I'm growing

My dad's mom and dad came from Hawaii a couple of days ago to stay with us and help take care of mommy. They seem to be nice people, except when they're giving me a bath. Here's a picture of my grandma holding me for the first time.

Today because mommy can't drive and daddy was at work, grandpa drove us to the pediatrician. I gained a little more weight. I'm now 6 pounds and 2 ounces now. If you count back to last week Wednesday, when I was 5 pounds and 5 ounces, that's almost a 2 ounce weight gain every day this week. I guess I said that before. Daddy was very proud when mommy told him. All this waking up is worth it. Now, what was I just doing? Oh yeah, it's time to eat again!

Bathing baby

Okay, so maybe I hadn't taken a bath in a few days, but I didn't think that I smelled that bad. Well, I guess mommy thought otherwise because she decided that today was the day for my first basin bath. As you can see, I didn't think very highly of the experience.

Where's the water?


I'm glad that's over with!


Wait, what's this? Did I win the Super Bowl?


Waah! I wasn't expecting that!

Who do I look like?

Nan, sometime after one month old


Owen, a few days old


Mike, three months old

Too bad we couldn't find photos of daddy when he was even younger to compare with my picture. Anyway, I don't think I look too much like him or mommy. I'm much better looking...

Yesterday daddy was at the hospital on call, and he came home today to be with mommy and me. Last night he slept from 2:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., and even though he got up several times, he said that it was easier than it used to be to get up in the middle of the night. I guess he's getting good practice at home.

Still, when daddy's tired, it turns out that it's not too hard to trick him. The other night, I was pretending to be sleeping while he was changing my diaper. When he wasn't looking, I peed all over his sleeve. Too bad I was lying on my side, or I could have got him right in the mouth. I thought he would have learned from last time, but I will have to work on him some more.

When I was last checked at the doctor's office 4 days ago, I was 5 pounds and 5 ounces. Yesterday mommy weighed me, and I'm up to 6 pounds. That's more than two ounces a day! At this rate, I'm finally going to start fitting into some of my clothes.

In and Outs

An update from Owen about his talents:

Now that I have this feeding thing down, I've been eating quite a bit. Every time I feed though, I have a little problem--I poop. I poop quite a lot. I would say that mommy and daddy have been changing diapers at least once or twice every time I eat, sometimes three or four times. As a result of this, mommy and daddy have been talking about how many diapers I've been going through. Here's about a day or two's worth of diapers. Yesterday, I pooped 17 times. Yum!

Also, I am beginning to take control of the feeding schedule. Mommy and daddy were feeding me every three hours, but tonight I'm going to stay up and eat every half an hour to hour. In the last few hours I've eaten three times. I don't think they're very happy about it, especially since daddy has to be on call tomorrow night in the hospital. Oh well, I have to grow! And I'm sure that daddy will get plenty of sleep at the hospital. Now... time for more food!

Prints

Today Mom and Dad had a project for me to do. They wanted to take an impression of my hands and feet for some reason. So they fed me, made sure I was quiet, and then pressed my hands and feet really hard into this soft rubbery plastic material.

It took them a long time to figure it out, and the fact that, as a newborn, my hands naturally close whenever someone touches my palms didn't make it easy for them. A few of their tries came out with me looking like I had four fingers on each hand and ten toes on each foot.

Finally, I decided that I would help them out, seeing as they're sleep deprived and kind of clumsy. Here are some of the photos that Grandma took while they were doing one of my hands.

What is this, char siu bao?


Good enough, mommy?


Their best effort...

Things I can do

Daddy and mommy took this short video of me when we were still in the hospital. Check out what I can do. I'm so talented that I can yawn, cry, and sneeze -- all in less than 20 seconds (click on the triangle to view the video)...

Doctor's visit

Last night I gave mom and dad another break, and I let them sleep two whole hours between each feed. I also got daddy pretty good. He was cleaning my circumcision site and I took aim and peed like a fountain. I almost got him in the eye, but he ducked, and I got his nightshirt instead. Too bad--next time he'll know better.

Today we went to the doctor's office for the first time. The nice pediatrician checked my weight and measured me from head to toe. It turns out that I've gained about 80 grams, or almost 3 ounces, since leaving the hospital, which she said was good for a breastfed baby. I said whatever--I'm still in the 5th percentile for weight. I'm going to wake mommy up extra tonight to get in some more feedings.

Afterwards dad developed some photos from the hospital, and he wanted to put some up here. Now that I'm taking control of this site, I limited the number of delivery room pictures he could put up to prevent future embarrassment.

