To my Owen,

Hello baby! You are just over 12.5 months now. We celebrated your real birthday about 3 weeks ago, at a nice restaurant in Fort Lee with Mommy, Daddy, and grandparents from both sides. We had the cutest monkey cake for you (which we enjoyed on your behalf, sorry).

Starting from a week ago, you started making this cute face where you scrunch up your eyes and nose and open your mouth eye. You also tilt your head to the side to be cute. You make Mommy and Daddy laugh so much. You also started to be able to balance on your two feet without holding on to anything. Wahoo! Mommy would be holding your hands, and you slowly let go to show off your skills. We can't wait till you take your first step.

Also, now that you turned one, you have transitioned to whole milk. Whoohoo!! No more paying for expensive formula. In the beginning, you didn't like the cold milk, and you also had to get used to drinking from a straw in your thermos. But you got used to it pretty quickly, and now you can slurp down your milk in multiple gulps through the straw. You have also been eating anything and everything! From all the Korean soups, rice, fish, beef, chicken, egg, peanut butter, kiwi, banana, sweet potato, avocado, etc. It's so fun to see you eat well. Sometimes you spit out your food when you are full though, and Mommy does not like that.

Mommy is currently working from home, and you are supposed to be napping, but you are just standing up in your crib, cruising here and there, and babbling to yourself. Oh Owen.

Coming up, we have the holidays! Mommy and Daddy will be hosting Thanksgiving with Daddy's side of the family, and Christmas with Mommy's side. It will be a busy time, but also a good time to remember all the things that God has blessed our family with, and to be thankful. We are looking forward to spending this years' holidays with you. Love you little one.

Love,
Mommy

Originally dated 10/17/17

To my Owen,

It has been quite some time since Mommy last updated this blog -- and so much has happened. As I try to recollect everything, please know that you have given Mommy and Daddy so much joy. You have added so much richness into our lives, and you truly make our family better.

Mommy is currently writing this on the airplane, as I go on my second business trip during your early years. I am sad, but also know that Daddy takes amazing care of you.

One huge milestone that you have met is that you have started crawling at the age of 10 months! Mommy and Daddy thought you might skip crawling and go straight go walking, but you have surprised us (as usual) and started to crawl one Friday afternoon when you came home from school. We were jumping for joy, laughing and shrieking, as we were so excited to see you develop in this way. You began to crawl anywhere and everywhere, both at home and at school, and found a new way to explore the world around you. Currently, you easily pull yourself up, love standing on your feet, and just began to cruise while holding onto anything that gives you stability. We delight in watching you crawl -- it is just the cutest sight to see.

When you were around 11 months, you went on your first airplane trip to Savannah and Charleston. You were great! You slept the entire way on the plane there and back. You were also such a good sport on the trip, as it was very hot (temperature was in the 90s!). You sweated a lot, but you seemed happy to spend the entire week with Mommy and Daddy. You were constantly smiling and laughing when you saw our faces, and it was that much harder for both of us to go back to work after our week together.

And now, you are nearing your first birthday (ah!). We celebrated your dohl last weekend at Minado with friends and family. I am sure you will see lots of pictures from the big day, but you did not even cry throughout the whole party. You were a bit overwhelmed so did not smile much for the camera, but you were not cranky which made the dohl a success. You were so handsome -- you wore an outfit that grandma bought for you, and we put gel on your hair for the first time. You looked adorable.

We love you so much.

Love,
Mommy

To my Owen,

Hi my baby! Mommy has not had a chance to update this blog in a while... but you are now 9.5 months, and the happiest baby I have ever encountered. So much has changed since my last post. Mommy got a new job, and went back to work. Your transition to daycare was a blessing, and you love your teacher and your friends there. About a month ago, you started to babble "appa" and "umma" (appa came first...). You have two little pearly white front teeth on your bottom coming in. We are still waiting for you to crawl... but we are not rushing you. You actually have started to maneuver around a bit on your tummy, and can now turn/change directions. You learned to clap, and will now clap at anything and everything. It is just too cute. You also learned that when we say "koong", you will inch your head forward so that our heads will touch. It cracks us all up.

One sad but inevitable update is that you caught your first virus 2 weeks ago, and it was so sad to see you sick, fighting a runny/congested nose, and hearing you cough. But not to our surprise, you were still a happy boy. You were playful and giggly, and so mommy and daddy were not too worried. You hate the nose frida, but until you learn how to blow your own nose, we will have to suction that snot out. Sorry, Owen.

We just want to let you know how much mommy and daddy have been enjoying you and loving you. You make us beam from ear to ear, and you melt daddy's heart in a way in which not even mommy can. You love daddy so much to the point that when you even hear his voice, you are already grinning. You find him so funny, because well, he is funny :). Grandparents have also been over the moon with you. It's no surprise, since whenever you see them, you greet them with a huge smile! You are just so loveable, and I really do hope that when you are older and reading this, you will know how loved you were at even so young an age.

Mommy and daddy thank God for you every single day. We pray with you every night before you go to bed. It is our nightly ritual, and we thank God for his protection over you, your health and growth, and pray that you will always spread His love and joy to those around you. We love you so much, in a way words can't express.

Love.
Mommy

To my Owen,

Hello my baby! You just turned 7 months and you love eating! So far, you've had carrots, avocados, bananas, butternut squash, green beans, and sweet potato. You have loved every single one of them. I am so happy you are a good and joyful eater. If I don't feed you fast enough, you even get a bit demanding.

