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Catching Up...

Wow, I can't believe where the time has gone. It feels like just yesterday we welcomed baby Justin home, and now in only one week, I will resume working, and Justin will go to daycare :( So where to start...

Our summer together was wonderful! We spent a lot of time with our friends Deirdre, Bret and Nate, doing mommy and baby activities, including a fun day at the park. We braved the heat and had a fun little picnic. Dads played frisbee and "baby bull's eye" with the boys :)

Justin also took his first vacation to Arizona to see Grandma Pat and Grandpa Vince (as well as attend Daddy's all important fantasy football draft ;). The drive there was better than expected, with lots of stops, and we had a blast visiting friends and family in Phoenix before heading down to Sierra Vista.


My "second mom" Bobbie Lee (no relation ;) retired from her job at ASU in the office where I worked as a student. So our first stop was at Macayo's Depot Cantina to wish her well in her retirement. Her daughter Kim has a little boy, Ryne, and while we were there, announced that Bobbie is going to be a Grandma again! It was so nice to see them.


We stayed with our friends, Bob and Tiffany, whose baby Ellie is 8 months old. It was nice to stay somewhere with all the baby necessities and no worries about crying. They live in Scottsdale and took us out for a nice dinner for Brian's 31st birthday!



On Sunday, I got to spend some much needed time with my friend Carolyn from high school and her beautiful family. It had been way too many years since we had seen one another, but she hasn't changed a bit! When I pulled up, she and her son Logan, and a little black poodle, came out to greet me. Soon the dog took off, bounding down the street. I said, "Carolyn, is that your dog?" Her response, "Oh yeah, he does that. He'll be back." It was so funny! Sure enough, he came back. Then I met the rest of the family -- Angie made me a lovely picture with my name in Pink. Sunny gave me a pretty red bracelet, and Logan appeared with a freshly painted watercolor! I have never met such a welcoming bunch. Add baby Ella and Jack, and they are such a happy site, and I was so grateful for the hospitality. We will have to see them again soon!

Then, it was a night at Autie Erika's house for a taste of baby life.
Although Justin SCREAMED all the way to her house, as soon as Erika opened the door, Justin turned on the smiles... so she gave him her whole bed ;)



After Phoenix, Justin and I drove down to SV. It was a much needed vacation for mommy, and Grandma even ordered the monsoons and 75 degree weather I requested. We also got to see Uncle Colin and Auntie Jhayne, with baby Rory and "X" man. Justin loved spending time with Grandma Pat and Grandpa Vince!

Then it was off home, through San Diego to see Uncle Ryan and a stop for dinner. That was a LONG day, and we were happy to be home.

So Justin survived his first road trip and got to hear lots of people tell him he was a handsome boy -- he loves all the attention (I wonder where he got that from!)

Justin's Red Egg & Ginger Party!!

On July 26, 2008, Justin and 70 of his closest friends and family celebrated his arrival and completion of his first month of life! In old China, this was a huge milestone. But then again, in old China, mothers were supposed to stay indoors and not wash their hair for that first month either. Thanks goodness times have changed and we are not in China!

Justin wore a jade bracelet on one arm, a gold bracelet on the other, and even a gold ring, all which daddy wore at his red egg party! He looked so regal (and just a little bit feminine ;) Justin was also given his Chinese name, Woo Gah Keyung, which means Strong Country. He was given this name by his proud Grandparents; a name passed down from his long passed Uncle Peter. Hopefully, Justin's namesakes will watch over him and grant him a long and healthy life.

We could not have asked for a better behaved boy that night -- from the loudest banquet hall known to man, to being passed to the arms of eager strangers, Justin took it all in stride. Not one peep! Everyone kept telling us what a beautiful and even-tempered baby we have, and how lucky we were (like we needed any reinforcement ;) It just reaffirmed my belief that he has his daddy's temperament!



I wish we had better pictures -- Uncle Ryan thought he was being artistic.

8 Weeks (July 18, 2008)

So Justin was 8 weeks old yesterday and has already gained 4 pounds since we brought him home from the hospital (11.1). It is amazing how much he has changed already! He is giving us some great smiles and has even started "cooing," which I believe is his way of telling us how much he loves us!

