Like Father, Like Sons

I was looking through some pictures last night and was shocked to see one from the 70s of my mother-in-law holding an Eli-look-alike. I thought, wait a minute... I know Jude is Kwang's little mini-me, but according to many Eli supposedly takes after me. I don't get it.

Kwang (pre-school magna cum laude)...       and Jude....

         

Kwang....                                    and Elijah....

    

Isn't that funny? I know that Jude and Eli will eventually have something that takes after me, but I love that they take after Kwang. Hopefully, they will also inherit qualities like his patience and sense of humor. When I look at my sons, I'm even more amazed at the omnipotent Creator God is.

Future Friends?

Onto happier topics! Matthew, the son of our good friends Jean & Charles, made his way into the world last month. This means he & Eli are 1½ months apart. Matthew already has tons more hair and bigger eyes than the older Eli. But what Eli lacks in hair & eyes, he apparently makes up for in cheeks & chub

Trading babies for the evening:

  

That back-to-school feeling

Tomorrow I'll be going back to work. I enjoy working (minus the stress), but I'm always somewhat surprised when someone says that going to work is easier than staying at home w/your child. I wonder if they've ever done it. Perhaps I'm just not very strong, but I haven't come across many things more difficult to do than entrust my baby to another person's care, no matter how much I trust them and they are family. I find it harder this time, because Eli is only two months old. He's still a baby but smiles so much and loves having me near him. He takes the bottle really well, but selfishly I love nursing him. How can sitting on conference calls or in front of a computer be easier than sitting in front of this guy:

So I have my pictures all ready to take to work and plaster my cubicle walls with. I'm also going to miss morning walks around the lake with Jude. It's really entertaining to see the world through his eyes by what he says and how he says it. Then if it's so hard, why do I work? I think about this a lot. Definitely no one's forcing me to. But as strange as it sounds, I guess I think this is best for our family at this particular time. Being a mother now, I have a growing respect for my own mom, for her sacrifice and diligence as we grew up. Hopefully, one day my kids will think this, too.

When I get moody or emotional (like now), I just have to remember how fortunate I am. Yesterday was my 34th birthday and although I love getting new gifts, these days I'm thankful simply for the husband and children God's already given me. I love my three boys. I think I'm pretty lucky to be able to come home from work to a smile like this: 

1 Samuel 16:7

Jude means "Praise".

Tuesday night, Jude fell and hit his head. When I went to see what happened, his face and Kwang's shirt were covered with blood as it gushed from a gash in his forehead. This was our first experience taking him to the ER. He now has four stitches smack dab in the middle of his forehead. My poor Jude.

After going through neurosurgery with him at 5mos of age, it sounds silly to say that this hospital visit was just as traumatizing for us if not more. While being strapped in a body wrap with a towel over his face as they stitched him up, he wimpered and then cried, saying all the new words he's learned to try and console himself. What two year old does that? It was so sad.

I honestly can't believe Jude has only recently turned two years old. He's such a strong boy and I'm amazed at his composure and attitude when things happen. It might almost be easier for me if he reacted like I expect a toddler to-- screaming, kicking, & wailing. But because he tries to "cha-moh" (endure), I'm just always so sad for him. So I often think God gave him this personality partly because of what he's had to go through. MRIs, VCUGs, surgery, CT scans, stitches... all in his first two years. I only wish he didn't have to go through so much. Yet despite these things, I feel extremely blessed to have Jude for a son and praise God everyday for him.

I really have to toughen up now that I'm a mother of two boys. I don't know what I'd do without Kwang. He tells me Jude will be fine, but as Jude's mom I'm sad he's going to have a scar in the middle of his forehead. The doctor even mentioned plastic surgery as an option! That's when I was reminded of 1 Samuel 16:7, "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." As I watch his personality and character shaping, I pray Jude grows to have a good heart. One that brings God much pleasure.

Here he is the morning after, giving the thumbs up that he's okay:

Chicago Grandma

My mom flew back to Chicago today. It was really nice having her around again to talk to and watch the kids. So I'll probably miss her the most, but she'll probably just miss Jude & Eli...

 

Golf anyone?

Again making the most of our time while my mom's in town, we took Jude to the golf course across the street. He was so excited to putt around with his dad:

Here he is setting up a challenging shot:

Will he make it?...

Yes!

Jude loves to be like dad:

All in all, a fun time...