Dear Austin,

Whew, what a week it has been!  You had your first Valentine’s Day ever where you wore a super cute “My Aunt Is Totally Awesome” onesie with a Calikatrina bowtie, this made all three of your Aunts super happy!  Since last week was all about crying, this week has been about smiling and laughing.  So much so that for a whole day and night you were super awake (and mostly happy) and would hardly go to sleep, but then the whole next day and night you were pretty much sleeping.  Looks like you are still working on figuring out the difference between day and night and regulating your schedule.  That’s OK, we’re just here to be at your beck and call, you really are the King around our house but don’t let inflate your little ego too much, k? 

One thing we realized about you is that you LOVE looking up at things.  Your absolute FAVORITE thing to stare at as ceiling lights, ceiling lights with fans, especially.  We actually use it as our trick to calm you down when you’re being fussy, it seriously mesmerizes you just to look at lights!  We’ve also let you hang out on your new playmat and your crib which both have dangly toys that keep you occupied for quite some time.  Another place you like hanging out on is Mommy and Daddy’s bed, and especially with your stuffed animal sisters and brothers, Lulu, Bebe, Jojo and Koko!  They used to play with you a ton when you were inside my belly, remember?  So crazy that you’re well on your way to being a two month old.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Austin,

Well they say that at 6 weeks, babies are at the peak of their crying… and crying and fussing is what you did this week.  :/  That’s OK though, because you’re still stinking cute when you cry.  We’re getting better at figuring you out with your cues and the tone of your cries though, so that’s a plus!  This past week, Eafong visited you and she was so great with you since she has a 5 month old of her own.  Mommy goes to her for a ton of baby tips.  One night, you and Ah Ma were totally exhausted, you fell asleep on her chest (as she was sleeping too) and you slept for 4 hours, that’s got to be one of the longest stretches of sleep in awhile.  We hope the long periods of sleep trend can keep continuing on to the future.  It seems that you like to be awake more and more now and although you’re super fun to play with, we wonder if you’re not getting enough sleep for a little guy your age?  You need sleep to grow, little one!

Also, apparently when Mommy and Daddy decided to a package of newborn photos that you took at the hospital, it came with a free at home portrait sitting which you were a perfect model for as well.  You showed off your big eyes, strong neck, bulging biceps, and even your pecs.    Who knew you could hold your held up for so long!  We think modeling may be in your future, what do you think?  P.S. That cute aviator hat was made by The Sunshine Stitch, so warm and comfy, you love it!

Love,
Mommy

P.S. Will you all vote for my blog on the Circle of Moms Top 25 Fashion and Beauty Moms – 2012?  Click HERE!

9 lbs. 15 0z. | 22 1/8 inches

Dear Austin,

In the past week, so much has happened.  Well who am I kidding, a lot happens every week with you!    You celebrated your one month where we cut off a lot of your hair.  We went to the doctor where they diagnosed you with baby acne, cradle cap, and dry skin on your face… BUT we took comfort in knowing that it will all eventually go away and we were able to scrub off the cradle cap with some good ole shampoo and a wash cloth.  I hope it didn’t make your head too itchy~!  Aunt Julia and Uncle Tim paid you a visit too… where again, you slept through most of it, good boy!  Unfortunately, Daddy was sick this week so he couldn’t hold, feed, or play with you.  I could tell some of your cries were cries of missing your Daddy. 

You’ve made great strides in your development, like being able to turn your head 180 degrees and follow objects with your eyes.  Your favorite object being Mr. Panda.  You can hold your head up during tummy time for 90 degrees for a few seconds, yay!  You’ve really started to work on your “coos” too which makes Ah Ma think you are going to be very outgoing when you grow up.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Austin,

During this past week, lots and lots of things have happened!  First, Aunt Nicole and Aunt Alison came to visit you and you were a good sport throughout the whole visit.  You even let Aunt Nicole hold you without any problem!  Your Lao Lao had to go back home this week and we all truly do miss her, her help was invaluable.  Mommy and Daddy got to spend another weekend alone with you and it was filled with tummy time.  You are able to hold your head up for about 3 seconds now, yay, go Austin!    And at the end of this week, your Ah Ma and Ah Gong flew in and met you for the very first time.  It took you no time to warm up to them and give them smiles, I’m guessing receiving red envelopes probably helped.    You also got in some cuddle time with the bunny lovey that kdaviscreates handmade for you as well as your big brother monkey, Jojo.  They are huge fans of yours.

