The Senakams | Corgi + 3

Happy New Year!

 

May your 2010 be fuill of love and happiness! (Feeling nostalgic about these specs already).

What?! All I get for Christmas is this...

Stinking hat?

Sorry Eva, Daddy and Mommy are too busy to buy you a Christmas gift. Besides, we buy you Christmas gifts every day. Just check out your toy bin, you're only 5 months old and it's already overflowing. We've actually contemplated digging up some of those new toys that you barely played with, rewrap them and pretend they're your X'mas gifts. Alas, we didn't even have time for that.

But hey, you get to see your grandparents (Daddy's daddy and mommy) from Austin for the first time...

 

Who took you to the Buddhanusorn Thai Temple for the hair-cutting blessing ceremony, which is believed to bring you a lifetime of health, happiness and good luck.

 

Really, what can we give you that'll beat that?

We also braved the crowd and took you to see the Union Square X'mas tree (which you didn't care about):

Plus, you gotta go on your first wine-tasting trip in Geyserville (granted you didn't get to actually taste anything other than breast milk, grandma pretty much hated all the wine we tasted, and grandpa lost all his money at the nearby casino *sigh*).

(But hey, Bryson's welcomed! That's a great winery in my book :>)

The truth is, I feel slightly bad that we didn't get a chance to create any special holiday tradition with you. We historically volunteer to deliver meals during the holiday, but with you in a car seat, it's slightly challenging to say the least. 

We want you to always appreciate just how special it is to be with our little family and remember how fortunate we are every year. I'll have to think harder about what's a good tradition we can embark on (readers: any suggestions?)

To make up for a lack of big, huge gift, I spent the afternoon shopping for fabric to whip up something quick for you. I found this super adorable Olivia fabric (I can see some Olivia-like antics from you already, precocious and feisty...), and remember I tried out this simple bib pattern before you were born (when I had free time to sew whenever I want, ha ha *bitter*...) 

And an hour after putting you to sleep, you now have a new, reversible and seemingly-very-absorbent bib (this black Olivia flannel is soooo soft and lofty, we'll see how it performs in a field test tomorrow, seriously your drool is the ultimate test, just check out that buddhist ceremony photo above where your drooling onto the monk's robe):

Olivia's so darn cute! Don't look too closely though coz the craftmenship is pure shoddiness. I'm tired and bleary-eyed. Good thing you're not too discerning at this stage.

But guess what? Tomorrow's your first X'mas! And after saying goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma, we'll have our quiet little celebration, new bib and all. And if you're lucky, I might even find time to rewrap a Christmas gift for you to open! Boy, I'm sure you couldn't wait to dig your chubby little fingers into the mess of crinkly wrapping paper.

Everyone have a Merry, Merry Christmas!
 

Eva FAQ- Part 1

Dang, has it really been a whole month since I last posted? Can't believe we're in X'mas tree shopping mode again already. It seems like it was yesterday when we almost poisoned Bryson with our last X'mas tree. Life seems to be stuck at super-fast-forward ever since Eva was born.

Speaking of Eva, we've received tons of questions from family and friends about how she's doing. As free time these days is an oxymoron, I'll try to create an FAQ for her, so users friends and family can refer to this document when I fail to return a well-meaning phone call/ e-mail/ letter from you...

Seriously, we're not ignoring you! We really do love hearing from you. Please accept my apologies and please don't stop thinking of us. Here's an adorable picture of her in case you wanna say you don't even know what she looks like anymore:

 Hi! It's me, Eva! You can't possibly be mad at this face, right?

Q1: (Mostly commonly asked question) How's Bryson doing with Eva (or vice versa)?

A1: Well, funny you ask! Ever since this day when they were forced to pose together, Eva seems to have started noticing that Bryson is a living thing. I mean she had accepted his presence before, even accidentally petted him a couple of times. But this week, she had actively lunged at him a couple of times while squealing in delight (and almost getting out of our grip and fallen flat on her face). She would also track him across the room, something that Bryson doesn't seem too comfortable with (we think he's worried that she's scheming to steal his food/bed/his perceived top spot in the pack). We tried to train Bryson to accept Eva's superiority in the pack by pretending to have Eva ask him to sit, then giving him a treat from her hand (or at least hand region). Eva also gets a kick out of playing with his flappy jowl and pulling at his whiskers... which Bryson doesn't seem to mind but nonetheless makes us a little nervous. We realize we have to start setting boundaries very soon. (And all these play sessions are really 2-man operations, so sorry, no photos yet)

Q2: How's she sleeping? (and if asked in person, usually accompanied with a very sympathetic look)

A2: Actually, we're pretty lucky that she's been a fairly good sleeper. We just started some basic sleep training, and she can now fall asleep on her own after a routine of bath (every other day) --> changing to jammies --> reading --> feeding. We'd put her down in her crib with her "Tabbi" (short for Tabatha), she would coo a little to herself and her little stuffed animals friends (probably saying nite nite) for a few minutes, then drift off to sleep. That happens around 7-8 p.m. each evening, and she'll sleep for about 8-9 hours, wake up, coo a little bit more (funny she doesn't really cry when she wakes up anymore, usually), get fed, and go back to sleep till around 6-7 in the morning. But how I am sleeping is a different story. Sometimes after the 3-4 a.m. feeding, I can't really go back to sleep. I keep thinking it's almost time to wake up again soon, and end up tossing and turning for hours. Ugh.

Q3: Does she have a favorite toy?

A3: Yes! The one toy she couldn't live without these days is her jumperoo. It's one of those obnoxiously colorful toy that plays even more obnoxious children's music that I sweared I would not buy before I had her. But the fact is she is attracted to it because of the bright primary colors and (pseudo-)cheerful music, and also probably because for the first time, she feels like she doesn't have to be confined to being held/ laying flat or being strapped to some seat, but has some autonomy and control over her environment (the seat swivels 360 degrees and she can "turn on" the music when she jumps or activate it with a toy). And if it means it can occupy her for 10-15 minutes so we can go to the bathroom in peace, it's worth every penny.

Here she is jumperoo'ing for joy:

Q4: So, are you guys having fun?

A4: Are you kidding? How can we not be having fun?! All the poopy diapers, 3 a.m. feedings, 5 p.m. tantrums... but seriously, like I tell hubby, even though it's exhausting, unlike your job where you work goes to making someone else rich, your work at home rearing your kids is an investment with 100% return. For better or for worse, she'll always be your child, and will never ditch you because of a merger/ lay-off/ restructure. And after a long day's work, being able to hold her, kiss her cheeks and take in all that baby aroma, all the troubles in the world seems to melt away... until she screams to be fed again.

Oh yeah, the joy of teething

  And yes, this is a hint of what I'm sewing currently, using this slightly manic Alexander Henry Around the Worldfabric which Eva ever so patiently help me pick out. 
 

 
Let me go already!

Look! I'm posing! And sitting...

 
Eh, maybe not.
  

 
 
 

The Pharaoh and the Sphinx

Why have a kid and a dog if you can't dress them up in ridiculous costumes for your own entertainment? (Isn't Bryson such a natural being a sphinx?)

And hey, she's enjoying it, right? The over-the-top headdress is a gift from my parents while visiting the King Tut exhibit at de Young before they left. It's then up to me to fashion the rest of the outfit in the 11th hour- raided my craft drawer for some gold-foiled paper and rhinestones, glue-gunned together with a cut-off bib with some elastics haphazardly sewn on the back. Voila! King Tut reincarnated! 

Miss Pharaoh, Mr. Elephant, Red Hot Chili Pepper and Miss Monkey mingling at the Halloween party (all saying "Are we done yet?")

Completely unrelated to Halloween. Just coz... 

Back to Work = Tears

Today's my first day back to work from my 4-plus-month maternity leave. *Sigh* 

I had a mini-meltdown last night, thinking about having to kiss her goodbye in the morning (ok, I do work from home mostly, but still it means handing her over to hubby, and trying to ignore her even when she's crying, which she did all afternoon). To make matters worse, I felt the urge to organize Eva's new closet and putting away clothes that didn't fit her anymore last night. Imagine me clutching a handful of tiny onesies and sobbing my face off on them. I was such a wreck.

