11/27 Tuesday
I sent off mom to the airport this morning. Mom has been so helpful. She babysat, and cooked and cleaned when she's not babysitting. She'd go to sleep early to volunteer the night shift: taking Andy when he's still fussing way past midnight and stay up until 3 at times. She didn't just come to see the kid but really came to do everything to help. Instead of losing privacy, she gave me more personal time. And having the time to talk to her (we both seem to be better tempered now) and seeing her so happy was priceless. I've never seen her sing so much. She brought a sweater she knitted for Andy which reminds me of old days when she knitted for us. She made me a breastfeeding apron when we saw Shelly had one.
I was so dead tired that it was back to sleep after airport. Andy and I went back and forth between nursing and sleep that we didn't get into work until close to 11! My officemates are awesome and Andy behaved well (slept initially). With Andy at work, it's a bit tough to get things done, but it's so nice to have him right by me so I don't wonder what he is doing now and can feed him any time.
I feel guilty for being sensitive to any noise he makes and wanting him to be quiet all the time. I used to talk him more, play music, and walk and hold him more. Now I appreciate the luxury of maternity leave more. Oh well, this is still so much better than daycare. We went to the Snuggler class at lunch hour. There he had his lung relief too; I encouraged him to make all the sound he wanted since there are 10 other babies louder. He fussed all afternoon that I had to call Joe to come early to take him home. Hopefully we do better tomorrow.
Jenn's husband dropped off their 5mo old Caleb around 6 to go workout across street. Joe did the same. It worked out quite well, Andy got to eat and meet Caleb. Picture here.
Andy was very good to mommy tonight (put him to sleep by 12), must know that mom needs to go to work on a more regular time tomorrow.
11/28 Wednesday
I discovered one sound Andy makes regularly sounds exactly like this new word "Urlaub" we learned in German class tonight. Maybe I played the Rosetta language learning program too much while pregnant that he is exposed to the language already eh?
11/29 Thursday
I decided to resume our good old walking time at work, so we went for a lunch walk. He felt a bit heavier in the sling after not walking him for a week!
11/30 Friday
I breast fed through the night without any formula supplement for the first time. Now I learned how tough it is to breast feed -- it is more than a full time job. He slept around 12 then I was up at 2:30, 5, 6:30, each time close to an hour at least. It was hard staying awake during the day, but I'm just so glad to know I can be not so dependent on formula now.
I got sprayed on for the first time this morning (and in the office)! I quickly covered the hose with a new diaper so he ended up getting the back of his undershirt wet. I took Ann's suggestion to get some pictures of Andy at my office. My officemates had fun posing him and he ended up holding on tight to the USB end of the mouse for the next half hour. He was a darling this morning, eyes wide open but quiet for the most part.
We went to pick up my dad at the airport lunch time. Mom and dad are taking turn using up the reminder of their vacation on babysitting. I felt bad having to give dad a 20 minutes crash course on baby stuff and the place before running off. But they managed for the next 4 hours. Dad even took him for a walk exploring the neighborhood.
I'm pretty unproductive at work this week, but I think it's getting a little better each day and I'm more at ease with him there. I think I agree with this Zurich Googler researcher I met at the SigIR conference last year that having the baby with you can actually make you more productive than the daycare.
Pictures here.
Observations about week 7:
- He's got stronger grip now and grab onto things much tighter. It can hurt when he grabs me or my hair now (trimming his nails helped a little).
- He got on a better schedule (so far). I try to go to bed before 9 and just nurse and play with him until he falls asleep. The trick seems to be getting him to sleep in the reclining nursing position. He's been going to sleep before 1am now, and waking up once or so before 8am (though I still have to get up twice to pump).
- He's accustomed to the car seat now. He doesn't cry at all now; he used to scream and fight so hard getting strapped into it.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
First Thanksgiving weekend
This first work week went by fast.
11/21 Wednesday
Xiaoying hung out with mom for most of the day while I was at work. They came over for lunch so I got to feed Andy too. Li, a friend at work who is able to held Andy for a while; it was a neat sight seeing her holding one while carrying one in the belly (2 more weeks to go!). It was very sweet to see mom hanging out with her college friends. They made Bao1Zi (my favorite food) together in the morning and baked in the afternoon as mom demonstrating Xiaoying her American food cooking. That's one quality I admire in both of them is their open mindedness to new things and how they are always interested in learning.
11/22 Thursday
We went to my friends Dave & Barbara's for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. They have two kids Miranda (7) and Jake (5). They made a delicious meal. Now I looked at their children and listened to their stories with a whole new perspective. I kept noting Andy will get to that one day. It's daunting to think about all the parental responsibilities. We went to another Microsoft friends Randy and Julia's party for the after dinner visit. It was really nice to see both families and former colleagues and catch up on office gossip. Pictures here.
11/23 Friday
I treated mom to her first spa massage experience at a nice waterfront hotel in Kirkland in the morning. I enjoyed the blue sky and water outside while she was worked on. It was another rare beautiful winter day full of sunshine. She came out relaxed but feeling bad for the masseuse girl so I guess that'd her last professional massage experience. We used to massage her back in trade for TV watching when we were kids so I suppose that'd continue. Mom and I went shopping for cloth for a couple of home projects and browsed baby furniture since mom was eager to fix Andy's night owl schedule with a rocking bed (but didn't find one). Everywhere was so packed that I so dread shopping the day after Thanksgiving.
I had the leisure (thanks to mom's babysitting) of going for a long jog in the afternoon and visited the old route that I used to jog along the lake for the first time.
Joe surprised us with a load of fresh grocery for some of my favorite dishes in the evening. We made a nice dinner together, pictures here.
11/24 saturday
We went to my friend Shelly's for a potluck. It's quite a change from gatherings a year ago: increase in new faces (new moms added to the social circle); 7 kids where as a year ago there is usually 0 kids; meeting time has shifted from dinners to lunches tailored to baby schedule; girls' conversation topics revolve around babies. I thought it was really sweet of Shelly to be hosting this when she's got her hands full with Sophie already.
11/25 Sunday
We've been lucky with the gorgeous weather this weekend. I took mom to the Kirkland waterfront. Got some pictures of Andy staring intently at Thomas Mangelsen's nature photos. We met up with Joe and checked out the marina scenery. The Kirkland Christmas tree is up and the Santa shop is in good business now. Pictures here.
We had 2 couples over for dinner in the evening, picture here. Mom cooked up some nice veggie dishes and I got some takeouts. They are mom's old time friends' children about my age; we used to play together when families visited in China. It's interesting to see them as adults now and that we all meet up again in another corner of the world after all these years. One of them has a two year old already.
I finally caught some pictures here of Andy's smile after a night feed.
11/21 Wednesday
Xiaoying hung out with mom for most of the day while I was at work. They came over for lunch so I got to feed Andy too. Li, a friend at work who is able to held Andy for a while; it was a neat sight seeing her holding one while carrying one in the belly (2 more weeks to go!). It was very sweet to see mom hanging out with her college friends. They made Bao1Zi (my favorite food) together in the morning and baked in the afternoon as mom demonstrating Xiaoying her American food cooking. That's one quality I admire in both of them is their open mindedness to new things and how they are always interested in learning.
11/22 Thursday
We went to my friends Dave & Barbara's for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. They have two kids Miranda (7) and Jake (5). They made a delicious meal. Now I looked at their children and listened to their stories with a whole new perspective. I kept noting Andy will get to that one day. It's daunting to think about all the parental responsibilities. We went to another Microsoft friends Randy and Julia's party for the after dinner visit. It was really nice to see both families and former colleagues and catch up on office gossip. Pictures here.
11/23 Friday
I treated mom to her first spa massage experience at a nice waterfront hotel in Kirkland in the morning. I enjoyed the blue sky and water outside while she was worked on. It was another rare beautiful winter day full of sunshine. She came out relaxed but feeling bad for the masseuse girl so I guess that'd her last professional massage experience. We used to massage her back in trade for TV watching when we were kids so I suppose that'd continue. Mom and I went shopping for cloth for a couple of home projects and browsed baby furniture since mom was eager to fix Andy's night owl schedule with a rocking bed (but didn't find one). Everywhere was so packed that I so dread shopping the day after Thanksgiving.
I had the leisure (thanks to mom's babysitting) of going for a long jog in the afternoon and visited the old route that I used to jog along the lake for the first time.
