Oct
15
Stroller
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MaClaren Easy Traveller
Brian and I are looking for a stroller. I originally intended to get the MaClaren Easy Traveller stroller that is compatible with our car seat and then get another lightweight stroller when she grows out of the car seat. But now, we are thinking that it might be worth it or it might cost the same if we get a stroller that would fit an infant to toddler.
Bugaboo Bee
I know it’s a bit pricey but I have my eye on the Bugaboo Bee. It’s sturdy, compact, easy to open and close, and its got great reviews. I love how the handle bar is adjustable, so it’s comfortable for me and Brian. It’s really easy to open and close. It’s about 17lbs but it’s compact so it’s easy to get it in and out of the truck. It’s convenience and portability over the all-terrain.
Oct
1
Breastfeeding
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I hate breastfeeding. Every time Samantha wakes up and cries for food, I would clinched because i don’t want to take out my boobs to let her latch on. I know breastfeeding is suppose to be so much better but if it hurts me so much should I still continue? Samantha lost a huge amount of weight in the first week because I couldn’t get her to latch on correctly. After meeting with the pediatrician and getting one on one help with breastfeeding, Samantha has gain more weight than average babies. Now, Samantha wants to eat all the time and my poor boobs are really tired. I know if the latching is correct it shouldn’t hurt, but I say it’s still tough on the boobs to be worked on continuously. I feed Samantha almost every two hours and each time takes about an hour. Imagine having part of your skin pulled and rubbed for an hour several times a day, I guarantee it would hurt over time. I can’t express how much I really hate the 3 am feeding. I’m tired and I have to endure a long session of pain. Not what I thought motherhood is about. Hats off to all moms out there who breastfeeds their kid.
Sep
30
baby @ 3 weeks
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Samantha is absolutely a textbook baby. She’s hitting every milestone exactly when she should. It’s the beginning of her third week and she has become more alert and fussy whenever we put her down to sleep. She used to be able to sleep right after a feeding but now she’s wild awake and needs us to soothe her to sleep. Whenever we put her down, she starts to fuss and we would have to soothe her all again. We heard she’ll get even more fussy until sixth week and that’s when she has learned to soothe herself. Lucky, she’s only fussy in the evening. During the day she much easier to put to sleep. We want to include activities in the routine, but whenever we do an activity like tummy time after a good feeding, she aren’t able to fall asleep afterwards. I don’t know if we should continue with tummy time or just let her sleep.
Sep
24
Our gallery has been updated with the latest Sam pics taken since her birth photos. I know she’s not 1 month old just yet, but I felt enthused to start one early as I’ve been going a bit camera crazy, as you might expect.
Sep
24
How’s it going, dad?
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So I’m a new father! How does it feel? Weird? Sure, it’s weird. I was the youngest in my family, used to getting some attention. Now I have to direct that kind of attention and more to Samantha. And I’ll spare you the cliche descriptions of how sentimental and overwhelmed with emotions you get when you see your first pop out. While much of this is real and indeed a moment like no other, I’d rather like to reflect on some specific things that made me think “wow, I’m a dad”.
The C Battery!
You remember the C battery? That huge, clunky battery (looks like a AA battery on steriods). Yes, that one. The one that I discovered is needed to operate almost all the vibrating, bouncy, chiming, Fisher Price chairs and swings we got for Samantha. And not only that, some even need the D battery. Remember that one? Even bigger than the C. My first reaction was laughter because I hadn’t seen or used one in so long. Then my next thought was, “they still make these?”. Well they obviously do. Holding one in my hands conjures up all these old images and reminders of many tacky, not-so-well built toys and games from my childhood. I guess its come time to revisit this era. Man, the C battery… I’m definitely a dad now.
It’s all about the Wrap, baby!
Seeing your first child enter the world is a super special time for sure. But over the next few days, as I watched Samantha’s movements and expressions, I started to see this whole experience from her traumatizing point of view. She had spent 9 months inside a cozy womb, well fed, warm, secure and in amniotic bliss. All of the sudden she had been ripped out naked into this harsh unfamiliar world where sounds, food and temperature had changed drastically. No wonder she would get startled even at the movements of her own arms and legs. Poor thing.
It was then during our first trip to the Pediatrician’s office that Joanne busted out the new Didymos baby wrap to carry Sam. She was all scrunched up, skin to skin with Joanne inside this wrap, and I had never seen her so happy and comfortable. For that moment, she probably thought that we finally returned her back home to the womb. This Didymos was not merely a highly German engineered piece of (expensive) fabric that gets a lot of stares on the street, this was her sanctuary. If she couldn’t be returned to the womb, this wrap would have to do for now. Caring for a dependent, whether it be your child or even a dog, requires that you sometimes see things from their point of view in order to fulfill their needs. Wow, I guess I am a dad now.
Sep
24
Sleep, eat, sleep, eat
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We’ve made it through the first week as new parents, and things are going well. Special thanks to family who have been a great help by cooking us feasts. We’re still getting used to Samantha’s rhythms and syncing our routines to her needs. Eating and sleeping are basically all that newborns do, and both seem to require a bit of managing and mindfulness if Samantha is to be satisfied.
Feeding can be somewhat of a learning curve and quite challenging, especially if the baby is being breastfed like ours. Luckily we managed to get wonderful lactation consultation, and Samantha’s been eating heartily and gaining proper weight since. Not sure about other first-time fathers, but I sometimes feel quite helpless and vulnerable for these first couple of weeks, since I won’t be able to do much on my own if Samantha cries (uh, I mean scream) in hunger. Bottles won’t come into the picture until 2 weeks or so.
Babies’ sleep routines and durations also might not be as self-evident as one may expect. From my readings, it seems as though a rule of thumb is to never awake a sleeping baby. I know some parents would naturally want to wake their baby to feed them, especially if they’ve slept for many hours. But apparently hunger is controlled by the stomach, while wake/sleep cycles are managed by the brain. Hunger does not play a role in waking a baby. So if her developing brain is being fed with sleep, should we disrupt that in order to feed her stomach? What to do? For now, letting her sleep uninterrupted seems preferable. Plus, the long sleeping appears to condition her to sleep easier subsequently, as it’s a learned behavior.
More later…
Sep
19
We’re happy to announce the birth of our baby daughter, Samantha Helen Wong! She was born on Monday, September 15th at 11:10 am and weighed in at 5 lbs 14 oz.
The whole procedure went exceptionally well. Joanne did a great job and is
currently doing and feeling well. We just arrived back home on Wednesday. Here are some pictures.
More to come on our first week as parents…
Sep
8
When is it going to be my turn? Six pregos in the office. 4 down two more to go. It should happen very soon… I hope.
Aug
26
Diapers
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We learned that an average new baby goes through 7-8 diapers a day. In a week that’s 49-58 diapers. In a month that’s 196-232 disposable diapers!!!! Not only is disposable diapers costly but it’s also not earth friendly either. I’m all about convenience but that’s a lot of dirty diapers to our planet.
The only diapers options we have are either cloth or disposable diapers, but then I found this gDiapers solution. The gDiapers uses refillable liners and these liners are biodegradable. Within 3 months it is completely compost into the soil while other disposable diapers take 500 years. Another wonderful part of the gDiapers is you can flush the wet liners in the toilet which is where waste should go. Trouble is with the gDiapers, it is a little less convenience and even more inconvenience with poo. Not to mention pricier. However, look at the diaper, it is so fashionable!!!!
Aug
22
Talking to a stomach
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I began speaking to the baby in Joanne’s stomach a couple of months ago, mainly in the form of reading. I’ve skipped a good number of days, but for this last month I’m trying hard to maintain consistency and read to the baby each night. They say it’s a good way for the father to bond with the newborn, where in most cases she would be predisposed to mom’s sounds and touches by nature. This is in addition to the music that Joanne has been playing for her as well. We try to aim the iPod speakers down under her belly, as to encourage her to move into a head-first position in preparation for labor. Whether or not this all works, I guess we’ll find out.
Any dads out there feel weird talking to a stomach? I still do. But she does kick when she hears my voice, kind of neat.