When people with kids used to tell us when she was a few weeks old to enjoy them while they're small coz they grow up too fast, I thought that's absolute nonsense! All my sleep-deprived mind could grapple was that I couldn't wait for her to get bigger so she doesn't have to eat like 12 times a day and sleep only 2 hours at a time. But now, looking at these onesies that I can't believe she used to fit into just 3 months ago, and this giggling little thing beside me whose face lights up as soon as I walk into her room, I wish that time would stand still for just a sec so I can imprint this moment forever on my brain. (OK, the tears are flowing again... argh, what's wrong with me)

Just look at her and her little friends at a mommies' group gathering about a month ago (she was about 8.5 weeks then):

She looks so cute! So tiny! And so tanned! I swear I haven't taken her to a tanning booth yet. She is the youngest one there, but only by 4 days (the 2 cuties to her left and right are the 2 other youngest ones there, but they're all within about 3 months of each others).

Isn't this the most adorable line up ever? They look kinda wobbly that we thought they might all tumble like dominos. Good thing they didn't (but the slightly evil part of me thought that would've been kinda funny too. Tee hee!). Could you pick out the oldest baby?

Uh oh, Eva trying hard not to cry...

Where's my MOMMY? Waaaaah!!

Oh, she's right there. I'm fine now.

And this is her at her 3-month birthday celebration (she's around 14 weeks here):

Here she is with her little friends, Ili in orange who's 7 months, and Athena who's 10 months. Sometimes it still feels totally surreal when looking at a picture like this and think "wow, I have a daughter".  

And these are some pix just taken a couple days ago. Compared to these ones at 4 weeks, she looks so different...

 
"Hey Eva, say Dah-Dah"
"Hooo... Ooooooh... OOOOOOOOH!" (totally proud of herself)

By the way, Bryson had a small accident this morning, but really freaked us out at the time. Hubby was walking Eva and Bryson by himself, when he turned around and realized Bryson has fallen off a 5-foot platform onto some steps below. He said he just laid there and looked dazed. Hubby then picked him up (wth Eva strapped onto his chest) and frantically ran all the way home. Thank goodness when we took him to the vet that he checked out all OK, no broken bones that he can feel, just a very bruised belly. Needless to say, this has made my first day back to work even more interesting.

Here, you'll feel all better with a good rub down by your daddy and sister (BTW, don't you love hubby's T-shirt? So appropriate.)

 
 

Eva and Bryson's Most Excellent Adventure

Hey folks, we're back!

9 days of non-stop traveling with our 2 kids (2-legged and 4-legged), we've visited the most mangnificent coastal redwoods and pristine beaches, punctuated with feeding and changing Eva in the strangest places (on a tree stump in a redwood forest, next to a dead seal on an otherwise gorgeous beach, under a 30-foot Paul Bunyan statue, etc, etc...). That and Bryson eating and rolling in countless unidentifiable rotten objects (thank goodness the dead seal wasn't one of them), we've had one heck of a road trip!

Having just had a root canal today (ouch), plus dealing with Eva's latest "development", aka refusing to take the bottle all day (oh fun), I'm just too exhausted to write a coherent post. Just want to post some pix before they become some faded memory.

This is the view from the yard of the house we rented in Fort Bragg. Wish we had more time to enjoy it.

 

This house has a little glass-enclosed nook with a view of the ocean where this queen bed is. Hands down my most fav feature of this house. Even diaper-changing's more enjoyable here.

The first time Eva petted Bryson! And it's not staged, I swear! Awwww...

 Our sweet little girl at the house (seconds before she started wailing for something)

 

Hiking at Founders Grove, inside the famed Avenue of the Giants. We didn't drive through the drive-through tree, turns out there are many of them and I figure they're probably just as gimmicky as the Paul Bunyan theme park (ok, they're actually called Trees of Mystery), which we've already visited- hey, they're the only redwood forest in the area that's dog-friendly, you'll just have to overlook the Paul Bunyan-ness.

 Totally cheesy, but in a cute way

Ultra-man -girl 

Lion King Queen 

Beachside diaper-changing (the dead seal is just out of sight here, we didn't realize it until we sat down on a log on the beach and started feeding her after this diaper change... in fact I mistook the seal for a log, thank god I didn't actually sit on it. After we identified what "that funny smell" was, we quickly evacuated)

Taken just before we identified said dead seal. Eva was probably thinking, "Hey mommy, it doesn't smell quite right here and it ain't my poopy diaper"  

Dawn breaking over our rental cottage next to the Coquille River in Bandon, OR. There are salmons jumping in the river and cows mooing across the bank. Totally zen.

After reading some stories that morning with Eva, I propped her up on the couch so I can get a sip of water or something. She then proceeded to "sit" there and giggled to herself for the next few minutes, all pleased with herself. Next thing we know she'll be walking around and asking to borrow our car keys (like that TV commercial, ya).

Oh and good thing we're at a coastal town coz she's totally into fish and chips...

 washed down with some beer formula (which explains the slightly buzzed look)

Bryson totally enjoys strolling among the tide pools at Sunset Beach near Charleston, OR. I think he might have helped himself to some mussel sashimi.

Hmm, not sure what's so funny, guess you'll have to ask her

Bandon Beach, OR. Not only are Oregon's beaches drop dead gorgeous, they're all super dog-friendly. If my SAD isn't so bad, Oregon would be a great place to live in.

Going off to find some sea junk for dinner coz my people never feed me

You guys go ahead and go home. I'm staying.

And while we're gone, Picasso's parents (aka Auntie Rita and Uncle Brian) helped supervise the remodeling of our loft. We can't be happier with the result, but it's also mixed with sadness as this is their farewell project... they've just left to move to Florida. Bryson's already given Picasso his Skype ID, plus Picasso has just started his own blog, so we should be able to stay in touch. Bon voyage!

Making Memories (and eating them too?)

Has it really been 2 weeks since I last posted? Well, all I can say is having a newborn is sort of like having a black hole for time- it just sucks it all away!

But apart from diaper changes and endless feedings, we've actually managed to venture out and start doing fun stuff with Eva these past couple of weeks. We've been to a few restaurants, went to the de Young Museum before my parents left (*sniff sniff*), and this past weekend, braved the crowd and hot weather and sampled "delicious and sustainable street food" at the Eat Real Festival at Oakland's Jack London Square. 

I was a little unsure about how the day would go, having to juggle a stroller among masses of people in the sweltering heat, but the day turned out much better than I expected. Not only did we survive breastfeeding in public (photo below if you're curious how it's done), and changing a thoroughly foul poopy diaper behind food vendors (probably violating a few health codes in doing so, oops), we actually got to eat and drink! And look, hubby's all smiles and not just for the camera either! Not bad, eh?

One of the highlights of the day (apart from the public diaper change) was the beer tasting. Before you yell at me, don't you know that hop is great for increasing breastmilk supply? :D Anyway, the deal here is you pay $25 for four 8-oz samples ($5 is for this commemorative "mug" below you are forced to buy, kinda a rip off if you ask me). But the beer was well worth it, so many yummy local brews to choose from... Look, even Eva appreciated it (J/k! Ha ha :D)

Ooh, look, and there's the yummy paella... that we sadly didn't get to taste coz the line was almost a mile long *drool*

So we resorted to corn-on-a-cob (drizzling in butter). And after that, there's a baby to feed, thanks to this Bebe au Lait (aka "hooter hider") I got, which takes some getting used to (it's like wearing a cape in the front but with a little person hiding under it), it's not the most pleasant thing when it's 80+ degrees out (for me and her), but oh, it does what it's supposed to do.

 

And then there's the even more unsightly... public burping:

{ Click here for more pix of the day on our Flickr album }

We didn't bring Bryson with us coz we thought doggies aren't welcome, but turned out they are. We were bummed :( And in case you're wondering how Bryson's doing with his sister, we're happy to say that he's somewhat adjusted to the new schedule, and even though he doesn't really interact with Eva yet, he seems to have accepted her as a member of the pack. Here are some of their recent pix together:

 
(Trying to give him a treat when he gives Eva a "kiss" gently)

On a separate note, these "special" m&m's came in the mail the other day, a total surprise from hubby:

Yeah! That's Eva on an m&m's! Totally nuts!! And the other ones say "Hi! I'm Eva", and "Nice to meet you". How cute is that? But I don't think I'll be able to eat that... could you eat a piece of chocolate with your daughter's face on it?  But then what do you do with chocolate you can't eat?? Hmm.

