9 months!

Wow, has it been 9 months already?? I think Thao was really lucky: no morning sickness, no bad skin, no stretch marks! And she still looks great! Only for the past few weeks her belly has gotten really big and heavy, and it's hard for her to sleep. How big is her belly? Let's take a look at how things have changed over the past 9 months!



August 2009




September 2009




December 2009




January 2010




February 2010

34 week ultrasound

Today we went for the 34 week ultrasound. Even though it has only been 2 weeks since the last one, we are supposed to go every two weeks to keep checking on the progress. This time Thao wanted to go to yet another different doctor! We arrived at 4:30 to take a number, but the doctor only starts at 5pm. Luckily we had number 9, so we went in around 6pm. When we went in, the last number taken was up to 25 already! He must be a very popular doctor...

Compared to the French doctor, this guy really knew what he was doing. He did all the measurements very quickly, and I saw a good picture of Katie's face. I was lucky, because this time I was allowed inside and could watch the doctor, but Thao didn't have a screen to watch. But the good news is that Katie has turned with her head down now, so she can be born any day now! I guess all that walking helped... The doctor again said that she is a big baby, but her legs aren't too big. Okay, I guess she will be short and fat heheh.

Due Date: March 1, 2010
Gestational Age: 34 weeks (since LMP)
Weight: 2800g +/- 200g (+ 1/2 kg in two weeks)
Mommy's weight: 60kg (+1 kg)

To celebrate, we went to Kichi Kichi, which is our favorite Hot Pot restaurant because you pay one price and can eat all you want. It's like a sushi bar, but with your own personal hotpot. Last year there was just one store, but since it was very popular, there are now about 6 all over Hanoi. There is one very close to our house, but the people there aren't so nice and there isn't that good of a selection. This time we went to a different place, and it was so much better. The difference there was that at the start they bring you some plates of beef, and they had lots of shrimp that Thao loves. The people were very nice and Thao talked to the manager who was making sure everything was running smoothly. Thao said that is more like Japan style, since in Vietnam the managers normally do nothing and just make other people do all the work. But what Thao really loved the most was that this place had free pepsi! Even though she was so full and couldn't possibly eat any more, she had to order a third glass of pepsi, just because it was free! Okay, I know who will be keeping me up all night by going pee too much! :)).

PS from Thao: Oh I remember that while the doctor was doing the ultrasound he said more than 3 times that Uh oh the baby's mouth looks very big, so he turned back to look at Kyle and said: Oh, i know why, coz the baby's father's mouth is very big that is why... LOL.
Very good for me that the baby already turned down, so I don't have to worry about operation. But I will still walk a lot so easier to come out. But I still worry because I remember that all the doctors say that she is a very big baby, so probably will hurt a lot and hard to go out :((

Baby Class

Today we went to a baby class at the Fortuna Hotel. There were soooo many pregnant women there, maybe 500 or more! Most of the girls looked terrible... tired, bad skin, old clothes. But the receptionist said to Thao "Or, you're pregnant but still look good!" :)

The first class we went to was how to give a bath for the baby. It was strange for me, because so many things that they showed seemed to be the opposite of my instincts from Western culture. Like they put the baby in water up to their neck (don't tell Western moms to do that, drowning risk), do a full body massage and stretch the legs and rub the head (easy for new moms to do more harm than good I think), clean ears with a q-tip (easy to damage ears), etc.

Also in Vietnam, there are a lot of customs after the baby is born. For example, the new mother can't touch water for a whole month... no showers, not even wash dishes. And usually the grandmother or someone else in the family comes to stay with the new parents to take care of the baby. What? Somebody else will take care of my kid? I don't think so! :P

Anyways, the next class was how to breathe during labor. I wasn't allowed to go inside, only the girls. Which was bad, because Thao said she already forgets everything! But we are going to another class next week.

