Week 3 - 02/21/08 to 02/27/08

Pee Family

George Shu-Shu and Christina came to visit me this weekend. Guess what?! They're engaged to be married! Christina is going to be my shen-shen! I'm very excited for them and can't wait to have a cousin to play with (but no pressure, really)! ;)

With George Shu-Shu, Daddy, and Christina Shen-Shen

I discovered the mirror this week and love looking at the gorgeous images in the reflection ... oh, I guess that's me! :D It's one of the best ways to get me to behave while my diaper is being changed; who cares about a diaper change when there's another baby to talk to?

Checking myself out in the mirror

Mommy and Daddy also introduced me to a new activity this week: tummy time. I really like my activity mat, especially the singing star. I'm not too keen on laying on my tummy for too long yet, but I'm hoping I can impress everyone soon by lifting my head off the mat just like I do when I'm lying on someone's chest!

Daddy doing tummy time with me

Some of Mommy's friends came to visit her for lunch this week, which she really enjoyed. I think she gets tired of talking in baby talk all the time. One of her work friends, Ms. Kim, is having a little girl next Friday, so I'll have a friend to play with soon!

I did my hair for Mommy's friends

My ye-ye and nai-nai are leaving this Saturday after my gong-gong, po-po, da-jiu, xiao-jiu, and their girlfriends all come into town Friday. I've had so much fun playing with them these past two weeks, and Daddy and Mommy really appreciate how well they took care of them! I'm sad to see them go, but I know that I'll see them again soon!

2-Week Check-Up: 02/21/08

Mommy took me to see Dr. Frank today for my 2-week well visit. Since Mommy can't drive yet, my ye-ye and Nai-Nai took us. Just as Mommy and Daddy predicted: I'm a chubbers!

In the last 10 days since my last appointment, I have grown from 6lb 10oz to 8lb 1oz and from 18.5 inches to 20.5 inches! Dr. Frank called me a "healthy eater"; I think I get it from my parents. :) He also said that I have a very good temperament and am very well-behaved. The good news for Mommy is that she doesn't have to set an alarm anymore to make sure that I eat every 2-3 hours. Not that I expect to actually let her go more than that at a time without feeding me, but I know this takes some pressure off of her. Plus, it means that I had just enough newborn diapers and can go to my size 1's now!

Dr. Frank also removed my umbilical cord stump today so that I can take real baths, and I got some blood taken at the hospital for my newborn screening. I was a very good girl and didn't cry at all even when they pricked my foot!

My next appointment is 3/6/08 on my one month birthday. I get 4 shots that day. What a birthday gift! Yuck!

Week 2 - 02/14/08 to 02/20/08

This week we really got settled in as a family. Gong-Gong (my ye-ye) and Nai-Nai arrived on Valentines' to take care of all three of us. Nai-Nai even changed my diaper (it was backwards, but we had a good laugh about it)! The best thing about Gong-Gong and Nai-Nai being here is that they can take me from Mommy in the morning so that she can get a couple hours of uninterrupted sleep!

Family picture with my ye-ye Gong-Gong and Nai-Nai

I'm putting on weight and starting to fill out; you can definitely see my chipmunk cheeks coming in. Mommy and Daddy have also noticed that I'm less "froggy" than I was before; I don't automatically draw up my legs and arms to my fetal position ... I'm growing up! My wobbly bobble head is getting stronger to where I can keep my head up when I'm lying on Mommy or Daddy's chest. I smile a lot more and laugh in my sleep. I'm awake a lot longer than I was my first week, and I'm very peaceful when I get hiccups even though Daddy doesn't like it.

Chipmunk cheeks!

I think I'm also going through a growth spurt because I'm hungry all the time. They call it "cluster feeding", but all Mommy knows is that she is feeding me every hour and a half ... from the beginning of the last feeding. Pretty much I eat around the clock, and when I'm not eating, I'm pooping!

Pooh? Don't mind if I do!

Mommy and Daddy laugh at me when I eat because I tend to suckle on anything that's soft and near my face. Sometimes it's the source of milk, but it can also be a stray finger, the edge of my blanket, or my own hand.

Lulu's soft ... maybe she tastes good, too!

My two-week appointment is tomorrow, and we'll find out how much weight I've actually put on. Hopefully, if it's enough, the doctor might tell Mommy she can let me sleep through the night instead of forcing me awake to eat ... not that anyone has to tell me twice!

Getting some Zzz's; Mommy should be too, instead of taking pictures of me!

George Shu-Shu and Christina are coming to visit next week, and then Da-Jiu is coming with Melissa and Xiao-Jiu with Crystal A-yi the first weekend in March while Wai-Gong and Po-Po are here; more family pictures!

Mommy got a new flash this week for her camera, so there are lots of random pictures with weird lighting.

Week 1 - 02/07/08 to 02/13/08

02.12.08

Today (Wednesday) marks my one week birthday, and what a week it's been! Daddy changed his first diaper ever on Wednesday night, lots of friends came to visit us at the hospital and I got lots of beautiful flowers to spruce up the hospital room on Thursday, and we were discharged to go home on Friday morning!

My first Chinese New Year (and hong bao)

Po-Po and Ye-Ye stayed until Sunday cooking yummy food for Mommy and forcing her to lie down even though she kept insisting she feels great. I was very lucky because they didn't want to put me down at all!

Family picture with Po-Po and Ye-Ye

I went to my check-up with Dr. Frank on Monday to see how I've been doing since being discharged from the hospital. All babies lose weight after they're born, and when I was discharged, I weighed 6 lb 6 oz (down from 6 lb 13 oz). By my appointment 3 days later, I've already gained back 4 oz, and the doctor also confirmed that I'm not jaundiced.

Quiet time with Daddy

Now it's just me, Mommy, and Daddy. Don't worry, they're doing just fine. Daddy's done an incredible job catering to Mommy, Mommy's feeding me when I want to, and they're both changing, holding, and loving me lots!

Daddy's Mommy and Daddy -- Nai-Nai and Gong-Gong (names TBD soon) -- arrive tommorrow or Friday and will be here for a week. Daddy's little brother -- George Shu-Shu -- and his girlfriend Christina are also coming to visit this weekend, so we'll make sure we take lots of pictures to share!

02/06/08 - Hello World!

Claire De-Ling Pee

I'm here! I decided to give Mommy a treat and show up on the last day of the Year of the Pig -- Wednesday, February 6th, 2008. Being born was quite an adventure although I hear that Mommy's great experience was not the norm. You can get the details at Mommy's blogspot.

NOT the behemoth 8 pounder that Mommy was worried about pushing

My full name is Claire De-Ling Pee or 皮德翎. "Claire" means "bright; clear; brilliant; illustrious", and "De-Ling" means "a wing to fly". Not only did Mommy and Daddy like the name Claire, "Claire De-Ling" sounds similar to "Clair de Lune" which is a a poem by Paul Verlaine as well as a song by Debussey that Mommy loves and played for me when I was in her tummy because it would make me dance around.

First Pee Family Picture

Mommy's Mommy and Daddy (tentatively named Po-Po and Ye-Ye but TBD soon) drove up from Houston as soon as they heard I was on my way, and they were there to say hello to me after everyone was settled in. I quickly learned something about Ye-Ye that everyone else already knows: he LOVES to take pictures! He even gets his own set of links on my page. :)

Ye-Ye and Po-Po Law

Sooooo ... Hello, World! Here I am, and I can't wait to meet everyone! I'll try to update this page as much as I can between feeding, pooping, and sleeping.