Back in the USA

After almost 30 hours of traveling we arrived back in Florida. The flight was just as long as I remembered and Colin did very well as usual. He was a lot more active this time around but with both Shelby and I to wrangle and entertain him things worked out just fine. We finally made it to bed about 3am EST on Thursday morning but Colin didn't think it was bedtime just yet after sleeping on the plane most of the time. Hopefully we can get back on schedule quickly!

Weekend with Daddy

Daddy Weekend

This weekend Colin had his first overnight away from me. Shelby had a doctor appointment in Seoul on Monday and so he decided to just head up there early on Saturday and make a weekend of it. I stayed behind at Kunsan for a little "mommy time" without the baby. They left Saturday afternoon on the train and went to stay at Yongsan's Dragon Hill Lodge. On Sunday they went to Hooters in Seoul. That is Shelby's "thing" with Colin, to take him to the Hooters around the world and get his picture taken with the girls. When Colin was just 2 1/2 weeks old Shelby took him to Hooters Atlanta and had his picture taken. So off to Hooters Seoul they went and they had their picture taken with the girls there too. I am sure Colin will thoroughly appreciate this tradition later in life. After that Daddy got Colin ice cream. Back at the hotel he put the shower curtain down on the floor and Colin went to town with his ice cream cone. He had it from head to toe and it sure looked fun. Shel was very good about putting Colin on the webcam and taking lots of pictures for me since I was missing him pretty bad. While they were away Shelby discovered that Colin can stand with support pretty well and he likes it too. They had a fun weekend together but I was glad to have them back.

Eight Months Old!

Colin 8 Months

We now have four teeth, two up top and two on the bottom. Two more uppers are on their way. We've started finger foods but he isn't really sure what to do with them. We've given him cereal puffs which he likes to throw on the floor and toast sticks which he does eat. I tried some canned mixed veggies the other day but he wasnt so sure what to do with them either. He likes food in the mesh food feeder. He still hates all vegetables from a jar. He's trying to crawl and has a couple times. He gets up on all fours and lunges forward onto his belly and that is about the extent of it. He just hasn't figured it out yet. He babbles all kinds of things and sings along with his toys. We are in size 3 diapers but wear size 4 at night to help ward off leakage. He is still obsessed with cords, cables, strings, straps or anything of that variety. He can spend in hour in my lap if my pants have a drawstring or tie on them. These are his 8 month portraits, I tried to get him up on all fours but he just wasn't having it.

Wordless Wednesday

Time to go

Monday morning I got up and started the miserable task of packing all my stuff to get ready to head home. I had entirely too much stuff even without all the additional stuff I bought in Seoul so it wasn't fun. I eventually decided to send a box of warm clothes to Idaho since I would be visiting there next week and wouldn't need them in Florida. That left some decent room in my suitcases for more important things like purses and shoes! :) We ran some last minute errands to mail the clothes and buy some diapers to last until I got home and then caught the bus to the airport. For the last couple of days I'd been dreading that awful flight home but I had other things to occupy my time and make me forget about it. However, once you get on the bus to the airport you really can't help but dread your inevitable fate of being held captive for 16 hours on a plane with a 7 month old. Shelby and I got to talking about how excited I was about the plane ride and he suggested I just stay. I thought he was joking but warned him not to tempt me and that I would do just about anything to avoid spending the next 24 hours traveling with Colin and without sleep. He said he wasn't joking that I should just stay the next two and a half weeks that he has left here and then we can fly home together. So we got to the airport and went to the ticket counter and the very helpful lady got me all set up on a new flight home on the 29th of April. So instead of getting on a plane for 16 hours we hopped a public city bus from the airport to Gunsan City and in a little under four hours we were back in the good old dorm room. Too bad Shelby didn't have this bright idea earlier and we could have avoided a lot of uneccessary packing and time riding busses! At any rate I will be spending a little more time in Korea than originally planned, I kinda like it here though so that's just fine with me. I am bummed about having to cancel my trip to Idaho to visit my family though, we won't make it out there until later this summer now. I'm sure the next two weeks here will be exciting and we'll find something fun to do. We'll try not to leave anyone at rest stops or visit the emergency room this time around!
P.S. The pictures I snapped this morning before we left they hotel, they are of the view from our room.

Seoul Sunday

Seoul Sunday

Sunday morning we woke up and hopped the Subway to Seoul Grand Park to spend the day. There are lots of things to do there including a theme park, a zoo, a rose garden, botanical garden and walking trails. We went to Seoul Land first and walked around there checking out the rides and food. Colin was able to ride a few things with us which was exciting. Shelby took him on his first ever ride, the Zepplin. He seemed to like it and looked all around as the ride went in circles up in the air. Later on I took him on the flying elephant ride and he liked that pretty well too.

After Seoul Land we went to the Zoo and Botanical Garden. The Botanical Garden was having an orchid festival that was incredible. There was every kind of orchid imaginable and they were fabulous! I can see why there are clubs of people obsessed with this flower, they are all so intricate and detailed. I took tons of pictures because they were all do darn pretty! I don't think Shelby (or Colin) were nearly as impressed with the orchids as I was...silly boys! After walking through the botanical garden we wandered the zoo for a bit and then headed back towards the subway station. Colin got a huge mylar balloon that looked like a dolphin that he thought was super fun. Shelby had Colin strapped to his chest in the Jeep carrier and he would hold the balloon out in front of him and Colin would smack his hands on it and make noise and giggle and laugh about it.

We hung around the hotel that night and had dinner at one of the hotel restaurants, more good steak but with crab legs this time...mmmmm how I miss crab legs! Colin has learned what we are doing when we eat and knows that if he makes a scene he will be bribed to behave with what we are eating. He got pieces of cantaloupe from the dessert bar and bread too. He really liked the cantaloupe but wasn't satisfied with the little pieces we were giving him and when we'd give him a large chunk to suck on he'd stuff the whole thing in his mouth. Darn I wish I wouldn't have packed and shipped all the mesh baby feeder things! Oh well.

Happy Easter!

Colin's 1st Easter

Here are Colin's Easter pictures. Since we were at the hotel in Seoul he missed all the Easter Bunny/egg hunt stuff. Thankfully he's too young to understand all that anyway. I watched all the kids in the hotel that morning and wondered about all the different stories their parents had made up about how the Easter bunny can still find them in a hotel in Korea, lol. I am sure that will be us one day!

I found a patch of grass and some spring flowers to get a couple Easter pictures of him but it didn't go as planned. Usually I am really good at getting decent pictures out of him. This time around all he cared about was ripping up the grass and flowers and eating them. Oh well, we tried!

Seoul Saturday

Seoul Saturday

Friday midday we caught the noon bus out of Kunsan to Osan. This bus always stops about halfway at one of the rest stops and we always go in and get snacks and use the bathroom. I went in first while Shelby watched Colin and then when I came back he went in. We weren't sitting together on this ride because the bus was packed out and so one of us got to sit with Colin near the front of the bus and the other at the back of the bus alone. I got back on the bus and took over Colin duty and started feeding him his lunchtime fruit while the bus driver came back on the bus, counted the seats and then sat down in the driver's seat. I didn't see Shelby get back on the bus but assumed since the driver counted he wouldn't go anywhere if the headcount was wrong. So when he started to pull out I turned around to scan the back of the bus and didn't see Shelby. About that same time the other people on the bus notice me looking around and the American (we stick out like a sore thumb)guy running towards the bus and they started yelling at the driver to stop. Now Shelby can walk around base and people will recognize him as the guy that almost got left at the rest stop, lol.

When we got to Osan we hung around there for a bit waiting for the bus to take us to Youngsan and did some shopping while we waited. I found two new purses and a cork picture like this I've been wanting to get. We got to Younsan (Army base in center of Seoul) and checked into the hotel and went to Itaewon for some Out.back Steakhouse, yum!

Saturday morning we got up and headed to the Namdaemun Market. We went there back in December but didn't much time to explore so I wanted to go back. I found some more goodies there of course. The market is huge and has a little bit of everything from household things like cooking supplies and home decor to clothing to food and Korean souvenier type things. We saw some funny things at the market as you can see in the pictures. I tried to get pictures of the a couple things but it just didn't work out. One was of the legless man that ties on innertubes around his pant legs/limbs so that he can drag/army crawl himself through the market on his belly pushing a small cart with a radio on it. It plays music and people put money in his basket. I thought it was rude to take a picture so I didn't, but it is definitely something I have never seen before. Next time you want to complain about your life look around and hush! Another thing I tried to get pics of were the motorcycles/mopeds LOADED down with boxes of stuff to deliver. I mean they strap it on to every inch possible and pile it two stories high and ride around like that, it's amazing they can keep balanced!

On the way back to the hotel we passed a woman in full traditional dress standing on the corner. We weren't sure why she was dressed up but she was pretty and so we asked to take her picture. I have seen the dressed in the shops, but not on a person before so that was cool. Colin fell asleep on the walk back when he was up on Shelby's shoulders. He was passed out, drool and all! LOL

For dinner we got reservations at a place called Top Cloud Restaurant. It's on the 33rd floor of this huge awesome building in downtown Seoul. The view at night up there was very nice with all the city lit up for miles. The restaurant was a little fancier than we were expecting based on the concierge info but the food was amazing! A lot of it we had no clue what it was but I had a steak filet that was excellent! When the bill came Shelby asked me if that was the total or a credit card number, lol.

From way up in the restaurant we could see what looked from up there to be little boats floating down the river. We walked over to where it was and it turned out to be paper latern art sculptures that were on pedestals in the river for some kind of art display. They were really cool and I got good pictures of several of them. The riverwalk area was so pretty all lit up and downtown Seoul is beautiful at night.

Cherry Blossoms!

Eunpa Park Spring

Much like the fall leaves changing colors, you can't pinpoint the exact time that the cherry trees will bloom out each spring. It's sometime in mid April usually and again, like the fall leaves, it peaks and then it's gone all within a matter of days. I've been dying watching the buds on the trees all over base and in Gunsan hoping that they would bloom before I had to leave. We had been down to Eunpa Park, which is well known for the hundreds of cherry trees that line the street and park, last weekend and they weren't blooming yet. Thursday was my last night to see them in Gunsan since we would be heading to Seoul on Friday morning.

When we got down there the trees were in full bloom and it was AWESOME! The pink and white blooms on the trees covered the street and lined the path along the lake. I've always wanted to see the cherry blossoms in Washington D.C. but this was definitely much better! I took a ton of pictures and the park was packed with other people enjoying the flowers. We walked up and down the park in the daylight and then went up to eat dinner at my favorite Chinese restaurant from the last time I was here. We order this meal intended for 3-4 people that includes about 6 different meat dishes plus some rice, yaki, and eggrolls. We just graze like cows on it and get way too full because everything is delicious!

After the dinner we went back to the park because it was dark out and Eunpa Park has some great lights after dark. The bridge is lit up with lights that change colors and all the trees lining the road are also lit up with colored lights and the cherry blooms reflect the light and it is beautiful. I am so glad I got to see it before I had to leave, it was absolutely something not to miss.

Passing the time

I can't believe how fast the last month has gone. It surely doesn't feel like we've been here in Korea for a month already. This last week not too much exciting happened. Friday and Saturday night Shelby kept Colin and I went out to the hooch(like a bar, each squadron has their own) with some of the people I've met here. Shel had to work Saturday night so Colin went to work with him and slept in the tower. Sunday we got Colin a babysitter and went on another 20 mile bike ride. This time we rode into Gunsan city to the fish market. We bought about 2 kilos of jumbo shrimp and 2 huge flounder fish, all fresh right out of the water. We got the lady at the fish market to fillet the flounder for us since she looked to be much better at it than we are. We also bought some kabob meat from the commissary and had a big bar-b-q feast. I swear it was the best fish I have ever eaten!

The rest of the week Shelby has had to work during the day so Colin and I just hang out and I work on school work and play with him. We've gone out to eat a few times and to the bowling alley. Tonight we are going down to Eunpa Park in hopes that the cherry blossom trees are in bloom. They are SO close and I really don't want to miss it!

Colin is doing well, I can't believe he's 7 and a half months already. He's been eating like a little piglet. He loves his fruits. He has a serious hate for all green veggies though. Peas and green beans make him gag terribly. The pediatrician warned us about feeding him too many orange veggies in a row because his fair skin will turn orange. So far this hasn't happened but I am sure he's well on his way to looking like Ernie from Sesame Street if I don't find some green veggies that he won't spit back out at me. He cut one upper front tooth and the other looks like it will be working it's way through the gum within the next few days. He doesn't complain about it too much thankfully. He's learning to blow raspberries and was hooked on doing that the last two days. I think he's moved on from it though since I haven't heard him do it in a day or two.

Tomorrow we are heading up to Seoul to stay until Monday when I leave to head back to the States. We don't have any real plans up there just yet but there is no shortage of fun stuff to see and do in Seoul so I am sure we'll come up with something. We are staying at the Dragon Hill Lodge on Youngsan Army Base. It is right smack in the middle of Seoul compared to Osan, (base we usually go and stay at) which is more on the outskirts of Seoul. It should be a good time to end my trip with.

The pictures are of some paddle boats on the lake at Eunpa Park when we went to check the cherry blossom status last weekend. Then of course there is a little sleeping angel :)

What a scare!

Colin found a way for us to get to leave the building this week afterall, in an ambulance! This morning he was rolling around and playing on the bed when I noticed he had poop diaper number two stinking up the room. I had just started to turn around to reach for a diaper and he rolled. He went right off the bed with me standing right next to him. He hit the floor (about a three foot fall) and landed flat on his back. The floor is HARD, concrete with that industrial office kind of carpet over it, NO padding. I freaked out and picked him up immediately before he had even realized what happened and had a chance to let out a scream. He wailed of course and scared the living crap out of me. I called Shelby at work and he suggested calling the ambulance to come just make sure he was ok. So that is what we did and Colin and I got to not only leave the room during exercise week, we got to ride in style too! The medics were all very excited to have a baby to play with and by this time Colin had turned on the charm and was acting perfectly fine. He was oohing and smiling and having a blast ripping up the paper over the bed. They said he was just fine and that babies are tough and he would be ok. I asked if I should be concerned about concussion or him napping and they said no. So we got to ride back to the dorms in the ambulance. When we got back it was time for Colin's lunch of fruit and I sat him down to eat his applesauce and he must have been really worn out from all the excitement. He kept falling asleep with his little mouth open trying to eat. I was worried a little but the docs said he would be fine so I just let him fall asleep and have been watching him like a hawk while he naps. I'll give him a little Tylenol when he wakes up just in case he's sore from the fall. Poor little guy. He's getting too quick for his own good!

Update: He's been fine all the rest of the afternoon and evening. He has been a little fussier than usual but that I am fairly sure is due to the front upper tooth he has cutting through right this very moment. It wasn't through this morning so it's just come through today and he's been drooling gallons everywhere. He did cooperate happily for some pictures this evening and they turned out great. Click the picture to see the album.

Colin in Uniform