22 week ultrasound

Here is Katie at 22 weeks! Thao is doing really good, she is eating better and gaining weight. Her belly looks really big now too! But she says that the baby hasn't been moving inside a lot the past few weeks, and I think I know why... When Thao was sleeping one afternoon, suddenly I heard her scream very loud! So I ran to see what was wrong, and she was sitting up holding her belly and looking very scared! Her skin had goosebumps all over... When she calmed down, she said that she felt someone suddenly touch her belly very strongly, but when she opened her eyes nobody was there! She wanted to scold me and ask me why I would startle her and wake her up like that, but it wasn't me! Maybe it was a ghost??? Eventually I convinced her that it was Katie kicking inside... Ohhhhh sorry Katie! Your mommy scared you so much and now you don't want to kick anymore!

Well, today we went for the important 22 week ultrasound. Yes, we do like going to ultrasounds here in Vietnam! This was yet another doctor, that everyone says is the best in Hanoi. But everyone also says this doctor is always scolding his patients and everyone is afraid of him... They say the doctor is gay and hates women... Thao said maybe his girlfriend broke up with him or cheated on him or something. I said his girlfriend probably got pregnant from another guy, so now he hates all pregnant women... Anyways, this time I couldn't even go inside the office, I had to wait at a cafe next door. Actually we had to call a week in advance to book a day, then come at 3pm when the office opened, then wait to take a number, then come back at 6pm. The place was filled with pregnant women, the busiest doctor I have seen.

So the lady that went in before Thao told a terrible story of the doctor scolding her... The doctor asked why she didn't go pee first, and the lady said "oh I did already..." And the doctor said something like "Why do you try to lie to me? I can see a lot of pee inside. You want to get a good picture to check the baby, right? So why can't you read the sign outside and do something so simple like go pee first? You can't do anything simple like that, your husband probably can't stand you..." And then of course the lady's cellphone rang in her pocket... "What?! The sign said to turn off your cellphone before coming in here..." and on he went......

So now it was Thao's turn.... She went in and decided that she wouldn't say anything and just try to do whatever the doctor said quickly, so he wouldn't get upset.... So the doctor started the ultrasound and pressed her belly hard all around. But something was wrong... He said "I can't hear the baby's heart... Wait outside for a few minutes..." OMG!! Thao slowly went outside and tried to talk to some ladies waiting there and tried not to think about it... But of course she was sooo scared and started to cry so much! Then she was called back in, and the doctor did the ultrasound again and said everything was normal. Thao asked, "really? you're sure it's normal??" and he said "it LOOKS like it's normal." So it was just something wrong with the machine...

At least we got a really good ultrasound picture. Katie looks like her mom!

Due Date: Feb 24, 2010
Gestational Age: 22 weeks 1 day (since LMP)
Weight: 532g
Mommy's weight: 55kg (+1 kg)






Cute belly, must have a really cute Katie inside!

Thao writes:
Hey sis Ling, i saw ur comment there. Thank you very much to see you always come and write me something to support Katie. Do u see the baby pic is very clear? U know what, lot of girls there have same baby age just like Katie 22weeks but everyone said that my baby looks clearest... and they say my belly looks very nice coz belly skin is still nice, smooth and no lines runing on it... I saw some girl's belly there very blue and look ugly...hihiii... Ok, but now just dont really want the baby look so much like me, the baby look likes she has big ugly nose just like me... How does the pic look? She look like me or Kyle? Hehehe... i want my baby will have granmom Linda hair, has her eyes too...and of course western skin beautiful skin like her auntie Muriah, beautiful like ur daughters. I want the baby really look mixed western and vnese ... Anyway i love the pic now there no matter what how she look. Im watching that pic all the time since i got it and feel its real like my Katie going to be born tomorrow. At morning i wake up and as long as i remember Katie pic make me smile and want to see her pic fast. I bet from now every morning i wake up i will just smile just like everyday first thinking in my mind of a new day has come is think of my KATIE. Feel life so great now when i can see the baby so real like that and one day soon i can see her on my hand and kiss her with the first kiss. Ayss, think about that make my eyes already wet... Be the mom is great job right? it can change everything... U know most of ppl i know here say that im changing very much that im being nice and calm and nice now... not like when i was younger that i just like a wild mountain horse..hehehe... Yes, coz im being the greatest MOM.

