Updates...

Hi all!

Some updates regarding the fam:

Noah is doing really well. He's making attempts at crawling (by scooting backwards), has figured out the pincer grasp concept, screams for his "da-da" when mommy doesn't appear to cave upon demand, eats big boy food, and flirts shamlessly with every female within a five yard radius. The head tilt and cheesy grin are his favorite moves...it has a 99.5% success rate with the ladies. For those of you guys who are still single...take notes from the kid!

Chris is finishing up his Master's, with just a few more classes to go, while simultaneously completing Naval War College JPME (Joint Professional Military Education) Phase I certification. By February, both should be complete. He's managed to pull this off despite working 10-12 hour days, making frequent trips away from home, while still finding time to spend with me and Noah. It's amazing how he manages his time!

I have just started my next to last semester of graduate school....VERY EXCITING! The plan is to have my Master's completed by December so that I can begin working towards a financial counseling certification that I have applied for. It's an 18 month fellowship that should take me well into our time in Hawaii. I've also contacted several non-profits and look forward to collaborating with them on grant proposals in the near future.

For those of you who have gotten word regarding my hospitalization last week, I'm out and doing well. We were devastated, at first, with some pretty hard news, but we're coping well and taking positive steps towards conquering "the enemy."

Last Thursday, I was admitted overnight for extremely high glucose levels--my glucometer wasn't even registering they were so high (the nurse said most people like that don't walk in with numbers that high. They come in on a stretcher. Someone is definitely watching over me!). It unfortunately appears to be the result of Type 2 diabetes. We won't know for sure until the tests come back and rule out Type 1. Either way, I will have to carefully monitor my blood sugars and maintain a strict diet and exercise regiment for the rest of my life. The good news is that I'm otherwise healthy--very slender, low blood pressure, kidney/liver/heart functions are normal--so if I can get my blood sugars under control, it shouldn't be too much of an uphill battle. Chris and I already eat fairly healthy, so my only problem area is finding time to work out seven days a week while managing both school and Noah. Otherwise, things are good and the doctor hopes we can avoid any insulin dependency. My weight is still dropping, but I'm hoping to prevent any further weight loss by correcting my glucose levels. I'm at a perfect size for my height and I really don't want to get any smaller. Maybe more buff, though! A six-pack would be awesome! ;)

Just wanted to update you all as I'm sure you've heard rumors and wanted to be more aware of what was going on. We still don't have any solid confirmation yet, but the internal medicine doc answered a lot of our concerns. This is definitely a scary time for us, but as always, Chris and I rely heavily upon our faith to pull us through. It's worked thus far and we pray that every day will only reveal good news and positive results. We're very blessed to have caught this in time and without any permanent damage to speak of. For that, we're extremely thankful!

Your prayers and thoughts are welcome. Please don't hestitate to touch base with us if you have any questions, thoughts, or concerns as well. We'll keep you posted as more information is made available.

Love to all,

Amanda (and Chris and Noah)

The Count Censored

Okay...so I watched a LOT of Sesame Street as a little kid, but I never saw this version. ;)

We all know he's saying "counting," but the innuendo is ****ing hilarious! ;)

Amanda

South Korea...

I just finished up another semester of classes on May 5th...THANK GOODNESS! As my reward for a semester well-done, we decided that Noah and I should accompany Chris on a "good deal" trip to South Korea over Mother's Day weekend. For the price of a plane ticket and train fare, the three of us got to hang out in Seoul for eight days (which included a four-day weekend) between two conferences Chris had to attend. We stayed at the Dragon Hill Lodge on the Army base at Yongsan, which is really nice and provides easily access to all the major attractions and shopping districts Seoul has to offer.

Once again, Noah proved to be a great travel buddy--taking the three hour train ride and two hour flight in stride and charming all the flight attendants with his pseudo-shy grins and sideways glances. Before we made it out of Incheon airport, three Korean ladies and one Korean family asked to take pictures with the little guy. Crazy!!! According to all the baby books, Noah should be hitting his "stranger anxiety" stage right about now. I guess Noah hasn't read those chapters or is just ignoring them all together, because he actively engages every stranger he meets. Little did we realize that his airport charm would carry on throughout our ENTIRE trip. More on that later....

While Chris spent the first two days in a conference, Noah and I just relaxed in our hotel room, which was nice given the fact that most of my downtime these days is filled with writing papers or researching grant writing opportunities. I haven't had the opportunity to just veg in ages. Noah pounded a few extra "ba-ba-bas" and watched some Sesame Street, while I read a few People magazines and partook in some Oreo cheesecake, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and good southern-style barbecue that you can't get in Japan....YUM! (We've got one more day here...if I can just find a Papa John's, my mission to replace all the weight I've lost post-pregnancy will be complete!!! :) Naaah...it's good to see my feet again.)

