Sunny Happy Days

This weekend has flown by. On Friday, Edwin had a Guys Night (aka Drinks Night) so I stayed home with Lukas. I thought it was going to be a lonely night, but there was an impromptu neighborhood block party, so Lukas and I got to spend the warm evening outside getting to know some more of the neighbors. It was very nice because there were so many people who wanted to hold Lukas that I got to eat dinner without holding him. Another bonus is that I didn't even have to cook myself dinner since people had brought the fixings for tacos. People are so nice on our street. The neighborhood is one of the best things about where we live. I never expected to get to know so many of them. I have never gotten to know neighbors like this before. It's like something out of the 50's. They have these impromptu block parties pretty often, but we generally are not able to attend because we usually already have plans.

I had to leave a little early because Lukas started getting a little fussy because he was tired, but he went to sleep without a fight which is a blessing in it of itself. Then, I got to relax and watch one of my favorite movies that was playing on TV, "Sleepless in Seattle." I own the DVD, but there's just something about watching a movie live. Edwin got home before the movie ended, so there really wasn't any time to be lonely.

On Saturday, Steve and Pablo came by to meet Lukas. We had took a walk to downtown Park St. for some lunch at La Pinata which Pablo had introduced to us so many years ago. It was like old times. After they left, Edwin and I did some spring cleaning. We have been meaning to clean out the garage for a while. We have these garment racks that were in our old garage for our suits and outdoor gear that we never put together. The clothes have been hanging in Lukas's closet. We couldn't put the clothes in the garment racks until we found a place to put them in the garage which we needed to organize. We also were able to organize our front closet because we were able to put some of the coats into the garment racks. It felt so good to be able to clean something up. We're still not done. We are having people over for a 4th of July BBQ next week, so it's good motivation for us to clean more. We just need to donate more to the Goodwill. I'm leaning towards just throwing out the boxes of stuff in the garage that we don't know what is in them. Obviously, I haven't needed what is in them for almost 2 years. I would just remove them, but Edwin wants to go through them (probably because it's mostly his stuff!)

Today, we spent another beautiful day outdoors. We went to a Les Nubians concert at Stern Grove. We purchased tickets to see this band a few years ago at Bimbo's (a club near our old apartment) but realized that we couldn't go because we were scheduled to fly out of town at the same time. We were able to sell the tickets on craigslist, but we never got to see them in concert until today. It was a free outdoor concert where you just pack a picnic lunch and lounge on the grass. We were surrounded by lots of other families with young kids. We haven't been to Stern Grove in a few years, but I think that we will definitely be going more often with Lukas. He loved being outdoors and fell asleep looking at all the trees. He took a nice, long 2 hour nap which would have been longer if someone's football falling near us hadn't startled him.

Sniffles

This past week, Lukas has had a slight runny nose. It's not actually even runny. He's just had some mucus in his nose and a little congestion. We're not sure if he was ever really sick because he never complained. We haven't been with anyone who was sick either, so we're not sure where it came from. We haven't given him any medication since it didn't seem to bother him. He's really such a happy baby. We are very lucky. Occasionally, he'll cry when we try to put him to bed, but once he's out, it's OK.

One more week. That's all I have left of my maternity leave. Next week, Lukas starts daycare. I went to his daycare today to fill out some paperwork. His daycare provider's name is Mallory. It's a family daycare, meaning that she runs it out of her home. She's only allowed 4 infants per caretaker and there are 2 caretakers. He'll be the 4th child and 3 of the kids are part-time. Lukas will be the only one who is full-time. One of the reasons I chose her is the low ratio of children to caretakers. I'm sure that she will have more children over time, but at least in the beginning, he'll be getting lots of attention. Another reason, I chose her is that I like her gentle nature. I saw how she interacted with the other children while she was with Lukas. Today confirmed my feelings. She was taking care of Lukas and 2 other children while I was filling out the forms. She doesn't raise her voice, but she does tell the children to be gentle or distracts them with other toys if they want something they shouldn't have. I also watched one of the children who was 14 months say good-bye to her mother. This was not a child who was crying or screaming as mom left. Her mom did not have to sneak out the door while she was distracted. She happily waved good-bye to her mom as she left. Seeing this interaction made me feel a little better about leaving Lukas there. Still, Edwin is going to have to be the one to drop him off next week because I don't think that I can do it. I'll be sniffling even as they leave.

