Like Father like Son...

This is Jake's expression 80% of the time. Either he is thinking or confused or concern about something...

2 Months

Jake just turned 2 months old on Tuesday. Can't believe how fast time flew by. It seems like just yesterday we brought him home. He has changed so much in such a short time. He is so much more animated and quite vocal. It's so cute to watch him explore new sound and movement.

He also had his 2 months check up which includes 3 immunization shots. Poor little guy cried real hard each time. I nursed him right after so I guess that comforted him enough to fall asleep for 3 hours. He was quite fussy all afternoon and evening but he slept real well after he went to sleep at 11 p.m. and didn't wake up until 6 hours later.

Jake fast asleep...

Snow days

We had some snow fall a couple of days ago. Beautiful big flakes that you could catch on your tongue and actually taste. I love it when it snows, everything is all clean and beautiful. It rained immediately after so the snow didn't have time to get dirty and turn to slush.

Here are a couple of little movies of it.

Week 7 - Milestone

This week's milestone for Jake is a 5 1/2 hour sleep on Monday. He slept from 11:30 p.m. and didn't wake up until 5 a.m. It was awesome. Only problem is that I had to get up to pump since Jake didn't wake to feed -- my breasts were so engorged that the pain woke me up.

On Tuesday, we went to a parent/baby group meeting at the hospital where Jake was born. It was a support group for parents with babies and the one we went to is for 0 - 3 month old babies. I dragged Paul with me to the first meeting. Poor thing was the only guy at the meeting but he is such a tropper and it didn't really bother him -- he even participated in the discussion. It was nice to hear from other women who has the same experience and be able to get advise from one another. I wish I had attended the meeting sooner.

Cute Hat

Our friend Haydee got this adorable hat for Jake. Her friend knits cute hats and blankets: Click here to her link.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Jake's very first Thanksgiving with the family...

Week 4

I can't believe 4 weeks has passed. Jake has grown so much the last couple of weeks. We took him to the doctor yesterday because the last few days he was really congested. We were worried it was allergic reaction to the cats but turns out to be just a minor cold. While we were there Jake was weighed again -- he gained 15 ounce in 10 days. He is progressing nicely.

His sleeping schedule seems to be getting better (at least for us). Just last night he slept for about 3.5 - 4.5 hours after each feeding. Yeah -- sleep for Daddy and Mommy.

New photos of Jake


Jake with Grandpa and Grandma

Week 2

Hard to believe another week has gone by. Jake is 2 weeks old now. Funny how his due date is suppose to be in 2 days.

It's fun to watch Jake sleep -- he has so many expressions and makes funny noises.

Breast feeding is getting better. Not as painful but still no fun.

Jake has had his moments of unconsolable cries...usually at 4 or 5 a.m. in the morning. Regardless of what we do, he just cries and cries. Every time we think we've calmed him down we'd put him down to sleep, he would wake up and start crying again.

Still getting use to the idea of motherhood. Maybe it will hit me when Jake starts to talk.

One week later...

It's been a week since we brought little Jake home. The first few days were challenging. It was hard to move around with the pain from the surgery. I needed help to even get dried off after a shower. My feet were still swollen -- apparently the side affect of having c-section. I couldn't sleep in my bed properly and the baby kept us up quite a bit so we were feeling pretty exhausted.

My sister flew out to help us out for a week which was tremendous. I couldn't do much other than breast feed so she helped with changing the diapers, soothing the baby, laundry and even cooking. I was really impressed by how well she handled the baby.

I've heard so many horror stories about breast feeding and I finally realize why. In the beginning breast feeding wasn't so bad but then it got worse when I got home -- probably because I was not unlatching the baby properly. The lactation specialist at the postpartum check-up really helped. Since then breast feeding has gotten better each day.

Paul has been such a great caretaker...not only does he have to take care of Jake, he was attending to my needs as well. We are finally getting the hang of Jake and his crying cues. The last couple of nights we actually got some decent sleep and was able to care for Jake without hysterical cries.

My mom gets here tomorrow -- Yeah! I'm getting tired of eating take outs so I'm looking forward to some home cooked meal.

