First Christmas

Today was your first Christmas. You must have been so excited because you just had a short nap in the morning and didn't take any other naps. We were at Aunt Jeannette's house and it was really loud. We brought your swing but you wouldn't sleep in it. Daddy took your for a long walk around the block and you enjoyed it and had your eyes open the whole time. You got lots of presents from Aunt Jeannette's family and Jan and Ruthlyn.

First time being sick

On Sunday, 12/8/13, you got your first cold. Your nose was stuffy and you started getting a cough. You didn't sleep during any naps. Maybe just about 5 minutes sleep. Mom tried very hard to get you calm and get you to sleep at night. She held you for a few hours and you weren't able to sleep very much. Mom slept with you in the big room in the corner. Dad put you in the stroller and pushed you in the kitchen. After a couple hours you finally fell asleep and slept in the stroller for a couple hours. We took you to the doctor and he said there isn't much to do. Just keep your head elevated and use a humidifier which we did. You were able to sleep on Monday night even with a cough. We think that you may have been scared when coughing and you would wake up every time you coughed. Now you can cough and go right back to sleep.

you are a happy baby

Today you start to laugh really big now, you interact really well with grandpa and burst to laugh when he massage you. You can see so many things now, maybe that's why you don't want to go to sleep, you are always looking around, very curious. Yesterday, we brought you to Bestbuy to buy a new microwave, you were so curious, checking out at all the microwaves. And you were really happy and active at auntie Jeannette's halloween party yesterday afternoon, that's right, your first halloween is coming up soon. Since you didn't sleep at all yesterday afternoon, you slept for almost 9 hours at night, the longest ever!
But since you slept too long, mommy has her first plugged milk duct experience. It hurst very bad, especially at nursing. But nursing is the only and best way to clear it. There are many lumps on the top of my right breast, and I tried to message it in a hot shower, it helped a little bit, but still feel plugged right now. Hopefully it will clear in 24 hours, it's what it said online, otherwise I will need to see a doctor to prevent mastitis.

some milestones before 3 months

10/28 learned to suck your own hands, will need to suck them before going to sleep.
10/31 left eye has double eyelid,11/2 right one has double eyelid
11/4 fell asleep first on your own by biting your hands in the crib, from now on, we tried to let you fall asleep on your own at night, if you can't, then we will pick you up to rock you. Before that, every night, grandpa holds you and rocks you to sleep, he will hold you for over one hour and then put you in the crib, and will watch you for another hour, make sure you won't wake up and then go to sleep. If we put you down too soon, you will wake up, and we have to do it all over again, you are a very light sleeper. And you have preferences, you want to sleep in the swing in the day time, and at night time, you are pretty good, you can sleep for 8 hours normally from around 11pm to 7am in the crib, big boy!
You are 13 and half pounds when you hit 3 months.
And it's sad that grandpa is leaving on 11/11 when you just turn 3 months, he's been a great help to us, and now I will need to take care of you by myself in the day time, and please be good to me, Marcus!
You love music and you love looking at colorful books,and lights, and love us reading to you. You will kick so hard, like you run for a race, almost like dancing under the music. And you will laugh and smile when I read to you. You love the Chinese poem " e,e,e", you will crake a smile every single time when I read it to you. So super cute!

change everyday

You change almost everyday.
Since grandma left, around your 7th week, you start to interact with us now. You coo, laugh and smile a lot. You make so many different nosies, and make new ones everyday. You are easier to take care of, because you cry less, and will spend more time playing with yourself, looking around, and don't require a lot of holding and rocking. We will only need to hold you when you are fussy and about to sleep. You develop a pretty good pattern of feeding-playing-sleeping. You will play in your crib, kick your legs, coo a bit after each feeding for maybe around half hour or an hour, and then cry, so we know that you need to sleep, and then grandpa will hold you and put you to sleep. But your sleeping schedule is still not set. You would sleep for 6 hours straight one night, and next night wakes up around 3 or 4am again. And you would be completely awake, play and coo at 5am. We will work hard on that to get you a set sleeping schedule.

Another biggest change is that you love diaper change! Before you would cry and were scared to be put on the changing table, you would startle and had to hold on to something, either your own hair (you used to pull your hair so tight when you are scared), or whoever is changing you's fingers. But now, omg, you love to be changed, you will stop crying the minute we put you on the changing table if you have a dirty diaper, and would smile even laugh when we put a dry diaper on. You are so funny!

I noticed your eye sight must be really good, you will turn to the sound for almost 360 degree, and you will stare at the zoo a lot at each time of feeding. I guess you really could see and love all the colorful animals. can't wait for you to play with them soon!

Love you! <3
Mom

Growth spurt

Growth spurt is painful to you and me.
You went through so much pain during those couple days because you were growing so fast it hurt, so you cry a lot!!!!
It hurts to me is because I have to feed you every 2 hours!!! I nurse you for an hour, spend 30 minutes to hold you and put you to sleep, and another half or one hour later you are up again and need to be fed. I have almost no sleep at all for those nights 9/19 and 9/20. But it's good to know that you are growing so big and fast.

sleep through the night for the first time

We can't believe you sleep through the night for the first time so early when you are only 6 week old.
9/28, you amazingly sleep from 10pm-6:30am,8 hours!! How did you do that?! Mommy had to wake up to pump, and woke up around normal time you wake up, but still it's an amazing feeling! Everybody finally got some rest back.
9/29 again another 8 hours from 12:00am-8:00am
9/30 1am-7am
10/1 11pm-5am

That's the only 4 days you have slept through the night so far. We figured it's because we put you in the swing, you won't sleep too long in the crib. It's warm, cozy and confined in the swing, you like that. So since 9/28 we have been putting you into the swing to sleep. Hope you will sleep long tonight!

weight, rash, grandma and grandpa

It's around the 3rd week that you started to have some baby acne/rashes on your face and neck, and it last till 5th and 6th week.
9/24 at the doctor visit, you hit 10 lbs !! your weight percentile jumping from 10% to 50%.
you are a fat boy now!
you spit up problem is getting worse, you will be in so much pain after each feeding, especially bad at night, so the doctor prescribed you some medicine which seems to help.

Grandma holds you a lot and rocks you to sleep every time and talks to you all the time, so for the first time around 5th week, we notice that you will turn to the direction of her voice when she talks only for her, not even for mama or daddy. It's so amazing that you can do that in such an early age, and it's such a reward for grandma to see you just stop in the middle of crying to look for her when you hear her voice. Hope you will remember that she did a lot for you while she was here for the first couple months of your life. Mama can't do this without her.
You probably won't see her in one or two years, hope you will give her a big hug and kisses when you see her again! She came on 8/15 and left on 10/3.

Grandpa arrived on 9/25.

working on lactations

This is mama writing:
You were not a easy baby in your first month, you have gas problems, you spit up and hiccup a lot, of course you cry a lot. But the most important thing that bothers me is that you were still using nipple shield to drink my breast milk, and you would kick a lot, sometimes were really fussy during feeding. We guess you were having gas problems, but one pediatrician said that it may be my breast problem that you can suck too hard yet to get the milk out. Anyway, we struggled a lot with your feeding problem, plus, you spend a lot time on my breast, you feed every 2 or 3 hours, and each feeding lasts about one hour, and then I will spend another 20 minutes to hold you up right so you won't spit up. That's about 10 hours a day for me to sit in the chair feeding you. So for the first month I was really frustrated and my back and shoulder were hurting really bad that I could go to sleep at night. So I tried to train you latch on my nipple, you sometimes will latch on, but it would hurt me so bad, and my left breast will hurt for 2 hours after feeding you every time. I thought I was having mastitis. I went to see the doctor, they said it's not mastitis.
And then the lactation consultant came to the rescue, I visited one in Hayward with Jeannette, and she taught me so much, and the funny thing is you latched on right away in her office, she just corrected you a little bit, and you were eating just fine. You are always a " perfect baby" in front of the doctors. She saved my life, and made me so happy. But when we went back, you weren't doing well like you were in the office. You will try to latch for 20 times before you actually latch on correctly each time.
And then I made a second appointment with her, guess what, after making the appointment, you started to improve, and you were perfect fine again in her office. You were exactly one month when we visited her the second time. After that visit, we celebrated at a coffee shop with your grandma. One of a few outings we did in your first month.

So we said finally goodbye to the nipple shield, and since then, feeding has been easier for you and me, it makes both of us happier. And you are getting better and better latching on everyday, because you are getting bigger and stronger.

Umbilical cord starts to come off

This morning your umbilical cord started to come off and there was some green stuff behind it. There is a picture below. We thought you may have an infection, so we brought you in to see the doctor. The doctor said it's fine and he put some chemical on the green part and turned it gray. We think your umbilical cord will fall off totally in a few days. You weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces today so that means you have gained 6 ounces in 6 days.

Working hard

We had your 3 week checkup just a few days ago and you are very healthy. You have grown tall and you are at the same weight as you were born. This was the last appointment with Kaiser and we will find you a new doctor outside of Kaiser.

You are still very fussy and wake up a lot. Mom is doing a great job and not getting frustrated when she feeds you a lot and holds you. She doesn't get much sleep at night because you are up a lot at night. She tries to sleep during the day.

Daddy takes you for walks around the block and grandma likes to join him. Mom works really hard to get you to breastfeed right. It hurts her a lot and she tries to get you to open your mouth bigger, but you are having a tough time.

First couple weeks

We haven't blogged in a while. It's been an interesting second week. You like to eat a lot and cry a lot at night and sleep most of the day. We think you have gas, so mom changed her diet to eat a lot less gassy foods. We also got some medicine over the counter to help. One night you woke up at 1 am and ate about every hour until 9am and did not sleep in the middle. You got a little better, maybe wake up about 3 times at night and feed for about an hour at a time.

Dad is now going to work and Mom and Grandma take care of you at the middle of the night and during the day. We got you a new rocker and you love it! You have been making very interesting faces recently. The next Dr appointment is in 3 days on Friday, and we will see how big you are now. We are also going through a lot of diapers.

Here is a picture of you in your rocker.

Mommy is sick

Mom got sick and nauseous and the pediatrician sent her to the ER. She got an IV for some fluids and was prescribed some medicine for a urinary tract infection, but she probably doesn't have that. Dad, his mom and sister, went to the hospital and got Mom out of ER and took her pack to the pediatric room. She was feeling better and eating a lot of lunch. Xiaoqing and Alison came over to visit. Dad left with his mom and sister.

You scared Mommy and Daddy but you are doing fine

(8/15/13) Tonight was pretty warm and the house was about 78-80 degrees. Everything was pretty normal and you were sleeping on our bed around 10pm and we were taking a lot of cute pictures. We were about to go to sleep around 11pm and it had been about 3 hours since your last feeding, so Mom tried to feed you once more before we went to sleep. You were really fussy and wouldn't eat. You were crying a lot and your whole body was getting red and hot.

We had a hard time getting you to stop crying so we looked at some things online. Maybe you had growing pains or maybe you had a fever. We took your temperature but the thermometer may not have been very accurate. It said 100.4, so we took your clothes off and tried to cool you off. Mom wiped you with some wet rags.

I took you into the back room because it was the coolest room in the house. I held you and tried to keep you cool. You had some moments where you stopped crying.  You were still crying a lot and you stopped crying and went limp. I looked at your body to see if you were breathing and I couldn't see you breathing. I ran to get mom and told her to call 911 (this was at 1:30am). She ran and got her phone and I threw you on our bed and did a couple chest compressions and you came to and moved your arms and legs again. Mom handed me the phone and I talked to 911. I told them our address and they transferred me. I told them that you went limp and unresponsive for 5-10 seconds. They sent over a fire truck and ambulance immediately.

You were crying a little still and finally went to sleep in mom's arms before the fire truck came. I joked with mom saying that you were freaking us out and then just acting normally. The fire truck came and dad went outside to let them know what house it was. 2 firemen came in the house and chatted with us. They didn't see anything wrong with you and couldn't really to any tests or check your temperature. A few minutes later, an ambulance arrived and they said the same thing. Because I saw you go limp, they suggested I bring you in to the ER and we can go in the ambulance or by taking you their in our own car.

We called the advice nurse at Kaiser and they suggested we take you to the ER. Mommy fed you and you ate a lot. We took you into the ER around 2:30 at Fremont Kaiser. There wasn't anybody there and you got seen very quickly by the nurses and doctor. The doctor chatted with the pediatrician that was in Hayward. They both agreed that you should be checked for an infection by these things:

-Complete blood count: This is when a sample of your newborn baby’s blood is taken. The complete blood count (CBC) will determine the number of each type of blood cell.   Special attention is focused on the number of white blood cells (WBCs), as these can be abnormal in number when an infection is present. An abnormal number of WBCs often indicates that the newborn baby’s body is fighting some sort of infection. Results of the CBC can be obtained quite quickly.

-Blood culture: The blood culture will determine if any bacteria can be grown in the blood. If bacteria grow in the culture, the baby has an infection in the bloodstream. The results of this test can take up to 24 hours and sometimes longer, which is why treatment is not delayed while waiting for the result.

-Urine test: This is when a sample of your newborn baby’s urine is taken to determine its white cell count and sent away for culture. This is done through a catheter.

-Chest X-ray: A baby needs a chest X-ray if pneumonia is suspected.

-Spinal tap: A lumbar puncture is also called a spinal tap, and it is necessary if an infection of the lining of the brain, called meningitis, is suspected. Before doing a lumbar puncture, a numbing cream may first be applied to the area of the spine where the lumbar puncture will take place. Local anaesthetic is then used to numb the site of the lumbar puncture. A hollow needle is inserted between the bones, called the vertebrae, of the spine. A sample of the cerebrospinal fluid is withdrawn through the needle and tested for infection. This is not a comfortable procedure; however, sedation and pain relief are provided to reduce your baby’s discomfort. Meningitis is a serious infection and the diagnosis can only be confirmed by examination of the cerebrospinal fluid. If your baby requires a lumbar puncture, try to remind yourself that the procedure is necessary in order to make an accurate diagnosis and provide the best possible treatment for your baby.

It took a few hours to get all this done but you were pretty good. They gave you a pacifier and that helped a little.

I had to hold your arms and legs down while you were on your back during the x-ray and you were moving a lot. Then when we turned you on your side to take the x-ray, you fell asleep.

They tried to put the IV in your foot, but they had a hard time getting to the vein, so they put it in your right hand.

They drew a lot of blood from you and you were being really good. Mom and dad watched them do the catheter but we chose not to watch the spinal tap. Dr. Yao tried twice on the spinal tap but was unsuccessful.

All the nurses couldn't stop complementing how cute you were and they also said you were great for the spinal tap and Dr. Yao said that too.

It was getting close to 4:30am when they were finished with all the tests. They called the transport because they wanted you to be watched 24/7 at Hayward since Fremont did not have 24/7 pediatric care. Mom fed you a lot and you went to sleep.

The ambulance came and I worked with the driver to figure out how to attach your carrier to the gurney. We strapped you down so good with a lot of straps so you wouldn't move. Mom got to ride with you in the ambulance and I drove the car and met you at the Hayward ER. They took you to Pediatrics Admission in the 3rd floor of the hospital. You got a room that is shared with another child and their parents, but they have curtains up.

Mom went straight into the bed and slept while Dad talked to the nurse. You fell right asleep in the bed and the nurse checked all your vital signs. The doctor came in and chatted with us. We have to wait for your blood samples to see if they grow bacteria and that could take 36-48 hours. All other tests were normal. You are still feeding very well and not crying too much. The doctor thinks you may have had a breath-holding spell. Dad may have overreacted and maybe you were breathing fine but you were tired and not limp. You may have also had a seizure. But most likely nothing serious.

