Longer Nappy Naps...

Jayling is taking some longer naps now... if only this happened more at night then in the afternoon or early evening then we may get a little more sleep :)

*this was taken around dinner today*

Are you talking to me?!

Jayling is a little over 2 weeks old and now weighs 7 1/2 lbs - that's a gain of almost a pound over the past 10 days! Breastmilk does wonders! haha! Whoo-hoo! We'll have to pack some of those newborn-sized clothing pretty soon here :)

Jayling and the family enjoyed visits by Jane, Alex, Shirley, Chelci, and Stella over the past couple of days (although she was napping most of the time so they didn't get to see her dimples or big eyes very much - hehe).

It's nice that she's starting to spend more time awake trying to decipher what we're saying or doing along with the different sounds she hears, esp. in the late morning or early afternoon. I call it her 'hangout time." :) The picture to the left is during one of these periods and as you can see, her smile is contagious! haha!

Paparazzi interrupts Nap!

It's a nice Thursday afternoon with temperatures somewhere in the upper 70s, low 80s. When I finished breastfeeding Jayling, her Dad took over duties of burping and changing her diaper. They settled into a nice nap on the chaise until I had the camera in my hand to take a couple of father/daughter pics - unbeknownst to them, of course. I made sure the flash was off but being as perceptive as she is, Jayling opened one eye then shut it and gave out a nice smile for the camera as she went back to her comfortable nap on Daddy's chest. I guess she's getting used to the paparazzi ... with Mommy heading the troop right now...hehe!

Snoozin' Saturday

We slept in this morning as Jayling woke up for feedings almost every hour after 1 am. No wonder she's almost back at her birth weight when she weighed in at her pediatrics appt yesterday! Can't wait for her next growth spurt...

The picture on the bottom is Jayling with a pretty new gift she received in the mail over the weekend :)

Jayling watched her first Seahawks game today....well, part of it... she napped the rest as you can see from the pic on top :)

She also got to meet our good friends Bill, Julie and Lana today as they came by to visit and brought yummy donuts from a specialty shop at Mill Creek Town Center. It's always nice to see them!

Home Sweet Home

(To the left is a picture of Jayling during our hospital stay)

Life has been busy but wonderful at the Chung household. Our schedule revolves around diaper changes (lots of them - we should take stock in Huggies!), feeding (she's one good eater!), maybe sleeping, and lots of miscellaneous errands and cleaning that we manage to fit in between time. We're lucky to have Grandma here to make that list of chores a little shorter and her support has been much appreciated.

In addition, Jayling has had visitors come by the house to see her for the very first time which is always fun. There's been lack of sleep and fatigue but it's all worth it when we watch Jayling smile with her cute dimples and big, sparkling eyes glaring back at us. Her features have continued to develop and change as she grows daily. Watching her eat, sleep, breathe...it's been such a fulfilling experience. It's amazing how that all works!

We were glad to see Stacie's milk production come in this week. The nurse at the post-partum visit commented that Stacie is "producing enough milk to feed the nation" (whatever that means..haha) so we hope that Jayling's first visit with her pediatrician Friday will show that she's almost back at her birth weight.

Jayling will be a week old this Friday - how quickly time flies but yet, it seems we've known her a lifetime! We really love being Mommy & Daddy and this is only the beginning.... :)

Going Home!

We're going home today! Yippee!
Jayling and Stacie are getting the rest of their vitals and tests done this morning then we're headed back home. Car seat is in place and we'll just have the nurses check it one last time before we leave. Stacie gets her last taste of hospital food (which hasn't been too bad but just not what she is craving!) - lots of Chinese food await her at home. Wonder how Jayling will like her new crib, toys, swing...environment?! We can't wait to give her the tour! It's an exciting day for all of us so even with all the exhaustion, we are wide enough awake to start packing!

Afternoon Bubble Tea Anyone?

Jayling was greeted by 2 back to back visitors in the afternoon - Evangeline from Everett and Jen from Olympia. We all enjoyed their visits along with the bubble tea and Chinese pastries Jen brought over.

