Kaya's 1st Halloween!

We had SO much fun today! Uncle David & Auntie Misuzu brought Adam and Joshua over in the afternoon and we spent the day watching Halloween movies (Nightmare Before Christmas & It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown). We baked & decorated brownies with Halloween sprinkles and orange & black frosting. We made special orange colored chocolate milk with black sprinkles. Grandpa Josiah came, too and brought us dinner from Porto's. Then the kids put on their costumes and we all went trick-or-treating. There were hundreds of kids on the streets which made it exciting but kind of hard to get around. Some of the houses had some really cool decorations. We got lots of candy and had a great day. Kaya looked very cute in her Spiderman costume and had fun trick-or-treating until she fell asleep in Mama's arms in the middle of the noisy crowd.

Up next: Baby's 1st Thanksgiving!

Kaya of the Day: Crankypants

My poor little bella boo is a little bit sick. She has a cough for the first time in her life :(. She didn't sleep well last night and she's really cranky today. I went and bought her a vaporizer so I will turn that on when I put her down tonight and hopefully it will help. Anyway, here is my daily photo. I know that I vowed to never put ribbons or bows or headbands on her bald head cause I think it's really silly but I think she looks cute wearing Mama's headband!

Kaya of the Day: Punkin Princess

Mommy & Me

Grandma Kim sent me this photo of my first Halloween (October 1981) today. It was taken at Great-Grandpa Kirk's school's Halloween parade. (GG Kirk is the one in the monster mask) I love the photo and I cannot believe how much I look like Kaya! I put up a photo of Kaya making a similar face for comparison. Crazy, huh?

Facebook Survey: My 1st Born

I never usually do these silly Facebook survey-quiz things but I thought this one was kind of fun. I realized after I did it that some of these little details are things that I may forget in time. I remember asking my mom tons of questions when I was pregnant about her pregnancies and birth experiences and I was surprised by how little she actually remembered. I thought that I might as well save this for posterity. I may get a kick out of it in the future when I no longer remember all the tiny little details and Kaya may enjoy reading more about the time we spent sharing a body. So, here it is:

My 1st Born

Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your first born! Just copy and paste it in a new note for yourself! 

Let's see how much you remember! 

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? 
Yeah, not so much.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? 
Nope

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? 
I was completely shocked, followed by a mixture of ECSTATIC and TERRIFIED. 

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? 
Um, wow, super inappropriately personal question for a facebook quiz. Technically, yes, I am lucky enough to live in a state that respects women's right to make their own choices for their lives and their bodies so I could have chosen that option. However, I was a healthy, happy, gainfully employed adult in love and in a healthy, happy relationship with a responsible, financially secure, well-adjusted adult man so I couldn't think of one good reason not to have my child.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 
27 

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? 
Funny story, that. I spent the evening drinking large amounts of Jack Daniels with Kelsey, Lauren and Jazmin and we all went and got tattoos at a sketchy little place in Glendale. Then we went to drink some more and while we were walking home, I noticed that my boobs were huge and sore so I said (totally joking) "I think I'm pregnant", Lauren happened to have a pregnancy test stick in her purse so I took it as soon as I got home, with all of them in the bathroom with me. Sure enough, it was +.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? 
Kels, Lauren and Jazmin were in the bathroom with me. I think Lauren told Patrick before I even had a chance to tell my baby daddy. But, Shaun was the 1st person that I actually announced the news to.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? 
Yes, we had an awesome 3D/4D ultrasound at a super cool place that has a 100 inch screen and seating for 10. Shaun, Kels and my dad were all there & we held a phone up to the speakers so Amy could hear the heartbeat. When they told me it was a girl I was more excited than I have ever been about anything in my whole life

9. DUE DATE? 
January 27, 2009

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? 
I had a super easy pregnancy but there were a few times that I barfed, not necessarily in the morning. Once I puked on an airplane leaving NYC, I sat down huge and pregnant in the middle of the aisle and everyone just acted like they couldn't see me. It was really weird.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? 
Pepperonis! (And I don't even really like pepperoni, normally) I had trouble sleeping and I used to sit up at like 3 am watching Food Network and eating raw pepperonis straight out of the package and then I would go to Subway before work like everyday and get bread with just pepperonis and cheese.

11b. DID YOU HAVE ANY FOOD AVERSIONS? 
No, but Shaun was the Prenatal Vitamin Nazi & he made me take these disgusting "food based" vitamins that smelled like Spinach and tasted like asshole and I had to take 6 a day and they made me want to barf

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? 
NOTHING! I LOVED being pregnant and wish I could be pregnant forever and always.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? 
Girl

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? 
No way, man. My baby is perfect, I wouldn't change a thing.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 
60 and I enjoyed every pepperoni of it

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? 
Yes, it was awesome and so much fun. Kels and my mom did the best job planning it.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? 
I knew but there were lots of surprises like people/presents I wasn't expecting. And the afterparty was very surprising, indeed. 