After chatting with the doctor, it was almost time for breakfast and mom and dad had not had any sleep the whole night. We tried to both sleep on the small bed in the hospital for about an hour or two. We woke up and ate some cereal. Beth and Grandma came to visit and held you and you seemed happy. You are getting very close to smiling. Daddy left to go home and get Grandma Ying. He brought her and brought Mommy some things from home. He went home to get some rest. You are staying the night with Mommy and Grandma Ying. You will probably have to stay another night. You are still feeding well and only want to sleep on Mommy. We can't wait to bring you home again.

We get to take you home!

Tuesday August 13

Another rough night. Mom is still not producing much milk but you are drinking a good amount of formula. You cried a lot at night and early morning. The pediatrician checked you out early in the morning and mommy and daddy were barely awake. The pediatrician said you were great and ready to go home. Mom got checked out and we tried really hard to get you to breast feed. 

They said we could finally leave the hospital, so dad packed up everything and got mom's medicine. You don't need any vitamins because you've been eating plenty of formula. We left the hospital around 1:30pm and picked up some formula at Target. The dogs were very excited when we brought you in the house. They were smelling you when you were in your crib and you smiled and seemed to enjoy the dog noise. You are still eating a lot of formula and getting a little milk from mom. Mom's coworker came over with some chicken noodle soup to help with the breast milk. You slept a lot this evening. But, you are having a hard time going to sleep around 11pm. You will have a pediatric appointment tomorrow morning.

You finally went to sleep and got up a couple times. Mom fed you and you are getting breast milk finally through the nipple shield. Mom and Dad got some decent sleep finally.

Lots of visitors

Monday August 12

We finally got some sleep around 5am in the morning.   Mom got her catheter removed and she’s feeling much better. She is able to walk around a little. This morning you have not been too fussy. A new lactation specialist came in and worked really hard to get you to breast-feed. You still are not latching on and sucking for very long.  We gave you 5 mL of formula through a nipple shield and you drank it up quickly. You wouldn’t take more that way, so the lactation specialist put her finger and the formula through the straw and you sucked that up too. So, you finally got some food and you burped a couple times.

We fed you a couple more times, 15 mL and then 11 mL in another feeding. You have been crying a lot in your bassinet and you only stop crying when Mom holds you. You like the skin to skin holding.  You’ve been having lots of poopy diapers which is great. The first poopy diaper that Mom and Dad changed, you actually pooped while we were changing it!

Mommy had been pumping milk and trying to get you some. She puts on a glove, puts it on her finger, and puts her finger in your mouth.

Around noon, Mom had about 15 coworkers come in and hold you. You were so quiet and they took a lot of pictures and brought some diapers and gifts.

We try to swaddle you, but you get out of any swaddle. Your arms come out and your legs kick so hard!

First 24 hours

Sunday August 11

You slept most of your first night which was really only about 4am to 7am. You didn’t cry very much at all. Around 10:30 you got some visitors: Jeannette, James, Patrick, and Alice. Jeannette, James, and Patrick all held you. You were a very quiet baby. They left after about an hour and around 12pm Mom’s coworker: Pei Ling came in to visit. She held you for a bit and left after about 30 minutes. Alison and Grandma Mary Ann and Grandpa Jeff came in to visit around 1pm. Alison brought some chicken noodle soup and chili for mom and dad.  They all held you for a bit and took pictures and left after a couple hours.

Mom tried very hard to breast-feed you, but you still have not latched on. She also tried the breast pump which hasn’t helped yet. A breastfeeding specialist tried to help out a lot too. You had your first bowel movement and pee around 6am.  You started becoming very fussy and crying a lot in the late afternoon. Mom tried very hard to feed you and dad tried hard to swaddle you and rock you. The whole late night: 9pm-12am you were crying and we had a hard time trying to figure it out. Your diaper was wet with pee. The nurse changed you and you started crying for a while again. We didn’t realize that you had another bowel movement and pee shortly after, so we changed your diaper again. You have a lot of energy crying so much and moving around. We tried to sing to you and we also tried rocking you and playing some soothing sounds on Mom’s phone. Dad put on a glove and you sucked on his finger very hard.

Your Birth Day!!!!!

