Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Thank you!
What an outpouring of love, excitement and support we've been receiving from everyone. Although we don't have capacity to be in touch with each of you individually, please know that we want to be ... we are so grateful for you and for the welcome you've given Mika in her first week of life!
Mika went to her first official pediatric appointment this morning, and the doctor said that she's in wonderful health. Hooray! She's starting to sleep in longer stretches during the day (though not at night), and is so fun to watch. Big sister Gia is happy that all of us are home, and "Mika" is often the first word out of her mouth in the morning.
We are striving to rest as much as possible to stop, to be slow, and to savor what's right here in front of us, knowing that these precious first days and weeks will pass before we know it. Plenty of time is coming to do, to call, to write, to email, to be out and about, and to feel behind on all of those things! We send our love back out to you, and again our thanks for all of the good energy you're sending our way.
Mika went to her first official pediatric appointment this morning, and the doctor said that she's in wonderful health. Hooray! She's starting to sleep in longer stretches during the day (though not at night), and is so fun to watch. Big sister Gia is happy that all of us are home, and "Mika" is often the first word out of her mouth in the morning.
We are striving to rest as much as possible to stop, to be slow, and to savor what's right here in front of us, knowing that these precious first days and weeks will pass before we know it. Plenty of time is coming to do, to call, to write, to email, to be out and about, and to feel behind on all of those things! We send our love back out to you, and again our thanks for all of the good energy you're sending our way.
Home from the Hospital
We returned home on monday after 3 nights at the hospital. With the exception of one or two incidents, we received wonderful care.
Since it was the second time for us, we had a better sense of what to expect so were more at ease than with Gia. This was true for both the surgery itself and the first days caring for Mika.
Amy had bad nausa the first day due to pain medications and in general feels that her recovery is a little slower than last time. We are told this is fairly typical with repeat C-Sections. Nevertheless, she is recovering quickly. She mainly just has difficulty getting in and out of bed (due to how she has to use her abdominal muscles).
Amy's mom and aunt took care of Gia when we were at the hospital and they came to visit each day. There were a couple of awkward moments with Gia. For example, when she first came in the room and saw Drew holding Mika, she gave him a look that seemed to say, "Hey, what are you doing?" But for the most part, she is ecstatic to be a big sister. She really likes to look at Mika and give her hugs and kisses.
We are now just adjusting to being back home. More about that in future post...
Since it was the second time for us, we had a better sense of what to expect so were more at ease than with Gia. This was true for both the surgery itself and the first days caring for Mika.
Amy had bad nausa the first day due to pain medications and in general feels that her recovery is a little slower than last time. We are told this is fairly typical with repeat C-Sections. Nevertheless, she is recovering quickly. She mainly just has difficulty getting in and out of bed (due to how she has to use her abdominal muscles).
Amy's mom and aunt took care of Gia when we were at the hospital and they came to visit each day. There were a couple of awkward moments with Gia. For example, when she first came in the room and saw Drew holding Mika, she gave him a look that seemed to say, "Hey, what are you doing?" But for the most part, she is ecstatic to be a big sister. She really likes to look at Mika and give her hugs and kisses.
We are now just adjusting to being back home. More about that in future post...
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Mika Tokiko Batshaw
On Friday Feb 5 at 8:57am, our second daughter Mika Tokiko Batshaw was born ( 8lbs, 3ozs, 19 inches). Her first name is pronounce Mee-ka. She is named after Drew's wonderful 94 year-old grandfather Manny. Mika is a very special name with meanings in both Hebrew and Japanese. We love that it honors Mika's multiple cultural backgrounds (although it is not Chinese). In Japanese, it means "beautiful smell" and in Hebrew "gift from God." She shares her middle name with Amy's mother, Nancy. It means "Time of opportunity." So we introduce to you, our latest "gift from God," sweet Mika.
Baby, mom, dad, and big sister Gia are all doing well.
Baby, mom, dad, and big sister Gia are all doing well.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Countdown Update!
Dear Friends and Family!
Life is good over here, with less than a day before our next little miracle is scheduled to cross from womb to outside world. We are so grateful. For our good lives, for our health, for our family and friends, for all of the loving support we receive, and for so much more. We know that many of you are curious about what's been going on here, so here's a little update ...
