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....

999 years Ha Noi

10/10/2009 marked 999 years of Hanoi being the capital of Vietnam! To celebrate we went to the city center and saw lots of nice flowers.




Of course, before long there was sooooo many people there! Every time we say that it is too crowded and we won't go next time, but we still always go because it's fun :)




The lights in the center of the lake. Thao says that in the morning of 10/10, people saw the giant turtle come up, a sign of peace.... I guess it is like the Loch Ness monster ;)




The street vendors are making flowers from colored dough.




I don't know how a big pregnant Thao could walk around in this crowd! But actually I was the one always left behind!




They had a live show, but probably only the people at home watching it on tv could see it!




We can only imagine the party they will have next year, to mark the 1000 year anniversary! It really puts things in perspective, when you think that Canada is only 142 years old!




We left early before the really bad traffic jam could start... When we got home, we saw the end of the show on tv. They had lots of singing and fireworks!

Mid autumn - children's festival

This is the day in the lunar calendar when the moon is full and looks the nicest. In Vietnam they celebrate by wearing masks and having balloons and toys for children. It's kinda like halloween but twice a year!

Unfortunately we forgot to bring out camera, so here are some pics we stole from a news site! ;)





































Another tradition on this day is to eat a special fish cake. Actually it doesn't have fish inside, but it is a sweet cake in the shape of a fish...

6 month anniversary

It's been six months already since our wedding! I've learned a lot about how to be a good husband, and I'm so happy that I found the best wife ever. Looking through the wedding photos again, it seems like just yesterday... We've only just started our life together, but so far it is great!




And who could forget what a wonderful time we had at the wedding! It's still the talk of the town...



To celebrate our anniversary, we went to eat sushi a few days ago. It's funny because in Canada that's the one thing that everyone knows you're not supposed to eat when you're pregnant! But here in Vietnam and Japan, pregnant women eat sushi all the time... But I only allowed Thao to eat a little bit of sushi, and then she had her favorite fried fish.

So today we were getting the craving for sushi again, just when Thao's "Japanese daddy" said he would come over for a visit and make us sushi!



Here is the "sushi sweatshop" in action! Rice mixed with rice vinegar and sugar, cooked carrots, cucumber, egg, and raw salmon.




Put everything on the seaweed sushi paper, and carefully roll it up. The bamboo roller underneath lets you roll it and pack it tight.




The Sushi Sensei looks on as Thao carefully cuts the roll...




The finished product! Looks so good!




The big plate is for the "wrap it yourself" style sushi, and we also had some miso soup.




Mmmmm I could eat sushi all day!

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...