Judy Kim

ALLIE - 100TH DAY

2009-06-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

I go back to work tomorrow. I'm heartbroken because I will be away from our little Allie for 10 hours of the day, but am somewhat comforted in knowing that she is not so "little" anymore, is strong physically and independent in a lot of ways. She can now lift her head and turn in both directions, sleep on her tummy, roll over from her back to her tummy, eats and naps well, and is not shy about yelling when she is in need (whether it be of attention or of food). It's amazing how much Allie has developed since birth. I guess this is why the first 100 days of a child's life is so important.

Allie,
On your 100th day (June 28, 2009):

You are approximately 14 pounds, 26 inches. You wear diapers size 2, and clothing size 6-9 months!

You nap 3 times a day and sleep through the night. You just started napping on your tummy.

You cannot take your eyes off of Mommy. Your eyes track my movement wherever I go.

Your Daddy promised to give you 100 kisses a day every day until you turn 30, and to this day He has kept that promise. Sometimes we tag team and barrage you with kisses from both sides. You love it.

You used to love to raise your arms and stroke the faces of whoever comes to adore you but now you cry a lot when you see unfamiliar faces. I guess you're developing stranger-anxiety.

Your favorite toy is the Baby Einstein Green Dragon which talks in 3 different languages and plays "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and sleeps with you.

You enjoy playing on your Baby Einstein play mat, staring at the blinking lights and grabbing and tugging at every character on the mat.

You love looking at mirrors - I guess you get that from Mommy.

Your favorite book is the Touch and Feel Thumper Story.

Daddy promised to build a playhouse for you in the backyard. Not sure where exactly it will be since we don't have a lot of space but he said it will be big enough for you to have a tea party in it..with at least one of us at a time (haha).

Many people including Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Alice, Uncle Dennis, Aunt Renee, Cousin Calvin, and Aunt Jungah flew in from afar just to come see you in the past 100 days, in addition to the 24 people who came to visit you at the hospital when you were born. The rest of Mommy and Daddy's friends, our neighbors, and our co-workers also came to see you at our home. You're a very loved person!

Your family celebrated your 100th day today: Mommy and Daddy, Hahl-Muh-Nee, Hahl-Abuhjee, Aunt Jungah (was sick and had to cancel her flight at the last minute), Uncle Joowon and Hee Young, Aunt Julie, Aunt Song, Uncle Jerry, Cousin Evan, Uncle 5 and Angela. Mommy prepared for your party for 2 whole days. I hope you enjoyed it.

Allie,
I want you to know that Mommy and Daddy (and Hogan) tried our best to give you the best first 100 days of your life. We were here with you all day, every day. We were busy changing your diaper, feeding you, singing to you, reading books to you, walking you, taking you to various restaurants, malls and parks and museums, attending lots of birthday parties and poker parties. And taking LOTS of pictures of you. Mommy will be thinking of you all day while she's at work, and will greet you with lots of kisses (and the boob) when she gets home.

ALLIE AT 10 WEEKS: IN MY EYES ALLIE IS PERFECT

2009-06-28T23:45:00.000-07:00

Allie found her thumb today! Too cute. She had been sucking on her fist for a while, then moved onto her index finger, and now her thumb. This is a great relief since she can now soothe herself in and out of sleep by herself- another milestone for Allie. It's also a great relief to know that she can find comfort in something other than the breast.

Allie is growing so fast and changing every day. She no longer cries at waking, but simply plays by herself in her crib sometimes as long as a half hour, singing, looking around at the colorful toys around her crib, and playing with the Green Dragon. She does the cutest thing nowadays - she pokes at my boob and plays what resembles "itsy bitsy spider" on my boob during feeding time. She also hums a lot while feeding, or stares at me and babbles. This may sound weird to some but all Mothers understand how beautiful it is to watch her Baby feed on her breast. This is truly my favorite moment with Allie.

