We will leave our house at about 7am tomorrow to head off to the airport. I don't think I have mentioned it here, but we are flying back to the states for the holidays for Nehemiah to meet his grandparents and aunt and uncles. He will even get to meet not one, but TWO of his great grandmas, as one will be flying in from Florida just to see him. This is truly a great blessing.
I've been teaching again, so between that and trip preparations (and figuring out Christmas gifts!), there's been a lot on our plates. I teach for no longer than 2-hour stretches, and we've got a great schedule going where Nehemiah doesn't often need to take a bottle of pumped milk so that I am able to just feed him right before I leave and right when I get back. I am a little anxious over how the trip will affect our schedules, but it will be fine in the end.
I haven't pushed any schedules on him, but he has pretty naturally made his own. His poops even follow one! It's nice that this has naturally happened because it has enabled me to learn how to better take care of him when he is fussy or what have you. For example, he's often really fussy at about 7 or 7:30am. Putting him in his bouncer helps him feel more comfortable and relaxed at this time so that he is able to thank me with a nice present. (And boy, are they starting to get stinkier!)
I've documented Thursday of last week (the 17th) as his first official smiles day. I had a few before that day, but that day really seemed to start it all off. He smiles more and more each day. He has also started making "cuter" baby noises instead of only grunting. Today was a pretty big increase. We are both in love with these sounds. Nehemiah loves bath time so much, so we get a lot of adorableness out of him from that.
It seems silly to note this, but one day before he turned 4 weeks, he shed his first tear. It broke my heart. I was doing something in the bathroom (probably rinsing one of his diapers) when he started crying, and he got so upset that he shed a tear. My poor baby. ;~;
We are both in love with how much cuter he grows each and every day. It truly is amazing.
His eyes are actually currently blue. We thought they were brown and even noted such on his passport application, but they are a dark blue for now. They will almost certainly turn brown by his first birthday. I checked to make sure eye color is not noted on the printed passport just in case, and it's not. ^.~
I am a little anxious about all of the flights going smoothly, so if you could pray about that, that would be wonderful. I am, unfortunately, the type of person who imagines a lot of what *could* happen but probably won't, and I let it get to me. This is why the internet and the news are sometimes dangerous for me. It's not even that I am afraid of flying itself--I love it! It's other little things, so just if you could send some prayers, they would be greatly appreciated.
Anyway, I have a bunch of things to get done that I am obviously not getting done by sitting here. For the family and friends back in MN reading this, see you soon!
Much love and many prayers to you all~
Monday, December 21, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Our Big Baby
Nehemiah weighed in at 5.46kg (12 lbs) today! My husband and I were thinking more like 5kg. I can't believe it, though my arms certainly can. This boy is huge. He is 57.2cm (22.5in) long now, though I am always skeptical of how accurate those measurements are. He took his Hep B shot like a man--just cried for two seconds and was back to sleep.
We had to go see a specialist after his appointment to check his left hip more. It's still clicking, which I knew, so we needed to be sure there weren't any problems. Praise God, everything looks normal! I was so worried that we would have to put him in a harness or cast. If it's still clicking after 5 months, we have to check it again, but otherwise, all is well.
I also had an appointment today. My blood pressure seemed high, but that's because I didn't let myself rest a little before taking it. I weighed in at 63.8kg (140.36 lbs). That is roughly 6kg (a little over 13 lbs) over my pre-pregnancy weight at one month post-partum.
My doctor commented on my bosom, lol. She was surprised how small I still am despite exclusively breastfeeding. Of course, size doesn't matter, but it does seem like most women do go up quite a bit. For me, these are big. ^o^
Anyway, the little mister is currently in his carrier because nothing else will satisfy him. I need to do a write-up of my favorite baby products so far for sure. As such, I will keep it short for today.
God is so incredibly good!
We had to go see a specialist after his appointment to check his left hip more. It's still clicking, which I knew, so we needed to be sure there weren't any problems. Praise God, everything looks normal! I was so worried that we would have to put him in a harness or cast. If it's still clicking after 5 months, we have to check it again, but otherwise, all is well.
I also had an appointment today. My blood pressure seemed high, but that's because I didn't let myself rest a little before taking it. I weighed in at 63.8kg (140.36 lbs). That is roughly 6kg (a little over 13 lbs) over my pre-pregnancy weight at one month post-partum.
My doctor commented on my bosom, lol. She was surprised how small I still am despite exclusively breastfeeding. Of course, size doesn't matter, but it does seem like most women do go up quite a bit. For me, these are big. ^o^
Anyway, the little mister is currently in his carrier because nothing else will satisfy him. I need to do a write-up of my favorite baby products so far for sure. As such, I will keep it short for today.
God is so incredibly good!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
One Month!
Yesterday, we went to Igloo Self-Photo Studio to take some photos for this year's Christmas card and for other purposes. I haven't taken the time to resize the photos so that they don't take up all of my storage limit, so here are just a couple for now. We are very happy with how they turned out. I love these self studios!
Anyway, going back to the topic, Nehemiah is one month old today! It feels both as though time has gone quickly and as if it's been longer than that. He has gotten so big. We'll find out tomorrow just how much he has grown. He is getting so strong as well. He can lift his head so high and support it himself while vertical for quite some time. He doesn't do it to his Appa, but he sure likes to kick me sometimes!
Nehemiah and I spent the day mostly alone, however. Hee Suk's father passed away about one hour before our little one's exact one-month mark, so he is down in Daegu now. It still makes my heart ache that he will never be able to meet him. Hee Suk said that Nehemiah's picture was displayed next to his bed, which I think is very special.
I will update again soon with his stats from tomorrow's visit to the doctor. I wish Hee Suk could be there. I need someone to hold me as I hold Nehemiah while he's getting his shots. Okay, I am joking. Sort of.
Otherwise, it's late, and I am finally finishing up dinner while the diapers are now rinsing. I was so proud of myself because I felt like I was doing really well with managing my time to be sure I finished everything up by a decent time, but Mr. Cranky Pants was extra clingy tonight and had no idea what he wanted. Either way, today did go much better than my previous "mommy and me" days, so I am happy. He really is a wonderful baby. We are greatly blessed.
Lord, please hold Hee Suk and all those whose lives his father touched in Your arms as they mourn. Please also continue to shape Nehemiah in Your image according to Your will, helping him simply thrive through the days, weeks, months and years.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
4 Weeks Old
And just two days until he is one month old! I cannot believe how quickly time has passed, but what's even more unbelievable is how big (and heavy!) he has gotten.
The sleeper he is wearing no longer covers his entire body. When he was born, it was longer than he was (from shoulders down) so that his feet stayed tucked inside.
Not anymore!
These aren't the greatest comparison photos, but here he is a few days after birth and today:
Definitely filling things out now!
As if possible, he has grown more adorable.
He has had a strong neck since birth, almost immediately being able to lift and turn his head, and he continues to get stronger. He is simply amazing.
He seems to be getting closer to genuine smiles. Nehemiah really is a joyful baby. I love being able to just sit with him curled up on my chest to just live in the moment. Hee Suk also adores holding him...so much so that he can often be found waking him up or encouraging him to eat right when I've sat down to have some me time on the computer. -.-; He's just so in love.
I forgot to mention that his US passport arrived on Saturday. Woohoo! I am so glad that is finished. Now we only need to wait for his social security card to come in. I kept laughing when I was looking at his passport. He is just way too adorable.
Hee Suk applied for his Korean passport on Monday, and he will be able to pick it up on Thursday. I am so happy that we found epassportphoto.com to take and print his passport photos ourselves. It saved us a ton of time and money, as well as a few headaches, I am sure. Korean passports require a smaller photo than US passports, so I just allowed more whitespace in a different print and cut it down to size. We had no problems whatsoever doing this.
Anyway, I had best be off to shower and get some rest. More updates to come, including plenty on "Nanny 411."
Thank You, my God, for Your incredible blessings. May we teach Nehemiah to love just as You have so wonderfully loved us.
The sleeper he is wearing no longer covers his entire body. When he was born, it was longer than he was (from shoulders down) so that his feet stayed tucked inside.
Not anymore!
These aren't the greatest comparison photos, but here he is a few days after birth and today:
Definitely filling things out now!
As if possible, he has grown more adorable.
He has had a strong neck since birth, almost immediately being able to lift and turn his head, and he continues to get stronger. He is simply amazing.
He seems to be getting closer to genuine smiles. Nehemiah really is a joyful baby. I love being able to just sit with him curled up on my chest to just live in the moment. Hee Suk also adores holding him...so much so that he can often be found waking him up or encouraging him to eat right when I've sat down to have some me time on the computer. -.-; He's just so in love.
I forgot to mention that his US passport arrived on Saturday. Woohoo! I am so glad that is finished. Now we only need to wait for his social security card to come in. I kept laughing when I was looking at his passport. He is just way too adorable.
Hee Suk applied for his Korean passport on Monday, and he will be able to pick it up on Thursday. I am so happy that we found epassportphoto.com to take and print his passport photos ourselves. It saved us a ton of time and money, as well as a few headaches, I am sure. Korean passports require a smaller photo than US passports, so I just allowed more whitespace in a different print and cut it down to size. We had no problems whatsoever doing this.
Anyway, I had best be off to shower and get some rest. More updates to come, including plenty on "Nanny 411."
Thank You, my God, for Your incredible blessings. May we teach Nehemiah to love just as You have so wonderfully loved us.
Monday, December 7, 2009
We Won!
We won a stroller! Capella holds a contest every month where you submit responses to three prompts: 1. Introduce your family; 2. What do you look for in a stroller?; and 3. How will you promote our product if we pick you? They pick three people every month to win a stroller. They used to also do car seats, but for some reason, they've only done strollers for the contests this year.
Hee Suk is the king of such contests these days and studied past winners' responses. Most of the past winners had used photoshop to create something spiffy, so I told him that if he typed everything up, I would photoshop it all. I'm not that good, but it's fun for me to pretend I am.
Here is our entry. Check it out! It's all in Korean, but there are plenty of pretty things to look at. Did we go over the top? Yes, but it saved us over $200!
I'm really hoping we get the "emerald green" one, but I have a feeling they will send red. We'll see!
We are very truly blessed!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Things I am Thankful For
I wanted to do this on Thanksgiving, but it was such a hard day that I could hardly manage it. I want to list out some of the things that I am thankful for as they relate to being a new mommy. There are, of course, far more things to list than possible, but here are some (in no particular order):
-Being the second oldest of six children. This probably is at least in my top five. What I learned from watching my own mother and from helping out myself is just far more valuable than I think most people could ever know. With all of the modern developments in childcare nowadays (gadgets for washing bottles, breathable everything, etc.), I would have gone insane trying to figure it all out if not for having those memories. My experience has saved us a ton of money, I am sure, and has helped us get a bit more sleep. I guarantee you our baby is much happier because of this as well. God has not blessed me with a desire for a big family myself, and the only thing that makes me sad about this is that our child(ren) will never have such memories to fall back on some day when it's time for them to have their own babies.
-I.R.I.S., America's Next Top Model and Project Runway/Models of the Runway. I.R.I.S. is my Wednesday and Thursday night show, ANTM is Friday, and PR/Models of PR is Saturday. Seriously, knowing that "my shows" are on in a day or two helps me keep my sanity sometimes. You should have seen me last night, as Hee Suk was out of town again, when I turned on KBS2 to watch I.R.I.S., and the 30th Annual Blue Dragon Awards were on and running over. I about lost it, but I kept holding out for it to start soon (which it finally did).
-Nehemiah's bouncer. To him, family meal time is very important, so he often wakes up just as we sit down to a meal. It's so great to have to keep him distracted, even when it's only for a couple of minutes.