Saturday August 10

At 9am, Mom woke up from some contractions. They were not painful. She thought she had diarrhea, but she didn't. She noticed around 11am that the contractions were very regular about 5 minutes apart and lasting for about 30 seconds. We decided to still go out to lunch with Alison at 12pm. Mom wrote down all her contraction times and it was still happening every 5 minutes for 30 seconds. We finished up lunch and went back home. We called Santa Clara Kaiser and they said they had 1 room available but we should wait until the contractions are 45 seconds long or more intense. Alison left our house and we just waited and packed all of our stuff. Mom took a shower and when she came out, the contractions became much more intense. We called up Santa Clara Kaiser, and they didn't have any rooms available so they asked us to try Hayward or San Jose, but they didn't even give us the numbers.  Dad searched for the phone number while mom was in a lot of pain. He called the main number and connected to the Labor and Delivery. They had a room available and asked to come in. Mom's contractions were really painful. 

We got to the hospital and were put in room 1. They checked dilation and it was at 4cm so Mom was officially admitted. They attached all the monitors to check Mom and Baby. Mom was in a lot of pain so they gave her some Fentonal. It immediately made her feel better but it wears off after about 40 minutes and she can only take it every hour. So, she was in a lot of pain. They took her bloodwork so they can make sure she could take an epidural.  By the time the bloodwork came back, she was at 9cm dilated. After a lot of thinking, mom and dad decided it's best to do an epidural. Mom was given 3 times a normal dose and it took some time to have effect, about 15 minutes.  Then, we waited for a bit and Mom felt much better. The midwife came in after about an hour and found Mom was 10cm+ dilated. The midwife broke her water. Mom tried to push but can't feel anything because the epidural was so strong.

Sunday August 11

We waited some more and Mom started getting more feeling so around 12:20am on August 11, mom started pushing. She pushed so hard and strong, you came out at 1:01am. Mom had a lot of bleeding and almost passed out. You had lots of skin to skin contact with mom and I held you for a bit because mom was so tired. They weighed and measured you: 7 pounds 2.9 ounces and 20 inches.

Last doctor appointment for mom

Friday August 9

Today, Mom had her regular doctor appointment. Everything is going well and the doctor thinks you will come in a couple weeks. There is no evidence that you may come early.

Possible baby names list

Here are the final possible names for you:

Marcus
Benjamin - "Ben" in Chinese sounds like "stupid"
Lucas
Owen
Gavin
Max
Timothy
Conor

Marina's baby shower

Marina had her baby shower at my parent's house. She got lots of clothes, toys, and played some fun games. Daddy was white water rafting with his company.

Dry run at the hospital

Today we drove to the Santa Clara Kaiser hospital to find out exactly where it is and to give our paperwork so we can have baby Marcus. We got to see how nice the hospital is and how nice the labor rooms are. We are trying to prepare as much as possible.

Getting Baby Room Ready

Today we did a lot of work in your room. We put together the crib, and the changing table that Auntie Jeannette and Uncle James donated to us. We also painted a bookshelf white. That was a fun project.  We also will order a white dresser for you. It is in the After photos. We are washing all the clothes that Auntie Jeannette and Uncle James donated to us. You already have a lot of cute clothes!

Mom had a baby shower at her work, Huawei and we have some toys and things for you already. We are almost done getting everything ready. We also put in the car seat, because daddy doesn't want to have to do it while we are at the hospital.


Room Before:

Room After:

Birthing class

Mom and dad took a birthing class that lasted the whole day. We learned a lot of new things. Many couples in the class were nervous, but we are not. Dad knows mom will be strong and he will take care of her. We hope you are a safe and quick birth.

Getting bigger and moving a lot

You have had hiccups very often and sometimes 20 minutes. Daddy can feel it too.  You move a lot and Mommy wakes up a lot to go to the bathroom. Your head is on mom's left side and feet are on the right side. Mom has trouble reaching down. Mom feels fatigue and tired. She is still very strong!  Daddy sings to you and talks to you. Mommy talks to you poke at you. When mom has caffeine or sugar, you move a lot. Not just kick or punch, but Mom can feel you move all around and adjust positions.

First book

Today we bought the first item for you. We were out for dinner and shopping since today is the day that Alison left the house. We bought a cute book with pandas and we can use this to draw pandas for your room. Milky is photobombing.

More hungry and bigger belly

People are finally noticing mom's big belly and come up to ask how many months. Mom is not used to it and took a while to answer.

Mom is also more hungry and has a bigger in this third trimester.

Mom loves sweets

Mom has been craving lots of sweet food like donuts. You will probably like sweet food.

Mom's tummy is also getting much bigger.

Dad saw you kick

Mom has been able to see you kick her belly almost since you first started kicking.  Tonight was the first time that Dad saw you kick Mom's belly.

Mom is sick

Mom has been sick since last Thursday 4/11/13. She had a sore throat and then got a really bad cough. Her nose is stuffed up. She saw the doctor and got some medicine but it hasn't helped. She cannot sleep because her nose is plugged and she coughs a lot.

Listening to music

Mom bought some headphones for you and she is playing some music for you. You are moving.

You are a boy!

Yesterday we went to an ultrasound appointment at 4pm at Fremont Kaiser. Mommy went in and had many pictures taken of you. They let daddy in, and they saw that you are a boy! You also moved a lot and got in many cute positions. Mommy told her parents and coworkers and daddy didn't tell anybody until he told his mom when we picked up his mom and dad from the airport. Then we told Jeannette. Then we posted on Facebook and told everyone.

Mom saw you kick on 4/8/13

Tonight, mom watched her belly and saw you kick.

Mom feels uncomfortable

Yesterday was the first time that mom could not get comfortable. She just felt like everything in her belly wasn't comfortable.

Mom feels hot

Mom normally feels pretty cool, and never feels hot. Dad is normally hot.  Today was the first time that mom felt hot. She had to take off her jacket for the entire lunch.

Yesterday, she was laying on her side and she felt your big head push up against her belly. It was a very hard and round head and it was a very interesting feeling for her. It was a little shocking because she didn't expect your head to stick out so much.

Dad felt you - 17 weeks

Tonight, right after dinner, dad put his hand on mom's belly and felt you kick! You must be ready to be a kung fu star.  I also felt you kick while mom was lying in bed. Mom feels you kick regularly, even during the day now. She thought she felt you kick a lot last night too.  :)

First time mom felt you

Tonight, as mom was lying down to go to sleep, she felt you. It felt like something inside kicked twice gently. It was right after mom's stomach growled. Mom cried.

Hawaii trip

We went to

Boy or girl?

Mom's belly is starting to show today. It sticks out in front of her, so now she thinks you will be a boy.

Scared but everything is fine. We heard your heartbeat.

Today, mommy and daddy were a little scared because mom was bleeding. We went to the doctor and everything is fine. We got to see you again and hear your fast heartbeat. I took a video and it's below.  Mommy thinks you may be a girl now.

Monster trucks

Dad - today we went to see monster trucks with Grandma, James, Jeannette, and Patrick. It was loud and fun. Everyone had a great time. You can't hear yet, but you may have felt the loud engines. Mommy ate a lot of food tonight. She likes a lot of meat recently. She blames you for her meat cravings. Haha. You must be growing very quickly.

Mom is feeling better

Dad - it is about 11 weeks now and mom felt a little better yesterday. We got a pot of fruit, vegetables and snacks at Safeway. She is eating very healthy.

Second Ultrasound (11 weeks)

Dad - Mom had the second ultrasound today.  You are about 2.1 inches (5.3 cm).  We got to see you really well. You were very active.  Maybe it is from mom eating chocolate right before. Mom has been hungry and not feeling well still. It's about 11 weeks now.  Here are the videos I took from the ultrasound:

Chinese New Year - year of the snake

Dad - today we celebrated Chinese New Year at ChenChen's place. Mom made lots of dumplings. There were about 22 people. We left around 11. This year is the year of the snake, and you will be a snake. All of mom's friends are very excited for you to come out. Mom and I are also excited. Happy New Year little one. We will see you soon. This is mom and dad's last New Year by ourselves.

Still not feeling well

Dad - Mom has not been feeling very well the past couple days. She is trying to eat a lot and stay strong and hopefully she will get better soon.

Girl or boy

Dad - Mom thinks you will be a boy because she craves and eats a lot of meat. More than normal. I think you will be a girl. I just have a feeling. We will find out in about 2-3 months.

Pregnancy class

Dad - last night your mom and I went to a pregnancy class. It was taught by a mid-wife who is like a nurse. We pretty much knew everything already because we have been reading a lot. The kid wife, Mary Ann, was interesting and she talked and emphasized so many words.
Mom has been eating very healthy. Here she is eating an apple. Cola tried to get into the picture.

Dad - this is mom last night trying to eat but she is not feeling well. She is so strong and I hope she can feel better soon.

You are the size of a blueberry

Dad - It's about 7 weeks and a few days pregnant and you are about the size of a blueberry. Mom has pretty normal eating habits. She gets hungry a lot, but cannot eat everything she wants.

First Doctor Appointment and Ultrasound

Dad - We had the first doctor appointment with Dr. Li. She is a great doctor. We saw you and you are so small and we got to see your heartbeat. By calculation from Mom's last period, mom is 6 weeks and 5 days pregnant. You must be growing quickly because the doctor measured you three times: 7 weeks 0 days, 7 weeks 1 day, and 7 weeks 2 days. We asked some questions at the appointment and the doctor answered everything. Mom had a funny moment without me. When the nurse took her back, the nurse asked her how tall she is. Mom answered "6 foot 4 inches". The nurse understood what Mom was trying to say and Mom laughed. Mom is also really tired today.  She has a hard time with smells.  She could not smell my Mom's chicken stew. We made some signs for the dogs and took some pictures to announce you on Facebook and Weibo.

Still feeling good

Dad - Mom is still feeling pretty good. She is able to eat some more foods including cheese (mozzarella) which she has not been able to eat. She loves the oranges from our tree in the backyard. Hot showers make her feel good too. We will be going to mom's first doctor appointment tomorrow and we hope to hear your heartbeat.

Mom is feeling better

Dad - Mom is feeling better recently. She still feels a little sick and has trouble with some smells and foods. She is very picky with foods now. Last night she craved frog and we got some from General Pot. She is trying to eat lots of food, but it is still tough because there are many times that she is not hungry.

Morning sickness

Dad - Mom had her first real morning sickness just after I left for work and just before she was about to leave for work. She is pretty much always feeling sick. She is a very strong woman. I am almost finished with my cold. I am trying to help with dishes and dinner and anything that will help. Mom is now taking her vitamin at night, so hopefully that is better. We will see the doctor on Monday, and we are excited. Hopefully we can hear your heartbeat. Mom also got a cute journal that she already started writing in.

1/5/13

1/5/13
Mom- Craving a sandwich and made two sandwiches this morning. At 10pm tonight, I just had some crackers and all of a sudden I feel very nauseous. The closest I have been to vomiting. I feel so hot and feel very sick. After almost an hour, I am starting to feel a little better.

Dad- Mommy is a strong lady. Her stomach has not been feeling good all the time, and was the worst tonight. I screwed up and let Mommy eat deli ham. I won’t let her eat any more cold deli meats.

1/4/13
Mom- Went to work for the first day since being pregnant. I felt sick this morning and felt dizzy today. I didn’t pee too much.

1/3/13
Mom- I had my first craving. I really wanted fried chicken wings. After we dropped off my mom and dad at the airport, I made your dad drive me to KFC to get some chicken wings.  Videos are below.

I also had my first breakdown. All of a sudden, I just felt like crying and I couldn’t control it. I was thinking of my mom being here doing everything for me and now I don’t have it. I didn’t realize how awesome my mom is until she left.

Dad -
I have been very sick with a cold. I have had to stay away from your mom so I don’t get her sick. I have been sick since 12/28/12. It’s been hard to sleep and I feel bad because I can’t hug and hold mom. She is taking good care of me. I hope I can be healthy for the whole pregnancy.