Baby 4 mo

1/1/22: Can't believe it's the new year! We also just turned from front to back with the help of the mat. Still working on doing it without the mat. 

1/2/22 Met up again with AB's brother, wife, and almost 8mo kid. Very cute to watch them look at each other and sometimes reach for each other. He loves his Peter Rabbit that he got from grandma. And mom and dad were very happy he hugged the rabbit when he slept. 

1/4/22 Right when he turned 4 months (12/26/21), he started having sleep regression for the next 10 days. We couldn't take it so we started sleep training. He would need a pacifier reinserted multiple times throughout the night. 

So far sleep training has gone well. We have been doing the Farber methods of progressively longer times to check on him: 2min, 5min, 10min, 15min, 30min.  The first night, we check on him during the 10min and he was already asleep. He was very sad at first, and it was very difficult to listen to it. During the next day for naps he progressively took longer. One of the naps required the 15 minute session. I wonder if he was just not as tired during then. We moved him into the bathroom, and I had to turn off the monitor sometime so I couldn't hear his crying cuz it was too sad. But both nights he slept pretty well; he only woke up for our plan feed at around midnight or 1am.

I went back to work twice a week. I only pump once at work now, which makes it much more doable at work.

1/6/22 He said "dada"!

We are trying to feed him 7oz 5 times a day. Sometimes he doesn't take much, but sometimes he takes 7-8oz. Previously it was 6oz 6 times a day (about 2-3 weeks ago). He didn't usually drink 6oz every time, sometimes he only 3 ounces. 

I also switched pumping to 4 times a day and got rid of the night pump. Such a relief! But this first night my supply sent down from around 26-27oz to 22oz.

1/8/22

We were going through the year in review, and when we started talking about GameStop, Baobao started laughing so hard! And then from then on, every time AB said GameStop, he wouldn't stop laughing 😂.

Grandma and mom don't want us to try to visit China because covid situation is too crazy there. They will quarantine a person with no notice. And they are worried if we get covid, then grandma won't be able to get her treatment. Mom did get visa to go back, so we will try to visit her in Seattle before she goes. 

We noticed when he gets antsy with eating and isn't done with his 7oz, if we play the bible for him to listen, he will calm down and finish his 7oz. Also sing ABC's or count in Chinese while having him do bicep curls.

Baobao has been very interested in his left foot. Often found holding it with his left hand. 😂

1/15/22-1/24

We went to visit grandparents in Seattle! We were nervous traveling with baby. Going to Seattle was a bit messy. He didn't sleep or eat well, and needed to be carried up and down the aisle. Turbulence made it difficult. He ended up eating enough by the end of the day and making up the sleep the next day. 

Things we learned: 

-Aisle seat is valuable to walk baby around

-Baby must be carried through the metal detector.

-The stroller and car seat can be gate checked. 

-Ok to bring breast milk or ice packs. Diaper bag, pump bag all additional bags and dont count as carry on. 

-It's easier to buy diapers and formula at the destination. 

It was our first times being without baby! We got to go to MOPOP (museum of pop culture), and also Chihuly Glass Museum! 

The trip was a mixture. While we got additional help for feeding, using, sleeping, making meals...he was not in his usual environment and his schedule was a little messed up and needed more help eating/sleeping. We tried to stock with earlier bedtime and my mom was able to feed him overnight. 

Week before turning 5mo: he had been turning onto his stomach at night, gets stuck, and cry for a long time in the middle of the night. Terrible 3 nights! Annoying turning him over, and then he would turn back again! Bad 😴!!

Funny quotes:

YW: I feel tired just watching him. (Regarding baby jumping in the jumper). 

Grandpa: Better get movin' (when we told him he likes to be in motion). 

Ab: Let's put him in the mattress! (Referring to the thick sleep sack).

Memories of 2021

*Austin hill country state parks: Colorado Bend, Longhorn Cave, Enchanted rock (raining the entire time).

*San Antonio Sea World and 5 missions bike ride

*Valley of Fire state park and Death Valley National Park

*Houston freeze while we were gone to park, and pipe burst + flooding of our home (drywall, ceiling, wood floor damage). Thankful JL and RW and KL shut off water while we were gone. Hole in ceiling for a while. We found a good handyman who could fix everything rather quickly. Only spoke Chinese! 

*Pregnancy, gradually telling people

*Getting covid vaccines, signing up family/friends (AB signed up 20+ people!)

*As people got the vaccine, doing outdoor backyard birthdays. E.g. mine + RC/gender reveal. 

