Playing

Yesterday, we enjoyed a short visit with Maeve (Gemma's BFF) and Brandon. It had been awhile since Gemma had seen Maeve (who is just 10 days younger). We saw Brandon a few weeks back, but Brandon is 4 months younger than the girls and not quite as mobile. 

It was so cute to see Gemma and Maeve actually playing together. As Paige described it, they were like puppies, crawling together and crawling over everything in sight. They were "talking" to one another, touching one another, "sharing" and not sharing toys with one another, and Maeve would frown when Gemma would start crying.

It's so neat to see them growing into little girls, really interacting with one another. It won't be long before they are running around, wreaking havoc together all around the house, I'm sure.

Stand Up!

Gemma and I have been practicing standing up on her own for awhile now. I would sit on the floor with her in front of me and try to get her to stand. She usually just falls forward and I catch her and she laughs.

We hadn't done it for a few days, so I was pleasantly surprised when last night she could stand for like 3 seconds on her own! she even tried to take a step towards me a few times! I know, 3 seconds, big deal, right? but it IS a big deal!

I still don't think she will be walking by her first birthday by any means, but it's so neat to see her get closer to it. She still loves to walk all over the house with her little car walker thing. My mom always says "bba-bbang" to mimick the sound of a horn and now Gemma walks around yelling "bba-bbang!".

so cute.

Tummy Troubles? Part Deux

So I had an appointment booked for Monday to take Gemma in to see our family doctor (remember I called last Monday?) ... I called this morning again just to see if they could put me on a cancellation list because her poops were getting more and more frequent and also more and more undigested. Although the receptionist told me she would call if they had a cancellation, I was skeptical that we would get seen and so I got ready to go to Urgent Care.

As I was grabbing the diaper bag to go out, the phone rang and it was the doctor's office. She told us to come as soon as possible and we headed out the door that second.

So here is the thing... Gemma had eight poops in the last 24 hours. All kinds of foodstuffs were coming out undigested, including whole peas, whole beans, whole raisins, whole oatmeal, etc. Even the color wasn't changing to brown. Even cereal came out looking like cereal. Yet, she never cried or whined in pain, never reacted to me touching her belly, was still sleeping well (during the day and night), and was happy and energetic. She was a bit clingy this morning, but that was about it for other "symptoms"...

So after I told the doctor all of this, he thought it was most likely just teething symptoms, even though it seemed a bit severe that she was pooping eight times in 24 hours. She has no other symptoms of a viral illness and is cutting two teeth right now. I guess she does have different symptoms with each tooth and the diarrhea is just what these teeth decided to bring.

her last poop today was definitely better - even with the undigested food, it was much more solid. I hope this means we're on the road to normalcy.

Tummy Troubles?

For the last week or so, Gemma has been having poops that have been on the softer side. It gradually got a bit runnier and she has been pooping a lot more frequently, like 4-5 times a day. Sometimes it's a full diaper, sometimes it's just a little bit. The food she eats comes out almost exactly the way it went in. I would say she probably has diarrhea. When the poops are more liquidy, she gets a really bad diaper rash that oddly seems to clear up again in no time, only to come back with the next liquidy poop.

At first, when her poops were soft, I figured it was just teething. She was crabby and very moody with tons of whining, always chewing on her fingers. Now, I'm not so sure. The thing is, she isn't acting sick or feeling sick or anything like that. She has no fever, she doesn't seem to cry in pain, she is sleeping very well at night and napping well, she still wants to eat all the time, etc.

When i weighed her on the home scale yesterday, she was an even 20 lb. In over a month, she hasn't gained a full pound. I don't know if that's because I weaned her off or it's because she's been pooping like crazy. I think actually this rate of weight gain is kind of normal and i think i might just be paranoid because she isn't gaining weight as quickly as she once did.

I tried to make a doctor's appointment, but they can't see me for a week (next Monday). She doesn't seem sick enough to take her into urgent care. I've been avoiding fruits and veggies for the last day or so and just giving her cereal and banana, as well as crackers and cheerios for snacks. We had also switched her formula about a few weeks ago from Goodstart to Kirkland. Even though she had a can and a half of Kirkland already and i doubt that's the cause for her messey bowel movements, we decided to try Goodstart again (and it was on sale!).

Does anyone have any pointers on getting through this? She hasn't pooped yet today (though it's only 7 AM) and so i don't know if all the changes i made yesterday are working yet. I'll keep you posted.

*** update***

so I called Health Link just to see if there is anything I can do to improve Gemma's situation. One interesting thing she told me is to avoid high fiber foods - I was thinking high fiber would be good in this situation because it would provide some bulk, but apparently not. She told me to give her yogurt with active cultures and things like white rice, white bread, white pasta, etc. No raw fruits or veggies. Ripe bananas and apple sauce are good also. Also, I need to keep up the formula. She said Gemma should be seen by a doctor within 3 days from now, but that won't be happening. our doctor, for some reason, has cut down his hours to half days only and it's hard to get into see him now. Well, I hope her recommendations work!

to Aunt or not to Aunt

When I was growing up, every woman friend of my parents was an "aunt" and every man friend was an "uncle". I was always taught that it is rude to call a grown-up by their first name and this idea is still engrained in my brain. If they're not an "aunt" or "uncle", they are definitely Mrs. or Mr. In Korean, there are actually words that specifically mean "lady/aunt" and "man/uncle" for these situations, so one never had to think about what to call them.