One month!

Hard to believe that Baby Eva just turned one month this past week already! She's literally grown right in front of our eyes- from that ball of dough that only eats, poops, cries and sleeps to this little person seemingly complete with her very own personality.

Take this day that she turned 4 weeks old- she woke up cranky as usual, but after a diaper change and a yummy breastfast of breastmilk, hubby put her on his lap, and all of a sudden, she broke out in this widest, happiest smile for the first time:

We were over the moon, playing with her and trying to make her smile and laugh some more. But of course that didn't last. Oh well, at least we got this precious moment down :)

I have to say that despite of the fact that I was convinced I was going to suffer from a mental breakdown when we first came home, we've slowly grown into our little family... 

We take Eva on our daily morning walk with Bryson so we can take a detour to Arizmendi for a cup of much-needed coffee while she naps peacefully (the world seems so perfect during this precious hour...)

We drive around all afternoon for errands, shopping trips, long lunches, sometimes aimelessly even though we want nothing more than a nap, just coz she's always nice and quiet when we're out.

When we come home, we deal with her 4-8 p.m. crying marathon with non-stop feeding, burping, holding, swinging until she finally passes out.

And here's more of our little bundle of trouble joy:

1. Baby Eva @ 4 weeks, 2. Daily a.m. coffee run, 3. 1-month birthday at Kirala, 4. Who are you and why are you running our lives?, 5. Hanging out, 6. I love grandma <3, 7. Cross-eyed, 8. Wink wink ;), 9. DON'T! LIKE! SKIRT!, 10. Mind control, 11. Sleepy mess, 12. Can we donate her?, 13. Early morning, 14. First time out, 15. I am cute :), 16. Public transit, 17. FIrst pediatrician appointment, 18. Would you pleae burp now?, 19. Tiny, 20. Gas

For more photos of our first 4 weeks home, check out our Flickr album here. Enjoy!

Breastfeed or perish!

Thank you everyone again for coming to this neurotic new mom's rescue!

All you comments and e-mails channeling positive energy and sharing your personal experience really helped get me through this past week, as I learned how some of you have gone through the exact same struggle with breastfeeding and the dilemma with formula.

I've since ditched the whole "breastfeed or perish" mantra (where did that come from? More later in this post), and accepted that whatever works for us will have to do.

But here's the ironic thing... no sooner than I semi-gave-up on this whole breastfeeding deal, that things started turning the corner for us. Maybe it's the more relaxed attitude, or the help (i.e. the super potent steroid/antimicrobial cocktail unguent) we got from the lactation consultant, or just sheer luck (or stubborness), breastfeeding has gradually become less like a contact sport (involving lots of sweat and tears), the pain more manageable (I no longer compare that to childbirth itself), and has gone from "there's no way I can do this" to "this is hard but it could be manageable".

We're still supplementing, and I still don't know what the future holds for us in this department, I'm just glad that feeding time no longer resemble interrogation at Guantanamo Bay.

At this eerily calm feeding session at 4 a.m. this morning, staring down at Eva contently attached to my breast, I suddenly realized why new moms (or at least I) am so emotionally charged when it comes to breastfeeding...

For nine long months, you're physically connected to this being in every way. You grow and nurture her without ever having to think about it. It just happens. But when she's born, all of a sudden she's no longer physically attached to and dependent on you. Everything that she needs- diaper change, burping, holding and loving, even feeding if formula is used, can be provided by someone else. It feels as if breastfeeding her is the last visceral connection you can still have with your baby. Being able to breastfeed provides the validation that emotionally vulnerable new moms (i.e. I) need in order to feel "needed" by their babies. In other words, I'm selfishly breastfeeding her more for myself than for her.

Well, at least that's my theory.

By the way, today's my birthday, which I almost forgot if hubby didn't remind me yesterday. It means so much more now that I've given birth to Eva to know what happened today 30 some years ago when my mom pushed me out to this world (and without an epidural too, thanks, mom!) Apparently my parents will be looking after Eva while hubby takes me out to dinner tonight. I've heard of new moms breaking down in tears at their first outings without their babies. I'll let you know how ours go!

Here are some random pictures from this past week (sorry for the poor quality as they're from hubby's phone, don't have time to whip out the "real" camera...) Enjoy!

 
Buckteeth! Naw, just a sucking blister that's coming off :D LOL!

 
Wide awake- with her eyes open, she's starting to look more like her daddy...

 
Fresh air and adult company- all I need to feel like myself again (thanks, Auntie Aimee!)

 
Bryson enjoying the fresh air too!

 
Out at a cafe- she loves being in a crowd. We should live out on the street.

Eva's Surgery

The adrenaline of bringing home a new baby has finally worn off, and we're up in arms dealing with our new reality.

Sometimes I wake up from a nap (you really can't call an hour or two of shut-eye sleep), and I wonder if this is all just a weird dream... that is until I look over and see a little body heaving under the swaddle in the co-sleeper, that it hits me that she's really here and there's no returning her (can't exchange for store credit either *sigh*).

I now understand why all those new moms on Baby Story are so tearful. One minute you're in awe of how beautiful your baby is, and the next minute you feel utterly helpless and overwhelmed, borderlining on having a panic attack when the overwhelming sense of responsibility hits you like a ton of bricks.

Sometimes all I can do is sit there and cry. If I can limit my crying to less frequent than her feeding (8-10x/day), that is a good day.

Speaking of feeding, this whole breastfeeding thing has been the hugest challenge of this whole experience. I'm sort of prepared for the physical challenge- I have a pre-existing condition and previous surgery that makes it difficult to breastfeed (think rock-hard scar plus open sores and blisters, ouch!), but what I'm not prepared for are the emotional side of things...

I had no idea how inadequate and incompetent the lack of success in this department would make you feel. There's nothing more disappointing than feeling like you fail at providing this most basic life-sustaining nutrition to your baby. To make things worse, Eva was born tongue-tied, and thus compounded on the problem since she couldn't latch well and she bites when she's frustrated (double OUCH!!).

After much deliberation, we took her in to the Children's Hospital for the quick frenulum (the piece of skin that attaches the tongue to the lower palate) clipping procedure, hoping that'll make things easier for both of us, and also hoping it'll help with her speech later on.

She only fussed a bit that day and it was really minimally invasive as the doctor said, but I can't even look when they're clipping her (which took like 10 seconds), and hubby had to hold her down while I stand in the opposite corner of the room, clenching my fist trying hard not to cry...

We're seeing a lactation consultant to follow up on this tomorrow. We're willing to give this whole breastfeeding thing a bit more time and patience, but both are running low as is... And for now, the pump is my best friend, whom I hang out with 8-10x/day, 15 minutes at a time. It actually feels like I'm almost hanging out with this mechanical device more than I'm spending time with my baby, which feels totally wrong but yet, if I don't, then my baby's not getting any breast milk. How ironic, eh?

Anyway, sorry for this heavy post. I just need to get this off my chest. When you're home dealing with this 24 hours a day, it kinda feels like you're under house arrest and cut off from the world. Writing here (and hearing from you) helps me know that the world's still going on, that there's normalcy outside of our warped little world of worries and anxiety here.

First week home

First of all, thanks for all your well wishes through comments and e-mails! I'm sorry I don't have time to write each and everyone of you back yet, but please know that every time I receive a note from you, it brightens my day a little bit to know that someone is thinking of us :)

It's hard to believe we've been home with Eva for a week already. You may wonder how on earth do I find time to sit here and write this post, right?

Well, I consider myself super duper lucky to have a fantastic support team. First off, Eva's been a fairly good sleeper. As long as she's fed, burped, changed (provided that we read her cues correctly, something we're still learning), she'll usually sleep a couple of solid hours. Although I heard that as they get older, they'll need less sleep. And I'm also fairly sure that I've jinxed things now that I've declared how good she is, ha ha. Wish us luck!

Hubby has been phenomenal- other than producing milk, he pretty much takes care of everything else that needs to be done with the baby (including cleaning up her projectile poop that shot all over the wall and carpet from the changing table... who knew?). And not only that, he's calm, patient, and nurturing when I'm a nutcase whenever Eva fusses. While I overthink and overanalyze everything (and drives myself crazy in the process), he just have this intuition (and again, more patience) to get her on the right track.

