Week 89 and Week 2.5 - Christmas!

As of yesterday Charlotte has been transitioned to one nap.  She has been so restless at night.  On Sunday she had no second nap and she slept through (or we turned the monitor off - how to know what really happened?).  So at the moment she is sleeping at 11 for 3 or 3.5 hours.  It is ok.

We celebrated Christmas and Charlotte was basically scared of all of her gifts.  She will warm up to them I know - but she is change averse.  Next year will be better when we are around others and she can feed off of the fun Christmas energy.

Charlotte continues to marvel us in her knowledge.  She says 'higher' for when she wants to be pushed higher on the swing - where did she learn that?  She also is an avid bird finder - she can see birds where no one else can outside our windows.  I am feeling a bit blue for not being able to spend more time with her - but as I am telling myself through this breastfeeding - this too shall pass.

This time around I have found the La Leche League International message boards.  They are nice and more supportive than my inner circle from the last time.

Breastfeeding is so hard.  I mean - I am so tired.  I am not having major issues with it but it is just an exercise in endurance.  I am waiting for the magic to happen - where it takes no time and I am so thrilled I kept with it and blah blah blah.  I hope that day comes sooner than later.

Sophia is still not pooping well.  We see the specialist again on Friday.  We gave her a suppository on Sunday and man did that open the floodgates!  I am trying not to be stressed, but you know, being Korean and all, we are very open about pooping (poop is health, as the saying goes).  I don't know if I can speak for all Koreans or just my family.  Ok, maybe just my sister and I.

Here is a video of Charlotte opening presents:

And one of Charlotte speaking more words:

Charlotte dotes on her sister:

Check out those eyes!

Charlotte models a new outfit for Sophia from Aunt Kalinda.  Now we need to find some cold weather (luckily there is always Wisconsin year round):

Xmas presents!

(goofy camera setting has Charlotte looking tan here):

Charlotte is ambivalent about opening presents:

Charlotte and Yaya play in the box house:

Char plays!

While Sophia yawns:

Happy family in the park!

Week 88 and Week 1.5 - Random thoughts on breastfeeding and others

Hello readers,

Still in the midst of breastfeeding - but it did get better surprisingly.  Although I think I nursed 18 hours 2 days ago.  I haven't supplemented since day 2 so this is a success in and of itself.

Below are some random thoughts from the week:

• Uterine pains after the first day of breastfeeding were worse than labor. 
• Sometimes 1 hour of sleep = functioning.
• I felt like Sophia was sucking the marrow out of my bones on the 3rd night
• I finally know what the let-down sensation is - it is sort of like sparks!
• Sophia's original due date came and went without much pomp and circumstance.
• My OB-GYN said I was built to make babies and was shocked I only had 5 minutes of pain.  I asked him if it was the hypnobirthing and he emphatically said "No, it is not the hypnobirthing."  So I suppose I can chalk it up to genetics.
• Like Charlotte, Sophia hasn't 'gone' by herself since being in the hospital.  Why do we have kids with such slow bowels?  Hopefully this will resolve itself in the next week...
• Sophia weighed 3.17 kg on Friday (5 days after birth)- 6% less than her birth weight which was a relief!  She weighed 3.29 kg yesterday.  The breastfeeding seems to be working...
• Charlotte calls Sophia 'FI-A' (with a long I)
• Charlotte now says "Come" if you say thank you
• If you tell Charlotte "I love you" she replies "I'm fine!"
• Thank goodness for Aunt Susie and Imee to help me take pictures of Charlotte this week!

Got to upload some videos this week - so here they are:

Final dinner at TGIF the Friday before Sophia was born!  Didn't know it was the last as a threesome (so glad we took Char out):

Moments after Sophia was born:

Charlotte meets Sophia for the first time:

Sophia before we checked out of the hospital:

Charlotte meets Sophia at home for the first time:

Sophia burping and sleeping:


Sophia with Daddy as Charlotte looks on:

And some photos (it is very hard to take a photo with Sophia's eyes open):

Charlotte dances near Sophia:

And kisses her sister:

Awake-ish:

Accidentally matching:

Cookie decorating (Aunt Susie can get better smiling shots of Charlotte than I can):

Post decorating juice break:

B&W of her awake photo from last week:

Sleepy babushka:

Thoughtful babushka:

Week 87 and Week 0.5 - Welcome Cheese Curd!

Hi - I gave birth on Sunday morning and am in the midst of the boot camp that is called early breastfeeding.  So a short post... Cheese Curd was born in the hospital 33 minutes after my water broke (and 19 hours after I arrived there for what I thought was a minor thing) on Dec 11, 2011 at 3:49AM.  She weighed 3.39kg and was 51 cm at birth.  I had no drugs or interventions.  Some pictures are below.... oh and she has a name - Sophia May Drake.

More later...

Pre delivery family photo:

Charlotte waits with Mama:

Charlotte kisses the Cheese Curd:

Sophia shortly after birth:

Cheeky weigh in:

Potential first smile?

Sophia's first birthday (or zero birthday?):

Obligatory hospital family photo:

Obligatory first moment home photo:

Charlotte contemplates:

Our Xmas tree!  Finished the day before I went to the hospital:

Awake!

And asleep:

Week 86 and Week 38 - Sick Charlotte

Is it a coincidence that the day that I stop working at Matt's is the day that Charlotte falls sick?  She has been getting up for the past few weeks for gas (we also learned Nan HA has lactose so have switched her).  Then she got a fever/cough thing that keeps her up for HOURS.  As in 4 hours 3 nights ago and 3 hours last night.  We have been to the doctor many times and she says it is not serious and the wet/awake cough is a sign for better days ahead.  Needless to say the house is tired.  We all need a big family bed nap (including Bucky).  Char has been sickly off and on for a while so hopefully this is a sign for a healthy-as-a-horse immune system soon...

I went to the doctor this week - the first time that he alluded that my baby may be big!  Egads.  She is now 3.3 kg or so - the same weight Charlotte was when she was born.  Miraculously I am not as puffy as I was with Char - I can still wear my wrist watch but admittedly things are getting sort of elephanty in the ankle department.  He has no idea when baby will come.  Of course many people think I will deliver any moment now (including sometimes myself).  He is now on holiday till the 13th.  I hope that the baby doesn't come while he is gone. 

It has not rained the last few days - so Charlotte has been able to play in the park in the afternoon which is great!  Of course it is hot as hell for me - from about noon onwards till I sleep I am just sweating buckets in our often breezeless house. 

On a lighter Charlotte note - we have been showing her these flash cards and she knows the word for.... dragon!  Her first abstract thing (meaning not in her daily life) that she has learned...

Charlotte points out the garbage truck:

Charlotte and Daddy:

Charleader and her cheerleader moves:

Charlotte with a cousin Ava face:

Serious Char in the car:

Char pointing out the birds!

Week 85 and Week 37 - Thanksgiving, Anniversary and Full term!

So it has been a busy week.  We were lucky to go to two Thanksgiving meals and we celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary - all within a weekend!  I was ecstatic to make a pumpkin pie with a homemade crust - no small feat here in tropical Singapore!  This was probably the greatest culinary moment in 2011 for me.  I think I also took about 3 showers a day while in the kitchen this weekend as Cheese Curd Furnace + Hot Singapore + working over an oven makes for one hot mama!

Still working a lot at Matt's so no great park pictures this week.  

Charlotte is helping mom out in the kitchen and washing dishes.  She loves rinsing them out - she gets rather upset when we turn the water off.  Speaking of upset, we think Charlotte is starting the terrible twos a few months early.  She has had a few meltdowns - but these are now much louder, much more ' the sky is falling' meltdowns.  She has gotten up a few times this week and there is nothing like getting up to your child shrieking uncontrollably.  We thought maybe she was getting sick (she has had a runny nose for a couple of weeks and was tugging at her ear) so I took her to the doctor Monday and she is not sick (good) but may have gas (or as they say in this part of the world - wind) or teething issues overnight.  She is also skipping her second nap a couple of times a week.  Her active 'park' schedule has been off a bit thanks to torrential rain that has been relentless of late - so I think if she was at the park twice a day every day she would sleep better.  O well.  At least she gets to spend time at her BFF TT's house!  Today they looked at Xmas decorations on Orchard Road with Tita Monica and Yaya Imee.  Too cute - wish I could have been there!

Oh, and she is drinking out of a cup!  Now if we can just get her to drink milk out of a cup....

As for me - I went to the doctor and all is fine and the baby is 3kg and could come any day now.  The head is not engaged but one cough/contraction and it could be.  Doctor seems to think baby could come near my due date but maybe earlier?  I am on high alert.  I also got to do a CTG scan as I don't normally feel my contractions.  This is basically a fetal heart monitor that goes around your (big) belly.  And then you lie on a bed which equals taking a nap for 45 minutes for tired me.  I was supposed to hit a button when I felt a contraction and I did this... for the 5 minutes I was awake.  Happily my belly is not much bigger (this has been true for the last 3 months really) but in profile I really do look like Alfred Hitchcock's face:

 

Here are some headless friends modeling with the great spread at the Stampers!

Charlotte helps stir the pie filling - but feels icky after getting some on her hand:

Pumpkin pie!

Lovely Susie channels Katie Brown!

Cup drinking:

Charlotte doing well at the doctor's:

Char and Tita Monica before their Orchard Road adventures:

Charlotte doesn't like her stroller much these days - but she still loves to play with the buckles!

And videos this week:

Charlotte dances while watching Daddy's corporate video (longish at 3 minutes - dancing begins at 1:30 or so):

Charlotte helps make pumpkin pie:

Charlotte knows how to say things: