Camille's birth story

This is the account of Camille's birth...starting a few days before she was born.  A story written by Chin, Bao, and Tara (our doula). :)  It's kind of a long story.  So if you just want to read the exciting part, scroll down to Saturday 8/14.

Tuesday 8/10
Major nesting with laundering all the baby clothes and sorting out stuff to give away.

Ikea 8-drawer Hemnes dresser - Camille's

Wednesday 8/11
Appointment with Judy Lowe:

• 70% effaced
• 3 cm dilated
• +1 station (yes, PLUS 1)
• bag is bulging
• baby at ~7 pounds (maybe a couple of ounces over)
• "I think baby will be here by this weekend," Judy predicted.  Bao thought it'll be next week.

Nesting continued, but mostly busy with visitors and was tired.

Grandma & Grandpa Ng gave Camille a Chinese name: 吳妙君...meaning, her Vietnamese name is: Ngô Diệu Quân.

Tara (our doula) came over for a visit and we went through birth preferences, formulating a plan to go over with Chin later that night. We also discussed comfort measures and coping mechanisms for birth. Tara offered a book to look at and Bao said, “No thanks, I don’t think I will have time to go through it.” Whether or not Group Health permits mothers to eat in labor is a concern. Bao confirmed she has her snack bag packed (though the hospital bag was not).

Thursday 8/12
More nesting. Purchased another dresser for the bedroom (Craigslist once again saves the day!). Feeling a little more “complete.”

Chin’s thoughts: “Man that dresser was big.” I do think the room is ready for the arrival of Camille. Bao has done a great job of visioning for how our home can be transformed to best accommodate our new family composition. I’m just the muscle to move it all.  (Well, me and Wayman.)

Ikea 6-drawer Hemnes dresser - Chin & Bao's

Bao made delicious pasta and sauce - carbo loading for the marathon!

Bao shared article regarding national hospital policy and evidence related to eating in labor. Tara called Group Health and confirmed that Bao can eat solids to her heart's content and if she opts for an epidural, then clear liquids.

Bao couldn’t sleep. Too excited! Lots on mind: What else do I need to do? Why have I been slacking all this time? What if she comes tonight?!

Friday 8/13
9:00 - Woke up with a sore throat. Swished with salt water.  It's probably just postnasal drainage because of allergies (high pollen count these past few days).
9:15 - I’m pretty sure I saw the mucus plug in the toilet. Ctx coming more frequently and I need to breathe through them.
10:00 - Chin’s Weber Q100 grill came. Washed beddings. Chin’s thoughts: My first thought when I heard the Weber grill arrived was, "That pretty much confirms that Camille is coming today."

Weber Q100

10:15 - Called BaMa.
10:20 - Called Tara. Started packing stuff for the hospital.
10:30 - Realized that this was probably it since ctx were getting more regular. Wrote to Chin on Gmail chat: Ctx 5 mins apart.  More painful.  I think you need to come home at noon if possible.
11:00 - Chin came home.
11:15 - Chin called Mom & Dad. Mom started driving up with Grandma.
11:30 - Tara came over. Ctx 2-7 mins apart and pain at peak was about 5 or 6. Coping with ctx by stopping to breathe through them. Bao jokingly said, “Tara, did you bring sterile gloves?” Tara said, referring to the maximum of 4 dilation checks requested in the birth plan, “Do you want to use one of your four checks now?”

Chin massaging Bao on the birth ball

11:40 - Called Family Beginnings Unit (FBU). Encouraged to rest, eat and call back if unable to sleep through pain.
2:00 - Ctx slowed down significantly (~10-20 mins apart).
2:30 - Took a 30-40 min nap w/Tara. Chin made final preparations and cleaned (Roomba!). He was going to look on YouTube for a demo on how to fold fitted sheets. Tara shared her grandma’s method.
3:00 - Ctx about 20-60 mins apart. Chin made pasta and we had leftover chocolate birthday cake for dessert.
4:30 - Went to Factoria Mall & Threads for Kids (consignment store) w/Tara to walk. Even did squats and lunges at Target.  It was so hot outside! Had some ctx, one intense one and sat in rocker in consignment store. Picked out some lovely little outfits for Camille. We checked mail on the way home, and there were no prizes; Bao noted this as being unusual.
8:30 - Tara went home so family could spend time together
8:45 - BaMa & GT & Co Sau arrive at hotel. Bao hoped this isn’t a false alarm. Ba said it is okay if it is. Relieved.
9:15 - Mom, Chung, & Alice came over to see us at the apartment.
9:30 - BaMa, GT, & Co Sau came over to see us at the apartment.
11:00 - Finished up some blog posts...and entered a couple of giveaways.

Saturday 8/14
3:40 - Bao felt a strong kick/pop. But not where a kick should be. Felt like it was around the cervix. “My water broke,” Bao thought. Got up and there was no leakage. Went to the bathroom. A strong ctx came and Bao leaned over the exercise ball. A gush of fluid came out. Sho’ nuff, water broke.
3:45 - Bao woke Chin up.
3:52 - Chin called Tara, “Bao is definitely feeling something different now, we are going to the hospital.”
4:07 - Left for hospital. Hit every single red light on the way to Capitol Hill. Chin got frustrated but Bao, thinking that she was only 5-7cms dilated, was okay waiting through the red lights.
4:25-4:30 - Arrived at hospital.  Asked for a wheel chair.  Bao had to wait through a few ctx before making the trip up to the 3rd floor at FBU.
4:35 - Arrived in hospital room, bypassing triage.  Bao asked nurses (obviously, this was between contractions), “Is this the biggest room you have available right now? Because I have a really big family.” This was the only room available. And it didn’t have the cool reclining tub. Bummer! In short space of moving from wheel chair to bed, contractions demanded all of Bao’s focus - labored on the ground on all fours. Vocalizing with contractions, Tara suggested to go deep and low with sound, release tension and allow cervix to open. Lots of deep groaning. Thoughts going through Bao’s mind, remembering Judy Lowe’s advice, "I need to open up here (mouth) to open down there (birth canal).” Lots more groans and moans with complete abandon.  "I'm an animal!"
4:37 - Chin was done unloading car and parking it (he's speedy!). He called family to let them know we are at the hospital. He then got down on his knees next to Bao, firmly grabbed her hand and said, “I am right here, Honey!”
4:40 - “I need something! Right now! Can you...please...call the anesthesiologist?” said Bao. Thoughts going through Bao’s mind, “I am probably 5-7cm dilated. I think there’s still a window of opportunity to get an epidural. But I have a doula! What a waste to get an epidural. But I feel like my butt is being smashed by a sledge hammer. I need something! Okay, gotta focus...on, whatever.” Bao requested Tara and student midwife (Sam) to do the hip squeeze. Tara noted that Bao was not using her secret code song (The Christmas Shoes Song, because Bao hates it so much...so, bringing herself to singing it would mean it's really important) to indicate that she truly wanted this medication, and she was not requesting drugs between contractions...yet. She hoped the next break between contractions is long enough (since they have been coming one on top of each other) to do something different to help modulate the pain ... then someone (?) suggested she might be almost complete and everything changed.
4:45 - “We need to check you first. You need to get on the bed,” said the nurse. “What is the best way to get her on the bed?” Chin asked. “Well, let’s see, she needs to get up on the bed,” nurse responded.  In the 3 seconds between ctx, some supernatural power came over Bao and she leaped off the floor, onto the bed, and on her back.
4:50 - “You are complete. You can start pushing anytime you want to,” said Sam, the midwifery student. Bao’s thoughts, “WHAT?! Complete?! I thought maybe I was 5-7cm dilated!” ...“Do you want to start?” Bao: “Yes! I can’t believe I made it to 10!” Bao was encouraged from all sides, Chin, Judy Lazarus (main midwife), Sam (midwifery student), and Tara (doula) as she followed her body’s lead and pushes.
4:52 - Chin set up video camera. During one ctx, Bao yelled out, “Camille, I can’t wait to meet you!”

Smiles between contractions

4:55 - Ctx started and started pushing. The words of Theresa (the lady at our favorite autobody shop) rang in Bao’s ears, “Push like it is the biggest turd of your life!” Bao looked like she was holding up a mountain with incredible strength and focus as she pushed.  Although, the face of a laboring woman pushing out a baby is not the prettiest - Bao was keenly aware of this and completely didn't care.  At one point, Sam asked if Bao wanted to reach down and feel the head. Bao’s thought, “It feels like a little bubble.” About 3-4 pushes later, Bao reached down to feel the head again and this time, there was much more to feel: a wrinkly head of hair! Judy Lazarus (main midwife) went to fetch a mirror so Bao could see what was going on. “I can’t see anything,” said Bao. Everyone is puzzled. “I don’t have my glasses.” After donning glasses, Bao could see things clearly...but everything looked too chaotic so she waved her hand and said, “Nah, I’ll just imagine it.”
5:10 - “I can feel the ring [of fire]!!” said Bao. Midwife said, “I bet you can!” Bao’s thoughts, “If I push effectively, I won’t feel the ring anymore.” Because nobody has had a chance to read the birth plan, Tara asked Chin if he still wanted to catch Camille. Chin responded that he does and Sam said, “I have done this before.” The nurses got gloves for Chin and suggested a gown because he was wearing a white t-shirt. He said he didn't mind getting dirty. Tara joked that his clothes would be a keepsake.
5:12 - Head out.
5:13 - Camille Ng is born! Chin caught Camille and she was placed on Bao’s abdomen while cord stops pulsing. She started crying right away. The meconium-stained butt was an indication that she had just pooped as she was making her exit. Chin didn’t hear anyone call the time so he took the honor of doing so, “5:13 and a half.” Chin started crying as he said his first hello to Camille. Chin cut Camille’s cord. Camille is quiet and alert, taking in her new environment.

Apgars were 9 and 9.

Chin asked, “Can I hold her?” Nurse said okay but she wanted to do a well baby exam and then swaddle her for Chin.  During the exam, Camille was on her belly and she pushed through her little legs so that her bottom raises high up into the air and surprises everyone as she looks like she was about to leap off the table. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 11.6 oz. and 18 3/4 inches long. Bao’s dad called on the phone and Chin relayed the stats to him. Then Camille is wrapped and put into Chin’s arms.

Bao held Camille and exclaimed, “I can’t believe it happened! I can’t believe she is here!”

Bao had first degree tearing and was meticulously stitched up by Sam.  Bao commented that the swelling in her feet decreased remarkably.

First feed, nurse put Camille skin to skin and her first nursing position is a football hold.  Bao noted that Camille had perfect latch right away!

Our family just grew!

Sweet Penelope

Today is Penelope Emmanuelle Ng's birthday.  A year ago, at 9:20am, we had the exquisite opportunity to meet our firstborn child, Penelope.  She was so sweet.

This blog post is dedicated to her and it recounts our journey in harboring this child in our hearts.  From a mother's perspective...

On April 26, 2009, we found out that we were pregnant!  The subsequent weeks were blissful.  I had some nausea and gagging...but it was all worth it.

On July 29th, as we went in for a routine, mid-pregnancy ultrasound (anxiously waiting for "it's a girl!" or "it's a boy!"), we were told that our baby had many severe health problems and she would most likely die in-utero in not too long.

Blessed be Your Name
As we left the ultrasound appointment, I started singing, "Blessed be Your Name" while tears flowed endlessly down my face.  "He gives and takes away.  He gives and takes away.  My heart will choose to say, 'Lord, blessed be Your Name.'"  Really?  Really...kind of.  Yeah, really.

Penelope Emmanuelle
We found out that our baby "Peanut" (that was our nickname for her) was a girl and that she had Turner Syndrome.  Chin named her Penelope because it sounded like "peanut" (but she was also named after the character of Penelope from Homer's Odyssey - wise, beautiful, and faithful).  I gave her "Emmanuelle" as a middle name because it means "God is with us."  God is with us.

Mourning the loss of what could be
The days following that horrible news were surreal.  I woke up every morning having to remind myself, "Your baby will die soon, if she isn't already dead.  You are the mother of a dying baby."  Nobody wants to wake up to that kind of message.  I certainly didn't.  But I had to repeat it over and over in the morning so I was never under the illusion that it was some ultrasound error.  I had to accept that it was real.

Chin and I would often cry when we thought about not being able to take Penelope out to dim sum, or introducing her to the swings, or lecturing her about boys.  We were mourning "what could be."  When we found that we were just mourning our ideals of what could happen, we were able to say, "We could still have this for our next child.  After all, these are simply our expectations of a perfect world."

Don't look at your circumstances
We prayed.  We prayed for Penelope to get better.  As we prayed, my sister-in-law, Chị Nhật Uyên told us to not look at our circumstances, but to look to God.  Circumstances change but God is our only constant.  Praying in that spirit and with that posture, we were able to find comfort in the only thing that was unshakable in our lives.

Like a breeze
We found out on August 17th that Penelope had passed away in-utero.  Two days later, on August 19th, she was still born at nearly 22 weeks.  She was beautiful.  We cremated her remains and scattered her ashes in the Puget Sound/Pacific Ocean. 

"God needed another angel"...and other equally obscene condolences
During the days following Penelope's passing, we got a lot of messages of condolences.  Many of them lifted our spirits and let us know that we are so loved by our community.  Some of them are insanely ridiculous.  I called them "W.T.F." condolences.  Even though they were obscene, they did provide us with a little bit of entertainment.  To name a few:

"When God closes a door, He opens a window."
"God needed another angel."
"Oh, I know someone who has Turner's.  She's fine.  Your baby didn't make it?"
"You are still young."
"Oh, your baby died?  That's so sad!  Well, maybe you'll be lucky next time."

I was going to write about why I thought these were ridiculous...but I thought, "No, they hardly require any explanation."

The messages that we found to be most encouraging were those that expressed how people prayed until the end, and that maybe they don't know what to say.  Short & sweet messages from the heart were the best.

Joy comes with the mourning
It is said that, "Though sorrow may last through the night, joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5)  But I felt joy right away.  Possibly as soon as I started singing, "Blessed be Your Name."  Joy that comes through an irksome situation doesn't taste the same as joy that comes in happy happy times.  It tasted...maybe savory...or an acquired taste (like bitter melon or durian).  But it was joy, make no mistake about it.

Trust
It honestly wasn't hard to trust God again.  I never lost trust in God.  Never blamed Him.  And I never asked him, "Why?"  I felt that God had His reasons and I already feel so loved.  If I were to ask, "Why did You take my baby from me?"...why should I not ask, "Why did You decide to save me from the depths?"

God is sovereign.  Always.

Another go at it
A few days after Christmas of 2009 (Penelope's supposed due date), we found out that we were pregnant again...with Camille.  I must admit that the first part of our pregnancy was sprinkled with anxiety.  I asked a lot of people to pray for us when we went in for our mid-pregnancy ultrasound (as that was when we found out that Penelope had her health problems).  By the time that mid-pregnancy ultrasound rolled around, we had solidly found peace and had complete trust in God.  Thank you all for praying!

"Is this your first baby?"
This is the question many people asked us during our pregnancy with Camille.  I always have to pause but would often answer, "Yes, it is."  Simply to avoid so many questions.

In our hearts, Penelope will always be our first born.

Happy birthday, Sweet Girl.  Mommy miss you & love you very much.  You are an ache in my heart that will never fade.

Introducing Camille Ng

Birth weight: 6 lbs. 12 oz.
Birth length: 18 3/4 inches
Birth date/time: August 14, 2010 - 5:13am

Mom and Dad are crazy in love with our little baby; but also crazy tired.

To all you parents out there - we finally get it.

MacNut Week 36

Sorry readers, no pictures of Camille yet!

Technically, this is what's going on this week:

• MacNut is size of a crenshaw melon - ~18.66 inches and 5.78 pounds.
• The baby's body is becoming chubby as fat layers build.
• Between now and birth they may gain about an ounce (30g) a day
• You may feel contractions of the womb, called Braxton Hicks contractions.
• While it says that your baby weighs six and a half pounds this week and measures 19 inches long, this is only an estimate. In general, babies are gaining half a pound (225 grams) per week now. Baby continues gaining weight as fat deposits and is forming creases in the neck and wrists.
• You may feel contractions of the womb, called Braxton Hicks contractions, which can be used to perform and practice breathing exercises. You may be visiting your caregiver weekly up until the birth. Regular internal exams may begin, to see if your cervix has softened, thinned, dilated or if your baby's head is dropping into the pelvis. Any of these could be signs of impending labor but there are no guarantees and you could be waiting for weeks yet. Your baby is almost ready, a pair of kidneys and the liver has begun processing some waste products, the only organ still to mature is the lungs. 
• This week your baby may drop into the birth canal, this is called 'lightening' or 'dropping'. If this is not your first baby, this 'lightening' may not occur until right before labor. Your care provider may refer to it by saying that your baby is now 'engaged'. The majority of babies are now in the birth position, either head down (vertex) or butt down (breech), most will maintain this position until birth. Any movements that they make are more likely to be rolls from side to side.You may notice when this happens because it will suddenly become much easier for you to breathe. While breathing becomes easier, walking may be the exact opposite. If your baby has dropped you may find yourself visiting the bathroom much more often as baby is resting right on top of your bladder again.
• Keep talking - by now she can recognize you voice, and may respond to any loud noises with a swift kick out.