-What to Expect When You're Expecting, The Complete Book of Breastfeeding and What to Expect: The First Year. If you know anything about me, you probably know that I hate reading. However, I new that Dr. Internet was not going to cut it for me with regards to pregnancy, childbirth and childcare. While there is great info on the internet, there is also too much sometimes. I love these three books to no end. They have saved my sanity and preserved my peace countless times.
-Others' experiences. One of my friends here told me while I was pregnant that she was uncomfortable breastfeeding in public still because it's messy. I am so glad she mentioned that it was messy for her because I have not really seen this in any of my books. When he starts coughing while feeding, and I notice it's because I've got a fountain of milk that won't stop than sometimes squirts all over his face, I know that there are others going through the same thing (or something similar).
Another friend of mine always says to herself and others, "It gets better/It'll get better." It's a bit of a mantra for me sometimes now. It really does help to get through some of the harder times.
-I don't know how to simply put this, so I'll just say our son's quirks. When I feel like I am not doing a good job, him laughing in his sleep or sleeping soundly on my chest helps me to feel so much better. (I am currently trying to capture his sleeping laughs on video and what I call the "Do I know the Muffin Man??" look in a photo.)
-That Nehemiah's grandmothers live in different countries. OK, so it's a little sad, yes, but anyone whose baby has one Korean grandmother and one Western grandmother knows what I am talking about. No, I don't keep him wrapped up in blankets all day. Yes, I do walk around the house in minimal clothing and drink *gasp* cold water! And darnit, I'll snap his onesie if I want to! I just can't imagine what would happen if they were together and wanting to take care of him.
-Hee Suk wins everything. I can't count how many things we've gotten free because of him. Countless photo sessions, the ear thermometer, a baby blanket...we're 95% certain he's won us a baby stroller valued at about $250 as well. That's not even half of it.
That's about as far as I can get for now. I've got a poopy diaper to wash out and food to eat. And I.R.I.S. may or may not be in in 45 minutes...
We are so greatly blessed!
-Being the second oldest of six children. This probably is at least in my top five. What I learned from watching my own mother and from helping out myself is just far more valuable than I think most people could ever know. With all of the modern developments in childcare nowadays (gadgets for washing bottles, breathable everything, etc.), I would have gone insane trying to figure it all out if not for having those memories. My experience has saved us a ton of money, I am sure, and has helped us get a bit more sleep. I guarantee you our baby is much happier because of this as well. God has not blessed me with a desire for a big family myself, and the only thing that makes me sad about this is that our child(ren) will never have such memories to fall back on some day when it's time for them to have their own babies.
-I.R.I.S., America's Next Top Model and Project Runway/Models of the Runway. I.R.I.S. is my Wednesday and Thursday night show, ANTM is Friday, and PR/Models of PR is Saturday. Seriously, knowing that "my shows" are on in a day or two helps me keep my sanity sometimes. You should have seen me last night, as Hee Suk was out of town again, when I turned on KBS2 to watch I.R.I.S., and the 30th Annual Blue Dragon Awards were on and running over. I about lost it, but I kept holding out for it to start soon (which it finally did).
-Nehemiah's bouncer. To him, family meal time is very important, so he often wakes up just as we sit down to a meal. It's so great to have to keep him distracted, even when it's only for a couple of minutes.
-What to Expect When You're Expecting, The Complete Book of Breastfeeding and What to Expect: The First Year. If you know anything about me, you probably know that I hate reading. However, I new that Dr. Internet was not going to cut it for me with regards to pregnancy, childbirth and childcare. While there is great info on the internet, there is also too much sometimes. I love these three books to no end. They have saved my sanity and preserved my peace countless times.
-Others' experiences. One of my friends here told me while I was pregnant that she was uncomfortable breastfeeding in public still because it's messy. I am so glad she mentioned that it was messy for her because I have not really seen this in any of my books. When he starts coughing while feeding, and I notice it's because I've got a fountain of milk that won't stop than sometimes squirts all over his face, I know that there are others going through the same thing (or something similar).
Another friend of mine always says to herself and others, "It gets better/It'll get better." It's a bit of a mantra for me sometimes now. It really does help to get through some of the harder times.
-I don't know how to simply put this, so I'll just say our son's quirks. When I feel like I am not doing a good job, him laughing in his sleep or sleeping soundly on my chest helps me to feel so much better. (I am currently trying to capture his sleeping laughs on video and what I call the "Do I know the Muffin Man??" look in a photo.)
-That Nehemiah's grandmothers live in different countries. OK, so it's a little sad, yes, but anyone whose baby has one Korean grandmother and one Western grandmother knows what I am talking about. No, I don't keep him wrapped up in blankets all day. Yes, I do walk around the house in minimal clothing and drink *gasp* cold water! And darnit, I'll snap his onesie if I want to! I just can't imagine what would happen if they were together and wanting to take care of him.
-Hee Suk wins everything. I can't count how many things we've gotten free because of him. Countless photo sessions, the ear thermometer, a baby blanket...we're 95% certain he's won us a baby stroller valued at about $250 as well. That's not even half of it.
That's about as far as I can get for now. I've got a poopy diaper to wash out and food to eat. And I.R.I.S. may or may not be in in 45 minutes...
We are so greatly blessed!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Don't Know How Far I'll Get...
Last week was crazy, to say the least, but we did get Nehemiah his US citizenship. I will try to do a write-up later on what it entailed. Thankfully, I had contacted another expat who had just gone through the process, or else I might have shown up without my college transcripts. The US Embassy Seoul website needs a little updating.
Nehemiah turned three weeks yesterday, and since then, he's been a bit fussy. He's in his bouncer right now with just a diaper and socks on because I have no idea what he wants. It's given me a couple of quiet minutes thus far at least. (Spoke too soon.) He has fussy time for 3-5 hours every morning starting around 6 or 7 am because he gets gas and wants to give me a nice present to change. I think he's also just been really tired but has been fighting off sleep. He still just does not like to burp, so that's causing issues, too, of course.
Through a program at our public health center, we are able to get a practically free nanny/maid to help us out. I was completely against it at first, but with Hee Suk needing to be away with his father, I said, "OK, if they will let us use one for just a couple of hours a days to help with cooking lunch and tidying up a little, that's fine."
Her first day was yesterday, and I didn't have a meltdown only because I was able to call a friend and my mom to rant and get my sanity back while she and my husband went grocery shopping. She criticized the air in our apartment, the size of it, this, that. Hee Suk thinks that kind of stuff is helpful, but I take it personally. I had the little mittens on him because Koreans like to over-dress babies, but she said he should be able to have his hands free. There is no winning with these people.
She mentioned several times how his skin is not good because of the air. He has baby acne from my hormones. I'm O-, he's A+. I'm female, he's male. Et cetera. Woman, back off the baby. She even suggested lotion, which our doctor and several books say NOT to do because it will just make it worse. She was told on Monday that she was to have nothing to do with the baby, just to help cook and clean a little.
Anyway, no Hee Suk today, as he is down in Daegu again, so I hope everything goes well.
Well, it looks like this is about as far as I'll get. I will try to post more and get pictures uploaded later.
God bless~!
Nehemiah turned three weeks yesterday, and since then, he's been a bit fussy. He's in his bouncer right now with just a diaper and socks on because I have no idea what he wants. It's given me a couple of quiet minutes thus far at least. (Spoke too soon.) He has fussy time for 3-5 hours every morning starting around 6 or 7 am because he gets gas and wants to give me a nice present to change. I think he's also just been really tired but has been fighting off sleep. He still just does not like to burp, so that's causing issues, too, of course.
Through a program at our public health center, we are able to get a practically free nanny/maid to help us out. I was completely against it at first, but with Hee Suk needing to be away with his father, I said, "OK, if they will let us use one for just a couple of hours a days to help with cooking lunch and tidying up a little, that's fine."
Her first day was yesterday, and I didn't have a meltdown only because I was able to call a friend and my mom to rant and get my sanity back while she and my husband went grocery shopping. She criticized the air in our apartment, the size of it, this, that. Hee Suk thinks that kind of stuff is helpful, but I take it personally. I had the little mittens on him because Koreans like to over-dress babies, but she said he should be able to have his hands free. There is no winning with these people.
She mentioned several times how his skin is not good because of the air. He has baby acne from my hormones. I'm O-, he's A+. I'm female, he's male. Et cetera. Woman, back off the baby. She even suggested lotion, which our doctor and several books say NOT to do because it will just make it worse. She was told on Monday that she was to have nothing to do with the baby, just to help cook and clean a little.
Anyway, no Hee Suk today, as he is down in Daegu again, so I hope everything goes well.
Well, it looks like this is about as far as I'll get. I will try to post more and get pictures uploaded later.
God bless~!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
2 Weeks Now
Well, he was 2-weeks old as of yesterday, but I was too worn out by the end of the day to post.
We had his two-week check-up yesterday, and it went very well. We met his regular doctor for the first time, and he is wonderful. He speaks English well and is very gentle and kind.
Although exclusively breastfed babies usually simply regain their birthweight by two weeks, Nehemiah, decided that that wasn't quit enough, so he added another 200g (7.04oz) on to weigh in at 4.45kg (9lb 12.6oz)! Take that, nurse who said he had lost too much weight the day after he was born and needed to have formula OR ELSE.
A few days after he was born, his height went down to 52.6cm (20.7in), which I am sure is due to his head rounding out. He decided to play with those numbers and is now 56.2cm (22.1in) long--up one inch. That's our boy!
He still has very slight jaundice, but it is nothing to worry over. The doctor noticed his one hip was clicking a little, so we will be checking it again at his next visit. Hopefully, it won't be clicking anymore.
I was a wreck for a couple of days before his appointment just thinking about the shot he would be getting and how much he would cry. Thus, while I was dressing him to go out, I put on his Iron Man socks for added strength. It made me feel better, at the very least. When we took him to get weighed the day after he was born, I cried watching him just wait to be weighed because he was crying, and there was nothing I could do to help him. When he had his I think it's called PKU test, I had to hold him while they pricked his heel. I felt like such a bad mommy for putting him through that. He was not happy at all.
At this appointment, we had him get the BCG shot, which is for tuberculosis. I was really against getting it at first, but I read other expats' opinions on it and looked up what it would mean if we didn't vaccinate him and he caught it. Korea has the highest rate of TB amongst industrialized countries, and we use public transportation and are in contact with Koreans all of the time. Even though it'll cause a little bit of a hassle when receiving the PPD skin test later on down the line and leaves a mark for some time, I know we made the right decision.
Anyway, we talked to the nurse giving the shot and asked if most babies cry when receiving it. She said that many don't cry. He was sleeping at the time, but when she started swabbing the area to clean it, he started shrieking a bit. The nurse said to him, "Why are you crying? I didn't do anything!" Hee Suk still thinks that that was hilarious. As soon as he got the shot, he stopped crying. Go figure. The cold of the alcohol (I presume) must have been worse than about 9 little pins going into his arm. Silly boy.
Anyway, our next appointment is on December 11th. I will get checked out by my doctor first, and then we will go to his appointment (same hospital). That'll be round two of the Hepatitis B shot. For those who think it is an STD, you are pretty sorely mistaken. Hep B is also more common here partially because of the food sharing culture, so for us, not vaccinating him against it was not an option. I know two people who caught it and don't even know how, and that's two too many if you ask me.
In other news, we tried out his baby carrier, the Pognae (Korean version of the Ergo), and it was wonderful! He was so content in it, and it was very comfortable for me to use. I am a believer. I felt much better walking around with him strapped in it and with just holding him in my arms.
