Izzie talking to her fish

So recently, Izzie has been waking up happy. Before, she would always wake up fussing because she was hungry. But these days, often times, she'd wake up babbling and just happy as a clam. Today, she was napping in her swing, and when she woke up, I turned on the swing so that her fish would rotate. I caught her talking with her fish:

Izzie in her Bumbo!

So, I've been trying to put Izzie in her Bumbo everyday. She usually tolerates it for 10 seconds before she starts fussing. Today, surprisingly, she lasted a bit longer before she demanded that she be taken out.

Hey, this sitting up thing ain't so bad:


Of course, sucking on my hand always makes me feel better:

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Izzie is a 100 days old today!

Similar to the 1-month milestone in Chinese culture, the 100 day milestone in Korean culture is very important. This is what I found on the internet:

In Korea, on the 100th day after a child's birth, a small feast is prepared to celebrate the child's having survived this difficult period. If the child is sick at this time, the family passes the day with neither announcement nor party, for to do otherwise is considered bad luck for the infant.

To prevent potential harm to the child and to bring him or her good luck and happiness, red bean cakes are customarily placed at the four compass points within the house. If the steamed rice cakes are shared with 100 people, it is believed that the child will have a long life. Therefore, rice cakes are usually sent to as many people as possible to help celebrate the happiness of the occasion. Those who receive rice cakes return the vessels with skeins of thread, expressing the hope of longevity, and rice and money, symbolizing future wealth.

I guess I can no longer say that I have a newborn. Just the other day, Albert and I were talking about how babies just grow so fast. Parenthood is definitely THE hardest thing we've done, but its so rewarding. Its so much fun watching her discover new things everyday.

Anyhow... Izzie, you turned a 100 days old today. I'm sorry that we're not throwing you a big feast (I promise, your 1 year old birthday party will be smashin'), nor are we distributing rice cakes to 100 people. For sure, we'll do something special today though, I promise. Meanwhile, being that you are born in the modern virtual age, I'll be sending out these virtual rice cakes to everybody who reads this blog and are your fans, ok?



We love you, Boo Boo.

Thats right, Izzie... those pair of flailing things that you see all the time - they're your hands!

Izzie is starting to realize that she has hands. Sometimes I will catch her just looking at her hands - she is especially enthralled with her right fist. Whenever I see her doing that, I'll point it out to her and say "that is your right hand." Figured, it is never too early to educate your child.


Anyhow, I guess it comes with the territory... but she has also realized that she can stick her hands in her mouth and suck on them for comfort. Oh well.. whatever works babe. If you start sucking your thumb.. thats when I'll get concerned.


Excuse the poor pic quality. I took it with my camera phone.

Talking with Izzie

Last week, Al's extended family chipped in to get us a top of the line camcorder. Unfortunately, we're still waiting for it to get shipped. Until then, we're still using our digital camera. Here are a couple of videos we took in the last week:


This is a video of Al giving Izzie a brief interview.


This is a video of Izzie right before we give her a bath.

Izzie's First Easter

Happy Easter, everyone! The Lord is Risen! Hallelujah!

Last night, we read Izzie to sleep from her Jesus Storybook Bible. We read her the story of Abraham and Isaac. As we read to her, we explained how hard it would be for Abraham to obey God and sacrifice Isaac, his only son, with virtually no chance of ever having any more children. And as we read about the tears that filled Abraham's eyes, we put ourselves in his shoes, and thought that we would never be able to do what was asked of Abraham on that mountain. Izzie is just too cute. And yet, we explained to Izzie, we were the undeserving beneficiaries of such an act of love and grace. Because on that mountain that day, we were promised Someone who would come to save the world. And many years later, another Son would climb up a hill, carrying wood on His back just like Isaac did, to give the ultimate sacrifice for all of us - Dad, Mom, and Izzie too. And on this day, many, many years ago, that promise was fulfilled, when like an empty Easter egg, Jesus' tomb was empty because our Lord had risen. And while Izzie might not have been able to grasp all of the nuances of the story, it sure was a powerful reminder to both Mom and Dad.

Today, Izzie experienced her first Easter Sunday. We took her to the early Eastside service because a member of our small group was giving her testimony today during that service. Normally we just strap her on with a sling whenever we go to the Westside service, but since it's hard to get anywhere on the Upper East Side from our place via subway, we put Izzie into her carseat and cabbed over. Izzie always falls asleep when we travel via car, and today was no exception. Also working in our favor was that we went to earliest service today, and Izzie is a totally dependable sleeper in the mornings. As a result, Izzie slept through her first Easter church service...which was great for Mom and Dad! We parked her in her seat in the family section, and never heard a single peep from her from beginning to end.

Here's a photo documentary of Izzie's journey:


Izzie getting ready in the morning to go


Izzie "listening" to Tim Keller's Easter sermon on Mary Magdalene


Izzie on the way back from church


Still asleep once we got home...

In a few years, Izzie will be able to participate in the Redeemer Easter Egg hunt (in Central Park, no less). Our friend Jane is one of the Sunday School teachers and egg hunt coordinators, and she told us it was a total blast. Before they let the kids run out, they did a countdown, and once the ropes were cut and the kids could run out and start egg hunting, they played Chariots of Fire over a speaker. LOL!! Seeing as how Izzie can't really move on her own yet, she probably wouldn't be able to find any eggs if she went this year. One day in the future, Izzie, one day...

And to Izzie...even more important than the Easter egg hunt, one day, you'll be able to make it through an entire Sunday Easter church service without sleeping. By then, you probably will have heard the story of Jesus over and over again. You may even be able to recite it from memory. If you're as smart as we hope you are, you might be a Sunday School all-star, and answer all of the questions correctly. You may get a lot of Easter eggs and other assorted prizes. But even years after that, when you finally are old enough to understand who you are and what you need, Mom and Dad will be praying hard for you every day that you will be able to fully understand and accept what this day means. And even though that's a journey you'll have to take one day, we promise to do everything we humanly can to help you along the way. For now, we're praying every day now that one day in the future, God will call you like he called Mary Magdalene, and that you will be able to embrace the truly moving story that every now and then still brings your parents to tears. Amen.

Izzie, you're 3 months today!

Hey kiddo!

You're 3 months today! Wow, does time fly or what? In the last month, you've learned to do a lot. You can push up on your arms when you're on your tummy. You've started to recognize us when you either see us or when you hear our voices. One of our favorite times is when you wake up in the morning, cooing and smiling - it is the BEST feeling in the whole world. You've begun to sleep through the night like a champ - definitely keep that up! Even today, you started making a new sound - its a half yell/half shriek and all too cute. You started mommy and me yoga classes, and your favorite thing to do is the airplane. We think you're just a bundle of cuteness, and our hearts burst with pride and joy whenever we think about you. We love you so, so much.

Love, Mom and Dad

PS, Thanks to Uncle Eric (Huang) for your Yo My Booties, made with angora fur, as featured on the Ellen show!

As the fourth trimester nears an end...

The first 3 months of a baby's life is usually dubbed as the "fourth trimester." When human babies are born, they are not as developed physically compared to other mammals. Think about puppies or other baby animals - they can walk within a few hours of being born... and such. What do human babies do? They sleep, cry, eat...but they don't do much else. The world is scary when they are first born. They've spent the last 9 months all warm and cozy in a floating environment...and all of a sudden its cold, bright and just really different. This is the reason why newborns are so difficult. This new environment is so confusing for them - and it takes a lot of effort from the parents to comfort them.

The thing is though.. the fourth trimester is really scary for the parents too. Here we were, living the (relatively) simple life, and all of a sudden here was this thing that was squirmy (yet beautiful) and whose very existence depended on us - two people that knew absolutely nothing about how to care for a newborn baby. I'll be brutally honest and say that the maternal instinct wasn't really there from the get-go. Don't get me wrong - I loved her from the minute she was born.. but I don't think I felt particularly mommy-ish right away. And then came the endless days and nights of trying to feed her, comfort her and let her know that the outside world was just as safe as my tummy. At times, I felt like I was up to my shoulders in milk and diapers - I just wanted to collapse and go to sleep. Where was this warm, fuzzy picture of the couple adoringly gazing at their daughter, by the warm fireplace, with the house all clean? I tried every trick in the book - swaddling, white noise, pumping, different bathing techniques...some of them worked, some of them didn't. But as I went through my arsenal of different things to try on her the maternal instinct got stronger and the mother/daughter bond started to form. She transformed from a "thing" into a real "person." Izzie was slowly learning how to trust that this outside world was safe and that somebody would always be there for her, and Albert and I were slowly learning what it meant to parent and take care of another person. And here we are...the fourth trimester is coming to an end.

