Making baby food

I started making my own baby food a couple days ago and it was not as complicated as I thought. I started with a small sweet potatoes and baked it in the oven for an hour. The skin was easy to peel and I mashed the sweet potato with a fork. Too bad I bought such a small sweet potato that I ended up with only 4 ounces of food for Aaron. I can't believe it was actually fun to make baby food and perhaps I will make more instead of buying the expensive baby food. We'll see. :)

Solid food progress

Aaron has been eating solid food for a few weeks and so far doing better by the day. At first he didn't even seem like he knows how to swallow. We offered him brown rice cereal, which I made it very runny. The cereal just kept sliding out of his mouth and it didn't seem like he ate any. I then started him on some squash mix with some cereal and he seemed to really like it. One of my friends, Phyllis once told me that I should not give feed Aaron all yellow/orange vegetables and should switch it up with other color vegetables.  Therefore, I offered him some peas after the squash and he totally loves it!

Perhaps Aaron doesn't like carrots too much like mommy when he spits out most of the carrots.  I am planning to feed him some avocado tomorrow and see how he likes it.

Level 2 bottle nipple

Daddy noticed Aaron has been taking way too long to finish his milk and should try changing the nipples to the next level.  It seems like he's doing a little better, but still refusing the bottle every now and then. Perhaps Aaron just likes to eat solid food than drinking milk, as he seems so interested in solid food whenever it is offered to him.

First Christmas

This is Aaron's first Christmas and we decided to stay in town as it was not a good idea to travel far with him.  We didn't do much but managed to take Aaron to the mall for he Santa picture. The line wasn't long at all when we got there around 9ish. Picture turned out okay but the background was boring. Oh well, at least Aaron got a picture with Santa on Christmas eve. 

Aaron got a few Christmas gifts from the family and I haven't even had the time to let him play with the toys. I didn't get him anything specific for Christmas when it's already Christmas for him everyday. I have been buying him toys and clothes every week and it doesn't seem like I can buy enough stuff for him. I better start looking for a job soon so I can buy everything Aaron needs for him. 

I love spending Christmas with my little gremlin and he truly is my best Christmas gift. 

6 month vaccines

Daddy came home early to take Aaron to get his 6 month vaccines today. It appears that Aaron knows the doctor's office and doesn't like being there. He never likes to smile when he's at the office and definitely doesn't like the doctor touching him.  Aaron had one oral and two shots on the thighs today, and of course he cried pretty loud after being poked. 

Aaron then fell asleep pretty quickly in the car and we got to hang out at Barnes & Noble for an hour.  Perhaps Aaron is getting bigger, the vaccines didn't seem to bother him as much this time. He's not 100% as his appetite is smaller after the shots, yet he hasn't been too fussy and needs any Tylenol. Hopefully he will do as well next time at the 9 month check up and be calm as a cucumber. :)

Christmas + 6 month photo shoot

We originally scheduled Aaron's 6 month + christmas card photo shoot last week, but we rescheduled it due to the rain.  I am so glad we rescheduled the photo shoot as the weather is much nicer today. We took some pictures at the Lakewood Park in Sunnyvale by a photographer named April Funsten. The session only took about 15 minutes and Aaron wasn't fussy at all. I can't wait to see the pictures and print them out. Hopefully they will all turn out nice and cute. :)

We are still shopping for the canopy of the stroller.  It seems like the color I want is out of stock everywhere.  I can't find the exact color online either. Who knew it can be so difficult just to get the desired color of a stroller? Oh well, I hope we don't have to keep the red canopy.

We went to daddy's coworker's surprise birthday party in Menlo Park today and we met a girl called Alexis at the party. She was actually a preemie at Good Sam just like Aaron.  She is already 12 years old and you can never tell she was a preemie. I guess many preemies turn out to be perfectly normal and have no long term health issues even when they had a rough start. I pray to God that all preemies have good health and can go home with their family soon. ;))))

6 month checkup + flu shot

We went to Aaron's six month check up today and got his first flu shot. He took it like a champ and only cried for a little bit. Due to his sickness earlier in the week, his weight fell into the 10-15th percentile (15.9 lbs). :( The good news is he's still on the fairly tall side 27.5 inches, which is in the 80th percentile. Hopefully he will gain some more weight once he starts eating solids. We delayed his 6 month vaccination once again as we don't want him to be down for the weekend. It's inevitable that we have to take him in for the vaccination next week though. 

I am planning to start him on rice cereal and hope that he will get used to eating solids soon. Solids gear is almost ready -

bowls - check

spoons - check

plastic bib - check

booster seat - check

baby food maker- still shopping

ice trays - still shopping

storage - check

Looks like we still have some more shopping to do. :)))))

Bugaboo

Daddy and I were just going to the mall for our normal stroll, and once again we found ourselves playing with the Bugaboo stroller at Nordstrom like always (since I figured that there are so many different fancy strollers out there going out and about in Palo Alto).  There is no doubt that I have been thinking about getting a fancy stroller for awhile, but I just couldn't pull the trigger when it is so expensive. I was thinking more about getting an Uppababy at first, however, the stroller is simply too big and wide.

Long story short, daddy must have read my mind that I really wanted the stroller and he decided to purchase the Bugaboo at Nordstrom. I can't help but feel incredibly blessed that I get to have one of the best strollers out there, yet I feel guilty about splurging so much on a stroller when we have so many other baby necessities to buy. Hopefully we will get good use out of the Bugaboo and Aaron will enjoy his new ride. :)

Head turning + standing up

Aaron just started to turn his head to look at people these couple days. He looks so funny when he does that because he looks like the girl terminator.  I laugh everytime when I see him turning his head, and he will give me a smile back (which is super adorable).

Daddy has been holding Aaron to stand up on his lap and it seems like he finally is standing with his own strength. I can't wait to see Aaron be able to sit and play with his toys like other babies. :)

Stomach bug

It appears that Aaron has been having some sort of stomach bug for the past few days. He has been having at least 5-6 dirty diapers a day and we suspect that he is having the same stomach bug daddy and I had last week.  I was worried that he will get too dehydrated and decided to take him in to the doctor. This was the first time I brought Aaron in to the doctor's office by myself. Of all days, the elevator was out of order and I had to carry this little guy up the stairs by myself. 

Dr. Ahmann confirmed that Aaron has a little something going on in his tummy, but as usual there's nothing his can do.  I guess poor Aaron just has to fight the stomach bug for a few more days. :(

6 months

Aaron is turning 6 months old today. Time went by so fast that my little baby has grown so much. Even though he can't sit up by himself yet, I notice his neck muscle has been stronger by the day. We didn't do anything special to celebrate Aaron's six month birthday, as he seems to be a little sick. Perhaps it's a stomach bug or something? He hasn't been sleeping or eating very well the past couple days. Hopefully my little munchkin is going to get well and be his happy self soon. Happy 6 month birthday, my dear gremlin. Daddy and mommy love you!

Back on Zantac :(

Just when I thought Aaron can be totally off Zantac, his symptoms returned once again. He has been arching his back and refusing the bottle. I guess I have taken him off the medication too soon and caused him some stomach pain. I am not sure when he will outgrow the reflux, but I hope he will feel better after starting solids.    Mommy has been shopping for bowls, spoons, booster chair, baby food maker in preparation for Aaron to start solids in a few weeks.  Perhaps mommy will stop pumping and put Aaron on formula completely.  For some reason I feel guilty about putting Aaron on formula even when the doctor said the benefits of breastmilk  is not as significant after 6 months.  But I have to admit that I am secretly counting down the days to say goodbye to the breast pump. :)

Weaning off Zantac

Aaron is still doing well after 5 days without Zantac.  He is eating okay so far and the acid reflux symptoms haven't been back yet. Hopefully he will be okay without medication and we are planning to wean him off Nutramigen when he hits 6 months old. We will have to wait till his 6 month check up and see what the dr. thinks.  Mommy can't wait till Aaron to be off of all medication and special formula.  A healthy and normal baby is all mommy wants.

First Gymboree class

Aaron went to his first Gymboree class today and I think he loved it.  The class was pretty small with 5 babies including Aaron. It was pretty relaxing and laid back, as we all got to share our little stories. Aaron was so happy that he kept smiling and giggling the entire time. At first I was nervous that he would get fussy, but he was actually chilling and enjoying all the activities.  We did some singing, massaging, parachuting, tummy time, and playing with Gymbo. The teacher told me that Aaron was doing so well being a first-timer, as many babies get overwhelmed doing all the activities the first time. Mommy is so proud of Aaron and signed him up for more classes! We can't wait to go for another class. It's also a huge accomplishment for mommy to drive Aaron that far (about 20 minutes away from home). This is definitely a good day. I think I am finally enjoying motherhood and feel incredibly blessed that I have the luxury to spend all day with my baby. :)