Justin and mommy have been keeping busy -- walking around the Rose Bowl, going to breastfeeding support group, and hanging out with J's friend Nate and mama Deirdre. We also took Justin into mommy's office and saw her work friends and her office. Justin was very impressed ;)

Next weekend is Justin's Red Egg and Ginger Party and Grandma Pat is coming in on Monday for the week. We are very excited for both things! Mommy will be able to get a little more done with Grandma here. And of course, Justin is going to look so handsome in his gold and jade adornment from daddy's family... I can't wait to post pictures. In the mean time, here is a picture of the big boy in his Justin chair -- our way of measuring how big he is getting!

Justin's First Holiday!

The Fourth of July was a happy first holiday for Justin and Family! The three of us (and Sunny) went to Grandma and Grandpa Lee's house for barbecue and fireworks! Even though Justin soaked his "All American Boy" outfit before we even left the house, a couple hours of drying and he was patriotic once again! He was a good boy all day, and Grandma, Great Grandma, and Auntie Denise had to set the timer to keep track of who got to hold him next! If only he liked the fireworks that much...

Watching the Laker game...

Father's Day

So today is Brian's first Father's Day of many many to come. Baby Justin is 3 and a half weeks old and has already changed our lives forever. We went over to Brian's parents house in Thousand Oaks and spent the day with his mom and dad, and his grandparents, all of whom spent turns fighting for the opportunity to hold the little man. Justin obliged, and put on a good show for all. I think he is going through a growth spurt, since he is more ravenous than usual, and I am happy to cater to his catering needs. Nursing has come quite naturally for us so far, and it really makes me feel close to him (maybe because he is attached to my boob ;)

For his Father's Day present, Brian got a new Craftsman tool stand for the garage ;) He has become quite the handy man, so it was only natural that we would start shopping at Sears! Then this morning, Justin made daddy breakfast (with a little help from mom and dad himself). Dad got breakfast potatoes and croque monsieur... not too shabby, Justin.

The only dark cloud on this otherwise perfect California day is the absence of my own dad. Although we had not been close for some time, my only wish is that he could have seen Justin. I optimistically hope that his arrival would have helped mend a rocky relationship, and I miss the opportunities we never had. And now we will never know since he passed away exactly one week after we found out that we were expecting... I can't help but feel the circle of life at work and hope that Justin inheritied all the good qualities that my dad had to offer.

Happy Father's Day to all those wonderful dads out there... Brian is already in the the Father's Hall of Fame in Justin and my eyes...

Justin Michael Lee's Story

Baby Justin Michael Lee arrived at 5:32a.m. on May 22, 2008. Weighing in at 7 pounds 7 ounces and measuring 21 inches, Justin did everything he could to get the name Jake (troublemaker name choice), but mommy and daddy decided he was a sweet Justin.

Though he was four days late, Justin decided that mom would not be induced. Instead, mom went into labor on Wednesday, May 21, at 3:30 am. One false alarm at 7:00 a.m., in which the hospital sent us home, telling me that I was only dilated 1 cm and my contractions weren't strong enough. So we went home and the contractions got worse and worse. My mom and brother showed up around noon, and by 2:00p.m., I couldn't stand it anymore. We went back to the hospital and low and behold, I was dilated... still only 1 cm! My doctor wanted to send me back home, but the strength of my contractions persuaded her to admit me. No epidural until 3 cm, though, so I had some work ahead of me. From 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., I experienced what my pain tolerance labeled 8 1/2 - 9 out of 10 on the hospital pain chart. (The pain chart is a series of smiley faces that go from Wal-Mart sticker smiley to grumpy face with sweat beads). Finally at 6:00 p.m., the nurse checked me and I was 3 cm!! Yay - send in the anesthesiologist!! A funny man who talked nonstop about golfing came in, inserted the long needle into my spine, and made me a very happy woman. Which, in turn, made Brian a very happy man. The Laker game started at 6:30, and when he returned to the room, he said I was a totally different woman! On my cell phone, chatting with the nurses, and ready to watch the Lakers beat the Spurs!

But the good times didn't last until the end. My water broke around 10:00, and the nurse was not happy to see that it was full of meconium (baby poop). While not harmful to him while he was in the womb, if Justin swallowed in during delivery, he could get very sick. Issue number one. Issue number two was when Justin's heart rate seemed too constant for the doctor's liking, and around midnight, she came in to the hospital to discuss options, meaning the possible need for a cesarean section. Justin's heart rate dipped with every contraction, which the doctor called an "intolerance to labor." Since I was not dilating fast enough, and Justin's head was super hugh still, Justin was getting stressed out. But, every time she discussed a c-section, Justin's heart rate went up and I was dilated just enough to hold out hope for a vaginal delivery. So the doctor stuck with us and it looked like things were going to work out.

Around 1:00 a.m., I started to get intense back pain -- uh, oh, the epidural was wearing off! And as we soon discovered, the pain in my back meant Justin had turned sunny side up (opposite of how he should be turned!). But with another dose of meds, that pain too went away... and then the fun started. Around 3:00 a.m., I was dilated 9 cm, and it was time to think about pushing. Sparing the details of the super fun two and some hours that followed, Justin was born, crying out loud, at 5:32 a.m. The neonatal team was there to make sure the lungs were working and indeed they were. Although he was covered in his own green funk, underneath the slime was a beautifully pink baby boy!

Since that day, life has been changed forever. Sleep has lessened, trash output has increased, and Brian and I couldn't be more amazed at what a wonderful little person we created and brought into the world.

Still Waiting...

So today is May 20th, 2 days past Baby Lee's due date... and still no sign of the little guy. I have been trying to keep busy, which is hard when you are also trying to save money. I think if I stayed home, we would be broke. I mean, how many trips to Target can you make? Apparently, many.

So other than the waiting, things are still good. I am feeling great still, Brian is anxiously awaiting becoming a father, Baby Lee's uncle is back from Japan, and he is surrounded by grandparents from all over. No chance he will go without attention.

Tomorrow is (hopefully) our last doctor's appointment. And then... if all looks good, but no signs of labor, we will induce on Thursday morning at 5:00 am!! I am knocking on wood that when we show up tomorrow, I will be dilated 8 cm :), but looks doubtful. Who knows - it's a full moon tonight, so anything can happen!

Two weeks to go...

At our last appointment, the Doctor did another ultrasound because she thought Baby Lee was getting quite big. Well, with 2 1/2 weeks to go, my dreams of having a tiny little Asian baby and super fast delivery were shattered. He was already weighing in at 7-6. I asked the Doctor, "do you mean 7 pounds?" and she replied... "and 6 ounces." Thanks for the clarificaiton... ouch. Apparently he has grown into his head.

But other than the idea of enduring the worst pain ever, Brian and I are ready to meet the little man. We had a very special date night at Ruth's Chris, and our waitress even gave us a free dessert since we were celebrating our "last supper." Pregnancy perk #2. (#1 was cutting in the super long bathroom line at the Pantageas...).

The nursery is done, I bought my nursing bras, and this Friday is my last day of work. Then we wait. I just hope he is not two weeks late like my mom said my brother and I both were. I can't imagine how big he will be then :)

Lollipop Head...

Yesterday, Brian and I had our 8 month doctor's visit. The doctor performed one last ultrasound, which she said was "medically necessary" due to my weight gain :) What we found out was: 1) He is still a boy and 2) his head is in the 93rd percentile of babies his age. My emotions were: 1) whew, we can keep painting everything blue and 2) ouch. We were able to get a pretty good shot of the big head, though, and he already looks like his daddy.

Grandma Pat and Grandpa-to-be Vince painted the nursery to help us prepare for his arrival, which has been a huge help. We have it completely outfitted with furniture too, thanks to hand-me-downs from relatives, craigslist, and grandparents who never threw away our baby dresser :)

We don't have a name yet, but have two top contenders -- one sweet name if his personality is more like dad's and one fiesty one if he turns out more like mom :) Hopefully he will be a mix of both our best traits...

Yikes, he just gave me a good kick - he must know he is being talked about. Knock if off, big head :) As you can tell, I am starting to get very anxious for his arrival!!