Once Chris was done with his first conference, the three of us began pounding the streets in Osan and Insadong in search of the perfect S.K. loot to bring home. Having grown bored with the insane amount of knock-off Louis Vutton purses, pirated copies of DVDs , and fuschia-colored pimp suits that are all the rage here, we focused on purchasing more higher quality (and legal) items. I sought out hand-made pieces of Korean artistry, including a couple of beautiful tapestries and a large cherry blossom plate that I bought after meeting with the artist in one of the local galleries. VERY nice work. Chris got two custom-made suits for $600 (total), which usually run between $600-1200 a piece back in the States. There's a lot of great deals available in Korea if you avoid the cheap imitations and are looking to invest in some quality goods.

While in Insadong, Noah proved that he was capable of working his "cute factor" in public. Here he is flirting with an unidentifiable woman in the first photo and drawing the attention of a little girl in the second:

Everywhere we went, the Koreans would stare, smile, and attempt to stroke Noah's little hands and face. Surprisingly, he ate it up, cooing and laughing at the attention he received. Photos were being taken constantly--with us, around us, and even from balconies along the street. At times, it would get so bad that we couldn't even take Noah out of the stroller for fear of being pursued and crushed by massive crowds of people wanting to see and touch our blonde-haired, blue-eyed little boy. We would often find ourselves retreating into stores and alleyways just to avoid the hands and the cameras. This must be what running from paparazzi feels like...

At one point, Chris jokingly suggested we set up a booth in downtown Seoul, exploiting Noah by offering $5 photo sessions with him and marketing him as a "good luck charm." "Imagine the money we would make," he said, sarcastically. I can't begin to imagine what kind of attention that would draw or the therapy Noah would one day require to overcome such an harrowing experience. Probably the same level of therapy Britney needs right about now.

As we weaved in and around crowds of weekend shoppers, the three of us ran into some pretty interesting people. The first was a group of Seoul college students looking for an opportunity to practice their English. The girls' names were Candi and Nana (I didn't catch the boys' names), and they were thrilled with the opportunity to speak with us. They asked Chris a lot of questions concerning his job, where we lived, why we were visiting Korea, and then came the following:

Candi: (to me) "You...VERY pretty!"
Me: (embarrassed) Thank you.
Candi: No...You BEAUTIFUL!
Me: Thank you...that's very nice.
Candi: Am I very pretty?
(Nana looks at me and shakes her head "no.")
Me: Yes...you are pretty.
Candi: (laughing) No...she thinks I ugly. That's okay. We think you very pretty.

Here's a photo of our new friends:

And a photo they took of us:

The second was a hilarious hip-hop performance provided by the guys pictured below. SOUL comes to SEOUL!!! So who got served?!?!? ;)

There were also a large group of protestors campaigning against China's forceful repatriation of North Korean refugees. Large signs exhibiting those allegedly tortured and killed by the North Korea government provided a gruesome backdrop to the narrow streets of Insadong. Here's the demonstrators' website: www.444days.org

After a long day, Chris and I took a break and enjoyed some bulgogi beef and kimchi at one of the local restaurants. While I'm not too fond of Korean food, I did give it another go. Noah decided he didn't want any Korean food and just took a nap.

On Sunday morning, Chris and Noah wished me a very "Happy Mother's Day" with a nice lunch and a walk out into the DHL gardens for a little photo shoot. Noah was a little too interested in the flowers and the waterfall to get many great shots of the two of us together, but Chris did his best! :)

We then took another train ride (which Noah loves) over to the Seoul tower in hopes of getting a view of the city. Here's an excited Noah waiting on the train:

The wait for the cable car up to the top of the tower appeared to be more than an hour and a half long, so the three of us opted to get dessert at this fabulous little Italian cafe called, Ncurina. It was located at the base of the Seoul Tower and had an amazing view. They served incredible desserts--I had a piece of apple pie with homemade ice cream, while Chris had the tiramisu. Both were Deeeee-LISH! While we waited for our food, Chris played the role of the cheesy photographer. So who remembers the line, "say pepperoni pizza!!"? :)

On our last free day, we ventured over to one of the castles in hopes of catching a really cool changing of the guards. We were in luck:

There was lots of loud drumming, which Noah appears to LOVE. (BONG!!! **he coos** BONG-BONG!!! **giggle** BONG-BONG-BONG!!! **peels of laughter**)
The kid is terrified of the sound of a crinkled plastic bag and cries at the noises monkeys make, but thinks loud drums are fun and NOT scary. All I can say is that he'd better not be thinking of making a career as a drummer for some heavy metal band some day.


We finally wrapped up our weekend with a trip to...where else? STARBUCKS! Chris and I got a much needed caffeine fix and Noah discovered a new toy in empty paper and plastic cups! What a fabulous way to end a great vacation in Seoul!

Hope you are all having a great week!

~ Amanda

Happy Mother's Day from South Korea!!!

Noah, Chris, and I are currently in South Korea enjoying a little kimchi and bulgogi beef for Mother's Day! We're having a great time and look forward to sharing our S.K. tales upon our return to Japan. For now, we want to wish everyone a "Happy Mother's Day!"

~ Amanda

Aussie Commercial

Here's a commercial we saw while in Australia. This would NEVER be approved for general audience viewing in the States! Or maybe it has and I've just been away too long... :)

Cheers!

