Happy Holidays

I can't believe it has been over a month since I last updated my blog. I have slowly come to the realization that having a four-month-old at home requires my 100% undivided attention, and I wish I could have 48 hours a day!

I L.O.V.E. my daughter. Simply put, but it is very true! Entering motherhood, at first, was a shock to me, as I did not know what was expected of me, and what my responsibilities were. I remember a week before my scheduled c-section, I asked Joe what do I do at the hospital after I gave birth. Joe answered, "Spend time with our daughter!". My response at that time was, "I do not know her and she does not know me. Where do I start and exactly what do I need to do?" The moment I saw her at the OR, I knew exactly what I need to do... to protect her, to cherish her and to spend every waking moment with her.

My love for my daughter grows everyday. A lot of our friends said that Bethany is a mini-Louisa. It warms my heart when I hear this comment every time. Bethany sure does look like me, and she has my chubby cheeks when I was a toddler! :-)

We took Bethany to her four month's check up last week. She weighs 13.25 lb and measures 23 inches long. Her pediatrician said that Bethany is a very healthy and alert baby. Bethany has really strong head and neck support so Joe and I are planning to start her on solids when she is 5.5 months old. Bethany had her vaccinations last week. When the first needle went in, she cried a bit. When the second one went in, she screamed and yelled. As a mother, my heart ached when I heard my daughter was in pain. She was screaming at the top of her lung when Joe tried to dress her after the shots, and I had to stop Joe halfway so that I could pick her up and comfort her a bit. The good thing, though, is that she did not have any reactions after the vaccinations.

Our Christmas tree was up a few weeks ago. This year, Joe insisted on getting a real Christmas tree, and we got a very nice real Christmas tree. A week after the tree was up, Joe and I pick a saturday lazy afternoon and put decorations in the tree.

All our christmas shopping was done a few weeks ago. We mailed out all the presents for our families two weeks ago. His family got the parcel a week ago while mine received the parcel yesterday!

This Christmas is going to be Bethany's first Christmas, and also the first Christmas for Joe and I as parents. As first-time parents, Joe and I both agreed that we will not go overboard with gifts and presents for Bethany. We do not wish Bethany to grow up as a materialistic person and we want to make sure she understands the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, our saviour. We want Bethany to grow up understanding that there are a lot of less fortunate children in this world and we need to help them if we can. Joe and I do not believe in buying tons of gifts for Bethany. We want Bethany to understand that quantity does not count when it comes to giftw. So this year, we told everyone (both sets of grandparents) that only one gift for Bethany as having a toy mountain under the christmas tree is not the way Joe and I envision to raise Bethany!

Raspberry Muffin Cake

When I woke up this morning, I knew I had to bake. There was a huge urge in me that I needed to bake. So I pulled out my prized recipe book and made a raspberry muffin cake.

I got the recipe off the Vancouver Sun seven years ago. I followed the recipe to the letter and made the muffin cake. Mom and worked together to tweak the recipe a bit to make it a better muffin (less sweet) muffin cake.

Blueberry Muffin Cake
makes 12 servings

topping
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp butter, at room temperature

cake
2 tbsp medium dry breadcrumbs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 large eggs
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 cup low-fat sour cream
1 tbsp grated orange zest

Topping: in a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, mix well. with pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Cake: Grease a 9 inch square pan. Sprinkle bottom and sides of pan with breadcrumbs.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix well. Stir in blueberries.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Beat in orange juice, sour cream, melted butter, orange zest. Add t flour mixture, stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with topping.

Bake at 375 c for 40-45 mins.

Cool for 10 mins.

* I used raspberries instead of blueberries!

Can't wait for Joe to come out and try this muffin cake.

Bethany is three months old!

There is a saying " Time flies when you are having fun!" and this is so TRUE!

Bethany is three months old today!

Yes.. Three months old! I can't believe she is already three months old... it felt like yesterday that she was born!

As a mom, and having the luxury to spend a lot of time with her, I have noticed that Bethany has grown a lot in the last three months:

Birth weight: 6 lb 15 oz
Last week's weight: 12.2 lb
(Her weight and length is at the 50th percentile and the doctor said Bethany is on track on her growth rate!)

Her hair has definitely grown... her forehead is no longer as "bare" as before. For the longest time, I was worried that Bethany has a receding hairline like her daddy.

She is alert and awake longer during the day, and she has been sleeping through the night since she was two months old. Her last feeding is usually 10:30pm and she sleeps through the night till 6:30am the next day!

She has been sleeping in her crib since she was about a month old. We put her in a bassinet for the first few weeks and she HATED it so much that she cried bloody murder every time we put her there. We had no choice but to put her in her crib (as Joe and I do not believe in co-sleeping. There are more risks than benefits in co-sleeping!) and amazingly, she loves her crib!

She coos a lot! Seriously... a lot! During the day, when she is awake, she coos! Oh, almost forgot to mention that she smiles a lot too! Her smile is p.r.i.c.e.l.e.s.s. and it truly melts my heart!

She hates tummy time! Absolutely hates it! She cries non-stop every time she is on her tummy until I "give in" and pick her up! Although she hates tum-tum time, I make sure she spends at least 5 mins a day on her tummy to build the strength of her neck!

Her fingers are getting stronger. She has started grabbing things or pulling things close to her mouth. Two nights ago, I "caught" her pulling her blanket close to her mouth and a min later, the tip of the blanket was in her mouth and she was sucking the blanket.

Yesterday, Bethany had Sophie the Giraffe in her hand when she was down for her afternoon nap. When she woke up, one of Sophie's ears was in her mouth!

Bethany hates the soother! When she was younger, she would simply spit out the soother. Now that her fingers are getting stronger, she would grab the soother with both of her hands from her mouth, and then yanked it off the floor!

Poppa Barry & Nana Annette

For the longest time, I could not seem to figure out how Bethany should address her god-parents Barry and Annette. Joe suggested Uncle Barry and Auntie Annette. It is ok but it sounds weird to me... and there is no closeness when addressing Barry and Annette as uncle and auntie as they have "adopted" us into their family here in Ottawa. With no family in Ottawa, this means a lot to Joe and me.

So, starting today, Bethany has:
In Ottawa:
Barry as Poppa and Annette as Nana.

In Vancouver:
My mom as Pau Pau and my dad as Gong Gong

In Saint John:
Joe's mom as Nana, Joe's dad as Gogee(?), a word that Joe's niece Kaytlin made up when she was young, and my mother-in law as Grandma.

All in all, Bethany is a very fortunate baby who is well-loved by her grandparents and god-parents!

My Typical Day as a Stay Home Mom...

Ever wonder what my day is like as a stay home mom? Before I got pregnant, I would have never imagined my day can be any more structured than what I am having now.

