Sweet Pea

These are my reward for having to take a passport photo of a baby.  It's not easy to get a newborn to look at you straight on with eyes open, ears showing, and hands away from their face!  We get to spend the morning at the embassy tomorrow getting the baby US citizenship, a passport, and a social-security number.  Then we get to spend the afternoon at the Ministry of Manpower getting Lizzie her Singapore greencard.  The joys of reproducing abroad!

Baby stretches are my favorite!!

Alert

Elizabeth is two weeks old now and is more alert and aware every day.  We can't wait to see her personality develop!   

The Colors of Heaven

Last night when I was putting Samara to bed, she asked what color heaven was.  I told her I didn't know but that maybe it was all the colors of the rainbow.   Then she asked, "Can you go get a picture of papa's mom so we can see what color heaven is?"

Elizabeth Helen

Announcing....

We got to the hospital and had an unexpected surprise when they told us there were no single rooms available.  Had we been in a double, Ben and the baby couldn't have roomed in with me. Not to mention just sharing space and a bathroom with a stranger. The sweet nun (it's a catholic hospital) saw the little devil in me...  So, thankfully, that resolved itself by noon the first day when there were discharges and we were able to get into a single room.

It was so wonderful to see her for the first time.  We couldn't believe she was finally here.  We've been worried about so many things and it was such a relief to have her safely here.  She is lovely!!  She doesn't look much like Samara did when she was born.  Samara was more "Bikman" and Lizzie is more ''Richins".

This was taken just a couple minutes after she was born.  She wasn't messy at all and her head was perfect, because she was breech and hadn't spent any time in the birth canal.  Her one leg was up by her head but they are both normal curled-up baby legs now.  I didn't cry when I was born and neither did she, until they started wiping her up.  My dad always told me how they were so worried because I wasn't crying.  The doctor said that he could pinch me and make me cry if they wanted him to.  We were both relieved to hear her cry!  

It was a good experience delivering here.  There were some great nurses, but the care is definitely less thorough than what we were used to.   I had a more adverse reaction to the anesethia than I did with with Samara.  I was really loopy all day and couldn't keep anything down.  Thankfully, that passed by the next day and it's already much easier to get around.  When I got out of bed, I could immediately stand upright.  It was several days before I could do that after Samara.  Communicating with the hospital staff was very comical.  Above is the national drink of Singapore, Milo.  Milo is like a drug in the maternity ward--that is all they wanted me to drink for the first 24 hours (even at the exclusion of things like broth and juice).  It didn't matter how many times we declined the offer of some "delicious hot Milo", we received two warm mugs several times a day.  You think they would get the hint when, after checking back on us an hour later, they found the two mugs untouched.  Nope.  Also, with Samara's birth, I lived on ice water--the hospital gave me (and every new mother) an enormous one liter mug that they'd regularly fill with ice water.  But here?  Nope.  'Ice' is a four-lettered word in Singlish.  Water is ONLY served luke warm to hot.    They refer to c-sections as caesars so that didn't do anything to help my hunger! 

The hardest thing about being in the hospital was being away from Samara.  She came to visit us every day and we missed her terribly.  We could tell she wasn't quite sure what to make of everything and kept asking, "Does she like me?" She been very helpful and sweet with the baby.  She's been eyeing a little doctor's kit at the toy store for months and was very excited to receive it as a gift from Lizzie.  Samara reached her limit of being apart from us during our last day at the hospital, .  She did not want to go back home with our friend when it was time to leave.  Ben took her out in the hall to talk to her and she said, "But Papa I don't want to go back home.  Families are supposed to be together".  It broke our hearts and we were very glad that we could check out early in the morning to come home.  After we got the baby to sleep last night around midnight, Samara woke up a couple times with nightmares about us being away.

One of our biggest concerns has been that Lizzie would have hip dysplasia like Samara did.  Hip dysplasia is much more common in breech babies.  The pediatrician's tests were normal and she was able to order an ultrasound that we did in the hospital on Friday.  The results of that also came back normal!  We are so thrilled.  We'll have her checked again in a month or two to make sure she doesn't develop it.  It's much easier to treat with the harness (like Samara had to wear) early on than with more invasive procedures later on. 

We are overcome with gratitude for sweet little Lizzie and the miracle of life.  We feel very very blessed to have two wonderful daughters.

July 21st

is the day Elizabeth will make her debut.  Despite our best efforts, she's insistent on making her entry into the world bottom first so we scheduled the delivery for next Wednesday.  We are very excited and can't wait to meet, snuggle, and love her!

Thankfully, only weekends and auspicious dates (there were several in July) carry a 30% surcharge at the hospital.  And my doctor reassured me that there wouldn't be any surcharges from his end for scheduling it.  The surcharge is to discourage locals from choosing elective c-sections solely to have their child on a "lucky"day.  Why someone would voluntarily be butchered if they didn't need to be is beyond me!

  But I think that 21-7-10 or 7-21-10 is the luckiest day in July.  Presently, we are family of three and Samara is three years old so three must be our lucky number.  7X3=21 and 7+3=10  So, 7-21-10 it is!  Elizabeth being born that day is going to bring prosperity and fortune to our family for generations.

Macaroni Grill Bread

Samara announced today that it was her bed's birthday and wanted to make cookies to celebrate.  Since I am a fan of both her bed and cookies I was happy to oblige.

While I was looking up recipes, I came across one for Macaroni Grill Bread.   Their bread is a favorite of mine so I had to share it.  Yum!

When it was time to celebrate she let me know that because her bed didn't have a mouth, we'd have to eat all cookies.

The woes of delivery overseas

No Maternity Insurance for Locals--We are on a local insurance plan, so that includes us.  We knew this moving here.  And though it's disappointing, we were happy to take a hit if we were fortunate enough to have another baby.  Baby stuff (strollers, clothes, etc) easily costs three to four times what it does in the US.  I just read in the paper that last year's birth rate was at record low for Singapore.  Hello?!  No wonder.  Singapore does so many things well and have so many great policies, but let's stop and think about what's contributing to the low birth rate!  And some education please about all the methods of birth control may be helpful.  I was also reading how it's a problem that women are choosing abortion as a method of birth control over the pill because the pill can really wreak havoc on one's complexion.  A nice complexion or an abortion?  


Peeing on a Stick--I am grateful we aren't living in some backwards place without modern medical care.  But there are some strange things, like not routinely screening for gestational diabetes (except for in us fatty westerners who have HUGE babies) and strep-B.  The one thing though that I am so glad I only have to do a few more times is my protein/glusose test.  I thought getting the sample into a cup was a challenge with a growing belly but here you do it on a little stick.  Then you go back to the waiting room and stand there like a moron smelling the fresh drops of urine covering the stick while you wait for the nurse to come look at it.  It feels like an eternity.  After she looks at it then you and says, "Ok, normal.  Throw away." Then you get to toss it and wash your hands.


Language Barrier and 30% surcharge:  I'd hoped to do a VBAC this go around, but little Lizzie is being stubborn and won't move out of the breech position.  So, I'm finally accepting that and thinking of the benefits of scheduling the delivery.  I got a text yesterday that my doc wasn't going to be in Wednesday, so I called and rescheduled my appointment for Friday.  I asked some questions about scheduling the c-section because I wanted to know how it worked to schedule one.  I found out it's a 30% surcharge for the doctor, hospital, everything if I schedule it instead of waiting until I go into labor and then just having a c-section.  What the hell?  Honestly?  Is it not more convenient for them?  Is it not safer?  Makes NO sense. The woman was so hard to understand and just kept saying, "yes, horoscope birth 30% surcharge"  Me: "The doctor said I have to schedule it if she's breech.  Can you tell me what you mean by horoscope birth?" W: "No, chose birthday means horoscope extra 30%. Maybe you have baby turn.  Have natural (meaning not scheduled) birth no surcharge."  I get so sick of trying to communicate with people here.  English is supposed to be the lingua franca.  It's the language they're educated in. They are supposed to speak it well.  I'm not being some obnoxious American who thinks they should just speak English because I do.   I'm hoping the woman who answered the phone just didn't know what she is talking about.


Confinement: If I had a quarter for every time someone told me how I couldn't go out of my house for a month after the baby was born, drink cold water,  or shower I'd have enough to pay for the said surcharge in #3.  At first I was polite, even though I think not showering for a month after giving birth is ABSURD!  I mean, it was cute that the sweet little old lady who is making the blessing dress said she'd do it quickly so it would be done before the baby was born since I couldn't go out for a month after, but now it's just annoying.  I'm tired of being treated like an invalid and told to be careful every step I take!!  And some other facts for all you know-it-alls out there: getting sunburned will not harm my baby, swimming will not cause a miscarriage, and painting my toe nails will most definitely not give the baby birthmarks or discolorations!!  And do you know what else?!  We are thrilled that we will have two girls, so don't pity me for not having a boy when you ask what I am having!  And one last thing--my being outside during the lunar eclipse did NOTHING to comprise my baby's health.


People walk soooooooooo  slowly--Walking slowly is something that has always grated my nerves, but lately--oh!!!!!!!!  Why do I, at 81/2 months pregnant with a toddler in tow, still walk faster than 75% of the population?  Seriously people--kick it in gear!!


And now that I have that all off my chest, I feel much better.   Soon we will have a beautiful baby here and all of this won't matter.  Well, except I'll be scorned when people see me outside during that first month.  I wonder if they'll turn me in.  I'm off to do my headstand and pelvic exercises.  Gotta relax that uterus and help this baby turn!