeting Baby Brother

Vital Stats

Beautiful Mom!

First Sleep

Jean, Caleb, and I welcomed Coby Park to the world yesterday morning. He came in at a hefty 9 lbs. 7 ozs. and is ready to take on the world. Caleb was very nice to his new baby brother and already knows his name. God is good all the time, but sometimes He goes overboard and blesses you with a healthy baby!

Jean and I aren't much for posting on blogs but Coby deserves it!

Hope everyone reading this is enjoying Christmas season and being in the presence of family and friends.

David

peekaboo~

2009-07-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

We had lunch at the Grove with a few people the other week. While we were hanging out, Jennifer kept Caleb amused with a game of peekaboo. I had never seen Caleb laugh so much. It was amazing to see the purity of his laugh. Babies are so good at empathizing. When you laugh, they laugh. When another baby cries, they cry. I hope Caleb never loses the ability to empathize with others.

the golden age

2009-06-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

I've heard that 4 months of age is the "golden age" for a baby. This is the age when they smile and laugh a lot, are more social and responsive, and still can't move around too much. Caleb has been a true joy. His smile brightens up my mood, no matter how I'm feeling. Although he doesn't really have stranger anxiety just yet, he is a bit more reserved around others. I wish he would share the joy with more people...I guess David and I are very blessed though. :)

(note: for you FBers, you probably have already seen these photos.)

happy 백일 (100 day)!

2009-06-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

Caleb turned 100 days last week, and we spent this special time in Houston with my in-laws. I think in Korean culture, it's a big deal for a baby to turn 100 days because back in the day, it was truly a blessing for a baby to survive that long. I'm definitely grateful to be past the "hardest part" (so people say). It's ironic though because I feel like it's just getting harder. I don't necessarily feel like I'm getting better as a parent, but I feel like it's getting more difficult. Maybe it's like the paradox of knowledge--the more you know, the more you realize that there's way more that you don't know. I guess that's why I need God's grace.

Anyway, we had lots of good food and great times with my in-laws.

big boy~

2009-05-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

(Caleb after lifting weights at Gold's Gym in Venice Beach)

Caleb has grown so much...especially in the past couple weeks. One day his sleep sack fit him, then the next it didn't. Having a big healthy child is such a blessing, but my arm muscles are having a hard time keeping up. I can see why moms are so buff.

I've been fighting a sore throat and bad cough for the past week. Thankfully, David and Caleb were spared from it. I think my body is having a hard time fighting it because I don't get enough sleep. I can't imagine having babies back to back...when do you ever get to catch up on sleep? Women like Michelle Duggar are amazing. (http://www.duggarfamily.com/) More power to them. I think I'll just have 3...or 4. :)

2 months

2009-04-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

Two months have passed since Caleb's birth. Each day that goes by, it just gets better and better. He smiles more regularly, "talks" a lot, and makes us laugh with his wrinkly "benjamin button" face. He celebrated his first Easter this past Sunday, and also met his cousin Charlotte for the first time. My sister gave birth to Charlotte on 4/7/09. It's going to be so much fun seeing them grow up together.

cooing

2009-03-25T13:06:00.000-07:00

So I did get to capture on video the cooing I mentioned in my previous post. Whenever he makes these noises, my heart melts. He also gives me a smile once in a while to say "thank you" for waking up every two hours to feed him in the night (or so I would like to believe...it's probably him just passing gas).

happy one month~

2009-03-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

Caleb is one month old today. :) Not many new milestones, but he has been making more sweet "cooing" sounds. We tried to capture him making these sounds, but here is what we captured instead... (make sure your volume is up)

funny.

Here is Caleb chilling with his daddy.

bust a move

2009-03-05T17:47:00.000-08:00

If you use a little bit of your imagination, Caleb looks like he's dancing in this video (Michael Jackson-esque, no?). Again, sorry you have to tilt your head to watch it.

one week

2009-02-23T12:29:00.000-08:00

One week has passed since Caleb's birth. It has been one long, but short, humbling, surreal, emotional week. You know when our parents tell us, "Just wait 'til you have a kid..."...now I am getting a taste of what they mean. Caleb has already been teaching me to be humble and to rely solely on God. To give everything up to Him...because I can't do much by my own strength and knowledge. I am grateful for each new day...for the grace that God gives us and the love and support He has shown us through our family and friends.

Anyway...more pictures of Caleb... :)

Just kidding! These are actually pictures of David - uncanny resemblance, no?

Here's Caleb...

Sorry you have to tilt your head to watch this video!

Caleb is here!

2009-02-19T10:19:00.000-08:00

On Monday, February 16, 2009 at 11:11 am, Caleb Tae Park was born. He weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and was 19.75 inches in length. Praise God for a healthy baby! I want to thank each and every single one of our family members and friends who prayed for us...the prayers of the saints were heard. I could not have done it without the support of my wonderful husband, of course, but I know that the prayers lifted were invaluable in helping the process go smoothly as well. Thank you thank you.

I will write more, but I'm sure most of you just want to see pictures. :) Here they are...

countdown...

2009-02-11T15:44:00.000-08:00

Our due date is 2/19/09, so there are about 8 days left until Caleb joins this world. It's amazing how slowly time seems to go when you're waiting on something. Through this pregnancy, God has been teaching me patience. Anything worthwhile is definitely worth the wait.

Yesterday during our bible study on Isaiah, we came across the verse "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31, NIV). The NASB version says "Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary."

I realize that oftentimes I don't wait for the Lord, but rather try to do things on my timing...when it's convenient for me. But if I were to wait for God's perfect timing, then I wouldn't grow weary. I must admit these last few days of waiting are making me itch and grow antsy. I can't wait to see our baby's chubby little face and kiss his delicate hands. It's good for him to be ripening some more in my ever-growing belly. God knows best. So until I can see him face-to-face, I will be content with this 3D rendering of his face (taken on 2/9/09). Technology is amazing.

hello blogworld...

2009-01-27T16:20:00.000-08:00

With the baby coming soon, I thought it'd be nice to have a place where David and I could document our trials and joys of being parents. I might also throw in a bit about my sewing endeavors and culinary passions here and there.

So I'm almost 37 weeks pregnant. I feel like I'm in that last stretch of a 1-mile race (I can't say marathon since I've never run one, and can't pretend to understand what it's like). It's that last lap where you feel like you're legs are going to give out on you, and your body is telling you "no more"....but you keep going knowing that you're so close. I know that once I cross that finish line I'll feel like I'm finally done with the race...but reality is....the true race is only just beginning. The actual marathon. I'm looking forward to it though. I have a great partner to run it with, and ultimately we have an awesome God who will pick both of us up when we fall.

To pass time and keep me energized for this last stretch, I've been eating very healthy foods such as Susiecakes banana/chocolate chip cupcake with cream cheese frosting. At least I made sure they use real bananas and not artificial flavoring. It was just "so-so"...I think Barefoot Contessa's banana bread recipe makes much better banana cupcakes.

I've gained 42 pounds. Oh dear lord...

Photo courtesy of journeyphotography.net