Eating Like A Mau

Friday, 27 July 2007

Chase is a Mau boy for sure, as today's one month pediatrician visit shows that, with his hefty appetite, Chase is healthy, strong, and growing! In just 4 weeks, Chase has gained over two pounds, and he has grown an inch and a half. Currently, he is 6 lbs. 10 oz. and measures 19 1/4 inches long. If I had carried him to my due date (which would have been next week Thursday), the doctor said he probably would have been a 7 pounder.

Although Chase hated being naked during the exam and cried and cried as he usually does when we take his clothes off (but he got back at the doctor by peeing on him during the exam), he showed the doctor that he is a strong boy by lifting his head and neck and torso up when the doctor pulled him up from reclining position by his hands. He's so strong, that the doctor is betting Chase will walk early around 9 months of age. It already looks like he is trying to crawl when he's on tummy time!

It was a great doctor's visit (and as soon as we walked out the door, Chase stopped being fussy... he he). We asked the doctor all of our questions, and realized we have a great, thorough pediatrician with a sense of humor. After visiting the nurses at my OB's office, visiting Taiga downstairs, and then nursing Chase in the hospital parking garage, we met Chris for lunch before he went back to work.

When I got home, I thanked Dad for watching over him and keeping him healthy and strong. Looks like we have a fiesty one on our hands (as the doctor put it, and I'd have to agree...He'll be keeping us on our toes for sure).

Cleaning and Moving

Thursday, 26 July 2007

Today is the first official teacher work day for the new school year. Still seems like summer, but since Hawai'i is on a year-round school schedule, our summer is always short. The kids come next week, and my room is hardly ready! Been busy this week going into my classroom at school and physically moving boxes and books from one classroom to the other. I'm moving to a bigger classroom, but it is already storage for band and P.E. equipment, so it's not quite a whole size classroom. Plus, there are big sized desks and furniture in disarray. Also, it used to be a 6th grade classroom, and there are still books in there from my very own 6th grade teacher! Yikes! Needless to say, it is quite a feat. I hate moving.

My mother-in-law and Auntie Stevie have both watched Chase this week so that I can go in and get stuff done. I've been working on report cards and need to orient my long-term sub Christina with stuff so that she's ready to go. I'll probably just go in for meetings tomorrow and Monday, then use my sick leave and take Leave of Absence for the rest of the semester. I plan on returning to half-time teaching ELL (English Language Learners) after Winter Break in January.

Tomorrow, we have a pediatrician checkup as he'll be one month old! We'll see how much weight he's gained since he was born, but from our calculations (Chris weighing himself on the scale, then weighing himself and baby on the scale), we think Chase is about 6 pounds. He's eating often and pooping often, that's for sure!

Well, gotta try and get a cat nap in before he wakes up.

Here's a very nice update from my friends Miya and Junji on their son Taiga.

"Aloha Everyone,

First of all, thank you for the overwhelming show of support that you have all shown us during this challenging time. We have no doubt that your prayers and positive thoughts have helped Taiga (and our family) get through this.

We are currently in the midst of our sixth week in the hospital, and I am excited to report that Taiga is doing well. He was recently released from the pediatric ICU and is now in the regular pediatric ward in the Carter unit at Kapiolani (on the second floor). We is alert, awake, and off of the breathing machine!

His muscles are weak from being asleep for over a month, but he is slowly regaining his strength. He is currently undergoing daily PT & OT to re-develop the use of muscles and coordination skills. He is talking and is getting better with each passing day. They just shut off his feeding tube, and he is now starting to eat pureed and soft foods like yogurt and mash potatoes. He is still slowly being weened off of his medication, and we are very hopefully that by this time next week, we will be back at home and resuming our everyday lives (as much as possible).

The doctors haven't identified the underlying cause of his illness, but they are working endlessly to figure it out. They will continue to treat him and run tests once we get out, and he will need to have immune/blood treatment consistently for the next several months as they determine the main cause of everything. They are leaning towards some sort of immune system abnormality, but it will take some time as they continue to monitor his progress. We are certain that the doctors will be able to do their thing to make Taiga even better than before. Overall, we are just grateful that things have turned out well and that we will be going home soon.

Thank you again to you all. We could not have gotten through all of this without your support. We really appreciate it."

Thank you and god bless,

Miya and Martin/Junji

What Day Is It? Or Is It Night?