Physical:

• Weight: 154 lb (+28)
• Belly circumference: 40.50 in (+10.00)
• Fundal height: 34 in
• Dilation: 3cm
• Effacement: 70%
• Station: +1 (that's right!  PLUS 1!)
• Estimated weight of baby: ~7 pounds
• Estimated date of delivery, considering the circumstances: "I'd say you'll have her by this weekend," said my trusty midwife, Judy Lowe, who has been practicing since before Chin was born.
• This week, I just feel heavy.  It's harder to turn in bed because I'm luggin' around all this weight.
• My feet are constantly poofy.
• Friday: The process has begun!  I lost my mucus plug this morning at 9am.  After that, I started contracting pretty rapidly (2-7 minutes apart!) for several hours.  Chin came home from work at 11am and Tara (our friend & doula) came over about half an hour after that.  My parents made hotel reservations and made plans to come up in the afternoon.  Once she heard that I was contracting (at 11:15), Chin's mom immediately drove up with Grandma!  She's "a little excited," I think. :)
• At around 2:30pm, I got a little pooped out and really wanted to take a nap.  I successfully fell asleep for about 30-40 minutes.  It felt good.  What didn't feel so good after waking up from the nap was that the contractions stopped!  The frequency of the contractions became about 20-30 minutes apart. :(  Anyhow, Tara & I tried walking around Factoria Mall, going to a baby consignment store to pick up a few last things for Camille, sitting on a rocking chair, and walking some more.  All of that effort amounted to 5-6 solidly strong contractions...about 30 minutes apart!  C'mon!!
• As I am writing this at 11:30, still no regular contractions. :(  I'm just going to try to sleep and hopefully the nighttime birthing hormones will do their magic!

Spiritual & emotional:

• I am a little relieved that Camille wasn't born today (8/13), actually.  My aunt died during childbirth on a Friday the 13th.  Not that I'm superstitious.  I'm just...a little stitious.
• I'd really like her to be born tomorrow, though.  For a number of reasons:
• I will still be 29 (I turn 30 on Sunday)
• I don't dig being in labor for many days in a row.  Just not my thing.
• I'm super excited to meet Camille!  The only person who is more excited to meet her is Chin :)
• At this point, I am feeling like, "I have been perpetually pregnant for the past two years."  Which isn't too far from the truth!  Isn't it time to have a baby already? :)
  

The next post...

Will have a picture of Camille.

Thankful Thursday

Today, I am thankful for these things:

Not being in school - Everyday, there is confirmation and affirmation that this was the right decision.  I am so relieved not be in school so that I can take care of myself (and Camille) physically and emotionally.

Baby showers - I feel so blessed to have friends & sisters who have lovingly put together pre-baby celebrations for me!

Portland baby shower, hosted by my sisters Gia-Mien & GT, and my friend AnnetteVoLam
 

Seattle baby shower, hosted by Christine and Kristie

Massages that are covered by insurance - No explanation needed for this item.

Chin's excitement - Chin has been so excited and motivated to get things ready for Camille's arrival!  I am so thankful for his involvement in this preparation process.  He has had the car seat and ready to go for over a month!

Full tuition refund - As mentioned in Week 35's post, I received a 100% tuition refund from the University of Washington even though I withdrew from classes much later than the deadline.  This is a huge relief because I would feel terrible to lose $7.5K!

Seeing Caleb in my dream - The other night, I got to see Caleb in a dream.  He looked so happy and said, "I have never been so awake in my life."  I am thoroughly overjoyed!

Caleb & Joshua, 2005

Chin's birthday gift to me - Several nights ago, Chin told me to come into the living room at 3:30 in the morning (yes, I was still awake) to show me something.  It was a video that he has compiled of everyone who has left me a little video message for my birthday!!  I was completely caught off guard and felt overwhelmingly loved!  Thank you so much to all who participated in this birthday scheme!

Birthday party - Chin threw a birthday party for Kristie and me this past weekend.  I had so much fun and felt so loved!

The birthday girls and our Costco birthday cake!

My stash of loot - As many of you know, I created for myself a rather unhealthy coping mechanism because of all the emotional stuff that has been going on in my life: entering into an insanely high number of giveaways.  Sure, you can call it an addiction (yes, I do have a multi-tabbed spreadsheet to keep track of all the giveaways I have entered).  But, can your addiction get you these goodies?!

Combi Shuttle 33 car seat

Nifty Nappy reusable/cloth diapers

The much-coveted, newly designed BumGenius 4.0 reusable/cloth diaper

 Boba carrier

Weber Q100

Okay, I technically didn't "win" this grill.  What I won was an orange stroller.  However, the company ran out of orange strollers and offered me either a beige stroller, or $120 in store credit.  I agreed to the store credit, thinking maybe we could get something more immediately useful for Camille (as the stroller is more for a toddler).  Unbeknownst to me, the Hayneedle company is actually a vast network of online stores, one of which is GrillsDirect.com!  It just so happened that Chin has been looking for a portable gas grill for a while now and, before purchasing his volleyball net, I had been scheming on getting him this Weber Q100.  When I saw that it was available and on sale, I had to get it!  Overall, we only had to pay $19 for this grill.  Pretty sweet, huh? :)

You big baby!

Bao went in for her weekly checkup a couple days ago and was given Camille's estimated weight at 6 1/2 lbs.  That's pretty big since there were nearly 4.5 weeks of pregnancy to go at the time of the appointment.  Given that babies grow around .5 lbs per week during the final weeks, that would put Camille well over 8 lbs at time of delivery.  Ouch.

Let's hope that Camille comes at least a little early for Mommy's sake.

While we're on the topic of big babies.  Bao and I happen to be the biggest babies amongst our siblings at birth (measured by weight).  I was 7 lbs 14 oz, and Bao was 7 lbs, 11 oz.

That's right, siblings.  Stick that in your pipes and smoke it.

MacNut Week 35

Technically, this is what's going on this week:

• MacNut is the heft of a honeydew melon - ~18.19 inches and 5.25 pounds.
• The body of your baby is growing round due to developing fat layers.
• Your baby's reflexes are coordinated.
• Lungs are almost fully developed.
• About 90% of babies born this week survive (really?  I'm pretty sure the percentage is higher than that).
• Most babies gain about half pound per week in the last month of pregnancy. Fat stores accumulate in the legs and arms. These layers of fat will help them regulate their body temperature. Baby still doesn't have enough fat deposits beneath its skin to keep warm outside your womb.
• Lungs are almost fully developed. Your baby's reflexes are coordinated, they turn their head, grasp firmly, and respond to sounds, light and touch. You should still feel movement every day. She is about 5 and a half pounds and growing fast, it is getting short of space in the womb.
• Your uterus has become more cramped, your baby's kicks and other movements less forceful. You may want to check on your baby's movements from time to time and do a kick count.
• Baby may push up against your ribs and make you a little breathless. Soon your baby's position changes to prepare itself for labor and delivery. The baby drops down in your pelvis ("lightening") and you will be able to breathe easily again.

Physical:

• Weight: 151 lb (+25)
• Belly circumference: 40.00 in (+9.50)
• Fundal height: 32 in
• Dilation: 2.5cm
• Effacement: 30-40%
• Station: -2 (she popped up a little!)
• Estimated weight of baby: 6.5 pounds
• The other night, I had 4-5 ctxs within a 30-min span.  They were painful, too, and I had some sacral pressure...which was a little scary.  But after getting up, walking around, hands & knees, things slowed down dramatically and it wasn't too scary after all.  Since then, I've been having ctx that have become increasingly painful (but not really too painful, probably a 3-4/10?) and accompanied by pressure in the sacral area.  These episodes further confirm that, yes, I really needed to take this time off and take care of myself & Camille.
• This week, a new symptom I am getting is itchiness where my stretchmarks are...which is everywhere!!  I had some 1% hydrocortisone around and applying it really helped.
•  I continue to go to the physiotherapist who gives me a 40-minute massage every time.  Ahhhh...blisssssss. :)

Spiritual & emotional:

• I continue to feel that the decision to withdraw from classes this quarter and to take a leave of absence from school until next June is a good decision for our family.  I feel so much peace about it and I have received so much support in this decision from family and friends.  I am so thankful!
• Another huge relief: I received 100% tuition refund for this quarter!!  I could not believe it!  First, I did not think that the school would refund the full amount.  Second, I didn't think the turnaround time would be so expedient!  I am so relieved!
• I am also relieved to get through another week.  I've been staying home everyday.  And although it is (1) a huge hit to my pride that I am not doing anything "productive" and (2) I get a little bit of cabin fever, I feel better and at least I don't feel like I am putting Camille at risk of being born too prematurely.
• Oh!  I had a BIG baby shower thrown for me by our lovely friends Christine & Kristie!  I felt SO loved and blessed!  Will post pictures later.
• You already saw Chin's post...but I will say it again: I'm stoked that Camille will be an August baby!!