The other day while I was feeding her I noticed how long her hair was growing. I noticed new strands of hair near her forehead and so started counting them...1, 2, 3, and stopped at 50. It was too hard to count anymore. She has about 50 strands of hair in an area of approximately 1 sq. in. I estimate that she must have about 32 sq. in. on her head, therefore about 1,600 strands of hair. I was amazed. I know I'm kind of weird this way. I was amazed to see how much hair she had. All babies will eventually grow hair and so there was no need to be amazed...but I was. I began feeling very thankful that I had a healthy, happy Baby who was growing lots of hair. Then I suddenly remembered that one Bible verse which I paraphrase "God knows everything about you. He knew you before you were born, and He even counts every strand of hair on your head..." so I looked it up: Luke 12:7- But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. I felt very comforted knowing that not only were Eugene and I caretakers of Allie, but so was God.

I'm so thankful for Allie's tiny fingers and tiny toes, beautiful skin, perfectly working eyes, nose and mouth, a strong pumping heart, strong lungs, all her little veins, arteries and capillaries, and other tiny tiny organs in her chest cavity which help her breathe, circulate her blood, digest food and pass waste, etc.... I can't take anything for granted. I truly truly am thanking for every detail of her being.

In my eyes Allie is perfect. I don't know how something so sweet and perfect came out of someone so imperfect like me.

EASY AND IMPRESSIVE BREAKFAST IDEA - BERRY STACK

2009-06-18T00:39:00.000-07:00

This is classic French toast with berry topping. It looks pretty and tastes great. The berry topping makes the dish so much more presentable (remember, presentation is everything).

I won't go into details about preparing French toast, just use fresh French bread cut into diagonals and dip in milk/egg batter.

For the berry topping, click here

GARLIC/TOMATO LINGUINE

2009-06-09T00:39:00.000-07:00

Quick and Easy Meals - Garlic/Basil/Tomato Pasta: This is all you'll need to prepare a yummy pasta dinner. No cooking required except for the pasta...how simple is that!

Serves 4
Cook time 15 min.

INGREDIENTS:

* 4-6 cloves of garlic
* 1 tsp sea salt
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 2 tbsp lemon juice
* 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
* 3 tomatoes, peeled & deseeded, thinly sliced
* Grated romano cheese (or parmesan)

More...

DONATE BABY CLOTHES AND GEAR TO THE LESS PRIVILEGED

2009-04-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

I discovered an organization who provides baby clothing and other baby necessities as donations to the less privileged www.baby2baby.org

I frequent GOODWILL to drop off clothes, shoes, purses, plates and bowls, and anything else I can't sell on ebay. I don't doubt that those items will be put to good use, but rather than going to GOODWILL this time I wanted to find an organization which dedicates solely to collecting items for babies and getting these items to them as soon as possible. Baby2Baby encourages people to donate new or very gently used clothing and gear- something you would use yourselves rather than dumping dirty,stained clothing and broken items. I think that's very appropriate. They gather these items, gift wrap them and hand deliver to those in need.

This organization, of course, also takes cash gifts. You can also volunteer your time Mondays and Wednesdays to collect, wrap and deliver donation items as well. I'll be going this Wed. morning to drop off some onesies and blankets which Allie has never used, along with some toys and gear. Let me know if you want to join me.

KEEPING MYSELF OCCUPIED

2009-03-12T01:04:00.000-07:00

I've been on maternity leave for 2 weeks now. No Baby yet, so what have I been doing? Eating...and thinking about what to eat next. haha, nothing's changed right? I've been complaining to Eugene that I was bored out of mind sitting at home. I've ran out of things to do since I've already read 6 baby books sitting on the shelf, washed all her clothes and sheets and toys, created her sleeping/feeding chart, etc. I do run one errand a day whether it's going to pick up a merchandise from Target or Babies r Us or going to the grocery store, and I do household chores like laundry and dusting but these things aren't enough to keep me ocupied the entire day.