Tuesday, 17 July 2007

Okay, I had to look at a calendar to figure out what day it is today. Chase finally went down for a nap. I know for sure because his grunting and twitching have subsided, and he has assumed position by laying on his left side. And, after only about 2 hours of sleep last night, I'm about ready to assume my sleeping position (and thank goodness I can now sleep on my back after all these months!). I used to think I was such a night owl, but now I take that back. I wish I could ACTUALLY sleep at night.

I think the kid has gotten his days and nights mixed up. The last couple of nights have been pretty restless ones for us. Thank goodness Auntie Steve/Uncle Gary/Lauren brought lunch for me yesterday and Chris' parents had us over for dinner last night. I have had absolutely no time or energy to cook! My first meal today was a bowl of cereal at 11 am, and I'll be lucky if I have time to eat something for lunch. Or was THAT lunch?! Nowadays, I count the hours before Chris comes home from work so that I can take a shower (this humidity and heat of summer makes the house an oven!) and he can take over cooking and feeding so that I can sleep (too bad he doesn't have the boobs!).

Speaking of which, the pumping has definitely laxed, as I just have no energy to pump as often as I was before. Hopefully that doesn't affect my milk production, as they say you produce more when you pump immediately after feeding. But I just can't do it in the middle of the night when I'm looking at the clock, knowing that I might MAYBE get an hour of sleep in between feedings. Besides, I think I've been overfeeding Chase, as he's been spitting up a lot after each feeding, and we need to change his sheets and clothes each time. I'm all about him getting big and fat and healthy, but when you see milk come out of his nose and mouth, it's a bit disconcerting.

So, is it day or is it night?! I'm not sure anymore. Yesterday, Chase and I passed out (as he was lying on me) for about three hours in the afternoon. These days, if I'm not standing over his bassinet making sure he is still breathing while he IS asleep, I'm staring at his big blue eyes asking him WHY he isn't asleep.

Who needs to change out of the pj's? Back to bed I go...

Drive To The North Shore

Thursday, 12 July 2007

Today, Chris and I took Dave (Chris' friend from New Hampshire - AKA "Missing Groomsman At Our Wedding") and Chase to the North Shore. Chase slept all the way through his first (noisy) dining experience at Kua'Aina Burgers. I thought we might get scolded by the NICU nurse (as we had Chase "out in public") who we recognized was also dining there with her family. But I don't think she recognized us.

I slept most of the way to and from the North Shore. Chase, when he wasn't fussy (our first experience with what to do with a crying baby in a moving car when you have no pacifier), slept as well.

It was nice to get out of the house for sure. And, the air-conditioned car was pretty nice too. Thanks for the fun and burgers, Uncle Dave!

Baby Chase on YouTube

Wednesday, 11 July 2007

My mom left for California this morning. She was such a big help in getting the house in order and helping us take care of Chase. It was sad to see her go. We'll have to make a family visit to California soon so Chase can meet all his other relatives.

I dropped Chase off at Chris' parents so that I could go to my OB checkup. Everything went fine. I've lost nearly 20 pounds since delivery, am healing fine, and I need to hold off on exercise for about 4 more weeks. I visited Taiga afterwards. Looks like he is doing better. Although he is still fighting pneumonia and they still do not know the root cause of his illness, he is on a regular ventilator, and he was awake when I was there. I held his hands (as he tried to pull the tubes and cords out) as Miya cut his fingernails and we caught up on life with our babies over the past week.

Did some errands before heading back to the Halsalls to hang out and change Chase before bringing him home. They didn't want to give him back! I'm starting to feed on demand more rather than following a schedule, though Chase still eats every three hours or so.

Watch this cute impromptu video of Chase and daddy Chris singing. We're always looking at his cute little hands and feet. Daddy had fun playing with him. The lighting is bad because we were trying to put him to sleep, but Chase's expressions are priceless! And the singing...well, you'll just have to judge for yourself.

And The Adventure Begins....

Thursday, 5 July 2007

After a restless night of diaper changing, outfit changing (from leakage of the diapers), nursing, and pumping, I was exhausted by the time we made Chase's first visit to the pediatrician's this morning. The doctor's visit went well. Dr. Sia commented that Chase has a good temperment, has gained 1 ounce since being discharged yesterday, and his jaundice is clinically stable. He talked to me about feeding on demand rather than feeling like I need to feed him on the "every 3 hour schedule" like they did in the hospital. We talked about things like body temperature and such and then a clinician collected a blood sample from his foot to check his jaundice levels. It took awhile as he was cold and so it took awhile to get a sample out. She had to poke him twice. But he wasn't too fussy. He was more fussy I think from just being cold. I'll come back at the end of the month to get another checkup and they'll give me a baby book to keep all of his records in file.

