June is almost at an end, and we've been so busy with Alex and other things.
We celebrated Alex's first birthday two weeks ago and also got a chance a few days after that to get Alex's formal first birthday portraits done, so we now have adorable pictures of him in his hanbok and new jean shorts, which he received as a birthday present (photos in a new album called “First Birthday Portraits”.
Our biggest event recently was our first trip to the hospital with Alex. He'd come down with a fever at the beginning of this week, and it had varied between 37.5 (99.5º) and 39.5º (103º) with a few times of it being back to normal. His appetite was also off, and his normally easy going and happy personality wasn't always there and he was fussy and irritable at times. By Thursday he was still not feeling better, so we decided to take him to see his family doctor just to be sure he didn't have an ear infection. The ears and lungs were clear, so it seemed as if it was just a viral infection.
Later that night after he'd gone to bed, he woke up crying inconsolably and he had the beginnings of a rash. His fever was down, but he was obviously in pain or discomfort and couldn't settle to sleep. He finally fell asleep (we resorted to taking him for a ride in the car) and then slept at home for only 45 minutes before waking up crying again. When I went to change him, I noted that his diaper was still dry, so that meant he'd gone about 5 hours without a wet diaper, which caused us to worry there might be some type of blockage.
We headed off to our local hospital and they got us in right away to see a doctor. They had Alex wearing a small bag to try to catch any urine so they could test for an infection, but it was 7:00 a.m. before he went pee, which meant he'd gone 12 hours with a dry diaper. They were concerned about a few things so they decided to admit us to the Peds unit for the day to wait for his blood and urine tests to come back.
Everyone at the hospital was amazing, but it was still so stressful to have Alex sick enough to be admitted, even for only a few hours, to the hospital. The test results were pretty good, so it was determined that he was probably suffering from a reaction to the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine he’d received about 10 days prior. We’re still waiting on some cultures to be done to rule out a throat or bladder infection, but the MMR reaction seems the most likely cause at this point. Kathy is convinced her diagnosis of Roseola (a viral infection causing fever and rash) is the cause, so we’ll just have to see who’s right when we see the doctor again at the hospital on Sunday morning.
Aside from that scary episode, Alex has been such fun to have around. He’s still walking like crazy and he understands so much that it’s actually surprising us at times. He’s now saying a few more words and is signing a few things as well. It’s surprising what words he picks up as we’ve been trying to get him to say some things without any luck, but then other times he seems to learn a new word without any effort. I had just given him a bottle the other day and while changing him, he’d let out a cute little burp. I grinned at him and said, “did you just burp?” to which he joyfully replied, “BURP” and that’s now one of the words he likes to use. He also says “up” and “bye bye” and knows where his eyes, ears, nose, toes, mouth, teeth and head are, so it’s fun to play different games with him getting him to do those things.
Well, I’m off to get something for dinner. Sorry for the delay in posting all of these journal entries and I’ll try to be better about getting news to you more regularly.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Monday, June 13, 2005
Alex's Tol (First Birthday) Celebration
It's hard to believe that Alex is now a year old. He turned one on June 11, 2005 and we celebrated with a party on June 12.
On his birthday, we went into Toronto to have a special Korean lunch to celebrate, and also to pick up some items for the party such as Kimchi, yummy walnut cakes (addictive little treats) and the rice cakes and decorations for the Toljabee table.
We’d already decorate the room we were using for the party, so it was just some last minute running around before we got Alex settled for bed before his big day. We were so lucky to have been offered the use of a party room by our cousin, Patti as it would have been impossible to have the party in our home. Not only is our place pretty small, but with one of our niece’s allergy to cats and her asthma, we didn’t want to take a chance of having the party here. The place was perfect for our group, and we are so grateful for Patti’s help in making the party possible for us.
The party was lots of fun and some family and friends joined us for the big day. It was great to see everyone and celebrate Alex's special day with so many people that had come from places like London, Kingston, Toronto, Whitby and Mississauga to celebrate with us.
In Korean tradition, a child's first birthday is of special significance, so we tried to honour that with our plans for Alex's party. We performed a small ceremony called the Toljabee that is supposed to foretell a child's destiny. In this ceremony, items with special significance are placed on a table before the child and his father then leads him around so he can select a couple of items. As each item has a specific meaning, the first two items he picks up (not just touches) are said to foretell his future.
For Alex, we included some items that are traditional items, including a bow and arrow (he'll have much courage/be a warrior), Korean money (he will be wealthy), rice cakes and dried dates (many descendents). We also included items of personal significance to us such as a stethoscope (he'll be a vet or doctor), a computer mouse (he'll work with technology), a globe (for a love of travel) and an artist's paint brush (for being an artist or creative).
Alex chose the paint brush first and then the computer mouse, so we assume he'll be both creative and technically minded... perhaps a graphic designer?
We then opened some presents and shared a nice lunch with everyone before having some cake. When we ordered the cake from our local grocery store, they gave us a small free one to use if we wanted Alex to be able to stick his hands in it. We thought that would be fun, and we've included some pictures in the "Birthday Celebrations" photo album.
After the party, we cleaned up the room and took Alex home. He was asleep before the car was even out of the parking lot and he slept all the way home. Chris decided to let him sleep in the car while he emptied it out, so we just kept the doors open and Chris stayed outside putting together some of his toys while he dozed peacefully in the car seat.
