Our rockstar son

Returning to work after the holidays hasn't been easy after a full week of nonstop fun with Jude & Eli. Well, almost nonstop... if it weren’t for the Terrible Twos blindsiding the Kim household. What in the world took over and possessed my fun lovin’ Jude? I admit I'm exaggerating slightly, but it’s certainly not a proud moment when your child is lying on the floor of Baja Fresh not wanting to eat his lunch. Doesn’t he realize that such a display is cute to, oh, absolutely no one? Being such a mellow fellow, he wasn’t throwing a tantrum. He was just lying there, apparently exhausted from all the energy we were exerting to get him to eat. And yet, I would somehow rather be there than sitting at work. Our office’s next scheduled holiday is Memorial Day. Oh... so... far... away...

What made the return to work even harder is that I am once again toting around my breastpump. I was spoiled for an entire week by having Eli with me all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I am very thankful for my Medela Pump 'n Style because without it, I wouldn’t be so happy to work. But with this wonderful modern technology comes all 153 pieces I have to clean and sterilize every night and then pack up every morning and carry to work. It can get a bit tiring. Of course, it’s all worth it when I go home and see my ever-growing Pillsbury doughboy.

Funny story, last week at Disneyland while Kwang was standing in a line holding Eli, some strangers went up to him and asked if they could take pictures with Eli. So these people we didn’t know took turns holding Eli and taking pictures. It was as if he was a celebrity.

Eli turned 8 months this week. It’s hard to imagine life without him and yet it seems like just yesterday I was pregnant. A friend recently mentioned that Koreans supposedly have the highest threshold of pain tolerance. I never would have guessed we Korean women are strong, because after giving birth, I think we’re required by law to keep ourselves wrapped in about four layers of clothing even in summer, not exposing an inch of skin to the air, and staying locked inside the house for at least one month or else? Well, or else we might die. Meanwhile, our Caucasian counterparts carry their newborns around outside three days after having major caesarian surgery. Hmm… go figure. I guess it makes sense if I think about it. Labor without epidural wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, thus the high pain threshold. But I did have this strange waddle afterwards because my bones felt funny. I was walking funny for weeks… and I couldn’t help it for the life of me! And this is all probably because I recklessly exposed my ankles to the harsh summer air.

Despite this more difficult age, Jude is still loads o’ fun. He’s fairly placid by nature and even quieter in public, so most people don’t get to see him in all his glorious, uninhibited cuteness. It’s also difficult to capture on camera because he detests being photographed or filmed. Fortunately, I am smarter than my 2 year old son and can hide where he cannot see me. Here is never before seen footage of our little musician. The passion with which he sings is unparalleled.

He’s seriously going to hate me when he grows up. Happy new year, everyone!