6:25am -- I wake up without the help of an alarm clock (isn't that amazing? That's one of the privileges of being a mom. It almost feels like there is a clock inside my body and I just know when to get up... or when Bethany is about to wake up... even before she makes the very first tiny noise in her crib!) Do I need a baby monitor? NO! It is simply a waste of money! On the other hand, Joe manages to sleep through a storm even though the monitor is on and is sitting on his bedside table!
6:35am -- Change Bethany, feed Bethany, burp Bethany, put Bethany back to her crib.
7:15am -- Pumping Session
7:45am -- Check up on Bethany to make sure she is sound alseep... and then hop into the shower
8:15am -- Breakfast (coffee and toast 7 days a week!)
8:30am - 10:00am -- Free time for me... surfing the internet, chatting with other wb'ers on weddingbells.ca, checking e-mails
10:00am -- fold and iron Bethany's clean laundry and getting ready for Bethany's bath items
10:30am -- wake up Bethany and give her a bath
10:45am -- Bethany's feeding time, and then put her down for a nap
11:15am -- Pumping Session
11:30am -- Hand-wash Bethany's clothes
11:45am -- Do a load of laundry or house-hold chores (e.g. sweeping, mopping, scrubbing the tubs and toilet)
12:25pm -- Lunch and chat with mom
12:35pm -- Bethany wakes up from her nap (She used to sleep till 2pm but lately, she has been waking up at 12:30pm... I guess as she becomes older, she stays awake longer during the day!)
12:35pm - 2:20pm -- Play time with Bethany... she plays on her playmat while listening to classical music (yes Bethany is a classical music baby...well at least I am gearing her towards that direction!)
2:30pm -- Bethany's feeding time... and then put her down for a nap (this nap usually last till 5:30 or 6pm)
3:15pm -- Pumping Session
3:30pm - 4:30pm -- Prepare dinner (Joe's dinner is easy... I cooked up a storm and then froze everything before I gave birth... so I have been feeding Joe on those freezer meals) My dinner is usually different from Joe's as I prefer a healthier and well-balanced diet in order to keep up with my milk supply and lose weight at the same time.
Once dinner is done... I will then finish off what is left of the household chores. Depends on the day of week, I would run another load of laundry or scrub the the tub... the point is there is always plenty to do around the house!
5:30pm -- Joe comes home and walks Bee Bee. Up till last friday, my work shift of taking care of Bethany ended when Joe came home. Joe would then take over till 10:30pm when Bethany has her last feeding. Last night, Joe said that ever since he took over the 5:30pm till 10:30pm shift, he had no time to do personal things (e.g. checking e-mails, working on the KOC's Rosarium, attending to Scout's issues and spending time with his obsession: either downloading stuff from the internet, organizing his on-line song album or renaming all the images he saved in his computer... hahaha... welcome to the world of parent-hood... being a parent = time loss on doing your own things... and it is called S.A.C.R.I.F.I.C.E. and I guess Joe is not too keen on this idea!) So he suggested last night that I would extend my shift till 8:30pm and then he would look after Bethany for 2 hours, change her, feed her and then put her to sleep!
6:30pm -- Bethany's feeding (Joe used to do this feeding, but starting today, I will be doing this as well)
7:15pm -- Pumping Session
8:30pm (beginning today) Off duty... take a shower, brew a cup of herbal tea, iron Bethany's clothes, watch TV and take a nap.
11:15pm -- Pumping Session
11:30pm -- Check up on Bethany to make sure she is sound asleep... check to see if the temperature of the room is at 20.5c.
11:45pm -- I go to sleep! * I also need to keep my ears open just in case Bethany wakes up in the middle of the night and wants a bottle!*
3:15am -- Pumping Session
3:30am -- Check up on Bethany before going back to sleep
(but I do not usually fall back to sleep until 4:30am)
6:30am -- repeat the previous day schedule

Who says being a stay home mom is an easy task? Before I was pregnant, I worked 9 hours a day at Costco, and when I got home, I relaxed, took a long shower, watched TV, spent time on line etc... Being a stay home mom, my priority is to look after our daughter, and it is a 24/7 job. Although it is hard, and sometimes it is very exhausting and frustrating, especially knowing that Joe can sleep in on the weekends and I can't. It is a job offers great rewards... my heart melts when Bethany smiles at me and all my frustrations and disappointments towards Joe seem to fade away for now... and I am sure that Bethany's first words will be mom-mom and that will definitely send me to the moon when that day comes!

Bethany's Wardrobe

Ok... I am getting a bit bored of dressing Bethany in sleepers day after day. So yesterday, after her bath, I decided to dress her in a hippo top and a matching bottom. Once she was dressed, I then realized that her bare feet became visible. Therefore, I went through those 100 pairs of socks in her sock drawer and got her a pair that went well with her outfit.






Yesterday was another normal day. She had her bath in the morning, following by her feeding time. After the feeding, I put her down for a nap. Here is a picture of her when she woke up from her nap:




Then I went to get a face cloth and a bowl of warm water for diaper change... I was only gone for two minutes... and when I came back, this is what I saw:



How is this even possible? There must be a reason why babies are normally dressed in sleepers!

A beautiful and touching story....

She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room.
She said: "How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?"

The surgeon said, "I'm sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it."

Sally said, "Why do little children get cancer?
Doesn't God care any more?
Where were you, God, when my son needed you?"

The surgeon asked, "Would you like some time alone with your son? 
One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the university."
Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good bye to her son. She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair.

"Would you like a lock of his hair?" the nurse asked.
Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.

The mother said, "It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the University for Study. He said it might help somebody else. "I said no at first, but Jimmy said, 'Mom, I won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom."

She went on, "My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could."

Sally walked out of Children's Mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there.

She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car. The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room.

She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She laid down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep. It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Laying beside her on the bed was a folded letter.

The letter said: "Dear Mom, I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say "I Love You" .

I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me.
He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know. Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything.

The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mom? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important.

That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, you know what Mom? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter.

I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him 'Where was He when I needed him?'
"God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross.

He was right there, as He always is with all His children. Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool? I have to give God His pen back now.

He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm sure the food will be great.  Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don't hurt anymore. The cancer is all gone. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much, either.

That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?

Signed with Love from God, Jesus & Me. 

I am SCARED!

Ok! Darn it! I admit that I am SCARED! SUPER SCARED!

I am sure one of the hottest topic among parents nowadays is the vaccination of H1N1. Bethany is under 6 months old, so she can't get the vaccination. Joe and I have been "classified" as the priority group as we are the caregivers of a child under 6 months old. So I am all for the shot since day 1. The question is WHEN? I have been following the news on H1N1 closely and the line up here in Ottawa is simply beyond insanity. People line up outside the clinic at 3am (while the clinic opens at 8am), only to find out that they got turned away as there are 200 people in line in front of them. I wonder how I can get the wrist-band. I do not mind standing in line in the wee hours of the night, but I can't take Bethany with me, exposing her to the risk of getting infected.

Last Friday,we learned that Jo-Leen, grand-daughter of Bethany's Godmother, was diagnosed with H1N1. She is only a year old. I made the plan of cancelling my coffee date with Marie-Eve, who is a new mom with a two-week-old baby boy. Joe and I also made the decision of cancelling our plan of bringing Bethany over to her god-parents' house on Halloween. Yesterday (Saturday), Joe found out from Madame Vautour that his niece and nephew have also been diagnosed of H1N1. Things went south later the night that the nephew's face turned blue and his mom had to rush him to the hospital. When we found out the news this morning, I was, as a mom, really shocked. H1N1 infection is no longer far-fetched, and it has already attacked people we know.

This is definitely a horrifying experience for parents with new borns under 6 months of age. Other than keeping her at home, and nagging Joe to follow the 20 seconds rule in hand washing when he comes home everyday... I can only pray to make sure Bethany, Joe and myself stay healthy until we get the vaccinations.

Tummy Time

A week ago, I started Bethany on the famous "tummy time". I wonder if all babies hate tummy time (or in our house, we call it "tum-tum time")

In the afternoon from 3:45pm to 5:15pm, Bethany and I spend time in her room. Often times, Bethany plays on her playmat, listening to Baby Einstein's Lullaby, while I catch up with my reading. I usually let her play on the playmat, on her back for 1/2 hour and then I flip her onto her stomach.

The first time she had her "tum-tum time". She absolutely hated it! She would simply lay there, with her little face buried in the ground and screamed until she is being picked up. Once she is being picked up, there is this terrified look on her face, kind of like " I can't believe you almost let me die mom mom!" look, though that could very much be my own imagination.

Then the next day, I got her on her tummy again. This time, she cried bloody murder until I picked her up. So tum-tum time lasted less than 5 mins.

Then the third day, I got her on her tummy againg. This time, she did not cry or scream. At first, she laid on the mat still, with her face buried on the mat. Then 30 seconds later, she lifted up her head to 45 degree. This lasted for a good 15 seconds, and then she turned her little head sideways.

I guess no babies like tum-tum time. However, according to the famous "What to Expect in the First Year". A two-month old baby should be able to lift her head to 45 degree when placed on her tummy (checked!). By the end of the third month, she should be able to support herself with her elbows and lift her head to 90 degree.

Good Morning Bethany!

Bethany started cooing about three weeks ago. Each day, she coo-es a bit more. As a mom, this really gives me a lot of joy and I simply can't wait for the day when Bethany says her first word!

I have been taping clips here and there about Bethany. Here is one I took earlier this week...

A walk along the canal...

