Halloween 2010

Owen and I stayed in the hospital on this year's Halloween. I have my parents brought Haley to the Halloween party at Canna's house this year. Oh! I miss my baby girl so much! I kept on calling my parents to check on her. Haley went out with the whole crew and trick or treat in the neighborhood. She got scared with some of the haunted house decorations. I asked her if she had fun at the party the next day, and she said, "好玩！開心！"

細細O slept very well after each feeding, so daddy got to watch all the sport's games, including the Giants vs Rangers' World series. We were asked to move to a postpartum room where there are two beds so Owen doesn't have to sleep on the sofa-bed that night. Owen and I had a very peaceful Halloween night this year.

細細O的大寶號

Sickname: 細細O
English Name: Chester Torin Chao
Chester = fortress (城堡)
Torin = Chief (領袖)

Chinese Name: 趙卓翹
卓翹 = outstanding

Haley, mommy misses u!

Even I have planned out that Haley will be well-taken care of while I am at the hospital, but I can't stop thinking about her. I rather be alone at the hospital for a while with 細細O and sent Owen home to check on Haley and get her in bed.

Both grandparents said that Haley behaves very well while I'm gone. Owen told me she got all dramatic right before bedtime tonight. She demands for mommy to read books with her. She cried and cried till she vomited again. ARRR! I miss her! I want to hold her so bad. I can't stop my tear from dropping when Owen told me about the incident.

I wrote her a card and videotaped myself singing lullabies...but I guess she really misses mommy, and so am I.

Haley meeting her lil brother for the first time!

Owen went home and brought BIG sister, Haley to meet her little brother Chester for the first time. Haley fell asleep on her way to the hospital. She woke up from her nap and saw Mommy on her hospital bed, and Chester in his crib. She didn't react much as we introduce Chester to her, probably because she's still not completely awake yet. She wanted to sit in the bed with me, and I hugged her, gave her a big kiss, and told her how much I missed her. She sat next to me silently until daddy brought out the gifts that we bought for 細細O to give to her. The gifts include an Elmo drawing book, a couple Dora toothbrushes, and a Dora puzzle. Haley loves them all, and she wants to kiss and hug her little brother to say thanks. Once she get close to Chester, she couldn't get her hands off him. She kept saying, "細佬，唔係打(距)", "唔係（獨）眼仔". She wants to hold him, kiss him, and smell him.
I wish Haley and Chester will enjoy each other's company for the rest of their lives.Our first family of 4 photo

細細O出世啦！

萬眾期待，細細O終於出世了！ 10/30/2010 -- 5:25am -- 7lbs 9oz -- 21 inches long

This is it! I'm in active labor!

It's 1:30am! The intensity of the contraction is almost like last time when we decided to go to the hospital. Contractions have reached to the 5-1-1 sequence. I have asked my mom to come over to stay the night so she can take care of Haley if we have to leave to the hospital in the middle of the night. Since now I know how a mom feels when she sees her baby in pain, I can only imagine how worry my mom is when she can't come with me to the labor room.

The contractions are getting so intense on our way to the hospital... it's so painful, PAINful, PAINFUL! Since it's after hour, we have to enter the labor unit through the emergency room. Where are the nurse? I can't hold it any more... I was screaming at the ER, and luckily one of the EMT was standby at the ER, and he found me a wheelchair and brought me to the labor unit. I tried to breath through the contractions, but it's unbearable! The pain is killing me! I can't control myself but keep screaming to get some relief. A few nurses ran out and directed us into a labor unit. I demanded to get epidural injection right away, and the doctor acted really efficient and gave me the IV and epidural within 10 minutes. The midwife told me I was dilated to 8cm. The pain level dropped within minutes after the epidural, but I know I will be in trouble again during labor because not all the pain has been taken away. Oh no! Not again?? How come the epidural can never work effectively on me??

At around 4am, I was dilated to 10cm, and I am ready to push!!! Midwife sat everything ready and the MD was standing by. Take a deep breath, hold it, and push for 10 seconds! 12345678910! 12345678910! How can it be so hard? Push! PUsh! PUSH! Nothing is happening! I am in pain! So much pain that I can't use words to describe! I want to give up so bad! I am ready to use any method to take him out and get relief from the pain. After 1.5 hours of pushing, my baby is finally born! My tears kept dropping at the moment, the doctors, the nurses, and Owen must think that I'm so touched finally seeing my baby born. No! No! NO! I was crying so bad because it hurts really really bad when the doctor pulled him out of my body.

