Baby R’s first 4th of July!

We really packed our weekend, visiting both sets of parents! This was our busiest weekend since having the baby. It felt a little like our pre-baby days, except it was waaaaay more tiring. It was a little stressful–driving with a baby & breaking our routine–but overall pretty fun! The time spent with family was worth the tiredness and stress.

We found it much easier this time around to participate and be present. (probably because Baby R can go longer between feeds now) It was so nice!! At Jake’s parents’ we played some Kan Jam, had homemade sushi (courtesy of his brothers), played a board game called Say Anything, and had dinner & dessert! It was surprising how much we were able to do– such a drastic difference from our first visit just a couple of weeks ago. Jake’s parents and one of his brothers took turns holding Baby R. It’s so sweet how loved she is. And so nice to get a break from holding her!

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The highlight of visiting Cindy’s parents’ was watching all the illegal fireworks, from the comfort of Cindy’s childhood bedroom. Jake had never seen so many illegal fireworks in his life. A family was setting them off just 2 houses over from Cindy’s parents’. It made Jake a little nervous how close the fireworks were shooting off from us…one of the fireworks had tipped over and shot sideways. We kept the window closed in case one shot towards the house. And also to protect Baby R’s ears. Strangely, Baby R slept soundly through all the loud booms…we keep joking that it’s probably because she can’t hear the booms…since she failed her hearing test…again… She’ll be retested in a couple of weeks.

We capped off the night with Baby R’s one-month-old celebration cake! It is tradition in Chinese culture to have a big one-month-old celebration. Traditionally, the parents would throw a banquet for friends and family. Instead, Cindy’s parents bought a cake and we celebrated just us. We can’t believe Baby R is a month old!

Quick caterpillar update: Almost all caterpillars have cocooned!

Postpartum Updates: Week 4

Jake took Baby R one of the mornings and let Cindy sleep in. She didn’t wake up until 10am! She hadn’t felt that well rested since before the baby!

We’ve noticed we’ve become more snappy with one another– the sleep deprivation is making us less patient and more grumpy. Even though there’s been more snarky comments, there’s also been more grace being shown. We have to actively remind ourselves to be patient, loving, kind, and supportive. It’s not as romantic to sometimes force these things, but we feel its important so we don’t drift apart or grow resentful.

Jake loves Victorious (the show) and one day, in an attempt to soothe Baby R, asked Google to play some songs from the show. “Freak the Freak Out” came on and it instantly calmed Baby R. It works like magic and calms her every. single. time. We basically have that song playing 24/7 now.

As for Cindy’s healing, she’s feeling muuuch better. It doesn’t hurt down there anymore. She’s still spotting, so no pool time yet. She has her postpartum check up this next week and, if cleared, is ready to get back into some light exercise. She’s hoping to get some pelvic floor PT in. Even though she stayed active and worked on her pelvic floor throughout pregnancy, she can still tell things are weaker, looser, and not the same.