Stacie's pain decreased to the point where she felt strong enough to start walking around and eventually, take a shower. What a refreshing feeling that was!! She emerged from the shower in her street clothes and Jayling followed by sporting her first pink PUMA outfit today. :)

Jayling had a fairly eventful day as she passed her hearing test, got a thumbs up sign from her pediatrician visit and weighed in at 6lbs, 6 oz (which is a normal loss for newborns). In addition, Grandma and Michelle offered Jayling a pacifier. She gives it a couple of tugs but realizes there's no replacement for Stacie's nipple! :) She continues to eat well and her diaper changes have been abundant.

Snoozing Saturday

As Auntie Michelle, Grandma and Paul are out to buy supplies and pick up lunch in Chinatown, Jayling and her parents enjoy a long deserved nap...we reached a record of 3 hours of interrupted sleep....yeah!!!

Jayling's first morning

Daddy awakens from the camping pad on the floor with a pile of blankets on him thanks to nurse Debbie who noticed that he was shivering from deep REM and exhausted from a long night with Jayling. Meanwhile, Mommy is sweating like a pig due to post-partum hormonal changes and having a lot of skin to skin contact with her new baby daughter. Aunt Michelle and Grandma have woken up and are getting ready for a little baby grocery shopping with Paul's help. Everyone looks exhausted but happy!

Jayling's features continue to develop and we now realize her eyes are resembling Mommy's. She starts off the day with a nice wet diaper after her breast feeding session this morning :)
Stacie's pain has decreased and she is happy to be able to eat solids today - you should see the happy look on her face when cereal, pancakes and sausages are brought to her! She's going to try getting up and walking around later today...

Friday night Events

Jayling's first night brought several visitors including Eddie, Stacey, & Kiet. Eddie was kind enough to bring us some juicy burgers for dinner and Kiet & Stacey brought over more gifts for Jayling.

An overzealous Stacie continues to recover from delivery. She tried standing up and realized that she'll have to hold off until tomorrow. Fortunately, Jayling latched on immediately and breastfeeding has not been an issue. She's suckling about every 1 1/2 hours and has had 4 diaper changes before the night is through. She has quite a personality and hasn't enjoyed any of the RN visits when they've tried to take her temperature. She's enjoyed Grandma and Daddy holding her and in fact, made Daddy hold her while walking back and forth from 130am-530am! After that, she was looking for Mommy to feed her again :) That was the longest stint without having to be fed for her.

Baby's First Bath

Jayling had a poopoo accident (maybe because Stacie just fed her) as she was being prepped for the bath. Jayling had her first bath in the sink and she did NOT like it. She is used to being wrapped up in her blanky and cried as the nurse bathed her.

Super Team of Nurses

Evergreen's nursing staff did a tremendous job. The last 3 shifts have been wonderful. We started off with Raisa who brings lots of experience to the table, then to Alena with her student Tara switching off back and forth thru the night, and finally delivering with the team of Dawn and Jennifer. They kept the mother and family calm thru the whole process and were extremely knowledgable. The one on one patient care was excellent with nothing lost between the different shifts. This personalization was key to everything running smoothly.

Jayling in da HOUSE!!

Please welcome Jayling Caitlin Chung born 1:42pm August 7th 2009 6lbs 12ounces, 20.8 in. Mother & Jayling are doing great.

Active Labor

The OB examines Stacie and she is progressing with Jayling on schedule. Jayling is expected in the afternoon.

Paul comes to take sister and mother to the house to retrieve some last minute items. They are exhausted after the minimal sleep and the nurses checking on Stacie every hour. Hopefully, mom and sister will allow Paul to bring them back to witness the intensified active labor ;}

VIP Birthing Suite Slumber Party

Paul visits with goodies (cookies, cakes, etc.) and remarks on this large 700+ sq ft birthing suite. Because of Stacie's epidural, she looks on as the clan munchies on the snacks as Paul entertains with his stories about the over priced apartments that are smaller than the birthing room. After some time, Paul leaves to go home.

There is a stationary guest cot and several chairs. Mom slept on the biggest and most comfortable purple recliner. Go Huskies!! Sister sprawled out on the guest cot while Aaron tried sleeping on a high backed chair without tipping over :)

Time has arrived!!

Stacie's water broke at 7:30pm Thursday August 6th. We frantically finished dinner and headed over to the hospital. Stacie, sister, and mother, was dropped off at the Maternity Ward and as Aaron headed in from the parking lot, the OB was leaving her office to go home. She recognized Aaron and went with him to the hospital to see Stacie.

Stacie's epidural is fully kicking in and she is now napping. The wait for Jayling continues.....