1 month down. 215 more to go.

We survived our first month with Clementine. Or should we say, she survived her first month with us.

Finally home

Our first week at home was grueling. The adjustment to the lack of sleep and energy was SO very difficult.

Babies are draining. Soul-sucking, even. Don't try this at home, kids.

Click HERE for our pictures.

DAY 6


(We were so tired out and forgot to tape Day 7. Or did we just count the days wrong? I don't even know anymore...)

DAY 8

Clementine's Big Debut

Our daughter made her grand entrance on June 21, 2011.

I started feeling contractions on Monday June 20. After half a day of what's called "false labor" (although the pain felt pretty damn real to me), the contractions quickly turned into "REAL" labor by early afternoon. After some scrambling around the house to gather our things and arrange for our friends Raul & Rachel to pick up Corser, Russell and I rushed to UCSF Children's Hospital around 8pm.

They strapped me with belts and sensors to monitor the baby's heart rate & my contractions. Unfortunately, the contractions came too fast and too strong, which stressed the baby, causing her heart rate to go dangerously low. I was rushed... I mean, RUSHED (just like on TV & movies, with the hospital staff running through the halls, yelling out for help) to the Operating Room twice, to prepare for a possible emergency caesarian section. The doctors pumped me full of drugs to slow down the contractions, which brought the baby's heart rate back to normal. This happened twice over the course of a few hours. But the doctors informed us that if this happened again, they strongly recommended to proceed with delivering via C-section due to possible risk of losing the baby.

So when the heart rate dropped a 3rd time, we went for it. It was a truly frightening and stressful experience. I was rushed to the OR, while Russell had to stay in the hospital room. Our little girl arrived in the wee hours of the morning, kicking and screaming from the get go.

Clementine de Joya Gong was born on 4:38am. 6 lbs, 4 oz. 19.5 inches long.



The delivery went smoothly. The medical staff at UCSF were extremely attentive and supporrtive; I felt genuinely cared for during our stay. Clementine stayed in the room with us, and Russell was at our side the entire time. We stayed 4 more nights, through Saturday morning, so I could adequately recover from the surgery.

Click HERE to see our pics from that first week at the hospital.

Here are video journals to chronicle our first days with the baby.

DAY 1


DAY 2


DAY 3


DAY 4


DAY 5

But it doesn't FEEL "lighter"...

I've passed 37 weeks, a couple more weeks to go!

We've taken our pregnancy & birthing classes and our infant parenting classes. We've written up our Birth Plan. We've packed our hospital bag. We've narrowed down our baby names. We've [mostly] gotten all the baby gear & registry items we need. Nursery is almost done. Baby clothes have all been washed & put away.

I think we're ready. Kinda.

Baby is already considered full-term at this point, so if I deliver now, it'll just be "early" but not "preemie". Sometime last week, we entered the"Lightening" stage of the pregnancy, where the baby starts to drop down lower in my pelvis in preparation for birth. Which means I can finally take deep breaths again, and eat larger meals... but I also have to pee ALL THE DAMN TIME since baby is now resting on my bladder. At least we know from my weekly NST exams that its head is down and turned the right way (and that it's uber-active & healthy).

This week is my last week in the office. Just in time because I am SO tired of going up and down the stairs, the constant restroom visits, and fighting the urge to take naps at my desk. I'll be working from home next week, then I'll be officially on leave after June 17th.

Meanwhile, Russell has been very hard at work moving and rearranging furniture, doing major cleaning, home projects, and all the heavy lifting. He's also been taking very good care of me, taking me to/from my pre-natal massage appointments (a very thoughtful gift he gave me), soothing my aches & pains, and making sure I don't overexert myself as I tend to do. He's an amazing husband, and I know he'll be such an awesome dad.

In case you hadn't seen it lately, you can check out our Pregnancy album HERE, which is updated weekly.

Siete de Mayo Party! Oh, and a Baby Shower too!

Our friends Justa & Tammy threw us a baby shower! Well, knowing Russell and I, it couldn't be a standard baby shower party. We decided to have a Fiesta to celebrate Cinco de Mayo AND a baby shower together! Tammy made gigantic colored pompoms and did all the decorations. Justa worked with Russell on the activities: A "Message To Baby Gong" from our guests, and a guess at "What Will Baby Gong Look Like". We also had a custom-made pinata shaped like a baby... please don't think that's an indicator of what kind of parents we'll be!

Isa flew up from LA for this party, and got to have a preview of what it feels like to be an Auntie. Many of our friends already have chirruns of their own, and a whole new slew of babies were born in the past year (ours will be the 8th). There were tykes galore running around all over the house! Friends were telling us to "get used to it - this will be your life soon!" Ai ya...

Click HERE for our pics.

Click on this image to get a closer look of the potential Baby Gongs.

AnniversaThree

I came home to a lovely surprise today.

Amidst all the exhaustion of a busy week and the baby brain, I had completely forgotten our Wedding Anniversary! Our THREE YEAR wedding anniversary!
*sigh*
My awesome husband makes me so very very happy.

What a baby.

One of us is hating life.
Hint: it's not me.