MW


Jake's favorite sleeping pose...

Birthing Experience

My water broke around 6 a.m. Wednesday morning. I had a really restless night of going to the bathroom every 2 hours. At first I thought maybe I just didn't make it to the bathroom on time. But when I realize that I could not stop the water from flowing that my water broke. We called the hospital since it was after hours and they said to take our time since I haven't really started contraction. At around 4 p.m. the contraction got pretty intense so I requested for epidural. The epidural procedure itself was not as painful as I expected it. In fact, the IV hook up was far more painful. After the Epidural I was not allowed to eat or get out of the bed. As it turns out, I am one of those unlucky folks that the epidural did not fully take into effect. After a few hours, I started to feel the contraction pain again which got pretty intense. I got a stronger dose of the epidural about 4 more times. Each one only lasted for about 3-4 hours. On Thursday at around 5 a.m., I was only 6-7 cm dilated so my Dr. decided that I need to go in for the cesarean. At that point, I just want the baby out safely. I was extremely nervous about the spinal tap anestesia since the epidural didn't really work for me. The operation lasted about 1 hour -- it took about 20 minutes to get Jake out. While I was in there, they were taking out my dermoid cyst on my left ovary as well -- they ended up taking the entire ovary out. I'm kinda bummed about it since that leaves me with only 1 ovary.

I was so relief to see our little boy out safely out. He is so beautiful and tiny!

Well, what's interesting is that in our birthing plan we had stated that we wanted the full birthing experience and that's exactly what we got. I experienced the labor pain, the epidural and cesarean. But when I saw our baby, it's totally worth every pain.

Mina

Welcome Baby Jake Toshiro Whitehead

After 23 hours of labor which ended with a Cesarean, Jake was delivered on Thursday, October 18, 2007. He was 6 pounds, 9 ounce and 19.7 inches. He has a full set of hair and the cutest little nose. It is hard to believe that after 8.5 months of carrying the little guy around, he is finally here.



For more photos go to our photo gallery

Baby wants out!!!

So this morning about 6:15, Michelle tried to wake me up. She called and called my name to rouse me from my deep sleep, but each time I woke all I heard was the pauses between the calls. Of course, I just turned back into my pillow and went back to sleep.

After about the fourth call, I finally decided to hear Michelle and asked what she wanted.

"My water broke."

And I was awake.


7:15 we were admitted into Evergreen Hospital.

4:30 the happy drug was introduced. Michelle had her epidural.

Now, we are still here in the hospital waiting to see what happens.

More later

Week 36

My hands since I started the 3rd trimester and my feet occasionally swells up as well. The other night Paul looked down at my feet and said my ankles are gone...
True enough, my feet and ankles were so swollen, they look like large sausages.
Ah...another fun fact about pregnancy.

Other than swollen feet, I've also experienced false labor known as Braxton Hicks. I didn't realize that's what was happening last Friday night. I was feeling lots of pressure and tightness. I could not get into a comfortable position when I try to go to bed. I finally got some shut eye at 5 a.m. the next day -- good thing it was the weekend. I guess my body is just preping for the impending labor.

Of course, I've also gained 7 more pounds since my last dr's visit. Urgg..I'm having a really hard time controlling my weight gain. The lack of exercise and craving for sweets probably doesn't help much. I'm going to have to try harder in the next few weeks to eat healthier, go for walks up until the baby comes.

Tomorrow is my last day at work so yeah!!!

Baby Shower - September 23, 2007

Posting this kinda late. Our good friends, Kerry & Rob, threw a baby shower for us at their place. It was a lot of fun. There were a few kids there but they were all so well behaved. :) At the shower, we realize that most of our friends have daughters. Jake will be a lucky boy. :)

We are so blessed with good friends. It is nice to know that even though we don't have families in the area, we have good friends who are there for us. Paul always says that friends are families we choose to have.



Photos from the shower:
http://gallery.mac.com/minaray#100087&bgcolor=black

Week 35

It's been a few weeks since my last update. I just started week 35 -- 5 more weeks to go before the due date. It seems so fast but at the same time it's not soon enough. I'm sure I'll feel differently as we get even closer. 2 more weeks to my maternity leave. First project -- Arrange my very very messy desk at home.

