It's time for a haircut!!

Just in case you didn't know, today was Matt's first birthday!! Since we had a big party for his birthday two weeks ago, we didn't do anything really special - well, we went to John's Incredible Pizza with the Sodenkamp boys (their parents are in Vegas so we are taking care of them for the weekend) and that was really fun! - Also, we are making home made cupcakes tomorrow with the little boys for Matty.

Okay, actually we did something very special with Matt today. We gave him his FIRST haircut!! He got a haircut from the same barber who gave Sean his first haircut. Isn't that so cool? Barber Bill had told us that he would give our baby his first haircut for free - which surprised everyone because he doesn't give any free haircuts for anybody, yeah, we feel really special -

At first we were really nervous. I thought Matt was going to cry the whole time and he would end up with a bad haircut because he couldn't sit still.

But turns out I didn't really have to worry at all for two reasons - One, Matt didn't fuss or cry. He wanted me to pick him up sometimes but he was okay for the most part. Two, barber Bill has been cutting babies' hair for so many years, it didn't really matter to him whether or not Matty moved a lot.

Barber Bill gave him a toy to play with so that kept him calm. I love his little bangs!

Starting to look like a little boy!

Matthew's first time trying a sucker. He loved it!!

Go to our Home Video Blog to see more of Matt's videos.

After Matty was all done. A cute haircut, isn't it??

Mommy and Matty... Matty won't look at the camera...

February Update

Sean had an interview at Sutter for an analyst position. The interview went well and all but turns out Sutter has a hiring freeze right now. He recieved an email from someone who is working with the person that interviewed him and she told Sean not to give up yet. So we are still hoping and hoping. Oh the money... Wouldn't it be great not to worry about paying rent and bills??

Matt gives kisses. He understands "Where" so whenever I say "Where's -----", he responds by pointing. He also understands "Popo" which means "Kiss" in Korean. He makes a lot of different sounds. Before, he only used to say "A-gu", "A-bu", "Dada", "Mama", "Appa", and "Umma". And now he has been saying a lot of "I-do"s, "I-see"s, "That's", "Je-us", "Na-na", etc. It is fun to hear him talk - he certainly thinks he can talk. The boy talks all day! Matt has been sleeping in the crib in his room for about a month now! I am so proud! He used to do it really good until we went on our trip to Korea but after the trip, he hated his crib more than anything. So he slept in our room for about two months before we finally decided that he belonged in his own room. It was hard first three nights but now he falls asleep on his own within five minutes after we put him in his bed. So that is really good news. With a better sleeping habit and pattern, he seems much happier during the day. But the problem is that he doesn't want to nap unless I feed him or hold him. So I guess he has to give me some challenges. Now that he sleeps good at night, he won't sleep during the day!! Before, he napped twice or three times no problem. Ahh... the beauty of motherhood.

As for me.... Well, I had some kind of a flu yesterday. I was sick all day with a fever of 102.1 degrees. I felt a little better in the afternoon but then I got really sick again after dinner. I wasn't throwing up or anything. I had sore, sore, sore muscles and it felt like every joint of my body was going to break. It wasn't a good feeling. I had NO strength to take care of Matt so I finally texted Sean and asked him to come home early to take care of Matt. Of course, Sean came home and took care of both of us.

Sean and I have been losing some weight. Hooray!! Since January, we have lost about 15 lbs. I am happy with the result - not satisfied yet though. I have been going to the gym at least 4 times a week. I hate exercising. I really do. But I still go because I know I want to be healthy and not have a lot of health complications when I get older. I have been feeling a lot better since I started exercising. I am going to keep going. I have many more pounds to lose. So cheer me up!

Things that make me HAPPY

First, this little guy's smile... and when I say this guy, I mean, the guy that decorates this blog with his cuteness.

Since birth, Matt has always smiled for pictures. It is kind of ridiculous how much he loves taking pictures. My mom was so surprised to see Matthew smile for pictures all the time.

There's his cute smile with his mouth closed. I kinda like it.

Cute!!

Hmmmm... What kind of trouble should I get into in the next five seconds?

He just looked so lonely and sad.

Even though Matt smiles for pictures all the time, it is sometimes hard to get him to smile for group pictures because he always gets distracted by the person that is next to him or the person who is taking the pictures. But this one turned out great.

This is the distraction I was talking about... He was trying to put his finger up my nose and his fingers were all wet with his drools. It was disgusting. I made that face trying to avoid the attack, ha ha.

But after picking on me, Matt gave me the sweetest kiss. XoXo

I like this picture.

Second, my lovey hubby. I love when Sean comes home from work. Matt gets really excited too when he hears the door open and sees his daddy at the door. He crawls so fast he nearly falls on his face. It is the cutest thing ever. I love to watch Matt and Sean play together. Sean always goofs around with Matt and I think that's probably why Matt has such a funny personality.

Sean bit his finger off... J/K Wait, is that the same finger that went up my nose? Ewww...

