Marcus's birth story

This is the story of how Marcus was born. A story written by Chin, Bao, and Tara - our dear friend & trusty doula.

Sunday 6/3 (35 1/7 weeks)
Went to the hospital (Family Beginnings Unit - FBU) with contractions that were 3-5 minutes apart for over an hour. Dilation: 2 cm. Effacement: 70%. Station: +1. Tara out of town. Midwife predicted that Marcus would come this week. Studying for finals. False alarm #1.

Wednesday 6/13 (36 4/7 weeks)
Went to the hospital again in the wee hours of the morning. Tara met us there. Was grateful for free toll on way over, not so pleased to return home during peak hours. Dilation: 2 cm. Effacement: 90%. Station: 0. Midwife on duty predicted that Marcus would come within 24 hours. Um, no. False alarm #2.

Wednesday 6/20 (37 4/7 weeks)
Went to the hospital with strong and regular contractions. Tara met us there. Dilation: 4 cm. Effacement: 90%. Station: +1. False alarm #3. Ugh! At least we all were able to have brunch at Coastal Kitchen!

Sunday 7/1 (39 1/7 weeks)
Contractions on and off, enough to interfere with sleep ... called midwife Judy Lowe and talked to her about coming in for membrane sweeping or something. She mentioned Lesley and her magic fingers were on tomorrow, so it was up to me...

Monday 7/2 (39 2/7 weeks)
6:30am - Contractions started and they were the strongest they’d ever been for this pregnancy. About 4 or 5 minutes apart for an hour...but then decreased in intensity and frequency by 8am. So frustrating! Marcus’s movements were also changing. They were less frequent and there was something that told me he was more tired.

9:15am - Texted Tara. “I’m so effing tired of these irregular ctx!! :( I don’t know what I want. Anything short of getting a pit drip, I’ll be game. I want to pray with Chin first. He’s still sleeping and I want him to get as much rest as possible.” Chin woke up soon after and we prayed.

10:00am - Called FBU and nurse advised us to come in to monitor baby.

11:30am - Arrived at FBU. Hooked up to monitor & found that Marcus was doing just fine. Chin walks to Subway to get a sandwich for lunch.

12:00pm - Midwife (Lesley Kennedy) checked - Dilation: 4.5 cm. Effacement: 70-90%. Station: 0. “Is there anything you can do to help me out, Lesley?” Bao asked. You see, Lesley is famed amongst the group of midwives as having “nice, long, magic fingers.” “I’ll see what I can do,” Lesley replied empathetically...knowing how frustrated Bao has been with these non-productive contractions over the past month. *some cervical massage magic occurs* “You are now 6 cm dilated.” Lesley complimented Bao on having a favorable cervix that “melts away like buttah”...and explains that at 6 cm and a history of fast labor, we needed to be admitted. “We’re going to see this baby today, I think!” Lesley said with a broad smile.

12:20pm - Chin returned. We decided to go for a walk before getting admitted. Contractions started to pick up in intensity and frequency/regularity. But they were still just feeling like mild cramping. Maybe 3/10 on the pain scale.

1:00pm - Admitted. Stayed in normal clothing. Assigned a fantastic nurse: Luanne. Contractions still mild and regular. Tara arrives. Ate lunch. Explored different methods of getting things moving - bouncing on exercise ball, walking, stairs, deep squats, etc. We tried all methods, including "etc." Tara and everyone step out.

4:00pm - Lesley checked and virtually no progress was made in cervical changes. A little more cervical massage. “You’re now at 6.5 cm.” Whoop. Dee. Freakin’. Doo! Contractions pick up a little bit, but not much. “These are the contractions that make me tired. But they’re frustrating me because I don’t think they’re doing anything for my cervix,” Bao tells Luanne. Bao was getting tired of trying all these things to quicken labor and decided that she needed space to just be with Chin and maybe to take a nap. Asked everyone to leave, including Tara - no hard feelings! Tara was concerned for Bao, seeing that she was tired and having to balance her need for rest and "getting things going" for the sake of being admitted. Tara helped tucked Bao in and left so Bao could get some rest. Managed to nap a little bit.

5:45pm - Contractions picked up a bit more. So full of hope that things are going to take a turn soon. Bao needed to go to the bathroom (lots of pooping that day). Chin relayed to Luanne that Bao was feeling more sacral pressure and she needed to have a bowel movement. As a labor & delivery nurse, this was a signal of possible impending birth. Luanne quietly mobilized the birthing team and all the sterile trays were prepped by the time Chin & Bao came out of the bathroom.

6:15pm - Had dinner and was advised to eat in small portions. Tara returns and we worked through the contractions together. “I know that these contractions aren’t the real thing because I can still think about getting free stuff off of Craigslist while going through them,” Bao commented. Due to sacral pressure, Bao chose to try hands and knees on floor, then adapted with birth ball.

7:00pm - Luanne’s shift ended. Bummed she couldn’t be there for the birth. New nurse came on and her name is Tupi. She was also very good, just not as talkative as Luanne. Continued to do more squats for a while.

While Tupi was in the room charting, Bao mentioned that having Lesley present would make her feel pressure to perform (i.e., magically producing cervical changes), and Tupi said she would let her know to give us space. Tupi was also very sweet in offering to leave, too, so that we could labor as a team of three (plus Marcus).

8:15pm - Bao saw on Facebook that someone had posted something about pudding and started craving for that. Nurse brought her tapioca pudding and Bao was really, really happy to be enjoying pudding between contractions. Leaning over the labor ball on the ground with pillows to cushion the knees was the best position at that point. “If Lesley checks me and I’m at 7 cm, I am going to be so pissed!!” Bao expressed.

8:45pm - Lesley checked and Bao was at 7.5 cm. “Bao, please don’t be pissed,” said Chin. We talked briefly about our options: pop bag of water, start pitocin drip, try some more natural labor augmentation methods, or do nothing and see how things go. Bao started to let go of her dream of having a baby born en caul. Chin & Tara reassured Bao that they would support whatever decision she made. “Pop it, Lesley.” *pop* After a few moments, contractions markedly increased in intensity and frequency. Pain level was probably 7/10 during those first few contractions after water broke.

9:30pm - Contractions increasing in intensity and pain was probably 9/10. Bao really missed Camille at this point and wanted to talk to her between contractions. Got her on the phone and we had a sweet conversation.

9:50pm - Bao needed to go to the bathroom. Did not quite make it to the toilet when she had to crouch down for a contraction. “I’m just going to pee right here [on the bathroom floor],” Bao says. *pees* Chin & Tara cleaned up. Bao then made it to the toilet and stayed in bathroom for a minute. Tupi returned, surveyed the situation, followed by Lesley. Preparations for impending birth were made. Bao decided she wanted to be on the bed (even though the option of giving birth anywhere in any position was available). She felt that the hospital gown was getting in the way so she decided it needed to go. Once on the bed, she got into the worst laboring position - right side lying. So painful for the hurting pelvis. Pain 10/10.

At this point, Bao was just waiting to be completely dilated and for an urge to push. She thought that she was ready to push at one point and gave it a shot. But it didn’t feel right so she stopped. Lesley checked and said that there was still a little bit of cervix in the way and she could manually “push it out of the way” if she wanted to, but Bao declined.

Thoughts going through Bao’s mind: “Is there a pause button? Can I just have a little break and some more tapioca pudding? I know it’d be nice to have the pain relief provided by epidural anesthesia (it’d be real nice!), but I know I can do this. I am the only one who can do this...and I was made to do this!”

During some of the contractions, instead of breathing out deep groans, Bao would say, “I love you! I love you Little Boy! I love you!” And this really helped her modulate the pain.

10:08pm - Around this point was when the pain reached its apex and Bao had her “Eli Eli, lama sabachthani” moment.

10:10pm - Started pushing for realz. Bao pushed with all her might and was reminded of why pushing was her favorite part of the laboring experience: it was so productive and the pain seemed to melt away as she pushed. Bao also pinched a loaf during this pushing time. She knew it, too, and was totally unashamed.

10:13pm - Head out. “Look down, Bao. Do you see him?” Nope, giant belly still in the way.

10:14pm - Marcus was born! “Reach down to get him, Bao!” After ensuring the safe passage of the shoulders, Lesley let Chin & Bao take over the rest of the delivery of Marcus. The two of them fetched the boy and put him on Bao’s chest.

After being placed on Bao’s chest, he managed to worm his way to a breast and started nursing. Chin cut the cord after it had some time to finish pulsating. Marcus was on Bao’s chest during the delivery of the placenta, the stitching up (shallow 2nd degree tear), and the manual extraction of clots in the lower uterine segment (by far the most painful part of the birthing experience). And Bao was so glad to have had Marcus's company during these unpleasant procedures.

Apgars were 9 and 9. Weight: 7 pounds 8.5 ounces. Length: 18.5 inches.

"I'm so proud of you, Honey!"

Some final thoughts from...

Our team of champions!

...Tara: You are an incredible woman Bao! I loved supporting you both so that you could be your best selves and so the labor and birth process could unfold. Marcus is a very lucky and very sweet little boy!

Chin surveying his newborn son
as Bao enjoys another cup of pudding

...Chin: I am so proud of my wife for how she handled another amazing birth. I had worried that I wouldn't be able to love a second child, and a boy as much as my first born daughter; but one look at Marcus made me dismiss those thoughts completely. Our little boy is such a handsome little guy; and I have my amazing, beautiful wife to thank for his place in our lives.  I'm so proud of you, Bao, and I love you so much!

Much thanks and love to our friend and doula - Tara.  I can't imagine how parents go through this without someone like you at their side.  You have a special place in our children's life stories.

Bao updating the event on Facebook, to make it really official

...Bao: I'm so humbled and grateful for all those who were involved in making this another beautiful birthing experience. From my labor support team, to the midwives, nurses, and friends and family members who served us in incredible ways. I could not have done it without you all.

Tara mentioned after the birth that Chin is the most supportive birth partner she has ever seen (and she has seen a few, being a doula for many years and a recent midwifery graduate!). I completely agree! Chin, you are wonderful.

I am not a numerology buff, but there is something nice about the number 2 (as in July 2nd). There is something meek about it. Like our boy Marcus. Hopefully.

Here he is!

You can read about Camille's birth story here.

Chestnut Week 27

*pop!*

This first week of 3rd trimester has been good, despite being very busy and living through Camille's first febrile episode.  (Yes, her first time mounting a full-on immune response that resulted in a fever!  I credit my boobs.)  Here are some pictures from this week...to make up for so many of the late belly pictures.

Camille has been eating better these days.
Weighed her at my midwife appointment on Wed
and she was 21.9 lbs...with clothes on!

Loves drawing with and sometimes eating crayons

Drawing with BaBa

"Cheeeeeeeese" (Easter 2012)

All dressed up in Mariner's uniform on opening day!

