It’s been exactly 8 weeks since my Mommy gave birth to me via c-section with Daddy capturing every minute of it by video and photography. I must say, Mommy would have had a c-section anyway, but I gave her an excuse to have one by remaining in breech position. Some said that I was already a good boy in utero, but sometimes Mommy would beg to differ.
I must say, after much debate over privacy issues, Mommy and Daddy have finally decided to allow me to have a blog to document my life. It’s not so much for anyone else, but for me to be able to see what has transpired in my life since I probably won’t remember anything until about age 4 or so. Because Daddy is the way Daddy is, he is hosting this blog on his server, so he has full control over this blog rather than letting it float out somewhere in cyberspace. By the time I am old enough to discover this blog, technology will probably be something even more unimaginable than cyperspace.
Mommy and Daddy have been under a lot of stress over the past 2 months trying to understand my routine, my needs, and in general, just how to really care for me. To sum things up, these are my momentous changes these past few weeks:
1. From the first day I was born, I was sleeping about 3-4 hours at a time each night. Now, this has extended to a new world record of 7 hours and in my own room in my own bed! Mommy and Daddy are hoping that this will extend to 12 hours by 3 months (according to the infamous sleep book). I have learned that Mommy and Daddy’s happiness is directly related to the hours of sleep they get which is directly related to the number of house of sleep I allow them to get. I didn’t realize the power I have at such a young age!
2. I have lost a good bit of my hair in the frontal part of my head. It was coming out in chunks when I got a bath. Luckily, new hair has grown. PoPo (Daddy’s Mommy) says this is normal and I sure hope it is.
3. My eyelashes have finally grown! Mommy thought that I would have these pathetic eyelashes for life, but I showed her wrong. They aren’t as long or curly as Uncle Dedo’s, but they’ll do for now. (Mommy says the only asset she wants me to inherit from Uncle Dedo are his eyelashes.) Mommy is debating whether or not to cut the eyelashes because there is a perhaps an “old wive’s tale” that says that if the eyelashes are cut, they grow even longer. Mommy is fearless when it come to bringing sharp objects close to my body.
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4. I had issues with elevated bilirubin during the first two weeks of life. Mommy was scared to death that I might end up having permanent brain damage because my bilirubin was as high as 17. (Apparently, at the level of 20 is when brain damage occurs.) I was discharged from the hospital with Mommy, but I ended up getting blood draws daily for one week. A UV blanket was also placed on my back for 48 hours to help get the bilirubin down. Daddy always took me to get my blood drawn since Mommy was in her “confinement” month. He said I was brave since I didn’t cry.
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5. Because of my bilirubin problem, Mommy was forced to supplement with formula to get me to poop more. (Apparently pooping is the way to get rid of bilirubin.) Mommy was upset over having to use formula, but she also pumped as much as she could so that I could drink as much of her milk as possible. Mommy always remembered the mantra from medical school, “Breastfed babies are smarter babies.” After getting much advice from Auntie Shilpa, Auntie Janifer, and Auntie Gi, Mommy finally had enough milk when I was about 5 weeks old. Since then, I’m proud to say that I’ve been exclusively breastfed and Mommy even has a surplus!
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6. As if the bilirubin issue wasn’t enough, my newborn screening came back positive for carnitine deficiency. This really scared Mommy because it’s never good news to get positive newborn screening results. After getting my blood drawn (yet again!) from my right arm this time and after visiting Dr. Uta Lichter, metabolic geneticist at National Children’s Medical Center, it was determined that my carnitine is likely from diet and not from a genetic inherited disorder. Most likely, my carnitine levels are low because Mommy’s level is also low due to her being a vegetarian. I am still on carnitine supplements until I get my blood drawn again in 2 months. Meanwhile, Mommy got tested and her carnitine levels are also low which is consistent with being a vegetarian. Mommy will also start supplementing with carnitine so that I no longer have to be supplemented. (Incidentally, Dr. Lichter called me a “high-strung” child because I have high muscle tone. Mommy’s not sure if this is proper usage of the term “high strung,” but we’ll see.)
7. My umbilical cord stump fell off at about 1 week and I’m proud to say that I have developed an innie! A-ma (Mommy’s Mom) would be proud since she wanted me to have an innie. Mommy kept my stump and she says she’s going to take it back to Taiwan to have it incorporated into a carved stamp of my name. It’s apparently trendy to do this with the stump. I’m gonna get my own stump stamp.
8. I have peed on Daddy more than I have peed on Mommy. I don’t mean to, but I think Daddy really takes his time changing my diapers whereas Mommy is more speedy. Mommy and Daddy bought the “Pee Pee Tee Pee” (a little fabric cone to be placed over the penis during diaper changes) and since then, I’ve sprayed them less. I have even sprayed my poop past Daddy and onto the floor. Daddy has never seen poop fly like that and he made a noise that could be heard throughout the house.
9. I celebrated my one month birthday with family on July 25 at Vegetable Garden. Uncle Dedo and Auntie Ellie came down from New York just to see me. Even Uncle Vince and Auntie Lily came from New Jersey for the big day.
10. Mommy completed her “confinement” month officially on July 21, but really it extended until July 31 due to the fact that it was a c-section. Thanks to PoPo and YiMa (Mommy’s aunt) for cooking and taking such good care of Mommy.
That’s about it for now. Bye bye.
