Japanese Weekend

This is my new favorite brand for maternity clothes. I got my first dress and it's fashionable (can wear it to work), comfortable and machine washable. I have found that the cheaper clothes from Target, gap and old navy lose their shape quickly and fade a lot faster.

I think it's best to buy a few good pieces and then wear them throughout the pregnancy. They fit better, and feel better overall.

JK is back!

Well, it was a weekend of eating. Of course that's what happens when JK gets home! We ate a feast on Friday night at my house---my mom provided mandoo sok and we made about 150 dumplings. We boiled some dumplings we fried some dumplings. It turned out great but more importantly DH ate about 75 dumplings total. Whoa. Mom also sent over some dukbokki (Korean rice cake mixed with hot red bean paste), kimchee sok and some galbi for DH. We had a feast and then the sisters went to the mall to check things out.

Saturday--we went to see Halms and JK did her hair in rollers. It was quite hillarious! Saturday afternoon we stopped by mom's and had more mandoo and oxtail soup and then Costco for errands. Saturday evening another Korean feast at mom's house. She made these delightful wraps with chicken and then tied off with spring onion. DH loved those! Very surprising. We ate dukkguk.

Finally, Sunday after church the sisters met at Harry's for brunch. It was talk about old times and it was truly hillarious---the hair styles we used to have, the matching clothes in different colors, Jenn and the BK incident and so many other things. I love having my sisters. They are the ppoktang!

Sunday evening, Kath and I went into crazy cooking mode while princess JK slept on the couch. We made: stuffing, mashed potatoes, baked ham, string beans, brussel sprouts, white corn and mom brought the cranberry relish. It was a feast! Even DH ate a second helping. Loved the early Thanksgiving dinner. Hope it lasts for you JK!

Sleeping with your baby

Excerpted from the NYTimes 11/7/07.

Despite the debate, the report clearly showed that adult beds have structural risks that should be changed or removed once a baby enters the house. Here’s the way to safety proof an adult bed:
Remove puffy comforters, duvets and pillows, which pose a suffocation risk to infants. (Bedding also should be removed from cribs.) If it’s cold, put the baby in pajamas, but don’t let the child overheat. Parents should use only lightweight blankets if they have a baby in the bed. Sleep in a bed with a firm mattress that fits tight against the bed frame. Never put a baby on a water bed — 79 of the deaths in the C.P.S.C. report occurred on water beds. Don’t sleep with your baby on sofas or overstuffed chairs. All soft surfaces where a baby can sink in pose a suffocation risk. Remove headboards and footboards. Not only can slats and elaborate designs pose a risk, but babies can get stuck between the mattress and board. Push the bed away from the wall and bed stands. Make sure the bed is far from curtains, blinds, draperies and cords. The goal is to eliminate places where a baby can get wedged in. The majority of deaths reported in the C.P.S.C. study were due to entrapment in bed structures, entanglement in cords and suffocation on water beds. Babies should never sleep alone on an adult bed, even one that has been safety proofed. And babies shouldn’t sleep with siblings. Toddlers and older children can kick, knock, push or lay on top of the baby. If you want to sleep with your baby but already have a toddler in your bed, be sure to position yourself or another parent between the child and baby. Another solution is to purchase a co-sleeper that attaches to the bed.
Parents who smoke or drink or use drugs should take extra precautions so they don’t fall asleep with baby. This includes parents who have taken over-the-counter medications that might make them drowsy. Studies clearly show that kids who sleep with smokers are at higher risk than solitary sleepers, as are kids who sleep with parents who have used alcohol or drugs.
And no matter where a baby sleeps, he or she should always be put down on his back. Babies who sleep on their backs are at lower risk for sudden infant death syndrome than babies who sleep on their tummies.

NYC

They say that NYC is the best city in the world and I have to agree that it is certainly the best city for eating. Well, Saturday started out with lunch at kang suh heh gwan -- a very local, yokal joint on 32nd and ave of the americas then my first foray to Pinkberry. It's everything that I thought it was going to be--delicious. Their yogurt is a bit tart and I think that really adds to the flavor. They are known for their jigeh's and their pajun is pretty good. Saturday evening we went to Bouley which was just amazing! Sunday we went to the Golden Unicorn per Dan Chen's suggestion and it was the best dim sum I think I've ever had! We had all our usual favorites---steamed shrimp dumplings, salt and pepper shrimp, clams in black bean sauce, tofu-wrapped chopped meat, chive dumplings, congee, and soft tofu in ginger sauce. OMIGOSH. It was delicious. The place is really clean and all the food is served piping hot which of course is a requirement. We ate so much food we didn't eat again until Gam mee oak (als in K-town). Gam Mee Oak is pretty much a lot of soups with rice served with kimchee and moo. It used to be pretty good but now it's a bit watered down and the kimchee was tasteless. Monday was checking out Room & Board, Giggle, Hogan and a few other stores in Soho. We had our final meal at Kelly Ping's. It used to be good but their use of MSG is a really big problem.

All in all...very yummy!

Over, Under...

Well, I have learned in my recent foray into maternity wear that I'm an "over" not an "under" person as far as my comfort level with pants, skirts and other bottoms go. I didn't realize this until recently so, some of my first purchases are a bit uncomfortable.

Case in point, the Lucky brand jeans I got which do not show the large elastic band and go under I find uncomfortable because I have to keep hiking them up. I'm going to try wearing them with a bella band or a longer camisole and see if that helps. Retail: $140

My favorite pair of jeans right now are a Liz Lange pair from Target. They are comfortable and has a visible elastic band which is a demi-band which does not cover the whole belly but comes up to the belly button.
Retail: $20 (They were on sale)

My current full coverage "comes up to my boobs" practically are a pair of cords by Mimi maternity. Since they cover my whole belly, I feel comfortable. The cut is contemporary boot cut and the band is comfy. I'm wearing a maternity turtleneck over it and because the maternity tops run longer it covers the elastic part.
Retail: $24 (not on sale)

So, ladies, if you're beginning to buy maternity wear, try to figure out if you're an over or under earlier in the process as not to get things that are uncomfortable and won't see you through the pregnancy.

Great Beginnings

This is my current favorite the Pliko 3 by Peg Perrego. It runs about $300 retail.

I went to a huge baby store, Great Beginnings in Gaithersburg http://www.childrensfurniture.com/ and checked out the Stokee and Quinny Buzz that have been my favorite strollers thus far and found out that they are really impractical. To use the words of the salesguy,"Ma'am, these are the sports cars of strollers, nice to look at but very impractical and heavy." And boy are the quinny and stokke heavy!!! Not to mention the bugagoo which I still liked is also cumbersome, heavy and a lot of pieces.

In comparison, the Pliko 3 made by peg perrego (sp?) is a lot lighter and doesn't have detachable parts to it. The car seat locks right into and and you're ready to go. If you are traipsing around on your own, the cheaper strollers make a lot more sense. i.e. baby in the car seat then you have to take the stroller out on your own, mind you that you're just getting over having gave birth and recovering from that.

Also, it's hard to decide right now without the baby so, it might be a better bet to just buy a decent car seat and for us 2 bases (one for each car) and then a really basic snap-in base of a stroller ($60) and then figure out what kind of stroller you want going forward. Talking to mothers, there is no "one" stroller for all occasions so it looks like you get one for the mall and easy walking and then an umbrella stroller for travel or shorter jaunts. I seriously saw at least 100 strollers on display.