Need to empty my head...

I've got a lot of thoughts running through my head, so here goes:

With the new year comes resolutions. I've resolved to lose weight, which is on everyone's list. The goal is 15 pounds by July 1st, which I think is very reasonable. I've also resolved to BF as long as I can, although Ethan's not a willing customer sometimes. Maybe I'll just have better luck with baby #2. Lastly, I need to control my temper. I get too anxious when it comes to Ethan, and I'm always attacking my poor husband. Not sure if this has any postpartum indications, but I'm trying my hardest to bite my tongue. Still, he serves it on a silver platter sometimes and I just can't help it. Herb puts the car into drive, and yes, Ethan's buckled into the car seat, but is the car seat buckled into the passenger seat???

Speaking of baby #2, I want to get that over and done with as quickly as possible and then close up shop. Trouble is that people say I should wait 1.5 years before the next one, although we have a doctor cousin who thinks I shouldn't need to wait that long. I'm a bridesmaid for a wedding in September back in Baltimore, and if I am to fly with Ethan, then it's best that I'm not carrying #2. Is it crazy that I want to get pregnant again by May of this year? Herb thinks we should start trying once Ethan turns one. My goal is to have baby #2 in HK so that baby has permanent residency status, but I also want to leave HK as soon as possible.

Speaking of leaving HK, MIL sprung a Royal Caribbean cruise on us today and asked if we wanted to go. The cruise is 5 days/4 nights to Okinawa, Japan and Taiwan and we depart HK on Feb 8th. I was thinking that cruising would be the easiest form of travel with a newborn, and since MIL was paying, sure, why not? Trouble was Ethan doesn't have neither a HK SAR passport nor a US passport. US passport only takes 10 days, but the earliest appointment with the consulate was Jan 25th, and we would receive the passport number when the passport is sent to us, which would pose a problem when confirming the stateroom booking. HK SAR passport takes 19 days, but we could do it tomorrow. Trouble is, Ethan needs to get a Taiwan visa if he's using the HK SAR passport to get in - US citizens don't need a visa to get into Taiwan. Herb, MIL, the travel agent and I are all on the phone on and off for a good three hours. MIL figures she'll just pay for the booking in full, and we can get Ethan's travel document numbers to the travel agent later. It turns out that there was a mix-up in the cost between the travel agent and my MIL. The per head cost is US$1900 rather than HK$1900, which is equivalent to about US$250. Needless to say, there will be no cruise...

Speaking of cruising, while Ethan's far from crawling, he's starting to kick his feet down to the bed and push his butt up. He still isn't a huge fan of being on his tummy, but we're working on it. He's also starting to grab and play with the toys hanging from his activity gym. Still as vocal as ever, and he's still sporting the afro. We were going to cut his hair this past Sunday, but we wanted someone to take pictures. Funny if Ethan were to sport a Mohawk, even if it's only for a minute...Another development is that we think he's teething. He's been particularly grumpy for the past few days, and the saliva output has been non-stop. He's grabbing at anything that he can put in his mouth. He doesn't have a fever though, and I can't tell if his gums are swollen. It'll be fun when we start to feed him some solid foods in a few weeks when he's four months.

Speaking of four months, Ethan's due for another round of shots. Am I a bad mother by subjecting him to more shots than necessary? Private doctor can give the six-in-one shot, but it's US$40 more than if he were just to give the two separate supplemental shots and we get the four-in-one shot from the public health center. I say it builds character, but am I being masochistic and even worse, cheap?

Speaking of cheap, my nanny (the more appropriate name for her is doula, apparently) was a bargain compared to the hired help that my friends needed with their newborn. They were visiting HK with their seven-month old boy and were amazed at how well-behaved and docile Ethan was compared to their son. They were in such desperate need of help that they hired a night nurse for a whole month at US$250 a night! They're now trying to figure out if they can hire a helper from the Philippines. Herb buckled down and is now processing papers for our helper too. I just have an issue with it given that one of my closest friends is Philippina and if my mom did it without help, why can't I? Still, having help around the house will really let up on my attacking Herb every time something's not done. I can't even imagine what it'll be like when we actually have a whole house that we need to take care of.

Speaking of Herb, he bought a really neat lens for our digital SLR. It's a 30mm fixed lens, and it takes really artistic shots. The father of the seven-month old is also big into digital photography, and he and Herb had lots of fun comparing notes and sharing tips on good amateur digital photography. Herb was so excited that on New Year's day, he rushed out in the morning to buy a new lens. Of course, I'm still waiting for my Christmas present...

Speaking of New Year's day, it was FIL's birthday, and MIL booked the chef's table at the Grand Hyatt. The food was pretty good, although very rich and heavy at times. I would've preferred just eating out in the main dining room instead of being trapped in a dark industrial room in the kitchen.

Speaking of kitchen, time for me to get started on dinner. I've rambled enough for one blog. Here's a few shots using the new nifty lens:

- Ethan on his diaper changing table and getting ready for a bath
- New Year's dinner
- Walking in the garden
- Playing in his gym
- Wagyu beef dish at the chef's table
- His little feet