Back in the olden days of Korea, when your baby turned 100 days old, it was considered a big deal because that meant that the mortality rate dropped down drastically and it was safe to say that you were in the clear. Nowadays, this is no longer relevant, but it’s still a tradition that Koreans celebrate, and if you think about it, it actually makes sense. Right around the 100-day mark, your baby starts to regulate to a schedule a better, possibly sleeping through the night, and they get used to being a human in general. It’s also usually when parents start to get into the groove and feel like they’ve got things under control…sort of.
This was true in my case as I felt more confident as a mom, and Lincoln started stopped with his “witching hour” where he was crying inconsolably every day at a certain time…wow that seems like a distant memory now!
So when that 100 days rolled around, I knew it was time to party. Traditionally, these shindigs are kept intimate, usually just at home with only immediate family. Since my entire side of the family lives on the east coast, I decided to invite some of our close friends to our home, along with Joe’s parents.
At first, I was tempted to order takeout for the food, but then after talking with my mother-in-law, she brought to my attention how much more meaningful it would be to cook the food ourselves.
So she offered to help and even made things like these amazing maki rolls!
I thought it would be fitting for all the dishes to be Korean, given that this was a Korean party, so I busted out my Crab Jeon and Bulgogi, which ended up being pretty low-stress and things you can prepare in advance.
And one thing I realized is that you can’t expect to do everything by yourself anymore if you’re a full-time mom, so I felt okay about reaching out and asking my friends for help. I don’t usually like to have my guests work for their meals, but in this chapter of my life, that’s the way it has to be.
My mother-in-law ordered the traditional colorful sweet Korean rice cakes, and I got the cake from Whole Foods (as I always do). That was all I needed for the main dessert table.
I did have to stay up late the night before and set up the decorations because I knew I’d have zero time to get it done the morning of the party. I even had to map it out as a trial run the week before…my how have things changed!
But putting in those detailed touches made me feel accomplished and empowered…sort of like how I felt before I was constantly sleep deprived. I really like how the white poufy things turned out against the colorful streamers! I was going for a whimsical cheery look.
Throwing this party together wasn’t easy. In fact, it was quite humbling to know I couldn’t do everything I normally would do, in the way I would do it. I had to now take care of my baby and his needs first. So that meant that I was scrambling to cook the food while wearing him in a carrier, sweating like a monkey, and dealing with a fussy baby who wasn’t getting enough attention that morning.
You can watch how it all went down in detail in OUR VIDEO BELOW. It also felt nice to pick up the camera and get back into vlogging again…I missed you guys!
All in all, regardless of how stressful it was to throw this party, I was so glad we did it.
We were reminded of the friends and family who love us…and now Lincoln too, and Joe and I got to high five and celebrate that we made it this far.