Joe surprised us with a load of fresh grocery for some of my favorite dishes in the evening. We made a nice dinner together, pictures here.
11/24 saturday
We went to my friend Shelly's for a potluck. It's quite a change from gatherings a year ago: increase in new faces (new moms added to the social circle); 7 kids where as a year ago there is usually 0 kids; meeting time has shifted from dinners to lunches tailored to baby schedule; girls' conversation topics revolve around babies. I thought it was really sweet of Shelly to be hosting this when she's got her hands full with Sophie already.
11/25 Sunday
We've been lucky with the gorgeous weather this weekend. I took mom to the Kirkland waterfront. Got some pictures of Andy staring intently at Thomas Mangelsen's nature photos. We met up with Joe and checked out the marina scenery. The Kirkland Christmas tree is up and the Santa shop is in good business now. Pictures here.
We had 2 couples over for dinner in the evening, picture here. Mom cooked up some nice veggie dishes and I got some takeouts. They are mom's old time friends' children about my age; we used to play together when families visited in China. It's interesting to see them as adults now and that we all meet up again in another corner of the world after all these years. One of them has a two year old already.
I finally caught some pictures here of Andy's smile after a night feed.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
6 weeks today
Andy turned 6 weeks today. I had my Ob-gyn appointment at 9:30 today. Mom came with me. On the car ride there, I was reliving the moments 6 weeks ago again. Hard to believe it's 6 weeks already! I learned from the post report that one reason that I had such fast labor was that the placenta got detached from the uterus so I was fortunate that it was fast enough otherwise it would have been dangerous for both of us. The blood results from the week before the delivery was finally in the normal range (was a bit low before) so no more iron pills to my relief.
We borrowed a baby scale at the maternity ward and he's 8 lb 6 oz now! He gained a pound in two weeks (much faster than before where he gained 1 lb in 4 weeks). He was quite restless last week with the late night owl schedule and increased appetite. The 6 week growth spur was true.
Over the last few days I developed new appreciation for mom. I have to admit that I wasn't thrilled about the idea of long term parents stay at first. But now I wish I had asked her to come earlier. I used to think I could manage and toughed it out; I fought fatigue with resistance. But now I realized I paid price of low milk production. With mom's help, I was able to pump after feeding, get more rest, and do less one-handed (even my wrist felt better after the weekend). It was wonderful to be reminded of the qualities I always admired in her. She worked with zeal and efficiency on everything. She cooked and cleaned in addition to looking after Andy. One day I asked if she wanted to go for a walk. She told me to go and that she preferred working; she finished making a ton of Zongzi (one o my fav Chinese food) when I came back. Growing up I always appreciated her selflessness and the work ethics she instilled in us and here she showed me again with her actions. We had our usual nagging and quarreling but I feel the tighter bond this time.
I went back to work today. We came to work together for lunch. It was a little hard watching them drive away. I guess it's a first day going back thing. But I didn't cry at all like I hear a lot women in my Snuggler class did. I guess it's because I know Andy is in mom's good hands.
We had the first poop putty training tonight. Mom noticed there was a little brown spot on the diaper, so she held the legs and waited. Andy had a long poop, and mom showed me how to make the sound to help him poop. It's interesting that most Chinese babies are putty trained at 8-9 mo, while babies here are trained much later. It was funny watching the stool coming out like spaghetti, only thicker and uncomparable in color and smell. It was filling up the diaper so we took him to the toilet so he finished the ordeal. He's all quiet now, probably all tired out from the poop.
Mom also got Andy to hold his own bottle tonight. Picture here.
We borrowed a baby scale at the maternity ward and he's 8 lb 6 oz now! He gained a pound in two weeks (much faster than before where he gained 1 lb in 4 weeks). He was quite restless last week with the late night owl schedule and increased appetite. The 6 week growth spur was true.
Over the last few days I developed new appreciation for mom. I have to admit that I wasn't thrilled about the idea of long term parents stay at first. But now I wish I had asked her to come earlier. I used to think I could manage and toughed it out; I fought fatigue with resistance. But now I realized I paid price of low milk production. With mom's help, I was able to pump after feeding, get more rest, and do less one-handed (even my wrist felt better after the weekend). It was wonderful to be reminded of the qualities I always admired in her. She worked with zeal and efficiency on everything. She cooked and cleaned in addition to looking after Andy. One day I asked if she wanted to go for a walk. She told me to go and that she preferred working; she finished making a ton of Zongzi (one o my fav Chinese food) when I came back. Growing up I always appreciated her selflessness and the work ethics she instilled in us and here she showed me again with her actions. We had our usual nagging and quarreling but I feel the tighter bond this time.