I can’t believe how fast time has flown.  Today is actually your one month birthday (YAY HAPPY ONE MONTH!!), which is a big deal in Chinese culture, so we have a nice celebration planned for you with some more family coming to visit and good food!  Funny thing is, technically if you were born in Taiwan, you’d be considered 2 years old, since they count being in the womb as 1 year and the Chinese New Year as another year grown as well.  People say that before I know it, you’ll be off to college, so let’s stick to saying your one month old!

Love,
Mommy

8 lbs. 7 oz.

Dear Austin,

I can’t believe how fast you are growing, this week you gained a WHOLE POUND!  Mommy even keeps worrying that you are gaining too much weight now, but the nurse said you are right on track.  In terms of feedings, things are getting better daily.  Mommy is producing more milk each day which means we get to supplement with less formula each day as well.  Once or twice a day your Grandma or your Daddy will even bottle feed you!  We recently bought the Dr. Brown bottles hoping that it will help reduce the amount of air you gulp, but you still seem to be gulping a ton and then getting frustrated because you need to burp before being able to drink more.  I realized that when you are calmer and drink more slowly, you don’t seem to have that issue though, and hopefully you’ll realize that soon too!

This week Aunt Rena and Uncle Alex came to visit you and you only had a minor meltdown in front of them.  We’ve started to do some more tummy time with you which you actually don’t mind!  But I’m sad to say that this was the last full week with Grandma (your Lao Lao) in town and I know you will both miss each other dearly until she comes back in March.  You just love cuddling with her in her arms.  However, next week you will finally get to meet your other set of Grandparents (Ah Ma and Ah Gong)!  Until then… be good! 

Love,
Mommy

7 lbs. 5 oz.

Dear Austin,

I am so proud to say that your second week of life has improved dramatically since the first week!  You are satisfied with the amount we are feeding you and it’s allowing us all to sleep better.  In the first week, I would syringe in formula supplement into your mouth but this week I decided to switch to a bottle instead.  I know lots of people may frown upon that with “nipple confusion” and all since you are still breastfeeding first before going to bottle in each feeding, but you still have a great latch so I’m not concerned.  Anyhow, you made it back to your birth weight and that’s a great sign!  Your face has changed a lot in the past week and you are really filling out, hehe.  You’ve graduated from being a glow worm (bili blanket) baby because of your weight gain too.  And on Day 10, your umbilical cord stump and plastibel from circumcision both fell off, yay!

 On Saturday, Aunt Seng came over and took some newborn pictures for you.  She sent us some sneak peeks already and we can’t wait to see the rest.  It was a fun session but you did poop all over Daddy’s clothes and Aunt Seng’s white furry prop, oopsie!  Also over the weekend, Grandpa and Grandma went back to California to celebrate your big cousin Evan’s 3rd birthday so you had some quality Mommy and Daddy time, but Grandma came back to help out and it’s been great, especially since Daddy had to go back to work.    But don’t worry, I send him phone pictures of you periodically to ease his stress level at work.  Aunt Lori also paid you a visit and you were so calm in her arms.  You also received a few red envelopes from relatives which you held on to tightly, greedy for money already eh?    You’ve also flashed your adorable smile to us many times now, whether you realize it or not, and it just simply melts all of our hearts.

Love,
Mommy

6 lbs. 7 oz. | 20.5 inches

Dear Austin,

I can’t believe we’ve made it ONE WEEK already.  Time, compared to the end of pregnancy, has just flown right by.  The love that I have for you is beyond measurable.  This past week has probably been one of the toughest weeks of both our lives but take comfort in knowing that things will get better.  Ever since we came home from the hospital, you’ve been a bit fussy and we couldn’t figure out why.  It took us a few days to realize that I wasn’t producing any milk so you were always hungry.  After we talked to the doctor, we increased your feedings with a formula supplement to what a normal newborn should be eating and THAT is when things immediately turned for the better.  We were both able to sleep more and you immediately become a more content baby.  Hopefully at your next doctor’s appointment we will see some weight gain!  But for now, just trust in Mommy that you will get the food you need to grow up.

Some of our favorite things about you are well everything… but in particular… your hairy back and legs, your forehead wrinkles, how you try to keep your eyes open after a feeding even though you are so tired, and your sweet demeanor.  You love listening to your Grandma’s singing voice, laying in Grandpa’s comfy arms, and Daddy’s bedtime stories.  You don’t like it when people touch your feet but it’s my secret weapon for trying to keep you awake while feeding. 

Love,

Mommy

(Birth story still to come!)