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Our Very Hungry Caterpillar

Norah loves reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a classic children's book by Eric Carle.

Maaaybe, it's because she notices a resemblance between herself and the caterpillar...

My oh my, our little Norah isn't so little anymore. She is still short and stout...she's getting fatter, but the fat has no where to go! Hence, rubber band arms (aka the "no wrist" wrist):

We love her for it though, rolls and all!!!

Ouch!

This week I took Norah to her two month check up. She weighed in at 11 lbs, 6 oz and is at the 70th percentile. Height is another story. At 22 inches, she is only at the 40th percentile. Basically that means our little Norah is short and stout! haha. I'm thankful that she is gaining weight well and if she's short it's all good. She is an Asian girl, after all.

The two month check up also means shots. :( Poor Norah was screaming at the top of her lungs. Fortunately, the crying didn't last long and she knocked out and pretty much slept the whole entire day (besides eating, of course).

In other news, Norah is now able to sit up in the Bumbo chair all by herself. I can tell she is so proud of herself. Great job!

The other day I took the blanket off of her car seat to find this. Apparently, she kept herself occupied by making a bubble mustache!

Family Outing

This past Saturday we took Norah for a walk at The Strand, the walkway between Redondo and Manhattan Beach. It was a beautiful day to enjoy the beach and one another's company. Too bad Norah was sleeping the whole time!

Curve Ball at Two Months

Norah is now two months old! Looks like she chose the two month marker to throw mommy and daddy a curve ball - not taking naps! This past week has been quite stressful and difficult since Norah has either been waking up from her naps crying after 30 minutes, or not taking her nap at all. There are probably a million different factors for this, but ultimately I know it's the Lord who is in control and sovereignly ordaining this period to test my faith and give me a greater dependence on Him. I realize that I idolize control. When Norah is sleeping well and eating on schedule, I feel as if I'm on a high and my day is complete. But with the difficulties of this week I see that my heart is so tied to those things...so tied to my child's well being that I can't be content without it! This, to me is an unexpected "burden" of motherhood. I never knew that my overall well-being and happiness would be so tied to this little baby! Only the gospel and the supremacy of Christ can relieve me of this burden. This week is teaching me that and for that I'm thankful...even though I still want her to sleep!

"Mommy, I'm tired"

"Tummy time is so hard!"

"I just want to play..."

Oh Norah...Mommy loves you! Thank you for teaching Mommy to love and treasure Christ more than anything else!

Happy Halloween!

From Norah and her friends, Chin #1 and Chin #2

Time with daddy...

This is my favorite picture right now :)

Seven Weeks

Norah is now seven weeks old. The past two nights she slept through the night again, so hopefully she'll keep up the good work! :)

She is still sleepy most of the day...

But is getting more alert, as you can see.

It is such a joy and privilege to take care of Norah. She is a precious gift from God! I was thinking the other day of how much Ray loves her, and how he wants to spoil her with his love and attention. He can't wait 'til she's old enough for him to buy her gifts, and to make her happy by buying her things (haha). But then that reminded of my heavenly father. He also has spoiled me with so many gifts that I don't deserve. Sometimes I feel guilty because I know I don't deserve anything, but then I thought what if Norah felt guilty and didn't want a gift from Ray? Woudln't that dishonor him? It's amazing that just as much as Ray would receive glory and joy from his child enjoying his gifts, that is the same with the Lord. He receives glory when I simply accept the gifts he's so generously given to me. When I receive his gifts, thank him, and acknowledge him as the giver of all good things, that brings glory to God. I don't deserve anything, but he's given me sooooo much. I am so sinful beyond even my own understanding, but God's love and generosity is also beyond my understanding. Thinking this way helps me to also accept trials from God's hand...because I can trust in his perfect love and his desire for me to be sanctified. (So, yes, even when my legs are covered with itchy eczema rashes, I CAN, by God's grace, rejoice because I have already been given so much!) =)

Five weeks old

Norah is now five weeks old! Last night, she slept until 6:30 am! I couldn't believe it when I woke up and saw the clock. For a moment I thought I woke up at night to feed her and just forgot about it, but no, she actually did sleep through the night! My first restful night in five weeks - praise the Lord :)

Here are some things Norah loves to do:

Playing with daddy...

