Happy April Fools Day

Luckily Esme is too little to play April Fool's jokes on me and I was kind enough not to play one on her today. We did however get a nice long bath, manicure and pedicure out of the way today for Esme so she's all ready for a Friday night out on the town. We're going to a 80's trivia nite at a local coffee shop for a friends school fundraiser but I'm not sure how much help Esme will be since that's like ancient history to her :) Check out this video of her talking to me!

All's good!

We drove back up to the hospital today for my 6 week post-partum check-up and everything went well. Shana, the midwife who delivered Esme, said that I might have to camp out at the hospital next time I have a baby or else who knows where it will be delivered :) I better not joke about that too much huh? Yikes! Esme had some fun on her activity mat today as you can see by the pics below. And we've also been enjoying some of her books. By far, her most favorite activity is looking over our shoulders and out the big window in our family room. I think she likes all the light out there and it fascinates her.

I caught her smiling!

And this is her pooping face :)

Sleeping in class

Driving to Evergreen Hospital for our parent-baby class today was very reminiscent of the drive there on the day that Esme was born - the sky was gray and it was raining out which is a typical Seattle day. I even drove through the same circle driveway entrance to the birth center but the difference this time was that I remembered my shoes and I could get out of the car and walk on my own :) Esme enjoyed listening to all the other babies in the class again but she didn't participate much herself. She slept, then ate, and then slept again in my arms. She didn't have much to add to the postpartum adjustment discussion that we had going on. Ha ha! The class shrunk a little as some kiddos graduated to the 3-6 month group so today there were only 8 mom and baby pairs instead of the 13 like last week.

Sleeping in class

Red little toosh

Today we braved the elements and had a nice walk around Greenlake with Aunty LeAnne. Luckily we missed the rain but were prepared none-the-less. And since Esme was so nice and warm bundled up in her stroller she just slept the whole time. What's new, right? Then we went to Costco so I could load up on some of my "new" favorite veggies since having to give up the broccoli, cabbage, etc. Now it's on to green beans, snap peas, and spinach :)

Esme's got her first little diaper rash so we've stocked all the "diaper stations" (her room, the pack-n-play in our room, and the living room) in our house with diaper creme to lather on her bum. It's slightly better today and hopefully will be gone soon.

Ready to get in the car

All bundled up at Greenlake

Activity mat time

Chunk-A Munk-A

Right now Esme's pack-n-play is right next to my bedside so I can just reach in and scoop her up in the middle of the night to feed. Well before it barely took any effort to lift her but in the past few nights I've had to sit all the way up, brace my legs and heave-ho! According to our home scale she's almost 10 pounds!

Gotta love a sleepin babe

So much puke!

The past few mornings Esme has been sharing all her curdled milk from the night before with me and we've gone through multiple clothing changes before the day even starts. I've already cut out all the gassy veggies cause that seemed to upset her but recently she's been spitting up more, especially in the morning. Well last night I may have figured it out. We usually do our night time feeds lying down so I can still get some rest and she usually just falls asleep right after. Last night I painfully woke her up after her feeds to burp her and thankfully she went right back to sleep. Phew! And there was a dramatic decrease in the spit up this morning since we're still in outfit #2 and it's already the afternoon. So lets hope that that's all it was! Here's one of her outfit changes the other day. I call her Homey Gnomie when she wears this one and Allen says it looks like she has Bieber Fever :)

TGIF

Sheesh, where did the day go already. TGIF........but then again, everyday is a Friday for us :) Here's a pic of our trip to Costco yesterday. Soon she won't be able to fit in this sling in this position.

Daddy's girl

She did it! She finally smiled for Allen! We were all lying in bed together as we were waking up and I got her to smile numerous times but everytime Allen tried she stopped. I told him to just be patient and then this afternoon when we were getting ready to leave the house she gave him a nice long smile in response to his voice. It was awesome! We also discovered that she doesn't have my long legs yet cause her baby leg warmers are still a little long on her. At least she can grow into them :)


Love the leg warmers!

Blanket time with daddy

Baby, baby, baby!

Apparently Esme only likes to smile for me because I can't get her to repeat it for Allen. Either that or she only likes to smile in the morning and during the day but not in the late afternoon and evening when Allen's home. Someday soon..........

Today we went to a parent-baby class for infants up to 3 months old. It's offered at the hospital where she was born and I was really glad we went. We started the class off with a photo shoot of all the little ones and amazingly they laid there for almost 10 minutes. Esme started to fuss so I had to plug her with the pacifier and then she lasted a few more minutes. I think she was still upset that I dressed her in clothes that were WAY too big for her but was in a rush to get out the door so didn't have time to change her again. Ha ha! Then there was a discussion about baby sign language and then an open session for us to talk about anything we wanted. It was nice to be out in public and not have to worry about breastfeeding, diaper changing, fussing, etc cause everyone was doing the same thing and we can all relate. The facilitator just kept going no matter what we were doing so it didn't seem disruptive. It was fun to watch Esme listen to all the new noises and sounds that the other babies made. She was definitely aware that we were somewhere different and she seemed intrigued. She constantly had her eyebrows up and eyes wide open, even when she was breastfeeding. The classes are held once a week so we'll definitely go back next week.


Ready to go to class


Esme's center stage in the bottom of the photo

All smiles :)

More exciting than our first walking adventure around Greenlake today was when Esme smiled at the sound of my voice. Of course that brought me to tears right away cause it was so special. I was walking around the house while holding her in my arms and she started to do one of her spontaneous smiles (like she does when she's dreaming, or has gas, or just randomly :) and I started talking to her and the smile got bigger and bigger as my voice got louder and higher pitched when saying her name. Since then I've got her to repeat the smiles a few more times but I still haven't caught them on camera. When I do, I'll make sure to show you all!

This past weekend her eyes starting showing specs of brown in them. Soon she'll no longer be our blue-gray eyed girl.

Off to work he goes...

Well the "vacation" is over as Allen returned to work today. It's been soooooooooo wonderful to have him home with Esme and I during this first month and to share in all her new experiences. We've really been able to bond as a family and that extra time together made all the difference. We're really going to miss him! First order or business today was to clean out Esme's room. She's graduated from newborn clothes to 0-3 months and she's even outgrowing the newborn diapers. Her cheeks and tummy have fill out and her voice continues to get louder and louder as she coos and sometimes cries. Such a big girl! So she got some tummy time in her room while I packed up all her little clothes and unloaded the bigger ones. Now she's napping in her crib (for the first time since she usually sleeps in the pack-n-play in our room) and I'm going to attempt to get all the pictures organized for her baby book. I'm sure it will be a work-in-progress for awhile :)

Hanging out in her swing

Tummy time

Home Sweet Home

We made it down to Cannon Beach, OR and back this weekend with no major mishaps! I was so nervous when we left yesterday morning that I'd forget something important or that Esme might not do so well away from home for the night but all went well. It was about a 4 hour drive and Esme just slept except for when we stopped midway to feed her. It was a little cold to go down to the beach once we got there so we just hung out at the rental house. There was no shortage of friends who got to take turns holding Esme and she had no complaints either. Amazingly her night-time routine was pretty much the same too. She's so awesome :) On the way home today we made a stop in Vancouver, WA for a short visit with some of my family. However, once we got back in the car Esme decided she didn't want to sit in the back seat by herself so Allen kept her company and they both napped. Lucky ducks! Here's some pics Allen took at Cannon Beach while I stayed in the car with Esme (cause that's where it was warmest):

Staring contests...

Apparently Esme wants to make these staring contests a nightly ritual but I had to cut last nights session short. Again, after her 3am feeding she just wants to lie in bed and stare at me but luckily this time it only lasted about an hour. I was thinking back to when I was pregnant and it's around the exact same time that she used to do flips in my belly so maybe that's why she likes to be up at that time.

Tomorrow we're going to embark on our first road trip. It'll be a short little weekend getaway but it's amazing how much stuff I've already packed and I'm not even finished! Hopefully we don't forget anything :)

One of her "comfort positions" while hanging out with daddy

The new carseat cover so we can go walking outside

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Luckily we had two special St. Paddy's Day outfits to cycle through today because it didn't take long for Esme to spit-up on the first one :) I didn't feel like cooking so we attempted to eat lunch at an Irish pub but unfortunately it was too crowded. We ended up at a seafood restaurant that had a surprisingly good Reuben sandwich and Esme just slept through it all again. Otherwise, she got a lot of NCAA basketball tournament watching in with dad today.

Last night Esme went to a work get-together with me and of course, slept the whole time again. Everyone got to hold her but she just didn't want to wake up. Then she made up for it by having a staring contest with me after her 3am feeding which lasted for about 2 hours. I couldn't sleep with her staring at me like that so we just layed in bed gazing at each other and I think she won. Everytime my eyes would drift shut she'd fuss and then we'd go at it again :) Silly girl!


Outfit #1


Outfit #2

Esme, doing what she does best, with Aunty's Nicole & Bonnie

1 Month Old

Yesterday Esme turned 1 month old! Maybe that's why she was so fussy yesterday - she doesn't want to grow up either. Ha ha! It was strange though cause she's usually so easy and yesterday she was just irritable and hard to console. She also barely napped during the day which was nice for me last night cause then she only woke up once to eat. However we can't complain too much about the day cause she still doesn't cry out for long periods at a time. She just kept spitting out her pacifier, squirming and fussing. It was worse on Allen since he was home with her more than I was. Since he goes back to work next week I've been working on getting all my appointments out of the way while I still have him around to watch Esme. Yesterday was my eye appointment and physical. I even squeezed in a massage that was actually rescheduled from when Esme was born. I had planned to get one the weekend before my due date but she was already born by then. Silly girl! Anyways, we'll keep our fingers crossed that today goes better than yesterday...

No sleep for Esme today!

Well today was interesting... Esme probably slept all of 1 hr today during the day.  No real naps! Mom was out all day with appointments, so daddy had to feed her twice.  The not sleeping is not really a good thing, as she is still awake right now and not wanting to change that much.  Can't complain too much, as she's not really cryingm but really just fussing if we aren't paying attention to her. It was pretty awesome watching her follow my face as I moved it around her head.  I can't complain too  Here are a couple of examples:

And here she is talking to us!

Well, we hope to able to sleep tonight... luckily, nothing important is happening tomorrow and we'll all try to nap while we can.  Good night!

No more potstickers :(

The party is coming to an end :( Ting left last night after a fun filled weekend of family, good food, and a little adventure! We didn't let her escape without a trip to the Theo Chocolate Factory for chocolate samples and gifts to take back to NY and then we went to the Lunchbox Laboratory for another burger experience.

Esme slept through it again which meant I was able to eat without disruption :) Ting did leave behind some yummy freezer meals for us which we'll be enjoying in the near future. And then tonight Allen's parents leave. We got a chance to make some homemade potstickers while they were here and I think we still have some of those in the freezer also. Yum!

And now for the obligatory cute baby photos:

Esme's Dr Evil impression... 

Esme sleeping with Grandpa

Esme sleeping on Grandpa

The Shih's in the House!

So everyone is in the house right now! Everyone is happy meeting Esme for the first time.  Here's proud grandma holding her:

Ting is crazy about exercise too.  Who would've known.  Just finished a run with my sister (made her run farther than she really ever does). Here's us doing Ab Ripper X, which sucks:

Here's Esme getting her first Hong Bao... nest egg for the future (Thanks Yeh Yeh and Niang Niang):

Grandma holding a sleeping Esme

Esme getting ready for a trip out!

Everyone will be staying for the next couple of days. Sis wants to run again tomorrow. Not sure what the day is going to foretell.

The Shih family arrives

Well they're not here yet but Allen's sister arrives from Ithaca, NY tonight and his parents arrive from Sandy, UT tomorrow morning. No plans yet but I'm sure it will include a lot of Esme time :) She's the second grandchild and first grand daughter in the Shih family.

Last nights sleeper experiment went okay but she would startle easier cause her hands were out and she just had the loose sleep sack on. Tonight we might revert back to swaddling with her hands out and see how that goes. And maybe this all means nothing. Ha ha! Based on how much she's been feeding this afternoon and tonight she'll also grow about 1 inch tonight. My little bean is growing!

Mommy and Esme alone at last

Strangely enough today is the first time that I've had Esme all to myself. Allen's been home alone with her many times already. When my mom was here, her and I would get out of the house for short little errands or trips and leave Allen and Esme. And then Allen's been watching her the past 2 days while I had that conference to go to. Now Allen's working a per diem shift at Albertson's pharmacy this afternoon/evening so it's just Esme-Bean and me! I think we'll work on getting a bath today since her head, neck and hands smell like breastmilk :) Then we might do some laundry. Surprise, surprise! It's amazing how often we're doing it now. Ha ha! And then tonight we're going to try a new sleeper when she goes to bed. We've been swaddling her but she seems to like to sleep with her hands up by her face so I think that's why she fusses sometimes when she's swaddled. We'll see though...

Day 2 daddy and esme, alone in the wilderness of Renton

Esme and I are on day 2 without mama. I've only been pooped on once today which is cool (wow how are perspectives change). Really though, she's just slept most the time today. I gave her a bunch of tummy time while I ate my lunch. Then I took this video of her while I was waking her up for a feeding.

She's currently sleeping on my legs, so this blog being written on my phone.

Hope I don't miss anything. She's taking bottles like a champ and being an all around good girl.  She even slept through my P90X plyo session (jumping around like crazy).

And finally, she really loves her baths. She just kinda stares at us... and she's starting to get chubby!

Daddy Daycare

Allen got to fly solo with Esme today cause I had an all day conference in north Seattle. I think I was more worried than him about how today would go. Yesterday I pumped like crazy so the fridge was stocked with bottles. Then I got up super early this morning to get ready in case Esme woke up in the meantime and wanted to eat. Turns out she didn't but she must have known I was leaving her cause after her 2:30am feed she wouldn't go back to sleep and every time I tried to put her down she fussed. She just wanted to lie in bed and stare at me with all her cute faces. So needless to say I didn't get good sleep. During all my breaks today I was calling home to check in but of course things were fine. I'm so glad I'm home now but unfortunately I have another conference tomorrow. I just have to get through that one and then I'll be back home with her. Allen's been enjoying the father- daughter bonding though and he's great with her. Plus she's not overly fussy and takes a bottle well so there's not much to worry about. I wondered how feeding would go once I got home but she latched right on like I hadn't even left. Phew!