Our little boy is getting bigger and I think he is getting less room to move around.

At our recent ultrasound and Dr's appointment, we found out the baby is growing the right size so I can actually have a vaginal birth rather than a C-section -- unless of course he becomes breech. I also found out that I've gained 6 pounds in 3 weeks which is not a good thing so I've been advised (again) to watch my Carb and sugar in-take. It's probably all the ice-cream I've been craving and eating. :P

Last Saturday I woke up and my tummy is lopsided -- it was very weird to look in the mirror. I'm getting excited to meet the little guy.

Here's a recent shot of my growing tummy at week 33.

Baby Shower at Work

My co-workers threw me a lovely baby shower during lunch last Wednesday. It was really sweet and while I knew about it, I was pleasantly surprise by how much thought was put into it.
The lunch spread was wonderful with Salmon, chicken salad, california rolls, fruit salad and they got my favorite passion fruit cake from this Hawaiian Bakery in Seattle.

Our office manager even had baby shower games for us to play. :) We got lots of great gifts including the baby crib which was a big surprise. I had pulled out a piece of paper from the last gift bag. On the paper was a photo of the crib with greetings from my co-workers. I said out loud "hey, that looks like the crib we wanted", not realizing that it is the crib we wanted and that they got us. Everyone started to laugh when I finally realize what was going on.

I'm going to miss everyone when I go on my leave. :)

Prurigo of pregnancy

Urgg...the stupid rash and itch is back. In the last week or so, I was getting comfortable with the false impression of my rash being under control. Sadly I was mistaken...or maybe it's just that the weather got warmer again. I had the hardest time sleeping last night (despite of having 2 fans blowing in the room with the night temp. of 62 degree) as the itch on my hands and feet was relentless. This morning my hands are swollen again with red bumps that resembles bug bites.

Not that it helps but I think I figured out what I have is not PUPPP. I think it's Prurigo of Pregnancy which is still part of pregnancy rash but slightly different sympton than PUPPP.

Here's what I found out according to Femalepatient.com:

Prurigo of pregnancy (PP) is the most poorly characterized gestational dermatosis. It has also been described as Besnier’s prurigo of pregnancy and papular dermatitis of Spangler. Prurigo of pregnancy is a diagnosis of exclusion, and a large number of pruritic entities unrelated to pregnancy must be considered. It classically occurs in the second half of pregnancy, affecting about 1 in 300 pregnant women.7,9

This condition presents clinically as discrete, bite-like papules on the extremities that resemble scabies or other arthropod bites. The lesions consist of erythematous papules and nodules on the extensor surfaces of extremities and occasionally the abdomen (Figure 6).1 Prurigo of pregnancy is often seen in women with an atopic background, and is associated with increased serum levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE)—supporting the notion that PP may represent a gestational variant of atopic dermatitis occurring as a result of common pruritus gravidarum.7 Liver function studies, including serum bile acids, should be performed to rule out cholestasis or hepatitis. At a minimum, the differential diagnosis also should include an allergic reaction and scabies or other infestation.

Knowing this piece of information, of course, does not help ease my discomfort -- especially knowing that it won't go away until the baby is born.

I am so giving my kid the guilt trip when he gets older...just kidding...maybe. :P

- M

Week 30

Just started week 30. My mom left on Thursday -- back to Singapore. I'm going to miss having her around. She's definitely been a big help -- especially with dinner. It's nice to have mom's cooking when we get home. Well, she'll be back in late October...in time for when the baby is due.

I'm back doing Yoga which is great for my lower backache. Sleeping is still challenging but I guess that's to be expected considering the baby is getting bigger. The weird craving I've been having is ice cream and chocolate -- it's only weird because I don't usually have a sweet tooth.

Paul and I went to the car safety class on Wednesday. I never realize there is so much to consider about car seat -- the type of car seats to purchase, when to transition from infant seat to booster seat, how to secure the seats to the car, etc. I'm glad we took it as I feel better prepared for it.

Oh...I found a cool site recently: www.goodyblog.com -- Great site with ideas for parents.

- M

My Daemon

Here is my daemon from the Golden Compass movie coming up. I am currently listening to the audiobooks and find myself liking them. I do wonder how they will create the worlds if they do the whole trilogy.

Week 28

It has been a very uncomfortable week for me. The rash I developed last weekend keeps spreading and not getting better. I took 2 days off because I was so miserable with the rash. I went to see my Primary Care doctor and a Dermatologist. They are both convinced that I have a form of pregnancy rash called PUPPP. While normally women who gets this type of rash don't get it until towards the end of their pregnancy and it usually starts with your abdominal. I started mine 12 weeks before my due and it's spreading from hands and towards my abdominal -- although I still don't have rash around that area yet.

The good news is it doesn't affect the baby. The bad news is that the rash will continue to spread and will not go away until after the baby is born. It's like having chicken pox for 12 weeks. The doctor recommended that I take Claritin every 12 hours and try to keep cool. Apparently the hydrocortisone won't help much to my discomfort. I found a cooling moisturizer from Aveeno that seems to help some and keep my skin from drying up. It's going to be very challenging at work. The office is rather warm and when I get too warm, my rash tends to flare up. I may have to just take my maternity leave early. Luckily we are going into Fall and the cool weather will be nice.

Paul has been so supportive and caring which makes this bearable. I can't wait for the baby to get here -- can't wait to meet him and can't wait to get rid of the rash!

Glucose Test Result

Well, good news -- I pass my glucose test! Now Paul won't give me as hard of time with my carb in-take. Of course, I'm not going to go crazy with it either.

However, over the weekend I developed some weird rash on my hands and it's been so irritating that I can't sleep. So I went to the Urgent Care doctor this morning. The doctor couldn't quite figure out what's causing the rash. He thinks it' from pregnancy hormones so he prescribed a stronger cream but it's not really doing much. I'm just going to have to wait it out and see what happens. Urgg...It's just so uncomfortable.

Here's a couple of the ultrasound from July 27th -- During 26 week pregnancy.

Week 27

Just started my 27th week. I had my initial glucose test and had to go back again last Thursday for the 3-hour test. That was no fun -- 4 blood tests, one every hour and the glucose drink made me really nauseous. Hopefully I'll know the results next week.

One thing I have to keep reminding myself is that due to the pregnancy, my hormones are all over the place. It seems like there is always one thing or another problem popping out. I had a really bad external hemmorhoid a couple of weeks ago and now apparently I have one internally that's causing bleeding every time I pass stool. And yesterday while I was at the Mariner's game (BTW We lost by a point to the Red Sox), my hands started to itch and now have these tiny hives that I have no idea how I got them. Paul thinks it's food allergy but why only on my hands? The itching subsided last night but I woke up itching all over my hands again...especially in between my fingers.

It's nice to have my mom in town -- she's coming back again late October for when the baby is due and staying for a month or town. We've had nice home-cook meals the last few days. I love my mom but sometimes she drives me nuts which I'm sure is true for everyone. I just wish she gets over the fact that we are having a boy. She was hoping for a grand-daughter and keeps making comments like "oh if you were having a girl we can busy so many more cute outfits". We were at our friend's children's clothing store, Bella & Max, and my mom keeps pointing out girl's clothing. I know she doesn't mean anything by it and she's just unsure about boys since she never had any. Well, it was fun to go to the baseball game with her yesterday...she kept talking to the baby in between the innings.

Week 24

Just entered my 3rd trimester this weekend. It was a very stressful week and weekend as our company's annual conference was on Friday. I was exhuasted by Sunday morning -- I felt like I had worked out. When I got home, I just wanted to lay in bed and read. Didn't even want to go see the new Harry Potter movie.



Here's a photo of my big belly...

I'm feeling extremely uncomfortable today. My belly feels like it's going to explode and my ass hurts like hell. I know I know... TMI but this constipation thing is really doing a number on me.

Also, during my check up yesterday, I found out that our baby is growing too big too fast. The Dr. is concern that I might have gestational diabetes so instead of waiting to take the glucose screening test in 4 weeks, I'm taking it next week. I also found out that drinking juice and too much fruits is not a good thing. The juice especially contains high sugar. I have to cut down my carb. intake as well. Can't go crazy with the rice and noodles. That's hard for Asians! Good thing I switched to Brown rice at home. Apparently you don't want your baby to be too big or you won't be able to deliver naturally.

Can't say that I'm looking forward to the 3rd trimester...3 months counting down...

Baby Car Seat & Stroller

We've been getting some great advice from our friends and co-workers who have already gone through this song and dance of trying to figure out what type of cribs or baby car seats or strollers to get. The wife of one of Paul's co-workers was even kind enough to email us the pros and cons of getting car seats and strollers, plus her recommendation on good strollers.

Here's basically what she said -- The big stroller/car seat combo was quickly a huge pain and if she was to do over, she would get an infant car seat (not the cheap kind but not the super expensive kind -- something with a good carry-handle) and a car-seat stroller frame.

Then when the baby out-grows the infant car-seat, get a really really good umbrella-style, ultra-light stroller.

She says that if we do decide on a car-seat/stroller “travel system,” buy according to stroller weight, not anything else. We do not want to be hauling a 30lb stroller out of our car for the next four years. According to her, the stroller part of all of this is FAR more important than anything else. Of all the things worth spending money on that you will buy for your child, this one is worth the extra cash. It all makes sense to us.

Here’s what she would buy now, exactly:
Car seat and stroller frame ($139 for both): http://www.amazon.com/Graco-SnugRide-5pt-Infant-Seat/dp/B000E0P21I/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1847518-7163843?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1178559461&sr=8-1

Then for a stroller, one of these ($159): http://www.amazon.com/Zooper-Twist-Lightweight-Umbrella-Stroller/dp/B000CR1UDM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_11/103-1847518-7163843?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1178560553&sr=8-11(They have a clearance on last year’s models, which go down in price to $90).
Or ($119): http://www.strollers.com/Bebelove-433BL-YU1033.html (colors are BRIGHT, if you mind that sort of thing, but they have a movable sun-shade, which is really nice)
Or ($119): http://www.strollers.com/Inglesina-1775-ANM-IZ1218.html (pretty, and sturdy)

Paul likes to make sure I am able to fold and unfold the strollers on my own and I can handle the weight. The first trip we made to Baby 'R Us, we tried a bunch of car-seat/stroller travel system combos and I have to admit, after awhile, it gets a little tiring...especially if the stroller themselves weigh over 20lbs. With that in mind, we took another trip to Baby 'R Us on Wednesday to check out the stroller frames. They had 2 brands - Baby Trend and Graco. They were both lighter to carry and very easy to fold. I liked them much better than the travel system combos. Out of the 2, I found the Baby Trend one much easier to fold.

So there's what we ended up getting:
The Snap-N-Go Stroller - $49.99 (http://www.babytrend.com/pro_strollers_snap-n-go.php)
Graco Infant Safe Seat - $129.99 (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2452267&cp=2255983.2256187.2256195&parentPage=family)

I guess the real test will be when we actually use it. :) We won't need to think about the umbrella stroller for another 9 months...

Week 22

We recently switched OB/GYN over to A Women's Clinic at Evergreen Medical Center. We love our new doctor and the new practice. Dr. Partida is fantastic and straight-forward. The staff seems really warm. It was definitely a nice change and less clinical. The best part is they are right in the hospital, next to the birthing center.

So as it turns out my due date is back to November 5th instead of October 31st. We're kinda bummed about not having a Halloween baby but oh well.

I also started prenatal yoga a week ago and it's been going great. It's been helping with my back pain and really stretches my stiff body. I only paid for 6 weeks of class but I think I'm going to continue with it throughout the rest of the pregnancy.

It's a Boy!!!

I probably should have waited for Michelle to post this, but this way I get to come in with a bang.


BANG! It's a BOY. I dub thee "scratch!"

Here is his cute little profile as seen through the miracle of modern science.



Life is full of precious moments. I'm not talking about those little collectables of a little boy and girl innocently kissing. I'm talking of the small moments in life when you appreciate the little changes and people in your life.

My wife is going to be a wonderful mom. How do I know? It's the little things.

Last night, when coming home a little later than normal, I found my wife sound asleep in bed. She was curled up hugging her body pillow as I kissed her cheek and hugged her. As I stood back up to leave the room , I realized that she was sleeping on her left side. I know, "...the mom is supposed to sleep on her left side," which is true. But Michelle doesn't sleep on her left side...ever. On her back or on her right side, but not on her left. I know because I sleep on her left and the only time she faces me is to kiss me good night or poke me because I'm snoring. In both cases she's awake.

So now she sleeps on her left side. Not because that what she does or it's more comfortable, but because she "supposed to," and the health of the baby is more important.

Of course this may not be news worthy or blog worthy, but it was a moment ...a moment when I looked at my wife and thought we can do this. It's a small thing to change, but many changes are small. Many, many small changes make big changes in life.

Baby Somersault

Okay, I definitely feel the baby moving now. It started out subtly that I couldn't quite tell. Then last night after dinner, the movement was much more pronounced. I felt like the baby was doing somersaults in my tummy. It's a very strange sensation.

Now I can feel every time the baby moves...Usually after I eat something. I feel bad that Paul can't experience this with me just quite yet.

Tomorrow is our Ultrasound appointment. Hopefully we can finally find out if we're having a boy or girl.

The Happiest Baby on the Block

On Tuesday, Paul and I went to a class that I signed up for called The Happiest Baby on the Block. The class is based on the book written by Dr. Harvey Karp. It was a pretty full class with about 10 couples there - 4 of them brought their new born along.

One of the babies was not a happy camper at the beginning of the class and you can see how stressed out his parents were. The instructor who is also a full-time douler offered to help them with the crying baby. She swaddled the baby and turned him on his side and held him on her forearm. Almost immediately the baby stopped crying. It was amazing to watch. She then told us that she actually just demonstrated 2 of the 5 steps she'll be introducing at the class. She held the baby for the rest of the class and he eventually fell asleep. She was also able to demonstrate step 3 (shushing) when he started to fuss again.

What I find interesting is the research that Dr. Harp did, he found that in other countries they either do not have or have very low rates of postpardum depression, colic babies and child abuse. I believe that in most other cultures, new moms tend to have more support from their families to help relief some of the stress. Also, in most other cultures, they do not have fancy baby carriers or beddings or equipments like we do in the U.S. In recent studies, swaddling has proven to help colic babies. Interestingly swaddling babies is a very common practice in other countries such as Asia, Africa and parts of Europe. It provides the baby with a sense of security and comfort that they are use to when they are still in the uterus.

We learned a LOT at the class. After her live demo, I am convinced that the steps really works and plan to follow the DVD which we'll be getting. I highly recommend the class to any new parents. The Happiest Baby on the Block book is available on www.amazon.com

~ Mina

Summer Solstice Parade 2007

On Saturday, we went to the Annual Summer Solstice Parade at Gaswork Park in Seattle. We went a few years ago in Fremont where the parade starts. So we decided to check it out this year at the end of the parade line in Gaswork Park. The parade itself was quite entertaining but I was a little disappointed by the food vendors - there was only 3.

Our friends were highly amused by the naked cyclists. To me, after awhile I forget they were naked since they were quite creative with their body paint and costumes. We thought this year's parade was quite fun. We were surprised by how many families were there with their children. Our friend commented about whether this was an appropriate event to bring kids to when nudity in movies are usually R rated. I don't see anything wrong with it...the cyclist were creative and artistic about their nudity. It didn't come off crude although there were a few who didn't really bother to do much. I don't know...sometimes I think we as a society can be really uptight about too many things that's trivial when there are worse things to worry about like global warming , war and poverty. Sometimes I wonder if our ideals and philosophy would change when we become parents.

Photos from the Solstice Parade

Is the baby kicking?

I've been asked that a LOT this past week. Sometimes I feel like I should say yes but the fact is I have no idea if I feel the baby moving. How do you tell the difference between the baby moving around or it's just your bowel movement? Should I be concern that I'm not feeling the baby? According to what I've read on the baby sites, it's actually quite normal. Some women can feel the baby move as early as 20 weeks and some much later. My cousin who recently had a beautiful baby boy said she didn't feel her baby move until close to 7 month.

Another thing I keep hearing from people is that the first year is going to be tough and that I'll be really busy with the baby. Reality probably hasn't set in yet but I keep wondering what in the world will I be busy with? All the baby does is eat, poop and sleep for the first few months. From what I've researched, baby sleeps like 80% of the time. Maybe I'll be busy with doing loads of laundry and cleaning?? Good thing we don't live in a big house.

Week 19

Went maternity shopping on Wednesday with my friend, Kerry. I didn’t realize how uncomfortable my clothes have been until I wore pants that actually fit me right! I love the pants and skirts we got...much more comfortable as my tummy gets bigger. They have this pillow tummy you put can put on to see how the clothes will fit as you get bigger. That totally freaked me out! It’s hard to believe I can get that huge. Yikes! This last week I’ve been feeling really stretched out and more pressure.

Just today I noticed that my tummy is sitting higher and my belly button is more shallow. hmmm...it’s weird to see how your body change day to day.

Memorial Day Weekend

We just got back from visiting our family and friends in L.A. As much as I miss everyone, I certainly do not miss L.A. Traffic was horrible as usual and the sky was grey with smog. At least the weather was nice.

When we arrived, we visited my sister Rachel’s work at Bon Apetite magazine. Then we headed over to my cousin, Esther’s house and got to meet her baby boy who was only a few weeks old. Jacob is adorable!

We finally got to meet Paul’s niece, Maia. We haven’t met her since she was born a year ago. She is just so adorable. We can’t believe how big Ethan is now -- he just turned 5. It was great to be able to spend some time with them. We also got to see Paul’s other nephew, Archer’s hockey game.
Rachel was excited for us to meet her baby - 2 year old Beagle/Italian Greyhound, April who was really excited to meet us.

I have to admit I use to be a dog person but I find myself preferring cats these days. April is really cute but way hyper. Rachel says she’s only like that with new people. However, I can see it will be a lot harder to take care of a baby with a dog in the house. Dogs require just as much attention as a baby so it’s like taking care of 2 kids.

It was a nice visit since we don’t know when we’ll be back in L.A. after the baby is here.

Paul's little niece, Maia



Paul's 5 year old nephew, Ethan


My sister Rachel and her husband, Kevin

Week 18

Well, it’s week 18 of my pregnancy and I’m starting to feel big and restricted by my tummy. I find that it’s getting hard to bend over to pick up things. My pants are definitely getting tighter. And I find myself snacking a lot more.

First Trimester

The big news -- It’s official -- Paul and I are expecting our first child in November. Well, Paul was right when he said we will have a baby this Pig year.

I just entered my 2nd trimester this week and feeling pretty good. The first 6 weeks was not great -- the nausea, fatique and constant hunger (mostly because I kept throwing up my meals). With that said, I expected it to be worse -- I thought I was going to be sick every day, all day. The fatique was harder to get use to. For the most part I don’t have any strong feelings against any food. Although I find it hard to keep coffee and Mexican food down so I’m avoid them for now.

We should know the baby’s gender in 2 weeks. I’m really excited to find out. It wasn’t until we saw the Ultrasound did it hit me that it’s really happening.

Ultrasound - April 27, 2007

Singapore Trip

I can hardly believe it’s been almost a month since our trip to Singapore. It was such a short trip that felt like a rush. We did everything we set out to accomplish though -- we managed to eat most of the food we wanted.

It’s kind of bittersweet to leave Singapore. I think I mostly miss the memories of my youth, growing up there. Sometimes I wonder if I should move back and see what it’s like to live there as an adult. I’ve been away for almost 14 years that I think it would be a bit of a culture shock. I do miss the fact that it’s so safe there and so easy to get around -- it’s almost like living in a bubble where everything is being taken care for you by the government.

After being back to Seattle, for over the month, it feels like we never went back. Well, I’m going to try and not stay away too long the next time. I realize that in order to keep in touch with my old friends, I’m going to need to go home more often and stay connected.

Photos from Singapore