Chin & I got to go to the Mariner's game on opening day
at Safeco Field.  Thanks to Kristie for the tickets & thanks
to Sherwin & Mina for watching Camille!

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

• Chestnut is as hefty as a head of cauliflower, - ~ 14.41 inches and 1.93 pounds.
• His head is over 2.5 inches in diameter.
• His hearing continues to develop.
• His eyes can blink, open and close.

Physical:

• Weight: 140 lb (+27)
• Belly circumference: 38.5 in (+10)
• Fundal height: 25.5 cm
• I had a check up with my midwife this week and found that I had gained three pounds over the past week.  I'm not exactly sure how this happened...but I guess I should not be surprised because I am hungry all the time.  I have been more intentional about cutting down on carbs and controlling my portion.  It is tough.  And I can empathize with all of you who are trying to modify your behavior in any sort of way.  I just want to eat, eat, eat!
• With Camille being sick this week and my school workload being a bit heavier, I've been averaging about 5 hours a night.  Chin captured a very typical picture of me these days: heavily gravid, sedentary, and tired.

*yaaaawn*

Spiritual & emotional:

• Despite the busy-ness of school and home life, I am doing well.  The weather has been beautiful and I have been soaking it all in!
• When I saw that I had gained 3 pounds this week, the thought of needing a c-section briefly entered my mind.  "What if Marcus is so big that I am too pooped to push him out?!"  It's a fear that may not be too unrealistic, eh?  Anyway, I know just need to calm the eff down, eat less, and exercise more.
• I think I have reached this paradoxical/ambivalent stage in pregnancy where I am conflicted with the feeling of wanting baby to come soon (because I am tired of being pregnant) and not wanting baby to come soon (because I am not quite ready).  Regardless, I know that in my mind I want Marcus to stay in for as long as necessary.  So, hang out in there for a bit longer, Little Boy!  I love you!

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

Chestnut Week 24

This is my well-rested
Spring Break look!

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

• Chestnut is the length of an ear of corn (*om nom nom nom*) - ~ 11.81 inches and 1.32 pounds.
• He is now gaining around 3 ounces (90 grams) a week.
• Taste buds begin to form. If mom drinks something strange or bitter, baby may be observed showing his distaste.
• The eyelids can be seen very clearly.
• Age of viability has been reached! If born at this stage, he has up to 85% chance of survival.

Physical:

• Weight: 132 lb (+19)
• Belly circumference: 37.75 in (+9.25)
• I normally have a hard time assessing fundal heights with my pregnancies, but this week I had a strong contraction and found that the fundus (top of uterus) is about 1 finger breadth above the umbilicus.  Does that make sense?  Well, I was laying flat on my back so maybe that makes a difference.  Anyway, I would hate to think that I am gaining lots of weight while my uterus is not growing as fast.  Speaking of which...
• With my [pre-pregnancy] BMI being roughly 20, I should technically be gaining between 25-35 lbs during pregnancy.  Check out this graph I got from BabyCenter (which, by the way, I consider as barfalicious as What to Expect When You're Expecting, Babies-R-Us, Carter's brand, and the like)
  
  
  
  So, do you see that green dot?  That's where my weight is during week 24. The green dot is supposed to be between the two lines - the minimum and maximum recommended weight gain.  I'm only off by 1 pound.  I'm not too worried about it.  Furthermore, I don't think this is a very good graph in that pregnancy weight gain is anything but linear!  For instance, toward the end of pregnancy, often in weeks 38-40, women report a tendency not to gain any weight. 
• Chestnut is not as active as Camille was when she was in-utero in that he isn't constantly on the move.  But I feel that his kicks are stronger.  Especially when he kicks my bladder!
• There were a couple of nights that I had a very hard time sleeping through the hip pain.  Wednesday night was one of those nights.  I was almost in tears every time I had to turn from side to side.
• More people are open to asking, "So when are you due?" this week.  I guess I'm very, very obviously pregnant.
• If you are a woman or a male child under the age of 10, you can feel free to come up to me and rub my belly without asking.  I fully give you permission to do that.  Don't expect this of all pregnant women, I'm just saying it's okay for me.  If you are not a woman or a little boy, please ask me first. :)

Spiritual & emotional:

• My Spring Break has been blissful!  I scheduled one play date after another.  Camille had a great time hanging out with friends and cousins.  I went out to lunch with people and had friends over for dinner.  I got to finish a craft project.  I even got in a couple of naps.  *aaaaah* :)
• There was one day that Camille missed her nap entirely (Tuesday) and even managed to climb out of her crib.  I was so frustrated that I wanted to stab my eye with a fork.  But it ended up being fine.  Have I mentioned that I love Camille a lot.  I love her a lot!!!
  

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

Chestnut Week 20

Whoaaa, we're halfway there.
WhooOAH! Livin' on a prayer!

We can't quite tell you yet, but we have been trying out a name for baby Chestnut.  I can explain more if this name becomes official.  But we've been thinking about it for a long time.  The name hasn't quite "stuck" yet...but neither did Camille's name until she was born.  And now we can't imagine her name being anything else!

As an aside, though, my friend Emily sent me a link to this Onion article that I found hilarious: Smug New Mom Going To Start A Blog.  So true!

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

• Chestnut is the size of a banana - ~10 inches (CHL) and 11 ounces. (Note: Babies are measured from the crown (or top) of the head to the rump (or bottom) until about 20 weeks. After that, they are measured from crown to heel. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against the torso during the first half of pregnancy and very hard to measure.)
• Baby can hear and recognize the mother's voice.
• The toenails and fingernails are growing. 
• He has teeth buds sprouting beneath his gum line.
• The growth of hair on the rest of the body has started, including eyelashes and eyebrows.
• The skin is getting thicker.
• Testes are descending, though they have not yet passed the abdominal wall.
• The heart can now be heard with a stethoscope.  (Hmm...I'm pretty sure that's not true because I cannot hear Chestnut's heartbeat with my stethoscope.  But my friend/classmate Wenjia was generous enough to lend me her fetal doppler and it has been fun to eavesdrop on the little boy sometimes!)

Physical:

• Weight: 127 lb (+13)
• Belly circumference: 36.25 in (+7.75)
• I've gotten quite a few comments this week that my "belly has finally popped out!"  Where have these people been, pray tell?  My belly has been popping out since I was pregnant with Penelope and it has not ceased to pop out. 
• I have a theory that since Chestnut is a boy, the integrity of my skin is different due to boy hormones.  I have no basis for this theory.  My belly is more pointy (tighter) and my face does not look nearly as pudgy as I did with Penelope or Camille.
• Chestnut moves around quite a bit nowadays and I am loving it.  I'm not sure if I'm just imagining things, but I think he's a little less active than his sister. *phew*
• I have become very lordotic almost overnight!

Spiritual & emotional:

• Chin keeps saying that I have major "pregnancy brain" with Chestnut whereas I didn't have any with Camille.  I have to admit...I do have pregnancy brain.  I will open a carton of milk, pour some for Camille, and leave it out for half an hour before realizing that it's still open and unrefrigerated.  I blank out on words.  And I can never seem to find my phone!
• I had one day this week that was surprisingly tough (feeling not so clinically competent, frustrated by academic shortcomings, miscommunication with Camille's daycare person, friends flaking out on me) followed by one very strenuous day of academia.  But you know what?  I am still here and I still love my life.  So, I win.
• Some days, it just makes me smile to think that Chestnut is swimming around in amniotic fluid and drinking his own urine.

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

Chestnut Week 17

Chin felt Chestnut kick this week!  This is another very kicky kid.  Ruh roh...

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

• Chestnut the size of a turnip - ~5.12 inches and 4.94 ounces
• The umbilical cord is growing thicker and stronger.
• Baby is about 5 inches (14cm) long crown to rump and would be about 9 inches (23cm) head to toe, if it could stretch out.
• The retina has become sensitive to light.
• The first stools (meconium) are now beginning to accumulate.

Physical:

• Weight: 122 lb (+8)
• Belly circumference: 34.75 in (+6.25)
• Boarded the vomit comet once (v9).  WHAT?  I thought I was done with this emesis business!  Guess baby is just trying to remind me to stay humble.  I am SO freakin' humble right now.
  
• Foods that suck: not many, really. :)
  
• Foods that are awesome: pomelo!  We got some pomelo from Uwajimaya the other day and I couldn't eat enough of it!  I know, Chin bought me produce from get-a-second-mortgage-to-shop-here Uwajimaya.  He must really love me!  (They were also on sale.)
• A strange and spectacular phenomenon this week: I have a large quantity of food in front of me...minutes later, it disappears.  I don't know what kind of wacky time lapse occurs, but I have been putting down food like I couldn't believe!  It's really fantastic.  And I feel great!
• I have had 2 visits with PT and I have really appreciated the work that they do.  The exercises will hopefully help me with pelvic pain during pregnancy and improve strength for labor.

Spiritual & emotional:

• I'm so relieved that I am finally feeling better!  Not much more to say, really.  I'm just very happy!
• We've scheduled a date for the mid-pregnancy ultrasound: next Friday, 2/10, at 3pm.  Waaay excited! :)

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

Chestnut Week 14

Oh blissful second trimester, it is here!  I'm still waiting for the "blissful" part, though.  Waiting...waiting...(you can see that my impatience is truly reflected in the photo above.)

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

• Chestnut is the size of a lemon - ~3.42 inches and 1.52 ounces
• Bone is beginning to replace cartilage and the ribs are appearing.
• The eyes are slowly moving towards the center of the face.
• The cheekbones are visible. The first hair is appearing.
• The kidneys are producing urine.
• In girls, the ovaries are moving down towards the pelvis.
• In boys, the prostate gland is developing.

Physical:

• Weight: 118 lb (+4)
• Belly circumference: 32.75 in (+4.25)
• No vomiting this week!  But did gag a couple of times.
• Foods that suck: garlic, and...most foods.  Chin fried up a steak this week and the whole house smelled so gross!  It probably tasted really good, but I was so appalled by the smell.
• Foods that are awesome: ranch dressing still tastes really good, especially in a salad
• I think maybe I'm feeling less nauseous...but I don't want to jinx anything.
• I'm just as tired as any average pregnant woman who's caring for a toddler.  I can't complain.

Spiritual & emotional:

• Second week of school!  Tiring and stressful; but very rewarding so far.
• I'm not sure what is with pregnancy hormones, but I have been loving my time with Camille.  I feel like we really reconnected during my time off (winter break from school) and we've been enjoying our time together. :)
• Chin revealed that for the past few months, he has been planning this secret getaway for the two of us!  (He had to tell me a couple of weeks in advance so I wouldn't plan anything that weekend.)  I'm really excited!

