Advantage of Waking Up in the Middle of the Night

The last two months Meliya has been waking up about 2 times in the middle of the night.  For more than a week she has been only waking up about once in the middle of the night.

I have been getting enough sleep, about 6-8 hours a day, of course not continuous though.  Although it isn't the funnest thing to get up in the middle of the night, I try to think about the positives regarding the nighttime waking.

First, it is private, quiet time for Meliya and me.  Alvin has already been super helpful during the day, and so the nighttime feedings are just Meliya and me.    As we sit there in the dark while she eats, I savor the time together (although sometimes we both fall asleep in the rocking chair for a little bit).

Second, the internet is fast in the middle of the night.  After I feed her, I will go check the computer for email and also Facebook now.  Facebook is usually slow to load up here at our house in the daytime, but super fast in the middle of the night.

Hmm, I feel like I should have a third reason, but I can't think of one right now.  After all, even though there are positives, in the end I hope one day there will be no more need for nighttime feedings.  Until then, I will try to think about the positives.

Packing

As of  yesterday, I started to pack. We won't be bringing back that many items, since we are borrowing some baby stuff from friends and family back home.  It is exciting to be heading back to the states.

I am a little scared about the plane ride.  I think Meliya will be sleeping most of the time, but lately she can be a fussy during nursing because she has too much gas and won't eat, but is really hungry.  Well, we will see how she will survive the 12 hour plane ride. 

4 more days until we head back ...

Thankful

It really seems like these last 8 weeks have been a total blur.  I think about how much Meliya has grown and changed even in just the last few weeks, and it makes me excited to think about what she'll be like a month from now or 3 months from now.

We find ourselves very thankful these days - not just because it's Thanksgiving season, but simply out of a reflection of where He has brought us over the last few years.  Transitioning to life overseas has, I would say, been quite smooth - we're thankful for His provision and for the strong support of our friends and family.  We're thankful for Meliya, and just for how everything worked out throughout Bethany's pregnancy leading up to Meliya's birth in Beijing.  I'm thankful for my wife - it's amazing to me how she is able to take care of Meliya tirelessly each day.


We're thankful for the chance to head back to the States for a bit to catch up with friends and family.  There is a little bit of trepidation because of the new experiences we'll be encountering (traveling with an infant, seeing if she'll sleep well in new and different surroundings).  But, if it means being able to eat good sushi and have faster internet that what we're getting these days, then it's well worth it to me.

Oh yes, and we're thankful that Meliya is learning to smile ever so slightly once in a while...

Two Bears

Here is Meliya with her friend bear.


Ok, this is a little wrong, but sometimes new parents need a little humor in their lives.  

Ready to be Back in the States

I am really excited to be back in the states.  We will be arriving back to LA around Dec. 1st and I already want to start packing.  Alvin keeps telling me that it is a little too early, so instead of packing I made a list of what to pack.

I can't wait to see friends and family.  I think I am excited to be mobile in a car, although I really enjoy walking to places now.  I am excited to go to a Target and to be able to be out in public without being yelled at for being outside with a young child.  (The other day some strangers told me I should go home because the baby is too young.)

Some friends have asked what foods will I enjoy eating when I get home.  Alvin says he really wants sushi.  I am torn between Rubio's Fish Taco or Noah's sundried tomato bagel with lox schmear.  Mmm.  I also look forward to eating fish at home.  Hmm, it looks like the theme is fish.  It is definitely hard to get fresh fish out here in the desert.

I also would like some fro-yo, but I have heard there are some new trends these days for Asian style desserts.  Any new foods you would recommend me to try?  If you were living out East for two and half years, what food would you crave?

Best Meliya Pictures from Day 44

Yes, we're becoming the kind of first-time parents who take pictures of their baby doing the absolute most meaningless things - "Look!  She's lying down!  How cute!" - and we shoot 80 pictures in a period of 3 minutes just to pull out that one split second when she was looking at the camera with an expression that might be interpreted as a faint smile.  And those pictures are pretty much the only ones that we post to the internet, so that everyone in the world says, "She's so adorable!  I just want to squeeze her cheeks!  How did you get her to smile like that?  Ahhh, so much hair!"

But oh well... Meliya is only 6 weeks old once.  So, here they are.  Enjoy.  :)

She is gaining weight and growing taller.  And in the last few days, she has begun making sounds other than those of crying or uncontrollable bodily functions.  She's starting to coo and say things like, "oooooh..."  When she's calm and alert, I can maybe get about a minute of dialogue with her where I make that sound and then she repeats it back to me (most of the time).  That minute has become one of the highlights of my day.

Each day goes by really quickly nowadays.  There's just quite a bit to do to keep a newborn continually well-fed, clean, and rested.  Our days are lived out in something like 3-hour cycles.  And before you know it, it's already past 9pm.

We have less than 3 weeks before we head back to the States for a bit.  It has been good getting into a routine over the past few weeks here - good for Meliya, and good for us.  But, we're about to see that routine get disrupted as we travel and then spend a few months in a much different place.  Nonetheless, we are excited to be back in the States for a bit, and we're excited to see our friends and family in person again (and for Meliya to be able to meet them all too!).

Anonymous Facebook Fan?

As some of you may know, I never was a big Facebook person.  Every few months I would go on just to check on the latest notifications. Recently though, some of you may have noticed my Facebook page has been consistently updated with pictures of Meliya.  The reason is because I have been hacked.  My husband, Mr. Anti-Facebook, now has interest in having the world see pictures of his daughter, so he has now logged on and started posting pictures.  The other day, I looked on the Facebook page and showed him a picture of one of our friend's new baby, and I said, "this is cute."  Alvin said to me, "yeah I know, you already said you 'liked' it online," implying that he clicked the "like it" comment to that picture.  Hacked!