Yes, Baby Girl #2 is another cesarean baby (Gia was late, about 8.5 lbs, and blocked by a fibroid), and this time we're relieved about it (it makes things a lot easier to arrange, especially for care for Gia). Unless this little passenger makes the unlikely decision to arrive today, she'll be here tomorrow, February 5th, sometime after 8:30 am. We're planning to call parents and sibs and send out a text to a few close friends tomorrow, and we'll send out a more official announcement to everyone this weekend. My sister Wendy has generously agreed to come to the hospital to support Drew, new baby and me tomorrow as her niece enters the world, and my mom and Auntie Alice will be with Gia this weekend while we're in the hospital. Of course, Gia will get to come visit, probably every day (she can hardly wait!), and Drew will also make a couple of trips home so that Gia feels more comfortable and included. We're planning to have a few visitors at the hospital, knowing that whatever rest we can manage will be crucial, and we'll look forward to many more (healthy!) visitors after we return home.
We're feeling ... excited to meet and welcome her, a little nervous, as prepared as we can be, but still unprepared, and ready to welcome the mystery and magic that birth brings. Holy moly -- is it really happening TOMORROW?? Big Sister Gia is also preparing, and very excited that "baby shister" will finally "come out!" Of course, Gia has already coveted and claimed the present she chose for her baby sister ... a stuffed monkey that "Gia loves! Gia keep!" and has named "Gogo," along with a monkey lunchbox that she refers to as "Gogo's house." She has determined that her sister should have "different monkey." However, in Gia's defense, she's looking forward to giving her hugs, kisses, binkies and bottles, and this morning as we cuddled up, she declared that she was happy she would get to meet her sister tomorrow. "Yes," she's excited, "no" she's not sad or angry. I think she's really going to love being a big sister, and having "our baby" here. I'm sure that over the weeks and months, that she'll have lots of different feelings and reactions for us to process together ... We'll see what happens, and you can bet that we'll share stories here on the blog!
At 39 weeks, I'm feeling positive and relatively strong and healthy, though tired and big. Sleep has been an elusive old friend (really for more than 2 years, but even moreso in the last few months), but eventually we'll be reconciled. During the immediate upcoming potential sleep deprivation, I probably won't even care, because I'll have a fresh new baby in my arms! At the moment, I have a bit of upper back pain, sciatic pain, round ligament pain, mild swelling and slowness of moving ... things possibly worth complaining about, unless one is pregnant, in which case it's No Big Deal. I've been fortunate enough to take yoga and bar classes 3-5 times a week for the past few months, and I know that it's really helped my body, mind and spirit relax, strengthen and prepare. And will hopefully help me recover quickly and easily from surgery so that I can be as available and present as possible for my sweet family.
Drew recently started a full-time, short-term contract job, and he's enjoying the challenge and opportunity to both learn and contribute to a company called Fort Hill (they help people and companies maximize their learning and results from training programs). It's been a big shift in the rhythm of our lives, requiring both of us to give a lot more to the family system. A challenge when my energy is rapidly decreasing, and yet we're grateful for all of it. Fortunately, he gets to work from home (no commute time!) and he has the flexibility to take off some time when the baby comes.
My mom has also generously volunteered to take off a couple of weeks for us ... Gia will be absolutely thrilled to have Nana around more, and I know that her help with Gia, the new baby and with us, will be invaluable. Drew's parents are coming out from DC to visit at the end of the month, and we're looking forward to seeing them and introducing them to their sixth (!) grandchild.
Today will us nesting, cleaning and hopefully resting. We're picking up Gia early from school so we can have one last "3 of us" afternoon and dinner together, and we plan to go to bed early. Hope we can sleep! Please feel free to comment and send us positive vibes and let us know what's going on with you ... know that we will love the connection, AND that we probably won't respond because we need to conserve energy for the big stuff that lies ahead tomorrow. Thanks for understanding!
