Monday, July 28, 2003
Week 16 - Check up time...
Mom had her last prenatal check up on Friday at the start of Week 16. We went in, Mom got weighed in (no gain since last time), nurse checked Baby's heartrate, and we're done! All is well with Mom and Baby. Man, that wasn't worth the $5 copay. We'll see our doctor in Week 22. But! We'll find out the sex of Baby Chen in Week 20 at Mom 30 minute measure-everything-possible ultrasound appointment - that's assuming that Baby isn't shy. =)
Sunday, July 20, 2003
Week 15 - Hugging each other, and then some...
So Mom and Dad were just being affectionate as usual, hugging in the middle of the kitchen, when... hey! We can't get as close to each other like before! What happened?
Well, it looks like Baby Chen is starting to take over more of Mom's tummy and making its presence known to both of us. The little alien is definitely growing and is supposed to be about 4-5 inches long from crown to rump. Mom is even starting to notice that she can't lay on her stomach comfortably anymore (not that she's supposed to, she's already sleeping on her side regularily). So everytime we hug now we feel a growing bump in between the two of us. "I feel like we're so far from each other," says Mom. Just wait a few more months, Mom.
Well, it looks like Baby Chen is starting to take over more of Mom's tummy and making its presence known to both of us. The little alien is definitely growing and is supposed to be about 4-5 inches long from crown to rump. Mom is even starting to notice that she can't lay on her stomach comfortably anymore (not that she's supposed to, she's already sleeping on her side regularily). So everytime we hug now we feel a growing bump in between the two of us. "I feel like we're so far from each other," says Mom. Just wait a few more months, Mom.
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
Week 14 - A crib to sleep in...
So Mom and Dad were too eager this last weekend and decided to shop for cribs! After hours of searching all the different baby furniture stores in Sacramento, weighing all the pros and cons of various crib types/manufacturers/styles/color/price, we narrowed it down to two and by this time had Grandma Owyang in tow to help us decide which one to get. It came down to the Pali Ashley crib and the Pali April crib.
After another hour of debate, we finally settled on the Ashley from Goore's and knocked off another 5% for their week long 4th of July sale. There's more; some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Grandma Owyang was generous enough to offer and buy the crib for us! Thanks Grandma! The bad news is we have to wait 8-10 weeks before we can pick it up. Bummer.
After another hour of debate, we finally settled on the Ashley from Goore's and knocked off another 5% for their week long 4th of July sale. There's more; some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Grandma Owyang was generous enough to offer and buy the crib for us! Thanks Grandma! The bad news is we have to wait 8-10 weeks before we can pick it up. Bummer.
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Commenting on Baby Chen...
Dad has tweaked this blog to include comments/discussion boards/etc. Hopefully we'll be publishing this to the world pretty soon. Ultimately, Dad would like to archive everything here and save it off for the little one to see once he/she is older. That'll be very cool. =)
The comments are being hosted by: www.haloscan.com. Took Dad a whole five minutes to set it all up.
The comments are being hosted by: www.haloscan.com. Took Dad a whole five minutes to set it all up.
Monday, July 14, 2003
Week 14 - Baby Chen runs at 150-160 bpm!
So here's the email update Dad sent off to a few friends before posting here. It's about our new baby monitor!
------------------
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2003 9:54 AM
Subject: Baby Chen runs at 150-160 bpm!
Here’s a quick update on the Chen addition. We’re in the middle of week 14 of the pregnancy (yay!), and Kristen is still hanging in there with only some “evening” sickness and a much better appetite. Her tummy is starting to get a little bigger, but since K lost some weight during the first trimester, no maternity closes just yet.
Since it’s really exciting (and anxious at times) with our first baby, we rented a neat-o baby monitor to listen to its heartbeat whenever we want. Yes, you can find them on the internet, where else? Anyway, the coolest part about the monitor is that you can actually record the heartbeat and then play it back to any recording device, like a computer! So yes, we’ve gone overboard and you all can download our little alien’s heartbeat. You can find it on our download web page: http://www.geocities.com/darrinchen/baby_chen.htm
The recording is about 30 seconds and you can hear Kristen’s heartbeat as well in the last 3-5 seconds. The baby’s heart rate is within the normal rate of 120-180 beats per minute (bpm) at this stage of pregnancy.
Pretty exciting, eh! Hope you all enjoy the sounds. I know we do every night. =) Expect our next update after K has her ultrasound sometime towards the middle/end of August. We’ll be finding out the sex of the baby then.
Darrin
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For more info on the baby doppler, you can find it here: http://www.babybeat.com.
------------------
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2003 9:54 AM
Subject: Baby Chen runs at 150-160 bpm!
Here’s a quick update on the Chen addition. We’re in the middle of week 14 of the pregnancy (yay!), and Kristen is still hanging in there with only some “evening” sickness and a much better appetite. Her tummy is starting to get a little bigger, but since K lost some weight during the first trimester, no maternity closes just yet.
Since it’s really exciting (and anxious at times) with our first baby, we rented a neat-o baby monitor to listen to its heartbeat whenever we want. Yes, you can find them on the internet, where else? Anyway, the coolest part about the monitor is that you can actually record the heartbeat and then play it back to any recording device, like a computer! So yes, we’ve gone overboard and you all can download our little alien’s heartbeat. You can find it on our download web page: http://www.geocities.com/darrinchen/baby_chen.htm
The recording is about 30 seconds and you can hear Kristen’s heartbeat as well in the last 3-5 seconds. The baby’s heart rate is within the normal rate of 120-180 beats per minute (bpm) at this stage of pregnancy.
Pretty exciting, eh! Hope you all enjoy the sounds. I know we do every night. =) Expect our next update after K has her ultrasound sometime towards the middle/end of August. We’ll be finding out the sex of the baby then.
Darrin
-------------------
For more info on the baby doppler, you can find it here: http://www.babybeat.com.
Week 12 - Baby Chen is announced to the world!
Mom and Dad finally get to announce the great news! That's right, we're having a baby! We've been so excited and can finally tell everyone!
This message was sent on July 2, 2003:
----------------
From: Kristen Owyang
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2003 11:10 PM
Subject: More Chen family news...
Hi Everyone!
Darrin & I finally have something positive to share with our friends. We are happy to announce that there will be a new addition to the Davis Gang soon. Baby Chen is expected to arrive January 8, 2004 give or take a couple of weeks.
Today marks the first day of the second trimester. It's been a long and anxious three months but we are finally past the riskiest stage. We got to see the little alien during the ultrasound last week. Baby is doing well. It's about three inches long and has already developed all of its body parts and organs and now just needs to grow. It was so amazing to see the baby moving around and doing flips.
As for me I'm starting to feel better now after suffering through almost two months of all day nausea.
Still haven't gotten over the fatigue. I can't believe how much I"ve slept recently. 
Which explains why we haven't been going to any of the Davis Gang get-togethers. It's amazing how something so little can take over your body.
You can find the most recent ultrasound pictures on our download web page: http://www.geocities.com/darrinchen/baby_chen.htm We can't wait to find out the sex of the baby at our next ultrasound in August so we can stop referring to the baby as "it."
Looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend!
-Kristen
This message was sent on July 2, 2003:
----------------
From: Kristen Owyang
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2003 11:10 PM
Subject: More Chen family news...
Hi Everyone!
Darrin & I finally have something positive to share with our friends. We are happy to announce that there will be a new addition to the Davis Gang soon. Baby Chen is expected to arrive January 8, 2004 give or take a couple of weeks.
Today marks the first day of the second trimester. It's been a long and anxious three months but we are finally past the riskiest stage. We got to see the little alien during the ultrasound last week. Baby is doing well. It's about three inches long and has already developed all of its body parts and organs and now just needs to grow. It was so amazing to see the baby moving around and doing flips.
As for me I'm starting to feel better now after suffering through almost two months of all day nausea.
Still haven't gotten over the fatigue. I can't believe how much I"ve slept recently. Which explains why we haven't been going to any of the Davis Gang get-togethers. It's amazing how something so little can take over your body.
You can find the most recent ultrasound pictures on our download web page: http://www.geocities.com/darrinchen/baby_chen.htm We can't wait to find out the sex of the baby at our next ultrasound in August so we can stop referring to the baby as "it."
Looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend!
-Kristen
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