I know this idea may sound old fashioned, but I want Gemma to do the same as I did growing up. I want her to call friends of ours "aunts" and "uncles" and everyone else should be "Mr." or "Mrs."

But my problem is this: I know not everyone feels this way and some people aren't comfortable being called "auntie" or "uncle" by someone who is not actually their niece/nephew. And while this is what I want for Gemma, I don't expect my friends' children to call me "auntie" back... though if they did, I certainly wouldn't mind it.

so what do you do/will you do with your children? If you're a friend of mine who is reading this, is it okay that Gemma calls you "auntie *insert name here*"? Does this have to be discussed amongst the adults before the kids just start calling them "auntie" or "uncle"? How close do you have to be before the kids can call you "aunt" or "uncle"? ....What do people do?

Straws, Snot, Steps

Gemma can drink through a straw (though i'm not sure since when exactly).

She can also blow her nose. I'm really proud of this one and am so happy about it, because i hate terrorizing her with the nosesuckers. I have to get someone to hold her arms back while holding her head steady and then she screams and i end up poking her in the eye or something. smart girl decided she had enough and learned to blow her nose when i ask her. Although it's not strong enough to get rid of the more solid boogers, it does the trick when she has a runny nose.

She is getting braver and will now take a few steps while holding on to my hand with one hand. She can stand on her own for just a few seconds before she falls on her bum.

Rash, be gone!

Since she was born, Gemma was lucky to not get diaper rashes. She has of course had a few bouts of just a little bit of redness around her bum, but not a rash per se. I don't know if it's this bout of teething or what, but she's got a bit of a diaper rash, the worst she's ever had. I say it's the worst for her, but it's not as THAT bad (i've seen worse on other babies). I try to give her plenty of diaper-free time during the day (resulting in many accidents - number one AND two!), but it seems to be pretty persistent. i am using our trusty old Aveeno diaper cream and all day today i've been using our cloth diapers.

I know Pampers has that issue with their Dry-Max giving chemical burns and while we do use Pampers, i bought out Walmart's supply of pre-Dry-Max diapers before they took them off the shelf. anyways, she didn't have this problem until just a couple days ago.

I'm really hoping it goes away soon. in the meantime, i guess i need to be better prepared with old towels and carpet cleaner!

10 months

I know this is rather late, but since i'm on the computer all day at work, i find it hard to go on it to blog when i'm not working... 

weight: don't know for sure, but according to the home scale, she was still 19.5 lb.

height: i don't know why, but one day i just noticed she seemed so much taller! she is like a little person now. 

• she loves to push her walker and walk all over the house. 
• she is much friendlier and is much quicker to warm up to strangers. 
• she loves to empty things - laundry basket, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, toy basket, etc. she will stand there, grab something, look at it, and then throw it over the shoulder. she can do this for a long, long time as long as i keep refilling the container.
• her favorite show is In the Night Garden. I have no clue why, but she is mesmerized by this show. 
• she is chatting more and more, especially when it's bed time. it's like she needs to tell me about her entire day as i try to put her down. 
• she has 5 teeth and is working on #6. 
• she loves to flip backwards and hang upside down when someone's holding her. you always have to be on guard. 
• she is fully weaned and drinks 22-24 oz of formula a day.

not even 2 months until her big party! i can't wait!

Can't Wait!

We tried on Gemma's hanbok (korean dress) today to see how it fits. I nearly broke out into tears when i saw her all dolled up! She was the most beautiful thing i have ever seen. Wait til you see her!

i'm gonna be a puddle when i see her in her wedding dress...

First Haircut!

I couldn't deal with Gemma's scraggly mullet any longer, so I chopped it off! now it looks like she has a chic bob (that is still out of control).

Give Thanks

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Gemma's grandpa and grandma Konnert, as well as auntie Leah and uncle Joey came down for a short visit. We had a delicious turkey dinner, finishing off with a pumpkin pie and pecan pie. Gemma had her first thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and roasted veggies. She slept so well that night :)

I am so thankful for many things this year. I think being a parent really puts things into perspective. I am so thankful for my family, for our good mental and physical health, for the jobs we enjoy, and for new and old friends. I'm thankful for the fact that I can work from home and see my daughter whenever I want. I am thankful to have my mom with us and to always have peace of mind, knowing Gemma is well-cared for and loved even when I'm not around. I'm thankful that Jesse has a job that is so close to home that allows him to see his baby girl every single day. God is so gracious to us. He really is.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving!

First Night Away

Boy, have things ever been busy. Last weekend, Jesse and I took a trip out to Smoky Lake, where I grew up, for a friend's wedding. I haven't been out there in probably 6years or so and before that was only there once or twice since graduating in 2002. Anyhoo, we decided to leave Gemma behind with my mom as it is quite a long drive and I didn't want to spoil Gemma's wonderful routine.

I began to cry about 10 minutes before leaving and cried for nearly an hour in the car. I didn't think it would be so hard for me to leave Gemma, but I was completely overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and fear that she would somehow forget me when I returned. I know, doesn't make sense, but I couldn't help but to think these things.

The entire weekend I called my mom every few hours to make sure everything was okay and just to hear Gemma's voice. I don't know why, but when she isn't with me, sometimes it feels like she isn't real - like I made her up or something. I don't know how to explain it...

Anyways, I returned home to find her sleeping. I can't tell you how much I wanted to wake her up and give her a hug, but I had to restrain myself. She had a ball with harmony as always and I am not sure if she even realized I had gone away and come back... This trip just confirmed how much I suffer from separation anxiety, NOT Gemma! LOL...