My parents have also been stars in the supporting cast. My mom's always cooking something yummy (other than the Chinese medicine...) and nutritious in the kitchen, doing all the chores, and generally taking care of her daughter so I can take care of my daughter. My dad's been chauffeuring everyone around, and keeping Bryson entertained when we're all busy serving the new queen of the house.

Eva and I are the luckiest girls :)

Here are some random pictures from this first week:

Asleep on my tummy... so sweet...

 Bryson playing "My Sister's Keeper" :) And thanks to all of you who asked about him, he's doing great with his new sister; at first he was a little scared and not sure what to do with her, but now he seems to have accepted her as part of the family. Although his schedule's completely whacked, he started "barking" this morning at our 4 a.m. feeding for his breakfast. Poor Bryson... Speaking of support, almost forgot to mention that Picasso's parents have been so helpful with him, they took him to the vet, gave him a bath, and took him with Picasso to the dog park. Thanks, Auntie Rita and Uncle Brian!

Her one-week birthday bash :) Don't look at my face, I was trying to hold back tears... I just couldn't believe she's a week old and we haven't broken her yet (although one day as I was changing her I thought I yanked her arm too hard and broke her arm when I heard a pop... who knew baby joints can pop too?) Anyway, I'm just a water faucet these days- I literally cried over spilled milk the other day... the postpartum hormone roller coaster ride is really as fun as people say.

 
First time in the still-much-too-big stroller. Bryson feeling neglected...

 Trying out the Rockin' Baby carrier. She's pretty happy here, but just about 15 minutes later, promptly threw up half of her last feeding all over the both of us. Oh what joy.

 
Her first pediatrician office visit. All was well, as the pediatrician pointed out, these early visits are almost more for us nervous parents than our healthy babies.

She's Finally Here!

One whole week past her due date, our daughter, Eva, finally decided to make her grand entrance this past Sunday! (You can already tell timeliness isn't her thing).

She was 21 inches and 8 lb 4 oz (all those Krispy Kreme's taking revenge), and I felt every ounce of it... (if you're interested in more details, write me an e-mail and I'll be glad to tell you ALL about it; it's probably TMI for public consumption here).

But hey, in the end, this is what you get:

I guess it's all worth it :)

We're super exhausted as you can imagine. Everything people told us about caring for a newborn is true- the constant struggle to feed, change diaper, burp, repeat... and doing all that while you're sore and completely sleep-deprived is super trying.

We'll keep you posted as we get more caught up with sleep. In the meantime, enjoy more photos :)

 

Overbaked

OK folks, if you're checking in to see if we're "Corgi + 3" yet, I'm sorry to disappoint you. The bun's officially overbaked.

I'm 3 friggin' days past my due date!! And I'm starting to get antsy... I had to get started on another crafting project or I'll go out of my mind... Here's yet another stroller blanket in the making:

Took me a while to decide on this color combination (but hey, I've got nothing but time these days). I think the solids break up the patterns a bit and makes it less busy but still playful and cute. As I also found out, it's no easy feat operating a sewing machine while sporting a 40+wk pregnant belly- think totally outstretched arms and stepping on the foot pedal on porky tippy-toes.

And yesterday my ob told me if she doesn't make her appearance soon, I'll have to be induced next week, a scary, scary thought... coz I heard induction = Pitocin = pain. Plus she won't be getting any smaller... yikes! Maybe she's enjoying her 5-star accomodation a bit too much.... perhaps I should go on a hunger strike, effectively cutting off her room service and maybe that'll coax her out (but let me have a Krispy Creme before that...yum...)

You know what though, apart from having more crafting time, there's another upside to this whole situation... HP and company, here we come! Oh and AMC- don't worry, I'll bring a towel to sit on ;)

On Nesting and Resting

Yep, still here... 39 weeks and 2 days (5 days from D-day!), can you believe it? After all the early drama, I'm a bit surprised (but not dismayed) that she still hasn't checked out yet.

But hey, my parents have arrived, most last minute prep is done (she has a place to sleep and diaper drawer is stocked), and I'm getting paid for "resting" when I'm not "nesting", who can complain?

Speaking of nesting, you might have noticed the new, cleaned-up look of the blog, like it?

It's still a working progress, but I'm so sick of the previous clutter that I decided it's time for some cyber-cleaning. And once I started, it's hard to stop- I think I "threw out" half the junk I had there before- it's almost as gratifying as cleaning out my closet! Now it's looking so "clean", I'm tempted to add some color back to it (I think indecisiveness is a side effect of late-stage pregnancy...) What do you think?

And speaking of resting, I'm getting plenty of that these days, as my army of help parents have finally arrived from Hong Kong a few days ago :) As much as I fretted over having my parents around all the time (well, technically not all the time since they're staying at Picasso's in-law unit) before they got here, it's really nice to have some family time together (we've lived in separate states/countries for the past 10+ years), and hear stories about me when I was a baby...

Like the other day, I strolled by a baby store with my mom, while I was oogling over some completely impractical baby stuff (like a $40 baby skirt or something equally offensive), my mom told me that's exactly what they did when I was a baby, running to the store and bought me everything cute and impractical on the shelf as soon as they get their monthly pay check...

And here's my mom when she was pregnant with me 30 some years ago...

And here's her with me when I was a newborn...

Isn't she so cute? And I just looked disappointingly like a wrinkly, grumpy old man... I'm so glad they decided to keep me anyway :P

And if you're wondering about how Bryson our Addison Dog is doing, he's had some up days and down days... I'm sure all the people and all the fuss that's going on with new baby prep isn't helping with his stress. But he seems to have adjusted to my parents' presence (all the bribery my dad's throwing him under the table doesn't hurt), and we're gradually learning how to titrate his steroid dose to cope with the various stressors in his doggie life.

"I can smell changes in the air... hmm..... I wonder what's cooking...." Oh Bryson, you'll find out very soon ;)

Still Here

Everything considered, I can now (almost at the end) say that I've had a pretty happy, uneventful pregnancy (*knock on wood*).

I mean, there were some rough days, especially in my seemingly never-ending first trimester (with nausea lasted till 18 weeks, ugh). But after hurling spectacularly just after walking out the gate at SFO some time around Week 18, I started feeling the baby kick like the very next day... And from there, I was generally happy and content with the way things went, all the way till about 35 weeks when all the aches and pains and anxiety reared its ugly head...

We didn't want to "jinx" things earlier on, but as they say "picture says a thousand words" (or something like that), here's a pictoral chronicle of my journey through pregnancy (or more like mid-pregnancy on):

1. Week 21, 2. Week 22, 3. Week 23, 4. Week 24, 5. Week 25, 6. Week 26, 7. Week 27, 8. Week 28, 9. Week 29, 10. Week 30, 11. Week 31, 12. Week 33, 13. Week 34, 14. Week 35, 15. Week 37, 16. Week 38

Can you tell there are some good days and there are some not-so-hot days (just love those when I'm still in my jammies at 3 p.m...)?

I remember just feeling horribly fat for a long time, then one day during my 6th or 7th month, I looked at the mirror after shower and saw my belly "heave" from one side to the other, and felt like I was hit by an internal earthquake (literally)... that's when it really hit me that our little baby is living inside that dimply, itchy bump. I mean I've long embraced the fact that I'm pregnant (not just fat), and I felt like I've already developed strong emotions towards our unborn child, but that was the day that I've really started to LOVE the way my pregnant belly looks.

I know, it's strange and hard to explain. But I think this is one of those things I'll miss about being pregnant...

Plus the daily bedtime massage by Masseuse Hubby (you won't believe the swelling that starts in the last month)...

Plus having Hubby rub lotion on my feet every day after shower (coz I can't reach) and belly (coz he loves massaging us "both" at the same time)...

Plus the extra special attention you get wherever you go ("sorry but I really can't sit at the counter, how about that booth by the window? Oh, thank you so very much")...

Plus being able to "play" with your baby's foot from across your belly (I know, sounds totally strange, but oh-so-fun; I swear I almost "caught" it the other day)... 

Plus the excitement and anticipation that only meeting your first born could bring...

Plus all the icecream you can eat without feeling horribly guilty...

