Joe carved a pumpkin for Andy tonight, pictures here. The baked pumpkin seeds turned out crispy and tasty and we stocked up for the trick'r treaters (lots of kids in the neighborhood).
10/28-10/31
For more Halloween spirit (party, pumpkin patch, etc) click here (and next for more pictures).
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
First Shower, Art Connoisseur, etc (10/24 - 26)
10/24 Wednesday
Louise came to visit in the afternoon. She got Andy a very cute outfit and made me a pan of Tuna casserole. It was so good that I had 4 meals straight; now I'll probably have to start making it myself! We talked for quite a while. I always draw inspiration from her. She told me of this Art lecture on a painting "Rogier van der Weyden’s Descent from the Cross" in Madrid at Gage Academy tomorrow and she's going to Madrid this weekend so it's exciting to learn about it before hand. I was excited to go to the lecture too (it'd be Andy's first art education :)
I learned from my Snuggler class that babies like shower so decided to try it out especially since he hasn't had his hair washed since the day he was born (getting a little sticky oily)! Shower has become such a luxury as with sleep and many other things. Joe handed me the baby when I got done with my shower. Andy did like shower much better than bath. He liked warm water beating on his head and didn't cry the entire time (unlike the first bath home where he screamed so hard that we skipped the head)! His lanky body was still very pinkish. His feet dangled and kicked. I still find it amazing how it all fit in me two weeks ago!
10/25 Thursday
We had a 40min walk this morning, and he was wide awake for most of it surprisingly. He seemed to be fascinated by the clouds in the sky. Since we are not close to the lake any more (more east now), we are watching sun rise instead of sun set now. It was very pretty, we saw more and more clouds turning golden and pink gradually, lighting up the whole sky. It was all lit up by 8:20.
It was a busy morning. With the granite cutting (counter top installation), laundry, and my vacuuming, Andy managed to fall asleep solid after the walk and nth breakfast.
By the time the counter top people finished, it was way past 1. We rushed out the door but the art lecture at Gage was over by the time we got there. I haven't been there for a long time. They always hang new works along the long hallway so we perused the gallery hall slowly. Andy was amazingly attentive to all the paintings in the long hallway. His eyes were wide open, with that serious look from corner of his eyes and held his gaze quite long. He has that expression for some paintings (esp the African Violet) at home too. This was his first trip to Seattle.
It was so beautifully sunny, so we took the long scenic route home along the lake shore and stopped by the parks. Then I happened to find the best parking spot in downtown Kirkland, so that was my excuse to stop by the galleries. The Elka Roukov gallery was having a lot of David Marty landscape, lots of nice fall colors. And we visited Howard/Mandville and the Park Lane galleries. The toasty sun did its magic on him so he slept through all the Kirkland galleries.
The day wrapped up with a hair cut for Joe. It occurred to me that I'll have a new customer soon! The idea of this little visitor sticking around for the next 18 years is still slowly sinking in...
10/26 Friday
Today was the original due date that was predicted for Andy, but he decided he wanted to arrive sooner. He's changed so much since a couple weeks ago. The skin is looking much more ivory, grew some eye lashes, and big eyes are more brown than blue now. I could see he enjoys growing outside more than inside of me.
He likes the fresh air outside; sometimes it's the only way to calm him (and works as soon as we step out the door). He kicks so hard that I can't imagine how I could bear it if he were still inside right now.
A little city night life. Andy and I went to Gage again after we dropped Joe off at 24 Hours. I saw a poster at Gage for the "Final Friday Critique" yesterday; I've always wanted to go to that but never got my act together. Now that I'm on "vacation", I've got no excuse not to. It was a very nice little group of 6-7 people (open to public) tonight and one instructor. people bring in their work and the instructor organizes a discussion around it. I found it a very supportive group to get advice on your works. I got some good insights on the pieces I brought in and on painting in general. It definitely gives me motivation to do more work and come back next month. Andy dozed off a big portion of the lesson.
Louise came to visit in the afternoon. She got Andy a very cute outfit and made me a pan of Tuna casserole. It was so good that I had 4 meals straight; now I'll probably have to start making it myself! We talked for quite a while. I always draw inspiration from her. She told me of this Art lecture on a painting "Rogier van der Weyden’s Descent from the Cross" in Madrid at Gage Academy tomorrow and she's going to Madrid this weekend so it's exciting to learn about it before hand. I was excited to go to the lecture too (it'd be Andy's first art education :)
I learned from my Snuggler class that babies like shower so decided to try it out especially since he hasn't had his hair washed since the day he was born (getting a little sticky oily)! Shower has become such a luxury as with sleep and many other things. Joe handed me the baby when I got done with my shower. Andy did like shower much better than bath. He liked warm water beating on his head and didn't cry the entire time (unlike the first bath home where he screamed so hard that we skipped the head)! His lanky body was still very pinkish. His feet dangled and kicked. I still find it amazing how it all fit in me two weeks ago!
10/25 Thursday
We had a 40min walk this morning, and he was wide awake for most of it surprisingly. He seemed to be fascinated by the clouds in the sky. Since we are not close to the lake any more (more east now), we are watching sun rise instead of sun set now. It was very pretty, we saw more and more clouds turning golden and pink gradually, lighting up the whole sky. It was all lit up by 8:20.
It was a busy morning. With the granite cutting (counter top installation), laundry, and my vacuuming, Andy managed to fall asleep solid after the walk and nth breakfast.
By the time the counter top people finished, it was way past 1. We rushed out the door but the art lecture at Gage was over by the time we got there. I haven't been there for a long time. They always hang new works along the long hallway so we perused the gallery hall slowly. Andy was amazingly attentive to all the paintings in the long hallway. His eyes were wide open, with that serious look from corner of his eyes and held his gaze quite long. He has that expression for some paintings (esp the African Violet) at home too. This was his first trip to Seattle.
It was so beautifully sunny, so we took the long scenic route home along the lake shore and stopped by the parks. Then I happened to find the best parking spot in downtown Kirkland, so that was my excuse to stop by the galleries. The Elka Roukov gallery was having a lot of David Marty landscape, lots of nice fall colors. And we visited Howard/Mandville and the Park Lane galleries. The toasty sun did its magic on him so he slept through all the Kirkland galleries.
The day wrapped up with a hair cut for Joe. It occurred to me that I'll have a new customer soon! The idea of this little visitor sticking around for the next 18 years is still slowly sinking in...
10/26 Friday
Today was the original due date that was predicted for Andy, but he decided he wanted to arrive sooner. He's changed so much since a couple weeks ago. The skin is looking much more ivory, grew some eye lashes, and big eyes are more brown than blue now. I could see he enjoys growing outside more than inside of me.
He likes the fresh air outside; sometimes it's the only way to calm him (and works as soon as we step out the door). He kicks so hard that I can't imagine how I could bear it if he were still inside right now.
A little city night life. Andy and I went to Gage again after we dropped Joe off at 24 Hours. I saw a poster at Gage for the "Final Friday Critique" yesterday; I've always wanted to go to that but never got my act together. Now that I'm on "vacation", I've got no excuse not to. It was a very nice little group of 6-7 people (open to public) tonight and one instructor. people bring in their work and the instructor organizes a discussion around it. I found it a very supportive group to get advice on your works. I got some good insights on the pieces I brought in and on painting in general. It definitely gives me motivation to do more work and come back next month. Andy dozed off a big portion of the lesson.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
2 Weeks: a Warm Autumn Day (Fire Dept Visit, etc)
It must be the warmest and sunniest day so far this season! Andy and I took full advantage of it since it's supposed to rain tomorrow.
We called the fire department a few days ago and found out the names of the fire fighters who responded to the 911 call for Andy's birth. So I got a card, a letter, and a pan of carrot cake and brownies together for a visiting plan. After frosting the cake this morning, we headed to the fire department to deliver the goods around Andy's birth time 2 weeks ago. But we learned the officers were only going to be in tomorrow, so we dropped the stuff and went on for a walk in the park. We'll probably go again tomorrow to get a picture with the officers. I decided this is the best time for maternity leave since the fall is my favor season. The autumn colors is the most beautiful.
Shelly and I spent most the afternoon in the Snuggler class. Today's topic was on Diapering. I was surprised to learn a baby goes through about 8700 diapers and spends more than 25,000 hours in diapers! Disposables equates to one ton of soiled diapers for one baby! The "Go Green" themed teacher promoted cloth diaper (no more huge pins nowadays). I'm contemplating trying that. Check out his trial cloth diaper here.
After the hospital, I didn't feel like going home since it's so beautiful out, so started driving around randomly and discovered the "McAulife Park" (sp). It had a little playground area, and lots of lawn space with some very rusty archaic truck parts laying in the orchard. It would make really nice paintings. I'll have to go back there again. Andy dozes off on all walks so I just try to describe things I see to him, hope the Chinese tone make some impression on him.
In the evening, we all had another little walk in the park across the street. It was nice getting lots of fresh air! Then it was furniture re-arranging time since we moved everything out to the living room for the carpet installation last night. The place finally started to take shape.
p.s. I got Andy weighed while at the hospital. 6 lb 3 oz! He's catching up really fast (5 lb 11 oz last Wednesday).
We called the fire department a few days ago and found out the names of the fire fighters who responded to the 911 call for Andy's birth. So I got a card, a letter, and a pan of carrot cake and brownies together for a visiting plan. After frosting the cake this morning, we headed to the fire department to deliver the goods around Andy's birth time 2 weeks ago. But we learned the officers were only going to be in tomorrow, so we dropped the stuff and went on for a walk in the park. We'll probably go again tomorrow to get a picture with the officers. I decided this is the best time for maternity leave since the fall is my favor season. The autumn colors is the most beautiful.
Shelly and I spent most the afternoon in the Snuggler class. Today's topic was on Diapering. I was surprised to learn a baby goes through about 8700 diapers and spends more than 25,000 hours in diapers! Disposables equates to one ton of soiled diapers for one baby! The "Go Green" themed teacher promoted cloth diaper (no more huge pins nowadays). I'm contemplating trying that. Check out his trial cloth diaper here.
After the hospital, I didn't feel like going home since it's so beautiful out, so started driving around randomly and discovered the "McAulife Park" (sp). It had a little playground area, and lots of lawn space with some very rusty archaic truck parts laying in the orchard. It would make really nice paintings. I'll have to go back there again. Andy dozes off on all walks so I just try to describe things I see to him, hope the Chinese tone make some impression on him.
In the evening, we all had another little walk in the park across the street. It was nice getting lots of fresh air! Then it was furniture re-arranging time since we moved everything out to the living room for the carpet installation last night. The place finally started to take shape.
p.s. I got Andy weighed while at the hospital. 6 lb 3 oz! He's catching up really fast (5 lb 11 oz last Wednesday).
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Day 10: Busy outings
Ann read about the "Baby day movie" in my blog and we decided to check it out on Friday. It was beautifully sunny in the morning and we met up at the Park Place cinema in Kirkland for the "Mike Clayton" movie. There were about a dozen others moms (and 1 dad) in that screen. I had to feed Andy in the beginning but then he slept through the whole movie. I was surprised how quiet the theater was during the whole course. There were intermittent baby noise of all kind but no loud long cries. We chatted a little after the movie, and by the time we left, we got caught in the biggest rain storm! We dashed across a block to work (I parked there), and went upstairs for bathroom. We were totally soaked. Andy got his first experience of Seattle rain (well, this is not quite Seattle style rain), luckily he was totally bundled up with blanket and hat so he didn't even notice. He finally woke up when we got to the cafeteria and started his cry for food again. when we got home, we found a nice surprise that Joe cooked up a couple dishes and a soup!
The rain died off. Andy and I went to Shelly's house to make a sling in the afternoon. The piece of cloth I found happened to be perfect size for 2 slings. Shelly taught me how to work the sewing machine and here is the first sling I made. Andy wasn't quite used to sitting in the sling yet. I discovered sewing is fun, I'm having ideas about other sewing projects already!
In the evening we saw a musical show and Andy behaved amazingly well, didn't make any loud noise. We tried out the pacifier for the first time. He took it for the first half of the show, but was still good without it the second half (slept through the most of it). On the way back, my milk was really coming for the first time. So Andy had a feast when we got home.
My friend Monica and Fei came to visit on Saturday. They have been really nice to me, giving me maternity clothing and now huge bags of baby clothing sorted by ages. Here are pictures of Andy with their kids Lawrence and Lily.
The rain died off. Andy and I went to Shelly's house to make a sling in the afternoon. The piece of cloth I found happened to be perfect size for 2 slings. Shelly taught me how to work the sewing machine and here is the first sling I made. Andy wasn't quite used to sitting in the sling yet. I discovered sewing is fun, I'm having ideas about other sewing projects already!
In the evening we saw a musical show and Andy behaved amazingly well, didn't make any loud noise. We tried out the pacifier for the first time. He took it for the first half of the show, but was still good without it the second half (slept through the most of it). On the way back, my milk was really coming for the first time. So Andy had a feast when we got home.
My friend Monica and Fei came to visit on Saturday. They have been really nice to me, giving me maternity clothing and now huge bags of baby clothing sorted by ages. Here are pictures of Andy with their kids Lawrence and Lily.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Day 9: First Art Project
It was a strange weather day today. Wind gust became high in the afternoon; power outage warnings were repeated on the radio. The sun peeked out once in a while. It was a strange combination of storm approaching sky with bright sun shine. It was surprisingly warm so we went for a small walk. Andy didn't mind the weather at all and slept through the wind hollowing. Coming home, the lights blipped a few times and finally power was out for a good 20 minutes. Instead of couped in the power outage, Andy and I went for a little shopping trip after dropping off Joe at the gym.
We went to my favor craft store "Paper Zone" to gather material for our big project tonight. One of the store employee noticed Andy right away and came to chat. Andy was good at first, continuing the nap from the car. I discovered the advantage of taking a baby shopping: most people would be extra nice to you. The girl helped us picking the right shade of paper and offered to cut it for me, even though she was leaving her shift already. But this was the first time Andy not behaving in front of people -- he woke up and started the loudest cry for food. Eventually he was tired out and fell asleep.
I shall not disclose the details of the project or post pictures until later since most of you will be getting the final product sometime. My original design involved having his little finger print but he doesn't like opening the little fist too much, so a foot print substituted. The final design involved a photo, a gold foot print by Andy, a little watercolor by me, and a personalized blurb written in gold pencil.
We went to my favor craft store "Paper Zone" to gather material for our big project tonight. One of the store employee noticed Andy right away and came to chat. Andy was good at first, continuing the nap from the car. I discovered the advantage of taking a baby shopping: most people would be extra nice to you. The girl helped us picking the right shade of paper and offered to cut it for me, even though she was leaving her shift already. But this was the first time Andy not behaving in front of people -- he woke up and started the loudest cry for food. Eventually he was tired out and fell asleep.
I shall not disclose the details of the project or post pictures until later since most of you will be getting the final product sometime. My original design involved having his little finger print but he doesn't like opening the little fist too much, so a foot print substituted. The final design involved a photo, a gold foot print by Andy, a little watercolor by me, and a personalized blurb written in gold pencil.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
First Pediatrian Visit
We had the first pediatrician visit today. He got weighed the first thing. 5 lb 12 oz, yes, he gained 1 oz! What a relief! The doctor was patient and attentive. She coached me on feeding. She kept commenting that he's got strong legs, "Did he kick a lot when you were pregnant?" "oh yeah" They poked his heel for some blood for the PKU (protein allergy related) test. Andy is like me when it comes to draw blood, not much blood flow, but hopefully he's not anemic. The nurse squeezed and squeezed, but very little was coming and slowly. She almost had to poked a second time to get enough. I found a scale in the hallway and found I was back to my regular weight. I sure had the easiest birth experience throughout.
We then stopped by my office to say hi to everyone. Andy behaved like an angel and slept the entire time (it's his usual mid day nap time). It's
In the afternoon, I tried out doc's strategy of feeding on both sides per feed. This seemed to be working. We want to fill him up every time, so he doesn't doze off and get hungry too soon. The idea is to turn him from a snacker to a solid meal eater so he sleeps in bigger chunk of time.
We then stopped by my office to say hi to everyone. Andy behaved like an angel and slept the entire time (it's his usual mid day nap time). It's
In the afternoon, I tried out doc's strategy of feeding on both sides per feed. This seemed to be working. We want to fill him up every time, so he doesn't doze off and get hungry too soon. The idea is to turn him from a snacker to a solid meal eater so he sleeps in bigger chunk of time.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
One week birthday
Andy napped peacefully in my lap while I sketched his sleepy face in the living room's morning light. I then did yoga for the first time in a week and discovered I could kiss my knees again. It's almost 9:30, I thought what state I was in this time last Tuesday. Then it's feeding time, I relived the sequence of events as the clock ticked past 10. Eventually I fell asleep too with Andy (he always falls asleep on me during feeding).
I took Andy to the 0-3mo Snuggler class at Evergreen hospital; it's an informative moms' support group class. There were 20 mom & baby pairs today. The topic of the day was on breast feeding. So I got a lot of good information out of it. It was nice to hear others' experiences and tips about what to expect and how to deal with it. I learned this constant feeding is the norm. Many new moms have to deal with a lot of issues, such as mastitis (antibiotic 4 times a day), jaundice, fussy/gassy baby (Andy has been very good so far). So we've been very lucky so far. A few moms went to see movies together at the Friday morning "free baby movie time" at nice theaters. It feels funny to realize I'm eligible for this perk now. I like the class very much, except for the noise the 19 babies made. Andy was the youngest and quietest; he slept through the entire 2 hours. Mid day nap has become the longest stretch he sleeps during the day.
I filled out a form at the Snuggler class and found I have lost track of dates, other than in reference of Andy's birthday (9+7, ok it's 16th today).
After a few consecutive feeds, Andy is knocked out for a longer nap for the evening. I started making a carrot cake to give to the neighbors. We were really surprised and touched that two of the neighbors witnessed the parking lot scene and brought us dinner food.
So much has happened in a week! It's been an incredible learning experience in a week. The little guy grows everyday. His eyes are opening more often, with that curious look of the world around him. His skin is more vibrant (neck is peeling a bit. The purple hands and feet are normal colored now). It is also incredibly comforting to have so many friends talking to and visiting us (not to mention the homemade food!).
I took Andy to the 0-3mo Snuggler class at Evergreen hospital; it's an informative moms' support group class. There were 20 mom & baby pairs today. The topic of the day was on breast feeding. So I got a lot of good information out of it. It was nice to hear others' experiences and tips about what to expect and how to deal with it. I learned this constant feeding is the norm. Many new moms have to deal with a lot of issues, such as mastitis (antibiotic 4 times a day), jaundice, fussy/gassy baby (Andy has been very good so far). So we've been very lucky so far. A few moms went to see movies together at the Friday morning "free baby movie time" at nice theaters. It feels funny to realize I'm eligible for this perk now. I like the class very much, except for the noise the 19 babies made. Andy was the youngest and quietest; he slept through the entire 2 hours. Mid day nap has become the longest stretch he sleeps during the day.
I filled out a form at the Snuggler class and found I have lost track of dates, other than in reference of Andy's birthday (9+7, ok it's 16th today).
After a few consecutive feeds, Andy is knocked out for a longer nap for the evening. I started making a carrot cake to give to the neighbors. We were really surprised and touched that two of the neighbors witnessed the parking lot scene and brought us dinner food.
So much has happened in a week! It's been an incredible learning experience in a week. The little guy grows everyday. His eyes are opening more often, with that curious look of the world around him. His skin is more vibrant (neck is peeling a bit. The purple hands and feet are normal colored now). It is also incredibly comforting to have so many friends talking to and visiting us (not to mention the homemade food!).
Friday, October 12, 2007
First Few Days
10/10/2007 Day 1 at the Hospital
We had the NewBorn/Feeding class in the morning. It was very informative and helpful! I learned better positions of feeding him. We had more periodic vital checking, pediatrician visit, throughout the day.
3 visitors, 20 some email replies and at least 10 calls to the baby news. Xiaoying came at lunch time, and we had a good long catch up with her. She brought a tasty shrimp dish, mmm yummy protein. Shelly came by with Sophie after her Snuggler class. The two babies looked so cute laying together (Andy looked so much smaller compared to the 3mo old Sophie!), see pictures (click next for more). She made the Chinese soup just like Mom has ordered (supposed to be good for milk production)! We decided to to go to the Snuggler class together next week. It was a bonding feeling that Shelly and I started out in Madison, worked together, and now at a similar stage in life again.
There was a beautiful sunset tonight. I got a little fresh air for the first time in 2 days. Matthew came by in the evening. We recollected the dramatic event and saw all the pictures he took. Everything still felt shockingly amazing and fresh. Matthew held Andy in the arms for a long time; he was pretty good: Andy was quiet the whole time until he got hungry at the end.
Just as we thought it was manageable from the few regular feedings of first night, we experienced what's called "Marathon feeding" night. I fed him, he fell asleep, put him down, and he cried for food. The cycle repeated. We had to call the night nurse Maria at 4. She explained this was normal as babies are more nocturnal first coming out of womb. She made the bed and positioned me so I could feed and sleep with the baby in the same bed. I was surrounded by pillows. Soon enough both Andy and I were tired out and got solid 3 hours sleep.
10/11 Day 2 Leaving the Hospital
We had some more tests and surveys. Joe went to drop off stuff, swing by old apartment, drop off apartment keys, etc. Afternoon nurse Amy helped us packing Andy into the car seat. Andy was so small that the seat still seemed hollow with him in it. She swung the car seat while we waited for Joe to pull up the car, and Andy stopped protesting about the seat right away. She said she learned these seat tricks from growing her own 2 kids. She saw us off to the car and waved us bye.
We really like Evergreen hospital. The staff is just superb. Everyone is helpful and friendly, especially liked nurses Maria and Amy. It has one of the best Lactation facilities in the world according to literature.
Coming home, it felt like I've been gone for a long time. It's amazing so much could happen in 2 days! Little Rock is in my arms instead of belly now. When I get in the car, it occurs to me to be more careful now that he is on board. When I almost trip over things, I couldn't help thinking I'd better be more careful if he is my arm. Quite a bit of mentality shift in 2 days.
Pictures
10/12 Day 3 First day Home
We went to the postpartum appointment at Evergreen hospital this morning. When I did the "express milk" thing earlier, I found the clear little colostrum dews squeezed out were more milky white now. Doc confirmed my milk was coming.
They weighed him again and he's just about on the 10% weight loss boundary. She then did the feed, weigh, feed again, and weigh again test, and found Andy only gained about 3 grams on each feed, when 15 is the norm. But she was very pleased with the enthusiastic way Andy eats so suspected it was just I'm not producing enough yet.
The next diaper change found the poop was more brown now; this confirmed it was from milk. Andy took a good 2 hour nap until after 3, so I finally got some sleep too. We decided to take him on a little walk since it was beautifully sunny and mild out. We ran into this young Asian woman neighbor taking her 14mo baby out the car. The kid dropped a shoe, so I ran to her with it, and started chatting. When she learned Andy was 3day old, she went "oh, is this the one born in the parking lot here the other day?" It turns out she lives on 3rd floor on this corner of the building. She heard the siren and watched the drama from her window! She was also surprised I was walking already. She said she couldn't do anything for the first week. I felt fortunate for my quick delivery.
We took some pictures of Andy by a nearby tree with beautiful autumn colors and picked up a couple of leaves, so we can put them in a story book we plan to make for him one day. Andy is still a night owl; he grimaced at the sight of the sun. We didn't want him getting too much sun so turned back quickly.
Andy is pretty mellow during the day still. After a short feed, he goes for a short nap. We repeat this a couple times. I just sat quietly and watched his little face in the dark. His face winks or twitches, head turns, or he takes a quicker breath once in a while. It all looks so magical to me. I realize I'll probably never get tired of just looking at him.
10/14,15 First weekend
We went to the Pediatrics Associates's Bellvue clinic on Saturday morning to weigh Andy. He's 5lb 11oz, same as when he left the hospital. It's reassuring that he didn't lose any more weight, but it could have been nicer if he had gained some given how hard he's been eating. We had more visitors today. Andy met another playmate, Brian and Qiaolan's 6mo old Lily (picture here). They got us loaded on Costco size wipes and some diapers. We went for a nice walk in the Woodland park across the street in the cozy October sun. This was the longest walk I've had since getting out of the hospital. The fresh air felt really good. Lina made a chicken soup with ginseng in it (supposed to be good for milk production). Tom and Rebecca came by on Sunday with some yummy slow cooked Eight Treasure rice (oatmeal like breakfast).
It's a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by friends, everyone is eager to see Andy and help out!
More random pictures of the 4 day old.
We had the NewBorn/Feeding class in the morning. It was very informative and helpful! I learned better positions of feeding him. We had more periodic vital checking, pediatrician visit, throughout the day.
3 visitors, 20 some email replies and at least 10 calls to the baby news. Xiaoying came at lunch time, and we had a good long catch up with her. She brought a tasty shrimp dish, mmm yummy protein. Shelly came by with Sophie after her Snuggler class. The two babies looked so cute laying together (Andy looked so much smaller compared to the 3mo old Sophie!), see pictures (click next for more). She made the Chinese soup just like Mom has ordered (supposed to be good for milk production)! We decided to to go to the Snuggler class together next week. It was a bonding feeling that Shelly and I started out in Madison, worked together, and now at a similar stage in life again.
There was a beautiful sunset tonight. I got a little fresh air for the first time in 2 days. Matthew came by in the evening. We recollected the dramatic event and saw all the pictures he took. Everything still felt shockingly amazing and fresh. Matthew held Andy in the arms for a long time; he was pretty good: Andy was quiet the whole time until he got hungry at the end.
Just as we thought it was manageable from the few regular feedings of first night, we experienced what's called "Marathon feeding" night. I fed him, he fell asleep, put him down, and he cried for food. The cycle repeated. We had to call the night nurse Maria at 4. She explained this was normal as babies are more nocturnal first coming out of womb. She made the bed and positioned me so I could feed and sleep with the baby in the same bed. I was surrounded by pillows. Soon enough both Andy and I were tired out and got solid 3 hours sleep.
10/11 Day 2 Leaving the Hospital
We had some more tests and surveys. Joe went to drop off stuff, swing by old apartment, drop off apartment keys, etc. Afternoon nurse Amy helped us packing Andy into the car seat. Andy was so small that the seat still seemed hollow with him in it. She swung the car seat while we waited for Joe to pull up the car, and Andy stopped protesting about the seat right away. She said she learned these seat tricks from growing her own 2 kids. She saw us off to the car and waved us bye.
We really like Evergreen hospital. The staff is just superb. Everyone is helpful and friendly, especially liked nurses Maria and Amy. It has one of the best Lactation facilities in the world according to literature.
Coming home, it felt like I've been gone for a long time. It's amazing so much could happen in 2 days! Little Rock is in my arms instead of belly now. When I get in the car, it occurs to me to be more careful now that he is on board. When I almost trip over things, I couldn't help thinking I'd better be more careful if he is my arm. Quite a bit of mentality shift in 2 days.
Pictures
10/12 Day 3 First day Home
We went to the postpartum appointment at Evergreen hospital this morning. When I did the "express milk" thing earlier, I found the clear little colostrum dews squeezed out were more milky white now. Doc confirmed my milk was coming.
They weighed him again and he's just about on the 10% weight loss boundary. She then did the feed, weigh, feed again, and weigh again test, and found Andy only gained about 3 grams on each feed, when 15 is the norm. But she was very pleased with the enthusiastic way Andy eats so suspected it was just I'm not producing enough yet.
The next diaper change found the poop was more brown now; this confirmed it was from milk. Andy took a good 2 hour nap until after 3, so I finally got some sleep too. We decided to take him on a little walk since it was beautifully sunny and mild out. We ran into this young Asian woman neighbor taking her 14mo baby out the car. The kid dropped a shoe, so I ran to her with it, and started chatting. When she learned Andy was 3day old, she went "oh, is this the one born in the parking lot here the other day?" It turns out she lives on 3rd floor on this corner of the building. She heard the siren and watched the drama from her window! She was also surprised I was walking already. She said she couldn't do anything for the first week. I felt fortunate for my quick delivery.
We took some pictures of Andy by a nearby tree with beautiful autumn colors and picked up a couple of leaves, so we can put them in a story book we plan to make for him one day. Andy is still a night owl; he grimaced at the sight of the sun. We didn't want him getting too much sun so turned back quickly.
Andy is pretty mellow during the day still. After a short feed, he goes for a short nap. We repeat this a couple times. I just sat quietly and watched his little face in the dark. His face winks or twitches, head turns, or he takes a quicker breath once in a while. It all looks so magical to me. I realize I'll probably never get tired of just looking at him.
10/14,15 First weekend
We went to the Pediatrics Associates's Bellvue clinic on Saturday morning to weigh Andy. He's 5lb 11oz, same as when he left the hospital. It's reassuring that he didn't lose any more weight, but it could have been nicer if he had gained some given how hard he's been eating. We had more visitors today. Andy met another playmate, Brian and Qiaolan's 6mo old Lily (picture here). They got us loaded on Costco size wipes and some diapers. We went for a nice walk in the Woodland park across the street in the cozy October sun. This was the longest walk I've had since getting out of the hospital. The fresh air felt really good. Lina made a chicken soup with ginseng in it (supposed to be good for milk production). Tom and Rebecca came by on Sunday with some yummy slow cooked Eight Treasure rice (oatmeal like breakfast).
It's a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by friends, everyone is eager to see Andy and help out!
More random pictures of the 4 day old.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Poops
4:30am
First poop, first diaper change. 6 wipes and we still had to call the nurse in to help completely clean a certain area. LR was not a happy camper but quieted right down after changing into a fresh diaper and blankets.
6:30am
His cry woke us up. Second poop. We are much more efficient now. One wipe. Oh and he started the hose spray before we put on the new diaper!
Another lesson: it seems when LR cries, it is with a good reason.
First poop, first diaper change. 6 wipes and we still had to call the nurse in to help completely clean a certain area. LR was not a happy camper but quieted right down after changing into a fresh diaper and blankets.
6:30am
His cry woke us up. Second poop. We are much more efficient now. One wipe. Oh and he started the hose spray before we put on the new diaper!
Another lesson: it seems when LR cries, it is with a good reason.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Arrival of "Little Rock" -- Oct. 9, 2007
We've always referred to our little guy as Little Rock (LR) as he hid himself well throughout the pregnancy but his kicks were solid and strong.
I was tossing and turning this morning since 3am, had oatmeal, many trips to the bathroom, and in and out sleep. My stomach still felt bad from time to time, more discomfort after 8am, and with a little diarrhea. I wondered if I had caught a chill from the walk the night before. I was finally tired out, so sent an out-sick work email with the intention to at least going in for the 5pm meeting today. I went back to sleep by 9am.
It was close to 9:30 when I woke up again. I realized it had to be contraction, and pretty strong ones too, 1-2 min apart. It soon became unbearable, so I tried calling all the friends that had babies recently and reached Shelly first. I got the "yes" for going to the hospital. My friend Matthew at work saw my out-sick IM status and offered to help whenever needed, so I IM'ed for the hospital ride now. I went to the bathroom again and found bleeding had started!
The next 5 minutes waiting for the ride became excruciatingly painful. I could feel my bottom was opening rapidly. I could hardly walk and couldn't string complete sentences on the phone with Evergreen Hospital. Matthew helped me into the car. As soon as I sat down, water, blood, and came LR!!! I looked in my pants and he had come out completely. He was purple and gray, covered with white stuff on the back, slippery mucus all over, and only attached to me with the cord. Such a strange creature. Is he alive? I was so afraid for his life and health! He moved, and made a little noise after a few seconds, It was the most amazing moment of my life. It was a strange feeling that this big fish swam out of my belly; my belly went down instantly and I forgot all the pain.
Matthew took charge and brought him up to me. He took the phone and called 911 at 9:57. The paramedics came in a couple of minutes and strapped me and the baby into the ambulance by 10:05. Matthew called Joe at work, and Joe almost fell out of his chair. He began his long anxious bus ride home.
They rushed me to the hospital that's 10 minutes away, and finally got a doctor to help me deliver this big bloody mess called placenta. She pointed to the big hole in it and said that's where the baby came out. I shook uncontrollably the whole way to and in the hospital, not sure because of the shock or pain, but everything calmed down now.
Then the normal stuff. LR latched on quickly; he must have been hungry. His glucose was low initially, probably due to the shocking delivery they say, but he ate well and caught up by 6pm. Joe says he's got my fast eating habit, reminds him of me gobbling 2-3 cups of teas in the mornings. He spits often; they say it's mostly amniotic fluid, due to the short time he was in the birth canal that he didn't have time to squeeze out the fluid. He got some bruises on the face, also due to the rapid delivery. But he is healthy and strong, and cries loudly when given shots or changing.
After a few more feedings, he is rosy pink now. Each holding or feeding makes us feel closer to him, more than his kicking when in my tummy (it almost feel strange that I no longer feel kicks now). Each of his little movements seem precious and cute. We try to learn his signals.
We finally decided on the name Andy. We like the sound of it. It reminds me of The Andes Mountains (the BIG rock :), which I first learned of in Art history. It rhymes with the Chinese characters "An1 安" for Peace/calm and "di4 地" for Earth/ground.
Joe went to help clean up Matthew's car in the late afternoon. We should have had a picture of the bloody scene.
Joe spent an hour putting the car seat in and packing my suitcase last night and I was joking he ought to be unpacking his clothing instead (we just moved to a condo). But his anxiety sure proved his point today. LR was scheduled to be due on 10/26 and he came 2.5 weeks early.
We were walking down the hall in the evening and ran into a maternity ward tour group. We were supposed to be in one for our last labor/birth class tonight but we sure arrived early. It was my first walk in 10 hours.
Joe filled out the birth certificate document, one multiple choice was method of delivery, yes, the "Spontaneous Vaginal" seemed like the best fit.
I was tossing and turning this morning since 3am, had oatmeal, many trips to the bathroom, and in and out sleep. My stomach still felt bad from time to time, more discomfort after 8am, and with a little diarrhea. I wondered if I had caught a chill from the walk the night before. I was finally tired out, so sent an out-sick work email with the intention to at least going in for the 5pm meeting today. I went back to sleep by 9am.
It was close to 9:30 when I woke up again. I realized it had to be contraction, and pretty strong ones too, 1-2 min apart. It soon became unbearable, so I tried calling all the friends that had babies recently and reached Shelly first. I got the "yes" for going to the hospital. My friend Matthew at work saw my out-sick IM status and offered to help whenever needed, so I IM'ed for the hospital ride now. I went to the bathroom again and found bleeding had started!
The next 5 minutes waiting for the ride became excruciatingly painful. I could feel my bottom was opening rapidly. I could hardly walk and couldn't string complete sentences on the phone with Evergreen Hospital. Matthew helped me into the car. As soon as I sat down, water, blood, and came LR!!! I looked in my pants and he had come out completely. He was purple and gray, covered with white stuff on the back, slippery mucus all over, and only attached to me with the cord. Such a strange creature. Is he alive? I was so afraid for his life and health! He moved, and made a little noise after a few seconds, It was the most amazing moment of my life. It was a strange feeling that this big fish swam out of my belly; my belly went down instantly and I forgot all the pain.
Matthew took charge and brought him up to me. He took the phone and called 911 at 9:57. The paramedics came in a couple of minutes and strapped me and the baby into the ambulance by 10:05. Matthew called Joe at work, and Joe almost fell out of his chair. He began his long anxious bus ride home.
They rushed me to the hospital that's 10 minutes away, and finally got a doctor to help me deliver this big bloody mess called placenta. She pointed to the big hole in it and said that's where the baby came out. I shook uncontrollably the whole way to and in the hospital, not sure because of the shock or pain, but everything calmed down now.
Then the normal stuff. LR latched on quickly; he must have been hungry. His glucose was low initially, probably due to the shocking delivery they say, but he ate well and caught up by 6pm. Joe says he's got my fast eating habit, reminds him of me gobbling 2-3 cups of teas in the mornings. He spits often; they say it's mostly amniotic fluid, due to the short time he was in the birth canal that he didn't have time to squeeze out the fluid. He got some bruises on the face, also due to the rapid delivery. But he is healthy and strong, and cries loudly when given shots or changing.
After a few more feedings, he is rosy pink now. Each holding or feeding makes us feel closer to him, more than his kicking when in my tummy (it almost feel strange that I no longer feel kicks now). Each of his little movements seem precious and cute. We try to learn his signals.
We finally decided on the name Andy. We like the sound of it. It reminds me of The Andes Mountains (the BIG rock :), which I first learned of in Art history. It rhymes with the Chinese characters "An1 安" for Peace/calm and "di4 地" for Earth/ground.
Joe went to help clean up Matthew's car in the late afternoon. We should have had a picture of the bloody scene.
Joe spent an hour putting the car seat in and packing my suitcase last night and I was joking he ought to be unpacking his clothing instead (we just moved to a condo). But his anxiety sure proved his point today. LR was scheduled to be due on 10/26 and he came 2.5 weeks early.
We were walking down the hall in the evening and ran into a maternity ward tour group. We were supposed to be in one for our last labor/birth class tonight but we sure arrived early. It was my first walk in 10 hours.
Joe filled out the birth certificate document, one multiple choice was method of delivery, yes, the "Spontaneous Vaginal" seemed like the best fit.
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