The first couple of months really were a blur to me and it seriously went by so fast. It didn't feel that way when I was dead tired at 5 am in the morning after waking up 4 times ... but now I can see why people say to really cherish this time - its just way too short. She will not be this small ever again. One of my favorite moments of the day is when she falls back asleep in my arms after her morning feeding. It's one of those golden moments where I know if I set her down she'll still sleep for another 2 hours, but I still hold her and just stare at her. I love the look on her face when she's sleeping like this: peaceful, relaxed and not a worry in the world. It's moments like these where I truly think that all those hardships are totally worth it. I remember wishing that babies can just skip the fourth trimester and go straight to happy, gurgling, smiling beings. But now I know that I never would have grown so much as a mother if I hadn't experienced all that I had experienced.

So thank you fourth trimester! I learned a lot from you, and while I'll miss the moments that you've given my whole family to experience, I can not wait to see what Izzie's future will bring to us.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Happy 50th birthday, Grandpa! We love you!







Izzie is mad that she doesn't get to see her grandpa on his birthday:

Playing with the gymini - part 2

So you'll remember, way back, when we put Izzie in her gymini, she freaked out a bit. Now she's old enough to really enjoy her gymini. Heres one of her conversations with the dangling toys.

Playing Airplane

I've started to go to Mommy and Me yoga classes last week. Izzie loves looking at the other babies, and its a great way for me to squeeze in a relaxing workout. One of the things we do during class is airplane for the babies - and Izzie LOVES it.. its a pretty good ab workout for me too.

Napping with Izzie

So the cardinal rule for parents with babies is to sleep when your baby is sleeping. It doesn't really work that way - you would never get anything done if thats how you did it. But sometimes, Al and I manage to get some shut-eye.

Burping Izzie

I'd rate Izzie as a B+ burper. Sometimes she lets one out immediately, but often times, Al and I have to really work to get a burp out. Last week, I learned a new technique in burping. I do some knee to chest exercises for her, and then I prop her up on my knee and then massage her stomach with my finger, and then I pat her back. It works like a charm!

A day in the life of Izzie Chang...

When I came back from running errands today afternoon, I winded down by having a conversation with Izzie about her day:

Field Trip!

Yesterday brought some of the warmest weather New York has seen since 2007. The temperature was a very comfortable mid-50s, and the sun was out in full force. We decided to go for a walk with Izzie so that both her and mom could get some fresh air. It was also a chance for us to test out our Ergo, a type of carrier that allows you to wear your baby on your body.

We planned on talking a stroll through the middle of campus, and then maybe walking 15 blocks or so along the Henry Hudson (which is only one block away from the campus border). So we packed up our stuff, got dressed, and headed outside. Getting Izzie in the Ergo took some effort on the part of the parents. It was really our first time putting her in it except for one or two indoor test runs, so it took us awhile, and Izzie made sure to let us know she didn't like that. On a side note, I think Izzie has just started to learn how to scream or something; it's definitely something new that wasn't always in the repertoire. And she can scream really loudly. It hurts my ears when I'm holding her on my shoulder. So anyway, we're in the hallway trying to get her fastened in, and she's screaming her head off in protest. It went on for so long that one of our neighbors came out to say hello because he heard the baby. When we finally got her in, I ran outside because I knew she was probably feeling hot from all the outerwear we put on her.

Once outside, Izzie settled down, and even quickly fell asleep. It's about 5 minutes to College Walk, which is right in the middle of campus. The weather didn't go unnoticed with the undergrads either, as they packed the stairs in front of the alma mater. We stopped to take a few pictures:


Me and Izzie in front of our Alma Mater statue, with Low Library in the background


Me and Izzie in front of the main University library.