I went back to work today. We came to work together for lunch. It was a little hard watching them drive away. I guess it's a first day going back thing. But I didn't cry at all like I hear a lot women in my Snuggler class did. I guess it's because I know Andy is in mom's good hands.
We had the first poop putty training tonight. Mom noticed there was a little brown spot on the diaper, so she held the legs and waited. Andy had a long poop, and mom showed me how to make the sound to help him poop. It's interesting that most Chinese babies are putty trained at 8-9 mo, while babies here are trained much later. It was funny watching the stool coming out like spaghetti, only thicker and uncomparable in color and smell. It was filling up the diaper so we took him to the toilet so he finished the ordeal. He's all quiet now, probably all tired out from the poop.
Mom also got Andy to hold his own bottle tonight. Picture here.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Week 5 in Summary
- 11/13 Tuesday: A busy day out! We had the 9:30 1-mo pediatric appointment. Andy is now 7 lbs 6 oz, and 20.5 in. Doc noted "Healthy!" on his report card. I was able to borrow a room to do my own milk production test (feeding-weighing-repeat) afterwards for the next hour. Then we went for a really nice walk along the lake with Shelly (it was a rare gorgeous day!) and visited the new G. office by the lake for lunch. Baby Sophie smiled so much on the walk! Then we went to the Snuggler class and another long afternoon walk until the sunset (had a good long chat with Louise to catch up). Andy visited the library for first time in the evening while Joe worked out.
- 11/14 Wednesday: New moms lunch outing. Vi brought Chloe (1.5 weeks older than Andy, born 9/27), and Shellly brought Sophie. It was nice catching up with the girls and instead of making lunch this time, we headed to Google for free food. We got some cute pictures of the 3 babies. I'm still amazed how big Chloe is compared to Andy! Pictures here.
- 11/15 Thursday: Another busy day out. After the morning lecture on "Will and estate Planning" (yes cost a lot $ lawyer fee) which I slept through most of, we went to PaintAway. We worked on a couple of ceramic pieces. Andy was surprisingly attentive at the beginning looking at all the pots, see pictures.
At the lecture, I ran into another girl used to be in dance, and learned where she's disappeared to: she's got a 10-mo old now!
- 11/16 Friday: We picked up Grandma Zhong at the airport. It was a nice bonus that I was able to use the carpool lane with Andy in the back. Andy didn't fall asleep on the way back for the first time: he studied my mom intently for a long time! Mom was all happy of course and talked to him a lot too. Andy is starting to be interested in faces. here is a picture of mom meeting Andy for the first time. Andy got a suitcase full of goodies from Irene, Hao and mom.
- 11/18 Sunday: We had Shelly and Simon over for an early dinner. Mom made some tasty dishes and got to see Sophie.
- 11/14 Wednesday: New moms lunch outing. Vi brought Chloe (1.5 weeks older than Andy, born 9/27), and Shellly brought Sophie. It was nice catching up with the girls and instead of making lunch this time, we headed to Google for free food. We got some cute pictures of the 3 babies. I'm still amazed how big Chloe is compared to Andy! Pictures here.
- 11/15 Thursday: Another busy day out. After the morning lecture on "Will and estate Planning" (yes cost a lot $ lawyer fee) which I slept through most of, we went to PaintAway. We worked on a couple of ceramic pieces. Andy was surprisingly attentive at the beginning looking at all the pots, see pictures.
At the lecture, I ran into another girl used to be in dance, and learned where she's disappeared to: she's got a 10-mo old now!
- 11/16 Friday: We picked up Grandma Zhong at the airport. It was a nice bonus that I was able to use the carpool lane with Andy in the back. Andy didn't fall asleep on the way back for the first time: he studied my mom intently for a long time! Mom was all happy of course and talked to him a lot too. Andy is starting to be interested in faces. here is a picture of mom meeting Andy for the first time. Andy got a suitcase full of goodies from Irene, Hao and mom.
