6 months.

I have been fighting a cold - one that I'm fairly certain I got from my husband. Seems fitting somehow as I write this - a little over six months ago, I woke up one day feeling awful. My husband had been sick, and I had woken up with myalgias, fevers and other cold symptoms. I was also having regular contractions. Gosh, I remember wanting to pummel the hubs for giving me a cold on top of having to be in labor. It was a long day filled with anticipation, discomfort, growing excitement and fear. Yes, fear. Fear of the pain, fear from knowing a little too well about all the complications of labor and delivery, fear of the major change that was coming to our tidy little life...and an overall fear of failure. Failure to be a good (read: not obnoxious) patient (sounds silly, but other medical folks will know what I mean), failure to be a good resident, housekeeper, cook, friend, wife, daughter, sister and, of course, mother.

The next 36 hours went by...after waiting at home until 11 pm, followed by 14 hrs of laboring in the hospital and finally undergoing a c-section, our baby boy was born. A son! A real, live human being who was now an integral part of our lives. And here we are, 6 months later, in awe of every moment with baby E since that day...as the hubs and I watch our little man learn about the world around him, seeing the change in his eyes as he discovers something new, tasting solid food for the first time, figuring out how to use his body to maneuver himself across the room to get to his favorite toy, seeing the recognition in his face as his flashes a huge grin when he sees us, reaching out his hands to us. I've heard some people say that it is impossible not to acknowledge that there is a God when impressed with the awesomeness of some great beauty or feat of nature...and I feel the same way every time I look at this amazingly, precious gift that God has given to us. Looking at this tiny creature, I am daily humbled, grateful, terrified and honored all at once.

6 months. What an incredible journey it has been. And I can't wait to see what's next. :)

Fall.

Cooler temps, deep reddish-orange leaves, that crisp, clean scent in the air as I walk into the hospital in the morning -- it's unmistakable, fall is making its arrival. Sure, it still gets super warm during the day and the AC still kicks in most of the time, but my favorite season is upon us. I love wearing long sleeves with scarves, cute jackets, jeans and closed toed shoes -- without having to add the extra bulk. The earthy browns, reds, oranges and deep purples are my favorite colors (ask anyone who has seen my wedding pictures). Football, warm apple cider, mugs of hot chocolate...comfort foods like one-dish pastas, kalbi-jjim (korean braised short ribs), dahn hobahk jook (sweet butternut squash porridge)...that's what fall makes me think of. Before fall comes into full swing, we've been saying goodbye to summer with friendly bbq's (amazing chicken wings and bacon burgers), fresh cocktails (with lemonade and cucumbers!) and walks outside without bugs!!

This time last year, I remember being pregnant and entertaining my darling nieces. Looking back, I can't believe the changes that one year brought to our lives. Niece #1, S, went from kissing "jellybean" goodnight in my belly, being unsure that she would like him since he was going to be a boy, to admitting that he was "really cute and soft, even for a boy baby" when she finally came to see him. The hubs and I went from being us 2, to a family of 3. We've survived sleepless nights, our 3rd anniversary, moving, new jobs and falling in love with baby E.

E after his first haircut. It was rather traumatic for me, but it had to be done since his hair was always in his eyes!

All this change also reminds me, yet again, that I've been very lazy about updating this blog -- I will try to do better. My last post had E at 12 weeks and now he's just about 6 months old!! My little man continues to steal the show, as well as my heart, daily in our happy home.