After he woke up, we decided to let him play outside for a bit with his new toys and he really had fun running around naked (Chris’ idea *grins*) and playing with the new water table his Aunt Jenny gave him and playing in the pool that his Grandma and Grandpa gave him.
Soon after that, it was time for dinner and then it was off to bed for the whole family as we were all pretty exhausted from the long, but very fun, day.
On his birthday, we went into Toronto to have a special Korean lunch to celebrate, and also to pick up some items for the party such as Kimchi, yummy walnut cakes (addictive little treats) and the rice cakes and decorations for the Toljabee table.
We’d already decorate the room we were using for the party, so it was just some last minute running around before we got Alex settled for bed before his big day. We were so lucky to have been offered the use of a party room by our cousin, Patti as it would have been impossible to have the party in our home. Not only is our place pretty small, but with one of our niece’s allergy to cats and her asthma, we didn’t want to take a chance of having the party here. The place was perfect for our group, and we are so grateful for Patti’s help in making the party possible for us.
The party was lots of fun and some family and friends joined us for the big day. It was great to see everyone and celebrate Alex's special day with so many people that had come from places like London, Kingston, Toronto, Whitby and Mississauga to celebrate with us.
In Korean tradition, a child's first birthday is of special significance, so we tried to honour that with our plans for Alex's party. We performed a small ceremony called the Toljabee that is supposed to foretell a child's destiny. In this ceremony, items with special significance are placed on a table before the child and his father then leads him around so he can select a couple of items. As each item has a specific meaning, the first two items he picks up (not just touches) are said to foretell his future.
For Alex, we included some items that are traditional items, including a bow and arrow (he'll have much courage/be a warrior), Korean money (he will be wealthy), rice cakes and dried dates (many descendents). We also included items of personal significance to us such as a stethoscope (he'll be a vet or doctor), a computer mouse (he'll work with technology), a globe (for a love of travel) and an artist's paint brush (for being an artist or creative).
Alex chose the paint brush first and then the computer mouse, so we assume he'll be both creative and technically minded... perhaps a graphic designer?
We then opened some presents and shared a nice lunch with everyone before having some cake. When we ordered the cake from our local grocery store, they gave us a small free one to use if we wanted Alex to be able to stick his hands in it. We thought that would be fun, and we've included some pictures in the "Birthday Celebrations" photo album.
After the party, we cleaned up the room and took Alex home. He was asleep before the car was even out of the parking lot and he slept all the way home. Chris decided to let him sleep in the car while he emptied it out, so we just kept the doors open and Chris stayed outside putting together some of his toys while he dozed peacefully in the car seat.
After he woke up, we decided to let him play outside for a bit with his new toys and he really had fun running around naked (Chris’ idea *grins*) and playing with the new water table his Aunt Jenny gave him and playing in the pool that his Grandma and Grandpa gave him.
Soon after that, it was time for dinner and then it was off to bed for the whole family as we were all pretty exhausted from the long, but very fun, day.
Thursday, June 9, 2005
Thank Heavens for Steam Cleaners
Alex is changing so much as he draws closer to his first birthday. It seems like he’s learning something new each day and it’s so exciting and fun for all of us. He’s also often doing things that makes both Chris and I laugh out loud, and it’s so cute when he does something funny as he seems to enjoy making us laugh as well.
The other day when I was out for the evening, Chris was going to give Alex his bath (which he loves!) and I’d suggested that Chris give Alex a bit of time without clothes on after the bath (so the moisturizer we use would soak in before he was put into his sleeper). In my mind, that meant Chris would put Alex in his diaper after the bath but would give it a few minutes before he put on the sleeper. What Chris understood was that he should leave Alex naked for a bit, so that’s exactly what he did.
Chris was tidying up the bathroom while Alex wandered around naked in the upstairs hallway when Chris heard the distinctive sound of liquid hitting carpet. He looked out to see Alex standing in the middle of the hallway, with his hands up in the air as if he was being robbed as he gazed down in curiosity to see where the liquid was coming from! When he couldn’t figure it out, he then turned around a few times to get a better view which meant he had a little fountain of pee arcing around him. Once Chris stopped laughing he was able to get Alex covered up and then cleaned up the mess (thank heavens we already owned a steam cleaner).
The other day when I was out for the evening, Chris was going to give Alex his bath (which he loves!) and I’d suggested that Chris give Alex a bit of time without clothes on after the bath (so the moisturizer we use would soak in before he was put into his sleeper). In my mind, that meant Chris would put Alex in his diaper after the bath but would give it a few minutes before he put on the sleeper. What Chris understood was that he should leave Alex naked for a bit, so that’s exactly what he did.
Chris was tidying up the bathroom while Alex wandered around naked in the upstairs hallway when Chris heard the distinctive sound of liquid hitting carpet. He looked out to see Alex standing in the middle of the hallway, with his hands up in the air as if he was being robbed as he gazed down in curiosity to see where the liquid was coming from! When he couldn’t figure it out, he then turned around a few times to get a better view which meant he had a little fountain of pee arcing around him. Once Chris stopped laughing he was able to get Alex covered up and then cleaned up the mess (thank heavens we already owned a steam cleaner).
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