Tomorrow will be just the two of us all day, as Hee Suk will be going down to Daegu with some other family members to visit his father. The doctor estimates he has about three weeks left to live, so this might be his last chance to see him. I really wanted to go as well so that Nehemiah could meet him before he passes on, but for a number of reasons, everyone agrees it is best if we stay behind. It really breaks my heart that it looks like he will never be able to meet his Halabeoji. We're thinking of making a video today for Hee Suk to show him just to have a little bit of a special connection there.
Friday, we will be going to the American embassy to register his birth and apply for his social security number and passport. Let me tell you, America does not make it easy. It was so simple for Hee Suk to just go in alone and take care of all of the Korean matters, but for America, all three of us have to go, and I have to be able to prove I have lived in America for at least five years. The website says that showing my passport with my exit and entry stamps is good enough, but the lady I spoke with today said that the officer may or may not request more evidence. I have access to my UMN unofficial transcripts (which are acceptable evidence), but I can't access my N'dale ones because I can't remember my student ID or password to the e-services website. She said, "Oh, well you can contact your university and they can send it to you!" "I'm coming on Friday. I don't think they can get it here in time." We'll see how it goes. I of course did not bring along any of our utilities or pay stubs or anything for me because really, why should I have needed to? I will call N'dale tonight to try to get my student ID number at the very least. If they do require more evidence, I can just fax it to them, but still. I think we'll be fine, but you just never know. Why does it have to be so difficult?
[Edit] After hours of trying, I finally remembered my student ID number! I am pretty much awesome. The only reason I eventually remembered was because I recalled it being similar to my Target employee ID number. We should be good to go! [/Edit]
Anyway, my plan had been to type up my birth story for his 2-week post, but I'm still getting there on that one. Thank you all again for your thoughts and prayers~!
Friday, November 20, 2009
The Lost Photos
The Wednesday before Nehemiah was born. We went to the National Palace Museum by Gyeongbokgung, and there was this gorgeous gingko tree outside.
My official 39w3d photo: November 6th.
We went to Changgyeonggung in the afternoon and had a wonderful time. We went there over one year ago and took some hanbok photos, but it felt like the first time since we were able to just walk around more casually and enjoy.
In traditional Korean culture, the placenta of royalty was saved and buried in a jar with a kind of monument like this erected in its honor. This one was for King Taejo, if I am not mistaken. We were trying to channel placenta vibes, lol.
We went to one of our favorite buffets afterward. To settle our super full tummies, we stopped by the Great King Sejong museum and had this picture taken.
For fun, here is my one-week post-partum photo:
Like I mentioned in my last post, getting used to my more-or-less original body has been far more awkward than the gradual changes that occur in pregnancy. It was hard for me to look in the mirror for several days.
Anyway, just wanted to do a quick photo post while I am saving all of our photos to different spots to clear out our memory cards. With Nehemiah, it wasn't hard to fill up 4GB pretty fast.
God is so good~
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
One Week Reflections
There are so many things I want to type, but I just wanted to post a few bullets about our little blessing's first week out of the womb.
I think I am still in shock. It's strange to be pregnant one minute and to hold your baby in your arms the next. It's unbelievable. I'll type out his birth story later, but it really was everything I could have hoped for. When he was born, it was pretty much just like my dream. He didn't cry (but was definitely alert) while he was on me, but the minute they took him away, he let them know he wasn't very pleased.
My tailbone is still slowly healing, but now that swelling has gone down, I feel my stitches a bit more. It's not a huge deal, but it isn't comfortable, of course.
One thing I noticed almost right away after delivery is not needing to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes. It's funny how easily noticeable the number of times you go to the bathroom is.
Pretty much "having my body back" has been strange. Growing bigger and bigger was just fine by me, but now being back to about normal is so weird. It's strange to look at myself in the mirror. It's also strange for Hee Suk, too, because he's so used to having his hand on my belly and talking to Nehemiah there. He still puts his hand on my belly, and we just cherish the memories together.
Breastfeeding was a bit of a challenge at first. Nehemiah was not interested in feeding for about half of the day, and for the first couple of days, it was painful. I am thinking that maybe a poor initial latch led to it hurting me more, but it is really wonderful now.
The rooting instinct just amazes me to no end. It's incredible to watch him try to find his milk. When he is lying on my chest and is hungry, he makes the most adorable and hilarious piggy grunts. There are definitely many things I cherish about his feeding times.
Nehemiah is so curious and loves to just lie down and take in the world around him. He loves looking at his Appa especially, most likely because his face is a little more dynamic having dark hair and dark eyes. I feel I look even paler than usual still, so I am not much to look at for a newborn. He does love looking at me as well, though.
Ah, you might be wondering how we chose his name...
We picked out his English name two years ago when just casually discussing baby names. We wanted something from the Bible, and I had suggested Micah. To Hee Suk, the English pronunciation of Micah sounds like a Korean trying to say "my car," so that was a no-go. Out of the blue one night, I suggested Nehemiah. We talked about who he was in the Bible and later looked up his name to see what it means: "Comforted by God." We fell in love with it for him. What wound up being a little ironic is that we chose the name as a sort of prayer for him to be comforted by God, but in the end, it was I especially who needed the comfort. It was no surpise to us when we found out we were having a son--truly God's timing and will.
His Korean name changed several times. Hee Suk kept trying to come up with a boy's and a girl's name that were related to the Bible, but a girl's name never did come to him. When we were at the hospital for my food poisoning, I asked him about a Korean name, and he mentioned Pyeongan (평안 - 平安), which means "peace." It was perfect. It obviously turned out that a girl's name was not needed. Again, truly God-led.
Anyway, those are just some bullets from the past week. It really is incredible that we were in the hospital one week ago, adoring our son for the first time and learning his personality and how to take care of him and that we are home now making so many new blessed memories as a family of three. We are so, so incredibly blessed, far beyong measure.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
He's Here!
Nehemiah Pyeongan Ko was born on his due date, November 10th, 2009, at 2:02am, weighing 4.2kg (9.24lbs) and measuring 53.8cm (21.18in). This technically goes along with my dream since it was November 9th in the states. ^.~ The labor was completely natural, and I wasn't even numbed for the millions of stitches I suppose I wound up with for internal tears (but perineum is okay!). I was the hero of the history of the hospital pretty much.
I don't think I wrote this, but after our last visit to the doctor at 39 weeks, I told Hee Suk he was going to be a 0-10 baby. I wasn't dialated or showing really any progress at all. He totally was a 0-10 baby, and active labor went very quickly. I will share more details later.
Recovery has been more difficult because my tailbone has shown me no mercy. Yesterday, I was finally able to start using my donut pillow to semi-comfortably sit. That and my breastfeeding pillow have been lifesavers today.
He is a perfect little angel, even though his first diaper change at home resulted in us needing to wash our comforter. We are both amazed by him and have been brought to tears of joy many times. We are blessed more than we could have ever deserved. God is so amazing.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. We are so, so incredibly blessed.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Paran Photos
These are the first three we received. There was no excitement from us when we did get them, as we were completely underwhelmed and couldn't understand why they chose three shots of me looking down. Seriously, were these the three best shots they took? Moreover, why on earth did it take so long to get them back to us?
Since we received them in the evening, we resolved to call them back the next day and see if they would be willing to send us at least one cut where my face was more visible, knowing not to really expect anything since they were free after all.
Well, we forgot to call the next day and instead called the day after. They said they would be happy to send us two more cuts--one of just me and one of us together. We were pleasantly surprised to receive three more cuts and couldn't understand why they didn't just send us these in the first place, as they were overall much better. That, and they got them to us very quickly (within a day). Still wondering about that three-week thing...
I'm too lazy to do it now, but I don't think I ever mentioned that Apple Tree Studio sent us a whole bunch of other photos for free. We ordered two more prints, but they sent six! Their service is really outstanding. It's funny that we expected more out of Paran but got so incredibly much more out of Apple Tree. Just goes to show...
Anyway, I am contemplating another post. For now, please enjoy the photos. ^^
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Officially One Week Out
We are officially one week away from our due date. It is so crazy to think about! What's even crazier is that he really could be here any day now.
He wanted to prove to us yesterday that he is stronger than the powers of the full moon, so he is sitting pretty cozy. Hee Suk is still convinced he will come this week, and as for me, I am trying to stay away from guesses in order to preserve my sanity. The whole guessing game just doesn't work so well for me, so I am happy to just take each day as it comes.
The crib is all ready to go and looks gorgeous. I have been lazy with pictures, and we have it covered with one of our extra blankets for now anyway to keep it poppin' fresh for when he decides to come. You will see plenty of it after he arrives, though. ^^
After much debate, we decided to splurge on a Fisher Price Rainforest Bath Center. We both really like the net attachment for newborns, so we decided the ease, convenience and peace of mind were all worth the extra money. It arrived today, so we are happy.
The hospital bag is all packed and ready to go. I've got a little checklist of last minute things I'll need to throw in and grab, but otherwise, we are in great condition. Hee Suk has been running through ways to help me manage my pain so that he knows at least a bit of what to expect (who can ever truly know?), so I think we're both feeling a bit more confident.
I've hardly had much of an appetite at all. Hee Suk thinks I drink far too much water (I must admit that with dinner especially, I do drink a lot more than I should), but all I really want at times is something to drink. This usually ends up being water, my milk or some kind of juice. Otherwise, I usually want some simple kind of bread product. It almost seems my appetite has cycled back to the first trimester in a way since I have been wanting french fries and ice cream, but I am still able to eat just about anything. Hee Suk always asks me what I want to eat, but I am such a pain that I ask him what he's in the mood for and try to follow that unless my body seriously objects. That's proven to work pretty well so far.
I have an aversion to sandwiches now, though. This works well, though, as I have switched over to salads with turkey and boiled eggs. Yum~
We have been going out on daily exercise excursions. It was so cold yesterday, so we went out to Yongsan to just walk around and see how things were there. It's been awhile since we were last there, and we were so surprised at how many shops were closed and being replaced. We're trying to figure out where to go tonight, as it is still very chilly.
Exchanges
Baby clothing here is often just not nearly as cute as items you can find in the states. It is also way overpriced and not sized for newborns. As last week was my last week of teaching (for the most part), we received a couple of kind gifts that we just never saw ourselves really getting to use. We found out that it is actually ridiculously easy to take the items in and exchange them for something else, so we did. The first one we received, we wound up exchanging for a little pillow since Koreans are overly concerned with beautiful head shapes. (Don't worry, it will only be used during hours of alertness.)
For the other item we exchanged, we got him two little plush toys with shakers inside. One is a little teddy bear on a ring, and the other is a cow on a wristband (slightly different from what is pictured). One of my favorite things my mother send over is this little armband with a dog on it, so I was happy to get another one. I just love imagining our little one shaking his arms around, not knowing what's going on, and later on down the line discovering what it is that is making that sound.
Exchanging the second item wound up being an adventure, though...
Despite the rain on Saturday, we decided to go to Lotte Department Store in Myeongdong since I needed to be out and walking anyway. There are buses in front of our place that drop you off right at the main entrance, so we didn't see it as a big deal. When the bus came, Hee Suk got on first. I stepped up with my right foot, but I wound up slipping forward and smashing my left shin into the bus, wallet flying from my hand to where Hee Suk was. All I can say is that hurt. It is getting better, but it still aches with a little pressure. The rest of our trip was pretty uneventful, thankfully.
We discovered later, though, that our little cow must have been a sample because some of the stitching had already busted through and the band looked a bit stretched, so we wound up going to another location to re-exchange that on Sunday. He is in the wash right now with his little teddy bear buddy. ^^
Paran Photos
Tomorrow is the date by which they promised to send our photos to us, so hopefully, we will see them then. I still fail to see why it takes weeks upon weeks to pick three photos and touch them up, but oh, well. I just hope they pick photos that we both like! We all know that everyone has a different concept of beauty at times...
Tomorrow
Anyway, we have a doctor's appointment tomorrow that should be pretty quick. She will do another pelvic exam to check for any potential progress and just check him quickly to make sure he is alright. Though the numbers don't truly mean much timing wise, I am interested to see if any progress has indeed been made. All I really care about is no more blood draws! No more NSTs (unless we go more than a week overdue)!
For when we do head to the hospital...
We'll be keeping it more under wraps. I love my friends, but I won't be able to handle feeling responsible for keeping so many people updated on our progress, especially if there are any sorts of emergencies. I think even more so is that I won't be able to handle knowing so many people are anxiously awaiting an update after catching wind that we've headed to the hospital. After he is born, we'll make announcements and certainly share pictures. ^^
At any rate, I need to get ready to go out and walk around a bit. Hopefully, I will be posting those pictures tomorrow!
Lord, You have so greatly blessed us, in big ways and small alike. You know exactly how much we can handle and have been with us through our toughest times. Thank You so much for always thinking of me, even though I so often fall short of Your glory. I do not deserve Your blessings, but You continue to pour them down on me. Thank You so much, my Lord.
He wanted to prove to us yesterday that he is stronger than the powers of the full moon, so he is sitting pretty cozy. Hee Suk is still convinced he will come this week, and as for me, I am trying to stay away from guesses in order to preserve my sanity. The whole guessing game just doesn't work so well for me, so I am happy to just take each day as it comes.
The crib is all ready to go and looks gorgeous. I have been lazy with pictures, and we have it covered with one of our extra blankets for now anyway to keep it poppin' fresh for when he decides to come. You will see plenty of it after he arrives, though. ^^
After much debate, we decided to splurge on a Fisher Price Rainforest Bath Center. We both really like the net attachment for newborns, so we decided the ease, convenience and peace of mind were all worth the extra money. It arrived today, so we are happy.
The hospital bag is all packed and ready to go. I've got a little checklist of last minute things I'll need to throw in and grab, but otherwise, we are in great condition. Hee Suk has been running through ways to help me manage my pain so that he knows at least a bit of what to expect (who can ever truly know?), so I think we're both feeling a bit more confident.
I've hardly had much of an appetite at all. Hee Suk thinks I drink far too much water (I must admit that with dinner especially, I do drink a lot more than I should), but all I really want at times is something to drink. This usually ends up being water, my milk or some kind of juice. Otherwise, I usually want some simple kind of bread product. It almost seems my appetite has cycled back to the first trimester in a way since I have been wanting french fries and ice cream, but I am still able to eat just about anything. Hee Suk always asks me what I want to eat, but I am such a pain that I ask him what he's in the mood for and try to follow that unless my body seriously objects. That's proven to work pretty well so far.
I have an aversion to sandwiches now, though. This works well, though, as I have switched over to salads with turkey and boiled eggs. Yum~
We have been going out on daily exercise excursions. It was so cold yesterday, so we went out to Yongsan to just walk around and see how things were there. It's been awhile since we were last there, and we were so surprised at how many shops were closed and being replaced. We're trying to figure out where to go tonight, as it is still very chilly.
Exchanges
Baby clothing here is often just not nearly as cute as items you can find in the states. It is also way overpriced and not sized for newborns. As last week was my last week of teaching (for the most part), we received a couple of kind gifts that we just never saw ourselves really getting to use. We found out that it is actually ridiculously easy to take the items in and exchange them for something else, so we did. The first one we received, we wound up exchanging for a little pillow since Koreans are overly concerned with beautiful head shapes. (Don't worry, it will only be used during hours of alertness.)
For the other item we exchanged, we got him two little plush toys with shakers inside. One is a little teddy bear on a ring, and the other is a cow on a wristband (slightly different from what is pictured). One of my favorite things my mother send over is this little armband with a dog on it, so I was happy to get another one. I just love imagining our little one shaking his arms around, not knowing what's going on, and later on down the line discovering what it is that is making that sound.
Exchanging the second item wound up being an adventure, though...
Despite the rain on Saturday, we decided to go to Lotte Department Store in Myeongdong since I needed to be out and walking anyway. There are buses in front of our place that drop you off right at the main entrance, so we didn't see it as a big deal. When the bus came, Hee Suk got on first. I stepped up with my right foot, but I wound up slipping forward and smashing my left shin into the bus, wallet flying from my hand to where Hee Suk was. All I can say is that hurt. It is getting better, but it still aches with a little pressure. The rest of our trip was pretty uneventful, thankfully.
We discovered later, though, that our little cow must have been a sample because some of the stitching had already busted through and the band looked a bit stretched, so we wound up going to another location to re-exchange that on Sunday. He is in the wash right now with his little teddy bear buddy. ^^
Paran Photos
Tomorrow is the date by which they promised to send our photos to us, so hopefully, we will see them then. I still fail to see why it takes weeks upon weeks to pick three photos and touch them up, but oh, well. I just hope they pick photos that we both like! We all know that everyone has a different concept of beauty at times...
Tomorrow
Anyway, we have a doctor's appointment tomorrow that should be pretty quick. She will do another pelvic exam to check for any potential progress and just check him quickly to make sure he is alright. Though the numbers don't truly mean much timing wise, I am interested to see if any progress has indeed been made. All I really care about is no more blood draws! No more NSTs (unless we go more than a week overdue)!
For when we do head to the hospital...
We'll be keeping it more under wraps. I love my friends, but I won't be able to handle feeling responsible for keeping so many people updated on our progress, especially if there are any sorts of emergencies. I think even more so is that I won't be able to handle knowing so many people are anxiously awaiting an update after catching wind that we've headed to the hospital. After he is born, we'll make announcements and certainly share pictures. ^^
At any rate, I need to get ready to go out and walk around a bit. Hopefully, I will be posting those pictures tomorrow!
Lord, You have so greatly blessed us, in big ways and small alike. You know exactly how much we can handle and have been with us through our toughest times. Thank You so much for always thinking of me, even though I so often fall short of Your glory. I do not deserve Your blessings, but You continue to pour them down on me. Thank You so much, my Lord.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A few updates from our appointment today
--Holy growth spurt, Batman! Our son is now measuring at 3.5kg (7.7 lbs), up .8kg (1.76 lbs) from last week. Our doctor is sort of not-so-secretly hoping he comes next week, lol. Hee Suk was beyond shocked at his growth and said to me, "See, I told you your belly was much bigger!" I gained just under 1kg, which means that more than 80% of my gain was his!
--The Non-Stress Test should be called something else. I hate it. There were no issues today, but I still hated it. It was nice that there was another Japanese animation on, but still.
--The doctor who did my autologous donation nearly had me crying during the process, but it wasn't that she did anything wrong. She told me my iron levels (hemoglobin count) were lower today and that I would need medicine. I thought she might have meant vitamin, but I just didn't want to hear of having any issues and just don't like taking medicine. I was at a 12.0 last week and came in at 11.7 today. We asked my doctor about it, and she said not to worry. Anything below a 12 shows up as red in their computers, but I am doing just fine. Sounds good to me!
--The tech who did my ultrasound last week did it today as well. Today, though, she hardly said a word to me and was just quiet the whole time, taking quite a bit longer than last week. At the end, she said, "I measured the fetal weight and amniotic fluid, so your doctor will explain the results." I don't do well with that. It just sounded so ominous. Going to the doctor, I was all thinking I was anemic and that something wasn't quite right with baby. Thankfully, it was all nothing in the end, and I shouldn't have to see those people again unless we end up overdue.
--No GBS thankfully! I am so, so over being a pin cushion. I look like I do drugs pretty heavily. My poor arms. ;~;
I have more updates to make and pictures to share, but I am tired. And my show may or may not be on now. ^.~
--The Non-Stress Test should be called something else. I hate it. There were no issues today, but I still hated it. It was nice that there was another Japanese animation on, but still.
--The doctor who did my autologous donation nearly had me crying during the process, but it wasn't that she did anything wrong. She told me my iron levels (hemoglobin count) were lower today and that I would need medicine. I thought she might have meant vitamin, but I just didn't want to hear of having any issues and just don't like taking medicine. I was at a 12.0 last week and came in at 11.7 today. We asked my doctor about it, and she said not to worry. Anything below a 12 shows up as red in their computers, but I am doing just fine. Sounds good to me!
--The tech who did my ultrasound last week did it today as well. Today, though, she hardly said a word to me and was just quiet the whole time, taking quite a bit longer than last week. At the end, she said, "I measured the fetal weight and amniotic fluid, so your doctor will explain the results." I don't do well with that. It just sounded so ominous. Going to the doctor, I was all thinking I was anemic and that something wasn't quite right with baby. Thankfully, it was all nothing in the end, and I shouldn't have to see those people again unless we end up overdue.
--No GBS thankfully! I am so, so over being a pin cushion. I look like I do drugs pretty heavily. My poor arms. ;~;
I have more updates to make and pictures to share, but I am tired. And my show may or may not be on now. ^.~
Friday, October 23, 2009
We Won!
Do you remember this picture?:
Our hospital was hosting a photo contest, so we decided to enter in the photo above (no studio pictures were allowed). You had to submit a photo and type up whatever your story behind it was.
We were excited about the prizes. First place would receive a 500,000won (just think $500) credit to use at the hospital--nice! As awesome as that is, we were simply hoping for second place--a Braun ear thermometer. They are ridiculously expensive here, and with the flu going around, the prices have soared even higher. It's hard to find them under 120,000won anymore.
Imagine our excitement when my husband received a call from the hospital today informing us that we had won second place! It was just like winning first since we had really wanted to win the thermometer. We felt like we had a fighting chance, but at the same time, I thought that my picture was almost a little too typical since it is a popular photo to take in the states. Between our photo and what he wrote up, though, it did the trick!
If you would like to view our entry on the website, you can view it here. It's in Korean, of course, but I figured I would share it anyway. ^^
We are very truly blessed!
Our hospital was hosting a photo contest, so we decided to enter in the photo above (no studio pictures were allowed). You had to submit a photo and type up whatever your story behind it was.
We were excited about the prizes. First place would receive a 500,000won (just think $500) credit to use at the hospital--nice! As awesome as that is, we were simply hoping for second place--a Braun ear thermometer. They are ridiculously expensive here, and with the flu going around, the prices have soared even higher. It's hard to find them under 120,000won anymore.
Imagine our excitement when my husband received a call from the hospital today informing us that we had won second place! It was just like winning first since we had really wanted to win the thermometer. We felt like we had a fighting chance, but at the same time, I thought that my picture was almost a little too typical since it is a popular photo to take in the states. Between our photo and what he wrote up, though, it did the trick!
If you would like to view our entry on the website, you can view it here. It's in Korean, of course, but I figured I would share it anyway. ^^
We are very truly blessed!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Goods from Grandma
After much careful planning to be sure it arrived safe and sound, Grandma's package of goodies came! Right before we headed out to our appointment, the post office called to let us know that they would be delivering it. It sounded like they would come while we were out, so we had them leave it with security and were sure to mention to them that it was coming.
The Box
Do you think they got the priority mail message loudly and clearly enough? ^.~
Open it, open it!
My mom had warned me that there were goodies stuffed inside of goodies. That was an understatement!
For Display
I had a little fun working out a crib display, but there was a little too much to be able to clearly show. More details below.
Just for Daddy
He loves this onesie so much.
Yes, that's right.
Our Little Superhero
There's another little pair of matching booties not pictured.
Everything is absolutely wonderful. Hee Suk adored all of the little booties and was amazed at how small they were. Koreans prefer to buy everything in bigger sizes since babies grow so quickly, so the smaller newborn stuff is pretty scarce. He also wanted to take the bumper for himself.
The crib bedding is perfect. The bumper is really amazing. It is a gorgeous sky blue and do incredibly soft. After all of the hassle with finding a bumper, I really did just want a simple sky blue one. Target.com had most white/sky blue prints, so I had just picked one from there. This is so perfect, though.
I am also in love with the receiving blankets set--again, exactly what I had been wanting. You might be able to see in the picture a set of four sky blue and white blankets, two with clouds. They are awesome.
Of course, the Classic Pooh items made me very happy as well. The bath towel and receiving blanket or beyond adorable.
My favorite outfit is definitely the raccoon one. The bib is just so cute, and you can't see it on the picture, but the bum of the pants has an acorn on it. I love outfits with adorable little things on the booty.
And oh, yes--you are looking at a doll from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Hee Suk told it that he hopes he and our son are good friends.
We are very grateful for all of these blessings. A very huge thanks goes out to my family. I will definitely take pictures galore of each item in use as time goes on. Thank you so, so much!
In a short sidenote, you might notice these hanging in the background of the picture of all of the items:
We've started our laundry for baby, and since we have to wash these through a few times, these were up first. These are the inserts for our cloth diapers. We're going the separate cover and insert route, so when he needs a new diaper, we just pull out the dirty one and put a clean one of these in.
Game time!
While preparing things for the laundry, I whipped out all of the burp cloths or whatever you prefer to call them that we have received. Here is what they look like all bundled up:
Guess how many we have!
Anyway, it is time to get some dinner in my belly. I think I have done enough damage in the blogging world for the day. Thanks so much again to my family. We can't wait to have the crib all set up with what you sent and to dress our little one in all of those adorable outfits.
Do you think they got the priority mail message loudly and clearly enough? ^.~
Open it, open it!
My mom had warned me that there were goodies stuffed inside of goodies. That was an understatement!
For Display
I had a little fun working out a crib display, but there was a little too much to be able to clearly show. More details below.
Just for Daddy
He loves this onesie so much.
Yes, that's right.
Our Little Superhero
There's another little pair of matching booties not pictured.
Everything is absolutely wonderful. Hee Suk adored all of the little booties and was amazed at how small they were. Koreans prefer to buy everything in bigger sizes since babies grow so quickly, so the smaller newborn stuff is pretty scarce. He also wanted to take the bumper for himself.
The crib bedding is perfect. The bumper is really amazing. It is a gorgeous sky blue and do incredibly soft. After all of the hassle with finding a bumper, I really did just want a simple sky blue one. Target.com had most white/sky blue prints, so I had just picked one from there. This is so perfect, though.
I am also in love with the receiving blankets set--again, exactly what I had been wanting. You might be able to see in the picture a set of four sky blue and white blankets, two with clouds. They are awesome.
Of course, the Classic Pooh items made me very happy as well. The bath towel and receiving blanket or beyond adorable.
My favorite outfit is definitely the raccoon one. The bib is just so cute, and you can't see it on the picture, but the bum of the pants has an acorn on it. I love outfits with adorable little things on the booty.
And oh, yes--you are looking at a doll from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Hee Suk told it that he hopes he and our son are good friends.
We are very grateful for all of these blessings. A very huge thanks goes out to my family. I will definitely take pictures galore of each item in use as time goes on. Thank you so, so much!
In a short sidenote, you might notice these hanging in the background of the picture of all of the items:
We've started our laundry for baby, and since we have to wash these through a few times, these were up first. These are the inserts for our cloth diapers. We're going the separate cover and insert route, so when he needs a new diaper, we just pull out the dirty one and put a clean one of these in.
Game time!
While preparing things for the laundry, I whipped out all of the burp cloths or whatever you prefer to call them that we have received. Here is what they look like all bundled up:
Guess how many we have!
Anyway, it is time to get some dinner in my belly. I think I have done enough damage in the blogging world for the day. Thanks so much again to my family. We can't wait to have the crib all set up with what you sent and to dress our little one in all of those adorable outfits.
The Doctor's Appointment
To try to be chronological, here is 36 week and some change picture, taken last Friday:
Today's Appointment
I was not a very happy camper at today's appointment. This is what I expected according to the little paper we were given at our last appointment with directions for this one: pay, test hemoglobin levels, go downstairs and do autologous donation, pee in a cup, take weight and blood pressure, meet with the doctor.
Does that sound like an over 2-hour appointment to you?
They were very busy today, so thank goodness we got there early. We paid (yes, you have to pay first in this country), and then we went to to spot to get my blood tested. I thought it would just be a finger prick because that's all you need for hemoglobin levels. What I thought would be a finger prick wound up being four vials of blood. I later recalled our doctor mentioning a few last blood tests that we'd be doing, but neither of us realized that they would be done today. No problem, though. The man who took my blood was very nice and friendly. He switched things up on us and had me do my urine sample right after that. No big deal--I have to go to the bathroom all of the time anyway.
We went downstairs, as the directions on our sheet had directed us, and the people there weren't quite as friendly. I kept wondering why the blood donation place was where we were--a room labeled something like "Fetal Assessment Room". I figured I was the only one waiting to do an autologous donation and that we wouldn't have to wait very long. What I couldn't figure out was where on earth I would be giving my blood. There were two options: a lab (where they do ultrasounds) or the Non-Stress Test room.
After forever and a day, I was called into one of the labs, assuming I'd be doing my donation. Nope, I was having an ultrasound. I had thought my doctor would be performing one quickly, but nope--it was being done here. Of course, Hee Suk was not allowed in. Thankfully, though, it was over in a flash.
I went back out to hurry up and wait. After some time, I was called into the NST room. Oh, okay, this must be where the blood donations are done for whatever reason. There were a bunch of recliners and women all strapped up to something or other, so it didn't seem too strange. Of course, I am still thinking this is just for my blood, so when they said my husband couldn't come in, I almost had a heart attack. I just could not relax about the giving blood experience and wanted him there. So what if there were other pregnant women there? I wanted my husband!
I sat down in one of the recliners and was instructed to bare my belly. Huh? For a blood donation? I did as told and had two blue straps wrapped around me. They listened to baby's heartbeat and handed me a button. The nurse apparently only knew limited vocabulary, because all she could explain to me in English was, "Fetal movement..." (makes a motion). "Push?" I asked. She said yes, but I had no idea what they really wanted.
Hee Suk kept worrying about me and asked the nurse and doctor there twice if I was okay and if there were any communication problems. They kept brushing him off like, "Yeah. Why, you don't trust us?" according to him. Before I went in, he was right there with me and asked if anything needed to be explained, and they said no. Why on earth did they not take the time to just quickly explain what I needed to do so I could relax a bit more?
After being at the hospital for over an hour, I was pushing a button only vaguely aware of the whole NST procedure and trying to find a way to get a message to Hee Suk to try to tell him this still wasn't the autologous donation so we wouldn't be wasting time waiting somewhere else again. The only good thing here was that they were showing the movie Spirited Away. I just could not relax, though. I had no idea how often I was supposed to push the darn button. Was it supposed to be with every single little movement? He was moving all over the place, so how was I supposed to do it for every one? The woman to my right seemed trigger happy, and the woman to my left didn't push it once. And my goodness, do they have to seriously beep with every push?
Some of you might already be bright enough to realize that I was having an NST because I was going to have the autologous donation, that they would want to monitor baby while it was being done to make sure he was okay. After some time, a doctor came in with what looked to me like a Blood Kit of Doom that I imagined might have caused a little worry in the other women who might have then wondered, "What is she doing? Are they going to do that to me, too?"
This doctor was very kind, and of course, the thing I was worried the most over wound up being one of the finer points of the appointment.
Mad Skills
This was close to one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life--an NST and blood donation simultaneously. I was trying to relax and control my breathing, but I had the clicker in my left hand now to click away as our son kept moving, and I had a squishy grip thing in my right that I had to slowly squeeze and relax for the blood donation. The doctor was wonderful and kept talking to me, asking what country I was from and if I had any prior donation experience. I was happy to learn after she finished that it looks like she will be the one doing my next pint of blood next week as well. Thank goodness.
Good Baby
Our baby loves me. Right after that doctor left, he decided it would be a great time to hiccup. As if I wasn't already confused about when to click, I had to wonder if I was supposed to click with every hiccup. I wound up asking one of the nurses in Korean, "If he has hiccups..." "Yes." I'm just used to doctors actually clearly answering things, so I took this to mean that yes, I should click it every time, but it wasn't as clear as daylight. Oh, well. I got to annoy the goodness out of myself by clicking away as he hiccuped, though it may have been a blessing in disguise.
I don't know if it is because he moved around so much and so well or because they were just doing the NST for the blood donation, but I finished far more quickly than pretty much all of the other women in the room. There seemed to be a correlation between clickers leaving more quickly than non-clickers, but I have no idea. I was glad to get out of there. I told Hee Suk about everything, and he was upset that it was such a negative experience for me. (Seriously? Non-Stress Test?) He said I came out looking like I had been in a battle or something. He talked to the nurse and doctor who he had spoken with a couple of times and complained a little, explaining how uncomfortable it was for me. They were kind and apologized, so we moved on.
False Alarm
I am pretty much a moron. I took my weight and blood pressure, wrote it down, then leafed through my little notebook to compare this week's to last week's.
Weight: 75.15kg (165.33 lbs)
Blood Pressure: 120/68 (high for me personally, but I didn't bother re-testing knowing how flustered I was feeling)
Heart Rate: 82bpm
I looked in my notebook and saw that I had written down that I was 79.3kg (174.46 lbs) at our last appointment. What?? How could I have lost 4kg (8.8 lbs)?
We later found out I had just written it down wrong. I was 73.9kg last time, which, I correctly recorded here in this journal. I am full of win. :D
We're doing that today?
If you've followed along, you'll know that I expected my first pelvic exam at our next appointment, which was to include the Group-B Strep test. Imagine my surprise when the nurse calls my name to go into the exam room and says my husband is not allowed in. What? I'm not even supposed to be going in there, and he's not allowed in?
I went in and asked my doctor about what was going on, and she just decided to do the exam and test this week. Hee Suk wasn't allowed in because he wasn't going to see anything anyway. :\ Thankfully, though, she finished before I even knew it. It wasn't uncomfortable at all (well, aside from the inherent uneasiness of baring your most private of privates to someone). No spotting or discomfort at all afterwards.
Follow-Up
We went in together to her office after that, and everything looks great. We were surprised that our son measured in at just 2.75-2.8kg (6.05-6.16 lbs), but reflecting on this later, these measurements had to have been taken at the speed of light at the ultrasound I had done on the Floor of Doom. Maybe they weren't totally accurate (as if ultrasounds are known for weight accuracy anyway). Anyway, that's still a fine weight, so it's nothing to worry about. We just expected him to be a little bit bigger.
When reviewing what we had done today, she realized that she failed to mention I was having the NST and what to expect, that they usually do the NST and blood donation together because some women end up contracting during it (which I did not). Good to know for next time, I suppose.
She was very happy with our baby's movement, though, and said that he seemed to be in great condition. I am still pretty closed, so hopefully, that means he's planning on coming right around his due date. I know some women go from 0 to 10 in a very short period of time, but for now, I am happy to hear that there is no early progress. We'll see how that goes later!
One More Surprise!