*Book clubs: this year: Confronting Christianity: 12 difficult questions for the world's largest religion. 

*Going back to in-person outdoor church service (first time Feb 6). Then indoor church service in June.

*First time eating indoors: Bao Shi Yi soup dumplings 2/5/21. 

*Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde trip with church friends in May

*Travel to Iceland and Greece on one trip:

https://eeex101.blogspot.com/2021/06/iceland-geldingadalir-volcano.html?m=0

https://eeex101.blogspot.com/2021/08/greece-days-1-4.html?m=0

*Going back to meeting in person bible study and having people over for dinner. 

*Finishing Pandemic Legacy Season 1 - so surreal. 

*First time feeling baby kick. 

*Went to first wedding in a while in Seattle with Game of Thrones Theme (TL and TT)

*Brother getting knee surgery for 3rd knee dislocation

*Continuing YouTube workouts twice weekly on Zoom, and playing tennis when weather is nice.

*Our baby's delivery!

*Going to a live bball rockets game Dec!

Baby 3 month old

Baobao made it to 3 month old! He is so cute now! But he is still very small (7-8 percentile by weight). 

*Since his weight is still low, we decided to do exclusive pumping and bottle feeding. Maybe nurse once very few days for fun. Since then, he has increased his daily intake a lot! Some days taking 33oz! (I pump avg 27oz). He will take 5oz every 3-4 hours, sometimes more frequently. Sometimes for no reason, he stops early. Sometimes we have to shake his hand while eats to coax him to eat. Strange kid! 

*He loves to lie on his playmat and hit his hanging toys! He will do a little tummy time, but then get frustrated. 

*(3.5mo) He has started to have "conversations" with us. In reality, it's just us gently screaming at each other. At one point, maybe got him to laugh. It was so adorable!

*He has started to turn from his side to facing upwards. One time he was even able to flip from front to back. But I never got him to do it again.

*Sleep: now he's able to sleep 6 to 7 hours at night time. It has helped us get more sleep for sure. But sometimes he still wakes up around 1:00 or 2:00 and requires the pacifier. And occasionally when he gets too much sleep in the later evening or for no reason, he wakes up a lot.

*We got his passport! He is so cute.

*I went back to work part-time. There was some miscommunication about when I can use my continuing medical education time, so now I end up with a bunch at the end to use up in december. Fortunately they let me use it, so it's like I got 4 months maternity leave. In the meantime, it's been a hassle trying to pump at work. I'm only allotted a 20 minute slot, in the morning and one at afternoon, which actually ends up only being 10 minutes each because of overbooking. I decided to use flex time, which means I have to make it up later. On the days that I'm working, Alan has been using up his PTO for the year, and he has been very happy to be at home. 

*We are hoping to have a nanny from February to May part time. We will be doing nanny sharing.

*We found out that my grandmother has gastric and intestinal cancer. We're still waiting on the prognosis, but I'm really hoping that she can see Baobao in person. It will be really hard because I think visa to China is almost impossible, and it will require a 3-week quarantine.

*We've managed to play tennis a few times. We've been lucky that both times baby fell asleep in the stroller so we could play uninterrupted.

*We've been able to go to several events now: Thanksgiving with friends and family, and a holiday musical. All with the help of the freemie pump which I can keep in my pocket. It's not as comfortable or as efficient as the spectrum pump, but it's discreet enough.

3.5mo:

*Still small. 12.5lb (8th percentile) and 24" (10-15 percentile). Eats anywhere from 26 to 35 ounces (that was a record). 5oz once at 4am and then about 5oz about 5 times during the day (q3hrs). 

*He can now turn lying back to his side. And one time he rotated 180 degrees so whole body facing left and then faced right where his feet were. He also started putting his hands together in the middle. So cute! He will also laugh a few times. 🥰

*12/15/21 3.75mo: he consistently turns from back to front now! Earlier in the week I had turned around, and when I turned back he had done it. Now he does it so effortlessly. Even when he's sleeping he spends most of his time on his side, and sometimes does 360s in the bed.

*12/20/21 Baobao is blowing raspberries! How funny! 

*Seems like he is always hyperactive. Really hope he doesn't have ADHD in the future. Especially during eating he kicks soooooo much. And subsequently he also breathes really fast. Another new annoying thing he is doing is he sticks his tongue out all the time now. Even when eating. 

Funny quotes: 

Yw: Baobao is a night owl and a morning person. 

Random kid on playground: "I want to see the baby's face!"

AB's friend's daughter: "I want to hold the baby!"