Daddy makes her smile a lot.

Staring contests with mommy...

Falling asleep in her swing...

Falling asleep and smiling during tummy time...

In fact, Norah LOVES to sleep

And sleep some more!

Tummy Time

Norah is able to lift her head up now!

My Parents' Visit

It was such a huge blessing to have my parents come visit us a few weeks ago. They got to meet Norah, the newest addition to our family, and bond with all three grandkids this time.

Every time my parents come, I am reminded of just how blessed I am to have parents who love and fear the Lord. I know my sister said this in her blog, but it's so true that every blessing in my life is somehow a direct result of their faithful prayers for me. I hope that one day, Lord willing, Norah can say that about my prayers for her!

Mom got to stay for two whole weeks, which I think is the longest she has ever stayed with us! She was such a servant, cooking up delicious korean food and helping with the baby. Spending time with her was so sweet. Somehow, when mom is near, everything in life seems to be okay. No worries, just security and comfort. It's crazy to think that now I am a mommy to little Norah and that I will be that same source of comfort to her. How can that be? I feel like I am still a little baby (Ray can attest to that..haha), and now I am experiencing the burdens and joys of motherhood myself!

It was, and always is hard to say "bye" to mom and dad. I wish that they lived closer, but I know in my heart that the relationship me and my sister enjoy with them is due to the fact that they aren't closeby. God has been so good to our family. I see how faithful the Lord has been and it makes my heart well up with thankfulness.

Now that mom is gone and Ray's back at work, I feel like I am living "real life" now. I'm the one in charge of Norah during the day, and sometimes I admit it's really daunting and overwhelming caring for such a little one. What's been sweet, though, is that I really sense the Lord's nearness throughout the day. Even when I haven't been faithful to seek after him, I know he is near, loving me unconditinally and concerned about all of my little worries. I see all the more now how I need to depend on him for every thing in life, big and small. I am so helpless and my faith is so weak, but that's precisely why the Lord is near - he knows I can't do anything without him!

Thank you for coming, grandma and grandpa! See you in Hawaii soon!!

What happened to our little Norah?

Norah is already almost a month old! We can't believe it and are amazed at how quickly she's growing. She outgrew her newborn diapers and even fits into size 3-6 month onesies! :(

So far, she's been a great eater (as you can see) and a great sleeper. We're so thankful! I don't know how long the good sleeping will last, so I am enjoying it now. She fusses a little before I put her down for her naps, but after a good swaddle and a few minutes with the pacifier she's out.

Being a new mom has taught me so much about myself and about God. I see more of the ugliness of my sins - my impatience, anger, lack of faith, anxiety, etc etc. But I am also seeing a glimpse into God's love for us as his child. Even though I love Norah SO much, my love is tainted and flawed at best. Not so with God's love. His love for me is perfect and pure, and so much more than my love for Norah. Also, seeing how dependent Norah is on me for every facet of her being shows me how much I need the Lord. I am utterly helpless without him! I'm sure there is infiintely more to learn as I begin this journey of motherhood, and I hope that I can always depend on my good shepherd to carry me through any difficulties that lie ahead.

Anyways, here are some pictures of our growing baby.

This is what happens when daddy swaddles her...

She's growing already

We went to the doctor today for Norah's two week check up and turns out she's already gained a whole pound! She's now 7 lbs 9 oz and 20 inches long. Our little girl is already growing! We're so thankful that she's growing and doing well. I'm learning to cherish these times when she's a little baby.

Here are some recent photos. The last one is proof that she is eating well. :)