P.S. I'll save all the things I WON'T miss about being pregnant for another day.

Bryson has a gift for his sister

That's right! Now that Bryson's feeling better, he's prepared (with a little help from me) a little gift for his sister (remember this sneak preview?)...

Ta-dah! It's yet another baby blanket :) And a close-up of the patchwork binding:

This is based loosely on instructions from this "Patchwork-trimmed Baby Blanket" project in Heather Ross' uber-popular book Weekend Sewing:

While the monogram is super cute, Bryson decided that ours needs a bit of a personal touch- one bearing his personal "signature". He picked out this photo dating back to his show-dog days, when he's considerably less saggy in the mid-section (hey, even dogs want to put their best foot forward, ya know?):

Departing from the instructions from the book out of laziness (which instructs you to use single-sided fusible interfacing which needs sewing on), I used this double-sided fusible web, Steam-a-Seam Lite to create a Bryson-shaped iron-on applique.

I don't know if I'm doing it right, but since this stuff looks so light, I didn't even cut out the middle of the webbing and there didn't seem to be any excess stiffness (can someone tell me if I should have followed instructions from the book?) Anyway, I then sewed a decorative zig-zag around it, and voila! Bryson is forever imprinted on his sister's blanket :) Now I just hope that it wouldn't fall apart after washing...

For fabrics, I used this super soft double-sided chenille-like (?) fabric for the main blanket that I imagine would feel oh-so-good against a baby's delicate skin (it's from Stonemountain here in Berkeley). For the trim, I used a mix of cotton fabrics from Joel Dewberry, Tula Pink and Urban Chiks I got online.

I really hope to squeeze one more sewing project in before our little bundle of trouble joy arrives, but based on all those Braxton-Hicks contractions I've been having + my ob's assessment at my 37.5-week visit, we may be meeting her sooner rather than later... While I'm eager to meet her (and be able to breathe/walk/use the bathroom like a normal person again), I feel like there's still so much more to do to get ready for her! Help me keep your fingers crossed that you'll see at least a couple more posts here before D-Day ;)

Bryson and His Sister's Shower

Once again, thanks for your concerns for Bryson! He's much better having received his steroids for about a week now.

He's almost back to himself, if maybe a tad bit more hyper and feisty than his usual self (roid rage?? :D). But today he had a small set back... we tapered his steroid dose yesterday as directed, and today he started throwing up all over the place. Since vomiting could be a sign that his Addison's not adequately treated, the vet advised us to raise his steroid dose back up to his starting dose. He seems to respond well to that, we'll just have to taper his steroid dose more slowly from now on.

I'm sure we'll get a hang of this titrating-up-and-down business- I'm a pharmacist after all-  I'm just worried since we have our babymoon + 5-year wedding anniversary coming up this weekend in Napa, when we're supposed to leave Bryson with Picasso for a few days. I'm sure he'll be in good hands, but you still worry, you know, what if something happens and we're not there and all that guilty baggage that comes with it. I guess this is all good practice for the day when we have to deal with a sick child, and all the worries and fear and guilt that come with it... *sigh*

OK, enough sick puppy talk. As promised, here are some photos of the fantabulous shower our lucky baby's aunties threw for us:

{ More photos on Flickr here }

I love the color-coordinated everything- from the food (pink and orange M&M's) to the beverage (blood orange Italian soda) to the decor (pink peonies, heavenly!) even down to the fuschia feather boa they made me wear (which kinda made me resemble a waddling big bird in drag).

And as I mentioned before, I love love LOVE the book plate idea, and all the beautiful onsies our very creative guests painted for her (there is even a "simulated bikini", ha ha!) Unlike her mother, I can see both brain and beauty in our baby's future ;)

 

A Bryson Health Update

Well, it looks like I've jinxed things in the last post when I said Bryson's all better.

He's not better. In fact he looked terrible all weekend...

Not only was his listless and hiding from us again as soon as the steroid wore off, he was trembling from head to toe and nothing we did could console him. Poor baby looked like he was in a lot of pain. We just felt so helpless when he looked at us with those sad puppy eyes pleading for us to do something, and yet we didn't know how to help him.

We checked him everywhere, couldn't find anything, and the "hot spot" that we thought was the culprit has already healed. We tried giving him treats, hugs, toys, old pain medicine... nothing seemed to really help. I googled all night looking for clues. A thousand different possibilities- everything from a simple urinary tract infection to some deadly neurologic disease ran through my head... I totally worried myself sick. It breaks my heart to even lay eyes on his little trembling body, it just makes me cry (the pregnancy hormones aren't helping either). 

We took him to the vet today, and even the vet was stumped (not the most reassuring thing to hear). They ran a bunch of tests, and was told that we'll get the results tomorrow or Wednesday. "Tomorrow or Wednesday" couldn't come soon enough...

I almost felt guilty for going to our baby shower and celebrate when he was in such bad shape. But I'm glad I did, being surrounded by everyone who loved and cared about us so much definitely help me feel more positive. The party planning committee- Auntie Aimee, Auntie Van and Auntie Rita put together such a fabulous party I can't even begin to describe it here... I think I'll just post the pix when I get them and you'll see what lucky girls (me + baby) we are...

Here's just one example of the many brilliant ideas they had (Auntie Aimee designed and gocco'd the book plate, and every guest who brought a baby book gets to write a message to our baby. Isn't that so neat?)

By the way, this is Auntie Van's message in the Dr. Seuss book "It's Not Easy Being a Bunny".

I'll keep you all posted about Bryson when we hear back from the vet. Wish us luck.

A Small Scare

Thanks everyone for your well wishes for Bryson! He's completely recovered now, but the steroid they put him on made him a little kooky for days (think googly-eyed running-into-walls peeing-in-the-hallway weird...).

And as he's getting better, I've had a small scare with the pregnancy over the long weekend...

Long story short, at a routine visit, my ob examined me coz I was complaining of cramps, and was concerned enough to send me to the hospital for a whole bunch of tests to make sure I'm not in premature labor.

What?! Premature labor?? I'm only 32 weeks and haven't even had my shower or babymoon yet, I can't be in labor!!

Well, many hours in the hospital's L&D Unit's triage area, full of women in labor screaming bloody murder (quite unnerving), we were told that I'm fine, baby's fine, I'm not in labor, crisis averted. Whew!

But I was told that I should still "take it easy", which means no more belly dancing. Boo... But well, if that means bambino can stay in Hotel Utero as long as needed to keep her healthy, I'll oblige most willingly.

On a lighter note, I finally finished my first sewing class and completed my project! Here's me in the robe I made in class, using this Vogue pattern (that has a somewhat 80's ring to it and super "man-proportioned", which happens to fit me just fine now, LOL):

Oh, and that's a diaper cake my coworkers gave me last week, so sweet!

And here's the back of the robe, looking pretty good from this distance, but I was having some problems with the neck band... as I found out it's tricky sewing a straight band to a curved neckline, took me many tries (and quite a few more curses)...

But all in all I'm quite happy that it's done and actually wearable! Now that I've tackled this robe, I want to try sewing this baby kimono set (the one on the cover), isn't it sooo darn cute? Hope I can pull it off!

And here's a sneak peak of the components of the next project I started after I've got all these free time since dropping belly dancing class...

Yep, that's Bryson who's going to be making a cameo on this project! Hope it'll turn out as planned, will post pix when it's finished, stay tuned :)

 

Happy Mother(-to-be)'s Day!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions on our doggie-baby car situation! I'm sure we'll be trying quite a few of those out :) 

And as if the gods in the heavens heard our plea, just after I posted the last post, I found an article called "Dog and Driver" in the current issue of Bark Magazine that covers almost everything I asked about. Check it out if you're wondering the same!

And by the way, Happy Mother's Day to all the moms (and moms-to-be) out there! Love to hear about what you received (or gave) on this special day.

Hubby surprised me (on behalf of our daughter-to-be) with a bunch of cute little things- a gourmet icecream sandwich from my new fav icecream parlor Ici, a box of kanom krok (a tasty coconut-custardy Thai dessert from the temple), a couple of books, including Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing (super psyched!), and a hand-written card signed by daughter-to-be (awww... soooo sweet!)

I know some of you have already whipped up your versions of a few projects from this book, love to hear which ones you like most! And speaking of sewing, here's a little progress update...

As I was looking for relatively fool-proof, straight-line, simple baby projects to try my hands on, I found several versions of instructions on some very cute cloth diaper burp clothes.

It really is almost fool-proof: you cut out a piece of your favorite cotton fabric, sew it onto a pre-fold cloth diaper (that's super absorbent by design, I found this organic one by Gerber), and voila! You got yourself some fancy-schmancy burp cloths. 

 

And as demo'd by Bryson:

 

And as I'm now on a roll (can you tell?), I sewed a matching blanket to the mermaid burpies (don't you just adore this Heather Ross line?), which also happens to match the new Bumbleride stroller we just got (OK, it's a bit matchy-matchy but I can't help it!)

Here is Bryson again as our demo-baby, wrapped in my hand-made baby blanket (and yes, that's Picasso peekaboo'ing in the corner):

 

I know you folks probably aren't dying to hear about how excited we are about all the bells and whistles this stroller offers, but hey, all-terrain air-filled tires? Multi-adjustable back rest suitable for newborns? Universal car seat adaptor? Rear suspension? And a cup holder?? All at 19 lbs and about 1/2 of the cost of a Bugaboo??? That was enough to keep us quivering with joy for days.

And last but not least, as we're celebrating Mother's Day, can't not include some cute cuddly pictures of our first born, taken while we stayed this past week in the city while I attended a convention (Picasso's with us for 2 weeks while his parents are out of town):

 

 

Good nite :)

 

 

Our New Eco-friendly Dog-friendly Baby-friendly (?) Ride

You may remember quite a while back, I blogged about our company giving us new hybrid vehicles as company cars. 

I couldn't tell you then what our choice was, coz it was largely influenced by the fact that we're expecting a new addition to our family (it really tore me up to have to keep secrets from y'all, you know?)

But now the cat's outta the bag, and the loooong-awaited vehicle has finally arrived at our door step! Check out Bryson's (and his soon-to-be-sister's) new ride, the Ford Escape Hybrid:

Bryson immediately jumped in to check out the conditions of his living quarters:

Uh oh, is it too cramped?

Not! Even with that baby car seat adaptor (that we inherited from my boss) strapped to the back of the backseat, there's still seems to be plenty of room for Bryson and friends and his private water bowl. I just hope the bungee cord holds up so Bryson wouldn't get an inadvertent concussion...

Ooh, look, and the glass backgate opens up for a bit of fresh air too, great to air out all that doggie smell...

We've even put the infant car seat in the back to try out the configuration. Seems like it'll work well with enough space for all the baby junk stuff we'll need to start hauling around.

As exciting as this all is, I can't lie to say that I'm not a bit (OK, a lot) unnerved the first time I looked back from the passenger seat, saw this set up, and realized there'll be a newborn infant (probably screaming and kicking) in that seat in a couple of months, plus a dog that is easily spooked by loud noises (eh, like crying babies...) and sudden movements with nowhere to escape to...

Anyone with dogs and babies/kids, any tips on keeping everyone safe and sane in this transportation situation? Do I always let hubby drive and sit in the back to keep an eye on the baby and Bryson? But what if I'm alone, how do I know baby's OK (with her facing backwards) and Bryson not being whacked around by all the baby gear that'll probably end up in his quarters?

I know I'm probably being a worry-wort, but any advice would be much appreciated!

8 Things

So, I was tagged for this "8 Things" meme (thanks Infrared Goggles!) last week, but apparently was too slow to respond, which earned me a kick in the butt by Julo who double-tagged me (thanks! :P)

OK, without further ado, here we go:

8 Things I'm Looking Forward to:

1. A quick, no-tear no-drama no-complications labor enhanced by a perfectly-timed epidural  
2. Holding a beautiful, healthy baby in my arms at the end :)
3. Beginning of my maternity leave (in 8 weeks, can't come soon enough!)
4. Being semi-decent at sewing
5. Teaching Bryson how to burp and change baby especially in the middle of the night (wouldn't that be nice?)
6. Eating more sweet, sweet mangoes this summer (yummm...)
7. My baby shower :)
8. Another potential life-changing event this year... (I'll have more to tell you in about a month)

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Learned how to tell the grain of a fabric in my second sewing class (i.e. snip and tear crosswise from selvage to selvage) and many other neat tricks 
2. Went to the inaugural East Bay corgi meet up at the Berkeley Marina (where Bryson once again played anti-social fugitive...)
3. Ate an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia FroYo (it was an accident, I swear)
4. Regret eating above said item *sigh* (but it was really really good...)
5. Watched the San Jose Sharks narrowly escaping 1st-round playoff elimination
6. Read another few chapters of the fascinating book The Female Brain (do you know your brain actually shrink physically during pregnancy? That explains a lot...)
7. Signed up for another belly dancing class (8 weeks down and another 8 to go!)
8. Finished sewing another baby project (see below):

 
Ta-dah! Another set of baby burpies, bibs and blanket with this super springy Park Slope Fabric 

  
Blankie with a super soft minky-like microfiber backing. A much-dumbed-down version of a hooded towel project found in Amy Butler's Little Stitches (sans hood and belt and different shape)

 
Bibs, bibs and more bibs! Backed with flannel/ chamois (which disappointingly isn't very absorbent. Oh well.)

  
More burpies. Another rookie mistake- backed one with flannel (very absorbent) which is great, but for some reason decided to back the other one with this minky-like fabric, which turns out not to be very absorbent, plus I heard that baby will end up eating fuzz with anything fuzzy near their mouth. Great.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Swim! (I could sort of float and doggie paddle. But I want to really swim, like a mermaid)
2. Retire early
3. Whistle the proper way (somehow I learned to whistle sucking in instead of blowing out air. I know, super weird)
4. Have super learning abilities so I can pick up new things with a snap of my finger (sort of like Sylar in Heros, but of course I won't do anything evil... Mwah ha ha.....)
5. Sew and do crafty stuff all day
6. Stop worrying about things I can't control (but according to The Female Brain book, that's what women are programmed to do. Guess I'm genetically doomed)
7. Travel the world with my family (including Bryson who can always fly in the cabin with us)
8. Lose all the baby weight quickly (and a few pounds more :>)

8 Shows I Enjoy:

1. Heroes
2. Jon and Kate + 8
3. American Idol
4. America's Next Top Model
5. Deliver Me (TLC)
6. Groomer Has It
7. Project Runway
8. Amazing Race
   (And other trashy reality shows I'm too embarrassed to admit I'm watching...)

8 People I'm tagging:

OK, I'm once again not following the rules, since most of my cyber buddies have been tagged already. If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged! The more the merrier, right? :)

Back on the Saddle Again

First of all, thanks for all your kind comments and oh-so-entertaining guesses on our baby pool! We've been taking these weekly-progress photos of me since about 6 weeks ago, I'll post these later and maybe they'll inspire you to alter your entries ;)

Anyway, I finally got my new sewing machine this week! Yippee!! Which, as you might have guessed, is responsible for my brief absence from the blog this week.

So what happened to my old Viking machine that I've been b*tching about, you ask? Well, a couple trips to Joann and some moments of false hope later (boy, the people there really tried), I was told that the machine is dead. RIP. The line's been discontinued for years because the machine's design was faulty to begin with. I was told to take it home, bury it and get a new one. Grrrrr, was I pissed!

Luckily, I soon found that Costco carries this computerized Brother sewing machine, XR7700, that has great reviews for $177.99 (S/H included), and best of all, comes with the iron-clad Costco lifetime return policy! That's cheaper than that dead Viking I got 3 years ago! Needless to say, it was at our doorstep 3 days later, and here it is on my make-shift sewing table:

And what a difference a functional machine makes (no duh...). I can now sew curse-free!

It's so quiet, sews oh-so-smoothly, comes with an automatic threader, and even the "computerized" functions (e.g. auto needle up/down function, various speed, stitch selection, etc), which I thought would be a hassle to learn are totally user-friendly. And it comes with an instructional DVD that makes it almost fool-proof. 

Plus you can't beat that cute puppy picture on the window that comes with it (soon to be replaced by Bryson's mug, of course) ;)

I have a gazillion things I want to sew with my new and fancy fabrics, but I decided to test it out on some of these leftover funky monkey flannel I got, in case I still manage to mess up... And here's what I got so far:

Ta dah! A reversible set of swaddling blanket, burp cloth and baby bib. I'm surprised that they turn out pretty well, although don't look too closely, the rounded parts (especially the bib, which doesn't really have a straight line as I somehow was surprised to learn after cutting out the fabric) are all a bit angly and wonky:

  

 

I know more practice is in order, but if you have any tips on how to sew these rounded parts, well, rounder, please advise! And thanks in advance as usual :)

Letter to Our Unborn Child II: You're a GIRRLLLL!

Hi Baby,

Since I had so much fun writing you this last letter, I decided it's time to pen you another one so you'd know how much trouble fun you are in utero.

This past week when you turned 26 weeks and 2 days in my belly, we took you in for your first intra-belly portrait session.

To be quite honest, we weren't really sure we want to see your face before you're born (some surprises in life are good), but I really can't stand not knowing if you're a girl or a boy(!), thanks to your ultra-modesty keeping your legs crossed the entire time during our last ultrasound.

So, having that in mind, I made sure I filled my belly with all those food that I know will make you break out your funky dance moves- a huge plate of Indian curry, lots (LOTS!) of chocolate, and a large glass of mango juice to top it off.

But no... you stubborn little girl, you obviously have your own mind, or you really are that camera-shy, coz this is what we got for the first 10 minutes on the 3D ultrasound:

"Talk to the hand..."

"And the foot..."

Oh wait... one, two, three, four... is that four toes?! *gasp* But the very sweet ultrasound camerawoman reassured us that you have 5 perfect little toes and even a nice and high arch (whew! So you didn't inherit mommy's horrible flat feet). But regardless, 4-toed, 5-toed (or even 6-), we'll love you all the same, even though it might present some shoe-shopping challenges...

But one thing we're sure at this point- you're a GIRRRLLLLL!!! Yay!!

We're so happy and relieved, well, relieved mostly coz we just swept up a bunch of bargain baby girl stuff at a closing sale last weekend (a bit premature, I admit, but you can't beat a good bargain in the midst of a recession. You'll soon learn, baby).

Anyway, I think the curry and chocolate and all the jostling and turning around I did eventually took effect, you finally showed us your little face:

OK, maybe I'm biased, but I do think you look like me when I was a baby with that super duper prominent nose:

And I think we might have even woke you up... Yawwwwn...

And there, you opened your eyes! You look a bit dazed though... OK, we'll leave you alone then, now go back to sleep. 

Wow, this is all a bit surreal, isn't it? To think that some day you'll see this and know what you looked like before you were born, it is actually quite neat.

Oh, and not to leave our friends and family out of the fun, we have set up a little baby pool for you (click here or the "ExpectNet" box on top in the left column).

Your uncle and aunties and cousins and friends can enter in what they think your birthday, height, weight, etc is, and mommy will award the one with the best guesses a nice little gift from her favorite store, Paper Elixir, hee hee :)

Can't wait to finally see you in another 14 weeks!

Love,

Mommy

 

I won! I won!!

Coming from a person who never wins anything, this is a HUGE win for me... Are you ready to see my loot? ;)

I won this totally adorable "I kiss my corgi on the lips" bib (and a matching magnet) from the super talented graphic designer Kelly over at Corgi Butts! Yippee!!

So cute I can't frigging stand it! And yes, we do kiss our corgi on the lips (how could you resist??) Can't wait to put this on our baby to proclaim our undying corgi love ;)

And here's the corgi that inspired her hellaciously funny corgi art, Gibson, announcing us as the winner of this giveaway:

And thank you all for your sympathies and suggestions on my sewing mishaps. I brought the machine in and you wouldn't believe what they said... turns out the machine was miscalibrated from the facotry to begin with, so the needle was hitting the foot everytime it comes down and thereby ruining every project I've tried to sew so far! Arrgghh!!!

I feel like a moron for not realizing it for so long, and now have to pay to ship it back to be fixed... (the first year it would have been free, I waited too long) *Kick self in head. Repeat*

It'd better work perfect when I get it back! Coz not only did I get Amy Butler's Little Stitches book and all the fabulous fabrics I ordered in the mail this week, I also got this great beginner sewing project idea from flanthrower (one of my cyber sewing mentors), adapted from another sewing maven, Angry Chicken:

The "appliques" are really just cut-outs from scraps of fabrics, applied with a mild adhesive and then sewn on like an applique. Genius! Even I can do this! 

And here's Flanthrower's version:

Aren't they totally adorable? Now I reeaaaally hope my machine will work when I get it back... *fingers crossed*

Any other (almost-)fool-proof sewing ideas for babies, please throw them our way!

Sewing advice, please!

All you sewing mavens, I need your help!

As you all know, I have no sewing talents. I tried my hands at a few projects before, but between the machine constantly jamming and one-too-many blood-letting sessions, I gave up.

To give you a sense of my sewing competence, this is one of the last things I did:

Look at it closer and you can see how wonky the brown lines are (ack!). However, a disclaimer on the 2 "defective" pom-pom's on the ends- those are Bryson's handywork. Guess to him they must have resembled some orange bunny's fluffy behind... *sigh* 

Anyway, that brings me to my current dilemma. I really can't sew, but seeing all the cute baby stuff out there that cost an arm and a leg, I'm very tempted to explore some DIY options (I'm Chinese through and through).

For example, how cute are these?

        

But wait, check out the price tag *gag*.

Which brings me to my point- I need to learn how to sew! And here's where I need your help...

(1) How did you learn how to sew? Don't tell me you're all self-taught geniuses, coz that'll rob me of all hope...

(2) Where do you find all the cute fabrics I see on your blogs? I know of a few fabric stores in my hood, they do carry some cute stuff, but I'm not sure how to choose ones that're suitable (in texture and weight) to sew baby stuff. Also seen this place online with a collection I'm drooling over, anything similar in the San Francisco Bay Area?

P.S. Specifically, if you know where I can get that orange/brown birdie fabric above, please please PLEASE let me know... I'm dying to get my hands on some. Even if I just stick a piece up on the wall.

(3) What should I start with that's relatively fool-proof? And where do I get instructions/ patterns for them? I have perused some sewing books/ websites out there, but to me they might as well be written in a foreign language. I'm that challenged *sigh*.

Oh, and I should mention I have some very cute leftover sock monkey fabric (about 1 yard each, pictured below) and tons of dupioni silk (not pictured) I'd like to use. I own a very basic Husqvarna sewing machine, pictured here in my extremely chaotic craft area, sitting in a corner, sadly neglected and gathering dust:

Speaking of chaos, I've just come around to spring cleaning today (technically only 2 days late, right?) Haven't done much, but pretty happy with these IKEA storage boxes (spruced up with some fancy labels) I am finally putting to use.

Also made a run to IKEA and picked up a bunch of these and these and these. Seriously, what do you do without IKEA?

Anyway, I'm rambling now. Gotta go assemble my IKEA goodies. Thanks in advance for all your sewing advices!!

 

 

Letter to our Unborn Child

Dear Baby,

Hi! Your mommy here. I know you can't read this now, heck you aren't even born yet, but hopefully one day you'll stumble upon this and know how exciting and nerve-wrecking a time it is for your daddy and I (and your big brother Bryson) in anticipation of your arrival. 

To give you some perspective, today you turned 23 weeks in mommy's belly. Apparently you're about 11 inches long, and weigh just more than a pound now- although you've made mommy gained quite a bit more than that. Just last night your daddy caught me out of bed at 4 a.m., stuffing my face with anything edible I can find the kitchen. Brewing you takes a lot of calories, you know. But I am trying to stay healthy by going to belly dancing classes (you ever feel the sudden onset of violent jerking and rolling? Yeah, that's it).

I started feeling you kicking and squirming about 5 weeks ago (by the way you have an uncanny aim for my bladder). You're especially feisty when I'm hungry (you're quite bossy, I must say), or after I eat chocolate. It's truly one of the most amazing things to experience in life, the connection you have with your unborn child, something I hope you'll experience one day...

But that's of course assuming you're a girl! And guess what? We still don't know your gender for sure yet.

