T is for Two (week 2, that is!)

Whatchyou looking at?

So, week 2 has come and gone and much like week 1, it was a continuing challenge for Mommy Choi -- breastfeeding, grappling with lack of sleep and keeping baby T. satisfied and happy. Diaper changing has become much easier (with the circumcision healed and my diaper cleaning routine improved). Also, with week 3 kicking off, I've decided to breastfeed on "demand" in the evenings which means I can sneak in an hour extra of sleep at times when baby T. has had enough to keep him satisified.

Baby T spent most of week 2 doing what infants do best - eat, sleep, pee and poop. Never in my life did I realize how important tracking wet and dirty diapers would be but I guess when all infants can do is cry for all signals of discomfort, its important to (at the very least) diagnose whether they are being fed and hydrated enough. Its also a good indicator of whether they are eating enough (which is hard to diagnose when they are just feeding off of your breast vs. eating out of bottle).

Check out my green socks!

During week 2, we also returned to weigh Baby T. and found out that he had gained close to 2 ounces/day. About a week ago, he was at 4 pounds 14 ounces (he had lost weight from his 5 pounds 2 ounces -- his original weight) and after Saturday's visit, he was at 5 pounds and 13 ounces. Can I get a "yea!!"? I can't tell you how good it felt walking out of the store knowing that I had singlehandedly put close to a pound on Baby T. It was probably the best news I've had in the last two weeks (one of which I need to constantly remind myself when I am down about breastfeeding). We have our one month visit with Dr. Chapman in about two weeks -- hoping we can keep up the momentum! (of course, that means -- pressure on mommy to continue making sure Baby T. is properly breastfed!)

Speaking of breastfeeding, who knew how tough it would be? So many mommies out there do it so easily for months and months and sometimes, even years. Friends have claimed it to be "fun" but I have yet to experience any of that (unless fun = pain). I think what makes it even more challenging is the psychological impact attached to it. When you don't breastfeed or want to quit, you feel like a terrible mom (a failure/loser) and when you do, you are overwhelmed by the pain, the lack of supply (that's me -- despite the fact that people say its a matter of demand and supply!), the loneliness, etc. They say it gets easier over time and am hoping that this is true. These days I feel like all I do is live and breathe breastfeeding. I am either breastfeeding Baby T, pumping and consuming herbal supplements to boost supply, researching breastfeeding challenges, visiting discussion boards, sulking about the pain and/or talking about it with my mom and C. I've officially become breast-obsessed!

Ok. Enough about me, here are some other pictures of Baby T during week 2...Enjoy!

Baby T. in his car sweat -- daddy catching the tail end of his smile

Baby T. doing his infamous "just woke up" stretch

How many pictures can you take of a sleeping baby?

C. and I are obsessed with taking pictures of baby T. and given that most of the time, he's asleep, most of our pictures are of him sleeping in different positions and locations. Once in a while, we'll try to spice it up with a few of his stuffed animals and different blankies but its always the same pose -- eyes shut and baby fast asleep.

To ensure that he sleeps well, we usually swaddle him like a mummy but instead of using the standard blankets, we've managed to get away with swaddling him in a "Swaddle Me" blanket (its the shortcut swaddle much like the miracle blankets). Its probably not as good as the Miracle Blankets since once in a while, Houdini's hands manage to escape out of the swaddle but for the most part, it works well for us. Especially since its easy for me to use (vs. having to go through the down/up/down/up process) and takes less than 5 seconds to get him tightened up like a mummy.

The other thing we do which most of the doctors and nurses would shudder if they knew is sleep him on his tummy or side. We only sleep him on his tummy when we're around and awake but it seems to help him sleep much better since the lock of his arms beneath his tummy serves as a double swaddle. It also helps his neck muscle development as already at week 2, he's been able to flip his head from one side to another (did it 3 times!)

Stretching while sleeping just before his diaper change

Baby T. (AKA: Houdini)'s hands sneaking out of his swaddle



Fast asleep like a little angel

Sleeping with his pillow stuffed animal

1-week birthday and first smile

One of the amazing things about being at home full-time with Baby T. is seeing how he evolves as a person. Granted, one of my favorite things to do is just sit and stare at him (and note any new changes) but I swear, the staring does pay off. Sometime over the first weekend after Baby T's arrival, C. and I noticed for that he makes a silly smile almost everytime he is half asleep. It starts off with a light smile and then moves onto a hearty smile (where his mouth opens up). It is just about the cutest thing we have ever seen and I wish I knew what was racing through his head to cause that big beautiful smile. Mommy's warm breastmilk? Fresh new diapers? One night when we caught the adorable smile, C. spent 20 minutes holding the camera waiting for another smile to appear. The above picture was the best we could do (by the time, we would get around to clicking the camera, the smile was gone). What's also very adorable is that he goes through a series of facial expressions before he gets to his winning Crest smile. He does a frown, then he does a little "I'm about to cry" expression and then he turns the table and does a light smile and then his full smile. I can't wait for the day (after 2 months) when he smiles for real!

The face before the smile...

The other thing we noticed about Baby T. is that he hiccups quite a bit. I remember feeling a lot of hiccups when he was in my little tummie but had no idea that it would continue even post birth. Based on the reading I have done, it seems having the hiccups is quite harmless to the baby (more stress for the parents as his body convulses when he does!) and is quite common in newborns. It is apparently a reflex that will become less frequent over time and will eventually go away.

I am one week old!

Last Friday evening, C. and I also celebrated Baby T's first week birthday. We didn't do anything special except stare at him, put Ellie (the elephant stuff animal) by his side and take a ton of pictures of him sleeping. It's hard to imagine that he's only been with us for a week and had it not been for the induction, he would still be inside of me wiggling around. Happy birthday T! What an amazing week with you!

Baby T's first week at home!

It's hard to believe it was less than a week ago that Baby T. came into this world. Over the fist week, Baby T. did quite a bit (for a newborn). First stop was the doctor's office where we met our pediatrician for the first time (and whom we absolutely love!) and weighed Baby T. to see how much weight he had lost. He had gone from a small 5 pounds 2 ounces to 4 pounds 11 ounces and for a first-time mom, even when you know that its standard practice to lose weight, it's a difficult thing to hear.

The thought of my little teeny dumpling's weightloss brought tears to my eyes. Nevertheless, as many doctors and books will tell you, most babies lose weight in the early days of their lives because they aren't eating much and are waiting for mom's breast milk to come in. Additionally, newborns are born with some food reserve (they are full from their 9 months of buffet-style eating) and their tummies are the size of a dime so the little they get from the colostrum in the mom's breast is sufficient to keep their bowel movements going. Hospitals/doctors are willing to accept an initial weightloss of up to 10% of the original weight. Anything more and immediate action to feed formula is usually taken. For those who want to breastfeed, this can be a bit stressful given the potential "nipple confusion" (once infants use the bottle to get milk, many refuse to return to the mother's nipple, where more effort is required to extract milk).


During week 1, baby T. also had a second visit to the doctor and luckily, the second time around, we saw some weight gain (he was at 5 pounds). I was so thankful that Baby T. was slowly growing and left the office incredibly relieved. We also had to test him out for jaundice since his face was starting to look a bit more yellow. Luckily for us and Baby T. the tests showed that his levels of bilirrubin were 'stable' and he would not have to go into the hospital for special jaundice treatment.



At home, Baby T. spent most of his first week sleeping, eating and pooping/peeing. Because during week 1, C. and I had yet to master the art of swaddling, Baby T's sleep was a bit erratic and the poor little bear wasn't able to fully rest unless he was held by grandma or sleeping on mommy or daddy's chest. Lucky for him, grandma was happy to hold him while he was sleeping so Baby T. managed to catch a lot of snooze in her arms.

Returning home with Baby T

After two nights in the hospital where C. and I were frantically trying to learn how to change diapers post circumcision, breastfeed (ouch with a big "O"), bathe baby T., swaddle...basically, all the "must dos" of a new parent, we came home to settle into a new life with our little boy. Now that the first week is over, I can look back and tell you how "wonderful" and "magical" it was to finally be with baby T. but truth be told -- the first 5 days back was one of the most challenging ever.

For the last 9 months. I had done nothing but worry about going into labor. Somewhere in my subconscious, I had neatly tucked away any thoughts, fears and worries on how life post labor would unravel -- the roller coaster motions and overwhelming responsibilities of diaperchanging, feedings, sleepless nights, etc. I must have either chosen to ignore any warnings from other mommies about what life would be in the first few weeks or under-estimated what it would entail as I entered this new phase of motherhood completely unprepared and blind. Needless to say the first 5 days upon our return to the house was tough.

Things are slowly getting better. With each day, I am slowly embracing the new change despite its ongoing challenges. I would say -- I'm more appreciative of the little "gifts" he gives to me -- an extra chance to nap here and there, some free time when he sleeps (on his own and not in our arms!) between his feedings and an extraordinary opportunity to witness how he's been changing, even through a matter of days. Compared to a week ago, he's a lot more alert and experimental with facial expressions.

Also, C and I are both very grateful to C's mom (grandma Choi) who quickly flew in for the week to cover until grandma Cho (my mom) arrived and swiftly focused on helping me recuperate, holding baby T. when I was exhausted (and thereby letting me catch a few zz's) and cooking up a repertoire of delish meals. I don't think we could have survived (nor enjoyed) that first week without her help.

Taking a siesta after a tough few days!

Mr. T is here!

So, I have always thought about starting a blog and my original intent was to do it around food and cooking (as I am a big fan of all the cooking/food blogs out there), but when baby T. decided to make his debut in the "real" world, I re-thought the food option (no time to be cooking and baking with a new baby around) and decide to do one about baby T. So, here it is. Tristin's playroom. Where C and I will post pics of little T. as he journeys through the first few years of his life (and maybe longer if we can manage to be diligent about the blog!). His first smile. His interactions with people. His adventures in the world outside of mommy's womb.


They say that once you give birth, you tend to forget a lot of things about the event, in particular, the pain. For someone who has a low tolerance for pain, the delivery wasn't as bad as I imagined. In my situation, I was induced a few weeks ahead of schedule (delivery date was supposed to be Oct 31st). The doctor was concerned that little T. wasn't growing at the rate he should be and wanted him out earlier than later (especially since I had reached full-term). Initially, I was concerned about the decision but after discussing it with my cousin (who is an OBGYN), I decided to embrace the early arrival and C. and I checked into the hospital on Friday morning at around 8am (10/12).

For the first few hours, I was given a tablet to soften the cervix and then after another few hours, once my cervix had softened, they put me on Pitocin (at around 3pm). By about 8pm, my water broke (I never knew how this happened or what this meant but I remember hearing a big popping sound and water gushing through my legs as though I couldn't stop peeing!) and soon thereafter, I experienced terrible contractions. By 9pm, I was desperate for epidural (which knowing my luck, was not working very well on my body!) and by 10:30pm, I was fully dilated. Most women take at least 16 hours to get fully dilated once they are in active labor but in my situation, it was only a few hours. Needless to say, my body was reacting to the acceleration of labor by not embracing the anesthesia and by making me vomit.

By the time I was fully dilated, I was ready to push and get little T. out as fast as possible. I recall my close friend N. telling me that pushing is usually a relief and she was right. Towards the end, all I wanted to do was push and doing so felt like the most natural thing to do. I started pushing a little after 11pm and by 11:43pm, little Tristin was born. I had pushed so hard (thanks to the encouragement of C., the nurses and Dr. Dupont), little blood vessels around my face had popped and I looked like a woman with a million freckles (basically, a freak).

At 11:43pm, on Friday October 12th, 2007, little Tristin Choi was born 5 pounds 2 ounces and 18 inches long. From the moment we saw him, C. and I couldn't believe that this little being was our own. All I remember is C. saying how cute he was (a father's bias) and gushing in a way that I have never seen him do. It was so tender and loving.