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? 
Kind of, I was in the hospital for a couple days really early on but it wasn't a big deal

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? 
Glendale Adventist Hospital 

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 
20

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? 
Kels, Shaun and I drove there but I randomly decided on the way there that I needed cute, warm knee socks because I kept having images of my legs and feet up in the stirrups while I was in labor and I didn't feel like I had the right socks so we stopped at Target, then we met my mom at KFC and ate some chicken, then went to the hospital (Mind you, I was dilated to 3 cm, having contractions through all of this)

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? 
Besides medical professionals, it was only Shaun and I. It was very intimate & a perfect way to start our life as a little family. I might actually cry thinking about it.

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? 
Natural-ish. My stubborn little bean had her head facing the wrong way and refused to move it and had our cord around her neck so they used vaccuum-extraction and forceps

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? 
No pain meds or narcotics but I certainly did have an epidural. I did 8 hours with no pain relief, 10 hours on the epidural and then they removed it and I did 2 hours with no pain relief to actually deliver her.

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 
6lbs 14oz 

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? 
7:10 pm on January 13, 2009 (4 days before her daddy's 30th b-day and 2 weeks early)

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? 
Kaya Holiday Sangkarat

31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 
9 months


I don't actually expect that anyone has read this far but if someone has actually gotten to this- thanks! This was mostly for me because the 9 months I spent with that sweet girl in my belly was the best time of my whole life and the day I had her was the most joyful, blissful experience ever. I just like to re-live it in my head over and over. And, I know I am totally corny but I love hearing about other people's birth and pregnancy experiences, too. Please share!

Kaya of the Day: Optical Illusion

This picture is really funny to me because it is kind of a cool optical illusion. Kaya can't actually stand up on her own yet, though it looks like she is here. She is actually leaning her head and shoulders forward and she is almost in a sitting position with her butt and back supported by the wall behind her. The way that her dress is hanging, though, it looks like she is completely upright, at least until you notice that her feet aren't even flat on the ground. I think she is very close to standing independently for real, though. She can walk around furniture while holding on to it (baby books call it "cruising" and most babies can't do it until 10 months). I have seen her let go and stand on her own for a few wobbly seconds at a time before plopping down onto that cute green diapery butt. Any day now! But, for now, we have this adorable picture to imagine what it's gonna be like!

Le Petit Superstar

The last time we took Kaya to the pediatrician she was 8 months and 3 weeks old and weighed 16 lbs. That put her in the 8th percentile for her age, meaning that 92% of her peers are bigger than her. So, she is very, very tiny. I forget about that fact since she is growing out of all her clothes and getting chubbier and stronger every day. However, when you see Kaya next to another baby her age, you realize that she is a wee little thing. These pictures are of her playing with Eloise, a little girl who is exactly one week older than Kaya. She looks GIGANTIC next to our little bean. Look at that massive head! And all that hair!

I love her little Rocky t-shirt, too. I wish they made them in my size! And, here is my petit superstar rocking some cool shades she got as a party favor at her cousins birthday party. I want to chew on her fat little cheekies whenever I see these pics!

Grandma Kim came to visit last night and we bought Kaya's Halloween costume. She looks SO cute in it, I can't wait!!!

Oktoberfest

We are loving the change in the weather and even the colors of the leaves on some of the trees on our street that has come with the start of October. It's much more enjoyable to be outside now and we are taking advantage of all the autumn produce that has come into season. Kaya loves squash and Honeycrisp apples. I think my favorite part is getting to dress her up in all the little hoodies, cardigans, coats and legwarmers. Though, I have to admit, her father's eye for fashion is much better than mine. We have been taking turns getting up with her in the morning since she still thinks 4:45 am = PARTYTIME! and I fell about laughing the other morning when I woke up and saw her all dressed and ready for the day wearing this eclectic get up. Though I never in a million years would have picked it out (really 2 hoods and a hat are probably excessive) I think it was the most adorable thing I've ever seen her in.

We are super excited for Halloween though Kaya's costume is still in the planning stages and I'm not quite ready to reveal it yet. We do have a plan for Halloween night that involves trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving and Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin watching with the cousins. We are trying to make the holiday last month long with various Halloween fashions, as well. Grandma Kim gave us some candy corn socks and a pumpkin bib and Kenya gave us an awesome skeleton suit that I plan to dress her in long after Halloween is over.

So, we are really looking forward to Halloween, especially because it means that the holiday season is officially starting!