Weir Baby - weirbaby

Jacqueline's First Month

Jacqueline's first month with us was simply amazing. She has been the perfect baby in our eyes. Perhaps a part of it is that we are not first time parents and we have braced ourselves for the tough times we had with Sean's first month. Jacqueline surprised us with how well she fed, slept, and greeted all her visitors the first month of her life. We were extremely relieved to know that she is not lactose intolerant like her big brother was. At her two-week checkup, the doctor used the word "perfect" at least 6 times when she was examining Jacqueline. Jacqueline breastfed well and gained the perfect amount of weight for her size (about 0.5oz per day.) She also fed regularly, about every 2.5 hours. Jacqueline also was willing to sit in her bouncer occasionally during the day when she was active. At three weeks old, Jacqueline officially flashed her very first smile! We are just happy with her progress the first month of her life.

Jacqueline also got to spend her very first Easter with Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Janice, and Aunt Christina. She wore a pretty pink dress for the occasion. Though she didn't get to eat the ham and all the fixings, Jacqueline did get her very own Easter basket from her Daddy.

March 29, 2012, Happy Birthday Jacqueline!

On Thursday March 28, 2012 at 8am we headed into Kaiser at Harbor City to be induced. Our little girl was finally going to be born!! We asked Grandpa Weir to pick up the March 28 edition of the LA Times since we were pretty sure Jacqueline was going to be born on the day of the induction. Sean was still asleep and Grandpa and Grandma Weir were going to take good care of him the next two days.

When we got to the hospital, I was excited but also a bit nervous. But being the second time around, I remembered most of how things were going to be at this hospital. I remember the triage room, the delivery room, the whole routine of getting prepped for the birth. Things went as planned, I was hooked up to the IV and that was still a horrible process, just like last time. This time the attending doctor (Dr. Nghiem) let me hold her hand as they insert the IV. Turns out that she is the same age as Brian and also went to University of Michigan! So they chatted as I settled into being all hooked up to the monitor and IV. Then by about 10am they administered the pitocine and allowed me to get the epidural since they didn't know how quickly the pitocine would kick in. The epidural doctor was a chatty guy who has a 10-month-old son of his own. The epidural insertion took longer than expected because the doctor had to put it in twice because he indicated that my lower spine was slightly crooked so he mis-judged the position of the epidural. No big deal, the whole process was slightly uncomfortable but not really painful. After that, the contractions became more regular but I didn't feel them much. The contractions with this pregnancy was very different from the first. The contractions with Sean were extremely painful, pain started in the front at shot straight to the back at spine. This time, the contractions just stayed at the front and tightens my entire mid-section. Even though I came in being already ~4cm dialated, progress was surprisingly slow. After hours, I hadn't progressed much. We were still sure that by night time we can start labor. We passed the time by watching TV. Brian took a nap. Then I told Brian to go get lunch and later dinner. As the clock ticks away, midnight was approaching! At that point we knew she wasn't going to make March 28! My diabetes OB, Dr. Mainor was on shift and she came to check up on me. She told us that she would love to deliver me but she's off duty at 1:30am. So baby had to hurry up! By 1:30am, I was finally ready to labor but we were sad since we thought Dr. Mainor was already gone for the night. Turns out she was watching the monitor and decided to wait to deliver me!! We love her, she's been a fantastic OB. Having three boys of her own, she is extremely experienced and laid back. After three contractions, Jacqueline came into the world! Unfortunately, because my contractions weren't too painful, I was a little too tame with the epidural and didn't use enough. The birth itself was much more painful than with Sean. The pain was like being burned by fire! The stitches after was also more painful.

Brian was great again, being the very supportive coach. When Jacqueline came out, he was in tears again. This time, the nurse put Jacqueline in my arms immediately. She looked just like Sean at birth! She was simply beautiful. We had a very chatty group of delivery team this time and everyone was chatty and laughing and the mood was very cheerful in the delivery room. They all congratulated us. That was when we realized we had to buy another LA Times.