Last Sunday, Joe and I took Bethany for a walk along the canal. Prior to Bethany having her first set of shots, we were under straight doctor's orders to keep Bethany at home as much as we can. She received her shots about a week ago, so Joe and I decided to take her out for a walk... and enjoy her first fall in Ottawa.
We parked the car at the Experimental Farm, and started our walk at Dow's Lake, and slowly made our way downtown. Joe and I used to live by Dow's Lake, and we often took long walks along the canal in the evenings. The last time we took a stroll along the canal was almost two years ago; we were engaged to get married and we took the little pooch Bee Bee with us for the walk. Two years later, Joe and I are happily married and we were strolling with our daughter Bethany, sleeping soundly in her stroller.
We walked causally for about two hours and then we stopped by at Canal Ritz for lunch. When the food arrived, Bethany woke up... just when Mommy was hungry, the little precious one was also hungry. So, for the very first time, I changed her diaper in a public washroom (and it is not as scary and complicated as I thought!). Joe then fed her and she was a good girl! Eating out at a restaurant with an infant often attracts a lot of attention. A few restaurant patrons came by our table and looked at Bethany, and told us how pretty she is!
After lunch, we made our way back to our car by cutting through the Glebe. We walked by the church we got married in, and I thought to myself, "This is where all the joy and excitement in our life began."
It was a great afternoon and we sure enjoyed the walk! Being a stay home mom and the outbreak of H1N1, Bethany and I do not get to go out very often (other than going to church on Sundays!) so this afternoon stroll was a treat to me! :-)

I am a nervous new mom!

So Bethany had her first set of shots on Wednesday. She did fine after the shots, and did not develop any severe reactions. Although I read up on all the possible reactions on the internet beforehand, I was still nervous. Mainly because Bethany could not talk and it was up to me, as her mom, to determine her comfort level based on all the clues she gave me.
She did sleep a lot after the shots, and took a bit longer to finish her bottle. There were two feedings that she fell asleep and did not finish the bottle. I took her temperature three times within the first 24 hours after the shots, to ensure that she did not develop a fever. I know I am supposed to trust the temperature reading indicatate on the therometer, but for some reason, I was extremely nervous and kept thinking that the therometer was not accurate (though it is brand new Braun Digital Therometer!). I woke up many times during the night, tip-toed to the baby's room, felt her forehead, touched her little hands to make sure she was doing ok. There she was... sleeping soundly in her crib.
I can't help but wonder... do I worry too much as a new mom?

Bethany's first set of needles

Joe and I took Bethany to get her first set of needles yesterday. Usually taking Bethany to the doctor is my department, but just that she was getting her first shots yesterday, and I was not quite sue how fussy she would be, so I figured it would be safe if Joe came along.
The doctor appt was at 1pm and I gave Bethany a dose of Tempra (as recommended by the doctor) an hour prior to the appointment. We arrived at the doctor's office at 12:50pm and were called into the examination room at 1pm. The nurse came in to weigh Bethany. I asked the nurse if I should undress Bethany before putting her onto the scale, and she was like, "No! It is cold in here!." So with the long sleeve onesie, a sleeper and a cardigan on, Bethany weighed a whopping 11 lb 14 oz. Her length was 21 3/4".
When the doctor came in, he looked at Bethany's weight on the chart, and I told him that the nurse did not ask us to undress Bethany so I do not think the weight is too accurate. The nurse took the 14 oz off and said that was the weight of her clothes... The doctor looked at me and said," There is no way all her clothes weigh close to one lb. Next time tell the nurse you want to undress Bethany down to her diaper before weighing her." So for now... Bethany is about 11 lb. I am planning on taking her to the well baby clinic next monday here in Barrhaven just to weigh her again. It is important to know her exact weight as I need to make sure she gets enough breast milk everyday. The rule of thumb is 2oz to 2.5oz for ever lb of the baby.
The doctor said Bethany's weight, height and the circumference of her head are all measuring fine. The doctor could tell Bethany was more alert than the last visit (the beginning of Oct). We told the doctor that Bethany has been cooing a lot and smiling a lot. :-)
Although I know it is important of Bethany to get her shots, but as a mom, it was heart-breaking to see the needles going into my daughter's little thighs. She had two needles, one on each thigh. The first one went in fine, and she did not even notice. The second one went in, she yelped and screamed and cried for three seconds (yes only three seconds and she stopped as soon as her daddy picked her up) The doctor said that babies have short term memories and as soon as the cry was over, she probably had forgotten about the needle.
We were instructed to give her Tempra once every four hours for the next day and closely monitor her temperature. I took her temperature last night before going to bed and this morning when she woke up... everything checked out fine. I am keeping my fingers crossed that she will not have any reactions to the shots.
Her next set of shots will be done when she is four months old... Dec 18 at 1pm!

Quiet Time..

Ever since I have become a stay-home mom, having a moment of quiet time seems to be a luxury. However, as Bethany is slowly settling into a routine, I find that I do enjoy the two hours of quiet time in the morning. Bethany has been sleeping through the night (and I am keeping my fingers crossed that this trend will continue!) and she usually wakes up between 5:30am to 7am for a feeding. She is such an amazing baby that she always goes back to sleep after the feeding. So, after my 7:15am pumping and before she wakes up for her bath (around 10:30am), I get about two hours of quiet moment for myself! That's the time I get enjoy a cup of coffee, update my blog, connect with friends via Facebook and lately, work on the christmas shopping list.

Do you think...

Last sunday after church, Joe, Bethany and I went for a quick brunch before going home. It was 10am, still considered "early" on a sunday morning, so the restaurant was not too packed. While I was sipping a cup of decaf coffee, Bethany was sleeping peacefully in her carseat, and Joe and I were chatting causally, a very-pregnant lady walked by our table and "awed" at Bethany. We have gotten quite used to the Oh and Awe when we take Bethany out with us. The lady stopped at our table, at first, we thought she was going to comment on how pretty Bethany is (a very popular compliment we get these days!). To my surprise, she asked me where we got the Cozy Cover. Cozy Cover is a carseat cover, which goes on top of the carseat, to shield off the wind and cold... I must say it is a MUST for Ottawa winter. It works better than the the bunting bag which has to go between the carseat and the baby, and this might pose a safety hazzard.
So, I told Mrs. Mom to be that I got the Cozy Cover at Walmart for $18. Below is our short but sweet conversation:
Mrs. Mom to be: Where did you get the cover?
Me: Walmart for $18!
Mrs. Mom to be: Do you think it is good?
Me: Yes it is good! And it does the work and it is so easy to put on!
Mrs. Mom to be: Do you think Walmart still have it? When did you get it?
Me: I got it two days ago... and there are tons at Walmart...
Mrs. Mom to be: OK. I should go right after I eat then... I have three weeks left and I think we got almost everything... do you think that having a newborn sometimes can be overwhelming?
Me: (paused for a second... and thinking... hmm, this can turn into a very interesting and long conversation if taking care of a newborn is an overwhelming experience...) I did not intend to scare of Mrs. Mom to be, so I smiled knowingly at her and said, " Yes, it can be overwhelming, but you will manage!"

This conversation really got me thinking... I have progressed from a rookie new mom to a new mom whom strangers will come to me for advice! I am not an experienced mom, and taking care of Bethany is a learning curve for Joe and myself. I have become more confident in taking care of Bethany while Joe is at work. I guess I am not afraid to ask questions or google answers. Bethany has slowly settling into a routine and our days are very structured. Bethany sleeps during the day and becomes active by early afternoon, and she is extremely fussy from 7pm till her last feeding. She has been sleeping through the night, and this gives me time to rest. Although I still need to wake up at 3am to pump, at this point, I am slowing getting used to this schedule. Getting up at 3am is not as hard as it seems!

Joe and I were talking about our interesting encounter the other day... Joe thinks I should have gotten Mrs. Mom to be's e-mail address and that we will be able to exchange pointers on taking care of newborns... I kicked myself of not thinking about that at the restaurant... or I would have a new mom-to-be friend!

Bethany is two months old!

Bethany is two months old! :-) Where did the time go?

It feels like yesterday I was in the operating room, giving birth to Bethany! The last 8 weeks went by like whirlwind. Bethany was 6lb 15oz at birth, and we weighed her last week (ok... on the bathroom scale so it might not be very accurate!) and she was a whopping 10.5 lbs!

I have discovered a lot of "first" of Bethany:
1. Bethany started cooing a week ago! Cooing has increased in the last few days... it sounds like as if she was talking to me when I was changing her diaper or bathing her!
2. Bethany started sleeping through the night (11pm till 6am) about a week ago!
3. Bethany had her first smile (ok... it was a smile and definitely she was not passing gas!) two weeks ago!
4. Bethany stuck her tongue out two days ago! It seems that she likes doing this a lot lately!
5. Bethany loves her swing and her baby einstein's playmat!