The walnut is busting out of her shell!

Last week I could still look at Esme and picture how she fit inside my belly but this week there's no way! Her tummy is starting to fill out, she's a little longer and her cone head is gone. Now she fills out her newborn clothes and diapers too. Even her sounds are louder so she doesn't squeek anymore. She's having more awake and alert times and she really likes to be right next to our bodies. I've gotten used to carrying her in the sling and Allen has been experimenting with the Ergo Carrier.

Aloha Nana

Today was a sad day cause Nana left. Many tears were shed and it's times like these that make being away from my family sooooooooooooo hard. Nana missed Esme being born but then that gave us the entire two weeks of her trip to bond, just mother, daughter and grand-daughter, which was also very special. The next time we're all together Esme will be a completely different baby. I'm thinking Esme and I will make a trip back to Hilo before my maternity leave is up at the end of May.

Now all the guests are gone and the visitors are dwindling so it feels like the vacation is over. I did get out and exercise today which was first in over 2 months. It felt so good to get my legs moving, my heart really pumping and to breath in all that fresh air. I had to stop all exercise except yoga after Christmas of last year due to some back pain that was related to the pregnancy and also my old back surgery. Luckily with the help of an osteopath it resolved before Esme was born but I didn't want to push my luck so I just kept doing my prenatal yoga, which in hindsight really helped with the delivery. Today I also got a pedicure which I meant to do the weekend before Esme's due date but since she came early that got cancelled. My toes feel sooooooooo much better. Next on my list is to finish up my Belly Book (a fun pregnancy journal) and start on Esme's baby book.

Esme's tiny little hand!

Esme loves Korean food

Today we went to the Korean restaurant where Allen and I ate lunch on the day that Esme was born. Maybe that's what sent me into labor early. Ha ha! We also joked that we'll celebrate all her birthdays with Korean food. She hasn't rejected all the spiciness via my breastmilk yet! Then tonight we celebrated Esme being born with some pink champagne. Yum! Our little Esme-Bean is really starting to fill out and plump up. It's amazing how she changes day to day. I still love hanging out with her in the middle of the night during feeding time and just watching all the cute faces she makes. It makes all the sleep deprivation worth it :)

Happy Girls Day!

The feeding frenzy continues so maybe that's just her norm for now. We seem to have our night time routine down and she wakes up twice, feeds, and goes right back to sleep. If she doesn't sleep right away, she'll just lay in the pack-n-play at my bedside without any fuss. Sometimes she likes to be swaddled and other times she likes to have her hands out and up by her face which is very similar to one of the ultrasounds pics we saw at 20 weeks.

Learning to do chores one handed

Today Esme met her great-great-Uncle Richard (my late grandfather's brother) and his friend Millie who drove up from Vancouver, WA. She also got to meet my cousins Russ & Jen and their son Colton who's almost 8 months old. It's amazing to think that Esme will be that big and active someday :) Allen introduced Esme to the vacuum earlier today and amazingly she just slept in his arms the whole time. And he even got his own "daddy's diaper toolbelt" for the blowouts that our little Esme-Bean has :)

All our visitors today... except Jen

Young man meet young woman

Great Great Uncle Richard meets Esme for the first time

Butterfly butt

Daddy's Diaper Toolbelt - Daddy needs help with poop!

Bring on the visitors!

Esme got to meet her great grandparents, Berta and Jim, today and also her great auntie Trina, who all drove up from Oregon to see her. Turns out she's great grandchild #14 for my grandma! We just hung out at home and got to visit with everyone and Esme was on her best behavior. She was so quiet you could easily forget there was a baby in the room. And tomorrow will bring a whole new group of family to visit :) I think she might be going through a growth spurt as she's been on a feeding frenzy since last night. Her normal 5-10 minute feeds are turning into 15-30 minute feeds. Luckily there's no shortage of milk and I've even been able to freeze a lot for later. Once in awhile Allen or Nana will give her a bottle of breastmilk and she has no problem taking it either.

Two weeks old!

Yesterday we visited daddy's work place and got to tour the new tower of the hospital where he works. And today we got to visit mommy's workplace for Esme's two week check-up. It's amazing how fast time flies! She was back to her birth weight, 7 pounds 2 ounces, which puts her in the 25th percentile for weight and she grew a quarter of an inch so now she's 20 3/4 inches long which puts her in the 75th percentile for height. Everything else looked good so her next physical isn't until 2 months old.