And just like that...our girl turned ONE! On June 4th, Zoe graduated from the 'baby' status and this mama's heart just can't accept how fast the time has flown. We celebrated her birthday with a pandemic style - celebration kept at home and threw a Zoom party!
Although I didn't grow up following much of my heritage or ancestral customs, Z and I decided to make a more concerted effort to introduce certain traditions for Zoe. My mother-in-law graciously sent several Cheongsams she bought during her last trip to Malaysia while I ordered a Hanbok to represent her Korean side. My initial hanbok online ordering fell through so Amazon came to the rescue at the last minute. Her version of hanbok isn't really authentic by any means, but it was designed conveniently for a one-year-old, which this mama can appreciate during the battle of wardrobe changes.
My coworker/friend/go-to photographer, Sherry took some amazing pictures of Zoe's traditional outfits in 15 minutes (ideal for a squirmy one-year-old). And of course, she always manages to capture some of the most precious baby-furry sibling moments as well.
Her Zoom party was scheduled in the evening to accommodate some of our families overseas who are on the opposite side of the world. We were so happy that her grandparents and even her great-grandparents from Seoul were able to join. We also had our friends from college, graduate school, and medical school years join, which was a great way to catch up for a little bit.
Another tradition we decided to throw into the mix was Doljabi, which is Korean's first birthday tradition. As a fortune-telling custom, the idea is a fun way to predict a child's future, strength or interest. Since we grabbed random items that we could find around the house, her choice of items ended up being a stethoscope (medicine), book (intelligence), permanent marker (writer...couldn't find a pen haha), $50 bill (wealth), and a mouse (computer science). Zoe immediately gravitated toward the permanent marker, and then the book as her second choice. Needless to say, we heard some strong opinions from the viewers for 'wealth' and 'medicine'.
We proceeded with everyone singing the birthday song in English, Mandarin, and Korean. Her cake was made by Angel Cake STL as recommended by my coworker/friend. We went with an eggless cake due to allergy and for a simpler look since we didn't really have a birthday theme.
What everyone witnessed may have been the daintiest/cleanest cake smash ever because Zoe was very hesitant about disturbing the cake. Despite our best encouragement, she wasn't too keen on tasting the cake...granted, it was probably the sweetest thing she has tasted since she was born! It was also reaching her bedtime so we think she may have been getting too tired to try something new. Needless to say, it was quite adorable seeing her reaction to the cake and all the people on the screen.
Our hearts are filled with love and joy as we watch this petite but mighty baby turn into a spunky, hilarious kid! Honestly, it is so surreal knowing that a year has already gone by. I finally get it when people say, "the days are long, but the years are short."
Dear Zoe, thank you for filling our life in ways you cannot imagine. Happy first birthday, Zozo!
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