After we wrapped up with campus, we started heading off to the Hudson. Sophie made a casual, off-the-cuff comment saying it would be funny if we went to her office and surprised her co-workers. So I thought about it, realized I had a few hours and said, "sure, why not?" This took Sophie by complete surprise, and she immediately started saying how we weren't prepared to make that trip. I dismissed the concerns, saying we would only be gone for a few hours, and starting heading towards the subway station (which was only a couple hundred feet away). And so just like that, Izzie took her first ride in a New York subway.



The trip went pretty quickly, and before we knew it, we were at Sophie's office. Once we stepped in, it only took about a minute before word got around that the latest office baby was making a visit, and soon everyone crowded around to see the new addition. (Sophie works for a small firm, with not that many employees, and a handful of them were gone at client sites.) Everyone thought Izzie was really cute. And she was. I think she's peaking in cuteness right now or something. She's had her ups and downs when it comes to cuteness (mostly ups, of course), but yesterday she was just showing off. She let other people carry her and didn't flinch at all. Her eyes were wide open, and she would either look around curiously or on occasion even laugh and smile. Sophie and I were basically busy trying to answer the rapid-fire baby questions that everyone was throwing our way. One of Sophie's co-workers made the observation that whenever Sophie or I talked, Izzie would turn her head and look at us. This was significant because we weren't any closer to Izzie than anyone else, and there were a lot of people talking, so Izzie actually can recognize our voices. I never noticed this before, so it was pretty cool to hear. The baby gaga lasted about half an hour or so, then we let everyone get back to work and headed back home.

On the way home, we got the subway a few stops early, and walked up the Hudson, as we originally planned, on our way home. It was a terrific walk. It was mid-afternoon, the sun was at a great angle, and there were kids and nannies all over the place in Riverside Park. Of course, Izzie fell asleep again on the subway, so she was asleep during the walk too. (Sidenote: suburban parents like to put the babies in carseats and drive around to make them fall asleep. I guess the subway is the city's answer to that.) Halfway home, we sat down a bench for awhile and just enjoyed the air and took the moment in. We also took some time to reflect and then pray for Izzie and our family. Parenting is certainly hard work, and we can't do it alone. We're going to consciously try to savor these moments, as we're already seeing how Izzie is growing up so fast. Hopefully, the weather will stay nice, and we'll be able to take more trips outside. I'll leave you with some more photos from our trip:

Baby Push-ups!

During her massage session, I put Izzie on her tummy, and look at the move she decided to bust out! Congrats moving from eating the floor to being able to see the world on your tummy, kiddo!

Infant Massage

Yesterday, we had an infant massage learning session with Izzie. I've wanted to do this with Izzie ever since I read about it during my pregnancy. There are a lot of resources within the city in terms of classes, but alas, it is STILL too cold to take her out regularly. We decided to have a private instruction session in our own home instead. This was much better, mainly because our instructor (Janet from Maternal Massage and More) was able to concentrate on just Izzie.

Infant massage promotes a host of good things - calmness, good weight gain, bonding, etc. Think about it. I feel so relaxed and almost dazed after an awesome massage - babies would feel the same way, right?

We undressed Izzie down to her diaper and covered her with a blanket. Izzie normally isn't a big fan of being naked, but for some reason she was cooing and smiling at Janet when we first did this. One by one, Albert and I learned how to massage her feet and legs, abdomen, arms, back and face. After we learned some gas-buster abdomen moves, Izzie responded by letting out the biggest fart ever. With the exception of us touching her face, she absolutely loved EVERYTHING. Also, maybe it is a coincidence, but she conked out for a great 3 hour nap after the session, and she didn't fuss ONE BIT during the bath or even afterwards. We usually have a little battle before her bedtime every night, but she didn't get cranky at all and she just conked out easily for the night.

Is this infant massage magical? We'll just have to wait and see. =]



She was so calm after her bath yesterday, I was finally able to get the cute-baby-in-bath-towel shot: