Out and About

Now that Gideon is more than a month old, we've been taking him out and showing him off to the world. That, and we want him to get used to the cold San Francisco weather too. We started off with just little walks around our neighborhood (I had to adjust to walking around too) and then quickly graduated to the mall and parks! Gideon has been great on all of his outings so far. He even stayed calm and quiet (and asleep) during church. I was a little worried that he might cry and disturb the meetings, but he was great (even when he needed to eat and have his diaper changed)! I think he saves his crying and outbursts for home though. We've noticed a trend of him coming home from an outing, waking up, and getting upset. Maybe our little man likes being outside! We can't wait for him to be able to control his neck. We'll feel more comfortable taking him out and Eugene can then start using our new Ergo Baby.

Here are some pictures from our outings:

*Strolling around our neighborhood*

*At the mall*

*Goofing around at a park*

*At the VASF pharmacy picnic at San Bruno Park*

*Walk to Ocean Beach*

Residency Class 2009-2010

We're done! Okay...I still have 3 weeks of residency to make up, but it's still time for celebrating! I can't believe that a whole year has gone by already. I can still remember a year ago, June 2009, starting residency and feeling completely and utterly overwhelmed. We sure have come a long way. From clinics, to medicine, to projects, to meetings...we have all survived. Here's to the Class of 2010!

One Whole Month

Gideon is now one whole month old! Quite an accomplishment for such a little fella! We decided to do something quite similar to what my friend Sara did with her son each month: take monthly pictures to document Gideon's monthly growth. We're going to take a picture of Gideon each month with a sign designating his monthly age, as well as with Teddy (our little stuffed animal) as a comparison for Gideon's size. Obviously, Gideon was born bigger than Teddy, but it'll be fun to see how much bigger Gideon will get in this coming year, month by month.

At one month, Gideon:
* continues to work on his tummy time exercises *
* seems to be looking at our faces with purpose now *
* is quite a heavy boy...he eats like a monster! *

To celebrate, we were going to have a big huge gigantic party at our place, but realized that we were too sleep-deprived to accomplish such a task. Instead, we just threw together something quick and small and invited family and two of our close friends over to celebrate. We took our first family picture and even made red eggs!

**Gideon's red eggs and cake**
**Our cousins the Chins**
**With great friend 'Auntie' Olga**
**First family pictures**

How do you wear your baby?

Finding the perfect baby carrier took us quite a while. We originally purchased a sling, but after all those recalls and warnings, we returned it. We received a Baby Bjorn from my sister-in-law, but I was always wary about using it since it hurt my back back in 2009 when I tried it with my little niece inside. I researched various types of carriers and wraps, but could never decide on the best one. I asked around quite a bit and got advice from my mommy friends. We finally decided on a baby wrap called "Sleepy Wrap" recommended by my friend Angela. We tried it for the first time this week with Gideon and ... I LOVE IT! It doesn't strain my back, it keeps Gideon close to me, and after trying it last night while he was being a little fussy and wouldn't sleep...it helped calm Gideon down and made him fall asleep!!! Thank you Angela for the recommendation!

Trading one for another

Throughout my pregnancy, I was looking forward to no longer being pregnant. The only thing I enjoyed about being pregnant was feeling my little boy move inside everyday, including the hiccups! Now that I'm no longer pregnant and am a mommy instead, I have come to realize that being pregnant and being a mommy are not all that different in certain aspects. I basically just traded one thing for another...

I no longer throw up...but I must now deal with spit up.
I no longer wake up every 2 hours to pee...but I do wake up every 2 hours to feed.
I no longer have a limited wardrobe...I am now just limited to my PJs.
I no longer carry a load in my belly...but I do carry a load in my arms.
I no longer crave random foods...but I do eat random foods whenever I have the time to eat.

Regardless of the similarities or differences, one thing is for sure...I love the outcome of pregnancy and so far, the ups and downs of new motherhood. I love my little boy and the look on my husband's face when he sees his little boy. I love our little family of three!

Original Due Date = June 8

Our sweet little boy's original due date was yesterday, June 8. Rather than wait until his actual due date, he came to see us 3 whole weeks early. That means, we got to spend 3 weeks extra with him! We wanted to celebrate by doing a re-enactment (per Eugene's idea), but with Eugene playing the part of the pregnant wife and me the excited husband. Obviously, that did not work out. Instead, Gideon had more tummy time and we also gave him a bath. I think he enjoyed both quite a lot!

**bath time**
**tummy time**

Here is a recap of the events of each week since Gideon entered our lives:

Week 1: Gideon was still jaundiced and underweight, so we were feeding him up a storm -- 2-2.5 oz of breastmilk every 2 hours! Gideon slept A LOT so all of the pictures of him were of sleeping pictures. Gideon weighed 6 pounds and 6 ounces at his first doctor's visit on 5/21/10.

**sleeping in his crib**
**at the lab for a bilirubin test**
**sunbathing to get rid of his jaundice**

Week 2: Gideon started getting visitors this week. The Chins came by as well as lots of aunties (because my pharmacy school friends are pretty much all girls). We also started tummy time to get Gideon's upper body strength up. Gideon's favorite tune to fall asleep to while in mommy's arms: Brahm's Lullabye. Stats this week:
weight = 7 pounds, 10 ounces
length = 20 inches

**at the doctor's office...finally fits his clothes!**
**second tummy time**
**visit with auntie betsy**

Week 3: Gideon continues to increase his upper body strength and control through tummy time. Look at the difference a week makes! Gideon is also awake and alert for longer periods now, especially in the late afternoon to evening times (hopefully we'll help him turn that around to the mornings and afternoons so he and we will sleep better at night). Gideon is able to focus more on mommy and daddy when we hold him...and...I think he can tell when I hold him now. :)

**more tummy time**
**disco dancing in his crib**
**lifting his head all by himself...and then with some help**