Bethany's Playtime

A few months before Bethany was born, Joe and I bought a Baby Einstein's Playmat for Bethany. Life was so hectic in the first month that we completely forgot about the mat. A few days ago, I set up the mat and put Bethany on it for the first time...and she LOVED it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwQIAAdSv18

A picture is worth a million words!

A picture is worth a million words.... My daughter is absolutely beautiful!

Bethany loves her rocker!

When I was pregnant, Joe and I bought the Graco Sweet Pea Infant Swing for Bethany. We read a lot of good reviews on this product and figured it must be a great one! It did not take us long to find out and accept the fact that Bethany HATES the swing! It takes 5 mins to strapped her in the swing and she then sit still for 2 mins before she cries her lungs out! Sigh!

My coworker gave us two big gifts: a Chicco Highchair and a Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Rocker. I put Bethany in the rocker two nights ago and surprisingly she loves her new toy! I put her in the rocker, with the vibrating mode on, and she was slowly rocking away to sleepy land! :-)

First Week Without Mom...

First week without mom helping us.... Joe took a week off to help out in the house. Here is a recap of what happened this week:

Saturday: Drove mom to the airport... cried a bit on the way home. Stayed home till 12am for Bethany's feeding. I was exhausted by the time Joe finished burping her. I had a big lump in the left boob (clogged milk duct again... arrrggghhhh!) Woke up at 4am as Baby Bethany was awake for her "mid-night snack" I was surprised that Joe heard the baby crying first time in 7 weeks at nights. When mom was here, he usually slept through all the cryings at nights, and even slept in a few days for work!

Sunday: Woke up with a swollen and "hot" left boob! I bought a heating pad on Friday...I put the heating pad on my left boob 15 mins prior to my pumping session... and the lump was gone after pumping. Yay! Joe went to church and I bathed Bethany! Then I hand-washed all her clothes and managed to iron some of her clothes.

Monday: Woke with with a swollen and "hot" right boob! Seriously!!!!! It seems that I have clogged milk ducts everyday! The pain was so bad that I had to take a Tynenol! Joe went for an afternoon nap and he told me he was "sleep deprived". I laughed and said, "Welcome to my world! Now you know what mom and I went through the last 7 weeks while you were happily snoring away at nights!"

Tuesday: Tried the heating pad on my right boob prior to pumping... and no mircale this time! Arrrgggghhhh! Managed to run a few errands while Joe stayed home and watched Bethany. I ordered turkey dinner at Farm Boy. Joe is a big fan on turkey (I, on the other hand, find the smell of a cooked turkey disgusting.) . With the baby with us this year, there is no way I will be able to cook a complete turkey dinner while I pump once every three hours, change Bethany's diaper every hour and do other household chores. Bethany slept from 11pm till 5am!

Wednesday: Went for my 8 weeks post partum doctor appointment. My OB/GYN checked the incision on my tummy and everything was healing up nicely. She asked about our "plan" next and if we want any more kids! Without even giving Joe a chance to do his speech, I quickly said "NOOOOOOO!" and Dr. Dy just laughed. I told Dr. Dy about my experience with pumping and we discussed various ways of weaning off pumping. So instead of pumping every three hours, I am going to pump once every four hours, and gradually lengthen the time between each pumping and decrease the pumping frequency. After the doctor's appointment, we stopped by at the office to say Hi to some of the coworkers. Everyone at work said that Bethany looks just like me! :-) We got a bunch of gifts from my coworkers: a Chicco Highchair, a Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Rocker and a few other plush toys. On our way home, we stopped by a the Well Baby Clinic so that we could get Bethany weighed in. When we got there, we found out the Clinic has moved to another location, and is only open on Mondays from 1:30pm to 3pm. We then rushed home as at this point, I was in so much pain that I needed to "pump the lump" out... miraculously... after the pumping, the lump was gone! I pumped out 4oz of BM! Though the lump was gone, the spot where the lump was before was a bit bruised and sore! The pumpings for the rest of the day were very smooth! :-) Bethany slept for almost 7 hours... I only had to wake up once around 3am to pump! Joe slept through the night! :-)

Thursday: I went to Starbucks for a Chai Latte in the morning while Joe stayed home with the baby. After I got home, Joe took my car in for rust-proofing. While he was gone, I gave Bee Bee a bath. I then gave Bethany a bath. I pumped almost 5oz of BM (still no lump in my boobs!) and then fed Bethany! By the time everthing was done, it was mid afternoon! I managed to do a load of laundry (Bethnay's clothes and linens). Barry and Annette stopped by in the evening to see Bethany. They stayed for an hour or so..... I enjoy their visit as I do not have much adult conversations these days!
Once again, Bethany slept from 11pm till 6am!

Mom went home!

After spending almost two months with Joe and me, mom went home this morning.

Mom and I went out for dinner last night. I pumped before we headed out, so I was able to enjoy a glass of Wolfe Blass Yellow Lable with mom last night. Food was great, wine was awesome! I always enjoy spending time with my mom!

Now that mom is gone... the real challenge for Joe and me has started. Tonight... let's see if Joe can wake up in the middle of the night to do the 4am feeding!

Life as a Pumping Mom

I have to admit that life as a pumping mom is not as easy as it seems. The frequent pumping (8 times per day, once every three hours) makes outings or doing anything at home difficult. Also, pumping in the wee hours is beyond exhausting. Pumping does not mean feeding. So after pumping, I need to wait for Bethany to wake up to feed her. So, the challenge is really incorporate my pumping schedule into Bethany's schedule. Mom has been doing the feeding mostly. A few times I did both the pumping and feeding, and it takes about an hour and a half for both.

Lately, I have been having issue with my left boob. Yes... I know this sounds really personal... but my blog is set at private, meaning only selected family members and a few close friends get to read the update of our lives. It started two weeks ago. My left boob was super hard and sore, and even after pumping, the lump did not go away. I googled about clogged duct and mastatis and almost got myself a heart attack. I do not believe in self-diagnosing but lately, I rely heavily on google in getting me the answers I need for the condition in my left boob.

The lump usually goes away in 12-24 hours. So this week Tuesday am, the lump came back for no reason at all. I pumped before going to my dentist appointment. The pain was so bad that I had a hard time sitting still on the dentist chair. By the time I got home, I pumped right away, hoping to relieve some of the pain and pressure. Unfortunately, it did not really do the job, and the milk from my left boob was less than usual (about 1.5oz instead of 2.5oz!) At this point, I was in so much pain that I had to take a Tynenol (which according to my GP, it is safe and only a tiny weeny amount will get into the breast milk). The afternoon went for so quick as I was in so much pain, and at the same time, was getting super worried and frustrated. By 8pm tuesday night, after pumping, the lump went away, and once again, I was a happy pumping mom again!

Wednesday mid afternoon, the lump came back. This time, I was like,"OMG! Am I going to have this everyday now?" I tried everything I could to relieve the pressure; hot shower, cold compress, massage... and nothing seem to work. By Thursday morning, I was so discouraged that I started to think about perhaps my pumping career has come to an end, and I need to give Bethany formula from now on. With mom going home this saturday and Joe being at work all day, what if the lump comes by and I am severely engorged, and it hurts so much to pick up Bethany? What am I going to do? At this point, I feel so helpness as I am the only one who can give Bethany EBM (expressed breast milk)!

Understanding all the advantages of BM, it is my plan to give Bethany EBM for the first 6 months and when it is time to introduce solids to Bethany, I will give her 50% EBM and 50% formula, and gradually wean her off EBM. As much as I want to stick to this game plan, the pain that I endured in the last few days have gotten me thinking... Can I really do it?

I thought about asking my GP to give me medication to stop milk production, and get Bethany on formula right away... in this way, I can have better use of my time during the day, give more attention to Bethany, plus no longer need to live in the fear that I might have clogged milk ducts, or even worse, infection in the milk ducts. However, on the other hand, seeing Bethany growing bigger and bigger everyday puts a smile on my face. Knowing that her immune system is getting stronger everyday due to my BM is very rewarding. Everytime when I look at her little peaceful face is a strong motivation for me to keep pumping as I know I am doing the right thing to give the best source of nutrients to my daughter.

