Our Baby "J"

Hello all. This blog is dedicated to the entire pregnancy and immediate birth of our little 'Bam-Bam'... ... Baby "J." Please click on any picture for a larger view or on any link for more information.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

This may be it!

So today at my doctor's visit (if you are keeping track, yes it was one day early) we found out that I am now at 3cm dilated. My cervix is apparently "paper thin" and the doctor does not expect me to make it through the weekend. I'm not sure if I'm going to be up to blogging much in the next few days so consider this my last post pre-Bam Bam.

Thanks so much for tuning in (whenever you could)... be sure and come back to see the first pics of our little blessing! :)

Signing off until after delivery!

-Mommy & Daddy

Friday, January 26, 2007

The Doc has spoken!!!

So yesterday I went for my normal weekly visit to the doctor. Of course we had the interesting news, that was given to us at the hospital a couple of days prior, to discuss. After measuring the size of my belly, listening to the heart beat and cracking a few jokes, we went outside the exam room and began looking at the calendar.

Doctor Chen has decided to induce labor on February 8, 2007 at 8:00 pm, if little Bam Bam does not make his grand entrance before then.
Although we're a little sad that he will not be a "Valentine's Baby" like we all thought, we are very pleased to know that 2/8/07 is "D-day" :)

We'll see what happens...

1cm down.... .... 9cm to go!

So early Tuesday morning we had another labor scare. At around 3am I noticed that I was having some pretty strong contractions. I began recording the times, etc., and at around 5am Clif picked up the phone to call the hospital. They advised us to either take a hot bath or put something warm on my back to help ease any pains. With nothing else ordered I decided to go back to bed while Clif prepared for work. Returning home for lunch he found me balling my eyes out on the couch because of all of the pain I was in. We then called the hospital AGAIN and was now told to come in.

3 hours, 3 blood vials, 1 urine exam, 1 pelvis and back ultrasound later, the triage nurse decides to take a look and see if there's anything going on. To her surprise she found that we were already 1 cm dilated and that my cervix was thinned out.

At this point they will do nothing to stall labor, I'm already past 37 weeks which means the baby is healthy enough to be born at this time.

Softball Evaluations & Basketball games

Ok, so Ryann had softball evaluations today, and if I don't say so myself, she did pretty good. The stupid pitching machine wasn't working too well (all the president had to do was scoot it up a little bit) so none of her balls made it across home plate (they all went into the dirt).

Anyhoot, she looked great out there and she made us proud.

-------

Raye's Pacers had a 'bye' week, so he didn't have a game to play. Woo Hoo. Current Pacer stat: 1-0

Ryann's Monarchs on the other hand did have a game, however someone must have told their opponent to run and hide, because they never showed up (not even thr coach). The game was a forfeit. Current Monarch stat: 2-0.

Lamaze Class, day 3.....NO SHOW!

Ok, so I think we all knew that it was coming. Me and Clif were so bored with this class that we ended up not going to our third class. Mainly because the teacher's style was (for lack of a better word) BORING! even our fellow students were lame-tarded. I told Clifton that I'm glad to have met him after college, he would have really put hurting on my studies, influencing me to be such a bad student. :)

We've decided to just 'wing it' and see how it all turns out.

Wish us well!

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Baby Shower (take 2)

So we were blessed with having a second baby shower, planned, organized and run by our very special cousin/auntie Patty. This shower was held in sunny San Diego (on the day the Chargers lost to New England by the missed field goal). All of the family was in attendance, and we feasted on the best bbq (thanks to Garett and Maria) known to man. It was great being able to see all the babies, and kids run around and have a good time, as family should. We were able to get some great gifts for little Bam Bam and even enjoy a little bit of the game before heading back home (to beat any traffic).

Here are some pictures from the day.... THANK YOU SO MUCH PATTY FOR EVERYTHING! And thanks to the rest of the family for all of your wonderful gifts, hugs, kisses and support. See you all at the next shower..... SHAWNA'S!

Winter Season B-Ball has begun

Introducing the Torrance Pacers (5-6 year old divison) and the Torrance Monarchs (9-10 year old divison).

This year's basketball season started off with a BANG! Black top basketball is always fun, especially with a bunch of over eager little boys that all think their Michael Jordan, Yao Ming, or Big Shaq! At first Raye wasn't too into shooting the ball (or passing it for that matter) but as the game rolled on (and with a little help from his competitive father) he settled into a rhythm (one that didn't result an any baskets).Final score Pacers 10; Lakers 8.

The girls' game was a little more intense. A few girls dove for the ball; some blocked shots and one little Ms. Lisa Leslie even dribble between her legs to get the defender off of her. I have to say that Ryann did a great job closing the lane to the basket and protecting the paint. She's getting off to an awesome start.Final score Monarch 15; Fever 4. ^---- yes, it was a blow out!

Lamaze Class, day 2.....CHECK!

Boy oh boy... this class is extremely hard to get ready for. Especially if you have a kid who has a basketball game that starts just as the class is suppose to end.

On our second day at lamaze we had to end our session 1 hour early.
(to be finished later)

Sunday, January 07, 2007

3D/4D Ultrasound is truly amazing (!!!)

After going to our first lamaze class, we got prepared to meet our little Bam Bam for the first time (while he is still in the womb). We headed to Pasadena to the Mothercare Ultrasound & Preparation Center for a 4D ultrasound image of our little one. It was a very emotional experience for us to actually get to see what he looks like (I had to shed a few tears). Some of the images did not come out so well. He's pretty cramped in there, being as though we're now at 35+ weeks. Still, we were able to see his huge cheeks (thanks to daddy), full lips (thanks to mommy) and his cute little nose.

Tip: the best time to have this procedure done is after 28 weeks, but before 34 weeks. You have to be far enough along so that the baby begins to have some fat on his skin, but not too far along where he has no room and therefore is
cramped and balled up inside your belly.

Here are a couple of the images we were able to capture:


His hands are up

He's sleeping

He's still sleeping





Lamaze Class, day 1.....CHECK!

So yesterday we attended our first of four lamaze classes, at LCOM. For the most part it seems like it will be a very 'entertaining' class. The instructor is an older lady, who is pretty much against pain medicine and any pregnancy intervention other than those made my mother nature. Clif has mixed emotions but is willing to see it through to the very end. Stay tuned for weekly updates.

As for now the only tip we have is bring "FOUR PILLOWS" not 'floor pillows'. We were the only couple there with small, decorative pillows to use, everyone else had big, bed-size pillows. (Thanks Clif)

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Breastfeeding Basics Class.....CHECK!

So last night we took our first (and only) breastfeeding class at LCOM. From 7-9p we sat, watched 2 videos and were taught the proper way of holding a baby while breastfeeding. The course was very informative and well worth the price ($35/couple) and I'm glad that Clif wanted to take it.

There were moments when I couldn't bare to watch the television screen anymore. Like seeing this mother of twins attach both babies on her breasts at the same time. What the ?!?!?! Is that even possible? According to the video it is. I know I'm not ready for any of that, let's just get through the first 24 hours, and then I'll tell you if I can handle any other hungry babies.

Breastfeeding helpful tips to remember:
1 - breastfeeding should not hurt (so they say). It may feel strange at first, but it should not be painful. If it does, you're doing something wrong. Detach the baby and try again.
2 - wash all of your bras (plus anything that will come in contact with the babies face) in the same detergent that you use for the baby. This will prevent any rashes on the babies face.
3 - use lanolin or pure-lan on your breasts ONLY (and only if you have dry skin). There is no need to use anything else. Remember, whatever you're putting on your breasts will end up in the baby's mouth.
4 - it is not recommended to borrow/use someone else's breast pump. If you do, replace any/all parts that have come in contact with the other baby, mother and breast milk (this means more than just the tubing used)
5 - Evenflo/Avent breast pump have the highest customer complaints than any other brand. Our instructor recommended the Medela Pump in Style (over the Advance) out of all over brands.

Hope some of this helps... ...next up LAMAZE!

Monday, January 01, 2007

Happy New Year!

So we started off New Year's Eve at church (11a service). We then headed to the mall to cash in some of our baby shower gift certificates. Afterwards, we ate McDonald's before attempting to rest. At around 6p we headed over to Shawna's house with Universal Hollywood as our final destination. We hung out for a few hours at Citywalk; ate some crepes, sausages and cinnabons. Purchased a $7 candied apple; picked up some cool Skecher boots (for Ryann); snagged an action hero toy (for Raye); met up with some friends (Tonya and Malika) and finally headed home.

By the time 11:59 came around we were standing in the livingroom, holding glasses of Sparkling Apple Cider, ringing in the New Year (until around 12:47a, when we were all passed out from exhausion).

From Universal Studios Citywalk