DIA

Biajee will come home early today so that we can go together to Denver International Airport to meet Maggie and her dad. They're transiting in Denver going to Portland. We haven't seen each other for 9 years. We both worked for Dragonair in Hong Kong back in the 90s.

The most fascinating thing is: we'll go to Portland to meet them again tomorrow. Biajee and I started packing last night and realized how many things we need to bring because of Arnold. It's almost like we're moving the whole house to Oregon. I made a cheat sheet of things to bring and a shopping list already. There is no sales tax in Oregon. It is good time to shop for some clothes for after I go back to work. There will only be 3 weeks left before I start working again after this trip.

The only reason we didn't book tonight's flight to Portland is because we want Arnold to have a good rest. It's not fair to drag him on a late flight with us. Too many things to consider after having a baby.

I'm doing most driving lately so resume my driving skills. It'll be Arnold and me most of the time next week and we need to go around a different city. Exciting and exhilarating.

Horse Ride

It was the first weekend that I was completely out of bed. Biajee was eager to do something exciting. I suggested a 2 hour horse ride in Rocky Mountain National Park, which later proved to be a fatal mistake. Horse ride is a violent sport and definitely not recommended for women who just had babies.

It took us nearly 3 hours to get to the stables because we had to change and feed Arnold on the road. I got bitten by a fly immediately after getting out of the car. It was so painful. Those are flies who suck blood out of mammals, which are actually 100 times worse than mosquitoes.

Biajee carried Arnold in the baby sling for the whole trip. Both my knees and my butt hurt like hell at the end of the ride. I hope it didn't do any damage to my wound. We'll see at Dr. A's office today.

The scenery on the way was really beautiful. It was just the wrong time in life for me to do this. I almost passed out when the cowboy helped me down the horse. And of course, Arnold needs to be changed and fed immediately. Taking a baby to a back country trip is a lot of work. Now we have some realistic understanding of what we're facing this coming weekend.

First Day without Amy

Yesterday was the first day without Amy. I knew how much she had helped me in the past 4 weeks in the beginning. However, I felt more thankful to her yesterday after I tried to do everything on my own.

Basically she helped with the following every day:

1) Bathe the baby - the hardest job you could ever imagine even for a healthy person;
2) Dump the garbage;
3) Do the laundry - not recommending anyone to lift a laundry basket if you have a wound or injury in any part of your lower body;
4) Make me lunch - mostly it was heating up lunch cooked by Biajee, but still, she had to carry it with a wooden tray upstairs;
5) Refill the 2 humidifiers

All these things sound simple, but it's a lot of effort if you try to do all by yourself. Apart from all these chores, I had to run to the postoffice, the dentist's and the oriental grocery store and cook dinner afterwards.

Paul stopped by in the evening with all the wonderful delicacies he cooked. We had dinner together and he held Arnold for a while. Arnold really liked Uncle Paul a lot because he came to visit a week after he was born...

First Bank Visit

Mommy took me out in the car for the first time today. Yeehawwwwwwwwwww!

We went to the bank. There were so many people there. I decided to fall asleep on my way there. I woke up and peed while mom was talking to the bank assistant. I was so pissed off because I was sitting in a dirty diaper. You wouldn't imagine how uncomfortable it is if you haven't been through the situation. I screamed and cried.

Mommy looked really embarrassed and she started to hold me up and pamper me. I fell asleep again quite soon. The ride was joyful and the next time I woke up, mom was changing me and preparing to feed me at home.

Today was Amy's last day at our house. She gave us gifts. There was a book there for me as well! How exciting! Mom will read it to me soon and I can flip over the hard pages to see the pictures as well... I will really miss her. She bathes me every day in the past 2 weeks. She is such a nice and beautiful lady. I could only hope that she stops by to see me. Wish I was mobile so that I'd visit her often...

First Walk

Laura and Kevin came by last night. Kevin brought me a cute sports outfit along with a hat that really fits my head. Of course, I was asleep most of the time. However, I was aware of what was going on around me. We babies are super creatures. Our brain keeps absorbing what is happening in the outside world even when we're sleeping.