So, to pump or not to pump... that is a question. As much as I hate to live in fear of clogged milk duct or milk duct infection, I will continue to pump until it comes to a point that I can't tolerate the pain! I am seeing my GP tomorrow and I will for sure discuss this with him. As long as he can prescribe me a medication that prevents the ducts from clogging, I have no problem pumping 8 times a day.

I heart OBLEEK!

Ok... I know I sound crazy. But seriously, I HEART Obleek!

I bought a Posh Mom Diaper Bag a while ago, but then I realized that the bag is cute, but it is just too small to jam everything in. Plus I need something that has a zipper and lots of pockets so that things won't fall out and things won't be "lost" in the bag.

After chatting with my fellow WB'ers, I have decided to get a custom made Diaper Bag / Purse:

Awesome August Mommies HOT TIPS

Awesome August Mommies HOT TIPS

-- place baby in rocker in the bathroom with the shower running always knocks her out and gets Mommy a shower.

- warm bath soothes her before sleep

- THE SWING!

- putting baby to bed awake with the mobile or aquarium on is enough to settle this turkey to sleep for the night after being topped up with milk

- pump at some point during the day (for me it's the morning) to enable someone else to give her a bottle so you can do something else or GO OUT

- pack the diaper bag the night before if you're going out

- Make your DH/FH watch the baby so you can have a bath or something just for you

- COFFEE

- Start Blowdrying your hair again - it'll put the LO to sleep

- bouncing on an exercise ball!!

- If you co-sleep or breastfeed in bed OR make a habit of changing baby's diaper on your bed ... invest in a mattress protector with a waterproof backing.

- Also, breastfeed lying down so you can sleep through most of the feedings. Sleep = happiness lol

- Miracle Blankets are like a straight jacket for your baby N sleeps through the night in his all the time

-Sound Machine

- Send your other children to daycare a few days a week. Your sanity is worth it!

- for dry skin issues ( which looked like baby acne). After much research on the internet I decided to try epsom salts in her bath and I purchased Baby Aveeno cream to put on her face. Within 2-3 days her face was perfectly clear again. Thought I would post that in case any of you were seeing similar issues with your LO's. Apparently the epsom salts and aveeno cream are also great for LO's with eczema.

You are Mine

I will come to you in the silence
I will lift you from all your fear
You will hear My voice
I claim you as My choice
Be still, and know I am near

I am hope for all who are hopeless
I am eyes for all who long to see
In the shadows of the night,
I will be your light
Come and rest in Me

Chorus:
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

I am strength for all the despairing
Healing for the ones who dwell in shame
All the blind will see, the lame will all run free
And all will know My name

Chorus:
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

I am the Word that leads all to freedom
I am the peace the world cannot give
I will call your name, embracing all your pain
Stand up, now, walk, and live

Chorus:
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

Sleeping Schedule

Bethany has been very fussy the last three days. Yesterday, she slept less than 2 hrs from 7am till 6pm! Mom and I took turns to rock her to sleep in our arms, and then slowly and quietly put her in her crib. As soon as her head touched the crib mattress, she opened her eyes wide open and started to fuss again. Our day went by so fast as we were busy putting her to sleep, then picking her up, calming her down, changing her diaper and feeding her.

Last night, miraculously, we fed her at 10pm and she slept till 4am this morning! If this sleeping pattern continue, I would be able to get some zzz! Mom has been doing the middle-of-the-night feeding while I pump. Starting this Saturday, I will take over all the feeding, diaper changing, bathing and of course pumping duties, so if Bethany sleeps for 6 hours at night, I will be able to pump twice during the night (I pump once every three hours) and be able to get some zzz!

Bethany has learned to suck her thumb!

Yesterday, out of the blue, Bethany sucked her thumb for the first time!

They all say babies know to how suck their thumbs without much instructions... if I did not see it with my own eyes, I would not believe it!

Our Future Plan...to move or not to move

I have always wanted to move back home. Note, home is always in Vancouver! Back in the days I was a single gal, living in my condo apartment overlooking Dow's Lake, I always referred the place as my apartment, but never once, did I address it as my home. To me, home is where the heart is, and heart is where my family is, so therefore, home is in Vancouver.

When Joe and I found out I was pregnant, I told Joe about my desire to move back home. We do not have families here in Ottawa, and sadly enough, our support network is also very limited. Being a first time mom, I worry about anything and everything, and I just worry that when something goes wrong, we will have no one to turn to, and this very thought made me wake up in cold sweat at countless nights. At the same time, I want Bethany to grow up with at least one set of grand-parents around her. Bethany is the first grand-child in my family, and perhaps I am selfish that I really want Bethany to be close to her Gong Gong and Pao Pao.

Joe always says that I am a worrier (yes a worrier not a warrior!) and his motto is, "Everything will be fine." When we first discussed about the possibility of moving to Vancouver, he was not too keen on it. However, having a baby in our lives have changed our persepctives. Joe has changed from "I will not entertain the idea of moving to Vancouver as this will make me further away from my mom" to "I am slowly warming up to the idea."

To my surprise, Joe came home last night and told me he spoke to the HR manager at work and he asked about the possibilities of getting a job at a Costco warehouse etc. Joe is also planning to have lunch with a newly appointed warehouse manager (he is formerly an AGMM in our office, so he knows a lot about transitioning from the buying office to the warehouse). I was surprised when Joe told me about this, and I was like, "Wow, why is there a sudden change of heart?" and he simply replied," I am simply exploring different possibilities and I am slowly warming up to the idea of moving to the west coast!" Wow! I can't believe this was the response I got from my husband... They all say pregnancy and motherhood can soften a woman's heart. In our case, entering parenthood has also changed Joe's perspectives! My husband had just made my day!

Our lives have changed a lot (well, more like up-side down) since Bethany came home. I think Joe has slowly come to the realization that raising a child on our own, with no families around, can be challenging. We are very fortunate that my mom is here to help us out during the past 7 weeks, and with the continuous effort of all parties, baby Bethany has slowly gotten into a daily routine which I am keeping my fingers super tight that she will stick to this routine so mommy and daddy can get some sleep!

I am keeping my fingers crossed that one day in the near future, opportunities of moving to the West Coast will come knocking on our door, and our family of 4 will be able to move back to the "Beautiful British Columbia". Until then, I put everything in God's capable hands and I am sure He will lead us to the correct path when the time comes!

Until then... I will start looking for houses in Vancouver between feeding Bethany and changing her diapers! :-0

Bath Time

Now that I am 6 weeks post partum and my rhino feet have gradually diminished, and my tummy is not as sore and tender as before. I gave Bethany a bath this morning, while mom was beside me, watching, teaching and supervising.

I find that washing Bethany's hair, by far, is the most difficult part. I need to balance her on my lap, and cover her ears with my thumb and pinky finger so that water won't go into her ears. Amazingly, she did not cry one tiny bit. I think she enjoys her bath time!

The nusre at the hospital advised to give Bethany a bath every other day, and during the off days, I usually wash her face, wash her bum (she has diaper rash, and the only way to help cure it other than Zinc Oxide, is the keep her bum bum clean), wash her hands and feet, and give her a new change of clothes.

Practice makes perfect! I am sure I will master in this category in no time.

Life is Beautiful

Life is beautiful
We love until we die

When you run into my arms,
We steal a perfect moment.
Let the monsters see you smile,
Let them see you smiling.

Do I hold you too tightly?
When will the hurt kick in?

Life is beautiful, but it's complicated.
We barely make it.
We don't need to understand,
There are miracles, miracles.

Yeah, life is beautiful.
Our hearts, they beat and break.

When you run away from harm,
Will you run back into my arms,
Like you did when you were young?
Will you come back to me?

I will hold you tightly
When the hurting kicks in.

Life is beautiful, but it's complicated,
we barely make it.
We don't need to understand,
There are miracles, miracles.

Stand where you are.
We let all these moments pass us by.

It's amazing where I'm standing,
There's a lot that we can give.
This is ours just for a moment.
There's a lot that we can give.
X 2

Sacrifices and Compromises

About a week ago, I thought about writing a blog entry on Sacrifices and Compromises. I have been giving some thoughts in this topic when I am changing Bethany's diapers, pumping in the wee hours when everyone was sound asleep in the house, and holding Bethany, rocking her to sleep when she is crying her lungs out. That's why it took so long for me to finally have a chance to sit in front of my netbook, typing out this blog entry.

In any successful and sustainable relationship, sacrifices and compromises are the two fundamental building blocks. In the world of parenting, it is no exception. Bethany is a month and 6 days old today, and I must honestly admit that the arrival of this little precious one brings lots of joy in our house and at the same time, also changes our "adult" world. I have noticed that I am spending lesser and lesser time on the computer, whether I am simply browsing the internet or updating my blog. Often times, I find that I am replying to e-mails or writing a new blog entry during the wee hours of the day. One thing though, I have been googling more on baby's topics (for example, diaper rash, cloth diapering, breastfeeding etc). Watching TV is also a luxury for me these days. For the last month or so, I have never sat down for longer than half an hour and enjoy a re-run of Jon and Kate Plus 8 (One of my favourite shows). The only time I can watch TV is when I am pumping, and I am watching TV (and I can't even remember what I watched) to kill time. I love to read... magazines, fiction or non-fiction, I read them all. I bought a copy of The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs last week, and so far, I have not even got past the introduction of the book. Sleeping is an extreme luxury for me these days.

Joe asked me the other day what I want for christmas... as crazy as it might sound, all I want is an un-disturbed 4 hours of sleep (not broken down into three segments throughout the night) and move to Vancouver where Bethany can be closer to her Gong Gong and Pao Pao. I have been a pretty good girl this year, so perhaps Santa will be nice to me this year and I get what I want for christmas.

With mom leaving next Saturday, Joe and I have been talking about how to divide up the household chores and taking care of Bethany. Joe is taking a week off, and I want him to shadow me 24/7 and he will then truly appreciate how I have been living my life in the past month. Joe is very active with the Scouts (he is the area commissioner) and Knights of Columbus (he is the Recorder). Generally I do not mind him getting involved with these two groups at the same time. However, with Bethany so young and that Joe needs to attend quite a few meetings a month, I simply can't allow him to be out of the house so many nights while I am home alone not only during the days when he is at work, and also home alone during the nights that he has to attend those meeting. As a result, after a considerable amount of thinking, I have asked Joe to quit his involvement with either group so that he can stay home, take care of Bethany, bond with Bethany and relieve part of my stress during the night. I know both groups are important to Joe, but as a parent, he also needs to understand that sacrifices and compromises are invloved when there is a baby in the house. To my surprise, Joe has agreed to quit Knights of Columbus for now, and if things are still hectic in the house, he will also consider quitting Scouts. I know Joe does not want to give up his involvement with either group, but as a parent, he also understands his role as a father and all the responsibilities that come with it.

Bethany's Baptism

Bethany was baptised yesterday (Sunday Sept 20) at St Andrew Parish in Barrhaven.

It was a beautiful ceremony and a total of 17 babies, including Bethany was baptised by Fr. Jessi! Bethany slept through pretty much the entire ceremony and was a bit startled when Fr. Jessi poured water on her head, but she felt back to sleep after like two seconds. What a sleeping baby!

After the baptism, we had a little gethering where food and drinks were served. Once again, Bethany was showered with lots of baptism gifts from the Knights and their wives!

From Drop Box

My One-Month Performance Review of Being a New Mom

Now that Bethany is one month old... it is time to do a self evaluation on being a new mom. At work, every new employee has to go through a 30-60-90 day performance evaluation. Since I am now a new mom, it is only fair conduct a 30-day evaluation.

Switching from a career-driven woman to a stay-home-mom (well only for a year though!) is a huge change for me. I was pulled off work when I was 33 weeks pregnant. During the first few weeks, I was pretty happy as I got more time to get ready for the arrival of our little precious one. After a few weeks, after Joe left for work... I realized that I was stuck at home with a baby in my tummy. Now that I am on maternity leave, I spend 99% of the time at home, caring for baby Bethany. I mastered diaper changing in less than two weeks, and I managed to function with minimal sleep every night.

Ok... as much as I want to portrait myself as a super-mom, I must admit that the first two weeks since Bethany was born had completely turned my world upside down. During those first two weeks, I was severely sleep-deprived and my feet looked more like rhino feet than human feet. I was extremely short-fused with Joe as he managed to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. Amazingly, he also managed to sleep through Bethany's crying even though the baby monitor was on! I would not have survived the first two weeks without my mom's help and Joe's extreme patience with me. Now that Bethany is slowing getting into a routine (well, I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is a "routine"...), and I have also gotten a grip on my pumping career. As a result, I manage to sleep for three and a half hours (though these 3 1/2 hrs are broken into two or three segments) a night. After all, waking up a few times during the night while Joe is sleeping through baby's crying and the ever-loud alarm clock, is not as bad as it seems. Who would have imagined that I can function with only 3 1/2 hours of sleep? The phrase "Beauty Sleep" is long gone in my dictionary!

It takes about 9 months for a pregnant woman to pack on 25-50lbs and it takes at most 6 months or even shorter to lose all the preggo weight. At first I found it hard to believe... but after what I have seen how my body changed during the first month, I think I will be able to shed off those 40lbs I put on probably by the end of December, if not sooner. The constant lack of sleep and the tons of household chores is the B.E.S.T. diet in the world! I have lost 24lbs so far, so I only have 16lbs to go! Prior to the wedding, I spent an astronomical amount of $$$ to shed off 20lbs... and this time around...it will cost me absolutely nothing to lose all those 40lbs!

Taking care of a new born is not an easy task and definitely not a no-brainer. Both Joe and myself are first-time parents, and I must admit that we learn from our mistakes! I read a lot of books before I gave birth, and I thought I knew it all. It did not take me long to realize that in order to learn, I need hands-on experience.

Diaper Changing
I can read tons and tons of information on how to change diaper, but nothing beats actually changing a diaper. Joe changed Bethany's very first diaper at the hospital, and I changed her second diaper the first night we stayed at the hospital. I took me forever just to change the diaper as Bethany was so small and delicate that I was afraid to break her legs while changing her. Joe was sound asleept on the cot in my room at the hospital, so I could not ask him for help. With IV hooked in my left hand, and afterpain in the c-section area, I changed Bethany's second diaper, and her arms and legs did not fall of! The statement of "Practice makes perfect" is a very true statement. By now I have changed over 200 diapers (Bethany produces 8-10 wet / soiled diapers every day) and it takes me just under 2 minutes to change one.

Feeding
Joe and I firmly believe that breastmilk is the world's best food that we can offer Bethany. Bethany had a hard time latching on. At first, I was very frustrated and discouraged as I had failed Bethany as a mom in the breastfeeding area. However, we did not give up. We"investeded" over $800 in two breast pumps (yes, two pumps... one pump is just not enough!). I express milk in a bottle and feed the breastmilk to Bethany through the bottle. In this way, she gets all the good stuff in breastmilk that formula can't offer. Joe is also able to help with the feeding, thus creating a father-daughter bond. I read it from somewhere that a new dad wrote a heart-felt e-mail to his wife, thanking her for giving him a chance to feed the baby (express milk and then put in a bottle)... I have yet to receive a heart-felt thank you for Joe!

Household Chores
With the rhino feet slowing going away (my ankles are still pretty swollen at this point), I have slowly returned to the household chores. We have a cleaning lady who comes to our house once a week for cleaning and stuff, and for some reasons, she did not show up this week. With the two sets of grandparents visiting this week, I decided to do the house-cleaning myself. I managed to scrub the bathtub (and that's a hard task for me as my tummy is still a bit sore), tidied up the house, cleaned up the cold storage area, pulled some weeds in the flower's bed and did two loads of laundry. The only two things left to do before my in-laws arriving tomorrow will be cleaning up the garage and vacuuming! I started cleaning up the garage this afternoon while Joe was at work. I will wake up tomorrow and get the rest done before my in-laws arrive! Joe is not a town-home man and he does not have much initiatives to do any home improvement projects and spring / fall cleaning projects. He is more of a computer guy who would rather spend endless hours sitting in front of a PC or a TV. All he does around the house is once every two weeks or three weeks vacuuming and laundry. I guess I will be the lucky one taking over all those departments soon!

Bethany is 30-day old!

I should have written this blog entry yesterday...

Bethany was 30 days old yesterday! In the Chinese Culture, this warrants a huge celebration: giving out red eggs to families members and friends.
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I did google the meaning of red eggs:
"30 days after a baby is born, a red egg party must be thrown. To formally welcome the little one to life, its new home. Eggs, symbolizing fertility are boiled hard, then dyed red, for good luck will surely be in the child's charge."

As Bethany is half Chinese, I feel that it is important to carry out this ritual. Mom and I made a batch of dyed red eggs on Tuesday, and I then each of the eggs in a little bag, tied with a purple ribbon. Joe brought them to work on Wednesday and gave them out to some coworkers.

Another celebration of a child's 30-day old is the 30-day old banquet. Since my dad won't be arriving till later tonight, we have decided to have this dinner on Sunday Sept 20. Virginia, Annette and Barry, godmothers and godfather of Bethany will also be attending this special dinner gathering.

Bethany's second doctor appointment

Yesterday, mom and I took Bethany to her second doctor appointment. Getting a baby ready for a road trip takes time... from checking her diaper to putting her in the carseat takes about 25 mins. A 15-doctor appt turned into a two-hour marathon, factoring into the travel time.
Bethany weighs 8lb 8oz... and 3/4 inch longer / taller since birth. Her weight, height, and circumference of her head is all on track and measuring just fine.
The doctor checked her diaper rash... and I was relieved that it was not fugal infection. So, we need to continue with what we have been doing... a thick dab of Sudocrem on the affected area and change her diaper as often as we can (we have been changing her diaper once every two hours, and we do not use diaper wipes... simply just lukewarm water and a tiny washcloth does the trick.)
Her next appt is on Oct 20, and she will be getting her first set of shots... it will be the very first time I take Bethany out on my own as mom is flying home in three weeks, and Joe will be working on that day... so I will be flying solo!

Super Early Birthday Present

Although my b-day is 8 weeks away, I got my super early b-day present today. Joe got me an Acer Aspire One netbook!!!!!! With Bethany spending most of the time in a bassinet on the main floor, and my PC in the basement, I just do not feel good about being in the basement browsing the web while Bethany is on another floor.... We got a very good quality baby monitor but I still do not feel 100% confident. So I told Joe that I need a laptop which I can carry it with me around the house...the next thing I knew... Joe got me a netbook as my b-day present! I love my present... and most important of all, I love my hubby... he, for sure, knows how to spoil me!

R.E.S.P.

Today, Joe and I went to the bank and opened a RESP (Registered Education Saving Plan) for Bethany. The topic of RESP came up when I was in my second trimester. I read an article on RESP at the doctor's office. It costs about $40,000 tuition fees for four year university and it costs about $160,000 to raise a child from infant to 16 years of age. Overwhelmed with all these astronomical figures, Joe and I decided that setting up a RESP for Bethany is the right thing to do.

I applied for Bethany's SIN card, birth certificate the day after we got home from the hospital. The birth certificate came two days after, while the SIN card arrived a week after. The only thing left is getting a passport for Bethany. Joe got his last week!

After much consideration...

After much consideration... I have decided to put my blog on "private" again! With loads of information and pictures of Bethany posted on my blog, I want to make sure only a selected group of people (close friends and families) get to see the update of Bethany's growth and my challenge from being a career-driven woman to a stay-home mom.

I have reviewed the people who are on the "allow to view blog" list, and will probably add a few more people on this list so that they won't miss out on any new information on Bethany.

My blog is my diary. I write what I see, hear and think from my perspective. I am a candid person and I write from my heart, and I do not give anyone white glove treatment when I write my blog. (Well, this got me in trouble a few times when certain people visited my blog try to dig dirt and attempt to use those information against me!) That's the reason I put my blog as "private" 6 months ago. Same reason applies today, 6 months later, as I do not want any idiotic or stupid comments from some un-related people, telling me that I should not be writing certain things on my blog. Heck, this is my blog... and I can write what I want! If they have a problem then they should not be wasting their time to read my blog!

Things are under control!

It is week 3.5 since Bethany was born. I am happy to say that things are starting to get under control.

With mom's help, I am getting better everyday in changing diapers. Trust me, changing diapers is an art. In the beginning I thought it is a no-brainer to change diapers, only to realize that I did not quite get the diaper in place properly, and this lead to more clothes changing.

Bethany's diaper rash is under control! Well, at least, she does not yelp or cry or scream when we change her diaper. Her next appointment is coming up next Monday, and will get the doctor to check on the rash.

Feeding is also under control a bit. Though Bethany is getting breastmilk exclusively, I am not feeding her directly off my breast. I express the milk in a bottle and feed her with a bottle. I had a hard time try to get her latched on properly in the beginning, and this caused super sore and bleeding nipples. This then turned into my mistake of getting a single breast pump and later on, my quest on finding a double breast pump. I felt bad about not able to feed Bethany directly off my breast. I spoke to the public health nurse and she re-assured me that there is nothing wrong with expressing breastmilk and put it in a bottle. The one good thing about this is that I know exactly her milk intake in a day. She is three weeks old, and she should be fed from 6-8 times a day, and for a total of milk intake from 18oz to 26oz. This week, we have started her on 6 feedings per day, once every 4 hours, 4oz of breastmilk for each feeding and she is getting 24oz of milk everyday. She is on track with her weight gain.

The phrase "Feeding On Demand" is common in breast-feeding babies. Reason for feeding on demand is that the mom has no idea how much milk the baby is taking once he/she is properly latched on. Therefore, the only way to make sure the baby is having enough milk is to feed on demand (when the baby shows hunger cues) or judge the number of wet and soiled diapers.

Bethany has 8 wet diapers and 5 soiled diapers a day. Her hunger cues: crying / screaming and rooting (searching for the nipple).

A week and a half ago, Bethany weighed 7lb 7oz. Healthy babies put on about 1oz per day, so I will not be surprised that she will be around the 8lb range when we go for her appointment next Monday.

Being a mom for only 3.5 weeks, I guess I am doing a pretty good job in "beefing" Bethany up!

11 years ago today...

11 years ago today... I started working at the buying office of Costco Wholesale Cananda!

Time really flies!

Hand Washing!

I am a Certified Food Safety Manager at Costco. I need to get re-certified once every three years. Therefore, I understand the importance of hand washing.

Now with Baby Bethany at home... I re-inforce the importance of hand washing at home. Mom and I are firm believers of washing our hands (20 seconds rule... scrub scrub scrub all the way to the elbows) before touching Bethany every time. The worst offender so far is Bethany's Daddy. He does not believe in washing his hands every time before touching Bethany; and this drives me B.O.N.K.E.R.S.! I have explained to Bethany's Daddy numerous times but he does not seem to listen. He thinks that washing his hands once is enough... although he might be sitting in front of his PC, touching the keyboard, touching the remote control, touching his i-POD, touching the garbage etc... and he thinks it is still ok to touch Bethany as he washed his hands before touching the garbage, but not after the garbage. I get mad at Joe a few times because of this, and I really hope that he understands the importance of hand washing (well, Joe does not believe in washing fruits before biting into it, or washing any uncooked meat before cooking it... and being a food safe manager... that's the main reason I do not allow Joe to cook at home or prepare the food!).

If anyone thinks of a good and effective way to get Joe to understand the importance of washing his hands... please let me know!

Bethany is three weeks old!

Bethany is a bit more than three weeks old!

These past three weeks after Bethany was born was definitely the toughest. Sleepless nights and struggling with breastfeeding / pumping became part of my routine. But I discovered a wondeful surprise in all of this: the overwhelming love that I felt for my daughter.

I am sleep deprived!

Ok! I am sleep deprived! I sleep about 3.5 hrs, broken into two segments, per day. Last week with the stupid single pumping, I ended up not getting any sleep at all, as I need an hour to an hour and a half to pump for each feeding. Since the feeding is three hours apart, as soon as I finish pumping, I get to rest for half an hour at most (usually that's the time I take a shower, check e-mails, update my blog and enjoy a cup of decaff coffee) before my next pumping session. Last week was a living hell for me!

Doing the night feedings are exhausting. I hate the 2:30am feeding. Bethany is often sound asleep around that time, and it takes quite some time to wake her up, change her diaper before feeding her. Fortunately mom is always up to help out with the 2:30am feeding, so I do not feel I am alone in this. Knowing that mom will be leaving in the beginning of October, and Joe needs his 7.5 hrs of beauty sleep (from 10pm till 5:15am) every night, I can't even imagine what life would be like after mom leaves!

