Birthday and House Tour

Baby boy just had his birthday party on Saturday, and I will call him a baby until he toddles on his own and achieves that nomenclature. There were enough last minute cancellations due to prior engagements that we started to think not many people would come, but then the exact right number of people came, and everyone was so sweet to our kid, and it was the kind of thing that just leaves you feeling very lucky and glad.

Because we cleaned so well and decorated for the party, I finally took apartment pictures, so I'll put those here, too.



But, first, please enjoy this video of a baby repeatedly banging his head into a window.

During the week leading up to the party, I kept wondering to Dan where we were going to get a table to hold all the food. The night before the party, he remembered this weird table someone had deposited on the roof at one of the picnic areas. We decided to borrow it for a couple days. It was perfect. We just threw some receiving blankets on it, and, boom, baby birthday food table. We stocked it with potato sticks, potato salad, Anzac slice, chips and salsa, chocolate banana pudding, and yellow cake with chocolate frosting. And then the boys went and got pizzas for the main meal. Pretty yellow.


Joah's bathtub duck held the yellow drinks, two of them pineapple flavored, one lemon, and one whatever gross flavor sick sports drinks are made of.


A year in the life of our kid, as stapled to yellow ribbon.


Joash woke up from his lone party day nap (after refusing a morning sleep, probably because we were shuffling around and getting things ready) and immediately began receiving gifts. Tim and Kate got him an introductory gift of teddy bear.


So he wore this hat that was attached behind his ears. And he wore it for most of the party. That was something I couldn't believe happened.


Tim was teaching him mallet tricks.


His favorite Korean imo, and maybe everyone's favorite imo, Maya came. And then she stayed late to help us clean up and did the world's most insufferable chore, the dishes, and, in so sparing me that torture, reinstated me into the race Heavenward.


Joonsoo came and dressed appropriately in yellow.


Justin further distinguished his beard by topping it with a hat.


A family in golden hues. Man, I just now realized I should have been stealing yellow adjectives from Stephenie Meyer, literary genius and so adept at naturally and cleverly interchanging ochre for gold (and clumsy for character development).


Joonsoo offering a birthday kiss. This is also how Joash kisses right now, open mouthed and with teeth. It's a little bit dangerous.


Our respective families have been on their respective vacations, so these kids haven't seen each other for a month. I think they were glad to be playmates again.


Elton John baby.


Joonsoo and Maya.


Presents. Joash received such sweet gifts, clothes and books and stationary, even a bag full of yellow foods. Thoughtfulness is incredibly touching.


While Joash had a cake with candles in Australia, we had no way to light them, so this was his first encounter with flame-lit pastry. He got mad that we sang to him in two languages and prolonged the tease of unrequited cake.


House tour time. We will be moving counter clockwise through the space. This is our entryway. Directly in front of you, following the baby's crawl is our bedroom. To the right, Joash's room. To the left, the bathroom, hence the rubber ducky bathtub suctioned to the wall.


Baby room with a loose Winnie the Pooh theme, including the ill-fated painted foam mat with potato-stamped beehives and honeybees. I needed spray paint but only found acrylic, and really I think I painted the wrong side. Now I am just going to knit him a rug to put his head on during diaper changes.


Crib side with honeybee mobile, wall homage to Piglet, and Pooh pillow.


Opposite wall. Construction paper Pooh animal silhouettes (bear, pig, tiger, donkey). Reading corner with "Tut tut (it looks like rain)" bunting.


Moving on to our bedroom. Dan's video game center and bookshelf. I made the curtain by cutting up and pinning a shirt. Above our bed, I re-purposed the yellow birthday poms.


Vanity with Australian souvenir and various polaroids from Korea.


Moving left into the living room, decorated for the birthday party. We lucked out with Craigslist for all the furniture. Dan was going to pick up the couch on the day the sellers were moving so we got a bunch of stuff they wanted to get rid of as well. It is so nice not to sit on a bed the entire day.


Joah's little eating corner with the luggage behind the curtains.


A modest amount of foliage. A succulent and a flower sprig that I stole from a bush on the roof. I am displaying Joash's teddy in solidarity of Korea's obsession with teddy bears (and because I took this picture before I decided to put his koala in its place).


Leftward toward our galley kitchen. It's real kitchen-like.


On the way out, you'll pass the bathroom. Sink area with Korean-style toothbrush and towel holders. Korea ruined my ability to throw stuff away, so I have a bunch of tin cans everywhere now. Can you believe people just throw glass jars in the trash? Glass is so nice and expensive.


Our separated toilet and shower makes our lives here seem so normal.


And here is the exit of our entrance. Joash just got those rain boots from Maya. They are as cute as they seem.


And here's a bonus picture of Joash enjoying our recent rainy days. He started to notice the raindrops on the windows, and he can't understand why he can't touch them.