Kevin is such an adorable big brother. Mom signed me up to be in the same class with him. I hope he can teach me how to play. I can't wait to see miss Laura again. She is such a cheerful person and she gave mom lots of advice on how to take care of me.

Daddy finally got the stroller system figured out this morning at the expense of leaving for work 30 minutes late. Yahooooooooo! I had my first stroller walk around the neighborhood with mommy. The weather was great. I fell asleep half way through the park circle. It was a nice cozy stroller and I love to be cuddled inside. It was great to smell the grass, tree and fresh air.

Mommy is getting better and better every day. She had promised to hold me as much as she could while she was in bed. She suffered for so many weeks from all the pain of trying to get me out of her body. I smile occasionally these days to show how much I appreciate their tolerance for my exisitence.

Wiggler

"Can you check the meaning of NIGHTCRAWLER for me?" Biajee called me from Wal-mart yesterday.

"They're earthworms." I said.

"Well, Wal-mart sells earthworms as a fishing bait. Shall I get some? The ones I ordered on line was shipped out on July 10th and they still haven't arrived yet."

"Sure. Why not?" I replied cheerfully.

It turned out Biajee ordered some WIGGLER. Wiggler can have multiple meanings: 1) It could be the larva of a mosquito; 2) It can mean nightwalker as well. I had a sudden fear that Biajee had ordered 4.5 lbs of mosquito larva to be shipped to our house, which is probably why it takes so long to arrive. There are hurds of mosquitoes in front of my eyes for a scaring second.

There are not too many mosquitoes in the state of Colorado because of the dryness. However, a lot of mosquitoes carry a deadly disease named West Nile. We're too sensitive about that and are extra careful that Arnold stays in the house early dawn or dusk or at night.

Biajee assured me that what he ordered was wigglers with meaning of earthworms. I only hope that's the truth or we might have to burn the box when it comes to the door...

Busy Saturday

Biajee and I have been occupied all day today. We woke up at 7:30 am. Biajee took the Civic to oil change while I started to sort out all the baby clothes we have. I labeled five plastic bins with 0-3 mon, 6-9 mon, 9-12 mon, 2 year and 3 year and above. Amazingly all the bins filled up quickly. And I put all the 3 - 6 mon clothes on the hangers in Arnold's closet.

Literally we do not need to spend any money on his clothing till he is one year old. Thanks to all the friends and coworkers who made this possible for us. Baby clothes are ridiculously expensive in this country. We probably have saved hundreds of dollars so far. All this money can go to his college fund now.

I didn't quite finish the clothes arrangement till 2:30 pm. Biajee had prepared me breakfast and lunch during that time and had started working on hoisting our tandem bike to the ceiling of the garage. I probably would lose my temper if I go downstairs and see all the mess he created in the past few weeks. He cleaned two racks of the refrigerator as well.

Then he was out to play soccer. We barely had time to check our email or do anything. It's a typical Saturday with a baby.

Stinky Me

Before I was born, mommy was telling daddy every day that I'd poop a lot. Daddy never believed it. Yesterday I heard him say to mommy, "He really poops a lot."

My system is not fully developed yet. A lot of times before I fart, pee or poop, I don't know what's going on. I have this funny feeling of my stomache that is similar to cramps or maybe contractions and it really hurts. Hence I usually start to cry before I pee or poop. Then mommy and daddy will know to change my diaper.

Mommy usually washes me with wet cotton ball and warm water. Yeah, that sure feels great. Daddy would just wipe me with those cold baby wipes. Fortunately it's summer time or I may be very uncomfortable.

I'm trying hard to smile these days, but it hasn't worked quite well yet. My muscles are not fully developed. Sometimes when I pass gas, my expression looks very much like a smiley face. Well, I'm content when I fart. I guess that could be counted as a pre-smile? Mommy and daddy can't wait to take my smiling pictures so I got to work really hard on that...