Earlier this week I got the double breast pump and it makes my new career as a pumping mom much easier. I can express 3oz of milk in 20 mins (last week it took me an hour to an hour and a half to get the same amount of milk) and I am no longer as stressed out as last week. I think I have better control of the time. For the first time since Bethany is home, I managed to be able to walk my dog in the morning and get out of the house once and run errands! It just feels good!

One thing weird though... I have dreams about pumping too! These dreams are not necessarily nightmares. In all these dreams, I am always pumping (gosh I am even pumping in my sleeps!) and when I wake up in the middle of the night, often time, I am very confused as I thought I have already expressed the milk. It takes me a few minutes to differentiate between reality and dreams. Hence, I want to sleep (a.k.a. R.E.S.T. which is a luxury for me these days!) but at the same time, I do not wash to dream about pumping!

Last time I had a continuous 6 hrs of sleep.... it was the night prior to the c-section! Though it was only a few weeks ago... seems like it was decades ago and I can't even remember how good it was to be able to sleep through the night!

Until then.... my DeLonghi stainless steel coffee maker and Poppybean's decaff coffee are my B.E.S.T. B.U.D.D.I.E.S.!

Diaper Rash

Bethany has diaper rash! When we went for Bethany's check up on monday, the doctor had already noticed the diaper rash, and he suggested us to apply Sudocream on her. Being all chemical-free and all natural approach, I decided to forgo Sudocream and use Dimpleskins' Bum Bum Balm instead. I thought I was doing the right thing, little did I know that the diaper rash had worsened when mom and I changed Bethany's diaper yesterday mid morning.

Being the queen of Google, I googled diaper rash right away, and noticed that Sudocream & SkniFix's Buttock Paste and Penatan are the three highly recommended diaper rash cream. While Bum Bum Balm is good as a prenventive measure, zinc oxide which is found in Sudocream, SkinFix and Penatan is used in treating diaper rash. I received two big tubs of Penatan at the Baby's shower and one tub of SkinFix at a Baby's show. I went with Penatan as this cream is sold @ Walmart, Toysrus, Zellers, Shoppers... if popularity of an item has any indication on its effectiveness, then Penatan is THE cream!

While googling diaper rash, I noticed that diaper rash is very common in infants, about 60% of the infants get diaper rash at some point. There is no cure of diaper rash other than doing the following steps:
1. Check diaper every hour and change it often -- as soon as it is wet or soiled
2. Clean the baby's bum at each diaper change -- use warm water with cotton ball
3. Stay away from diaper wipes as the chemicals in the wipes might irritate the diaper rash -- when I told Joe about it last night... he said, "WHY?????" Lately I have found that everytime when I tell him something about "new" ways of handling the baby, whether it is feeding, bathing or changing diaper, his first reply is always "WHY????" and this really bothers and irritates me! Last week, he gave his thumb for Baby Bethany to suck on. Mom slapped his hand right away and I was really mad at him! Everyone knows that there are germs in everyone's hands and I always wash my hands before handling the baby. For him to give his thumb to Bethany to suck on gave me a hard attack! He did not wash his hands (and this translates to GERMS!) and we have soother for Bethany for sucking!!!! Joe was really mad when he got slapped and he yelled "WHY????" Gosh, this really annoys me to a great deal... seems that men have no common sense in handling a baby! Though I am still learning everyday, I am glad that I send Joe off to work everyday, while I stay at home caring for the baby!
4. Allow baby's skin to dry before putting on a clean diaper
5. Use zinc oxide ointment to protect baby's skin from moisture

Happy Friday!

The Medela Pump in Style is truly amazing! Yesterday, after the 8:30am feeding, I was able to hop out and run a few errands (getting pampers and new towels at Walmart, mailing a parcel for my SMF (Secret Mom Friend @ Weddingbells.ca) and doing grocery shopping) and I got home around 10:45am. Began pumping at 10:50am and was done by 11:15am. Bethany's feeding time was 11:30am! This spells F.R.E.E.D.O.M. loud and clear!

Last night, I did the 3am feeding single-handedly! Mom was too exhausted as she has been helping out with the day feedings, and night feedings except the 5:30am. Joe usually does the 5:30am feeding as I told him that he needs to get enough sleep so that he won't be sleeping at his job. I woke up at 2:30am, finished pumping at 2:50am. Woke up Bethany at 2:52am, changed her diaper at 2:55am. Began feeding at 3am, finished feeding and burping at 3:25am. Put her back in her bassinet at 3:30am. So it took about an hour for me from start to finish... not bad at all! :-) Last week, with the single breast pump, I would have never imagined I could be able to get all this done in an hour!

Joe did the 6am feeding... but he did not do the diaper change. I find that men, sometimes, are not as thorough as women, when it comes to diaper change. I like to take my time, make sure Bethany's bum is clean, put on Bum Bum Balm by Dimpleskins, and then put the diaper on her. Joe does not use Bum Bum Balm and I got really mad as Bethany has a bit of diaper rash, and the doctor "ordered" us to use diaper cream during each diaper change.

Weight Loss Challenge Update

Weight loss challenge update

18 days postpartum... I have lost 20 lbs. Still have another 20 lbs to lose!

Once the swelling of my feet have gone done, and that I can fit into my runners again, I will start going for long walks (an hour each day) in our neighborhood! For now, I will need to wear my Crocs and go for half an hour walk!

When Bethany is 4 months old that I can her feeding schedule under control, I will start resuming Yoga!

Oh, by the way, Joe has lost 3 lbs since Bethany was born! With the 1/2 of carton of ice-cream he consumed thursday night, I am sure he had put back those 3lb plus another 3lbs more!

My New Toy -- Medela Pump in Style

Yesterday, I finally got my hands on a Medela Pump In Style Pump! This piece of equipment is Godsend! :-)

The day Bethany and I got discharged at the hospital, I went and picked up a Medela Swing pump. While the Swing pump works fine, and I survived the first 1.5 weeks being a pumping mom, and that Bethany had "beefed" up quite a bit (from 6lb 15oz, then down to 6lb 5oz, then up to 7lb 2oz , then again to 7lb 7oz), I spent about an hour just to pump, and mom had to help me with the feeding as often times, I was completely exhausted when the pumping was done.

Two days ago, when I was pumping at 1:30am, a thought suddenly came into my mind. If I do 8 feedings per day, each feeding (from start to finish takes about 1/2 hr) and that I need an hour to pump prior to each feeding.
Pumping: 8 hrs per day
Feeding: 4 hrs per day
That means I only have an hour in between last feeding and next pumping. With mom leaving in October and Joe at work, how is that ever possible for me to do all other stuff (i.e. laundry, bathing Bethany, running errands, cooking dinner and cleaning the house)? Cold sweat was creeping on my back!

At the 8:30am feeding, I discussed with my mom on the possibility of getting a double breast pump and theoretically, it will cut down the pumping time by one-half. I quickly made a call to my new friend, who is also the owner of a home-based cloth diaper business here in Barrhaven (www.amotherstouch.com) and discussed my concerns with her. To my surprise, she told me that a lot of new moms are going through the same experience as I am and that while a single breast pump works fine for once-in-a-while pumping, it can turn into a nightmare if a mom relies heavily on the pump 8 times a day. We quickly narrowed down my choice of double-breast pump and I placed an order right away.

My new toy, Medela Pump In Style double breast pump arrived yesterday! I brought it home at 1:50pm, and with the 10 mins sterilization in hot boiling water, I started expressing milk at 2:08pm, by 2:20pm, I had expressed 3.75oz of milk (it would have taken me about 1.5 hrs to express this amount of milk had I sticked to my Swing single breast pump!) I was sooooo amazed at the result! Yesterday afternoon, for the first time since Bethany was born, I, once again, experienced the feeling of F.R.E.E.D.O.M.! Last night, I managed to sleep for 2.5 hrs instead of 1.5 hrs, great thanks to my new love of the life!

For those expectant moms out there, who are considering buying a breast pump... you can never go wrong with a Medela Pump In Style or Medela Freestyle breast pump. Before Bethany was born, I had never thought that I would need a breast pump to express milk, so I did not do any research on breast pump! Being the queen of google, I kick myself every time when I think about how naive I was at that time, thinking that breastfeeding would be a breeze!