Amanda

Australia...

G'Day Mate! Blog capabilities are now back in order. :)

Our trip to Sydney was absolutely fantastic! Chris, Noah, and I couldn't have had a better vacation. We packed in about as much activity as we could with a 7 month old in tow and he did fabulously, especially on both 10-hour flights. Noah was a big hit with the airline stewardesses--they cooed incessantly over what a good baby he was and I think he enjoyed all the attention he received. For parents who haven't flown with small children yet, night flights are definitely the way to go!

Now that I've made two trips to Australia, one to Cairns (destination for exploring the Great Barrier Reef) and one to Sydney, I know I'll never be able to get enough vacation time there to satisfy my interests. The landscape on the eastern coastline is so wonderfully diverse, with rugged "outback" terrain, deserts, beaches, mountains, and rainforests all within close proximity of each other. You could be lying on Manly beach in the early morning, enjoying a mimosa and reading up on the life of sculptor Rayner Hoff, and that very afternoon be drinking your way through a bottle of Verdelho (from Hunter Valley, of course) as you stop for an early evening picnic while overlooking a beautiful sunset in the Blue Mountains.

For our very first day in Sydney (mind you, Chris and I just gotten off a red-eye flight), the three of us just spent several hours at a park near Sydney Harbour. It was so relaxing! We played with Noah on a hill under an olive tree, watching the sailboats glide in and around Port Jackson, the Harbour Bridge, and the iconic Sydney Opera House. The grass there was warm and inviting, and I couldn't resist ditching my shoes and running my toes through it after having spent four months in boots and a ski jacket in northern Japan. Nearby, wild cockatoos and lorikeets--birds I had previously seen only in pet stores and zoos--were wandering amongst the park's visitors, hoping for an afternoon handout. I could have stayed there all day, just watching and unwinding.

We also made day trips to both the Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley. During our trip into the mountains, it was raining and the lush green of the peaks were partially concealed by the rain clouds and rolling fog drifting up from below. Despite the gloom, the combination of light and shade created some beautiful shots for the camera. Our sky car guide commented that such rain would normally block all views from the lookout points, obstructing both the valley and the waterfalls. We were lucky—it was beautiful.

Having Noah with us prevented taking in as many “cellar door” visits in Hunter Valley as we’d have liked, but we managed to visit two separate wineries, collect three bottles of excellent vino, as well enjoy the botanical gardens located there. As it was Fall in Australia, much of the flowering plants had ceded producing blossoms, but I did find a Magnolia tree in which blooms were just beginning to open. I was excited…I had traveled halfway around the world from origins in Georgia to discover the same tree of my childhood (one stands in my parents’ front yard) also grew in southern Australia. I smelled the petals and their fragrance brought back many great memories of my youth…watching red cardinals partake of the seeds, climbing and hanging from its branches, and a memory I’m particularly fond of, pelting my sister with the pointy (and painful) cones they produce. ;) Between wineries, we also witnessed a herd of kangaroos grazing beside a small lake. I just had to take a picture. ‘Roos in the wild…imagine that. So, Christopher Robin really wasn’t making it all up…they really do exist! :)

We also managed to go to the Sydney Aquarium (apparently one of the best in the world, or so they say), as well as Featherdale Wildlife Park. If you ever visit Sydney, I would strongly suggest Featherdale over Toronga Zoo—while it is a large complex, you don’t have the opportunity to pet (or chase and taunt) anything at the latter. What fun is there in that?? :) All kidding aside, it was fantastic watching Noah interact with the animals—he smiled at the wallabies, grabbed for the kangaroos, stroked a koala, slept through the bird exhibits (so did I) and reptile house, and did a lot of head bobbing and weaving in the glass tunnel at the shark exhibit. That was really cool…. and the closest I ever want my baby to encounter a hungry, 15-foot tiger shark!!

Manly Beach was also an incredible spot to visit. Noah, Chris, and I rose early Friday morning, donned our swimwear (Noah was super cute in his, but peed his way through both the “waterproof” diaper AND “waterproof” swim shorts), and drove out to play in the sand and watch the surfers ride the waves. Residents of Manly Beach are clearly not hurting for money—I watched “glamour moms” strolling with their “glamour babies” and later drive away in their posh Mercedes. Walking along the sandy beach, I definitely felt like I was in Orange County, CA…I should probably mention that I’ve never actually been there, but based upon television’s all too accurate depictions of people and places, I’m pretty sure it makes for a good comparison. ;) It, at least, presents a good example of what living in Hawaii will be like in 9 months. I digress.

Noah was able to jump a few waves with Daddy’s assistance, rubbed his tiny toes in the sand, and attempted to shove handfuls of the stuff directly into his mouth. He loved it! We then walked the boardwalk up and down the beach, before heading back to Sydney for a final day of shopping and sightseeing.

Well, this is getting long and I’m running out of time as Noah has just finished his “ba-ba-ba”. Our trip to Sydney was a blast! We hope to one day return when Noah is a little older and can actually enjoy and remember all the sites, activities, and adventures!

Love,

Amanda