Poop, poop, poop

Arnold's poop set a record on Sunday. As soon as I opened him up, his poop shot for about 2 yards and hit right at the drapery. Of course, some of them dropped on the floor as well. Biajee and I were super depressed about the whole mess.

Why haven't any of my friends told me about it? I was mentally prepared for the pee part. Male babies love to pee whenever you open up their diapers. And the pee goes to all directions: sometimes it lands on their own faces and bodies, other times it lands on you or the changing table. A baby is the dirtiest thing you can ever think of, yet all his belongings, clothes and equipment need to be the cleanest of all.

I've been singing chimes to him while nursing, cooing to him and telling him stories ever since we were back from the hospital. I don't know if I'd remember all this when he is as tall as me. It's a weird but sweet feeling. I hope he turns out to be a nice guy, a happy lad and a healthy person. If only he could quit sucking his hand someday. I told Biajee we should put some chilly sauce on his hand so that he wouldn't suck any more. Biajee thinks it's too brutal for him. Well, life is tough and he needs to learn at an early age...

First Plane Trip

Biajee and I have planned out the first plane trip with Arnold. Biajee will be in meetings in Portland the first week of August. Since Arnold and I are not going to school or work and we have never been to Oregon yet, we decided to take the trip with Biajee.

Arnold's Doctor said it was fine to travel with a 7 week old. There is nothing specific to notice about. Some people say the baby will feel better if he gets nursed during takeoff and landing, but sometimes it doesn't really make a difference.

Arnold's acne has got a lot better. We think it's the allergy to shrimps. Now I cannot eat shrimps as long as I am nursing. Lots of things will be changed as well. Our vacation will not be the same as before. We may not be able to go to a lot of places because we have to adjust to Arnold's schedule. The little one goes to bed by 11 pm every night and wakes up around 7 in the morning. No more overnight parties for many years....

Allergy or Acne

We thought that Arnold was allergic to shrimps. I had four the day before yesterday and six yesterday for lunch. His face was all red last night. Poor little thing!

I felt so guilty that I had done this to him. I haven't been allergic to many things in my life at all. The most serious time I remember is that I was allergic to vitamins when I lived in Hong Kong. I had to take 2 days off from work and go to the doctor's for prescription.

Kari looked at him today and told me it might be baby acnes that he's got. If I quit eating shrimps for a few days and this acne doesn't go away, it may not be allergy. Baby acnes look disgusting and generally will last for about a month. At this point, we'll wait and see what is going on with the little guy.

I tried to put the outfit he got in the hospital on him today and it seemed like he already outgrew it. Newborn babies grow about 0.5 lb a week if they're fed really well. We'll measure him on August 9th at his next doctor's appointment.

First Basin Bath

Amy's daughter Olivia is still sick today. Kerry (her backup) came by to help me during lunch. She showed me how to give a basin bath to Arnold. Unfortunately all the professional cameras in the house are low in battery so I couldn't take a picture of his first basin bath. Wuwuwuwuwu...

The camcorder was working though. I taped 2 minutes of the bath. When you give either a sponge bath or a basin bath to a baby, you need to undress them completely. Sometimes they pee or poop while you're doing it. Well, what you need to do is to pick a time after they just pee or poop to give them the bath and make the bath time as short as possible.

Biajee obviously couldn't adjust to this concept. He bathes Arnold with his diaper on. I guess I'll have to tolerate that till I have enough strength to bathe him myself. Just in case the baby pees or poops, you'll have to clean him up all over again. Biajee does everything quite slowly so he couldn't avoid Arnold's urine time while bathing him. Poor little Arnold will have to tolerate Dad's behavior for another 2 weeks.