5 month ultrasound

We went to the good doctor again, and I was happy to be able to go inside with Thao to see Katie moving and hear the heartbeat. This time we only got a black and white ultrasound (2D), because Thao said that in another 2 weeks we would go to a different doctor for a more thorough check in 4D ultrasound.

Everything is still fine, actually she is 1 week ahead of schedule!

Due Date: Feb 28, 2010
Gestational Age: 20 weeks 1 day (since LMP)
Weight: 394g (over 2x the size in one month!)
Heartrate: 155 bpm
Mommy's weight: 54kg (+2.5 kg)

Now Thao's turn to type :)

Wowowoww..... I waited for so long and now today when i lay down to rest after lunch i see the baby kicking once very strong... So happy, cant say anything, she must be a very active and naughty girl. Actually i see the baby started to move inside my tummy since last week. It is the first time so i dont have any experience but read alot on baby website so i know how the baby moves, yes its something like the plastic balloon breaking or like the fish is moving the tail... something like that.

Last time 4 weeks ago when i went to ultrsound the doctor said the baby is a bit small coz i couldnt eat much, but this time the docter said that "Oh, the baby is bigger than normal baby in this age. Aha, westen baby that is why" that made me so so happy.

One thing still make me worry.... i dont know if i should go for needle.... that some kind of sick the baby easy to get virus through the cord inside belly... i dont know what is that kind of sick.....In here most pregnant moms go to do that but from what i read some moms have troubles after do needle, like the baby died inside.... But already one Vietnamese friend from US warned us not to get that needle, because 2 of his cousins lost their babies after that... OMG, that really scared me... I ask Kyle to check with sister Muriah if in western they have to do that...

Im starting searching what to shoping for baby... Too many things have to buy but i dont know what is good for the baby. And i dont know yet in end of Feb still hot or cold. Some time its still very cold, sometime its still very hot so i think i should still buy both kind of clothes for my Katie, warm clothes and summer clothes...

Oh, the baby next door now always comes here and ask me to take care of her when the grandmom is busy. Her name is Bong. Her mom is working outside all day early morning till very later at night. Seems she has bf out side. The baby is nice but its summer here and hot so most of the baby not always wear diaper at home (just when they go out side), so bad thats why she pee all the time on my floor when she is here... once she pee on the couch too. Humm, im so tired to clean up pee like that. Of course i hope i can learn some experience from taking care of this baby sometime but i need now is learn from new baby born, not really want to learn from BONG (10months aready), hehee....

16 weeks

Time for the 16 week ultrasound! We went to a different doctor this time, because he is supposed to be better at checking everything. I didn't like this doctor because:

1. We had to wait something like 2 hours
2. The photo isn't nearly as clear as the last one... You have to stand far away to see her face and hand
3. They didn't let me go inside to see the baby moving! :(

But everything is great, and baby Katie is growing up fast.


Due Date: Feb 28, 2010
Gestational Age: 16 weeks 1 day (since LMP)
Weight: 171g
Heartrate: 154 bpm
Mommy's weight: 51.5kg (+1.5 kg)




Here is a picture of how Katie will look when she is born! ;))




And this is a picture of our family in a few years! :)





One thing that is good about being pregnant is that you get to buy a whole new wardrobe! This is my favorite one, a nice silk dress. Thao is one sexy mama!




Wow! Look at that big belly! Here are some more picks where she shows off her baby bump...

12 weeks 1 day

Yesterday we went for the third ultrasound at 12 weeks. This time the baby was sleeping so we didn't get to see any movement, but the heartbeat was strong and everything checked out okay. And we found out........

It's a girl!!!

Just what I wanted! So many nice cute dresses to buy! :)

The doctor said the baby is a bit small, 23g when normally it is around 25g. But according to the growth charts on US websites, it is actually pretty big for 12 weeks. Maybe there is a difference between Vietnamese and Caucasian growing rates, or the baby is confused how fast she should grow! ;) But it doesn't really matter, since she will start to double in size every week for the next few weeks...

But now Thao is worried because for the past week she was feeling sick and could not eat any meat. Any kind of beef or chicken she just takes a bite and wants to vomit and has to spit it out. So we are trying to find other things for her to eat, like seafood, sneak some ground meat into porridge, etc. But she does take a pregnancy multivitamin and drinks "EnfaMama" milk.

Last night I called my parents to give them the good news! And mom had a great suggestion for a girl name... Since her parents are Kyle and Thao... K and T... K-T... Katie! Or if we give her the official name of Catherine, there are many short forms for her to choose: Cathy, Katie, Kate, Kat... We'll keep this name on the list of good suggestions :)


Due Date: Feb 28, 2010 (this changed since last time...)
Gestational Age: 12 weeks 1 day (since LMP)
Size: 56 mm
Weight: 23g
Heartrate: 154 bpm
Mommy's weight: 50kg (+2 kg)

9 weeks 3 days

We went for the second ultrasound today. Yes, it is a bit early, normally in the west people go at 8 weeks and 12 weeks. But Thao is always worried when she feels fine and worried that her belly seems smaller and worried that she has not gotten morning sickness and worried about everything... So we went to the clinic and of course everything is just fine!

It was such a wonderful feeling to see the baby move and listen to the heartbeat for the first time. Thao was crying, and I'll admit I got a bit misty eyed too! So many things to do to prepare for the new baby, luckily still 215 days :)

Due Date: March 5, 2010
Gestational Age: 9 weeks 3 days (since LMP)
Size: 25 mm
Heartrate: 180 bpm
Mommy's weight: 48kg (-1.5 kg)

First Ultrasound!

We went to the clinic today and got our first ultrasound! Everything is going very good. And here is our new baby! .... ummm... somewhere in there... I think it is in the part that looks like an eye. Actually the bottom half of the picture looks exactly like an angry rhinoceros looking right at you! For Thao's sake, I hope that isn't the case heheh

Due Date: March 5, 2010
Gestational Age: 6 weeks 4 days (since LMP)
Size: 20 mm
Mommy's weight: 49.5kg (+1 kg)

From our googling, it seems that 20mm is verrrry big so soon! And Thao already has a 3 month belly! ;))



This dress makes her look very pregnant hehehe

Mood swings

Everyone knows the stories about the husband who has to go out in the middle of the night searching for something strange that his pregnant wife wants to eat... Well today was the first time that Thao wanted me to go out and get her something. Luckily it was only pho, and at lunchtime... She had to write down on a piece of paper what I should say, since my Vietnamese is still a bit rusty. She didn't want me coming back with a pig heart instead of pho!

Normally I drive her on the motorbike whenever we go out, but since I would go alone this time she was a bit worried. She told me about 20 times to drive slow and be careful, but finally she let me go...

So off I went on the motorbike around the corner to the pho restaurant. It didn't take very long before I got our lunch and came back to the apartment... But when I got off the elevator I saw Thao standing in the open doorway crying! .... "Oh my god, what's wrong?!" I asked... It turns out that she was so worried about me going by myself that she couldn't do anything, and had to stay by the door praying for me to come back safely!

So I wiped her tears away and fed her some good pho, and then she was feeling better. She said she would never let me go anywhere by myself again! :)


Week 6 Pregnancy symptoms:
Mood swings: oh yes
Strange food cravings: starting now
Nausea: not too bad yet

Baby news

We were so happy to finally get the news that our first baby is on the way! Thao was worried that it would be hard for her to get pregnant because she thinks she is getting old, but I guess we were lucky after only three months of marriage.

At first Thao said it felt like she was two or three months pregnant already... Her boobies were sore and her belly felt sore and swollen. But then she was worried when she felt fine for a day lol. She is the only person I know who would worry when they feel bad and also worry when they feel good heheh

It's still early (5 weeks) but tomorrow we will go to the doctor for a blood test. We did go to a clinic today to check it out, it is a new clinic but does not look as good as the other one we went to before. But Thao talked to the doctor for about half an hour for free! :) She should have gotten a blood test right then, but she is too scared to do that, so I will have to convince her tomorrow...

Already I know I will have to watch her carefully, and make sure she eats on time, drinks a lot, takes her vitamins, and doesn't work too hard. And mood swings... Oh yes. Have to watch what I say. "Sorry hun!" is best ;) :-*