Dad and Momma Joyce Conclude Visit

We are sad today because Dad and Momma Joyce have left South Korea for the USA. :-( Hopefully they will visit again soon, but then again, maybe we can come to visit everyone in the USA next summer (not this summer - sigh...).

Sister Catherine, parents, and us had tea together at the Anglican Church Convent of Holy Cross the day before Dad and Momma Joyce left, on Easter. Sister Catherine is moving to the UK to help found a community of sisters. She won't be back for some 3-4 years. How sad... but maybe we can visit her in the UK one day soon. FYI, Sister Catherine is the one that married Jinny and I. She is glowy (a new adjective, I think) and resonates compassion... Thank you, Sister Catherine, for inspiring us all!

Noah Turns One Year Old! Happy Bday Noah!

Today was Noah's Continuation Day... What's that? A "Continuation Day" is a (bday) reminder that we are beyond birth and death, and that a Bday is a reminder of our constant death and rebirth in every moment. Just think: how many of the eleven trillion cells in our bodies are born and die in a day? Noah is not the same Noah as last month, or even last week. The only thing that never changes is change. And where was Noah before he was born? Science clearly shows us that something cannot come out of nothing, thus, Noah was somewhere before he came here. Where might that have been? What is the sound of one hand clapping?

Last Sunday we invited Jinny's family(our family), Dad and Momma Joyce and some friends to The Palace Hotel to a private room on the 12th floor with buffet brunch for all to celebrate Noah's maturation. The first bday in Korea is a big deal (called "dol") and not to be missed. Many say it derives from the fact that many babies in Korea died in the past, not making it passed one year. Thus, a big celebration arose to commemorate a baby's survival past the age at which infant mortality drastically reduces. Congrats, Noah! You made it.

After the big Sunday party, we had another party with Dad and Momma Joyce at my favorite Buddhist restaurant near my university with a cheese cake from Kim Yong-mo, one of the best bakeries in Seoul. Yummy! Sadly, Noah couldn't eat any because of the sugar - but we sure did.

Noah Underweight But Growing...

Though Noah is technically underweight, at about 8.1 Kilos, and was born April 7th, 2008, he's a healthy and happy baby. Because of his low weight we are feeding him meat now, whereas before we weren't. It was a difficult dilemma for us. We wanted to raise him vegetarian, but we just wasn't gaining enough pounds. So, we changed. Jinny finds it challenging, also, making TASTY food that Noah will like. Daddy tries to offer as much encouragement and suggestions as possible.

At present Noah likes sweet potatoes, banana, bread, strawberries, meat/egg pancakes, and this new baby formula we got that he just LOVES (it's sweetened with what we're not sure, but the doctors recommended it to help him gain weight

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Also, Noah is still crawling up a storm, but not yet ready to walk. We are doing simulated walking once a day in the morning from Daddy to Mommy, to help give him a jump start. He can stand up by himself, but can't actually take steps unassisted. He'll be walking soon.

As of a month ago, Noah is transitioning to real food and avoids breast feeding much these days.