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

Chestnut Week 12

Merry Christmas!!  This is the first year since being married (and living in the U.S.) that we have decided not to spend Christmas with both sides of the family or to travel.  We stayed in town and Chin's parents came up to be with us kids who all live up here.  It was a relaxing time.

I missed spending time with my family, but was relieved to not be a part of the "Which church are you going to tonight?  What?  You should go to this church - their choir has been practicing very hard!  And then you should go to this other church tomorrow night..."  And then the incessant critiques of different church choirs and costumes/uniforms, and the speakers, and the food.  Ugh, no thanks!  (If you grew up in a Vietnamese church, you know what I'm talking about.)

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

• Chestnut is the size of a lime - ~2.13 inches and 0.49 ounces.
• The fetus starts moving spontaneously.
• The face is beginning to look like a baby's face.
• The pancreas is functioning and producing insulin.
• Fingernails and toenails appear.
• The baby can suck his/her thumb, and get hiccups.

Physical:

• Weight: 116 lb (+2)
• Belly circumference: 32.0 in (+3.5)
• Boarded the vomit comet twice this week (v7, v8) but gagged over the toilet many, many times.
• Foods that suck: meatballs, pork, eggs, garlic of any form (especially raw, minced garlic...eww!)
• Foods that are awesome: sliced meat in hot pot, most fried foods, ranch dressing.
• Have I made my "turn" for the better?  NO!  In fact, I feel worse than last week.  Maybe I'm tired because of all the holiday festivities?
• At the end of this week, I started feeling some flutters that I'm confident are fetal movements!  Quickening has occurred, boys & girls!

Spiritual & emotional:

• Still feeling super disappointed that I haven't started feeling better.  What's up with this kid?!  I was telling Chin that I think baby is growing another baby.  Or perhaps an extra placenta for good measure.  Seriously, kid?!
• Chin has grown increasingly more frustrated that I have been out of commission for so long this pregnancy.  Because I've been so tired, Chin has taken over most of the childcare, household duties, and everything else that he already does.  I'm so sorry, Chin. :(
• I've been feeling emotionally very low this week.

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

Chestnut Week 10

Finally!  A profile tummy shot.  I look pregnant, don't I?

Chestnut is now a fetus.  We made our pregnancy "Facebook official" on Wednesday. :)  Below is the picture we used to make the announcement.

If you're curious, the answer is "No" - we did not plan to have a baby born in the year of the tiger and then one born in the year of the dragon.  Two very auspicious years for Chinese culture.  But it's kind of cool.  We kind of have a kung fu team on our hands!

I had another ultrasound on Tuesday of this week (one to determine the size and probable date of delivery).  Chestnut is doing fine and dandy, measuring appropriately, and the approximate date of delivery is exactly as we thought - 7/7/2012.  S/he was moving around quite a bit during the ultrasound, too!  Camille got to be there.  She pointed and said, "Baby."  And said, "Thank you" to the ultrasound tech when we were done.  So sweet!

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

• Chestnut is the size of a kumquat - ~1.22 inches and 0.14 ounces.
• From this week until birth, the developing organism is called a fetus (or, yunno, a BABY).
• The fetus is now the size of a small strawberry.
• The feet are 2mm long (one tenth of an inch).
• The neck is beginning to take shape.
• The body muscles are almost developed. Baby has begun movement.
• The jaws are in place. The mouth cavity and the nose are joined.
• The ears and nose can now be seen clearly.
• Fingerprints are already evident in the skin.
• Nipples and hair follicles begin to form.

Physical:

• Weight: 115 lb (+2)
• Belly circumference: 31.5 in (+3.0)
• Boarded the vomit comet twice (v4, v5)
• Foods that suck: meat (esp. roasted), even phở sounds not so appetizing, cumin.
• Foods that are awesome: buttered cut corn, orange creamsicles, salads, mac 'n cheese.
• I've been pretty tired still this week.  I don't feel like preparing anything to eat.  Whenever I am hungry, I just eat the sweets that I see around me.  (I know, so bad!)  And when I do, my mouth and stomach totally revolt what I had just put down and respond by producing this incredibly gross sour taste in my mouth.  Sometimes this taste even make water taste bitter.  Eww!
• I've been craving salads...which is great!  I think I just generally need more fiber in my diet to improve gut motility and combat the constipating effects of progesterone.  Yuck.

Spiritual & emotional:

• After the previous blog entries of this pregnancy (the ones written in stealth mode) went public on Wednesday, there has been a tremendous outpouring of support for our family in regards to this pregnancy!  I felt very loved hearing from all sorts of people about how their "unplanned children" (or themselves being unplanned) have turned out to be great gifts to the family and they would not have had it any other way.  Thank you, friends!
• I finished my fall quarter!  Awesome!  More time to rest?  Yes.  But this also means I'm full-time mom during this break.  I'm sorry that this sounds really bad, but I don't look forward to spending most of my waking hours taking care of Camille.  I just feel like she gets better care and socialization at daycare.  Camille is also a very social child.  Which means I need to take her out at least once a day so she can see people and expend her energy.  Otherwise she gets cabin fever and goes completely nuts!  So, all that's to say that feel (1) that I can't provide as much as I can for Camille, (2) frustrated that I don't have enough energy to do much, and (3) really tired.
  

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

Chestnut Week 8*

We've told everyone in our immediate families this week.  Surprisingly, Chin's mom was the most excited about Chestnut...while other grandparents show no reaction.  Aunts and uncles all excited (if not a bit concerned that we don't know how to use contraception).


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

• Chestnut is the size of a kidney bean - ~0.63 inches and 0.04 ounces.
• Arms and legs are growing and location of the elbows and toes are visible.
• The feet and hand buds have appeared.
• Starts to practice moving.
• The stomach is being made from part of the gut (waddup?!).
• The face is beginning to take shape.
• Your baby's mouth and nostrils are starting to develop.
• Teeth begin to develop under the gums.
• The eyes can now be seen as small hollows on each side of the head.

Physical:

• Weight: 114 lb (+1)
• Belly circumference: 30.0 in (+1.5)
• Really nauseous this week but managed to keep food down!  Nothing sounds good, though.
• I discovered that I would crave for french fries a lot; but once I start eating one, I realize what a bad, bad idea fries are.  (This pretty much goes for all fried foods.)
• I am only craving bad foods.  Nothing that's actually healthy!
• Foods that I can't stand: garlic, onion, tomato sauce, pork.  Pretty consistent with my two previous pregnancies.  (Since I'm having very similar pregnancy symptoms to my previous pregnancies, I tend to think that I'm carrying a girl.  But my mom had the exact same symptoms for all 7 of us kids - 3 girls and 4 boys.  So, who knows!)
• I did have a distinct craving for a strawberry milkshake at 1:30 in the morning and Chin had to go get ice cream to make it for me.  This is seriously like it's out of a movie!
• I'm not sure if I have communicated this clearly enough through my pregnancy with Camille, but the first trimester is the absolute worst!!!  I hate it so much.  
• I'm tired.  SO tired.
• A little moody (although I would never admit to it...so don't ask if I'm "hormonal" because I will straight up rip you a new one)
• I don't feel like eating anything.  Nothing sounds especially appetizing.  And if something sounds good, when I smell it, it's immediately gag-inducing.
• I'm constantly nauseous.  No joke.  Always.
• Something that's different in this pregnancy is that I'm peeing all the time.  Maybe baby is really low.  I don't know.  But I'm getting up to go to the bathroom ~3x a night (vs. 0x a night while pregnant with Penelope and Camille).
• Did I mention that I'm always tired?

Chin captured a picture of me puking.
Awesome.

Spiritual & emotional:

• We are telling a few more close friends.  It's starting to feel more real.
• Chin & I want 3 kids.  I'm seriously considering adoption for the 3rd kid because, seriously?!  I cannot in my sane mind think about going through the first trimester ever again.  It is the worst!
• School is also kind of driving me a little nuts.  I never like to put academia first in my life, but honestly, if I don't study people die.  This thought scares me. 

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

*This blog entry was written in stealth mode...before the news went public.

Chestnut Week 5*

Uh, WHAT?!

Knocked up

Yes, folks, we are at it again.  We just found out on Monday of this week that we are pregnant.  This one, who we have lovingly named Chestnut, is due to make a debut ~7/72012.

Why Chestnut?  Well, all of our kids are "nuts."  Penelope was Peanut because she was little like a peanut; it's a pretty generic baby nickname, really.  Camille was Macnut (macadamia nut) because we'd just gone to Hawai'i before getting pregnant.  This one is Chestnut because there are a ton of chestnut trees outside of our condo.  And it's chestnut season.  Also, chestnuts are very tasty!

So, to follow the tradition of Ng Family Pregnancy Blogging, I'm going to default to the regular format...

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

• Chestnut is the size of a sesame seed - ~2mm.
• By the end of the week the embryo will have more than doubled in size to about 4-5mm.
• The egg has now completely grown into the mucous membrane of the uterus which covers the egg, the umbilical sac and the amniotic fluid cavity.
• A fibrin clot closes the hole to the uterus cavity. I might be wrong, but I think this clot later develops into Danny Tanner (long story...okay, the short version is: if you look up an image of a "mucus plug" using an internet search engine, somehow a picture of actor Bob Saget is in the mix!).
• The placenta is developing.
• The embryo starts receiving oxygen and nutrition through the placenta.
• The brain, spinal cord, and heart begin to develop.
• The gastrointestinal tract begins to develop.
• Umbilical cord develops and blood is now pumping.  All four heart chambers are now functioning.
• Arm and leg buds appear.

Physical:

• Weight: 113 lb (+0)
• Belly circumference: 28.5 in (+0)
• There is a little bit of change in my appetite, but not much.  I'm still feeling fine.  Not any more tired than usual...except that our whole family is sick.  Boo!

Spiritual & emotional:

• Finding out that we were pregnant was a bit of an "OMG" moment for me.  My [academic] life flashed before my eyes.  I start looking for people to blame (it's such a bad emotional pattern).  Still negotiating this news in my mind.
• What do I tell people when they ask, "Was it planned?"  Can I say, "Go eff yourself" or would that be very unChristian of me?
• We told Camille that I have a baby in the belly.  Amazingly, she seemed to get it pretty quickly.  Later the same day, she walked over to where I was sitting on the ground, pulled up my shirt, poked my belly saying "Baby!" and kissed it.  So, so sweet.
• We've told a few close friends.  It all seems kind of surreal.  Still taking in the news.

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

*This blog entry was written in stealth mode...before the news went public.

Camille's twelth month: A review

Yes, it's the last of the monthly reviews.  It's here.  She's ONE!

*pause to reflect, ponder, and cry a bit*

This month has been a bit crazy for us.  I am getting close to the end of my first quarter back at school.  As I look toward the next two years of academia, I honestly don't know how I can do it!  But I certainly cannot imagine life without Camille.

Warning: toddler road rage

New, fun things this month:

• Standing for a lot longer
• Saying words like "bear bear" and "ball" and "pssss" (please) more consistently
• She'll copy a lot of the sounds we make
• She's a lot more curious about things and is getting into everything!
• I can sense that in general, she knows what she's not supposed to get into...and purposely gets into them.  The defiance begins...
• Tries to offer food to/feed others
• Getting so much better at drinking out of a cup!!!
• She lets out a satisfying "aaaaah" after drinking.  A skill taught by Daddy.
• Lastly...I may be getting ahead of myself here, but I could have sworn Camille could recognize that the image in the mirror is herself!  One day while I was feeding her some tofu, a little bit got on her upper lip.  I thought it made her look funny so I resisted wiping it off.  So while she was exploring (yes, I feed her when she's not on the high chair), she crawled into our room and to our closets which had mirrors on the doors.  She saw her reflection and got really excited (as per usual).  But then she looked carefully and used her hand to guide the bit of tofu into her mouth.  That's gotta be some sort of Asian rouge test, right?!

"See how helpful I am?"

The specs
As of August 3, 2011:

• Weight: 15 lbs 13 oz
• Height: 28.2 in

Milestones & important events
July 14 - Camille's first day in daycare.  She did great.  Didn't cry when I left.  Didn't fuss all day.  But she did scratch another kid and made her cry when she felt that her toys (well, actually the other kid's toys) were being taken away.

July 15 - She learns to spit things out of her mouth.  She learned out to blow water out of her mouth pretty early on.  But thrusting food back out was a new skill.  Blurg!!

Chin & Camille.  DiniNG.

July 26 - Camille learned how to say "ball."  She says things like "bear bear" and "baby" and "BaBa" (mostly "b" words).  But "ball" is the most clear and most consistent in speech and comprehension.  Chin & I also celebrated our 8th anniversary - first with a baby.

August 3 - GI check-up: "She's healthy and happy.  She's fine.  Now pay up."  I coulda told you that first part.  That last part may or may not have been uttered (but I'm sure it crossed the doc's mind).

August 13 - Camille gets her first haircut.

I think one or two hundred other children
have chewed on that toy...

Favorite part...
So many!  My favoritest would be Camille's hugs.  She's a lot more affectionate now and will give me hugs randomly. 

After nursing, she fell asleep...

...and rolled to the edge of the bed...

...I laid down some pillows in case she fell off the bed...

...she did.  And continued sleeping.

Least favorite... 
I think it's just the feeling that I'm not doing as much homework as I'm supposed to.  I can really only do work while she is sleeping.  And then when she's sleeping, I'm on Facebook.  Lack of discipline is my least favorite!

Shout outs
...To the Ephrems for watching Camille so that we could enjoy a romantic night out to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary!

...To Camille's daycare lady who continues to amaze us with what she does.  Camille loves spending time at her house and playing with her children.  She comes home well-fed and happy (albeit sometimes not very well-rested).  She's amazing!

Camille with Anna, her favorite person to scratch.  *sigh*

...To Di Mien & Bac Nguyen for watching Camille while we got to enjoy a good dinner & catching up time with our small group.

...To Columbia City Cuts and Dina for giving Camille her first haircut.  Dina has had 7 years of experience cutting kids' hair and over 20 years in the industry.  Her suggestions were great, she was quick, precise, creative, and the end product is wonderful.  (A secondary "shout out" is due to LivingSocial for giving us a deal on this haircut.  Hip hip!)

Discoveries & reflections
...I look at other children who have extremely cute, multi-piece outfits on...then I look at Camille and she has on a onesie that she has worn for maybe a couple of days and there are stains all over it.  And then realize that (1) it probably doesn't take other parents 10 minutes to put on a diaper and one item of clothing for their child like it does mine, and (2) if it takes that long for them, w'hell, I just lack that kind of patience.

...I seriously took a week to mourn the loss of Camille's hair.  I never knew I could be so sad over something so simple.  But I was.  It was her original hair.  That hair was nurtured by my womb.  *sigh*  But when I see her new haircut, I think it looks really cute.  I'm glad we decided to keep the bangs, though :)

A graduated bob.  Just like Mommy's!

...I think Camille is so lovely.

...It's simply inexcusable to not have all of our thank-you cards written for Camille's baby shower gifts and gifts from her baby party.  But what can I say, I put the pro in procrastination.

...I don't know why it took us so long to finally realize this, but dining out is so much more convenient and pleasant if we brought along her booster chair!  When she has nowhere else to go (i.e., climbing out of the restaurant high chair), she actually sits and eats with us.  She'll even feed herself most of the time or keeps herself entertained somehow.  It's great!

...I'm so sad that Camille doesn't like avocado.

...This year has been action-packed, full of excitement, longer than it should be, and has gone by like a flash.  (Oh, don't you worry, there will be a review of the full first year.  Do look out for it.)

Last day before she turns 1

Camille's tenth month: A review

Again, a late post.  Sorry, fans!  We were on a cruise, you see, and we just came back a few days ago.  Also, today is the last day of my maternity leave.  I go back to school tomorrow.  *sniff sniff hooray!*

"What's up, Cat?"