I was exhausted, but not as bad as last time. I can still talk and look at my baby being weighted and cleaned. What an experience! Although the length in labor is much shorter, yet I never imagine that the 2nd time labor can be so much more painful than the 1st time.

Well...I don't know how I got through labor, but I did it! Thank God for his blessings. Both my baby and myself are healthy, which is the most important thing!

My last dinner before labor!

I have a strong feeling that tonight is the night. Contractions are getting more & more frequent and intense. Looks like I'm not going to make it to the Halloween party on Sunday. Instead of dining out, we decided to order take-out and eat at home. Hmmm... all the sudden I crave for Japanese food. I need to eat as much as I can since I don't know how long I will be labor this time.

等多一陣啦！

和上次有小小雲的經驗一樣，一早七時左右在睡夢中有點腹部絞痛的感覺，自我檢查後發現有點見紅的現象。已知這是臨盆的自然先兆，再打電話到醫院確定，醫生也建議繼續平日活動，如果陣痛頻密加強至511才通知醫院再評估是否是時候入院。心想上次見紅後五天才生下小小雲，應該今次也可等到兩天後的派對吧！可是作動的感覺好像多了，而且開始有點疼痛。雖然疼痛程度也很輕微，但相信入院的時候也不遠了！細細O，等多一陣啦！

Kangaroo in our backyard

Haley is 23 months old!

Her favorite question: 咩離？

Her favorite phrase: 媽媽(ou)痕

Unexpected words from her: 攪笑，孤寒，燕窩，花膠，闊佬...

Haley talks more and more phrases at home now. She would tell mommy & daddy everything she sees. When she walks downstairs, she will tell mommy what's on the sofa and what's on the floor. She's amazed with anything that has buttons for her to press. She loves to tour the van from the front to the back seat every time we go out, and almost every time mommy has to use her favorite snack to make her sit on her carseat.

After she wakes up in the morning or from her nap, she will run to mommy's room with her favorite dolls and give them all to me to put on my bed, then she will go to the end of my bed and climb up by herself.

The house chores that she insists to do: open & close door and stairs gate, flush toilet, turn on & off TV, turn on & off lights. Haley begins to call me "Mommy" instead of "Mama" two weeks ago. It is the sweetest words I hear from her.

Colors she can name: red, blue, yellow, orange, pink, brown, green, purple, white & brown

Shapes she can name: circle, square, diamond, oval, star, heart

Family members' names: papa(Owen), mama (Maggie), grandma (Ada & Hedy), grandpa(John & Homer), 表哥(Sky), 姑姐(Emmy)

Little friends' names: Sammi, Sasa, NicNic, ToiToi, Salad, SonSon

Her favorite food: any soup, corn, mushroom, all fruits and sweets

雙眼皮

小小雲遺傳了媽媽一單一雙的眼皮。當她睡眠不足的時候，雙眼皮也會曇花一現。但今次的雙眼皮已經維持了一星期了！媽媽要拍下小小雲也有雙眼皮的一刻啊！

39 weeks with 細細O

39 weeks with 細細O39 weeks with Haley in 2008

Wow! My belly has grown vertically from 36 inches 3 weeks ago to now 39 inches today. In the last few visits, the OB estimated that 細細O will be around 7lbs and most likely won't be as big as Haley, however, she changed her estimation today. 細細O has continued to grow every time I came to see her, but yet she assured me again that I had given birth to an 8 pounder before, I sure can do it again!

My expected due date is 10/31, and my next visit will be 11/2 if I still haven't given birth by then. The OB suggested that I should deliver 細細O no later than 41 weeks, which is 11/7. She gave me a few options to think about for my next visit on 11/2:

1) She will check my cervix on 11/2 for progress of dilation and have a non-stress test to monitor 細細O's heart rate activity. She can schedule me for delivery on 11/3 if dilation has begun.
2) If dilation has not begun, she can induce me for delivery on 11/3.
3) I can wait for natural labor to happen, but no later than 11/7.

After discussing with Owen, the plan to deliver on 11/3 is what I prefer. Of course we have to be prepared and labor may happen any time now. However, everything can be well-prepared if we can have a scheduled delivery date... and also I can enjoy the Halloween party with Haley on 10/31. Hehe!

Are we ready for 細細O's arrival?

Endless cleaning and organizing in the house... Thanks to Owen for reorganizing the computer room and put an extra bed in there for my mom to stay when needed. From a room which full of stuffs (mainly his toys...in stack of boxes that there's only 1 little alley to go in & out of the room) to a room that can fit a twin bed now... I appreciated his effort and hard work... it's definitely not easy!

As far as all the baby gears are ready... from the clothings, crib, to infant toys... everything is ready.

Hospital bag -- checked!

Nails, wax job, facial -- done!

Mommy had prepared many different things to help Haley coping with having a little brother. We borrowed books and DVDs from library that talked about being a big sister. We bought a few gifts for 細細O to give to Haley when she comes to visit at the hospital. We also have many new toys awaiting to open for Haley after 細細O returns home so she can be distracted from losing attention from me. Hopefully the plans will go smooth, and Haley will love her little brother!

Double Stroller

Daddy finally decided to assemble the double stroller that we bought couple months ago today. Haley was amazed with this big and new stroller. She held onto the wheels and insisted to help daddy to assemble it. Daddy explained to her that this new stroller is for both 細細佬 & her to share. She tried to sit on both the front and back seats, and she finally decided to choose the front seat. Mommy asked, 咁細細佬坐邊呀? Haley then said, 嗰度! (with her fingers pointing at the back seat). We parked the stroller in the kitchen for the afternoon, and she kept putting different dolls and toys in & out of the bottom basket and the back seat. I guess she really likes this new stroller.

More puzzles

These are another set of puzzles that Haley loves to play with before every nap time and bed time. She has mastered to put these puzzles together by herself, and she has her own system in playing with them.1)Separate them into groups (sometimes this part still need mommy's help) then put them togetherALL DONE!3)Break them up and put them back into the bucket4)Put the bucket back on the table

Haley's favorite puzzle

After many practices with mommy, Haley is finally able to put this puzzle together all by herself. There is one missing piece because she accidentally pee on it and mommy had to threw it away. Every time she takes this puzzle out, she will remind mommy that "Seal尾尾 無左, Haley (all) wee wee, 濕左！"

38 weeks with 細細O

It's getting closer and closer. I just realized that my belly is soooooooo BIG by looking at the pictures. The shape is much pointier when compared to the shape when I carried Haley. Eleven more days till my due date... mommy has some contradicted emotions... On one hand, I want to meet my boy; on the other, I also want to attend the Halloween party with Haley before my "sit month" begins.

37 weeks with 細細O

Based on my previous labor experience with Haley, OB suggested that I should contact the labor & delivery department when I begin to have contractions in the 5-1-1 sequence (contractions every 5 minutes and last 1 minutes each time). After spending a day at the pumpkin patch, I notice my belly has dropped at the end of the day, which is another sign of labor is soon to come!

Pumpkin patch @ Livermore

Haley's first pedicure

Mommy got her nails done today, so did Haley! I gave her yellow, light blue, hot pink, and orange nail polish to choose and she decided to get the hot pink. She told mommy that "Haley 腳趾靚靚, 油pink色" every time when she looked at her toes.

Terrible twos

"Terrible twos is a normal stage in a child's development, a child isn't trying to be defiant or rebellious on purpose. They are just trying to express their growing independence and don't have the language skills to easily express their needs. This can also be the reason why they frequently get frustrated and resort to temper tantrums when they don't get their way."

I tried to be prepared and did a lot of reading in how to handle Haley's temper tantrums. It is so difficult to be patient when she all the sudden decide to go their own way on everything. From which cup or spoon to use, which jacket to wear, to when to go to the bathroom...she just has her own will on everything now. I tried not to force her to do anything, but give her reward and encouragement to behave. I don't want her to associate any battle with mom & dad is due to the little brother's arrival.

Lord, please give me patience, energy and wisdom to handle the terrible twos challenge.

變臉

Haley is a little girl now!

36 weeks with 細細O

OB measured my belly again...vertically from 32 inches 2 weeks ago to now 35 inches. I don't have to worry about doing another ultrasound to check his size anymore. Everything goes really well, and OB estimated that 細細O will be around 7lbs. I can feel more and more false contractions now... 4 more weeks to go... I am so excited to meet 細細O already!

Pumpkin patch @ Half Moon Bay