Kimchi Mamas

On Mothering

My parents stayed with us for three weeks to help us take care of our newborn. 

When I first asked her to help us out with our baby, my mom responded, "I think American babies are different than Korean babies."

"What do you mean?"

Unsolicited Advice Alert!

My friends and acquaintances everywhere are popping out progeny lately, and for some unknown reason these poor people are asking me for tips.  I normally defer to the experts, since it seems like every hour of pregnancy, from conception to delivery, is covered in grotesque detail in books and websites.  But in my personal experience, knowing when the embryo is the size of a fava bean is nice and all, but actually raising an infant was comparatively full of mystery and peril.  Here is a collection of the advice I wish someone gave me concerning life right after having a baby:

The 1 month rule

I should totally totally be sleeping right now since I've gotten like 10 hours of sleep for the past week (newborn at home) but I have this overwhelming urge to write.

It's probably the hormones.

Oh yeah, so, I had a baby boy.  Please welcome Aiden.

As some readers might know, I don't have a very good relationship with my mom.  When I had the baby, I gave her a call, informing her of the news... just because, well, she is my mother.

Food Fight

When I was a kid, whatever Mom made for meals - we ate.  And because for a significant portion of my childhood we were “financially challenged”, that food wasn’t always something I wanted to eat.  But nonetheless it was eaten.

When given the choice between food or no food, rice and kimchi for the 2,524th day in a row was fine by me! 

When I became a parent to not just one toddler but two, I struggled with the idea of “kid friendly” food versus . . . food.  So many of my friends would make special meals for their little ones in addition to the meals they shared with their SOs or older children.  (One mom would actually make a meal for the family and then heat up chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese for the little one. When I asked her why, she stated it was because “that’s what little kids eat.”  Or another mom who said “my child will only eat foods that are white, yellow or orange-y” but none of the foods she listed were actual oranges . . . WTH?)

Compassion International

What does Compassion International have to do with Kimchi Mamas?  EVERYTHING!  =)

Compassion started in 1952 providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care.  Reverend Everett Swanson was on a preaching tour in South Korea when he saw Korea's unwanted children. He knew he had to do something and thus, Compassion was born. 

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Compasion has sponsored more than 1 million children in 25 of the world's poorest countries.  Thankfully, they don't need to sponsor kids in South Korea anymore!  (And sadly, North Korea wouldn't allow sponsorship since Compassion is a faith-based organization.)  They are a high quality organization, taking stewardship of donors' money very seriously.  Compassion International recently won a four star rating from the nation's largest independent evaluator of charities for the seventh year in a row - one of only 45 chartities in the nation to do so.

100 Days

In a few days my youngest son will be 100 days old. We will celebrate with our immediate family, taking tons of pictures and enjoying the company. This being our third child, everything is old hat now and we realize it's not always necessary to have elaborate celebrations with tons of people and lavish surroundings. We appreciate family, our healthy children, our family. It will be a happy celebration.

Manseh!

I think it's a tradition to teach babies how to do the Manseh in Korea.  Well, at least that what I get from the Korean community I've been a part of.

What is the Manseh?  The action itself requires you to lift both arms, palm open straight up as you shout "Manseh!"  The word itself means "ten thousand years", but it can be best translated into meaning "hooray!".  Personally, I feel like the meaning goes deeper.  To me, it's more of a "Hooray for us, as Koreans for ten thousand years!"

Being Mom and the Post Baby Body

I am SICK and TIRED of seeing celebrity women (and in some cases girls) on the cover of magazines parading around in their perfect post-partum/pregnant poses!  Photos of Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, Jamie Lynn-Spears, Jennifer Lopez,Halle Barry and Heidi Klum weeks(!) after giving birth on the red carpet (and in Klum’s case lighted thong on the catwalk) are making me MAD.  Not angry . . . MAD!

It’s already hard enough to look at your flabby tummy right after giving birth, but throw into the mix being a new mother (and every time you have a baby you’re a new mother), post-partum blues/depression, raging hormones, the lack of consistent sleep and boobs the size of basketballs but swollen like a beached whale, the last thing I want to be accosted with on my 45 minute "vacation" to the grocery store are images of Jolie weeks after birth rockin’ a size 2!

So I made some calls:

Welcome Kimchi Baby Cedric

There's a new Kimchi Baby in town. Kimchi Mama Nina gave birth to Baby Cedric in the wee hours of the morning. Congratulations, Nina!

--The Kimchi Mamas

Forget American Idol - Diapered Korean baby sings the Beatles

Okay, technically the kid is a toddler, but still! A friend of mine sent me the link to this video a few days ago, but I didn't watch it. Last night after watching American Idol, my kids and I spent almost an hour on YouTube watching this kid singing the Beatles play list. 

-- Jae Ran