Naturally, Camille continues to brighten our lives with all sorts of loveliness.  Here are the ways that she's grown lately:

• Camille likes to mimic sounds.  One day, I made a clicking sound with my tongue and amazingly, she was able to copy me!  When we say "baba" or "please" or "yucky," it seems like she's trying to imitate the sound, too.
• She is very particular with toys.  She likes toys that are (1) not her toys from home, and (2) not intended to be toys...like electrical wires.
• She loves to play with the dresser in her room.  It is just a matter of time before some little fingers get smashed.  I'm not ready for that day.
• Camille will wave hello/goodbye, but very unpredictably.
• Her manual dexterity continues to improve.  She can take a small piece of cereal with her thumb and forefinger, transfer it to the thumb and forefinger of the other hand, and insert it into her mouth but only far enough so that she can slowly crunch it with her six front teeth.  Girlfriend's got skills!
• A few people have commented on how strong Camille is.  I don't think she's extraordinarily strong.  I think people are just caught off guard that a girl this scrawny can have any muscle strength at all! :P  She has started to walk gripping onto our hands.  At first, she would only take a few steps before getting distracted/bored/thinking "I can crawl so much more efficiently than this."  But she is slowly making more progress and is taking increasingly more steps.  Still, I don't want her to be an early walker.  Our house is totally not toddler proof!
  

Messin'

The specs
As of June 10, 2011:

• Weight: 15 pounds even
• Teeth: 2 at the bottom, 4 at the top

Pig tails

Milestones & important events
May 19 - While Camille was laying down, I said, "Do you wanna stand?" (I say this a lot)...and she extended her arms to grab onto my hands so I could help her up!  Also, later that day, the OT/lactation consultant at Children's called for a check-in.  Hearing that there is no progress in the drinking department, she said, "There isn't anything mechanically wrong.  Camille knows how to drink.  It's just a matter of her strong will.  I wonder if your best option might just be to cut off nursing completely so that she could learn how to drink from another source.  And then it might be possible to reintroduce breastfeeding later once she's gotten a hang of drinking from a cup."

May 20 - I started cutting off breastfeeding completely.  This was a very difficult decision but I was just so tired of battling with Camille.  The following days were pretty unpleasant.  Every time she woke up, she expected breastfeeding.  When we offered her milk in a cup, she was very upset.

May 22 - After over 48 hours of holding out on breastfeeding her, Camille had only taken in a cumulative of 4 oz of milk.  We were both very frustrated.  I called up Krista to ask for her advice.  Well, she didn't have any advice for me (ha!), but it was a good conversation that gave me insight into my own stubbornness.  I resumed breastfeeding Camille that morning.  She was so happy and fell asleep right away.  What a sweet girl.

May 23 - Camille was mistaken for a parrot at Grocery Outlet. 

June 1 - Went down the slides for the first time!

Down the slides with BaBa

June 8 - While playing, hanging onto the couch, Camille suddenly pushed the couch away and stood on her own for a few seconds.  Then she sat down on her bum...with a huge, proud grin on her face. :)  She hasn't done that very often since then, though.  We also had an appointment at Seattle Children's GI department today.  Verdict: she's perfectly healthy...and incredibly strong-willed.

June 9 - Camille climbed up a step all by herself.  We live in a small apartment with no stairs inside the living space and Camille has not had an opportunity to try out this skill.  When we were visiting the Pangs, she wanted to come to me and climbed up a step (from the sunken living room) to get to me.  Good job, Miu Miu!!

June 11 - I put Camille's hair in pigtails for the first time (her hair is getting long and her neck is always so sweaty).  She looks supah cute!  She looks like Boo, the little girl from Monsters, Inc.

June 12 - We take off for a week-long cruise to Alaska.  The first time for all of us!

We're on a boat!

Favorite part...
Chin took some time off for the cruise.  Being together as a family was definitely the highlight of this month!

Least favorite... 
Do I need to say it again?  I think my least favorite moments involve having milk (oh yes, milk that I took so much effort to pump) spat out at me or spilled on the carpet/clothes/hair/etc.

Shout outs
...to Kristie for babysitting Camille several times during our sippy cup training trials.  So, so sorry, Kristie!!

...to Jonas Leong for lending Camille his fancy sippy cup.  Unfortunately, she didn't like it :(

...to the Grays for taking Camille when we were just fed up with her...and giving her the love and comfort that she needed at the time.  Thank you so much!

...to Dr. Ghassan Wahbeh at Seattle Children's GI Clinic for letting us know that Camille is totally fine and that she should be given more fruits so she won't be so constipated.  Oops!  As Chin said, "This guy really knows his sh!t."

...to Grandma Ng for watching Camille so many times on the cruise so we could go watch shows and leisurely buffet ourselves to death.

Discoveries & reflections
...I think every parent has had that moment when the thought briefly crosses their mind, "Hmm...this [food] kinda smells like [my child]'s poop.  No!!  Stop thinking this!  Stop thinking this right now!"

*Evil laugh*

...It seems inevitable that we have to cut Camille's hair soon.  The back of her neck gets really sweaty as the weather is getting warmer because of her thick hair.  Awww...I don't wanna cut her hair!

...Someone recently asked me, "Have you been teaching Camille baby sign language?  You know, it's proven to blah blah blah."  To which I responded, "Of course I've been teaching her sign language!"  I have not.  I haven't taught her body parts or how to clap or any good words.  Crap, I guess you're not going to amount to much, kid!

...I think Camille is really smart.  No, no, I'm not just that biased mom who thinks her baby is the best.  She is empirically the best!!

It's been an incredible 10 months
staying home with you, Camille!