Here are some of the more recent pregnancy symptoms I am experiencing in the last few weeks or so:
1. Stretch marks- dun dun dun! I've been dreading this since the beginning and they showed up just as I thought I've escaped this horror. I have stretch marks underneath my belly button despite the fact that I rub lotion/cream on it day and night... sighs.... at first I was pretty sad about it but I think I am getting over it now. What can I say- it's the price of having a baby.
2. Swollen fingers- surprisingly, my feet are not swollen but my fingers are! They don't look swollen but I feel it every morning when I wake up and I can't make a fist :( they are really sore every morning but they get better within an hour or two after I wake up. Along with that, my wedding rings are really snug on me now so I decided to play it safe and not wear them anymore. It was sad to part with my rings.
3. Hip pain- this is actually a brand new symptom that just appeared in the past few days. A few times, I would get this sharp hip pain usually on my right side when I am standing. Not sure why this is happening but I am assuming that the Baby's weight is causing it.
4. Snoring- so this is a really embarrassing symptom... I can't believe I snore now... but the good thing is I sleep like a champ still haha. I do feel an uncomfortable tug every time i switch from side to side because of my giant belly, but other than that, sleep has been great still.
5. Nasal Congestion- this is actually not a new symptom. I've had stuffy nose since mid pregnancy. It is a bit annoying but not too uncomfortable. Since I can't take any medication for it, I use nasal strip to help me sleep at night and it works like a charm.
6. Minor back aches- last week or so for a few days my back was bothering me. I think it was because I was at home most of the day and didn't do any physical activities. It was during the really hot days and I was just not willing to go out and walk. I've been much more active ever since and my back ache has disappeared. It's definitely good to be walking around. Unfortunately, it looks like it'll be approaching 100 degrees this week again... I'll try my best to stay active in this summer heat.
Overall, it's been an easy pregnancy for me so far and I am hoping it'll be like this for the rest of my pregnancy :) Oh, and I've gained 25 lbs since the beginning of our pregnancy and I am hoping not to exceed a 30 lb weight gain overall. Dr Wong's goal for me was actually a total of 22 - 25 lbs which of course I failed lol
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Week 34/35 Update
We had our doctor's appointment this past Saturday with Dr. Wong. Baby Lee is approximately 5lbs and 10 oz and is doing well inside. It's head is measuring at 38 weeks and tummy at 36 weeks... but its leg bone is measuring at 34 weeks. I was so shocked at how big he is but Dr. Wong said it's common for babies to have growth spurts with different body parts and it would stop growing at the end of the pregnancy (let's hope). Normally the visits are quick and we are usually in and out of the exam room within minutes. But this time, I went in with a list of questions to ask haha. I admit, I am getting a bit nervous about labor and delivery. It's getting really close to our due date and I feel a bit unprepared! Dr. Wong was super nice about all my questions (when to call, epidural, tearing, pitocin, induced labor, etc) and she made me feel much better. She also reassured me that she will go over everything in depth when the time comes (at my 37 week visit)... for now, I should have nothing to worry about. She also gave us her personal pager number so we can just page her when it happens. Normally she would never give a patient her personal number but since we are family, I get the special treatment... =D When we left the office, we realized we had spend 30 minutes in there with her... good thing it wasn't very busy at the office that day.
Per usual, we went to have yummy shake shack afterwards... the line was super short that day! Probably because we got there at 11:30AM. After lunch, we went to Beth Israel for our hospital tour. The tour was very informative. I think every parent-to-be should go visit their hospital and join a tour before the due date. We now know which entrance to come in on the day of, where is the triage area, the labor room, and finally the recovery room. All the rooms look pretty standard and I was pretty happy about it. We found out that Beth Israel is very big on breastfeeding and they encourage the baby to room with you 24/7 for that reason. Seems like there are a lot of supportive staffs and nurses to help you with breastfeeding during your stay- which I am very happy about.
The nursery is pretty much all done now. Danny mounted the baby monitor on the wall over the weekend. We also washed all the baby clothes and its bedding. There aren't that many things left over to do. I just have to pack the hospital bag and I think we are pretty much done with the preparation!
I am really afraid of going into labor. I have very little pain tolerance and I am really afraid I won't be able to take the labor pain. I know for sure I will get an epidural but I am scared of the pain BEFORE I get one. Also, I've been reading other people's labor stories and I am freaked out about the possibility of an epidural not working and/or the hospital is so busy that I won't be getting my epidural until much much later... :( All I can do is pray and hope for the best.... ahh!!!
5 more weeks till Baby Lee arrives :) and our world will be turned upside down!
Per usual, we went to have yummy shake shack afterwards... the line was super short that day! Probably because we got there at 11:30AM. After lunch, we went to Beth Israel for our hospital tour. The tour was very informative. I think every parent-to-be should go visit their hospital and join a tour before the due date. We now know which entrance to come in on the day of, where is the triage area, the labor room, and finally the recovery room. All the rooms look pretty standard and I was pretty happy about it. We found out that Beth Israel is very big on breastfeeding and they encourage the baby to room with you 24/7 for that reason. Seems like there are a lot of supportive staffs and nurses to help you with breastfeeding during your stay- which I am very happy about.
The nursery is pretty much all done now. Danny mounted the baby monitor on the wall over the weekend. We also washed all the baby clothes and its bedding. There aren't that many things left over to do. I just have to pack the hospital bag and I think we are pretty much done with the preparation!
I am really afraid of going into labor. I have very little pain tolerance and I am really afraid I won't be able to take the labor pain. I know for sure I will get an epidural but I am scared of the pain BEFORE I get one. Also, I've been reading other people's labor stories and I am freaked out about the possibility of an epidural not working and/or the hospital is so busy that I won't be getting my epidural until much much later... :( All I can do is pray and hope for the best.... ahh!!!
5 more weeks till Baby Lee arrives :) and our world will be turned upside down!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Quality of Life
My Uncle Keith has an old crib, a dresser, and a tiny bookcase that they no longer need since my cousin is now school age. Even though we already furnished Baby Lee's nursery, we gladly accepted the hand-me-downs from them. This second crib would be very useful for when the baby is at my in-laws. Now we just need to purchase a crib mattress for the second crib. This morning, we drove to his house in Manhasset to pick these items up. We got to chat a little bit and the topic of work/life balance came up. Uncle Keith is an attorney with his own practice in Flushing and because of that his work hours are very long. He only takes off on Saturdays and long vacations are out of the question because there is no one at the practice to take over when he is away. My parents work 364 days a year, so to them, Uncle Keith's schedule is very nice already. And here we are, our generation is used to getting the weekends off with 3 weeks of vacation days every year. When my parents were our age, they were already millionaires. To them, money is their focus in life. Growing up, we never went on family vacations. Their work hours were really long. They would leave the house in the morning with us when we went to school and coming back home past 8PM every night. Once they are home, they would scramble to prepare us dinner. Their version of relaxing is really that one hour of TV time every night. Nowadays, since my mom is not tied up to a retail store anymore, she has more time to take care of my siblings and run errands during the day so dinner is ready when my dad comes home and it's much more relaxing for everyone at home. My dad still works 12 hour days though. They live in a big house and drive nice cars but their focus is still making more and more money.
I don't exactly know where I am going with this, but it really got me thinking. Danny and I live comfortably now. We have our own home, no, it's not as big as my parents', but it's more than we need. No, we don't drive nice cars like my parents, but frankly... I don't care about nice cars haha. We don't go on luxury vacations every year, but we are young, we have our whole life to go on vacations. What do I really want in life? What is it that I strive for? I used to work long hours in the city and that caused me headaches, shoulder aches, and back aches. Being infront of the computer every day working on Excel models really gave me all kinds of physical issues- I needed massages every other week. Yes, I was making a lot more money back then compare to my teacher salary now- but I am happy now. No, it's not because of my nice vacation days (though it surely helps) but shorter work days are definitely a bonus though. I've found my calling... for now at least. I enjoy what I do and I am good at what I do. On top of that, I can have a life outside of work. I have time to relax a little. I have time to prepare meals for us, to run errands, to tidy up the house, and most importantly- to spend time with my family.
We are going to welcome Baby Lee's arrival in just a few weeks and I can't imagine raising a child the way my parents raised us. Don't get me wrong, my parents were wonderful parents and still are wonderful parents. They do their best to provide for us and I am just so lucky to have them. But for myself... I want something different. I want time with my family. Though my parents may think differently, but I don't need a huge house nor do I need to drive nice cars. I don't need expensive bags and shoes (I admit, I have my share of purchases).
Danny would always say... we have a roof over our head, we are well fed, what more can we ask for? When it comes down to it, we need so little in life... and yet we want everything. I feel so blessed. I have everything we need and much much more. I can't be happier with where we are right now. We have a lot to work on for our future I'm sure. But for now, I am perfectly content and there is no better feeling in this world than to be content.
I don't exactly know where I am going with this, but it really got me thinking. Danny and I live comfortably now. We have our own home, no, it's not as big as my parents', but it's more than we need. No, we don't drive nice cars like my parents, but frankly... I don't care about nice cars haha. We don't go on luxury vacations every year, but we are young, we have our whole life to go on vacations. What do I really want in life? What is it that I strive for? I used to work long hours in the city and that caused me headaches, shoulder aches, and back aches. Being infront of the computer every day working on Excel models really gave me all kinds of physical issues- I needed massages every other week. Yes, I was making a lot more money back then compare to my teacher salary now- but I am happy now. No, it's not because of my nice vacation days (though it surely helps) but shorter work days are definitely a bonus though. I've found my calling... for now at least. I enjoy what I do and I am good at what I do. On top of that, I can have a life outside of work. I have time to relax a little. I have time to prepare meals for us, to run errands, to tidy up the house, and most importantly- to spend time with my family.
We are going to welcome Baby Lee's arrival in just a few weeks and I can't imagine raising a child the way my parents raised us. Don't get me wrong, my parents were wonderful parents and still are wonderful parents. They do their best to provide for us and I am just so lucky to have them. But for myself... I want something different. I want time with my family. Though my parents may think differently, but I don't need a huge house nor do I need to drive nice cars. I don't need expensive bags and shoes (I admit, I have my share of purchases).
Danny would always say... we have a roof over our head, we are well fed, what more can we ask for? When it comes down to it, we need so little in life... and yet we want everything. I feel so blessed. I have everything we need and much much more. I can't be happier with where we are right now. We have a lot to work on for our future I'm sure. But for now, I am perfectly content and there is no better feeling in this world than to be content.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Week 32/33 Update
School ended on Tuesday (yay!), which means I am officially done with my first year of teaching :) Reflecting back, it's been such a wonderful year and I'm just so happy that God had this plan for me.
We had our baby shower last Saturday and we are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. Dorry made all the food for my baby shower from scratch! My sister and sister-in-law helped with the rest of the preparation and it was just the perfect shower :)
After my baby shower luncheon, Danny had his afternoon baby shower/BBQ in the backyard. We had plenty of guests through out the day and it was a lot of fun. I think everyone should have a co-ed shower. It's nice to get the father-to-be involved too... afterall, it is his baby too :)
Our friends and family showered us with love and lots of presents so there aren't that many items left on our registry... mainly just the stroller and the mattress... we plan on purchasing these remaining items this week using all the gift cards we received.
Session 1 of my summer classes ended yesterday so I have a mini break until the next session begins on next Thursday. This session was by far the easiest semester for me since toward the end of the school year, I wasn't lesson planning anymore (mainly just doing Regents prep with my Algebra students)... so it wasn't bad at all sitting in class 3 times a week in the evening. Session 2 will meet Monday through Thursday mornings (9 - 11:30AM)... I kind of like the schedule because it wakes me up in the morning and gives me the rest of the day to be productive. My summer classes will end two weeks prior to our due date so it'll keep me busy through out the summer :) I can't wait till I finish my masters degree next summer! Time sure flies though.
I have been taking public transportation this week since school is over... it makes more sense for Danny to have the car than I do. So far it has been pretty good. I just take my time with everything nowadays since I am in no rush of getting anywhere really haha, what a relaxing pace! I also enjoy all the walking I get, it keeps me active and makes me feel better about all my weight gain. Also, I still feel great physically... so I don't want to just sit around all day. People always offer me seats on the bus, but since it's mostly women and children that offer to me, I usually politely decline their offer because I feel bad taking it. Also, I really don't need a seat... afterall, the bus trips are usually short and I feel fine standing.
I went to my OBGYN appointment today via public transportation and it's the first time ever that Danny didn't go with me. I purposely scheduled this one on a Friday knowing that I will be on vacation already and have tons of time. Dr. Wong was stuck at the hospital delivering babies so Dr. Chou subbed in for her today. Baby Lee is weighing in at 4 lbs and 12 oz! (compare to 3lbs and 12oz just two weeks ago) It makes me happy that baby is gaining weight haha. Also, we got to see the baby's hair today! It has a lot of hair already just like me. Well both Danny and I have plenty of hair so I guess I can't take all the credit. It's head is still measuring big, but not too big- at 34 weeks.
Here are a few things that I plan on completing in the next week or two:
1. Read all the baby books
2. Read about breastfeeding
3. Get a library card so I can borrow books through out the summer- there are so many books I want to read! No, they are not baby related... shocking I know
4. Wash baby related items
5. Have Danny install the car seat and assemble the stroller
6. Hospital tour (in 2 weeks at Beth Israel)
7. Pack hospital bag
I am getting really excited for Baby Lee's arrival haha.... it's almost here!
We had our baby shower last Saturday and we are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. Dorry made all the food for my baby shower from scratch! My sister and sister-in-law helped with the rest of the preparation and it was just the perfect shower :)
After my baby shower luncheon, Danny had his afternoon baby shower/BBQ in the backyard. We had plenty of guests through out the day and it was a lot of fun. I think everyone should have a co-ed shower. It's nice to get the father-to-be involved too... afterall, it is his baby too :)
Our friends and family showered us with love and lots of presents so there aren't that many items left on our registry... mainly just the stroller and the mattress... we plan on purchasing these remaining items this week using all the gift cards we received.
Session 1 of my summer classes ended yesterday so I have a mini break until the next session begins on next Thursday. This session was by far the easiest semester for me since toward the end of the school year, I wasn't lesson planning anymore (mainly just doing Regents prep with my Algebra students)... so it wasn't bad at all sitting in class 3 times a week in the evening. Session 2 will meet Monday through Thursday mornings (9 - 11:30AM)... I kind of like the schedule because it wakes me up in the morning and gives me the rest of the day to be productive. My summer classes will end two weeks prior to our due date so it'll keep me busy through out the summer :) I can't wait till I finish my masters degree next summer! Time sure flies though.
I have been taking public transportation this week since school is over... it makes more sense for Danny to have the car than I do. So far it has been pretty good. I just take my time with everything nowadays since I am in no rush of getting anywhere really haha, what a relaxing pace! I also enjoy all the walking I get, it keeps me active and makes me feel better about all my weight gain. Also, I still feel great physically... so I don't want to just sit around all day. People always offer me seats on the bus, but since it's mostly women and children that offer to me, I usually politely decline their offer because I feel bad taking it. Also, I really don't need a seat... afterall, the bus trips are usually short and I feel fine standing.
I went to my OBGYN appointment today via public transportation and it's the first time ever that Danny didn't go with me. I purposely scheduled this one on a Friday knowing that I will be on vacation already and have tons of time. Dr. Wong was stuck at the hospital delivering babies so Dr. Chou subbed in for her today. Baby Lee is weighing in at 4 lbs and 12 oz! (compare to 3lbs and 12oz just two weeks ago) It makes me happy that baby is gaining weight haha. Also, we got to see the baby's hair today! It has a lot of hair already just like me. Well both Danny and I have plenty of hair so I guess I can't take all the credit. It's head is still measuring big, but not too big- at 34 weeks.
Here are a few things that I plan on completing in the next week or two:
1. Read all the baby books
2. Read about breastfeeding
3. Get a library card so I can borrow books through out the summer- there are so many books I want to read! No, they are not baby related... shocking I know
4. Wash baby related items
5. Have Danny install the car seat and assemble the stroller
6. Hospital tour (in 2 weeks at Beth Israel)
7. Pack hospital bag
I am getting really excited for Baby Lee's arrival haha.... it's almost here!
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