Also, I had stomache spasm this morning and it hurts like hell. It sounds like I'm getting all the diseases I have had since I was a kid. Although Arnold is a lot of fun, the pain of postpartum is nothing a normal person could tolerate, not to mention the 9 month pregnancy time. Hence, we Chinese people say raising your own kid makes you appreciate all the hardship your mother endured to bring you up. (养儿方知报娘恩）

Independence Day

This is the first July 4th after Arnold is born. Biajee has to go to work. He didn't get any days off this year. In my company, they give people both July 3rd and July 4th off so that it'll be a 4 day weekend. Of course I won't be able to take advantage of it because I'm on maternity leave.

I'm taking vitamins and calcium every day. Arnold takes all the nutrition he needs from my body. Whatever is leftover is mine. A lot of nursing moms tend to lose their teeth because of lack of calcium. I don't want to be part of that group so I have to take disgusting liquid calcium and vitamins every day.

I started to introduce classical music to Arnold today. I should not be watching too much TV this month because it hurts my eyes. Luckily we have this nice radio channel FM 90.1 that plays classical music all day long. Arnold likes to be talked to and told stories to all the time. I wore myself out trying to tell him different stories yesterday. He can get the wonderful lifetime story of Abraham Lincoln from the radio today. Maybe I'll introduce him some audio books later on. He sleeps 4 to 5 consecutive hours every night, which is a lifesaver for Biajee and me. This is because I was happy most of the time when I was pregnant with him and I slept really well through most of my pregnancy. It's something to be proud of since most moms I know had tough pregnancy and couldn't sleep at all.

I hope to be able to watch the fireworks tonight through my bedroom window. I haven't been downstairs since Biajee carried me to bed from the hospital. It takes a long time for the wound to heal and I need 2 more weeks...

Brush??

There is a tradition in Shanghai that when a newborn reaches one month old, a hairdresser will come in and shave him/her and make a few brushes with the hair. Of course those brushes are too precious to be used for Chinese painting and calligraphy. People usually frame them for the memory of the newborn baby because they don't stay that little for very long.

I don't think there is a special hairdresser for babies here. Biajee and I are not confident enough to shave the baby's head either. Arnold is an American citizen. Maybe we can get away without sticking to this tradition.

Arnold likes the situp position so that he could have a better view of the surroundings. Biajee always wonders why Arnold cries so much. Well, he is new to this world and crying is his only way of communication. A rule of thumb is: Never try to give advice to a mother on how to raise her own baby unless she asks for it. I personally resent that quite a lot. We have motherly instinct. When it comes to our child, we know what to do. Ask your mother whether she followed a lot of instructions bringing you up or not. On top of that, each baby is different. Your characteristics are not the same as your father's when you're both babies. This is why we new moms don't need any specific instructions unless it's a doctor's diagnosis.

There are tons of books out there about how to raise babies. A lot of them are contradictory with each other. A good idea is to read several of them and get different opinions and then pick the most useful for your own baby. Those people who wrote the books are only writing about their own children. Obviously it's going to be different from our children. Things that are working on other babies are not always going to work on our kids. Some books suggest let the baby cry, but I strongly disagree, especially when the baby is less than 3 months old. They don't know a lot and they don't demand a lot. They want to be snuggled close to adults and that is OK.

Well, so much about Pei's Theory in Raising a Baby and it will only work for our little Arnold.

Lobster

We have been having lobster for dinner for the past 2 Sundays. Biajee bought another one today and he is steaming it downstairs. I need the nutrition. Plus I almost passed out this morning while taking a shower. Biajee got hold of me in time and I rested in bed for a few hours.

We all slept for most of the day. We never got enough rest since we came back from the hospital.

I have tremendous duty and responsibility for my son. He needs to have the best of everything to the extent of our affordability. What really counts is how you would dedicate your life to this baby from now on.

Well, another side hint is that Amy told me some mothers would feel disconnected from their baby because they used epidural for labor. If it was a natural birth, an upsurge of oxcitocin will be released from the mother's system, which causes the unconditional love and bonding. Well, I never feel disconnected from Arnold. I know all his different cries: hunger, dirty diaper, needs snuggling, tired, etc. I'll be knowing him inside and out all his life. He likes to pee and poop whenever we open up his diaper...