Oh... the sweetest thing..

Third, being a part of such a wonderful family. I am grateful each day for being a part of Sean and Matt's lives. Since I didn't see a very happy family growing up, I had my doubts about my own family and happiness, but seriously, I am in love with being with Sean and Matt.

It is hard to get a good picture if you're trying take your own photo. But this turned out fairly cute.

Kimchi.... (It's like cheese in Korea)

Sean and I

Matt always makes the prayer hands.

Where's Jesus, Matty?

I am so excited!! So whenever Matty fusses at church, I take him out in the hallway and look at paintings of Jesus there. And I always say things like...

Is that Jesus, Matty?
Does he love you?
Does he love mommy and daddy?
Does he want you to be good?

Every week for the past 4 months or so, I have been doing that at church.

Well, Sean and I got into a routine with Matthew at night. We go to bed a little late at night. So Matt's night night time is around 10.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can hear you all gasp!
Anyhow, Sean and I take turns to put Matty in bed and every night, we read Matty a book (usually, we check out about 15 books from a local library every other week for Matt), pray together, and look at all the pictures of Jesus in his room. There are three pictures of Jesus in his room. One with baby Jesus and Mary, one with Jesus with two little children, and one with Jesus and missionaries. I am sure you have seen all these pictures before. Every night for the past month, we have been pointing at Jesus with Matt, telling him who Jesus is, etc.

(Consider the Lilies by Simon Dewey)

And tonight, when we pointed at the picture of Jesus with two little children, Matt pointed and said "Je-us" over and over again. We thought maybe it was a coincidence but we brought him out in the living room and asked him where Jesus was, he pointed his finger toward his bedroom and said "Je-us". Sean and I were surprised that Matt was already starting to learn about Jesus. I took Matt back into his bedroom and asked Matt where Jesus was, he pointed again at his favorite painting of Jesus and said "Je-us" again. It was the cutest thing ever!

It is amazing how much Matt loves Jesus already. Whenever he fusses or cries, I show him pictures of Jesus and almost every time, he calms down and smiles big. I wonder if he recognizes him from heaven. Little children are so pure, I bet they can see or feel things that we adults can't. I love being able to teach my baby about Jesus. It brings me such great joy.

Our boy is NOT a girl!!

I don't get offended real often but now I've had it! Come on, people, if Matty was a girl, he would be wearing all pink, from head to toe, and a big bow would be glued on his head. I am so sick and tired of people calling Matt a "she" or a "girl". I think it's pretty obvious that he's all boy!!

Last night, we went to Mongolian grill for dinner and the waitress was so rude! This is the conversation between the waitress and my husband.

The waitress comes to our table with water. Putting down the water on the table, she asks,

Waitress:
So is that your baby?

Sean:
Yes.

Waitress:
(Looking confused)
Is it a boy?

Sean:
Yes?

Waitress:
Oh, he looks like a girl.

I am not sure if it's the Mongolian culture or what, but who says stuff like that?? Needless to say, she didn't get a good tip.

Well, only few people mistake Matty as a girl, though. So that's good news. :-)

Recent photos of Matthew

Here are some recent pictures of Matthew. I think he's becoming cuter as he gets older, don't you think? I was looking at his new born pictures and videos the other day and thought this guy looks totally different now. I mean, he was cute and adorable when he was born, of course, but it's interesting how his features are coming out and more distinct now. He's still changing, though. You might not notice it but his eye shape is rounder and bigger now.

Part I. Bath time!! (He looks like a little cabbage in that bath towel.)

Finally I got my bath!!

He looks so cozy!

No more pictures, mama.

Part II. Mommy and daddy

(I look disgusting because this picture was taken right after I came back from the gym)

(I just randomly pulled out my camera and took a picture of Sean and Matt in front of our apartment complex. Sean got blindsided by the flash for a little while, ha ha)

Part III. On our way to Mongolian grill...

Matt's smiling because Sean's making faces.

I can't wait til we get to face the carseat forward.

Part IV. Just having fun at home

I love the smile in this picture.

I love the hair in this picture.

He loves sitting on the couch like a big boy.

He is such a cute boy.

One of my friends pointed out that it looks like Matt's taking his own picture. I agree! :-)

Part V. One day, we went for a walk to a park nearby and I decided to take lots and lots of pictures of Matt!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

And there's lots and lots more

But I won't post all of them here.

Swing, swing, swing.

"Can you push the swing up high, mama?"

"Come on, mom, I'm still waiting!"

"Alright, I'll smile for the picture. Now can you push the swing?"

"Ok, that's better"

Extra: More photos from our apartment

히히히히

He was crying but starting to smile for the camera. He loves taking pictures.

Crawling towards me.

새침때기

활짝 웃어요

Smile again!

Not going to smile anymore!

Matt has a lot of cool toys but the only thing that caught his eye is the campbell soup. He plays with it all day. Oh, the simple things he loves.

Matt's new favorite toy = bouncy balls!