The doctor asked if I had done an EKG today, and no, I hadn't. She said that if we had a little time (we had already been there for two hours!), it would be good to go and quickly get it done. Thankfully, it was actually super quick, but it was in a very strange building. We wound up walking through the employee cafeteria to get there. Good times.
The Cherry on Top
After all of that today, we later got a call from the hospital. They forgot to charge us for the GBS test. (It is not routine here.) Thankfully, we can just pay for it next time.
I love my doctor and I am comfortable at this hospital. I just don't do well with surprises. Goodness, I can hardly live with surprising others. I can't buy Christmas gifts too far in advance because I risk giving them early out of excitement and feeling obligated to go out and buy something else to give on the holiday. We blame the frustration half on our doctor and half on the nurses and doctors on the Floor of Doom. I just wish I had known what on earth was going on even half of the time. Our appointment next week should be a million times smoother since it will pretty much mirror the one today minus a few tests, but yeah.
I was super exhausted after all was said and done, but I think it stemmed more from the stress rather than from having my blood taken. I was happy to come home to a grand ol' box from my family, though. Because this has gotten ridiculously lengthy, that will get a post of its own with plenty of photos. ^^
Today's Appointment
I was not a very happy camper at today's appointment. This is what I expected according to the little paper we were given at our last appointment with directions for this one: pay, test hemoglobin levels, go downstairs and do autologous donation, pee in a cup, take weight and blood pressure, meet with the doctor.
Does that sound like an over 2-hour appointment to you?
They were very busy today, so thank goodness we got there early. We paid (yes, you have to pay first in this country), and then we went to to spot to get my blood tested. I thought it would just be a finger prick because that's all you need for hemoglobin levels. What I thought would be a finger prick wound up being four vials of blood. I later recalled our doctor mentioning a few last blood tests that we'd be doing, but neither of us realized that they would be done today. No problem, though. The man who took my blood was very nice and friendly. He switched things up on us and had me do my urine sample right after that. No big deal--I have to go to the bathroom all of the time anyway.
We went downstairs, as the directions on our sheet had directed us, and the people there weren't quite as friendly. I kept wondering why the blood donation place was where we were--a room labeled something like "Fetal Assessment Room". I figured I was the only one waiting to do an autologous donation and that we wouldn't have to wait very long. What I couldn't figure out was where on earth I would be giving my blood. There were two options: a lab (where they do ultrasounds) or the Non-Stress Test room.
After forever and a day, I was called into one of the labs, assuming I'd be doing my donation. Nope, I was having an ultrasound. I had thought my doctor would be performing one quickly, but nope--it was being done here. Of course, Hee Suk was not allowed in. Thankfully, though, it was over in a flash.
I went back out to hurry up and wait. After some time, I was called into the NST room. Oh, okay, this must be where the blood donations are done for whatever reason. There were a bunch of recliners and women all strapped up to something or other, so it didn't seem too strange. Of course, I am still thinking this is just for my blood, so when they said my husband couldn't come in, I almost had a heart attack. I just could not relax about the giving blood experience and wanted him there. So what if there were other pregnant women there? I wanted my husband!
I sat down in one of the recliners and was instructed to bare my belly. Huh? For a blood donation? I did as told and had two blue straps wrapped around me. They listened to baby's heartbeat and handed me a button. The nurse apparently only knew limited vocabulary, because all she could explain to me in English was, "Fetal movement..." (makes a motion). "Push?" I asked. She said yes, but I had no idea what they really wanted.
Hee Suk kept worrying about me and asked the nurse and doctor there twice if I was okay and if there were any communication problems. They kept brushing him off like, "Yeah. Why, you don't trust us?" according to him. Before I went in, he was right there with me and asked if anything needed to be explained, and they said no. Why on earth did they not take the time to just quickly explain what I needed to do so I could relax a bit more?
After being at the hospital for over an hour, I was pushing a button only vaguely aware of the whole NST procedure and trying to find a way to get a message to Hee Suk to try to tell him this still wasn't the autologous donation so we wouldn't be wasting time waiting somewhere else again. The only good thing here was that they were showing the movie Spirited Away. I just could not relax, though. I had no idea how often I was supposed to push the darn button. Was it supposed to be with every single little movement? He was moving all over the place, so how was I supposed to do it for every one? The woman to my right seemed trigger happy, and the woman to my left didn't push it once. And my goodness, do they have to seriously beep with every push?
Some of you might already be bright enough to realize that I was having an NST because I was going to have the autologous donation, that they would want to monitor baby while it was being done to make sure he was okay. After some time, a doctor came in with what looked to me like a Blood Kit of Doom that I imagined might have caused a little worry in the other women who might have then wondered, "What is she doing? Are they going to do that to me, too?"
This doctor was very kind, and of course, the thing I was worried the most over wound up being one of the finer points of the appointment.
Mad Skills
This was close to one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life--an NST and blood donation simultaneously. I was trying to relax and control my breathing, but I had the clicker in my left hand now to click away as our son kept moving, and I had a squishy grip thing in my right that I had to slowly squeeze and relax for the blood donation. The doctor was wonderful and kept talking to me, asking what country I was from and if I had any prior donation experience. I was happy to learn after she finished that it looks like she will be the one doing my next pint of blood next week as well. Thank goodness.
Good Baby
Our baby loves me. Right after that doctor left, he decided it would be a great time to hiccup. As if I wasn't already confused about when to click, I had to wonder if I was supposed to click with every hiccup. I wound up asking one of the nurses in Korean, "If he has hiccups..." "Yes." I'm just used to doctors actually clearly answering things, so I took this to mean that yes, I should click it every time, but it wasn't as clear as daylight. Oh, well. I got to annoy the goodness out of myself by clicking away as he hiccuped, though it may have been a blessing in disguise.
I don't know if it is because he moved around so much and so well or because they were just doing the NST for the blood donation, but I finished far more quickly than pretty much all of the other women in the room. There seemed to be a correlation between clickers leaving more quickly than non-clickers, but I have no idea. I was glad to get out of there. I told Hee Suk about everything, and he was upset that it was such a negative experience for me. (Seriously? Non-Stress Test?) He said I came out looking like I had been in a battle or something. He talked to the nurse and doctor who he had spoken with a couple of times and complained a little, explaining how uncomfortable it was for me. They were kind and apologized, so we moved on.
False Alarm
I am pretty much a moron. I took my weight and blood pressure, wrote it down, then leafed through my little notebook to compare this week's to last week's.
Weight: 75.15kg (165.33 lbs)
Blood Pressure: 120/68 (high for me personally, but I didn't bother re-testing knowing how flustered I was feeling)
Heart Rate: 82bpm
I looked in my notebook and saw that I had written down that I was 79.3kg (174.46 lbs) at our last appointment. What?? How could I have lost 4kg (8.8 lbs)?
We later found out I had just written it down wrong. I was 73.9kg last time, which, I correctly recorded here in this journal. I am full of win. :D
We're doing that today?
If you've followed along, you'll know that I expected my first pelvic exam at our next appointment, which was to include the Group-B Strep test. Imagine my surprise when the nurse calls my name to go into the exam room and says my husband is not allowed in. What? I'm not even supposed to be going in there, and he's not allowed in?
I went in and asked my doctor about what was going on, and she just decided to do the exam and test this week. Hee Suk wasn't allowed in because he wasn't going to see anything anyway. :\ Thankfully, though, she finished before I even knew it. It wasn't uncomfortable at all (well, aside from the inherent uneasiness of baring your most private of privates to someone). No spotting or discomfort at all afterwards.
Follow-Up
We went in together to her office after that, and everything looks great. We were surprised that our son measured in at just 2.75-2.8kg (6.05-6.16 lbs), but reflecting on this later, these measurements had to have been taken at the speed of light at the ultrasound I had done on the Floor of Doom. Maybe they weren't totally accurate (as if ultrasounds are known for weight accuracy anyway). Anyway, that's still a fine weight, so it's nothing to worry about. We just expected him to be a little bit bigger.
When reviewing what we had done today, she realized that she failed to mention I was having the NST and what to expect, that they usually do the NST and blood donation together because some women end up contracting during it (which I did not). Good to know for next time, I suppose.
She was very happy with our baby's movement, though, and said that he seemed to be in great condition. I am still pretty closed, so hopefully, that means he's planning on coming right around his due date. I know some women go from 0 to 10 in a very short period of time, but for now, I am happy to hear that there is no early progress. We'll see how that goes later!
One More Surprise!
The doctor asked if I had done an EKG today, and no, I hadn't. She said that if we had a little time (we had already been there for two hours!), it would be good to go and quickly get it done. Thankfully, it was actually super quick, but it was in a very strange building. We wound up walking through the employee cafeteria to get there. Good times.
The Cherry on Top
After all of that today, we later got a call from the hospital. They forgot to charge us for the GBS test. (It is not routine here.) Thankfully, we can just pay for it next time.
I love my doctor and I am comfortable at this hospital. I just don't do well with surprises. Goodness, I can hardly live with surprising others. I can't buy Christmas gifts too far in advance because I risk giving them early out of excitement and feeling obligated to go out and buy something else to give on the holiday. We blame the frustration half on our doctor and half on the nurses and doctors on the Floor of Doom. I just wish I had known what on earth was going on even half of the time. Our appointment next week should be a million times smoother since it will pretty much mirror the one today minus a few tests, but yeah.
I was super exhausted after all was said and done, but I think it stemmed more from the stress rather than from having my blood taken. I was happy to come home to a grand ol' box from my family, though. Because this has gotten ridiculously lengthy, that will get a post of its own with plenty of photos. ^^
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Team Work
Our son and I have a great little communication thing going on. About a couple of months ago, my sleep was just horrid because of always having to get up and having tons of nightmares. I told him that it was okay if I couldn't sleep through the night and got up a bunch of times, but please cut back on the nightmares. I've only had a few random nightmares since then.
At the beginning of this past week, sleep was just painful for me. I kept waking up hardly able to move because of the pain my hips were in. What added to the emotional agony was knowing that every time I spent some time sleeping on my right side to try to help lessen the pain on the left, it was causing him to switch positions. If I had to guess, he kept switching to more of a transverse lie. I would wake up several times just worrying about him, knowing he had flipped, which he would later confirm with his hiccups.
Well, baby and I worked together to find something that works. Between two classes the other day, I had lied down for about 30 minutes without pain (and without putting much thought into how I was lying) and just knew there had to be a way to keep me on my left comfortably.
Previously, I had two pillows I was using for my head because it just feels better to have it more elevated and one pillow for between my legs. I decided to take one of my head pillows and keep it wedged under my belly. Somehow, this alone was enough to do the trick.
The weird thing is that when I was sleeping on my right, all I needed was the pillow under my belly--nothing for between my legs. My left side needs the whole shebang. The only slight issue now is that my left shoulder often feels a bit sore, but it is perfectly manageable and hardly an issue. Mommy and Baby are much happier now.
Anyway, he's such a good baby.
In other news, I've got my 36-week photo on my camera, but I am too lazy to upload anything right now. I didn't realize that I did not yet share the pro pics from Apple Tree, so here they are!
We absolutely adore our photo together. Hee Suk loves it in black and white, so that is what's currently the background on our desktop. I don't fancy having pictures of myself alone around the house, so we ordered the one of us together and might order a couple of others. If we do, I will be sure to share them here.
