Greetings Baby Chin!

Week 20 + 2 days:

Finally the day came for our first U/S! There was a lot of anticipation for this day to come from both of us as we didn't have the luxury of seeing the baby during the first trimester. We headed over to Greig & Associates after work. I had drank two large cups of water and was bursting by the time I got to the clinic. Luckily there wasn't much of a wait. The technician was very warm and friendly. It turns out she's just had her 2nd girl just 8 months ago. My first attempt under the U/S was short as it turns out I actually drank too much water so my bladder was too full and actually blocking the view of the baby so I was ask to relieve myself (actually I had to do it twice hehe). I laid there for awhile as the technician clicked away taking photos of the little one and finally she was done her work and it was time for us to see little Chin...

It was an awesome experience. There in front of our eyes filling up my lower abdomen was a little being. The technician pointed out the baby's head, facial features, arms and fingers, the heart pumping away, tiny little stomach and bladder, legs and of course what was in-between.

More interesting specs on the baby:
-Due date confirmed for Oct 21st
-Heart beat at 149 beats per min.
-Est. weight is a healthy avg weight of 12 oz
-Baby seem to have the hiccups during the U/S!

And yes the baby was very cooperative. Baby legs were spread open enough that the technician was fairly certain of the sex! So she showed us and what we saw was 3 solid lines which indicate a GIRL! Yup, looks like our baby will have tons of gal pals to play with in the future. Of course, nothing is for certain until the baby actually arrives into my arms before I truly believe the baby is a girl. But for now, I guess it's alright to go ahead and plan somewhat like buy the cute girlie outfits to dress up my little girl =) Exciting times ahead. Look forward to meeting our little girl.

Never a time to blog

I look at the time and it's 12:42am. I really should be sleeping because in the morning I will suffer and be miserable but I haven't blogged for so long and I really feel inspired at this very moment. Well, I guess I'll suffer the consequences tomorrow.

Week 19: As I type this in bed, I notice my baby bump rising up and down as I type away. It has all gone by very fast. I have really enjoyed my pregnancy so far. I realize I shouldn't shout it out too loudly otherwise other miserable-mums-to-be will be throwing stuff my way telling me to stop gloating. I haven't felt strong motion inside yet but on the occassion, I do sense a 'flutter' or a slight poke that is definitely not gas but not strong enough for me to not think i'm dreaming it up. Next Thursday will finally be our chance to meet Baby Chin for our first U/S. We can't wait and it will be nice to see what's inside me.

Our doula search has been going well. I spoke with two doulas and both were available during my due date time. They both have varying qualities that make them good at what they do. We haven't met them yet so that will be the next step. I have been researching up on baby 'stuff'. Who knew there was so much baby 'stuff' out there? I'm glad that there are so many new moms in my circle of friends that I have learned lots from their experiences and advice so I'm not starting from scratch. One thing I have to keep in mind is that the baby will grow up very fast and wouldn't notice a $1K crib from a $100 one. It is interesting to go through the decision process of deciding what baby items are important and have to be new for our baby and what is a 'great to have' but will not be used lots so it could be an used item from craigslist. We have happily found and purchased a Storkcraft crib over craigslist and just today, Rob ordered a Peg Perego Pliko P3 stroller from a US online baby store. They were having this crazy sale and the stroller was $100 cheaper than what the Pegs sold for here. Hopefully the shipping process will be smooth and the product will arrive at my aunt's place in Bellingham in good condition. Then I will be a happy gal.

This week, I thought it would be nice to watch some movies we had. Since most moms claim there is never time to watch movies after they have kids, only cartoons and kid flicks. We watched The Bee Movie with Jerry Seinfeld as the voice for the main character. I really thought this was going to be a witty and fun animation to watch but was trully disappointed by the story line and how it was so cheezy. The beginning started out so well too.

Then tonight, I watched a chinese melodrama film called Cherries. It was a joint production by the Chinese and Japanese which explains the tragic and sad storyline. The movie based on a true story took place in a village in Yunnan. The landscape was beautiful; lush green mountains overlooking rice terraces covered with water was simply stunning. The narrator was an orphan girl who was raised in a poor family by a crippled father and mentally retarded mother. The mother's name was Cherry and she would pick cherries for her daughter and really just do anything for the daughter she loved as her own. I couldn't hold back the tears. The whole movie was sad from beginning to end but it showed that even in a family so poor and far from the norm of society, that love can prevail, especially the love a mother has for her children. They lived simply but loved richly. It made me think and gave me confidence that if a mentally retarded mother could provide so much love and care for her child, I definitely have the capability and capacity to do the same. Two words come to my mind: sacrifical love.

bedtime!

mucky yucky monday

I hate Mondays. It's the first day of work. My team meetings are on Monday. I never sleep enough to recover for the first workday of the week and to top it off, I've had this irritating sinus headache for most of the day (and still have it even as I type). I think it is a part of the array of 'wonderful' symptoms of being pregnant. Geesh I don't feel pregnant at this point and just have a horrible energy-draining headache. I'm taking it super easy tonight, sitting in my poang with my legs up and in my lounge pants and new terry robe from Costco ($19 and super soft). It's not a typical long robe; the sleeves only go to my elbows and the robe only to my knees so I've been told this will be perfect to have while delivering in the hospital =)

I was just reading up on various blogs by friends who are celebrating their first Mother's Day this year. It's amazing seeing and reading as they wade through the joys and struggles with parenthood. I experienced my first night of sleepnessless because there are so many things to consider and do before our dear one is born. And so many decisions one must make!

One such decision we are pretty decided on is to have a Doula with us during the labour process. We have gotten some good referrals from friends who only have rave reviews about the wonderful birth experience. It's hard not to have high expectations from their stories but Rob and I both feel it will be comforting to have someone constant with us through it all. Now, it's just finding one we like.

I read a pretty funny (new parents may or may not be amused) blog posting from Sharon's Doula and you definitely have to read it: http://vancouverdoula.blogspot.com/2008/05/okayso-heres-excuse-to-buy-new-bedding.html

May tomorrow be a headache-free day.

Non-baby babbles

I was showing my co-worker what a ranunculus flower looked like (I have those in my hanging wooden planter right now) and came across some beautiful photos on Flickr. Many know I have a love for photography and appreciating good art when I see it. One specifically caught my eye so enjoy! There is something very abtract about the photo; makes me wonder if it's even real or fake as I have never seen one with a stem so long, it can be put in a vase. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabinche/2450764431/in/pool-ranunculus


Rob and I have been hooked on the sitcom show, "How I Met Your Mother." It is a show about friends (like Friends) and instead of a coffee shop, they hang out at their local pub. It's funny and the type of humor our generation can relate to at some level plus one of the characters, Robyn is from Canada so there are frequent references and jokes aimed at Canadians. One of the friends is Neil Patrick Harris, yes the guy from Dogie Howser M.D. This one time, he even made fun of himself by typing in his thoughts at the end of the show on his blog. Also Alyson Hannigan from American Pie (the girl who played the flute) is in it. And tonight was Thursday so it was another heart-wrenching Grey's Anatomy that left me wanting more =) As you can guess, it was an relaxing night of TV and lounging.

At 16 weeks and full of thoughts

I'm sitting here and want to pour my thoughts out and am having so trouble. I seem to have too many thoughts all at once and not sure what exactly to write about. This is clearly a writer's nightmare; not being able to organize all the thoughts into a coherence piece of work.


I am a month away from being half way through my pregnancy. That is quite an insane thought. There is a shopping list of things I would like to do (mainly house renos) before the babe is here. I also have a lot of research ahead in terms of what baby items to get. In a material society like ours, products and services has reached out to people of all status and type. It is kind of like preparing for a wedding except that your decisions impact someone else, that being your child. I'm not looking forward to analyzing which bottle nipple or diaper is suitable for my little one. Any advice or suggestion from parents or soon-to-be parents is much appreciated!


Last night I found a free online viewing of the new documentary, "The Business of Being Born." This was produced by Ricki Lake and talks about labor deliveries in hospitals and how OB were educated to be surgeons and not necessary birthing specialists. Moreover, it spoke about how hospitals were interfering with the natural birthing process though the use of drugs and interventions that sped up the process but in turn impacts the health and well-being of the mother and child, leading to the end result being an emergency c-section. This makes sense to me. I didn't realize that when a woman has contractions, the baby gets cut off from the oxygen and what they need to breath and only gets it back in between contractions. This means that drugs like pitocin which makes contractions stronger and more frequent will cause the fetus heart rate to drop due to lack of oxygen from being cut off from the contractions. yikes.


I only got to see a third of the movie. If you want to view it, go here: (http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=8597620254789409121).



We went to Seattle over the weekend and Rob let me buy my first two outfits for the baby. I spent $8 total for both and they are so cute. I'm sure the white will be dirty in no time but it doesn't seem to matter what color you buy, they will all get their turn to be soiled =)




At 16 weeks, the baby gets moving! Some can feel the movement and others have to wait a few more weeks before they feel the kicking. I haven't felt anything yet. All quiet on the tummy front so far. I'm going to enjoy my last 6 months of freedom from non-parenthood and finally enjoy the beautiful Vancouver spring.