Since I was in the frank breech presentation, it felt better to have my legs like this when I was born.


Daddy and me in the hospital


All my hats were too big so mommy made me this one


The car ride to the doctor's made me sleepy


My doctor putting me down. I'll see you next week, doc!

A full day at home

More from baby Owen:

Last night was fun keeping mommy and daddy up, but today I let them relax a little. I ate a lot, and I took nice long naps so that they could take naps too.

Actually, I don't think they were sleeping too much because there was all this noise. I think grandma and they were doing laundry all day. Too bad--tonight they're going to wish they slept...

How you doing?


Grandma and me playing. Why do my shoulders look like they have football pads underneath?

Home from the hospital

Today was another eventful day in Owen's life. We'll let him tell you about it...

After getting jabbed in the foot yesterday for some blood tests and then getting these clicky, sticky plastic ear muffs put on for some kind of hearing test, I thought today was going to be quieter. Little did I know that mom and dad had some plans that involved the OB, a scalpel, and something below my belly button. I didn't mind so much when they were doing it because they let me suck on some sweet pacifier goo, but now, it stings!

After the cutting thing, mom and dad packed me away and we went out of the hospital to what seems to be my new home. While there's lots more room and stuff here, I'm still trying to make up my mind if I like the new place. Just to test mommy, I decided to pretend that I forgot how to breastfeed just when her milk was making her breasts hurt. She didn't like that.

Right now, I'm ready for bed, but before I go, here's some photos that my dad took of me before we left the hospital...

The camera is so close!


Ichiro means "Number 1!"


Did I just eat or should I eat again?


Ok, let's eat again...


Mom breastfeeding me. No peeking!


Grandma wants to play with me


You cannot resist me

Day of life 2

Today is day of life 2, and Owen is doing great. He's sleeping most of the time, and like most newborns, he has been more active at night and more sleepy during the day. That made for some fun times last night as he was really hungry every couple of hours. He's slowly getting the hang of the breastfeeding; each feed is better than the last. Right now, he's napping and getting ready for lunch.

Nan is doing well too. She's quite sore from the cesarean section, but so far she's been getting by on just the ibuprofen and been able to get out of bed and walk around. I'm going to stop by the house today since Nan's mom is going to stay with us, and maybe I'll get a chance to upload a couple of photos.

It's a boy!

Sorry for the short post, but we're kind of tired. We came in to the hospital this afternoon for the version. The doctors were unable to turn the baby, and when they checked Nan to see how far along she was, she had dilated to 3 centimeters and was having contractions. They figured that she was in early labor and would probably deliver in the next 24 hours. That being said, since the baby was still breech and we would have to have a cesarean section, we decided that tonight was the night. So Nan had a cesarean section, and Owen was born at 7:21 pm. He weighs 5 pounds and 10 ounces. Everything went smoothly, and Nan and the baby are sleeping right now. We're ecstatic to be parents!

A version: 37 weeks

Nan at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, January 3, 2006

Nan and I went to the obstetrician today for a 37 week checkup. Everything has been going smoothly so far, but we wanted to see if the moxibustion that we've been doing for the last two weeks was effective in changing the baby's breech position.

Our doctor did an exam and found that Nan is about 1.5 cm dilated and 30-40% effaced. He also thought that he could feel the head. To confirm, he did an ultrasound, and to our dismay, he found that the baby is actually still heads up.

Our options at this point were:

1. Wait for labor and try to deliver the baby in the breech position
2. Try an external cephalic version, which is basically manually rotating the baby in the uterus
3. Wait a couple of weeks and do a cesarean section before labor starts
   

After hearing the risks and benefits of each, we decided that we would try the external cephalic version. According to our doctor, he has about a 70% success rate, and the literature seems to say that about 4% will flip back before labor starts.

The procedure is going to happen tomorrow afternoon (Friday 1/6) at the hospital. There is a small risk of the baby not liking the procedure and then needing to have an emergency cesarean section, but the literature seems to say that it's pretty rare.

We'll let you know how it goes, but if you don't hear anything, maybe we'll be parents tomorrow!

Watching the Rose Parade

Today we were going to go to Pasadena to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade, since it's going to be our last chance for a while. We were really excited to see all the floats and the bands walking down Colorado Boulevard.

Unfortunately, all week the forecasters had been predicting rain for the parade. When we got up at 5 this morning, it turned out that the meteorologists were right. It was raining pretty hard, and on the weather radar, it looked like it was raining even harder in Pasadena, in the shadow of the Angeles National Forest. So instead, we're staying home and watching the TV broadcast.


