Memorable Milestones

I guess I should keep track of some of Adelyn's major milestones (the good and the bad)...

Week 2 - Rolling from back to side
Week 3 - Lifting head up off my chest
Week 4 - Control of hands - grabbing and scratching
Weeks 4-8 - Baby acne

Week 5 - Rolling from back to tummy

Week 6 - Severe spit-up/vomiting

Week 7 - Semi-crawling/sliding, first cold

Week 8 - Rolling from tummy to side

Advice for Adelyn

From quotes that I like...

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

‎"It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It’s not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can be a catalyst for profound re-invention." ~ Conan O'Brien

Sleep!

June 13th - Adelyn slept for 5 hours straight last night! I wonder if it's a one-time thing or if it's the start of a new trend.

Update - It was a one-time thing. She's back to sleeping 2-3 hours at a time.

Cost of having a baby: $12K+

Our total hospital bill was $11,995.90. Insurance paid $10,905.05. So our out of pocket cost for having Adelyn was $1,090.85. Here's the detailed breakdown:

• $828.00 for a spleen ultrasound for my low platelet count
• $9.246.90 for my labor room/delivery, recovery room, lab, med/surg supplies, pharmacy charges
• $89.00 for a platelet count check for my epidural
• $1,832.00 for Adelyn's nursery, lab, pharmacy charges

In addition there were charges from the OB and Anesthesiologist:

• Can't find my OB bill at the moment (will fill in later...)
• $2,097 for the Anesthesia services (only $36.52 out of pocket though)

First Date Night

Andy and I had our first date night on Saturday to celebrate our 3 year anniversary. We missed Addie, but had so much fun dining at BLT Steak and drinking our '93 Silver Oak Napa Cab!

The many faces of Adelyn

One month check-up

May 24, 2011: 8lb 9oz, 21 1/4 in.

Baby Items

Here is a list of items I've found most useful in the first 5 weeks (I'll do an update at 5 months):

• Fisher Price Snug-a-Bunny Swing
• Graco Pack n Play w/ bassinet and changer
• Gerber interlock burp cloths (nice and thick)
• JJ Cole hooded towel (nice and thick)
• JJ Cole receiving blanket (nice and soft)
• Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier
• Diaper Dekor disposal system
• Pampers Swaddlers Diapers
• Sassy disposable changing pads

Least useful:

• MamaRoo Infant Seat (movements too gentle)
• Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper (currently used as a changing table)
• Huggies Little Snugglers Diapers (lots of leaks)

First Family Photos

Adelyn meets her maternal grandparents

Adelyn meets her paternal grandparents

and i get to say 'grandma' and 'grandpa' along with calling both me and my dad, "dads."

First pediatrician visit

April 19, 2011: 6lb 6oz

Adelyn's Birth Story

I went into early labor on Thursday morning, 4/14. I was having regular contractions every 3 minutes, but they weren't very strong or painful, and I was only 1cm dilated. They continued into Friday, so I stayed at home and tried to get some sleep every now and then. Starting around 9pm, the contractions got stronger and I was definitely noticing them. By 11pm they were getting pretty uncomfortable, and they were still happening every 3 minutes, so I didn't get any sleep.

At 5am on Saturday morning, 4/16, Andy convinced me that we should head to the hospital. We were ready to go by 6am, but I knew change of shift was at 7am, so I wanted to wait until after that. We got to the hospital at 7:05 and I was admitted immediately since I was 7cm dilated already! My contractions seemed much more painful once I realized how far along I was. They asked if I wanted an epidural and I said yes, so they started an IV and drew some blood to check my platelet count. The anesthesiologist got there around 9am and was about to prep for the procedure when Andy asked if my platelets were okay. The anesthesiologist stopped and went to check on that. I got so mad at Andy! About 30 minutes later the anesthesiologist came back and said my platelet count was good - 124K - and administered the epidural. After 5 minutes, I felt no more pain. I was really thankful that I was able to get the epidural.

Around 10am, the on-call OB came in and wanted to break my water, but about 10 minutes later my water broke naturally. At noon, I was 9cm dilated and the OB gave me some pitocin to speed things along. Around 1:30pm I was finally 10cm and ready to start pushing. For the first hour I couldn't really feel anything, but then by the second hour, the epidural started wearing off, and I could feel the contractions again, but the OB said that was good so I would know when to push. By 3pm, the baby started to crown. They kept asking if I wanted to feel or see the head, and I was like, no!! By 3:30, I was exhausted and could barely push anymore. The OB decided to just reach in and pull the baby out, and I was very thankful that she did! A minute later, at 3:44pm, Adelyn was on my chest. It was a pretty surreal experience.

What's in a name?

Adelyn comes from Adeline, which means “noble or nobility” in German and French. The name gained popularity during the reign of German Princess Adelaide as the Queen of England, alongside King William IV. The city of Adelaide in Australia was named after her.

Introducing...

Adelyn Heidi Chang

Born: April 16, 2011, 3:44pm

Weight: 6lbs 15oz

Length: 19 inches

Memorable Pregnancy Moments

Nausea: week 7 – 21

Round ligament pain: week 12 – 21

Carpal tunnel: week 21 (12/11)

Feeling baby movement inside: week 22 (12/18)

Feeling baby movement outside: week 23 (12/25)

Feeling hiccups: week 30 (2/8)

Seeing baby movement outside: week 31 (2/16)

Sciatica (from massage?): week 32 – 36 (2/21 – 3/21)

Feet swelling: week 36 (3/21)

Bleeding/cramping (after first internal): week 38 (4/8-4/9)

Braxton Hicks contractions: week 39 (4/10)

Reason #897 I love my husband

From November 26, 2010...

Andy said that if we have a girl, her middle name should be Heidi after my aunt. :)

Good News

From August 10, 2010...

Not going to post this yet, but just wanted to remember this date - the day our lives changed forever!