- 11/18 Sunday: We had Shelly and Simon over for an early dinner. Mom made some tasty dishes and got to see Sophie.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Drawing Session!
This is my first time back to the drawing session since Andy's birth! It was such a good feeling! I've been longing for it for a while. As I was perusing an artist's gallery online last night, I realized how much I missed it. I don't want to regret dreams not realized and blame it on kids when I get old one day. I have somehow lost track of time between feeding and diapering; I know I could do better if I were more disciplined and organized. It's like this coming to drawing session thing, I could have said it's too hard and didn't try, but only when I made some efforts, do I realize it's doable and so much fun! Such is true with many things, if you are determined, there is always a way.
Andy was again surprisingly good to me, slept most of the time (I credited it to Lyle's Bach and Handel). Somehow he always behaves at outings, even if indoor. It was great to see everyone. People were really nice to me, getting me chair, picking charcoal when I dropped it, etc. Everybody loved him and Carol drew him instead of the model for a while!
Pictures here.
Andy was again surprisingly good to me, slept most of the time (I credited it to Lyle's Bach and Handel). Somehow he always behaves at outings, even if indoor. It was great to see everyone. People were really nice to me, getting me chair, picking charcoal when I dropped it, etc. Everybody loved him and Carol drew him instead of the model for a while!
Pictures here.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
1 mo - Cute Random Pictures
Andy turned 1 month on Friday. It was a busy day. Ann and I had dim sum lunch together. We had such a good time chatting that it lasted 3 hours!
In the evening, Andy and I went to another Art lecture, on Anatomy of Horse. It was quite interesting. I learned a lot about all the bones and evolution of the specie. Andy slept through the whole as usual.
Here are random pictures of Andy showing off what he has mastered so far:
- attempting at chopsticks at our dimsum outing.
- reading a book.
- holding his pacifier.
We still haven't been able to capture his fleeting smile. He's smiling more often now.
We got a letter from U. Washington asking for participation in infant study on hearing, language and learning, so we volunteered him for that. It'd be interesting to see what comes out of that.
In the evening, Andy and I went to another Art lecture, on Anatomy of Horse. It was quite interesting. I learned a lot about all the bones and evolution of the specie. Andy slept through the whole as usual.
Here are random pictures of Andy showing off what he has mastered so far:
- attempting at chopsticks at our dimsum outing.
- reading a book.
- holding his pacifier.
We still haven't been able to capture his fleeting smile. He's smiling more often now.
We got a letter from U. Washington asking for participation in infant study on hearing, language and learning, so we volunteered him for that. It'd be interesting to see what comes out of that.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
4 week old Frechdachs!
Summary on his progress:
- 3074 grams now!
- He seems to have gained a bit length-wise (still need tape to verify), or maybe just that he likes to stretch out more. He also stands up straight more often.
- His hand grabbing control is a lot better, he pulls pacifier off himself.
- Turtle talent: When he is put tummy down, he struggles a bit and flips onto his back all by himself!
- A eating machine, since day 1.
- He likes going out; any change of scenery gets his attention. We've increased our walking distance significantly now (at least 4 miles) so we explore more places. He behaves well at lectures and in front of guests.
He has been one very lucky baby. He is still getting presents from around the world at 4 weeks! Thank you so much, dear families and friends! It's very thoughtful of you. My German friend Regina got him a "Frechdachs" bottle, which means "cheeky monkey". It is quite fitting as Andy makes a lot monkey squeaky sound.
- 3074 grams now!
- He seems to have gained a bit length-wise (still need tape to verify), or maybe just that he likes to stretch out more. He also stands up straight more often.
- His hand grabbing control is a lot better, he pulls pacifier off himself.
- Turtle talent: When he is put tummy down, he struggles a bit and flips onto his back all by himself!
- A eating machine, since day 1.
- He likes going out; any change of scenery gets his attention. We've increased our walking distance significantly now (at least 4 miles) so we explore more places. He behaves well at lectures and in front of guests.
He has been one very lucky baby. He is still getting presents from around the world at 4 weeks! Thank you so much, dear families and friends! It's very thoughtful of you. My German friend Regina got him a "Frechdachs" bottle, which means "cheeky monkey". It is quite fitting as Andy makes a lot monkey squeaky sound.
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