March 28, 2012

That may very well be our daughter's birthday. It's Monday morning 3/26 and she's still not interested in coming out. Two nights ago, I had more regular contractions (10 minutes apart) from 2am to 5am. But then the contractions fizzled and stopped. Just a day ago, my doctor determined that I was ~100% effaced and ~3.5-4cm dilated. She indicated that even if the baby doesn't come until our induction date on 3/28, the induction will be very quick. So here we are, still awaiting for her to come naturally. I've also gained another pound in the past week. I am so ready to not be pregnant any more!!! Brian and I are also extremely anxious to meet our new baby! Even Sean told Grandma this morning that baby sister is coming. :-)

Dress Rehearsal!

My last day at work was 3/9. I started my maternity leave on Monday taking it easy. I figure, I have about two weeks to get things in order at the house so I would spend Monday just resting and trying to determine a middle name for the baby and taking Toby out for a nice, long walk. On Tuesday morning, I went to my routine Nonstressed Test. I've been to so many of these that I didn't think much of it. In fact, I was planning on going to the market after the appointment. Turns out that the nurse saw a contraction during the NST and decided to show the doctor. Then the doctor ordered me to do another NST for an hour. Apparently, I have been having contractions at 6 minutes apart!! Wow, I didn't even realize it! Apparently, I thought the contractions were just the baby balling up. When it does happen, it would kind of take my breath away but I thought it was just baby kicking my lungs. But lying on the bed and staring at the monitor, I realized that the "baby balling up and stretching" feeling was actually a contraction! The doctor then came to check up on me and determined that I was 2cm dilated! She told me to come back in about 6 hours so she can check me again. She also told me that I can potentially deliver that evening!!!!! WHAT???!!! That can't be!! I was in shock! I asked her if the baby would be a premie since she would be 3 weeks early. She kept telling me that the baby is full term and she assured me that the baby will not weigh less than 4lbs, the weight of a baby considered a premie.

So my head was racing, trying to plan out the next two days with only about 4 hours. My In-Laws weren't going to be in town til the last week of March, so I would have to call my mother to come and watch Sean for about two days (so she would have to pack immediately!) But she doesn't drive so my father would have to drive her to our house in the next hour or so. I'd have to call Brian who was still at work to go pick up Sean early so he can take me back to the hospital at 4pm. I have to pack my overnight bag and things for the baby. I have to pack two days worth of food for Sean so my mother can take care of him. I have to show my mother how to take care of Toby as well! I drove home from the hospital still in shock. I texted Brian and left him a message for him to pick up Sean at 2:30pm. I called my parents. I had to stop for gas before getting home. Then I started to pack like mad, thankfully, I know exactly what I need and don't need during my hospital stay. I even remember to pack a few things for the baby. Then I started to make Sean's meals. Within an hour my mother arrived. I showed her all the meals and how to put Sean to bed. I even showed her how to feed Toby. Then Brian came home with Sean and I even had time to quickly bathe him.

Then Brian and I ate some food, the doctor kept reminding me to be sure and eat a good meal and drink lots of water. If I do deliver that evening, I wouldn't be able to eat for a while. Brian also quickly packed a bag for himself. He also was able to quickly install the infant car seat. When Sean saw the car seat, he said, "My car seat." I told him, "No, it's baby sister's car seat." He gave me a strange look, like he was confused. As if he thought that we were giving his car seat away to his sister. Thankfully, his Ah Poh was there to distract him with a toy. With Ah Poh distracting Sean, we sneaked out of the house and went to the hospital. I was still in shocked. I just stopped working two days ago, still haven't gotten anything done to prepare for the baby. I was hoping for at least two weeks of organizational time. Plus, my disability insurance covers 4 weeks prior to the delivery and 6 weeks after. With the baby coming so soon, I would lose out on three weeks of pay! Plus, I was still worried about the baby's development being born three week early! But I guess I can't do anything to stop her from coming if she wants to come! At least she won't be born on April 1st!

When we got to the hospital, I was strapped to the monitor again. The doctor came and did another ultrasound. Turns out that my contractions are not as strong anymore and less regular. I also have not further dilated. The doctor told us that some women walk around 5cm dilated and not realize it. So she determined that I was in pre-labor but have not entered into labor yet. It could be in a few days or it could be next week. It just depends on if my contractions progress. She told me that if we wanted the baby to come sooner then I can go for long walks and help the contractions develop. But if we wanted to wait, I can hydrate myself and just take things easy and let the contractions subside. I decided to take things easy and let the baby grow a little more. Plus, Brian's parents will now move up their arrival date by two weeks but still won't be here until the weekend. So ideally, she won't be born until another week, if I can help it. All in all, it was quite a dress rehearsal! Just goes to show that when it comes to a baby, they don't follow plans! But with the experience of having one child already, we're definitely more prepared and less scared. :-) Hm...maybe our little dragon lady can't wait to come out!

Are we there yet Papa Smurf??

At 37 weeks, I'm up to 128lbs. I've gained 30lbs. For the past several weeks at work, I get strangers coming up to me daily saying one of two things to me, "You must be due any day now!" or "Are you having twins?" My response is always "No, I have another month to go." and "No, there's only one in there, thank goodness!" But seriously, I am huge. Thank goodness tomorrow is my last day at work. I can no longer sit in any chair at work comfortably, especially in meetings. It takes me about 5 more minutes to walk to any meeting. It is extremely hard to get out of bed at 6am in the morning when I wake up every hour through the night to turn from side to side because either my hips would hurt or my arms would fall asleep if I'm in one position for more than an hour. I can also no longer stand for longer than 5 minutes without needing to sit. One of the hardest thing about this pregnancy is that I also can't carry Sean for more than 10 seconds any more. It's hard on him because he asks me to hold him everyday. I miss being able to carry him in my arms and having him put his head on my shoulder. Can't wait til I can give him a huge squeeze again.

I seriously believe now that pregnancy is meant for women in their 20's. Thankfully, my glucose level had been under control thus far. I'm still taking insulin injections at night, can't wait til it's all over! I am now going for my Nonstress Test twice a week where they monitor baby girl's heart rate and measure the amount of amniotic fluid. So far, everything is normal. Baby girl definitely prefers to move around more in the afternoons and evenings. I also get an ultrasound at every appointment. I got to see baby girl's adorable round head today. I told the doctor of my fear that she may actually be a boy, what will we do with all those girl clothes?! So the doctor took a more careful look during the ultrasound today and said definitively, "That's definitely girl parts!" :-)

Getting Real!!

At 34 weeks, I had my routine doctors appointment today and so far everything is on track. Baby Girl has the perfect heart rate and I'm the right size, weighing in now at 127lbs. However, due to the use of insulin, the doctor has ordered me to take a Nonstress Test (NST) next week. This is so they can monitor the baby's heart rate under rest and active conditions. I didn't have this test done with Sean because I was not on inulin last time. Then, the doctor also informed me that they will induce me on my due date if I do not naturally go into labor by then. Kaiser will not allow mothers with gestational diabetes on insulin to go past their due date. So Baby Girl, hopefully, will be born sometime in late March. I would actually request to be induced on April 2 since Aptil 1st is our official due date. I don't think one extra day will be a big deal. I want to avoid giving our daughter an April 1st birthday if possible! The only way she will be born on April 1st is if my contractions start maybe late March 31st. Last pregnancy, I was hoping to avoid Sean being born on Christmas or New Year's Day! I can't believe it's finally getting close!! She is already in a head-down position so hopefully she'll stay that way for the big day.

Baby Hiccups and other updates!

At 31 weeks, I felt Baby Girl's hiccups! We were watching TV in bed after Sean had gone to sleep when I felt Baby Girl's hiccups. Last time, I felt Sean's hiccups for the first time at 30 weeks. I'm now starting week 32 and I'm having a tough time with hip pain in the early morning hours. I also noticed some swelling in my hands, my rings are getting tighter now, already too late for me to remove them. Baby Girl is extremely active and she just loves to kick me, especially when I settle into bed to relax and work on my laptop. Brian can even see her moving!

For a month now, we've settled on her first name. I am very guarded about her first name because it's taken us so long to decide. The name is not on the top 100 list in the past decade and I want to keep it that way. When people ask me about names, I just tell them that we're still deciding. As for a Chinese middle name, that's even tougher! I'm still looking into that.

Happy New Year! Third Trimester Starts!!

Well, at 28 weeks my gestational diabetes finally took a not so great turn. My morning fasting glucose numbers have finally gotten high enough to warrant nightly insulin injections! Thankfully I only have to do the injections once per day. But still, being terrified of needles, it was a tough thing for me to accept. But I actually have been preparing for this for two years now. Ever since my first pregnancy, I have been told that I will have gestational diabetes with subsequent pregnancies and the onset will be sooner and more severe. So off I went to learn how to inject myself with insulin! Grandma Weir insisted on accompanying me and offering emotional support, which helped a lot. There was another woman in the insulin class and she was pretty nonchalant about the whole process. That helped to ease my nerves a bit too. We first tried out the syringe on a rubber pad. Then we each had to do a real injection on our stomach. Thankfully, the other woman went first. When she came back into the classroom, literally within two minutes, I asked her about the pain. She, again, was very nonchalantly telling me that it didn't hurt one bit. When it was actually my turn, I surprised myself at how quickly I was able to do the injection. And much to my surprise, it really didn't hurt much. So it's been a few weeks of self injections now. I still hate having to do it, but it's not horrible. I can't wait til it's all over though!

Other updates, I'm up to 120lbs now. Baby Girl is super active still. She is definitely a kicker and a tapper. I am also constantly running to the restroom these days as Baby Girl also likes to sit on my bladder. My hips have started to hurt in the morning again, maybe the end is near!

Happy Thanksgiving!

At 22 weeks, Baby Girl is SUPER active! Every evening, when I settle into bed for some TV and web time, she starts to play soccer. This baby is perhaps even more active than Sean, if that's possible! When Sean was in the womb, he loved to just stretch and shift around. But this girl likes to kick! Last night, Brian was able to feel her move. I'm also getting bigger by the minute. Perhaps she really enjoyed all the Thanksgiving pies I've eaten (including cranberry tart, pecan pecan, and apple pies.)

Pregnancy Symptoms

This time around, there are some similarities and some differences in my pregnancy symptoms. The most obvious similarity is that I have gestational diabetes again! This time though, it started much sooner. Hopefully, I won't need insulin injections but it's not looking good. Just like last time, I didn't experience much morning sickness. I only got one bout this time. The major difference this time is my cravings. I don't crave sweets like last time. Initially, I craved very spicy foods. Now, at 20 weeks, I'm not really craving much. I can eat pretty much anything that doesn't drive up my glucose level. Last time, my palms itched. This time, my back has been itching for weeks now!! I feel like a big bear wanting to scratch my back against a tree all the time! I am also experiencing annoying leg cramps in the middle of the night. My back is also feeling more pressure this time, not sure if this baby is simply bigger or that I'm just getting older.

It's a GIRL!!!

On November 4th, we went in for our 19-week ultrasound. During the scan, Brian had to wait in the waiting room while the tech was busy taking all the necessary pictures for the doctor. I just lie there quietly letting him to his job. In the mean time, there was a couple next to us also getting their ultrasound scan. But then they were told that they are having a girl. When I heard this, I really thought that they had taken my girl luck! I had been so nervous about finding out the sex of our baby since this is our last baby. Although we will be happy with either a boy or a girl, I did want one of each. Either way, this will be our last baby. After 20 minutes of patiently waiting for the scan to be performed, the tech finally said that we can bring Brian in. Then we started to look for the sex of the baby. Right at that moment, I suddenly had a feeling like it was a boy. But then the tech told us that besides the umbilical cord, there was really nothing visible between the legs!! He was pretty certain that it was going to be a girl! We couldn't believe what we were seeing, or not seeing rather!! At that moment, I started to cry!! I couldn't believe that we were going to have a little girl. Brian also teared up! We gave each other a hug and the idea of having a little girl is still slowly sinking in. When we got home, I told Sean that he was going to have a baby sister. To which he responded, "Baby siser!"