Another exciting event was your first trip to Manhattan last week! I forgot how difficult it is to find a bathroom big enough to have a changing table in the city, but we managed to change you in a Barnes and Noble and in the car. You were a good trooper. You actually went to the city two days in a row. The first day we met up with Uncle Will and we went to Sugarfish. You were a little fussy there because you were tired, but you fell asleep in my arms and I gently placed you back into your stroller. We also met up with Aunt Da Hee and went to Madison Square eats, where you were still passed out. Finally, we went to Uncle Tae and Will's apartment, and even got to go up to the rooftop to enjoy the view. I think you liked it too.

The next day, we went in to the city with grandma and met Aunt Soojin at Ippudo, mommy's favorite ramen place in the city. We also went to go get cream puffs at Bibble and Sip. Mommy and daddy were very happy and full :)

Tomorrow will be your first day of daycare at Bayer Discovery days. Mommy is nervous, but also hopefully that you will do great! I am praying for wonderful teachers to love you and make you laugh while mommy is at work. Also praying for God's protection over the daycare and the children, and all daycares and all children! We hope that you will learn sharing, kindness, respect, love, joy, and learn to have lots of laughter! Love you so much.

Love,
Mommy

To my Owen,

Hello my 6 month old! You have become quite the sitter! You are so much more stable sitting up on your own, and you can now turn your head and wave your arms/reach for things while keeping balance. You are just growing too fast.

We hit another big milestone yesterday - we introduced solid food to you! Mommy made jook, and at first you liked it, then hated it, and then loved it! Today was day two, and you have been chomping down on the spoon. It is ridiculously adorable to see you eating from a spoon, and you open your mouth wide as I approach your mouth with the spoon. You are too cute and smart! You also use your little tongue to lick your lips, and it makes mommy and daddy wonder at how lovely God made you. We thank Him everyday for you. Thank you for being the best baby. I love you!

Love,
Mommy

To my Owen,

Hi my baby! You hit a big milestone yesterday - you sat up all by yourself! (A good 5 seconds later, you started tilting to the right until gravity got the best of you and that's when mommy swooped in). Mommy and daddy were both there to witness it, and we were smiling and clapping and just so full of joy to catch these little milestones from you. You also started reaching for and grabbing your little feet while laying on your back. You even started clapping your happy feet together. Another new thing mommy noticed was that you started hitting the bottle (with a good amount of force) while feeding. It's so entertaining to see you fool around and refuse the bottle when you are full. You push the bottle away and then block your mouth with both hands, push the nipple out with your tongue, etc. But mommy is persistent and makes you finish your milk. :) I think you also started teething, because you have been making these new funny mouth movements. I can't wait to see those little white pearls pop up!

Today, we had lunch with grandparents at Mcloone's Boathouse in West Orange, and we had plans to walk around the lake but it was raining so we only got to walk a very little. The place was nice, and got us thinking that we can possibly celebrate your first birthday there. We shall see.

I alway want you to know that you make being a mom the best job anyone can ask for. I love you so much!

Love always,
Mommy

To my Owen,

Sorry for the much delayed post. So much has happened since the last blog. During the last week of March, we took our first family trip to Washington DC. You visited 2 museums -- the National Air and Space Museum as well as the National Gallery of Art. You were a pretty good sport throughout the whole trip. We ate at some delicious brunch spots such as Founding Farmers, and had dinners at restaurants such as the classic Old Ebbitt Grill or the Michelin Star Blue Duck Tavern in the Park Hyatt hotel that we stayed at. You were a popular baby at Old Ebbitt Grill - we had a couple of the waitresses come by to try and make you giggle and smile. On the day of our check-out. the fire alarm went off, which took you by surprise and scared you. Mommy carried you down 9 flights of stairs holding your one ear close to my chest and covering your other ear with my hand.

The whole trip was a big learning experience for mom and dad, and we realized that traveling with a newborn forces you to be very flexible and on-the-go. Did I mention that you woke up at 3AM on our first night there, and you and dad had some bonding time with the night cleaning crew down in the lobby for an hour or so?

Besides that, you have been wonderfully sleeping through the night. Whoo-hoo! You have been loving bath time, kicking your feet and splashing water everywhere! You have also been playing around while eating, swatting the bottle away with your hand and sticking your tongue out while drinking from the bottle. You also started gurgling the milk and make funny noises while drinking. You did your first "jam jam" (opening and closing your fist), which we were all waiting for you to do since your 100 day.

Weather was beautiful today, so we took a stroll outside around the neighborhood, and hung out in the back patio afterwards. You were chilling in the bumbo wearing the new hat grandma got you, and you looked so adorably cute and mommy took a bunch of photos of you loving the outdoors :)

Oh - one surprising update. You no longer require the pacifier, because you started sucking on your fingers instead. But guess which fingers? Your index and middle finger - the same ones mommy sucked as a baby. When I first saw you do it, I thought it was a coincidence. But without fail, those are the only fingers you will suck on. Mom and dad and grandparents thought that was too funny.

We all love you so much. Mommy has been smothering you with kisses. Your cheeks and chin are constantly slimy from all the saliva, but that doesn't stop mommy. You have also been cracking up at whatever daddy says to you. Oh, we are enjoying you so much.

Love,
Mommy