Appetite
My appetite is pretty shot nowadays. For example, my lunch was a piece of pumpkin pie yesterday. That's all I wanted to eat and all I could eat. When I came home, I ate the remainder of Hee Suk's piece of pizza. For dinner, there was only one thing I could think of that I would be able to eat quite a bit of--chadolbaegi (차돌배기). It's pretty much a very thin cut of beef that it usually cooked table-top. You don't season it--just dip it in sesame oil with salt and add a bit of some slightly spicy soy bean paste-style sauce of deliciousness if you so desire. We don't have a table-top whiz, so we just cook it on the stove and eat it at the table. Good enough. We had to make a special trip to the grocery store just to get it, but it was worth it. Of course, it had to start raining while we were in the middle of shopping. -.-;
Anyway, at least this week, all I have truly wanted is some pumpkin pie. I think I mentioned a week or so ago that I've really only wanted fluids, too. Having orange juice in the house is a must, as well as having my special milk. Wanting pumpkins and persimmons definitely makes our little bonbon a fall baby.
Cramped Quarters
Our son is definitely moving less often these days with being so cramped up inside, but when he moves, he moves. Nothing is stopping this little one from stretching out as he so pleases.
On Thursday night, I had wanted to sleep after finishing my Bible study, but I couldn't help just sitting there watching him have at it. It is just crazy to imagine what he has to do to be able to move as he does. It's neat to try to imagine what limbs he is rolling around. I like to think that when he sticks his little booty out, he is asking to be cuddled with. Just allow me to muse such thoughts.
Dreaming of Birth
The past two nights, I have had dreams about giving birth to our son. Last night's was a bit more realistic than others have been, but Thursday's was pretty over-the-top.
I had dreamt we were at the hospital but had basically done nothing. Hee Suk informed me that apparently, us just being there had already cost us $1000, so we went home and decided we would hardly spend anymore time there and waited it out at home. I kept wondering why nothing was really happening, so we took a look down there to find that he was already starting to crown! One push, his head was out. The body followed right after. We tried contacting our doctor to figure out what to do next, but getting ahold of her was a strange adventure. We eventually figured out how to clamp and cut the cord, but I kept wondering if it had been done right.
Anyway, he had a slight cone head, and his face was all scrunched up. It was hilarious. He apparently was not happy being out of the womb!
And that was the gist of that. ^^
Last night's, as I said, was more realistic. We were at the hospital, and when he was born, he cried for just a short bit. He was placed on top of me (crying), and Hee Suk said something to him which lessened his cries as he recognized his voice. I also tried to soothe him, and then he stopped crying and was just happy to be with Mommy and Daddy. It was really wonderful.
The Great Blunder
I'm not a believer in blaming everything on pregnancy hormones or pregnancy brain. I've seen people say some really mean things, get called out on it, then reply with a "heheheh, hormones." I'm sure others have differing opinions, but that's mine. Maybe it's just that it isn't possible for me to be more emotional than I already am when I am not pregnant. ^.~ I'm already fairly absent-minded at times as well, so I haven't felt particularly more-so. I mentioned forgetting the code to get into our building once, but no biggie, right?
Well, I made a huge mistake that I found out about yesterday. I've been selling some calendars on eBay and was contacted by one buyer yesterday asking if it usually takes 5 weeks for the calendar to arrive. I checked over my email history with her, and after looking at her address (very unique since she is in Denmark), I am 95% certain I flat-out never mailed it. I had even asked her who her favorite character from a drama was for the bonus I include with the calendars, but I never mailed it.
I didn't come right out and say that it was totally my error, but I am certainly making up for it. She is getting bonus goodies galore. I just hope I didn't mess up with anyone else's order. I can't believe what a doofus I am. While I can't necessarily blame it on "pregnancy brain", maybe it had a little something to do with it. ^.~
Coming Up
Next Wednesday is our 37-week appointment, where I will be having my first round of blood drawn (so long as my hemoglobin count is okay). I am still nervous about it like woh, and I can't even understand why. Blood doesn't scare me, and I am not afraid of needles. Friends have told me to just be sure I eat plenty before going in, that it's no big deal. I don't know why it worries me. We'll just have to see how it goes. Otherwise, nothing too special is going on there. Hee Suk and I are already making bets on how much he will weigh at the appointment. Our estimates differ by 0.1kg (0.22 lbs).
That's about all I have for now!
Thank You, Lord, for being an ever-present source of comfort and peace. As different fears and doubts run through my mind, You are always there to remind me of Your incredible will, that we are right where You want us to be. Thank You, my King, for never letting me go, for always holding me so tightly.
At the beginning of this past week, sleep was just painful for me. I kept waking up hardly able to move because of the pain my hips were in. What added to the emotional agony was knowing that every time I spent some time sleeping on my right side to try to help lessen the pain on the left, it was causing him to switch positions. If I had to guess, he kept switching to more of a transverse lie. I would wake up several times just worrying about him, knowing he had flipped, which he would later confirm with his hiccups.
Well, baby and I worked together to find something that works. Between two classes the other day, I had lied down for about 30 minutes without pain (and without putting much thought into how I was lying) and just knew there had to be a way to keep me on my left comfortably.
Previously, I had two pillows I was using for my head because it just feels better to have it more elevated and one pillow for between my legs. I decided to take one of my head pillows and keep it wedged under my belly. Somehow, this alone was enough to do the trick.
The weird thing is that when I was sleeping on my right, all I needed was the pillow under my belly--nothing for between my legs. My left side needs the whole shebang. The only slight issue now is that my left shoulder often feels a bit sore, but it is perfectly manageable and hardly an issue. Mommy and Baby are much happier now.
Anyway, he's such a good baby.
In other news, I've got my 36-week photo on my camera, but I am too lazy to upload anything right now. I didn't realize that I did not yet share the pro pics from Apple Tree, so here they are!
We absolutely adore our photo together. Hee Suk loves it in black and white, so that is what's currently the background on our desktop. I don't fancy having pictures of myself alone around the house, so we ordered the one of us together and might order a couple of others. If we do, I will be sure to share them here.
Appetite
My appetite is pretty shot nowadays. For example, my lunch was a piece of pumpkin pie yesterday. That's all I wanted to eat and all I could eat. When I came home, I ate the remainder of Hee Suk's piece of pizza. For dinner, there was only one thing I could think of that I would be able to eat quite a bit of--chadolbaegi (차돌배기). It's pretty much a very thin cut of beef that it usually cooked table-top. You don't season it--just dip it in sesame oil with salt and add a bit of some slightly spicy soy bean paste-style sauce of deliciousness if you so desire. We don't have a table-top whiz, so we just cook it on the stove and eat it at the table. Good enough. We had to make a special trip to the grocery store just to get it, but it was worth it. Of course, it had to start raining while we were in the middle of shopping. -.-;
Anyway, at least this week, all I have truly wanted is some pumpkin pie. I think I mentioned a week or so ago that I've really only wanted fluids, too. Having orange juice in the house is a must, as well as having my special milk. Wanting pumpkins and persimmons definitely makes our little bonbon a fall baby.
Cramped Quarters
Our son is definitely moving less often these days with being so cramped up inside, but when he moves, he moves. Nothing is stopping this little one from stretching out as he so pleases.
On Thursday night, I had wanted to sleep after finishing my Bible study, but I couldn't help just sitting there watching him have at it. It is just crazy to imagine what he has to do to be able to move as he does. It's neat to try to imagine what limbs he is rolling around. I like to think that when he sticks his little booty out, he is asking to be cuddled with. Just allow me to muse such thoughts.
Dreaming of Birth
The past two nights, I have had dreams about giving birth to our son. Last night's was a bit more realistic than others have been, but Thursday's was pretty over-the-top.
I had dreamt we were at the hospital but had basically done nothing. Hee Suk informed me that apparently, us just being there had already cost us $1000, so we went home and decided we would hardly spend anymore time there and waited it out at home. I kept wondering why nothing was really happening, so we took a look down there to find that he was already starting to crown! One push, his head was out. The body followed right after. We tried contacting our doctor to figure out what to do next, but getting ahold of her was a strange adventure. We eventually figured out how to clamp and cut the cord, but I kept wondering if it had been done right.
Anyway, he had a slight cone head, and his face was all scrunched up. It was hilarious. He apparently was not happy being out of the womb!
And that was the gist of that. ^^
Last night's, as I said, was more realistic. We were at the hospital, and when he was born, he cried for just a short bit. He was placed on top of me (crying), and Hee Suk said something to him which lessened his cries as he recognized his voice. I also tried to soothe him, and then he stopped crying and was just happy to be with Mommy and Daddy. It was really wonderful.
The Great Blunder
I'm not a believer in blaming everything on pregnancy hormones or pregnancy brain. I've seen people say some really mean things, get called out on it, then reply with a "heheheh, hormones." I'm sure others have differing opinions, but that's mine. Maybe it's just that it isn't possible for me to be more emotional than I already am when I am not pregnant. ^.~ I'm already fairly absent-minded at times as well, so I haven't felt particularly more-so. I mentioned forgetting the code to get into our building once, but no biggie, right?
Well, I made a huge mistake that I found out about yesterday. I've been selling some calendars on eBay and was contacted by one buyer yesterday asking if it usually takes 5 weeks for the calendar to arrive. I checked over my email history with her, and after looking at her address (very unique since she is in Denmark), I am 95% certain I flat-out never mailed it. I had even asked her who her favorite character from a drama was for the bonus I include with the calendars, but I never mailed it.
I didn't come right out and say that it was totally my error, but I am certainly making up for it. She is getting bonus goodies galore. I just hope I didn't mess up with anyone else's order. I can't believe what a doofus I am. While I can't necessarily blame it on "pregnancy brain", maybe it had a little something to do with it. ^.~
Coming Up
Next Wednesday is our 37-week appointment, where I will be having my first round of blood drawn (so long as my hemoglobin count is okay). I am still nervous about it like woh, and I can't even understand why. Blood doesn't scare me, and I am not afraid of needles. Friends have told me to just be sure I eat plenty before going in, that it's no big deal. I don't know why it worries me. We'll just have to see how it goes. Otherwise, nothing too special is going on there. Hee Suk and I are already making bets on how much he will weigh at the appointment. Our estimates differ by 0.1kg (0.22 lbs).
That's about all I have for now!
Thank You, Lord, for being an ever-present source of comfort and peace. As different fears and doubts run through my mind, You are always there to remind me of Your incredible will, that we are right where You want us to be. Thank You, my King, for never letting me go, for always holding me so tightly.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day
We are very blessed that we have not experienced the loss of a child ourselves, but we both know so many who have. This is dedicated to Lilly Marie, the little sister I look forward to meeting in heaven someday.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Paran Studio Maternity Portraits
We had an appointment at 10am today to have our free maternity portraits from Paran Studio done. If you've been tuning in, I have been excited for these because they are a bit more artsy. In America's Next Top Model talk, I'd say they are more editorial.
From spending quite a bit of time admiring other people's portraits, I gathered rather quickly that they don't allow for as much individuality and creativity. They have certain sets that they like to style certain ways and certain poses they feel work well. I went in expecting this.
They kindly greeted us when we arrived, but it wasn't a very warm or friendly welcome. The photographer we worked with was nice enough, but I felt from here that working at the studio was just a job to her and not really her passion. (The photographer from Apple Tree was so friendly and actually tried to connect with us.)
Even though I expected it, I was still surprised at how cookie-cutter they wanted everything. I got to pick my two outfits, and she showed us a couple of samples (which I had already seen) of the types of photos she was going to take. We had zero input.
With Apple Tree, we were able to look at a narrowed-down selection of what the photographer considered the best photos, and we picked our three cuts from there. This is very smart. This allows us to continue our excitement about the shoot and is a great way to rope people in to sign up for packages or at least buy more prints.
With Paran, all we saw were a few cuts she intermittently showed us on the camera after she was done with whatever outfit/set. We have no idea which photos she will pick for our three and if they will even be to our liking. I understand that we're getting these for free, but it just seems so impersonal and like a risk almost considering how much time it took us to get to the studio. We asked about buying them all on a CD (which is possible if you pay for your session) or coming in to view them all to possibly purchase additional prints, and she said no, that we would just get the three images plus whatever image we want of the three framed.