I'm glad we're not in the middle of this.


The much less exciting view from our porch.

New Year's Eve

We had a last minute New Year's Eve party at our place on Saturday night. We made a turkey (since we didn't have any for Christmas) and fixings, and Nan's friend Jen made home-made cheddar rolls, green beans, and dessert.

After dinner, we played poker and Trivial Pursuit. Nan was the big winner, taking everyone's money on the last hand. Irene did pretty well despite the fact that this was her first time playing. The first photo here is her finding out that a flush beats three pairs.

Irene and Nan both had the same full house a few hands later. The big stack of chips was mine until I lost it on the last hand. Oh well, since this was the first time for a few people, we weren't playing for money. We later found out that Jen is a big money player, so maybe I should have been glad not to have played for money.

We hadn't played Trivial Pursuit in a very long time, so we followed poker with this game. It was just as hard as I remember. Q: How many golf balls have been left on the moon? A: 2.

This was the first year that I wasn't at home for New Year's Eve. We couldn't travel because Nan is now at 36 weeks pregnant. She's been doing well, but we're now at 11 days worth of moxibustion. The baby's been moving around, but we can't tell whether he's turned head down yet. Our visit is on Thursday, and we'll find out then whether the moxibustion was successful.

More decorating for baby

The room is finally coming together.

Mike and I spent some time decorating the baby's area in our bedroom today. The elephant and giraffe decals on the wall turned out better than we thought. There are a few more things we want to put up, but they'll have to wait until later.


Kathy with 2 lobster heads.


Kathy blowing out her candles.

Tonight we also celebrated our friend Kathy's 30th birthday at NYC Seafood Restaurant in Monterey Park. We had a 9-course dinner which included Peking duck, lobster, and longevity noodles. Leng bought mini-cupcakes from Leda's Bake Shop in Sherman Oaks for the birthday girl. With our filled bellies, we still somehow found room to go to Tea Station for drinks. It's no wonder I've gained so much weight during this pregnancy.

Tomorrow night for New Year's Eve, Mike and I are having a small gathering of friends over for a turkey dinner and game night while we wait for countdown to 2006.

Installing car seat and UCLA vs. Stanford basketball game - 36 weeks

Mike installing the car seat base...


But it went in backwards...


Nan readjusting the car seat base...


Putting in the car seat on to the base the right way...


All done!

Today is Mike's first day off after working a rough 6-day holiday shift in the Neonatal ICU. He now has the next 5 days off until next Wednesday. We had some time today, so we thought we should install the car seat. It was more complicated that we thought, although the LATCH system in the car did simplify a few steps. Mike is still worried that the base is too loose, but I think we did it right. We'll see how it really works when our little one arrives in less than 4 weeks.

We have most everything covered now as far as baby clothes and gadgets - thanks to the generosity of our friends and family. The only things left to do is to write the birth plan and pack the bags for the hospital - which we will have to tackle next week before Mike goes back to his regular work schedule.

Today also marks the 7th day of the moxibustion treatment. I'm not very good at feeling for the baby's head, but he has been very active the past few days. We will see if the treatment works when we have our next visit with Dr. Lu next Thursday.

Tonight we're going to the UCLA basketball game vs. Stanford at Pauley Pavilion with some of Mike's friends from his residency program. It will be the first time either of us has been to the UCLA basketball game. It was one of the things we wanted to do before leaving LA in June (another is to go to the Rose Parade - but the impending rain may prevent us from doing that).

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and... one year Anniversary of Asia Tsunami

Hope everyone had a jolly Christmas and a happy first night of Hanukkah. Mike's on call tonight in the NICU. Poor thing, I hope he will be able to get some sleep tonight. I dropped by to see him earlier at UCLA so he can perform my daily moxibustion treatment. Then I went to Natalie's house for Hanukkah Ham (not kosher, but quite yummy Honeybaked Ham) dinner.

The moxibustion treatment has been going pretty well, although I don't think the baby has moved yet. Seems like Owen is comfortable where he is at the moment. Either that or he's gotten so big that he doesn't have enough room to turn. I have been feeling more kicking/movement in the last few days since the start of the moxibustion. Also, periodically throughout the day, I think he's been hiccuping. It's definitely a weird sensation to have a baby hiccuping inside you.