With love and gratitude for you,
Amy, Drew, Gia and Baby-to-be :o}
Life is good over here, with less than a day before our next little miracle is scheduled to cross from womb to outside world. We are so grateful. For our good lives, for our health, for our family and friends, for all of the loving support we receive, and for so much more. We know that many of you are curious about what's been going on here, so here's a little update ...
Yes, Baby Girl #2 is another cesarean baby (Gia was late, about 8.5 lbs, and blocked by a fibroid), and this time we're relieved about it (it makes things a lot easier to arrange, especially for care for Gia). Unless this little passenger makes the unlikely decision to arrive today, she'll be here tomorrow, February 5th, sometime after 8:30 am. We're planning to call parents and sibs and send out a text to a few close friends tomorrow, and we'll send out a more official announcement to everyone this weekend. My sister Wendy has generously agreed to come to the hospital to support Drew, new baby and me tomorrow as her niece enters the world, and my mom and Auntie Alice will be with Gia this weekend while we're in the hospital. Of course, Gia will get to come visit, probably every day (she can hardly wait!), and Drew will also make a couple of trips home so that Gia feels more comfortable and included. We're planning to have a few visitors at the hospital, knowing that whatever rest we can manage will be crucial, and we'll look forward to many more (healthy!) visitors after we return home.
We're feeling ... excited to meet and welcome her, a little nervous, as prepared as we can be, but still unprepared, and ready to welcome the mystery and magic that birth brings. Holy moly -- is it really happening TOMORROW?? Big Sister Gia is also preparing, and very excited that "baby shister" will finally "come out!" Of course, Gia has already coveted and claimed the present she chose for her baby sister ... a stuffed monkey that "Gia loves! Gia keep!" and has named "Gogo," along with a monkey lunchbox that she refers to as "Gogo's house." She has determined that her sister should have "different monkey." However, in Gia's defense, she's looking forward to giving her hugs, kisses, binkies and bottles, and this morning as we cuddled up, she declared that she was happy she would get to meet her sister tomorrow. "Yes," she's excited, "no" she's not sad or angry. I think she's really going to love being a big sister, and having "our baby" here. I'm sure that over the weeks and months, that she'll have lots of different feelings and reactions for us to process together ... We'll see what happens, and you can bet that we'll share stories here on the blog!
At 39 weeks, I'm feeling positive and relatively strong and healthy, though tired and big. Sleep has been an elusive old friend (really for more than 2 years, but even moreso in the last few months), but eventually we'll be reconciled. During the immediate upcoming potential sleep deprivation, I probably won't even care, because I'll have a fresh new baby in my arms! At the moment, I have a bit of upper back pain, sciatic pain, round ligament pain, mild swelling and slowness of moving ... things possibly worth complaining about, unless one is pregnant, in which case it's No Big Deal. I've been fortunate enough to take yoga and bar classes 3-5 times a week for the past few months, and I know that it's really helped my body, mind and spirit relax, strengthen and prepare. And will hopefully help me recover quickly and easily from surgery so that I can be as available and present as possible for my sweet family.
Drew recently started a full-time, short-term contract job, and he's enjoying the challenge and opportunity to both learn and contribute to a company called Fort Hill (they help people and companies maximize their learning and results from training programs). It's been a big shift in the rhythm of our lives, requiring both of us to give a lot more to the family system. A challenge when my energy is rapidly decreasing, and yet we're grateful for all of it. Fortunately, he gets to work from home (no commute time!) and he has the flexibility to take off some time when the baby comes.
My mom has also generously volunteered to take off a couple of weeks for us ... Gia will be absolutely thrilled to have Nana around more, and I know that her help with Gia, the new baby and with us, will be invaluable. Drew's parents are coming out from DC to visit at the end of the month, and we're looking forward to seeing them and introducing them to their sixth (!) grandchild.
Today will us nesting, cleaning and hopefully resting. We're picking up Gia early from school so we can have one last "3 of us" afternoon and dinner together, and we plan to go to bed early. Hope we can sleep! Please feel free to comment and send us positive vibes and let us know what's going on with you ... know that we will love the connection, AND that we probably won't respond because we need to conserve energy for the big stuff that lies ahead tomorrow. Thanks for understanding!
With love and gratitude for you,
Amy, Drew, Gia and Baby-to-be :o}
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