My mom and I went took Chase grocery shopping, by which time I was famished and engorged. After we got home in the early afternoon, I ate, nursed, pumped, and then passed out for a couple of hours when Chase napped.

Thank goodness Mom cooked dinner, did laundry, and vacuumed the house today. We may have some visitors this evening, and then the routine starts all over again. It's nice to have Chase home and to see all of his smiles (which I know is probably just gas).

Independence Day

Wednesday, 4 July 2007

After an exhausting night of nursing and pumping and nursing and pumping, I just didn't want to get out of bed this morning, but engorgement often wakes me up and forces me to pump. We headed to the hospital for Chase's 11:00 feeding. The nurse, Darla, went over teaching things, reviewing bathing, feeding, giving Chase his daily iron supplement for anemia (a common premmie issue), and fitting Chase in the car seat. We got my thirty bottles full of milk (fresh and frozen) that I had brought in, and then after changing him into a going home outfit and then taking pictures, Darla escorted us out to the car and gave us a hug goodbye.

The hospital nurses were really informative and helpful on making sure we knew what to do once we got home. (And, if not, Darla told us that her shift didn't end until 7:30 pm this evening, so that we could give her a call if we needed to.) We headed home with Chase wrapped up in his blue and chocolate brown polka dotted blanket from Auntie Steph and he kinda looked around the whole time.

This Independence Day has a whole new meaning for us this year. Chase is "free" from the hospital after a week's stay. And, we're officially parents. My mom, Jay, and Shelly were all at home, and Auntie Stevie and Geoff were excited to come see the baby. We got into a routine of things by the evening, with Chris helping to wash my pump stuff when I'm nursing, then getting a bottle ready to feed him, while I go off and pump. We shared duties in changing his poopy diapers, and after one episode of crying and trying to figure out what was wrong, we finally figured out that he was hungry and just wanted to be swaddled. His grandparents (Chris' mom and dad) visited and we got him all swaddled up and washed his face. He's all snug as a bug in a rug. We're not quite used to having the hospital monitors gone though. So, we keep going over to check him, to make sure he is breathing.

As the smoke fills Palolo Valley from all the fireworks this evening, the house is just quiet and calm, with my mom with some friends and my brother and his girlfriend out with friends to celebrate the 4th. For Chris and I, we relish the quietness. We're getting the routine down, and although it's been exhausting and stressful at times, it's nice to know that this little being is here with us. I better get my nap in now because, in just an hour, I'll just have to wake him up to eat again.

It's Official!...

Tuesday, 3 July 2007

I turned in the name papers today at the hospital (after consulting my family friends and friends knowledgeable about Hawaiian language).....

Chase Kamaalohaonanalu Mau Halsall

is his entire name. His Hawaiian name means "The cherished child of the waves/ocean or "The cherished child of reflection", and is meant to capture the essence of my father, who not only loved to fish, kayak, and be outdoors, but carried a laid-back attitude towards life and lived by 'going with the flow', just like the waves of the ocean. We just gave consent for him to be circumsized this afternoon, my mom and I are doing mass cleaning after I nursed him around lunch. The refrigerator at the hospital is overflowing with my milk. They may have to freeze some as I have so much. I'll focus on cleaning tonight, and hopefully we'll take him home tomorrow. They are moving him from the incubator to an open bassinet, which shows that he was able to regulate his temperature better today.

Soon, the adventure begins...

Baby Chase - 4 days old

Sunday, 1 July 2007

Chase was taken off of the bililites today as his jaundice is gone. He was moved to a more stable overflow nursery (unbeknownst to us, by which I almost flipped out when my baby wasn't in the same warmer or even the same floor as before). There has been a major lack of communication between staff and us in regards to Chase's daily status and reports, which is a bit disconcerting, but that's a whole nother blog post. He was wide-eyed after feeding and is getting the hang of breastfeeding.

My mom and Aunty Sharon took Chris and I shopping for a carseat, stroller, nursing bras, and changing table.

I fed Chase at 2 pm and 5 pm at the hospital and pumped the rest of my milk for the nurses to give him.

Chris' parents took us out to dinner for Italian food. My mom made pickled pigs' feet soup for me today as a Chinese tradition to help bring in your milk (although from the looks of it, I don't need any help in that arena).

Now, in between feedings, is the only time, in the middle of the night, where I can upload pictures and update my blog.

And so the journey of sleepless nights and engorged boobs begins....