New Year

Anakin turned 18 months on the 7th and he has grown in just the past few days. His language is continuing to develop. He's starting to grasp the concept of things a lot better now and he is just overall a fun person to have around! I love watching this kid play all day long. He is so smart and kind. He still loves eating with his hands and boy does he love spaghetti! He loves watching his Minion movies and can reenact almost every scene from part 1 and part 2. I love that he grasps the concept of being in outer space (when Gru flies to the moon) and without anyone telling him! One day, when that scene came on, he just started turning his head and his upper body sideways and upside down like he was in outer space. It was a pretty cool and proud moment for me! He still sleeps in bed with us, mostly because we miss his presence but, he found a special spot on our king size bed. I think when Ruby came into this world and he had to quit nursing cold turkey, he had to cope somehow with not having that comfort to go to sleep. So he resorted to sleeping on his Daddy's pillow. That's his special spot and he usually falls asleep right away once he's there. I love this kid infinite! 

Little Miss Ruby is quite the charmer. She's already smiling and cooing at everyone that holds her. I can tell, she's going to be a smily happy baby and a talkative one! She's usually happy but, once she's mad... watch out! She'll cry and kick and close her eyes until she feels like it. That's one thing I'll have to learn to deal with but, overall, she's one cool cat. She's so independent and already adores her brother and Father. I love shopping for her and finding outfit inspirations on Pinterest and Instagram for her. It's so fun to have a girl but also very dangerous! Everything is just so darn cute!

And while we're on the subject of outfits, here are some of her key pieces for Spring/Summer 2015.

And while we're on it, might as well do a fashion stack for Mommy too! :D

One Month Ruby

Hmong Post-Partum

The Hmong post-partum practice often means confinement for 30 days with a strict diet and strict taboos. Hmong woman will not eat hospital food as traditionally they should eat hot rice with boiled chicken in a broth of special herbs. Absolutely no fruits, vegetables or cold drinks allowed. The Hmong (no matter age or location) still observe this practice as it is believed to avoid ill health and misfortune in the future. It is also taboo for the Mother and child to step inside the house of anyone other than her house or her husband's family's house. If she does, she may disrupt the home's spirit guard and bring misfortune to that person or family.

Believe me, this post-partum was hard because of the fact that my recovery took so long and that I had two babies under the age of two to take care of. So to top it off with the confinement was a slap to the face! After a week of being on the diet, I cheated and ate other foods besides the boiled chicken. Of course, I felt bad but I did it anyway.

Whole chicken boiled with special herbs from my Mother and Mother in-law.

The broth from the chicken has to be served separate from the chicken. It is also a taboo to allow rice to drop into the liquid of the broth because it is believed to create red bumps on your baby's body.

Only fresh hot rice with fresh chicken is allowed. If there are leftovers, the Mother can not eat it because it is believed it will cause her ill health in the future.

Welcome Baby Ruby

Sorry I'm very late on this post but, as you can imagine, I've been very busy with a newborn and a 16 month old. Ruby came into this world on October 20th. She was a very healthy baby and not as quiet as her brother. Anakin got to meet his baby sister a few hours later and at first he really couldn't figure it out but, once he saw this baby he immediately kissed her and hugged her. He also had his first sleep over at his auntie's house without Mommy and Daddy. I don't know if it was worse for him or for us. I missed him terribly and kept him at the hospital with us even though I knew it was a bad decision since we would not be sleeping well but, we did it anyway (we can't cut the cord yet!). 

I'd have to say, this labor did go smoother than Anakin's but the recovery was a lot harder. My back and tailbone hurt so much from pushing her out, I could not walk at all. It did not help either that my 16 month old still required a lot of attention from me and that my husband only had a week off from work. Ai yah!!! What was I to do? Well, I did what I always do when I need help... I called my Mom!

My Mother was so sweet. She offered to take a week off work to come help me. She was such a great help even though Anakin was being a stinker and I wanted her to stay longer but, she had to go back. I cried and cried the day she left. I really did feel like my world was crumbling down. Postpartum hit me hard with this pregnancy because I had it really good with my first one. With Anakin, my husband took a month off and my recovery was quick. I think having someone there to help you is the tipping point in determining your overall wellness. Either way, I'm plugging ahead with little sleep and little time on my hands now. I have a one month old and a 17 month old now to take care of. I just hope I can divide myself while multiplying myself. Life of a Mother... they say you won't know until you walk two moons in their shoes. 

Baby Shower for a Baby Girl

This past weekend was Labor Day weekend as well as my baby shower for baby girl. It was the perfect weather too. My house was the house to be at on the block. I had kids running around the house and people stopping by to say hi (since it was the Hmong tournament too). I could not have asked for a better ending to a special Summer than this. I am so blessed and lucky to have so many sisters and sister in-laws who threw this shower for me. There are no words to express how much love I felt that day and how much love I know Ruby will have surrounding her.

I can't believe it's already September! Just another month until baby girl makes her entrance into this world. I'm kinda nervous now that I know what to expect during labor. I'm just praying it's a smooth labor with no big interruptions. She has been so active so I know she'll have a lot of sass in her. I can not wait to hold her and for Anakin to meet his little sister.