What kind of business plan is that? It's always uncomfortable to sit through a sales pitch, but it was even more awkward--upsetting, even--to have our money flat-out turned down.
As most of you noticed, we received our cuts from Apple Tree the next day. Our photographer at Paran, upon asking our due date, merely said that we would probably receive our cuts after our baby is born. Does it really take that long to edit three cuts? She also mentioned that that probably meant Hee Suk would be going back alone to pick up the frame. With Apple Tree, people usually pick up their prints, but we were able to opt to simply have it delivered to our place at our cost (which is pretty much the same cost as what it would be to travel there to pick it up). She really couldn't have given much less of a hoot about anything.
--Random Side Note: She was the first person who does not know me to say that my belly was "so big." From people I know, I like hearing that they have noticed that my belly has grown. It was just strange to hear it from her. She was a tiny little fashionista, so I probably did seem gigantic to her.
Anyway, I am glad for the opportunity to take these photos but obviously a little upset over several details. In the end, I am just happy we did not pay to work with these people. I am sure we will love the three cuts she chooses, but it's hard to get excited over them knowing how impersonal they are since she didn't care to connect with us.
**Hilarious addition: She took a few extra cuts that she wouldn't normally do and called it a service for us. Really? I don't really think taking pictures we will never see is that much of a service, but thanks anyway. It was funny to me. Another "favor" she did was help pull my hair back for the hanbok photos I took. She mentioned that they don't normally do that for anyone. I could have pulled my hair back myself, thanks. What really got to me, though, was that I had spent a bit of time doing my hair in the morning, but because the other outfit we were going to use wasn't ready right away (they needed to steam it), we did the hanbok photos first. My nice curly hair got brushed and pulled back into a bun. Nice. It turnd out fine in the end, but that was just not cool.
Anyway, it's time to eat. I will definitely share the pictures, though it might be several weeks until we see them. I just wanted to share our experience. In the end, I can't really complain--they were free, right? But still...a little more professionalism would have been appreciated.
I should have another post in the near-future. Sending much love and many prayers!
From spending quite a bit of time admiring other people's portraits, I gathered rather quickly that they don't allow for as much individuality and creativity. They have certain sets that they like to style certain ways and certain poses they feel work well. I went in expecting this.
They kindly greeted us when we arrived, but it wasn't a very warm or friendly welcome. The photographer we worked with was nice enough, but I felt from here that working at the studio was just a job to her and not really her passion. (The photographer from Apple Tree was so friendly and actually tried to connect with us.)
Even though I expected it, I was still surprised at how cookie-cutter they wanted everything. I got to pick my two outfits, and she showed us a couple of samples (which I had already seen) of the types of photos she was going to take. We had zero input.
With Apple Tree, we were able to look at a narrowed-down selection of what the photographer considered the best photos, and we picked our three cuts from there. This is very smart. This allows us to continue our excitement about the shoot and is a great way to rope people in to sign up for packages or at least buy more prints.
With Paran, all we saw were a few cuts she intermittently showed us on the camera after she was done with whatever outfit/set. We have no idea which photos she will pick for our three and if they will even be to our liking. I understand that we're getting these for free, but it just seems so impersonal and like a risk almost considering how much time it took us to get to the studio. We asked about buying them all on a CD (which is possible if you pay for your session) or coming in to view them all to possibly purchase additional prints, and she said no, that we would just get the three images plus whatever image we want of the three framed.
What kind of business plan is that? It's always uncomfortable to sit through a sales pitch, but it was even more awkward--upsetting, even--to have our money flat-out turned down.
As most of you noticed, we received our cuts from Apple Tree the next day. Our photographer at Paran, upon asking our due date, merely said that we would probably receive our cuts after our baby is born. Does it really take that long to edit three cuts? She also mentioned that that probably meant Hee Suk would be going back alone to pick up the frame. With Apple Tree, people usually pick up their prints, but we were able to opt to simply have it delivered to our place at our cost (which is pretty much the same cost as what it would be to travel there to pick it up). She really couldn't have given much less of a hoot about anything.
--Random Side Note: She was the first person who does not know me to say that my belly was "so big." From people I know, I like hearing that they have noticed that my belly has grown. It was just strange to hear it from her. She was a tiny little fashionista, so I probably did seem gigantic to her.
Anyway, I am glad for the opportunity to take these photos but obviously a little upset over several details. In the end, I am just happy we did not pay to work with these people. I am sure we will love the three cuts she chooses, but it's hard to get excited over them knowing how impersonal they are since she didn't care to connect with us.
**Hilarious addition: She took a few extra cuts that she wouldn't normally do and called it a service for us. Really? I don't really think taking pictures we will never see is that much of a service, but thanks anyway. It was funny to me. Another "favor" she did was help pull my hair back for the hanbok photos I took. She mentioned that they don't normally do that for anyone. I could have pulled my hair back myself, thanks. What really got to me, though, was that I had spent a bit of time doing my hair in the morning, but because the other outfit we were going to use wasn't ready right away (they needed to steam it), we did the hanbok photos first. My nice curly hair got brushed and pulled back into a bun. Nice. It turnd out fine in the end, but that was just not cool.
Anyway, it's time to eat. I will definitely share the pictures, though it might be several weeks until we see them. I just wanted to share our experience. In the end, I can't really complain--they were free, right? But still...a little more professionalism would have been appreciated.
I should have another post in the near-future. Sending much love and many prayers!
Monday, October 12, 2009
New Poll
I've posted a new poll regarding when you think our son will make his grand entrance. You'll notice that there are no options for anything more than a week early, save for one that is one week plus one day early. We've already informed him that this is not an option, and we are trying to channel some good, positive energy here. ^.~
If you care to share, please let me know which one you vote for!
If you care to share, please let me know which one you vote for!
The Crib is Here!
Our crib was delivered and put together this morning. It was so nice to not have to do anything to set it up. As some of you may know, Hee Suk did not inherit the tool-handling skills of his father, so putting things together with him can be quite a task at times (to say the least). It looks absolutely gorgeous.
I'm thinking that this might help everything to start sinking in. It is still hard to believe that we are now less than a month away from our due date. We will begin washing his clothes and his diapers very soon and getting everything more organized. Compared to others, we're getting this all done rather late, but the timing just really works out for what we need to do and how we need to do it.
Speaking of putting things together, we've got a few items on their way to help us get our hospital bag ready. I decided to buy two cute (and cheap!) nursing-friendly gowns to wear at the hospital so that I am not stuck in theirs the whole time, and we also found a nice button-down piece that should work really well for coming home. It was all very cheap, so I am happy about that. (We buy pretty much everything from the internet, so that's why I say "on their way".)
In other news, this weekend was really busy, as we spent most of it in different parts of Gyeonggido. At the end of last week, Hee Suk found yet another place to go to for free maternity portraits, but I told him yesterday I knew I would not be up to going this morning (the time we had scheduled). This place is a little different, though, in that they offer you free maternity plus 40-day portraits, so we asked if we could just do the 40-day photos. They said they usually don't do it like that, but they would allow us to just do the baby photos. We will also get a free album, so that will just include his pictures.
The reason I can't see going in for the maternity portraits is that now, my only available times are Wednesdays. Otherwise, my schedule is too tight. This Wednesday would have been awesome since we have our other photos being done, but the only appointment they had was too late in the day for us. The next two Wednesdays, I am having blood drawn for my self-donation, and I can't imagine going out and having photos done after that. And anyway, even if we only had the one set of portraits done, Hee Suk took such wonderful photos that I think those are good enough! Anyway, life is good.
I have zero energy right now, so I will have to call this quits. I can't do so, however, without first sending a huge thank you to my family, who has some amazing items on their way to us that are just a huge blessing. There will definitely be a ton of photos to share once it all arrives!
We are so truly blessed. Thank you to everyone who has helped make this pregnancy a very joyful one.
I'm thinking that this might help everything to start sinking in. It is still hard to believe that we are now less than a month away from our due date. We will begin washing his clothes and his diapers very soon and getting everything more organized. Compared to others, we're getting this all done rather late, but the timing just really works out for what we need to do and how we need to do it.
Speaking of putting things together, we've got a few items on their way to help us get our hospital bag ready. I decided to buy two cute (and cheap!) nursing-friendly gowns to wear at the hospital so that I am not stuck in theirs the whole time, and we also found a nice button-down piece that should work really well for coming home. It was all very cheap, so I am happy about that. (We buy pretty much everything from the internet, so that's why I say "on their way".)
In other news, this weekend was really busy, as we spent most of it in different parts of Gyeonggido. At the end of last week, Hee Suk found yet another place to go to for free maternity portraits, but I told him yesterday I knew I would not be up to going this morning (the time we had scheduled). This place is a little different, though, in that they offer you free maternity plus 40-day portraits, so we asked if we could just do the 40-day photos. They said they usually don't do it like that, but they would allow us to just do the baby photos. We will also get a free album, so that will just include his pictures.
The reason I can't see going in for the maternity portraits is that now, my only available times are Wednesdays. Otherwise, my schedule is too tight. This Wednesday would have been awesome since we have our other photos being done, but the only appointment they had was too late in the day for us. The next two Wednesdays, I am having blood drawn for my self-donation, and I can't imagine going out and having photos done after that. And anyway, even if we only had the one set of portraits done, Hee Suk took such wonderful photos that I think those are good enough! Anyway, life is good.
I have zero energy right now, so I will have to call this quits. I can't do so, however, without first sending a huge thank you to my family, who has some amazing items on their way to us that are just a huge blessing. There will definitely be a ton of photos to share once it all arrives!
We are so truly blessed. Thank you to everyone who has helped make this pregnancy a very joyful one.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Free Maternity Portraits with Apple Tree Studio
**I uploaded these from where I have them linked elsewhere, so that's why they are not thumbnailed. Please let me know if they don't show for whatever reason.**
Yesterday, we went out to Apple Tree Studio (the Hongdae location) for our first set of free maternity portraits (35w). I actually woke up that morning very tired and cranky and not in the mood to take pictures. I had an awful night's worth of sleep and got out of bed after giving up on trying to get any more rest. Not my favorite way to start the day. ;~; However, I guess something turned around once we were actually there, because I am happy with how the pictures turned out.
These aren't even the pro photos! Hee Suk called ahead to ask if he could take pictures while the photographer was, and they said, "Sure!" My guess is that they did not expect us to have such a nice one. *^^* He really had no idea what he was doing, but after he took a few shots, he felt like a pro and really got into it. He loves looking at the photos, but I think it's more because of him admiring his hidden talent. (You know it's true.)
The outfits and most accessories are from the studio. It's funny because we had looked at tons of maternity portraits and commented on how certain styles were "so Korean", so when we got into the little wardrobe area, I mentioned how I wanted a more beautiful style, not so cutesy. Cutesy just doesn't work on me. At her insistence, she had me take a few photos with some cutesy accessories, and we also wound up posing together for a few shots in ways that had Korea written all over them. We laughed so hard when she had us do this one stretching pose because the day before, we had been looking at maternity portrait samples and were laughing at it.
We will receive three pro cuts by email hopefully sometime today. My favorite photo, which is of the two of us, is in those cuts, so I can't wait to get it.
Anyway, just thought I'd share a few here, even though most people have already seen them. ^^ We hope that Paran will also allow us to bring our camera, but I am not banking on that one. I'm really excited to see how that session goes, seeing as the studio has a pretty different vision stylistically.
God bless!
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