My blue eyed baby

While her eyes are still a blue-gray color, Esme's eyesight definitely is changing. She's much more aware of her surroundings and turns towards voices. It's nice to see her look at our faces with purpose when we're talking to her :) As for the color of her eyes, we're expecting those will change in the next few months. Today she even grabbed her pacifier out of her mouth and held it with her hand but I think that was just a fluke!

 Christy and Natalie visited yesterday (2/27/11)

 Feeding time... and some joking around time

Esme's growing up, holding her own pacifier

No more broccoli for mama!

Esme had a fussy/gassy night last night and we think it might be due to the raw broccoli I ate for dinner. I'm pretty sure I've eaten it cooked since she's been born but didn't recognize any problems then. I'll have to test that one out again. But so sad since broccoli is one of my favorite veggies :( We also had visitors last night and Esme got another homemade quilt from her Auntie LeAnne and Auntie Kathy but the finishing touches still had to be done with the help of Nana's quilting skills :)

Yesterday I finished reading "To Esme - With Love and Squalor" which is a short story by J.D. Salinger. It's super short and a bizarre ending but not unexpected from the author. I came across the name Esme when I was scouring the baby names books for girls names and I really liked the meaning - beloved, loved one, esteemed one. However I wasn't thrilled that it was also a character in the Twilight series which I was most definitely not a fan of so I kept looking for other names. In the end though I kept coming back to Esme and so I did a little research which is where I learned about the J.D. Salinger short story. Turns out there's also an Esme in the children's series by Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events which I read a few years back. And since I don't have one patient by the name Esme I decided it was still a unique enough name and it stuck! One website described it as a good substitute for names like Zoe, Lindsey, or Hailey. Ha ha!

Allen will post the pics as soon as he gets up this morning :)

Tummy time on the new quilt

Sleeping like Daddy

Esme-Bean the pooping machine!

So far only Nana has escaped the projectile poops of Esme. Mommy and daddy have been welcomed into parenthood many times over now :) We're still trying to get our diaper changing routine down and then she tries something new. As soon as we open her diaper she decides that it's time to go and she gives it her all. Silly girl! Esme had another bath today and loved it just as much as the first. Then she fed like a champ and slept through her first adventure to Seattle. We set off to Lunchbox Laboratory for a burger and fries experience and she didn't even make a peep. Now dad is helping her with her tummy time and Nana is busy finishing her baby quilt. I should probably be napping :) Another lazy afternoon at the Shih household!

She sleeps just like Allen!

Second bath


Hungry Caterpillar Quilt 

Nice and clean Esme-Bean

Esme's piko (belly button in Hawaiian) fell off yesterday so she got her first bath today. She liked it right away and she slept so well afterwards. Im thinking it reminded her of her days in my belly :) Nana's going to take her dried up piko home to Hawaii so that my brother Judd can take it up to Lake Waiau on Mauna Kea along with his son Hunter's piko. Ancient Hawaiians used to take their children's piko to the lake to bring strength and good fortune to the child so we're hoping for the same. By the way... it snowed today!

Nicknames

We had another follow up at the hospital today and Esme passed with flying colors. Her weight continues to go up and she was able to consume 1 1/2 ounces after 10 minutes of breast-feeding. We got a lot of great advise from the lactation nurse and she sent us on our way with no need to follow up again. Esme did so well and was so content that we made a quick trip to the mall and she slept the whole time. I can't complain cause she's been such a great baby. Only a week old and she's sleeping well, latching without problems, not overly spitty, no rashes or skin problems, etc. We've gotten our night time routine down so it doesn't seem like a lot of work anymore and miraculously I can fall back asleep as soon as we're done with those feeds. Normally I'm not such a great sleeper but no problems now!

It's amazing how fast I've gotten out of the habit of using "Wally" or "my little walnut" which were the nicknames before we knew if we were having a boy or a girl. Esme has two nicknames so far - my little Gnomiette and Esme-bean. Allen and I had planned to see Gnomio and Juliet the day that she was born but never got there cause I wasn't feeling so great and didn't think I could sit through it. And when she wears the hat from the hospital (since it's the only one that truly fits her now) it makes a little point at the top of her head and she just looks like a little gnome so she's turned into my little Gnomiette. And Esme-bean seemed to just roll off my tongue so it's stuck for now. Pooper and Stinker are more unofficial nicknames for when she has blowouts and tries to play when I'm trying to breastfeed her :) Ha ha!

 

Up, up and away!

Woohoo, Esme gained 1 1/2 ounces today which made me VERY happy. All that extra feeding and pumping has paid off and now my milk is in! We took her into my office and Dr. Dave, one of the pediatricians that I work with, took a look at her for me and said her exam was perfect. Yah! It's nice to work in pediatrics and have these "special" services available on Sunday mornings :) Very reassuring for the emotional first time mom! Then we embarked on Esme's very first trip to Target and Costco for some much needed supplies that were missing around the house. I carried her in a sling at Costco so I had to be careful not to drop any crumbs on her while I nibbled on the samples. Ha ha! She was great though and slept the whole time.

We had a few more visitors this weekend to meet the little one. We even scored some pink girly clothes and play equipment for Esme. And tonight she'll get to meet her Nana for the first time. My mom will be here to spend some time with all of us for the next two weeks. Originally we thought she'd come before the due date and be here for the birth but Esme had other plans :) No complaints here though!

Grow walnut, grow!

