Kiki's walking!

Kiki started walking last week!

And right around that time, she started INSISTING on wearing her favorite jacket that Lisa Eemo gave her and carrying her little Easter basket all over the apartment. Sometimes, she wants to wear her hat and shoes, too, like she's always ready to head out the door and do a little shopping.

Oh, we're doomed.





(Sorry for the bad images -- camera phone is the best I can do these days.)

Here's a pic of Kiki wearing a cute tank sent by our babysitter's mom in Canada, her very own fashion fairy godmother. As you can see, Kiki still doesn't have a lot of hair, but what she has is getting longer. At least she's finally getting a couple of new teeth!



After getting her 12-month immunization shots (at 13.5 months--oops), we decided to hang out on the front stoop with the other babies in our building. (Of the 8 apts in the bldg, 3 of us had babies in one year...and now 2 of us are pregnant again!) Cecilia (the girl next to Keeks) is 6 months older, and Jacob (in front) was born within minutes of Kiki. Amazing!

Time to pick up the laundry.

Spring brings romance!

The snow and cold finally let up for a weekend, so we took Kiki to the park on Saturday and Sunday for a long overdue romp in the playground. This was Kiki's first real social encounter with other little ones, and it didn't take long for the kisses to come out!



Still, she's only a baby and she got bored pretty quickly.

Christmas in Montana

Note: I've been having some technical difficulties with blogger and a few pics were lost. I'll try to reload the pics later.

The flights to Montana were a mixed bag...
We often got an empty middle seat for Kiki to play and nap in, but because the flights were longer and later, she was much more restless.

After flying through snow, we arrived in Montana to see Grandma and the rest of Scott's family.

We went sledding, which Kiki didn't "get"...

But the rest of us had fun.

Actually, Kiki had a lot more fun on the swing in the playground in front of Scott's mother's house.





Back at the house, Kiki had fun playing with (i.e. pulling the tails of) the pets...



...and running around without clothes. Until she peed on Scott's mom's nice rug. Then the naked-time was over.

Snow day!

On the first big blizzard of the season, we all went out to Prospect Park to introduce Keeks to snow. (Actually, there was a blizzard during her first week of life, but I don't think she remembers.)



Kiki didn't "get" the snow for a long time. She just sat there, looking at turns bored or miserable.

Here's the miserable look.

Finally, after her mother threw herself into the snow and rolled around like a dog making barking noises, she livened up.

Here comes the (former) Chief!

Bill was doing photo-ops with Clinton Fdn employees' families, so I schlepped a sleep-deprived Kiki up to Harlem on the subway in rush hour. She wasn't being terribly cooperative, but at least she wasn't crying.


Hopefully, Keeks will get a thrill out of this picture when she's grown up and reads about Bill in history books. And about the blue dress and beret. Sort of like what Keeks is wearing...

Thanksgiving in New Orleans

Kiki's first plane ride was surprisingly easy. She slept at the take-offs and happily played (mostly) during the ride.

It definitely helped that there were three of us to keep her happy, well fed, and rested.


We settled into Theresa's 1-bdm hotel timeshare. The uncles had the couch while the Paik-Powells had the bedroom.

Kiki had a blast playing with her uncles. And I think they had fun, too.


Kiki and I headed south to Harvey to visit her great-great grandparents, or as Scott calls them, her hal-halmoni and her hal-halabogi.

They were all smitten with each other. They even helped babysit, feed and play with her. Kiki particularly loved standing while holding her great-grandmother's walker.


On probably the best morning in New Orleans history, we drove out to Oak Alley Plantation to tour one of the most beautiful sites in the South.


It was a really fun place to take pictures.




Thanksgiving was filled with lots of food (Korean and American) and lots of family (Korean and American).

Because there were so many of us, we all just ate wherever we could find a flat surface. This made for a really casual and relaxed evening.




Kiki loved being surrounded by so many people who love her. And she didn't seem to mind when her halmoni and hal-halmoni fought over her.


Our last meal together as a group was a wonderful jazz brunch at the Court of Two sisters, courtesy of Andy. It was absolutely decadent, with enough dishes for everyone to make a pig of themselves.


Jason tried to sample all the desserts, but could only manage a few favorites. Pineapple upside cake, coconut cake, oreo cake, chocolate mousse cake, pecan pie, cheesecake, ice cream.

(clapping for the jazz, maybe also the food)

Kiki was a good sport and let everyone have a turn holding her.


After brunch, we took a stroll around the French Quarter to walk off the food. It was strangely cold, as cold as it ever gets in New Orleans. And colder than we were prepared for. We made do.



Kiki really grew and blossomed during this trip. She learned a lot of new games, made lots of new friends, and became much more outgoing.

Now, if only I can get her back on a regular sleep schedule!