As it is Dec. 26th now in Thailand, I am reminded that today is the one-year anniversary of the Tsunami. My brother, Nick, is in Khao Lak to help with the Tsunami Relief Efforts. Too bad he's not feeling well. Mom talked to him the other day and she said he sounded pretty sick. I do hope he will feel better before his flight home to LA on Wednesday.

Moxibustion, part II

Today, Mike and I went to see an acupuncturist for the moxibustion treatment. It was a very easy and non-invasive procedure. Basically, the moxa herb is dried and rolled into a stick. This stick is then lighted to create heat and placed close to the pressure point on the 5th toe. The acupuncturist said that the moxa stick should be placed close to the pressure point on both the left and right little toes for 15 minutes each. Mike will have to repeat the treatment for me once a day for 7-10 days since I cannot bend down or lean forward anymore.

Interestingly enough, as soon as the acupuncturist started the treatment, I felt the baby moving... so I hope this treatment will work and we won't have to go through a cesarean section. We probably won't find out if the baby has turned until our next prenatal visit after the holidays on Jan. 5th when our OB can check with the ultrasound machine.

Moxibustion: 35 weeks update

Nan's at 35 weeks now, and things are pretty much status quo. We went to the obstetrician yesterday, and we saw one of the nurse midwives because the OB was out of town. The midwife did an ultrasound, and the baby is still in the breech position. Otherwise, everything seems to be progressing smoothly.

We're going to try moxibustion tomorrow for this breech presentation. Moxibustion is basically acupuncture plus fire. Some medical literature suggests that this technique can be useful for helping the baby to turn. This is still not conclusively proven, but the side-effects seem to be minimal, and we're willing to try it to prevent a cesarean section. Nan promises to write about what it feels like.

Las Vegas, 34 weeks pregnant

This weekend we went to Las Vegas to celebrate Christmas and 30th birthdays with some of Nan's college friends. This is the second time that we've been to Vegas since Nan's been pregnant (a picture from the first time).

We had a great time, and we didn't lose too much money. On the first night, we saw Avenue Q, which was great--kind of raunchy, but really funny. It's a puppet musical, with a combo of live actors and puppets. Dinner one night at Emeril's was really excellent, despite the fact that neither of us really like his TV show. And we stayed at the Monte Carlo, which despite newer and better casinos on the strip, was still nice.


Nan at the Monte Carlo, 34 weeks

Nan at the Buddhist altar outside Caesars Palace

Bellagio Christmas decorations

Nan and robot penguins at Bellagio


Nan with her first Sudoku.

A Middle Name

The middle name is most likely going to be Ichiro. My mom helped pick it out since she's the Japanese part of the family. She originally suggested Ken, but that didn't seem Japanese enough. Plus it's my cousin Steven's middle name. Then there was Kenji, but seeing as it means something like second son, we didn't think that it would be appropriate.

Finally my mom said, "What about Ichiro?"

I said, "Like the baseball player?"

She said, "Like number one."

I thought about it, received some positive feedback from one particular co-worker, and then after some deliberations, we decided on it because it means "first son".

There it is. More on Owens and Ichiros later on...

Owens

It seems that Owen is a lot more common than we had thought. The image at left is from the Baby Name Wizard. It shows the Social Security Administration data on the name Owen over the years. You can see that from 1880 to about 1970, the name enjoyed relative obscurity. However, starting in the 1980s, the popularity of the name began to rise, and since 2000, it has skyrocketed. This might be coincidental with some of the rise to fame of stars such as Owen Wilson, Clive Owen, and Michael Owen (!).

Recently, one of my co-workers mentioned that two of her recent patients were named Owen. A few days later, one of my bosses remarked that she had met a baby named Owen over the weekend.

Then to top it all off, we went to a holiday party last weekend at Nan's friend's apartment. We ran into a couple who we'd met before, and it turned out that the wife was pregnant again. The perfunctory questions were exchanged, and it turned out that we are due within days of each other, delivering at the same hospital, and both having boys, whose names, by now you will have guessed, will both be Owen.

A First Name

So this is the deal... Nan and I have decided on a name, and since many people already know about it, I guess we might as well tell everyone now.

The first name is going to be Owen. Earlier this year, I read a story in the paper, and later heard about it on NPR. I told Nan about it, and she remarked at what a cool story it was.
Later, when we were deciding on names, Nan offered up Owen as a candidate. It beat all the other names. Nan claims that there is no link between this story and the baby's name, but I submit that there may be.

I think these links tell the story a lot better than I can.

The Inspiration for Owen

Diary of Owen's caretaker

Owen is the name of the villager who caught the hippo, as well as the hippo's name.