I'm sure that Lukas will be fine. He hasn't exhibited any separation anxiety at all. It will be me who has the separation anxiety. I'm trying to ease my transition back to work by taking Wednesdays off in July so that I'm only away from him 2 days at a time. Then, in August, I get 4 summer Fridays which I'll use. So for 2 months, I'll only be working 4 days a week, but getting full pay.

Here are the latest photos of Lukas and our trip to Pismo Beach:

Happy Father's Day!

So we did another little video for Father's Day. This past weekend, we went to Mason's First Birthday on Saturday. He has changed so much since we last saw him in January. Lukas had a great time watching Mason eat his birthday cake. More pictures to come later. We also got to catch up with Chris, Dana, and Jayden. They come up from Santa Cruz unexpectedly and so we got to catch up with them as well. It was so cute to see the 2 boys together. They are about 2 monthes apart, so we get a little preview to what Lukas will be doing shortly.

Chatting & Pismo Beach

Last weekend, we went to Pismo Beach for Jon & Kim's wedding. Jon has become a good surfing buddy of Edwin's and he worked with both of us while we were at KSA. It was a nice 4 hour drive down to the Central Coast. Pictures will be posted later. It was a good time, so we wish that we had more time there. We stayed in the downtown area and had some great seafood and clam chowder at Splash Cafe and Brad's. We also got to see a few whales while we were there.

Lukas did well in the hotel room that had paper thin walls. We heard the man next door snoring and the people upstairs pacing, so when Lukas woke up crying at 5:30AM, we hoped that our neighbors would be as forgiving.
We just got a new camcorder- the Mino Flip HD. I think that almost all new parents within the last 2 years have this camcorder. It's smaller and lighter than our camera and is good for making videos quickly. I'm pretty sure that we'll be using it often. We have been thinking about getting one for a while and we saw it at Costco, so decided to bite the bullet. Now, we just need to get the HD TV to watch them. Haha. It was actually good timing that we got it because Lukas has decided that he likes to talk now. He had quite a few conversations this past weekend with everyone he met. I'll post that later too.

This week, we got another surprise visit from our friend Bo from NYC. We got to have dinner and dessert with her and Show and reminisced about old times. Bo's blog was the first blog that I had ever read. She's inspired me to create one because she always has an opinion and can always make me laugh. Bo only lived out here for 14 months, but we have many happy memories with her in that short period. We all reflected on how things have changed and still stayed the same in the 5 years that have transpired since she left SF. Hmmm... I wonder who will show up unannounced in the Bay Area next week. I only have 2 more weeks left in my maternity leave, so I welcome more visitors!

Also, I was informed that my videos of Lukas from 2 postings ago were asking for you to become my friend to view them. I think that I have changed the setting so you can view it. If not, let me know that there are still technical difficulties!

Come Visit Us!

So we have had a lot of visitors in the past few weeks. It's been really great to be able to catch up with people and to introduce them to Lukas. Last week, Alex and Flora came to visit from Toronto. I haven't seen them in almost 10 years. It was great fun even though it was a short visit. We made breakfast and took them around for some quick SF tourist spots. We went down Lombard Street, walked around in Fisherman's Wharf, ate some clam chowder, and stopped by Chrissy Field for some photos of the Golden Gate Bridge. We did all of this in 2 hours. I told them it was a teaser tour to make them want to come back to visit soon. Edwin and I love to travel and we love to have friends take us around to cool spots. It's so much faster and much less stressful.

This week, our friend Vicki came for work and to visit. We walked along the beach and in downtown Alameda and just talked for hours. It was a great time. Chatting with Vicki was like food for my soul. Last weekend, I had Girls Night which helped to energize my spirit, but talking with Vicki helped me to feel like I was me again. I'm not just a mom. It's not that being a mom is bad or that I don't want to be a mom, but I think it is really easy to lose your identity when all your energy is spent taking care of a baby, house, and husband. It is a really hard job. When people say that it is hard for a new mom to shower or even to pee, it's not an exageration. You really don't have a lot of time for yourself or to reflect. You feel like you're living ground hog day over and over again where time resets every 2-3 hours based on feeding and sleeping schedules. Talking with Vicki reminded me of all the times when we lived in Chicago and we would meet each week and talk for hours over dinner. It's as if I went back in time. I used to spend a lot of time hanging out with my girlfriends talking about our problems and relationships. Now, there are usually husbands or children or both around. It's not that I don't want either Edwin or Lukas around, but I can't have the same types of conversations or even have the ability to finish conversations sometimes. Girls Night was great because it was a group of girls and we were able to pack in a lot of activities, but talking one-on-one with Vicki was nice because I could focus on just one conversation and we had no agenda. Edwin and I had a similar experience when Ellen came to town for a visit and we were able to go out with her and float around SF without an agenda and just having a spontaneous night hanging out.

I'm not a very spontaneous person. Most people would say that I'm a planner and I don't like to have changes to preset plans, but I love it when we have plans to just hang out and we go place to place with our friends all day long. It's very freeing.

Today, we got another out-of-town visitor. My friend Binh from college came up from LA unexpectedly. She came to visit the Jamba Juice tasting kitchen and we got to have lunch with Nikki. It was a leisurely lunch and reminded me of all the times in college when we would cut class and go shopping. Another blast from the past.

This weekend, we're going to Pismo Beach for a wedding with a former coworker from KSA. So many reminders of people from our past. Then, on Monday, I am meeting another old college friend Amy and her family for breakfast. I try to keep in touch with people and it seems to get harder as the years go by, so I am so happy when people come to visit and call me up when they are in town. I used to feel a little hurt if people didn't call me to meet up when they came to SF, stay with me, or call me last minute since it felt like I was last on their list to call. Now, I don't take it personally. There have been a few times myself when I have not been able to see everyone I wanted to see on a trip or called last minute to see if people are free to meet. Now, I am just happy if our schedules work and we are able to meet up and catch up. I have come to realize that everyone just gets exponentially busier when you add another person to your life such as significant others or kids. Everyone's got a schedule- even when they are only 3 months old.

My point after all this reminiscing? It would make me so happy if you would come out and visit us! And if you can't visit, call me and tell me what's going on with you.

Blink and You Might Miss It

People talk about missing their children's learning milestones while they are at work like their child's first word or first steps. Well, yesterday, I was home alone with Lukas and I missed one. I had put Lukas down on his play mat for some tummy time. I usually will either play with him or come in and out of the room to get other things. Since it's on the floor, he can't really injure himself too much since he can't crawl. So I stepped out of the room to go to the bathroom. Normally, Lukas doesn't like tummy time and will usually complain vocally while he is on his stomach. I noticed that he seemed a little quiet as I returned to the room, but I thought maybe he has learned to like being on his tummy or just stopped complaining. To my surprise, he had rolled over and turned onto his back! I think he was either stunned or just happy to be off his tummy because he was just quietly looking up when I entered the room. I couldn't believe it. I was there and I missed it!

As soon as I realized what had happened, I turned him over on his stomach and told him to do it again. (I'm not sure he understood me, but he probably knew something was up because I was talking excitedly and looking frantically for the camera.) He actually did it again while I was watching this time, but unfortunately, I couldn't get the camera to turn on fast enough and all I got on video was him lying on his back instead of the action of him rolling onto his back. Of course I tried to get him to do it a third time, but was unsuccessful. I tried to get him to do it again today and even demonstrated to him, but he still wouldn't do it. I guess it will be like his giggle- we'll get to see it a few times before he actually lets us catch it on film.

Here are a couple of videos that we did get. This is a video of a giggle session that Edwin and Lukas had before bedtime:


Here is a video of Lukas and Edwin playing Nai-Nai-Nai-Ba which is basically the Japanese version of Peekaboo (sorry it's sideways!):

Girls Night

What a difference a weekend makes. By the end of the week, I am totally frazzled and exhausted. Last night, I had a fun girls day and spent 8 hours away from Lukas- the longest time I have been away from him since he was born. It was both needed and hard. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. We started the afternoon wedding dress shopping with Show. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let us take any pictures at Amy Kuschel where Show tried on all these beautiful dresses. Show looked great in every dress since she's tall and slender. Kaori, Matilde, Jeannette, and Corinne all joined in and we had a nostalgic walk down memory lane as we remembered our own weddings. For a future Girls Night, I think that we should all wear our wedding dresses to a fancy dinner so that we get another use out of them. Unfortunately, that would require us all to open the martinized boxes that they are sealed in. I think it would be great fun, but all the girls thought that it was a bit silly.

We went to a second dress shop, but the dresses were not the right style and we got there too close to closing time, so they wouldn't let her try on any dresses. Nikki and Michelle joined us for dinner at Doobu in Japantown and then had some crepes for dessert. Kaori, Matilde, Show, and I stayed for a little karaoke. It was so nice to be with my girlfriends and be able to finish conversations without the distractions (ie-kids!) We had so much fun that we decided to try and plan a Girls Night every other month. Can't wait until the next one.

Here are some photos from our trip to Chicago for Memorial Day weekend.

Throwing out the Books

Lukas has been such a great sleeper since he was born which I say he got from me. I used to feed him, change him, play with him, and put him to sleep about every 2 hours from 10AM to about midnight. Then, at midnight, he would sleep pretty soundly until around 5 or 6AM which people would say was good. Then I started reading more books which say that he needs more sleep like he should be sleeping 3-4 hour stretches in the afternoons and then like 10-12 hours a night. (We're not worried about him gaining weight or needing to eat since he's 14lb and 5 oz as of last Thursday and 24.5 inches long which puts him in the 75th percentile for weight and height.) I was happy thinking that he was getting enough sleep and I was getting enough sleep. Now I have ruined it all by trying to make him sleep more. He never used to cry when I put him to sleep, but for the past few days, that's all he does when I try to get him to sleep. He just doesn't want to sleep that much. His naps have been getting shorter and shorter so he only naps during the day for 30 minutes to an hour. I know I just need to surrender and let him be. That's how it was with the breastfeeding. There were times when I felt like he was telling me that he didn't need to eat anymore and that he would fight me, but when I started listening to him and didn't force him to eat, it all got a lot easier. (All the books said that I needed to feed him both breasts, but I have a good milk supply, so he only needs one side.) I now know that he's a big boy, so I don't have to worry about him not eating enough anyway.

It's been a struggle this week. I used to rock him to sleep and everyone says that's bad because he needs to learn to sleep on his own. Sometimes he does sleep on his own, but sometimes I think that he still needs help. The one thing that I have done is that he is able to sleep throughout the night without eating. He's been going down around 10 and then waking up around 5 or 6AM to eat. I almost fed him last night at 2:30AM, but I decided to just give him his pacifier (for an hour!) and suck it up. (Ha ha! Pun intended.) He slept through the night without eating just fine. I don't want him to start waking up in the middle of the night and expecting to eat so that it becomes a habit. As a result, we took a morning nap from 8:30-11:30AM. Don't ask me what I'm going to do when I go back to work.

I know that he needs sleep, so I'm going to focus on getting him to sleep more, but these books don't seem to be helping me on the how to get him to sleep more. The crying method doesn't seem to work. That just leaves him so exhausted that he falls asleep after crying for hours. He just gets all worked up and then can't calm himself. If I can rock him to sleep in half an hour, that seems faster to me and then neither one of us is upset. He'll learn to go to sleep on his own some day. I don't expect a 3.5 month old to be able to do that yet. All the kid wants to do is eat, sleep, and play. Sometimes, he'll fall asleep himself if he's just swaddled and given a pacifier, but that doesn't always work, so when it does I should be thankful. If it doesn't, I'm just going to rock my baby to sleep. It's like that lullaby- "If that mockingbird won't sing, mama's gonna buy herself a diamond ring..." Well, maybe those aren't the exact lyrics, but I like them better that way!

Memorial Day Weekend

So we spent Memorial Day Weekend in Chicago with my parents and my sister Laura came out with her family as well. As usual, time passed by quickly. Lukas got to meet the cousins from the other side of the family. (He has a total of 4- Freeman, Hannah, Timothy, and Phoebe.) Photos will come later, but we got to see Stacy, Ryan, & Eli for lunch at Lou Malnoti's. We got to have dinner at Big Bowl and watched a Angels & Demons with Santiney & Carlos. We actually watched 3 movies in the theatre while we were in Chicago. It was great. Gong-gong & Po-Po baby-sat Lukas while we also saw Star Trek and Wolverine. We saw Wolverine with Sandy and had breakfast with Vicki. We also got to visit Xochitl, Eddie, and their 3 boys. Xochitl's youngest was Andrew and he was about a month older than Lukas, but their due dates were about the same, so they look about the same age. We also got to see our other friend Ryan who worked with us both at KSA, but unfortunately ran out of time to see his 3 boys. So many boys.

This was also Lukas's first plane ride. We were a bit nervous, but he did great. On the flight there, he slept virtually the entire flight and I fed him on the way down. The return wasn't that bad except that we had to sit on the tarmac for about 1.5 hours, so our time on the plane got expanded to 5.5 hours instead of 4. Though he didn't sleep the entire time, it went as well as we could hope. The main difficulty was that he had a poopy diaper and needed a change, but even that wasn't so bad.

The weather was warm for most of our trip. We also got to go downtown briefly for some italian beef and hotdogs, but we didn't get to walk around as much as we wanted to. The day we chose to go downtown was rainy which curtailed our outdoor adventures. Can't wait to go back!

Look Alikes?

So here are some pictures for you to compare. The first of course is Lukas in his car seat. Then, it's me on the sofa and finally, it's a photo of Edwin's dome. So does this change your votes about who Lukas looks like? It looks like a majority of people think that he looks like me or some mixture of the 2 of us. However, not one of you voted that he looked more like Edwin. While Lukas seems to have my eyes, I think that Edwin's photo looks a lot like Lukas to me. (At least the hair- or lack there of!)
Lukas:
Michelle:

Edwin:

Just a Wee Bit Cranky

So this week has been a little tougher with Lukas. He's been crying a bit more during the day. However, the moment we step outside the house, he stops, so I have to figure that he enjoys being outside. Here are some new pics of Lukas on days where he is happier:

Happy Belated Mothers Day!

So this was my first Mother's Day and it was very nice. We started the day off at church where we had an infant dedication for Lukas. Then, we headed into the city and went to the Asian Art Museum which was free for the holiday. Lukas enjoyed the culture by blissfully sleeping in his baby carrier. We had dinner at Suppenküche which is a German restaurant that I have always wanted to try. I still like Berghoff's in Chicago better (too bad it closed down a few years ago), but it was still very tasty.

So here is a video of a class that Lukas and I took a few weeks ago where they tricked me into exercising (I am in the black tank top and Lukas is in the zebra baby carrier sleeping):


So here is the class description that I read: Lullaby Exercises is a series of fun, easy-to-learn movements–dancing, swaying, stretching & relaxing–that are performed while holding a baby in your arms or in a baby carrier. It’s designed for new moms to share moments with their baby, put a little one to sleep, and to feel good emotionally and physically. Doesn't that sound like it's going to be pretty low intensity? This was more like a hip hop class with your baby. It was fun and I will go back, but I just thought it was funny because it was totally not what I was expecting.

Don't forget to vote in my new poll!

Giggles

My days are a blur now. I have a hard time remembering what I did 2 hours before. I never really know what day it is or what the date is. It's a happy time. We heard Lukas laugh for the first time today. Edwin was making faces at him and then all of the sudden, he giggled. He's been smiling for a few weeks now, but today he giggled. Of course after we heard it once, we tried to get him to laugh again. They say that babies change quickly and I never really knew what people meant until now. It's like something new happens every week. One week, he's lifting his head. Another week, he's smiling. He's also gaining more control of his hands. I can tell that he purposefully touches my hand or hits a toy.

People are curious about my days with Lukas. I don't really know what to tell people because it's such an effort to just eat, get dressed, and out the door.

This weekend, we're going to Kai's 2nd birthday party at a park in San Mateo. It's also my first Mother's Day, so we'll see what happens.

3.5 inches in 2 months

That is how much Lukas has grown during his lifetime. I wish that I could grow 3.5 inches in 2 months. I don't know that I ever grew that much that fast. He is now 23 inches and 11 lbs. and 13 oz. Check out photos from the last 4 weeks:

I'm a Horrible Mother!

I don't know of any mom that hasn't felt that way at some point. Being a mom is a tough and thankless job. You don't get paid any money. You have to deal with pee and poop that is not your own all day long. You have a boss that has unpredictable mood swings and is extremely demanding. That's not to say that motherhood doesn't have perks- a feeling that your baby is happy and healthy at the end of the day, that adorable toothless grin, having a dance marathon/karaoke session anytime you want, and nothing beats a hug from baby. It's just that you can never do enough.

I try to plan one activity per day whether it's to go to the pediatrician, go to a class, take Lukas to the park, or run errands. I feel guilty when I am not able to do at least one of those things in a day and I think to myself "I'm a horrible mother!" when I know that's not true. Or when I feel a little selfish and want to watch some TV like Oprah or Desperate Housewives and Lukas is awake. (I try not to watch TV while he is awake unless I am feeding him so he can't watch.) I also feel guilty that I haven't mailed out birth announcements, I am behind on Thank You cards, I haven't taken as many pictures of Lukas as I have wanted, I haven't posted the pictures that I have on the camera, I haven't figured out what to do about childcare, I haven't returned emails/phone calls, I haven't been cooking much, I haven't been reading much on child development, Lukas hasn't had his tummy time, I forget someone's birthday (which I never used to do...) and the list goes on. I can't seem to move fast enough or there aren't enough hours in the day. It's just overwhelming sometimes. Then, I read that I should be napping and resting to make sure that I can produce enough milk. So I feel guilty when I do nap and guilty when I try to get things done. It's a double-edged sword. I guess it's like a marathon (not that I have ever run one!) in that it doesn't matter how you do on each individual mile, but that you finish. Lukas won't remember the days that I didn't take him to the park, I just have to hope he'll just remember the ones that I do.

So Hot!!!

So we're going through a mini heat wave here in the Bay Area. It's been over 80 degrees for the past 3 days. This is not normal for us and our house has no AC. Poor Lukas is like me in that he doesn't like to be hot. Edwin likes the warm weather- maybe because he's from SoCal. However, the basement has been nice and cool, so we have been enjoying our days down there.

The past few weeks have been a blur. Last Friday, we headed down to Santa Cruz for our first road trip with Lukas. We had a great time since Lukas slept both ways. (Like I said, the boy gets his sleeping habits from his mom.) We attended Tyler's first birthday party last weekend. It was Lukas's first party and I guess he was a little nervous because he pooped while Jamie was holding him. Luckily, Jamie is very experienced with poop, so we didn't feel too bad. I think we had a record of 3 complete outfit changes that day. We also had a nice brunch with Show, Derek, and the Schneiders on Sunday to celebrate their engagement. Our cousins had their twins, Justin and Ashley over Easter, so we're going to visit them this weekend.

A lot of people have been asking me how I am coping being at home with Lukas. I think we're doing pretty well. He likes going out, so I like to take him to run errands or go shopping. When we're at home, he tends to sleep more maybe because there is less to interest him. I definitely do not get bored, but I could see how people might get lonely when there is no one to converse with. I consider it a good day if I am able to do the laundry, return phone calls, or run the dishwasher. I find that I have very little time on the internet now or the ability to use the computer is limited since it requires 2 hands to type. I can read more which is nice. I am definitely not looking forward to going back to work, but I still have 2 more months, so I'll try not to think about it. Alright, I gotta run because I think I'm melting and having a warm laptop on my lap is not helping.

Perfection

As a new mom, I consider myself very lucky. Lukas has continued to sleep quite a bit at night and is still gaining weight, so those long stretches of sleep at night are not affecting his growth. He loves to be outside and does not cry very often. We are absolutely spoiled. So another 3 weeks have passed and I have been remiss in posting photos. We have them. They are just still in the camera. Guess I'll have to post those later.

What have we been up to for these past few weeks? We have had a few out-of town visitors. Bro-in-law Alex came 2 weekends in a row for work. Then, Cousin Esther came in for a few days to visit. Priyanka and her family came for a short visit too. In the past, we used to go to nice restaurants for dinner to catch up with Priyanka and Matt. However, parenthood certainly changes things. We now run to the supermarket to find food for the kids, get them in bed, order take-out or cook, and then make breakfast. Activities are a lot more home-based, especially when there are more than 2 children involved. We're still able to go out since Lukas spends most of his time sleeping, but I see that this is how our future will most likely be. It was still a great time, just different.

Ellen also came for a visit last week and it was a really great timing because Edwin's went back to work last week as well, so she helped me ease into taking care of Lukas by myself. Last Monday, it was just me and Lukas. It was pleasant, but I was nervous. It does take longer to do things by myself. Ellen arrived on Tuesday and we had a great time with her baking banana bread, having a semi-impromptu party, and "meandering" around SF on a lazy Friday afternoon.

I now find myself constantly fighting the clock. You remember that game Perfection? You know, the one where you have to put all the puzzle pieces into their respective spots before time is up. That's how I feel. I have to try and fit things in between Lukas's naps. Shower, breakfast, lunch, chores (laundry, dishes, paying bills, etc.), email, return calls, blog, etc. all have to squeeze in and before Lukas wakes. The difference is that I never know when Lukas is going to wake up whereas in the game Perfection, the time you are allowed is constant. I used to sweat and get stressed out by the game, but I find that with Lukas, it just makes me more efficient. I move faster and watch less TV. I try not to stress out if I'm not able to finish what I'm doing and just figure that I'll do it during my next "break."

I have also found that perfection has changed for me. Perfection is now defined as a fun day out with Lukas and Edwin with no poopy explosions, not getting peed on, a 7-hour stretch of sleep, and a toothless smile from Lukas. Lukas has started giving us his social smile which means that he is now smiling because he wants to, not just because he has gas. We haven't really been able to capture it fully on film yet, but it's really priceless.

Not So Fast!

So Lukas will be 3 weeks old tomorrow. I feel like he has changed and grown so much already. He is probably over 8 pounds now. His face is fuller, his ears are bigger, and his hands are bigger. The past 3 weeks have been such a blur. Days run into each other and I never know what day of the week it is much less the actual date. I guess yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. Happy belated!

Here are some photos of Lukas from his first 2 weeks:


Breastfeeding was not easy in the beginning, but I think that it's much easier now. I remember in the beginning that there were times I felt like he was fighting me by waving his arms in front of his face and didn't want to eat anymore. I discovered that there are times he does tell me when he is done eating or when he needs a break. How does he know how to do that only a few days after birth? Amazing. After I started "listening" to him, we did a lot better. I can even watch TV or read a book while I am doing it. Lukas was sleeping really well at night, so I used to hate waking him up to feed him. I am so glad that I went to see a lactation consultant who finally told me that I didn't need to wake him up at night to feed because he was gaining enough weight and feeding well. In the beginning, I would set my alarm to wake myself up to make sure that he was eating, but then he kept sleeping, and I kept thinking it would be crazy to wake a sleeping baby, so I would let him sleep. After a few nights, I stopped setting my alarm and would let him tell me when he wanted to eat. There was one blissful night he slept from 11:30PM until 6AM the next morning. I know we are very lucky and I don't take it for granted. Most nights, I feed him once or twice. Usually, he'll sleep for 4-5 hours straight so I get a nice long rest.

We've had quite a few visitors in the first 3 weeks. My parents were here for 9 days and Edwin's mom was here for a week. We are finally on our own this week. It was nice to have help nearby, but it's also nice to be able to get into your own routine. A lot of people are amazed how mobile we are, but I kind of get stir crazy at home and Lukas seems to like going out as well to see new things so it works for both of us.

As we are getting to know him, here are some of the things we have learned in the past 3 weeks about Lukas so far:

• He likes riding in the car.
• He does not like diaper changes.
• He likes sleeping.
• He does not like being cold.
• He likes being held or being in a sling.

We are also excited because we are going to have some out-of-town visitors soon too- Priyanka's family and Santiney and Carlos. Woo hoo!

Introducing Lukas Anthony Lager

As most of you probably already know or probably have guessed from my lack of posts, our little boy Lukas has finally arrived. There are 2 of you out there who guessed it correctly. It's been a whirlwind experience, but here's how it all started...

On Wednesday morning, I woke up around 7AM and went to the bathroom like I do every morning. I went back to bed and 10 minutes later I noticed that the bed was wet. I'm thinking to myself, "Oh no, not again. Did I just pee on myself again?" Then I remembered that I had just gone to the bathroom, so I probably didn't pee on myself. I called Jeannette, who is an OB, Edwin, and my OB's office. My OB's office told me to call them when my contractions were 5 minutes apart. I stayed at home for most of the day and Edwin came home from work to wait for those contractions. Here were my activities that day after my calls:

1. Had some breakfast.


2. Took a 2 hour nap. (I mean, I should get some rest before the big event, right?)


3. Had some lunch.


4. Watched some TV, emailed, and read. Edwin decided he would clean the house.


5. I called the OB around 4:30PM because I wanted to talk to them before the office closed. They told me that I would need to check into the hospital that night because there would be a risk of infection if I didn't deliver within 24 hours of my water breaking.


6. Went out to dinner with the Banerjees for Korean food.


7. Checked into the hospital at 9PM.

One of the worst parts of the process happened at the beginning as I was getting admitted into labor and delivery. I had to have my blood drawn and an IV inserted in my arm. The nurse that inserted the IV was terrible. She missed my vein which hurt a lot and hit a valve, so there was a gauze pad full of my blood. Then, she had to do it again and I'm thinking to myself, "Do you know what you're doing?"

After checking in, they brought us to the labor and delivery room. The original intent when I arrived at the hospital was for them to give me a drug to start dilation, but when the OB checked me at midnight, I was already 3cm dilated which meant that I didn't need it. At 2AM, they checked me and said that I my contractions weren't strong enough or regular enough, so they wanted to give me pitocin to make them stronger and more regular. They seemed strong enough to me! The contractions were the worst part of the process. Edwin suggested trying to sleep between contractions, but they were so strong that there was no way that I could.

Edwin was pretty sleepy since he spent his day cleaning while I took a nap during the afternoon. I'm also more the night owl than he is because he is more a morning person than me. To focus on something other than the pain from the contractions, I asked Edwin to talk to me. Edwin thought that this meant that I wanted to converse, so he started asking me questions like, "When are your parents arriving?" This was not the type of distraction I was thinking of. I didn't say that I wanted to talk. I just wanted him to talk to me. Then, Edwin had a brilliant idea. I had put together a playlist on my ipod for the labor and delivery. He put the music on and I was able to focus on the words and sing along. They should offer karaoke for women in labor. Just a suggestion.

At 4AM, the nurse asked if I wanted an epidural for the pain since the anesthesiologist was nearby. My original thoughts on a drug free delivery were that I would try and do it without the drugs for as long as I could, but that I was not opposed to an epidural. Several of my friends have had them and I have not heard of anyone having a bad experience with it- though my friend Lei said that her bad experience was that her epidural stopped working. I thought for a minute that I could rough it a little more and then I thought, "Why am I doing this? This hurts a lot. Who knows how long this will take?" So I changed my mind and said, "Yes, I would like an epidural, please." Labor after epidural was VERY nice.

After the epidural, I was able to sleep from 4:30AM to 8:30 AM. This is the closest thing I can think of to sleeping through labor. It was SO nice. The nurses and doctors were still coming in to check on me intermittently throughout the night and I didn't care. Some people say that they don't like epidurals because it doesn't allow the mother to feel how she is pushing. At around 9AM, they told me to start pushing and an hour and a half later, Lukas showed up. Funny thing is, I had a dream when I was 8 months pregnant that I was sleeping and woke up with a baby. Maybe it was a premonition.

The labor and delivery nurses said that they really liked my playlist. Maybe I'll publish it someday to the blog. It was like 5 hours of music, so we'll see. We were listening to Cowboys and Angels from George Michael when Lukas arrived.

Another funny anecdote about one of the labor and delivery nurses who was a nurse in training was that a Jem song started playing and she said that she used to listen to that song when she was studying in high school. I think that Jem became popular only 5 years ago. How old was this nurse? Just a little scary, but the other nurse was clearly more experienced, so it was OK.

I'll definitely be posting more pics of Lukas's first week, but here is the birth announcement that we sent out via email. The time was actually 10:44AM when Lukas was born, but who really cares except us?

False Alarm

So today is my due date and still no baby. The OB says that there is no dilation and we are scheduled to induce on Monday at 6PM which means that if baby does not come out on his own this week, he's going to come out next week. Thanks to everyone's well wishes. I can't believe people even remember what the due date is. I have trouble remembering myself!

I had a false alarm yesterday. I was meeting Matilde for lunch at her place. While I was waiting for her to open the gate, I felt a slight contraction and then warm liquid running down my leg. As Matilde approached, I told her that "Either my water has broken or I have just peed in my pants. Neither of which is good." I have experienced a little leakage before when I sneezed or laughed, but it was nothing like this. I called Jeannette to ask her and she told me that if I continued to leak, then it was my water. If not, then it was probably the contraction which also caused my bladder to contract which caused me to pee. Turns out it was just urine. Matilde jokes that she doesn't think that I even had a contraction and just said that I did so that I didn't have to say that I peed on myself for no reason.

So this past weekend, Edwin helped the Banerjees move into their new house while I watched Maika and Kai. After the move, everyone came over and had pizza at our house. That's when Show finally announced the news that she and Derek got engaged- though that's not entirely true. She didn't announce it, but that's when she finally showed us her ring. She had been hiding it all day and hadn't told any of us about it even though they got engaged last Monday. We were all super excited for them. We'll have to wait to hear Derek's side of how he proposed. Congrats you guys!