Off to Grandma's

See you soon Grandma Ellie!

Chubby much?

When baby R was born, her doctor exclaimed, 'oh her cheeks are so chubby, she looks like a Cabbage Patch doll.' Exhibit A:
Exhibit B: A more recent photo. Haha, I must like taking these chubby cheek photos.


Ok, and one showing her face, for our friends in Europe.

Our First Place

After 12 different offers and 3 months of house-hunting, we've purchased our first home. Joey's parents arrived today to renovate 2 bathrooms, do basic repairs, & help us move. What would we do w/out my FIL's handyman skills?

Happy new homeowners:)

Come visit us in a few weeks...after the dust has settled!

August Update

The last few weeks have been a blur of faces & new adventures. The shock of parenthood has worn off, if ever so slightly.

My sister came out from NY to help me out for a week while the hubby was gone @ PUC campmeeting. We puttered through it, considering I was slightly bipolar in my 5th week as a new parent. Poor sis.

My sister instantly fell in love, and misses her to this day. Me? I can't say baby has completely taken over the brain. Perhaps I do this to maintain my sanity.
She's also grown quite the double chin in the past few weeks. I'm betting weight gain in the top 25th percentile at her next weigh in. Do you see the trademark triangular nostrils that she inherited from her father?
And why is it that babies sleep better anywhere but their crib? Is it just to cause their parents unnecessary anxiety come bedtime? Like here, on the couch, for example.


Swaddling helps, though, as does rocking. I have Dr. Harvey Karp to thank for this. It's not that you don't know the 5 Ss before reading Happiest Baby on the Block, but done in exactly the right way, you can put your baby to bed in under 5 minutes. It's magical. Forget the other baby books I've read, this is the one that's worked for me.

Also magical: breastfeeding. Seems as baby puts on the pounds, mine are dropping week after week. I cannot believe it's happened, but I hit baseline minus 1 lb at week 7. Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are. I plan on milking this baby for all it's worth (pun intended). My goal weight is 10 more pounds.

Another book I picked up and have been reading is And Baby Makes Three. I've been asking Joey questions out of it like "What do you miss most about our life pre-baby?" Pretty simple stuff, but it helps me remember to have the conversations. I have to admit I was pretty fearful of how our relationship would change once the baby arrived. Thought all the good times would be a distant memory. However, it's been so affirming to me that we've been able to work as a team, even in our most tired moments. We laugh at each other, and at our baby. The good times continue.

Something that helps the stay-home-doldrums is getting out of the house. It takes some planning to actually get out, but when I do, it pays off BIG TIME. Case in point: church ladies who hold the baby for hours on end.

Time for a mama to eat in peace!
This particular spread was our church's post-PUC-hosting celebration for a job well done.

It was also the last hurrah for our friends Jullie and Ben, who are now off in Amsterdam, Netherlands for 5 MONTHS. Only 5 weeks of which are actually dedicated to study. What kind of MBA program is this?! Does UCLA know you're going to be MIA for 5 WHOLE MONTHS?

Sorry for the lame-o not-really-a-goodbye-party party. You guys deserved a decent bon voyage & you didn't get one. We'll celebrate in grand style when you return, January 1st. It's the only date I'll have to look forward to, since traveling to foreign countries w/a baby is not on my agenda this year. Yes, this is something Joey & I most certainly would have done. You can blame the baby....wait, you already do. haha.

I managed my first 1-hour car ride by myself as well. To Huntington Beach. With multiple in-the-car-feedings throughout the day. Maybe not such a big deal, but it was to me at the time.
Did I mention it was totally worth it? This year's Southern California softball tournament. It must also be mentioned that we were this year's Champions....duly earned after 5 emotionally invested years. You can read the unabridged version of it here. Hehe. Our church boys are still smiling.Celebrating @ Buca di Beppo.

With cake that looked promising...but was somewhat wet inside. Odd.

And our most recent visitors, Jen & Dave. Doesn't Dave have the friendliest smile ever? He really is as polite as his smile might indicate. Playing meh-rong with gohmoh

Meeting more friends at church. Here's Juliana.

I have also discovered my future baby nanny, who is gifted with special baby-calming-powers. Kiwon, you can watch Rebecca anytime.

Seriously. Whenever you want.

Baby definitely took to her right away.

Did you catch a glimpse of the triangular nostrils here? An easy marker, for sure. In years to come, when she's lost, say at an amusement park, it's these nostrils that will find her to her father, I believe.

Here we are posing for a 'family picture.' I sadly realized that we had not taken ONE photo of the 3 of us since her birth. I'm kicking myself now for not remembering to take a picture at the hospital when she was born. *sigh*. That's what Kid #2 is for, right?

Almost ready.

There we go! 2 months later, but still, we got one. The new Oh family.

And finally, some parting shots of baby amusing herself w/her hello kitty mobile.

Her smiles are so elusive that I've yet to catch a good one in photos. This is as close as I can get!
P.S. These photos should last you for awhile, umma. Remember, you told me I wouldn't have time to blog!

July Update

Birth announcements, round two. Photo courtesy Gina Maxine Photography.
~Baby R is now over 30 days old. Wow. Time moves so quickly & slowly at the same time.

~It took me about 4 solid weeks to bond with baby. There was a distinct day, after being out w/out baby, where I just wanted to run home & hold her.

~I agree w/Lillian, in that it has been vital to my health, in connecting with other mothers. It's been so fun & thoroughly refreshing to my soul, in hearing the stories, emailing, receiving encouraging letters. I thank you, you know who you are.

~It has been a godsend having both sets of grandparents around to help us these last few weeks. We've had a semblance of a normal life: dinners out, a movie for Joey's birthday, and multiple Yogurtland runs. I'm going to miss them when they leave....

~I am continually amazed by the process of creation and the miracle of birth. I marvel at least once a day at God's remarkable invention.

Some photos from the last few weeks:

One of R's favorite activities Photo op with mommy


Grandma Oh. First Sabbath @ church Grandma Ellie
Pastor Junie

Happy as a clam @ bathtime

P.S. Remember the car accident I was in back in April? Well, this week was my day in court; I just received a check for $500!

*Toot toot*

Baby Ella, R's cousin, is due in a few weeks!
With a little help from my mom

The finished product. Toot toot!

Labor & Postpartum Week 1

Ok, so it's now 2 weeks after the fact, so please bear with me:). There are some valid points worth mentioning, that I need to get off my chest!

JUNE 29, Monday:

4:30 am: I wake up in the middle of the night. One second later, my water breaks.

7:00 am: We head to the hospital. Contractions are about 4 minutes apart.

1:00 pm: I get the epidural. It hurts more than the contractions do.

1:00-10:00 pm: I am in labor for 9 more hours. Joey and I watch 'Stranger than Fiction' and repeatedly ask each other "aren't you glad you're not a Golem?" It is great for laughs. I am not allowed to eat or drink water, or get up to use the bathroom, for the whole day. This is hard.

10:00 pm: I push for about 30 minutes. They tell me to stop b/c my doctor is not there yet. I wait 30 minutes for her to arrive. Pushing doesn't seem that hard, especially w/an epidural.

10:44 pm: Baby R arrives!! She is under respiratory distress due to fluid in her lungs; I immediately start crying. The pediatrician comes to see her, and suctions her for an hour. She finally cries. I cry again, from relief. I receive a few internal stitches. I finally get to hold her. It is an incredible feeling.

JUNE 30, Tuesday:

Sometime in the evening: I stand up & have the worst headache of my life. I wonder if it is a migraine.

JULY 1, Wednesday:

I am discharged. I do not want to go home. I am told that the headache is due to an accidental dural_puncture resulting in a leakage of cerebrospinal fluid (ok, they do not tell me all that. joey does research online at home.) I am told to be on strict bedrest, and that any time spent standing up will prolong the recovery period. I am given a prescription for Tylenol + Codeine, and a liquid diet of Coke.

JULY 2 & 3, Thursday & Friday:

I am drinking Coke, so I can't sleep. I have urinary incontinence, so I am waking up every hour on the dot to use the restroom. My pain level is a 10/10, with the maximum doseage of the Codeine. I contemplate taking more. Breastfeeding is painful. Laying in bed is painful. I have a brand new baby, but I am not supposed to pick up anything heavier than 5 pounds. It is pure misery. I feel sorry for my husband & mother who are taking care of me. I repeat my mantras: 2 Bible verses, Phil. 4:13 and Isa. 40:31. They help.

5:00 pm: I go in for the epidural blood patch. The doctor is Korean & self-confident. The procedure works, & I feel better immediately. I have waited 72 hours for this. Joey wishes that we had come in sooner, & that the hospital hadn't discharged me when I had a problem. We go home, relieved & happy.

*****

PRESENT DAY:

Before giving birth, my greatest fear was the labor & delivery. The unknown. How will a 7 pound baby come out of my body?? How much will the contractions hurt?? Should I get the epidural??

However, now I am scared to death not of the natural procedures of birth that God intended for, but of man-made procedures and complications that can follow. With the anesthesiologist coming off a 48-hour shift + possibly messing up + and my anatomy, I was part of an unlucky 1 in 100 statistic. Do I forego the epidural next time? I know I never want to go through that again. I just don't know.