Positively Amazing!

On July 30, 2011, after waiting patiently for a little over two weeks, I took a pregnancy test in the moring and got a big positive!! We were super excited and I quickly booked a doctor's appointment to verify the good news. Then two days later, at the doctor's office, I took another urine test and the doctor informed me that I was not pregnant!! He asked me when I got my positive result, with the tone of "I think you made a mistake." I was shocked and disappointed, but didn't entirely believe the result at the doctor's office. I just had a feeling, like a mother's instinct! So I insisted on getting a blood test. But when I left the doctor's office I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. That evening, we read the blood test results online and it confirmed that we are indeed pregnant!! But since the blook test result only shows the level of the human growth hormone rather than "positive" or "pregnant" we even had to look up on the internet to see what those numbers mean. And just to be 100% sure, I emailed the doctor to confirm the pregnancy result!! So about three days after our first pregnancy test, we were finally able to celebrate!! :-) Thinking back, most urine pregnancy tests tell you to take the first morning sample to be accurate. So when I took the urine test at the doctor's office, I believe it was in the aftrnoon. In any case, we were happy as can be!

Big Brother!

Since telling Sean that he's going to be a big brother, he's been taking the matter seriously. Now that my belly's getting bigger, I've told him that there's a baby in there. So Sean has been pointing at my belly and saying "Baby!" He'll even try to lift my shirt up to look at the baby! It's too cute. He'll still point at himself when I ask him who's baby? But eventually, he'll have to relinquish that title to his little sibling. Maybe I should introduce the word "Toddler" to him...

Baby Tap!

At 17 weeks, I felt a baby tap, tap! Yup, twice the tap. I was leaning towards my computer screen reading in my office at work when Baby 2 decided to do a little tap, tap. :-) It was very cute.

Random Guesses!

As we share the news of our new baby, people have been speculating on the sex of the baby. My friend Chih Ping studied our ultrasound picture and decided that baby is a boy. Sean's daycare teacher Grace thinks that we're going to have another boy because Sean has been very well behaved at daycare these days and she thinks that he would be very jealous and upset if we are having a girl. The Chinese gender predictor tells me we're having a boy. I'm guessing it's going to be a girl because my cravings are completely different from my pregnancy with Sean. We shall see who's right!! Either way, we just want the baby to be healthy and happy!

Big and bigger!

I'm at week 17 and feeling quite large! Baby 2 was conceived in July, but by August, only about 8 weeks into my pregnancy, a few co-workers already suspected that I was pregnant! A male co-worker actually asked me out right!! But I kept quiet and didn't officially announced the pregnancy until we got the results of the Nuchal Translucency test at 13 weeks. I also felt baby bubbles (baby moves) at 14 weeks, only because this time I knew what they feel like and the baby just happened to be very close to my hip. Then I didn't feel any baby moves for several more weeks. As for my gestational diabetes...it's back with a vengence. This time, I forgo the 3 hour glucose test and just told the doctor that I will start monitoring my blood glucose level again. I still remember the whole routine and remember what food I can and can not eat. Thankfully, this time I only crave spicy and tart foods. So I don't have to fight that internal battle for a milk shake everyday! For now, I still can control my glucose level through diet but the doctor warned me that I may need insulin injections at night as the pregnancy progresses...boohoo. But other than that, I feel great. Only had one morning sickness incident before bedtime in my first trimestser. Hm...I wonder if craving different food this time means we're going to have a girl??

April Fool's!

Our baby number 2 is due to arrive on April 1, 2012, no fooling! We're all super excited to have a new addition to the Weir family. We are also happy that Sean will soon be a big brother. We have not broken the news to Toby yet but we're sure he'll be happy to know that there'll be someone else to entertain Sean. :-) At the end of 13 weeks, I already felt "Baby Bubbles!" Baby has been kicking around all day long, but likes to hang out on my right side. Baby's heart rate is at 155 beats/min. Wonder if this means Baby is a boy or a girl?