Aaron's crib

Daddy finally found the time to build Aaron's crib. We procrastinated for the longest time to build his crib, as it will take up so much space in our bedroom.  We have to give up one side table and turn the other side table to make more room for the crib to fit. We don't want to put the crib in Aaron's room, as we don't feel comfortable for him sleeping alone at night. The crib turned out to be pretty nice and Aaron just slept comfortably in it the first time. Everything is nice about the crib except Aaron can spit out his binky through the bars.  It is almost impossible to find the binky in the middle of the night, so we had to buy the breathable bumper to help keep the binky in his crib. The breathable bumper works amazingly and we are so glad we bought it.

Rolling from back to tummy!

I can't believe how fast Aaron figured out rolling from his back to his tummy just after a few days he could roll from tummy to back. Now we really have to watch him closely even when he's taking a nap. I was preparing dinner when he was napping this afternoon, I went back to check on him after a few minutes and found him sleeping on his tummy on the other side of his sleeping mat. We better get a safety gate soon because he is already rolling all over the place. My munchkin is truly growing up too fast!

Rolling over!

Aaron is finally able to roll over from tummy to back. I witnessed him rolling over on his activity mat yesterday. I was in awe that he rolled over and I ran to roll him back to his tummy.  There he did it again! I was waiting for him to do it again so I can record it for daddy, but of course he didn't roll over again. Oh well, I am sure he will soon be rolling all over the place!

This morning he was lying on his back and trying so hard to roll, but he still needs some work rolling from back to front. I think we will have to keep an closer eye on him as he can start rolling and rolling! Another milestone met! Hooray! :)

Outgrowing the miracle blanket

The miracle blanket is no doubt one of the best buys for Aaron. I truly believe it helps Aaron stays asleep better at night as he's wrapped up like a mummy/burrito (whatever you like to call it) LOL! We love it so much that we stretch using the miracle blanket way beyond the recommended age (14 weeks) to all the way 5 months.  We recently have to make the switch to swaddleme, of course his arms broke out of it within 5 minutes putting him in.  He kept waking himself up 3, 4 times in the middle of the night, which is not fun for daddy and mommy. We don't know if there's another better solution, as he can't be swaddled when he's about to roll over. Perhaps we just need to let him get used to sleeping with his arms out. I am just seeing more sleepless nights. :(

Aaron's first halloween

This is Aaron's first halloween and mommy bought him a mini pumpkin. Mommy and daddy used to get 2 pumpkins every year and daddy would carve an awesome pumpkin for mommy, but this year we have been so busy that we didn't even get any pumpkins for ourselves. Aaron is the only that has a cute pumpkin for halloween.

I have been searching for the perfect halloween costume for Aaron for awhile.  I finally found the perfect one a week before halloween. Whew~ I am so glad Aaron actually fits okay in the costume I picked for him and of course he looks so cute in it. Happy Halloween everyone!

First fever

We thought Aaron was okay after the dr's visit on Thursday even though Dr. Ahmann told us to watch for a fever as Aaron seems to have a mild cold.  He was okay for the weekend until a little fussy while eating on Sat.  We didn't think too much about it until he woke up fussy again on Sunday morning.  Aaron didn't want to eat much and shivering a little. We quickly checked his temperature and apparently he was getting pretty warm (around 99 degrees the first time we checked), then his temperature started to rise very quickly (99, 100, 100.6, 101.4, 102...). I was starting to get worried and gave him some tylenol before even calling the doctor.  Luckily Dr. Ahmann was on call (on a Sunday!) and we were told that we can bring Aaron in.

We took Aaron to the dr. and were told to keep an eye on him as his fever might last 24-48 hours. This is the first time Aaron has a real fever, not counting the ones after getting vaccination. It's quite scary that we don't know how fussy he will be or what might happen. I am such a worrywart that every little thing about my munchkin can scare me to death. I pray to God that Aaron will recover in no time.

Another Dr's visit

Aaron has been getting more fussy while feeding and the rashes on his arms seem to get worse. We decided to take him to the doctor before anything gets too serious.  Aaron was diagnosed with eczema, which mommy has it all her life since childhood. There is not much we can do besides keeping him moisturized.  I do not want to give him any cortisone unless he really needs it, as mommy knows how cortisone thins out her skin.

Eczema is definitely not fun to deal with, especially if Aaron does not outgrow it like mommy. I understand how frustrating it is to have itchy and flaky skin as I suffer from it all my life. :( I still remember how red and flaky my face looked when I was a kid and how embarrassing it was when other kids asked me what's wrong with my skin. Eczema is not only a medical issue, but a social issue that is tough to deal with for kids or even adults.

Salina visit

Salina is going to be staying with us for a couple weeks. This is her first time in America, but she probably will be stuck at home with me and Aaron most of the time. We are planning to take her to different places that we haven't been to ourselves. We are thinking of Monterey Bay, Golden Gate park, half moon bay, and so on, but who knows if we will have enough time to go to all these places.

We have many visitors this year since Aaron's arrival. My parents, sister, B's parents, brother, Mary, John, Jim's family, Roger, and Salina. Aaron's so much more popular than us that everyone just wants to see him. Not sure who's going to come see him next. :)

4 month vaccines

Baby Aaron finally had his 4 month vaccines today. We were thinking about separating the 3 vaccines apart, but the dr. convinced us that he will do better this time as he is a little older. He did okay for the first couple hours after the vaccines, but started crying pretty bad afterwards.  I had to give him some baby tylenol to calm him down. As much as I hate to give him drugs, it has been working quite well.  I am not sure if I am doing things 100% correctly by letting him having so much drugs in his system, but I believe the tylenol helps him take some good rest after the vaccines.

I remember Aaron was quite lethargic after his 2 month vaccines last time. He was sleepy and cranky for at least 5 days, which is not very normal. Nonetheless, he is doing amazingly well this time that he's ready to play a couple hours after his nice long nap. Mommy is definitely impressed and hope that he is going to do well every time after his vaccines. Happy baby = Happy Momma! :)

4 months well visit

It's hard to believe my munchkin is already going to his 4 months well visit.  He was supposed to get the 3 vaccines at the dr's office, but we decided to push it back a week so he won't be down when we are going for a trip.   It appears that Aaron has caught up to a full-term baby's height, especially when he measures 25.5 inches (which is in the 75th percentile without adjusting his days back).  His weight is still in the 25th percentile, which the dr. thinks it's okay as he has always been in the same percentile.  The dr.'s office is nice enough to give us 6 cans of nutramigen formula to take home. This formula is double the price of the regular infant formula, which could really break the bank when Aaron is able to drink more.  The dr. also wrote us a prescription in hope that the insurance company would subsidize the formula.

check out my neck support

Another road block

Breastfeeding is probably one of the hardest things I've done in my life. Since Aaron had been living in the NICU, it was frustrated to truly breastfeed.  I started exclusively pumping 7-8 times a day to establish my milk supply.  It's tough for me to make enough milk to meet Aaron's supply as I didn't get enough rest and nutritious food right after delivery; hence, we have been supplementing with formula starting in the NICU.  I was discharged from the hospital 2 days after delivery, but I went back to the NICU everyday to see Aaron until we could bring him home. We rented a Medela symphony pump from the hospital for a week while waiting for the pump from Angie to arrive. 

No one warned me that exclusive pumping can be that much work.  Not only I have to feed Aaron every 3 hours, but I also have to pump for 30 minutes.  All the bottles and pump parts are a pain to wash. The cycle seems to never end when I am done with all the pumping and cleaning, it's time to feed again.  Nevertheless, I still believe all these work are worth it as long as the breastmilk is best for Aaron.

There are so many hoops to jump through with breastfeeding as we figured Aaron has acid reflux and is possibly allergic to milk proteins.  The pediatrician suggested to change Aaron's formula as well as eliminate all the dairy and food that might have caused acid reflux from my diet.  Okay, I thought no big deal.  If I could survive without eating the food I like during pregnancy, this shouldn't be too much of a difference.  Little did I know that dairy products do not only mean milk, it includes all kinds of things like cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and any products that contains whey (which is everything!).  Bread, chicken powder, crackers, snacks, candies, you name it and they all contain whey.  In addition, most babies are allergic to dairy are also likely to be allergic to soy and wheat.  What is worst is that I also have to avoid acidic food like tomatoes, oranges, vinegar, almonds, which means I basically cannot eat anything but plain rice. 

If eating a strict diet is not bad enough, sore and cracked nipples definitely can top the list.  I have been having sore nipples since day 1, but they started cracking a couple weeks ago and I have no idea why.  It's almost impossible for them to heal, as I have to keep pumping every 3 hours.  I tried to let them air dry and put lanolin on them, but it doesn't seem to help at all.  They got really bad a few days ago that I had to stop pumping and hand express the milk.  It is truly a lose-lose situation because if I keep pumping then my nipples will never get time to rest and heal, but if I don't pump then I am at risk of getting mastitis.  I started hand expressing the milk every 3-4 hours, as it hurts my hands after a few squeeze.  I could never empty my breasts enough and they were engorged all the time.  I remember one day I woke up crying because my breasts hurt so bad and milk was leaking everywhere.  After hand expressing for a couple days to let my breasts rest, my supply had been significantly compromised. 

I would love to be able to keep expressing milk for Aaron until at least he's 6 months old, but now I am struggling with cracked nipples again and low supply.  Many people have been telling me to quit expressing milk, as Aaron takes the formula okay.  It's tough to quit so soon when I am such a perfectionist that I want him to have the best.  I know having a little breastmilk is still better than having none, and hopefully that would give me enough motivation to keep going despite of all the obstacles I have encountered.

Loss of a family member

Elmo left us this morning after losing the battle to stomach cancer. He had been a good kitty and I have always felt so guilty that he had to be locked up in a room due to my allergy. I have never imagined how sad I would be even though he's not my kitty. I thought Elmo would live for another few years and play with Aaron.

I guess we would just have to accept that Elmo is at a better place now that he doesn't have to suffer any pain. I know he has gone back to Jesus and restore to his health. I believe we will see each other again in heaven some day. I can't help but feel sad because we miss him and want him to be around.  I can't quite comprehend the meaning of life and death, nor I ever will. I keep asking myself the same question that why does God have to take away our beloved ones?

I still remember the days we were living together in Bloomington and Findlay. We had the best times together when I could walk him in our backyard and let him lay in the sun. It just makes me sad whenever I look at pictures of him. I am terrible with goodbyes and I could not stop crying when I saw him dying in front of my eyes. I hope he's enjoying his eternity at the rainbow bridge and look forward to seeing him again.

Elmo, I want to let you know that I love you and you will always be missed.

Switching to new bottles

We have been trying different bottles since we brought Aaron home from the NICU. Aaron is such a good baby and doesn't seem to mind the different nipples on the bottles. It seems like he likes the nipples on the Momma bottles and the Similac disposable nipples the most.  He's really not a picky baby as I have heard that many parents keep trying to find the bottles their babies like.

As Aaron has been able to take more milk (sometimes 5-6oz a feeding), we have to switch to bigger bottles with faster flow nipples. We decided not to go with the bigger Momma bottles as they are a pain to warm the milk with the bottle warmer. I changed all his bottles to Dr. Brown's in hope that will help with Aaron's gas and colic issues, even though there are a million pieces to clean with these new bottles. So far, Aaron seems to be okay with the new nipples and take them just fine.

This is what happened after switching to the new bottles

101 days

Nana reminded mommy that she needs to write down every little funny things baby Aaron does before she forgets.  It's true that the past 100 days blew by so fast and many things seem like a blur already.  I guess mommy cannot be lazy and have to keep writing baby Aaron's journal. 

Aaron has been off Zantac for 2 full days.  He hasn't been fighting the bottle quite as much as before he was on the medicine, but hiccups are back.  We have seen him having hiccups after every other meal today.  I hope it's not his reflux coming back, as it has been so stressful for both me and Aaron that we have to battle the feedings all day long.

It looks like we are getting Aaron to a better schedule this week. He kind of starting to sleep through the night (from 11pm to ~4/5am).  He stays asleep after daddy puts the blinky back in him till about 6-6:30.  He then gets a bottle and nana will watch and play with him before his morning nap. We are able to take a walk in the morning this week with nana's help, which is great for mommy and Aaron to stay sane. We both have been trapped in the house alone after por por and gung gung left. :(

We didn't get to do the hand and foot prints yesterday because Aaron got fussy after daddy got home. We will try it again today and see how it goes. Hopefully we won't have a cranky baby tonight and get to do something fun together with nana.

nesting instinct

Not sure if it's nesting instinct kicking in or what, I just can't seem to stop planning how to organize mini's goodies.  We just started to shop for him not too long ago (probably only 3 weeks ago), but we have accumulated so much stuff all of a sudden.  I have been piling up all his stuff in the corner of the room and the pile is getting out of control. =P

I am getting nervous that I won't have much time to prepare before mini's grand entrance, so I guess I better start organizing for real and washing his clothes/socks/hats/blankets...I think we pretty much have everything besides a breast pump, baby monitor, and some miscellaneous things.  Hopefully we will get everything ready and prepared by this weekend!

Diaper caddy ready :D

Feeding essentials (for some reason I really like the design of Lansinoh products)

Things still need to get done -

• Build playard
• Build bouncer
• Build dresser
• Finish installing car seats
• Laundry
• Sanitize feeding essentials

getting closer

Because of my medical condition, I am not supposed to be standing/walking for an extended period of time, which means I haven't been able to do any chores or even prepare food for myself for awhile. I am so grateful that my DH takes really good care of me though. He has been taking on the responsibility of preparing my meals for the last 4 months despite of how extremely busy he is at work.  I know he gotta be exhausted after all day at work, as he gets up at 6am and doesn't get home till 6:30pm on most days, yet he still sacrifices all his precious resting time to make me lunch/dinner and do all the dishes late night. I so wish I could have helped him out more when I am just sitting/resting at home all day whenever I see him working his ass off inside and outside the home everyday. I can't help but feel bad that all the burden has fallen on DH's shoulders when I see how tired he gets everyday.  He doesn't even have to tell me how tired he is because I can just tell by how fast he falls asleep (literally in 2 seconds) and how much weight he has lost these days. :( I just hope that I can recover soon after delivering the baby and pick up the chores to help DH out.

Delicious meal prepared by DH

unexpected happiness

I have never felt this way before until I started shopping, preparing, and organizing things for the little miracle in me. Even though I am pretty overwhelmed by all the things that need to be done before he makes his entrance, it's such a joyful feeling that there is someone there fully depending on me.  Is this what we called "instincts"? As much as I hate to admit it, but I think I will definitely spoil my little one rotten as he's just so precious to me, more than what  I could have ever imagined even just a year ago.

These are what we've got him so far :D

No one said it's easy

No one ever said life is easy.  We all struggle with family, friends, health, life, and everything else.  It's always disappointed that when things don't go the way you expected/wanted.  I am just not sure why I can't be happy when I have things or the life that one can't complain too much about.  I live in one of the greatest places in the world, a loving family (even though we have our down times every now and then), and a rather low stress life.  Nonetheless, I still feel that it's not enough and I still want more. Is it normal or I am being too greedy?

A gorgeous rose garden

parents are in town

My parents finally came visit me after staying a month with my sister and her baby. I haven't seen my parents since Nov and it's always comforting to have them around. Nonetheless, it's tough not to battle/get annoyed with my parents when we haven't been living together for such a long time. Our living habits and views on things are so different that it's inevitable to have frictions and conflicts between us. Sometimes I get so frustrated that all I know is to cry. On one hand, I am not happy with what my parents do but on the other hand, I am mad at myself for not being more understanding and patient with them. Afterall, no one is perfect and I cannot expect them to be perfect all the time. I feel bad every time after losing my temper with them as I know how much they love me, no matter what. I feel so helpless and all I can do is to pray to God for giving me strengths to improve our relationship.

I love my parents dearly and all I want is for them to be happy, especially when we don't even have that much time to be together. I feel so guilty when I can't always be around them to take care of them. We haven't been living together as a family for over 14 years and it's hard to see them grow old every time I see them after awhile. It hurts me so much whenever I see their hair turn grey and get thinner. I wish I could be there for them whenever they need me. Can someone let me know when will this day come? :(

Stanford mall

Weather was awesome today so DH and I went to hang out at the Stanford mall a little bit. The mall seems to be pretty kid and dog-friendly. We went to Palo Alto Creamery Fountain and Grill to grab a bite. The food is not bad but they weren't very accommodating to switch tables for us when we clearly stated that I am allergic to dogs.

Tortilla soup with bacon with fried egg sandwich

Reuben sandwich

casual sunday

casual sunday by wontonies featuring strappy sandals

AllSaints slogan t shirt
$95 - allsaints.com

Acne gray t shirt
£90 - seasonsclothing.co.uk

Acne oversized t shirt
£90 - seasonsclothing.co.uk

Mango ripped skinny jeans
£43 - mango.com

Rupert Sanderson gold sandals
$755 - rupertsanderson.com

Dolce Vita strappy sandals
$189 - endless.com

Diane von Furstenberg beach tote
$145 - saksfifthavenue.com

Denim Supply by Ralph Lauren beach tote
€119 - jades24.com

Mango cotton scarve
£9.99 - mango.com

My newest obsession

I have been eyeballing the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer for such a long time, even though I already have one in navy color. I absolutely love this raspberry color with the glass bowl, but apparently DH is not thrilled with the idea as I don't even use the current one often enough. I guess I might need to get rid of my current one (perhaps give it to my sister) before I can get a new one. :(

Check it out on Williams Sonoma's website if you are interested!
This KA mixer is definitely TDF! :D

spring style

spring style by wontonies featuring over the shoulder bags

Sequin top
$210 - reissonline.com

Band of Outsiders black blazer
$455 - shoplesnouvelles.com

Sia Dimitriadi full skirt
$767 - wolfandbadger.com

Bloch ballet flat
€75 - zenggi.com

Mulberry over the shoulder bag
£650 - start-london.com

Bony Levy hoop earrings
$1,195 - nordstrom.com

Long chain necklace
£10 - hannahzakari.co.uk

Tilo lace shawl
115 CAD - dealuxe.ca

Giorgio armani makeup
$55 - saksfifthavenue.com

Lip makeup
$30 - bloomingdales.com

Van Cleef Arpels fragrance
£96 - harveynichols.com

Dr's appointments

I have never been to the Dr's office so frequently in such a short period of time. It seems like I am so consumed by scheduling/rescheduling/keeping Dr's appointments at least once a week. But I guess I have to do whatever it takes until everything gets better. At least I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and it's not that far away. I can't wait till I can be myself again and eat all the "forbidden" food I love. :D

Oyster on the brain syndrome

Raw sushiiiiii

A medium rare Lawry's prime rib would be awesome

Update after 8 months

The past 8 months truly flew by in a blink of an eye. I was having a new home, new job, and taking graduate classes full time. As a matter of fact, I am taking 9 credits this semester so I can finish the entire degree by the end of summer. Hopefully everything will go according to plan and I can finish this degree in no time. I am pretty ready to get this degree over with even though I only started working on it last August.

I can't believe that I actually have been so busy with everything that I haven't been keeping myself up-to-date on TPF. I used to lurk on TPF several times a day at work and I haven't even logged in for the past 3 months at least. I guess that might be a good thing as I haven't been splurging on designer handbags/shoes/clothes for awhile.

Finally got to relax a little over the weekend in Tiburon. It's such a nice little town with awesome restaurants.

13 weeks + 5 days (1/3/2012)

First trimester down and I am entering the second trimester. Everything feels okay so far and the Dr. claims that he can find out if mini b is a boy or a girl this visit.  He looked at the mini b for a little while and couldn't seem to tell the sex.  He quickly bailed and asked a sonographer to come in to help. The sonographer looked at all angles and could not give us a definitive answer as she said it is extremely difficult to tell at this early stage.  Afterall mini b is not even 14 weeks old yet, so we are disappointed but look forward to our next Dr's appointment. 

10 weeks + 5 days (12/13/2011)

We are back in the Dr's office to have our second ultrasound and the first-trimester combined screening.  The sonographer needs to measure the translucent space in the tissue at the back of mini b's neck, but he/she was not cooperative at first and the sonographer gave me some juice and had me walk around.  After 10 minutes, the juice seems to wake mini b up and he turned to the proper direction for the sonographer to measure without a problem.  The measurement is good and thankfully I passed the blood test.

here is my little angel :DDDDD

Week 7 + 5 days (11/22/2011)

This is our first official prenatal Dr's visit.  Ultrasound was performed to check if mini b has a heartbeat and measure the size of growth.  Everything checked out to be normal and healthy. The sonographer described mini b as a gummy bear at this stage as his/her hands and legs are not fully developed yet.  We are thrilled to see our baby and can't wait till the next ultrasound.

After the ultrasound, I had my blood drawn.  It took the nurses quite awhile to draw 10 tubes of blood from me as my veins are too tiny.  They poked me everywhere and were so scared that I would pass out.  Luckily, they got enough blood for all the screening. The blood test came back all normal except deficient in Vitamin D.  The Dr prescribed me new prenatal vitamins and hopefully mini b will benefit from them.

another

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