Your daddy and I are fairly convinced at this point you are a girl (given your love of chocolate, the opinion of our blog friends and some fuzzy ultrasound pictures), but we apologize in advance if you turn out to be a boy. Either way we'll love you very much. Although your daddy is so convinced he's started calling you "Leia" (if you were a boy, you'd be "Luke"). What can I say, he may harbor a secret desire to be Darth Veda. I personally like the name "Eva". 

Guess we'll see what you look more like when you're born- we're hoping for some sort of a sign, e.g. if you're born with cinnamon buns stuck to the sides of your head. Ha ha, just kidding, no extra appendages, please.

We were told that starting from this week, your sense of hearing is almost fully developed. We started shopping for lullabies that you can listen to now and after you're born. We came across this really beautiful song from Ghana called "Naima". I cried the first time I heard it. We ran straight out the door to buy this CD (which you may be very familiar with by now). And since then, everytime we play it, I think you squirm a little bit with the rhythm.

I hope this lullaby will always take away your tears and let you fall asleep peacefully, just like what the lyrics said:

Apart from the fear that you'll be a fussy baby (just like your daddy according to your grandma), we're also fearful of anything and everything that could go wrong with a new baby- not knowing what to do when you're sick, unable to understand why you cry, that I may lose patience and become a bad parent...

But you have my word that I'll always try to be the best mother I can be to you. I know this is kinda corny, but this Gerber TV commercial sums up what I want to promise you (it also makes me cry everytime I see it. Pregnancy is a very emotional business, some day you'll see):

For someone who hasn't always been a "baby person", it's quite astonishing how much I've already bonded with you, someone whom I have never met. I can't wait to actually hold you in my arms (after I get over that fear that if I didn't hold you "right" I might break your neck), to shower you with kisses (with tons from daddy and Bryson as well), to take in all your baby smell, to sing you "Naima" and lull you to sleep, and when you're bigger, take you to see all the places in the world that will fascinate you and fill our lives with joy and wonders.

Lastly, my hopes and dreams for you are quite simple: I wish that you'll always be healthy, happy, and live a fulfilled life full of love and adventures.

Love,

Your mommy.
(P.S. OK, you can stop kicking now, I know it's almost dinner time and I'm just about to get up to get us a bite. Don't be a such a cranky girl.)

Congratulations, it's a ... !

OK, I'm not trying to taunt you here, really. Just that 2 perinatologists looked at our uncooperative baby on 2 separate occasions and still couldn't tell us for sure if it's a boy or a girl. I'll show you the "evidence" below, maybe you can help us solve the gender mystery.

First of all, I am still in awe that in 5 short weeks, it went from this at 8 weeks:

...to this at 13 weeks: 

... which surprised me at how baby-like it already was, even though it looks like it has little drumsticks for legs.

Sometimes you get these awesome photos with your baby's profile that make you go all "Awww...." and teary-eyed, but sometimes you get something inexplicable like this one below... 

I still remember the ultrasound tech excitedly proclaiming "Look at that face!", and Hubby and I looked at each others and go "Hmm.... huh? Oh, I guess if you look at it that way, hon (with our heads tilting simultaneously as if admiring abstract art)..."

(Seriously, doesn't this look more like an angry chimpanzee?)

And here is the "evidence" in question... (note that the ultrasound tech happily typed "I'm a Girl" as the caption):

(I swear you'll never look at our child from this angle EVER again)

But as soon as she printed this photo out and handed it to the perinatologist, they both (with head slightly tilted) said, "well, we think it's a girl, but it's not a very good shot. Let's wait and do it again at 20 weeks". And at the 20-week ultrasound, the baby had the legs crossed the ENTIRE time (very modest) and would not change position even after being repeatedly jabbed by the ultrasound probe (with me being jabbed right along).

After 20 frustrating minutes, we were told "it could be a girl (with a shrug)", and that this will be our last ultrasound till the very end of the pregnancy (boo...).

With that, we're thinking about doing one of those cool high-tech 3D ultrasound session where you can "see" the baby inside the womb. I thought that it might ruin the "surprise", but not knowing the baby's gender is too much for little Type A me to handle.

We'll have to wait at least 6 more weeks for this 3D thing, so in the meantime, we're gonna open a "baby gender" pool- do your duty and vote!

¡Viva! La Mexico?

Now that I'm 4 months pregnant, we're reconsidering our choice of New Zealand as our next vacation spot. Well, that and hubby being laid off complicated by a serious lack of cash would be another reason.

I've received numerous serious warnings from women who have recently given birth that we HAVE TO go on a "babymoon" before becoming parents. Their disheveled and sleep-deprived appearance makes this warning difficult to ignore. 

So here we are, trying to come up with a short-ish trip we can go on without breaking our bank. One place that came to my mind was Baja California in Mexico, a short 3-hr flight across the border from us. Seemed like a good idea as we're one of those odd birds out there who live in a border state who's never travelled to Mexico. And if you've seen the Sex and the City movie, I bet you too were drooling over that gorgeous oceanside Mexican resort the girls stayed in, see below (which I later found out to immense disappointment that it was just a movie set in Malibooo...).

But when I mentioned it to a friend (who's obviously either very travel savvy or a total hypochondriac) asked me, "But wait, don't you need shots to visit Mexico? And eh, aren't you pregnant??"

Oh yeah... Forgot about that. I checked out the CDC travel website, and lo and behold, they advise a ton of vaccines for travellers to Mexico, and most of them are pregnancy category C (i.e. things I wouldn't touch unless I absolutely need to).

And even though some friends swear that they've never gotten a shot before traveling to Mexico and has never gotten sick, heaven forbid if I contract any diarrheal disease (as in Charlotte in Sex and the City) WHILE being pregnant in a foreign country? Not a pretty picture.

So, we're now considering alternatives, probably something within US soil so vaccinations and exotic tropical diseases won't be an issue. We've considered other parts of California (easy and we can bring Bryson along but not so exciting), the Pacific NW (nothing like a constant drizzle on a vacation...), Hawaii (we were there TWICE last year)...

Any suggestions for us? Somewhere good for a weeklong vacation that's fun but low-key, with some outdoor stuff to do (suitable for a somewhat rotund, pregnant woman), preferably with good spring weather... is that too much to ask?

And by the way, even though we're not going to Mexico this time, just curious, for those of you who've been or are going to visit, did you get vaccinated before your trip?

The Beginning of the Rest of Our Lives

OK, I know I have you all waiting waaaay too long for our 2009 surprise, without further ado, may I introduce...

Huh?! A lima bean? An alien?! I know it's hard to make out, but...

Dear blog friends, friends and family... *are you ready?* It's our pleasure to introduce you to our 8-week-old embryo! (who wants me to remind you that (s)he has since graduated to "fetus" status. Eh hmm)

Yep, I have a bun in the oven, I'm expecting... I'm PREGNANT!!! (OMG OMG OMG!!!)

I know some of you are pounding your fists right now and screaming "AHA! I KNEW IT!!!".

Yes, all the heartburn and nausea (by the way I didn't actually take Pepto-Bismol since it's pregnancy category C), extreme fatigue, musculoskeletal instability, are little clues I've sprinkled in here and there in the past couple of months. Trust me, it was hard for me to not spill my own beans!

I can't even begin to tell you about all the emotions I've felt since we learned of my pregnancy, but here are a few I'm able to verbalize:

• I feel elated when I see how adorable other people's babies are.

• I freak out when they start throwing tantrums.

• I get teary-eyed... well, pretty much at everything these days (and not only because I can stare at people eating sushi and drinking sake but CAN'T TOUCH THEM anymore).

• I feel excited imagining strapping the baby on our chest and going on our favorite hike (with Bryson, of course).

• I feel overwhelmed when I stare at the aisles and aisles of gadgets I cannot identify at a baby store (seriously, I can't imagine needing this and I have no idea what this is for)

• I feel hopeful to think of how a new administration will make our world a better place for our child to grow up in.

• I feel panicked when I look at my yet-to-be-employed husband.

Yeah, that kinda sums it up. I know there're a lot of negative emotions, but I can't lie. I know we're blessed beyond words to be able to have a child when we want to, but like I said before, I've always been kinda kiddophobic, and I still am.

But the fact that I used to be afraid of dogs before Bryson, and how I somehow found this place in my heart the day he showed up at our door and now can't imagine loving anything else more, helped me believe that I am capable of being a mother. Anyway, too late now since I don't think there's a return policy on this. :P