he loves this bear as much as we do. thanks jon bollo!

{ 1 month }

bodie and arrow.

had a small party to celebrate zachary's birthday.

the sunset from our porch was pretty spectacular.

happy birthday, zachary!

you're now 32 years old. arrow's now a month old.

two amazing boys in my life. love you both.

rooftop dog.

hanging out on our porch.

arrow's first bbq.

slowly unraveling...

...to reveal the cutest feet.

karate expert.

yoga master.

striking a pose (in his sleep).

photos taken by aaron choe.

these were taken on our 2nd day at home.

i was nursing under the sheet. didn't realize how ridiculous we looked.

enjoying a dose of vitamin D.

the man is serious about sleeping.

relaxing with ahpba.

his umbilical cord fell off. at first we couldn't find it, but then we noticed that it was under the coffee table. we were excited once it came off, because it meant he could take his first bath!

our doula, lisa, weighing arrow after his first week home.

our little man with his little cries.

minutes after arriving home from the birthing center, we had family visit. that morning, imcheon como took a bus all they way from her farm to come and meet arrow and see how i was doing. the comos made a huge pot of myuk-gook (seaweed soup) and gave zachary a quick cooking lesson.

the visit was a hilarious mess. the heat was turned up to the highest degree; i was forced to put on a sweater and a pair of socks on a beautiful, warm day; arrow was then wrapped in 3 blankets which made him pass out; i was yelled at for walking around and was told to lie down; once i lied down, i was then yelled at for leaning on my hand; and i was told i couldn't eat or touch anything cold because of my weak bones.

they were worried about us already. but then, the final straw: they noticed we didn't have rice and kimchi in the apartment. they then thought we were malnourished and that we must only be eating spaghetti. i tried to explain that we do eat rice and kimchi and that we just ran out, but that there's a bunch of other healthy things we eat. they weren't buying it.

just as the family was about to leave, our friend, katie, came over to see arrow. within a minute of being over, she turned to me with sweat dripping down her face and whispered, "what the heck is going on? why is it so hot in here?"

we love Love LOVE our family in korea. they take such good care of us. we know that they worry because they love us, and we're grateful for that. we just have to constantly remind ourselves that culturally, sometimes things are done differently.

zachary and i were laughing all night at how ridiculous the situation was. and how badly things must've looked to them. next time, we'll be more prepared.

saying goodbye to one of the midwives and our nurse.

the midwife holding arrow was one of the many people in the room who observed his birth. this was the first natural birth she had witnessed. she kept telling me afterwards how strong i was. she was sweet and really good to arrow. her and arrow formed a bond instantly.

i didn't eat much during the laboring days. the thought of food made me nauseous. by the 3rd day, i couldn't hold anything down. not even a bowl of plain rice.

this was my last meal at mediflower and the first big meal after giving birth. it tasted so good. the lotus roots in soy sauce and the seaweed soup were my favorite of all the many dishes i was given. but all of it was eaten with delight.

i had more support than i could've imagined during the labor and birth of arrow...

- zachary was undoubtedly my #1.

- our doula, lisa, was invaluable. she gave me so much confidence and strength during those 4 days. without her, i probably would've freaked out from the start. but instead, i kept it together. lisa was by our sides the entire time, and we couldn't have done this without her.

- the staff at mediflower was AMAZING! we had a doctor, a midwife, nurses, and a doula-in-training who took such good care of us. they allowed the birthing process to take its natural course. 4 days was a long time. but the fact that we were allowed those days to have the birthing experience we had worked for was incredible.

- 2 more doulas helped out in the final stretch of the labor and birth....karen and annette. i wasn't their client. but they became a part of the team because they saw that i needed the support. i thank them immensely for their help (and all the photos)!

so much happened within those days. but highlights include: taking walks around the neighborhood, slow-dancing with lisa on the streets of seoul, having zachary and lisa pull on a scarf with a rock knotted into it to get rid of a nerve-pain in my back, and eventually dancing this baby out. the music was so hot even dr. chung was booty dancing!

we tried to have a relaxing birth, but arrow clearly wanted a dance party with a crew of people present. and that's what he got. 8 people in the room, as i was pushing out the baby & dancing like a fool in front of all of them. i would say it was quite the party.

everyone that was a part of this process amazed me. we were surrounded by the most patient, supportive professionals who made sure arrow and i were always ok. it's refreshing to be amongst so many people that, not only are good at what they do, but also whole-heartedly love what they do. as cheesy as it sounds, we felt that love every step of the way.