So Cute

You would think that at some point the cuteness would let up, but it just doesn't stop!



Thank god, because every mother of a toddler knows the feeling of wanting to sell their child to the circus. This last week, I've imagined myself delivering a swift (but safe of course!) blow to the back of her neck to make her pass out while she struggled with wide-eyed jetlag in the middle of the night. I also thought about leaving her in the park while she screamed and screamed about taking off her coat (and eventually all her clothes) in 30 degree weather. She's still not getting the whole "consequences" thing. She's also been experimenting with "outdoor voices" inside, hitting me (and Jonner, and the animals, and herself), whether developing jelly legs all of a sudden will make me want to pick her up, and when I ask her if she wants another bite, how fun it is to say "yes. no. yes. no, etc."

Focus...

A couple days ago, Ruby was looking off into space, and I waved a hand in front of her face and said, "yoo hoo, focus." She smiled and snapped out of it.

Today, I was taking pictures of her friend Anwen at our house, and Ruby came over trying to give me a little purple comb, saying "show umma (korean word for mama), show umma!" She kept pulling at my shirt and nagging, and finally said, "yoo hoo! Focus!" Of course, I did.

Jet lag has been ridiculous-- I am as sleep deprived as I was when she was an infant (and almost nursing as much). On top of it all, I have bad allergies and am constantly sneezing and stuffed up. It makes for a rather miserable time. Especially at 3 in the morning when Ruby and I are both exhausted and she's still mumbling, "no bed. books. read it."

I need a cup of coffee. And focus.

Trip update #2

Wow, so where to start... first of all, it's lovely to see the folks, and it was really nice to hang out, albeit briefly, with my mom's extended family. They were all nuts about Ruby. Ruby looked a little deer-in-headlights for a while with so many new people and places, but she adjusted pretty nicely and had a great time with the relatives.

Then we came down here to Pohang. I have to say that I panicked at first. The part of the city that my parents live in (northern suburb) is not at all suited for children. This whole place is surrounded by massive construction projects, so it's smelly, noisy, and dusty. And there are no sidewalks, traffic lights, or stop signs, so it's really dangerous to go walking or driving. Which doesn't stop us, of course, because what 19 mo old wants to stay cooped up in a miniscule apartment all day long? There were no toys at my parents' place except the few books and toys we brought for the plane ride, and not even a mall or other indoor play area nearby. And I wasn't about to have her watch TV all day either. So this whole last week, I've been riding around with my parents to find good places for her that are relatively close by. There's a beach not far from here that she loved (and I did too), and there's a couple little playgrounds in a nearby apartment complex. We also bought some toys for her so she's better about sticking around at home. The adjustment cost a little-- Ruby's been sucking her thumb a lot more, nursing more, and reacts badly to strangers. But she's still bright and happy, and is sleeping well, and eating well, so I'm pretty content.

We'll be here this week and a bit into the next and then we'll head back up to Seoul for a couple days and then back to Minnesota. More updates will be coming!

Trip update #1

OK, so we're here in Pohang! The trip was as long and horrendous as we expected, but Ruby was very good. She did start getting super antsy and crabby about halfway to Korea, but then she passed out for the last 6 hours, so that was nice. We were in Seoul for a couple days and had a big family bonanza and then drove down here.

We are still battling jet lag. The last two nights have been relatively good, meaning that she hasn't been completely awake for 3-4 hours in the dead of night. But despite the regular little wakings, she drops off again pretty quickly, so I'm considering the jet lag to be mostly beaten. (Me, on the other hand... I still lay awake for hours at night. Sigh)

Jonner is set up ok for work, and he's hacking away in our little apartment (a floor up from my parents). It's really nice to have our own space.

I know this is dry and short, but I'll write a more detailed post when I can be awake while Ruby sleeps. :)