So I've spent the rest of my time visiting my favorite eateries like Gil-Mok, King Taco, Orochon, Cobras & Matadors, etc. I figured I probably won't have time to do this once the Baby arrives... One place I definitely want to visit (maybe tomorrow) is the Kogi taco truck. Have you guys heard of it? It's a taco truck featuring Korean bbq tacos that travels to scheduled areas all over L.A., Westside and Downtown areas. Friday night- it's scheduled to be stationed in the Melrose District. Come by if you want to join me.

I'm also posting an Argentine chimichurri recipe (Recipe created by my friend and Argentine grill master, Daniel). Spread it over unmarinated shortribs and tri-tip or serve with sausages.

CHIMICHURRI RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1 yellow bell pepper diced
1 green bell pepper diced
3 roma tomatoes diced
1 white onion diced
5 cloves of garlic crushed
chopped parsley 1/2 cup
chopped cilantro 1/2 cup
oilve oil, lemon juice, vinegar ratio- 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup
pepper, salt, gochu-garu to taste

OWN YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND WANT TO INCORPORATE?

2009-02-18T18:00:00.001-08:00

If you own your own business you will probably want to think about forming an LLC or S-Corporation for liability protection and tax savings. In certain cases, an LLC may make more sense if you have a complicated partnership and need flexibility with distribution of your earnings.

But for the rest of you, an S-Corporation is the way to go due to the savings you'll receive. As an S-Corporation, you're exempt from the double taxation from FICA (self-employment) taxes. If you work for a normal, big company, you pay 7.65% of your gross pay to FICA tax...which is basically taxes for Medicare and Social Security. While you pay 7.65% as an employee, your employer matches that 7.65% themselves.

If you're a business owner and are operating as a DBA (Doing Business As), then you're responsible for paying both the employee and employer portions. This amounts to 15.3% (up to around the first $100k) of your gross pay. That's a lot of money.

But if you incorporate your business, you can pay yourself a small fair-market salary. You can then distribute the rest of your company's earnings to yourself through the form of dividends. The dividend payouts are exempt from FICA tax, so you save 15.3% on that amount.

So, if you're shopping around for online incorporation services, check out www.S-Corp-Compare.com to find the best incorporation service. Prices range from about $250 to $600 to incorporate. But you'll easily recoup that cost in tax savings the first month you're incorporated.

CUTE THINGS FALLING ASLEEP

2009-01-08T12:43:00.001-08:00

CNN ran a story today on a new blog: www.cutethingsfallingasleep.org.

Maybe we'll submit a video of Hogan falling asleep:

EUGENE'S PENNONI A LA VODKA AND LISA'S ORZO SALAD

2008-12-02T11:23:00.000-08:00

This is an update to my post yesterday.

Eugene cooked some yummy pasta the other night. He made a cream tomato sauce with bacon over pennoni pasta. The second dish is a great orzo salad that Lisa had made for our company Thanksgiving potluck.

20 HO-DDUK'S

2008-11-20T10:57:00.000-08:00

A funny story, sad one actually. When I first told my Mom that I was pregnant, she advised me to rest up and eat well. And she gave me some money. I didn't need it, but I accepted it because I knew how important it was for her to know that she was providing something valuable towards the health of my baby and me. Then she told me a story about her pregnancy. It made me turn away and tear. I'm tearing even now as I'm writing this story.

The story is- When my Mom was pregnant, in her early 20's ( I don't know which one of us 3 she was pregnant with), it was during hard times. Everyone had it hard back then I guess. We were poor. She was working long hours teaching at a high school, then at an after-school academy to help support the family. She took the bus to work at dawn, then to another work, then back home late at night....in the dead cold of Korea winter...in high heels...til the week before she went into labor. She said one day she passed a Ho-dduk truck and wanted eat 20 of them all at once because she was that hungry. She decided not to in order to save money :( I know this is kind of a toss up- not eating is not healthy for the baby either, but I think not eating was actually a result of not having enough money.... I guess that's why she felt compelled to give me some money so I can buy as many Ho-dduk's or any other snacks as I wanted if I ever wanted to.

Our local dry cleaner ajuhmah said something similar to me. She said "You're so lucky to be pregnant at this time. When I was young, we didn't have enough to eat. My baby was 5 pounds and a few ounces- her skin was wrinkly, and she barely had any fat on her body. But nowadays, kids are born heavier, and healthier. They're fat (which is a good thing). They look 3 months old at birth!" Anyway, I'm not sure how many of your mothers had the same story, but this definitely was the sign of the times. They all had it hard back then. I'm so grateful I have a car to drive around in... with heating and cooling systems, enough money to eat whatever I want and whenever I want, a crib and a stroller, health insurance, and a job that will grant a leave for me and secure my position.

PLAY TIME

2008-11-13T14:40:00.000-08:00

Late afternoon- play time for our Unborn Baby Girl. Right around 3PM, she becomes extremely active. At week 17, which is when I first felt her movements, it wasn't as predictable. But now, it's like clockwork. At week 23, I can feel her rolling around and stretching in my belly. Yes, I can feel her streching because I feel her pushing out at one end, and the other. Last night, I felt moving across my belly either her arm or leg. At this point I can't tell what part of the body it is, but I do know what she is doing with it. When I get home around 6PM, I lay on the couch with Hogan for a good 15 minutes just enjoying her activity. Sometimes, she kicks and punches so hard it makes me giggle, or burst out in laughter because it amazes that such a little thing like her can be so strong. Other times, I have to give her a little nudge for her to react ( Eugene hates it when I do that because he thinks I'll bother or hurt the baby, but I've seen the Ultrasound Technician do it when she wants the Baby to respond, and it seems pretty harmless.

Week 23- I've come up with a list of "What to Buy" and almost completed purchasing or ordering big furniture items after weeks of research and window shopping and comparing merchandise and prices. I'm now detailing how many and what type of smaller items to buy such as diapers, wipes, bottles, etc. We've completed 5 books collectively and shared notes with each other. I'm a little burned out from reading so I'm think I'm going to just ask Eugene to finish BABY WHISPERER and highlight the key points and prepare an outline for me :)

So what do I do now? I've finished planning out how the Baby room is going to look like. I've been vacuuming and sanitizing the baby room and baby bathroom every week. I can't start exercising because I've stopped doing so months ago. Plus I'm feeling a few contractions a day already so any form of exercise other than walks with Hogan and walking and running around the office all day is out. Friends have suggested that I enjoy my time out with friends as much as possible now since I will be too busy to do so for months after the Baby is born, watch a lot of movies...and go out to dinners with Eugene. One thing I'd like to do before I get any bigger is to learn to bake. I love cooking but I've never baked anything other than Pillsbury already-made cookie dough. So I guess I'll start with some ginger bread cookies and work my way up to pies and cakes from there. Any other hobby or activities you think I should do before March?

YEAR'S BEST WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHS

2008-11-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

National Geographic's Best Wild Animal Photos of 2008 has been announced:

View all of the photographs at National Geographic.

BAD DAYS AT WORK

2008-09-30T18:57:00.001-07:00

I often vent by email to Eugene about my day at work. I rant on and on, furious....but then he replies with comments and pictures like the ones below, and it makes me laugh. Also makes me realize how unimportant my work problems are...

From: Judy Kim
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 3:54 PM
To: Eugene Chang (DHL US)

Gosh, people freakn complain about the equipment around here all the time!

From: Eugene Chang (DHL US)
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 3:58 PM
To: Judy Kim

There's nothing wrong with the equipment, it's the people who are using it.

"I didn’t break it...I swear..."

From: Eugene Chang (DHL US)
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2008 1:19 PM
To: Judy Kim

“You think you have it bad? Look at me”

From: Judy Kim
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 10:11 AM
To: Eugene Chang (DHL US)

ugh i thought i was gonna get a little break today but just got slammed with another web problem and IT problems and HR problems, and insurance problems. ugh, i knew it was too good to be true.

From: Eugene Chang (DHL US)
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 10:20 AM
To: Judy Kim

"I believe in you..."

PALINTOLOGY

2008-09-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

Haven't been following Palin? You can catch up by watching a video here.

PANDA SNEEZE

2008-09-10T22:25:00.001-07:00

STRONG AND BEAUTIFUL HEARTBEAT

2008-09-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

That's what the doctor told me last week. Music to my ears :) I had an extensive ultrasound performed last week as an initial screening test for genetic disorders. Everything appeared to be fine. Then the doctor told me to look over at the monitor to see that strong heartbeat of our 12 week old fetus, and listen to the beautiful heartbeat. Some doctors are not very sensitive, a few even really distant and cold, often only communicating hard facts, but hearing the doctor express that our baby's heartbeat was "beautiful" made me tear a little. I saw her kicking and punching, playing with her fist, and twisting her body like a contortionist.

I saw her heart, her limbs, and spine, eyes, nose and mouth and wondered about all of the other little organs i couldn't yet see. i thought about all the muscles and tissues already formed... and forming. Sometimes I have fears about one of those millions of things going wrong, but hope that everything will turn out fine. I think everyone will agree that having a healthy baby is the only real important thing we can all ask for.

No real point to this blog, just wanted to share....Actually I do have another topic I want to delve into....tomorrow.

THE FACE OF AN ANGEL

2008-07-30T16:42:00.001-07:00

Not all of you had heard this story so I must tell you.

Two things I hate most in life: putting gas in my car, and folding socks. The first always seems to get me in trouble. I know, I know. How hard can it be right? Just be diligent and always fill up your tank before you go dry. Well I had been lazy. I remember at least 4 occasions when I had been stuck on the road without gas. And again, immediately after I got my new car, it happened again. I was running late to work in the morning and did not make time to stop by a gas station. Then on the way home, I missed the nearest gas station, and as I was searching for the next one, right at the intersection of 6th and Commonwealth, I WAS STUCK! For goodness sake stuck at the red light, I was the first car on the first lane! ON AN INCLINE! At 6PM - traffic at its worst.

The light turned green and immediately people were honking at me left and right, passing me making all sorts of faces and finger gestures and staring me down like I was some stupid Korean ajumah driver. I knew there was no way I could push my car out of the way since I was on an incline, but I decided to fake the effort to save face. I climbed out of the car and began pushing the car (or was trying to) but it wouldn't budge. I actually had to slam on the brakes to prevent it from sliding backwards. I got on the phone (bluetooth enabled through my car speakers) and dialed Janet and my brother. Janet and my brother were the closest persons in the vicinity I could think of. This in itself was hard to do because I was still getting familiar with how to use it. I called them to get AAA phone #. Janet was scrambling to retrieve the #, calling me to make sure I was okay. On the other line was my brother calling me back trying to figure out exactly where I was. Of course during this time, I'm still being yelled at not only for causing a traffic jam but also because I must have looked crazy talking out loud in the car when no one else was in there. AISH. And every 2 minutes or so, I had to climb out of the car and pretend to push it so the crowd would understand that I was having car trouble. But I couldn't believe that no one offered to help me. Usually men get out of their cars and help you out, don't they? Well I wasn't looking too great that day, maybe that's why.

AAA guy was on his way, ETA 20 minutes.

I think 8-10 minutes had passed. I was sweating in the car, totally stressed out, not knowing what to do but just sit there and wait. Then all of a sudden out of the middle of the intersection I see this big guy with the brightest smile on his face running towards me, waving his arms and yelling "Judy Judy." It was the face of an angel. Haha it was John Oh! He came running, huffing and puffing and said "Judy I'll push the car, just steer right" I began trying to explain myself and before I was done with the story, he had already pushed my car out of the way and onto the intersecting street. I was so embarrassed, and of course so grateful. We exchanged a quick greeting and I sent him off because he had a dinner to go to. It all happened so fast, I think John came and went in less than 1 minute, he was like SUPERMAN!!! Did you hear that Nathan? Your Daddy is Superman!

KIMCHI BAHP

2008-07-17T10:03:00.001-07:00

New recipe in Food section:

FEATURED ON IKEA HACKER!

2008-06-27T23:47:00.000-07:00

A lot of ideas get featured on IKEAHACKER but it's still a nice feeling to see your ideas showcased. Eugene's custom-made banquette (my idea, he constructed it...hehe) was submitted several months ago and is now on the site www.ikeahacker.blogspot.com.

Good job, Gene!

MY LUNCH BREAK

2008-06-25T13:19:00.001-07:00

This is what I actually wanted to do during my lunch break today but I couldn't find a spare computer and tough shoes anywhere around the office...and so Ijust took a long stroll down 7th Street to Rite Aid to buy mothballs, body cream, and stamps, and some flowers on the way back.

Several times a week I do want to throw a laptop out the window from our 28th floor.....and/or crush the server dedicated to the numerous software we run at work. On top of the other stuff I have to do around the office, dealing with crashes, freezing and non-responsiveness from computers drive me nuts. Nevermind the bugs and incompatibility issues, that's a whole other animal.

What irritates me most are the explanations I get from vendors/consultants: IT'S A GHOST." Since when did the words "bugs" and "ghosts" become part of computer vocabulary? Yes, I've heard of "bugs" in new software which are identified and corrected with updates or newer versions or whatever, but what the hell do they mean when they say "the document can't be fixed," or the "computer needs to be replaced because even though everything else seems to run well, there's a GHOST! How convenient! I wish I could use THAT excuse for every problem I can't solve." "Oh Boss, I won't be able to complete the contract today cuz there's a GHOST in the document"....or...."Oh Boss, I need to take the week off cuz there's a GHOST in the computer which is stopping me from finishing my work."

I don't want to hear comments from you techies on this blog...including YOU EUGENE! hahaha. All vendors are the same. I've heard the same nonsense from everyone.

NEW RECIPES - (UPDATE)

2008-06-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Goat Cheese/Shrimp Summer Pasta - RECIPE HERE

KimChi-Bahp

Vegetable Jeon

Go-Deung-Uh Jorim

FRESH & EASY

2008-06-18T00:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much to talk about lately...The highlight of my week was....grocery shopping! I discovered a new grocery chain- fresh & easy. This store offers a lot of ready-made meals catering to people who are too busy to cook yet are still very health-conscious, offering everything organic- fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats, etc. I'd say that this place ranks up there among my favorite places to grocery shop with Trader Joe's. But Fresh n Easy (unlike Trader Joe's) also offers family size ready-made meals and family-size meat packages as well so you can get a better bang for your buck. One downside is that it lacks the friendly service...there's hardly anyone there. Self check out and bagging is something I'm starting to get used to, but it's kind of annoying when the machine refuses to scan an item and you're stuck waiting for help.

Ask for coupons when you go there. I've been receiving promotional $5 coupons in the mail every week for the past month, plus they'll pass out additional coupons after every purchase!

Click HERE for locations.

FOUR DOGS, FOUR HUMANS

2008-06-02T23:43:00.000-07:00

Eugene had two of his friends stay over this past weekend for their friend's wedding. On top of that, we were taking care of the groom's two Yorkies (Nori and Gori) and Lisa's maltese (Soju).

Below is a video of Soju doing his own patented trick.

HOGAN IN TROUBLE

2008-05-21T23:41:00.000-07:00

HOGAN TRICKS

2008-05-20T11:35:00.000-07:00