Esme lost some more weight today so now she's down to 6# 7oz. We've got a strict feeding schedule to follow to help bring it back up though. And I'll go into my office tomorrow and check her weight myself just to make sure it's all working. She was also a little cold so we've had her wrapped up like a little bean burrito all afternoon trying to bring that back up. Otherwise jaundice levels are still low so no concern there and I checked out fine too.

We were supposed to attend a small Chinese New Year Celebration at her soon-to-be bilingual daycare (once she turns 3 months old) tonight but after our long post-partum visit and all the changes we had to make we decided to skip it and just head home to relax. It's amazing how much more work it takes to leave the house with such a little person!

Friday at home

Nice quiet day at home today.  We never changed out of our pajamas and never had to cook any meals (Thanks to everyone who helped out and dropped off scrumptious food).  We'll be taking Esme out and about for the first time tomorrow... check back for updates!

Home sweet home!

    

We got discharged from the hospital this morning and as we were walking out I felt like we had been there for an eternity. I barely remember coming in since it was such a whirlwind and the world seems like such a different place as we left with Esme. A new, exciting adventure in our lives :)

Esme lost almost 10% of her birth weight so we've stepped up on the feedings and I'm trying to pump too. She was down to 6# 8oz and we'll re-check on Saturday at our post-partum visit at the hospital. She tested in the low risk zone for jaundice so we're hoping it stays that way even though her face is looking more yellow this afternoon. She's resting comfortably in her swing and we'll see how she likes her crib and/or pack-n-play tonight.

Sleeping Beauty

Just a little video I shot while hanging out with our new addition

Esme already has a new cousin!

Congrats to my brother Judd and his wife Johnessa who had their baby boy Hunter today! Mommy, baby and daddy are all doing fine in Waimea, HI. Can't wait for the cousins to meet!

Visitors to Esme

Never did I imagine...

...that yesterday would have ended like it did! I had my first painless Braxton hicks contractions on Monday night and went to bed with no problems. Then I woke up early cause I was having these painful lower abdominal cramps. I figured I'd have the midwife check me out that day since I had my 39wk appt at 10am. She said I was 2cm, 100%effaced and 1+ station so I was most likely feeling all those sudden changes. The pain continued until I went home and took a bath and then it was very sporadic however around 3pm it started getting intense again but only in the lower abdomen. Allen started timing them and they were already 5 minutes apart and lasting over a minute but I still held out to call the office until my water broke which happened shortly after. And on the 30 minute car ride to the hospital the contractions went from 5 to 4 to 3 to 2 minutes apart. I got rolled in to the admitting area and they took one look at me and realized I was already pushing on my own so there was no time for introductions, admission paperwork, iv's, meds or anything. Our little Esme Lindsey Shih ( means loved one or beloved in French) was born about 30 minutes later. It all happened so fast that it was sort of surreal when it was over. Allen and I didn't even have a camera on us cause everything was still in the car. Thank goodness for camera phones! She latched on right away and was there for almost an hour so we didn't get stats right away. She weighed 7# 2oz, 20.5 in long. The midwife said I beat out all her other laboring moms that were on the floor last night. And in hindsight the reason I was having those lower abdominal cramps was most likely the superspeed dilating I had going on and because our little girl dropped so fast. I warned the midwife that I have a family history of fast labors but no one was expecting this :)

The on-call pediatrician should be by to check Esme out this morning and we may actually stay another night. I couldn't sleep at all last night but Allen is out! He was awesome the whole time so I figure at least one of us should try and rest right now. Maybe I'll have better luck today or tonight, even if it is just a nap.

A couple more

Trying again

The pictures

Whirlwind day ends with baby girl

So we thought it was gonna be a nice easy day. We planned to go Gnomio and Juliet after a nice lunch. Zoe thought she was having Braxton hicks contractions, but they started getting longer only a couple minutes apart. However, she was adamant that baby would be on schedule. Around 330, contractions started getting worse. I hurried and packed everything while Zoe was between contractions. As I was putting stuff in the car, Zoe's water broke 5pm. We rushed to the hospital, Zoe in pain while I was hoping that I didn't have to deliver in the car. We got there at 545, and I double parked as we rushed her in. As she was pushing, a head full of black hair peaked out. I was getting excited while Zoe felt the ring of fire! Then we got the greatest gift... A new baby girl... Esme Lindsey Shih. Pictures to follow

38 1/2 week ultrasound results

Phew, all is well again! I had another ultrasound today to measure the baby's growth since my belly was measuring small at my 36 and 37 week visits but no concerns now. The baby is in the 63rd percentile for weight which is equal to 7# 11oz, exactly my birth weight. Due date is still set for February 21st. I only got 2 pictures and they're a blur even to me cause the baby is so cramped right now so I won't confuse you guys with them also :) Next visit with the midwives is this coming Tuesday for my 39 week check...

13 days to go!

Baby and I had another weekly visit with the midwives today and all is well. Baby's heart rate was in the 130's to 140's, head is down and in position, and the baby is back to growing on target. My belly was measuring small the past 2 weeks but this week it had increased appropriately. They still want me to have a last ultrasound this Friday just to make sure though. I'll add those pics once I get them.

Allen and I made a last minute trip down to Portland this past weekend to visit with my family and do some last minute baby shopping. As far as the necessities go, we think we're set but I'm sure there'll be more later :)

I'm still working and plan to keep going till February 18th, right before the due date. I've been feeling fine so hopefully it continues that way.

The kicking baby

And another one: