I'm still here!

Hello all! I know I haven't posted in a LONG time (well, at least a long time for me.) I just wanted to let you know that I am alive and well...I have not abandoned this blog...just really behind! Trust me, the blog-monster has been gnawing at my brain everyday...

I went back to work last Monday the 1st (the day after we got home from Ohio) and as a result, I haven't had much time for...well...anything! Although I only work from 10:30am to 2:00pm (nice!), I'm out of the house between 8:30 and 9:00am in order to get Ayla over to my parents' house in time for her next bottle and to give myself time to pump before I head to work. After work, I eat lunch with my parents, pump, and feed Ayla one more time before heading home around 3:30 or 4:00pm.

Dean and I are so very lucky to have my parents tending to Ayla while I'm at work everyday. I'm completely worry-free knowing that she's in great hands...AND my parents live right across the street from our restaurant which makes it even more convenient. And as a bonus, my parents speak Chinese to her (and if I keep it up at home as well), she'll hopefully grow up bilingual.

I have a lot of updating to do...our week in Ohio and Ayla's 2-month check-up and just random stuff, as usual. I swear I'll get to it this week! It's my goal! (Lots of pictures to upload, too!)

I'll be back soon! :)

Happy Baby!

I finally got a few pictures of her smiling! (Just some little ones...I'll keep working on getting one of those big grins.) She was SUCH a happy, smiley baby today! I didn't want to wait until we got home from our trip to post them. :)
I am utterly, totally, completely, head-over-heels in love with her...there's nothing more wonderful than seeing her smiling at me.

Hallelujah!

Since Ayla was born, people have been asking us how she's sleeping...if she's sleeping through the night. I always say, "Ha, that's very funny." Because no, no she doesn't sleep through the night...most newborns don't...right? Everyone kept telling us that it would happen eventually. I was never convinced.

Well, we might be on our way...we're making progress, at least. Last night she slept from 10pm to 3am!!! That's FIVE hours!!! She basically dropped her midnight feeding...the night before, she also skipped her late feeding but didn't sleep as long before she woke up again (three hours) and Dean got up to feed her that night so I got my first full night's sleep since she was born! She was "supposed" to be eat around midnight last night, so starting then, I kept waking up and listening for her to wake up. I even got up a couple times to check on her. It figures that when she finally sleeps longer, I'm paranoid and awake anyways! :) I kept thinking, "well what if something's wrong and that's why she's not waking up?!" Give me a few more days and I'm sure I'll get over it. :) Both nights, after she got up to eat once, she went back to sleep til 6 or 6:30 in the morning. Not bad at all! She seems to be able to go longer between feedings all of a sudden...even during the day. We think that these longer stretches of sleep have something to do with deciding to swaddle her again...maybe it's a coincidence, but it can't hurt! Unswaddled, she'd wake herself up when her arms would fly up in the air if something startled her. Really, if I didn't know I had arms and suddenly they're all over the place, I'd be freaked out and wake up too. We also used my nature sound machine...we made it rain in her pack n play. :) So the combination of the swaddling and sound machine may have been the ticket...plus she IS getting to the point where she's able to sleep longer. I'll quit analyzing it now and just enjoy it...

She has started smiling more...it's the cutest thing I've ever seen. There's nothing better than that open-mouthed, gummy grin that's topped off with a nose-wrinkle and a sparkle in her eye. I LOVE it! When we talk to her, you can tell she's listening...she'll smile and coo in response. :) SO adorable. I keep trying to get a picture of her smiling, but I'm just not quick enough!

Right now, I'm in the process of [trying] to pack for our Thanksgiving trip to Ohio (Dean's grandparents live there.) We (Dean, Ayla, Dean's parents, sister, and I) are loading up my parents' conversion van and leaving early this Saturday morning and we'll be gone for nine days! I honestly think I'm bringing nearly everything Ayla owns. Hopefully I can cram it all into one suitcase! :) I'm looking forward to being away from my living room (its contents have permanently been etched into my mind because I've spent soo many hours/days/weeks sitting here with Miss Ayla) and I'm also really looking forward to spending time with family. It's been three years since Dean and I have been out there for Thanksgiving.

I have my post-partum check-up this Friday...I don't know that I'll have time to post anything about it before we leave...if not, I'll be back with plenty of new pictures and stories when we get home from our trip (wish us luck!)

Wishing you all a HAPPY THANKSGIVING! :)

Here are some random pictures:

Babies!

What a year for babies! Off the top of my head, I can count about a dozen new miracles born this year...it will be so great to watch all of our kids grow up together. It has been fun going through the amazing experience of pregnancy and now parenthood with so many of our friends.

With Heidi (Meghan and Chris' daughter)

With Grant (Jim & Lacey's son...born 5 days after Ayla)

With Paige and Paxton (Bill & Taylor's twins...born 18 days after Ayla)

We recently received a card that made me giggle (thanks Marilyn!). I think Ayla either wrote it herself or she's been doing some studying. :)

POINTERS ON PARENTS:

--Cry until you get picked up, whether you need anything or not. Random crying will keep your parents on their toes.

--Sleep all day. Remember nighttime is quality time and you'll want to be awake for it.

--Don't just burp. Give them something solid. Why do you think they're wearing a drop cloth?

--When soiling a diaper, make sure to hold a little back for the fresh diaper.

--Don't be afraid to take advantage of your cuteness. It lets you get away with almost anything.

Chunky Monkey

I took Ayla to see the doctor this past Friday...I've noticed some improvement with her since I've taken dairy out of my diet but she still seemed so uncomfortable sometimes after eating and her spitting up was still a bit excessive. It's come out of her nose a couple times! :( I hated seeing her cry, turning red, and arching her back in discomfort. I decided that I didn't want to wait another month until her 2-month check-up to see if everything was okay especially since we didn't have to bring her in after she was born. I also wanted to get a weight-check to make sure she was gaining weight.

Well...she is. :)

As of Friday November 7th (5 weeks old), she was 9lbs10oz! She has basically put on two pounds since birth! I think she's doing okay. :)

Her regular doctor (Dr.Davey) was not in on Friday, so we saw a different doctor and he was just as great! He wants me to continue to keep dairy out of my diet since it seems to be helping...and from the way I described her spit-up (sometimes projectile, other times just normal little dribbles, and sometimes enough to soak up the front of her shirt) he wanted to put her on Zantac for acid reflux. She has to take it twice a day until her next appointment on December 4th. It's supposed to help her tummy and ease any discomfort. She's only been taking it for a couple days, but so far this weekend, during her wake periods, she seems to be much more content. :)

However, both Friday and Saturday nights, she has not slept well, so I hope it's not a side effect of the medicine. On Friday night, she would sleep for about 20 minutes and wake up crying...ALL night. It was probably the worst night we've had since coming home from the hospital. Saturday night was a little better. She was awake and happy for a couple hours in the evening. We gave her a bath and a bottle and put her down around 8:00pm. She fell asleep, but not for long. She pretty much didn't sleep until after midnight! From that point on, she did a lot better...still woke up to eat, but that's normal. Hopefully tonight goes better!!

Our dear, dear friends...FAMILY, I should say, Steve and Lynda Bailey are in town from Colorado for a few days. I've known them since I was about 8 or 9-years old...they were always like my other set of parents. :) It's been too long since I've seen them...they came over last night with my parents and it was soooooooo good to see them! No matter how much time has passed between visits, it's as if we pick up right where we left off...I think that's how you know someone is a friend for life. They are two of the most wonderful people you will ever meet...I'm so lucky to have them in my world...I really need to make more of an effort to keep in touch regularly.

I think Grandpa Steve may have gotten her to smile for the first time...a smile that wasn't related to farting or pooping. :) He just sat and talked to her and you could tell that she was listening! It was so sweet to watch!

Ayla's One-Month Chinese Celebration

On Sunday evening, we had a dinner at our restaurant in honor of Ayla being a`month old. It's a Chinese tradition to celebrate this milestone. Very traditional Chinese women will stay home with their babies for the entire first month...some won't even shower (yikes!). This celebration is considered the official "meet-the-baby."My dad spent a lot of time cooking a TON of awesome food...everything was soooooo yummy! Thank you to all four grandparents for contributing to the party...it was`all wonderful! And thank you to everyone who came to help us celebrate!
And a couple sidenotes...

Thanks for coming to stay with us all weekend Aunt Jamie!

Grandpa held Ayla for the first time today! (He's a lil nervous with teeny little newborns.)

4 weeks old on Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! It's hard to believe Ayla's already 4 weeks old! Where does the time go?? We had a quick Halloween photo session during the day so we could show off her pumpkin onesie from Grandma. She looks a little freaked out in all the pictures though...I think she forgets to blink sometimes! :)
She was actually happily awake for quite a while after her 10a.m. bottle (even after the Halloween pictures) so I took advantage and put her on her playmat for some dreaded tummy-time. She did a little better today...baby steps. :)

After Dean got home from work, we put Ayla in her "costume" and headed to the restaurant for dinner.

With Grandma at the restaurant

Happily asleep on Great Aunt Kathy at Grandma & Grandpa's after our trip to the restaurant