Here are some recent photos. The last one is proof that she is eating well. :)
Friday, September 18, 2009
She's growing already
We went to the doctor today for Norah's two week check up and turns out she's already gained a whole pound! She's now 7 lbs 9 oz and 20 inches long. Our little girl is already growing! We're so thankful that she's growing and doing well. I'm learning to cherish these times when she's a little baby.
Here are some recent photos. The last one is proof that she is eating well. :)
Here are some recent photos. The last one is proof that she is eating well. :)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
A Baby Story
When I was pregnant I would watch TLC's "A Baby Story" and always end up in tears when the baby was born. I wondered what my own baby story would be like as anticipation welled up inside of me. Only the Lord knew what my labor and delivery would be like so I had no choice but to lift it up to Him and trust that He knew best.
Ray and I really wanted to go to CBC's annual retreat. We made it for the first night and thought maybe Norah would wait just long enough for us to stay. Norah, on the other hand, had plans of her own. After a long night of strong but irregular contractions, I woke up with the feeling that labor would happen soon. As soon as I told this to Ray, I felt my water break at 7:30 a.m. We rushed to the hospital and by 8 am I was having strong and regular contractions...craziness!
We got to the hospital by 9 am after making a McDonalds detour for some sausage mcmuffin with egg. I was a sight to behold - a 9 month pregnant lady stuffing her face with McDonalds in the car inbetween painful contractions. I couldn't help by laugh at myself. Anyways, when we got to Cedars Sinai I was admitted to the pre-labor room where I experienced contractions for another 2 1/2 hours until I got the epidural around 11 am. By then I was 4-5 cm dilated. I was then given a the smallest dose of pitocin to help things along and moved to the actual labor and delivery room. One important note: I LOVE EPIDURAL!!! Praise God for the comforts of modern medicine. I don't think I could've gone through without it. :)
After the epidural it was just a matter of waiting. We expected to be ready to push around 8 pm since the nurses said it takes about 1-2 hours to dilate just one cm. So, I got comfortable and enjoyed Cedars' delicious italian ice pops. At 3 pm I had a fun conversation with my sister on the phone where I told her I still had to wait a while, and got another exam as soon as I hung up. Lo and behold, by 3:15 or so I was fully dilated and Norah was ready to come out!! I couldn't believe it all happened so fast. Doctor Sumen arrived at 3:45 and after about four sets of pushes, Norah emerged into this world at 4:09 pm. God was SO gracious to have me push for only 20 minutes - something that rarely happens with your first baby.
The doctor put Norah directly onto my belly after she was born and though I thought I would be bawling, I was actually laughing and just utterly relieved and amazed that she was healthy and that everything had gone so smoothly. Ray bravely cut the umbilical cord as the nurses cleaned up the baby. Having my baby in my arms was such a precious moment that I will truly cherish.
That's the birth story in a nutshell. We stayed at the hospital for 2 nights and came home on Monday morning. Since then it seems like it's been one long day. God is definitely giving us grace, though, despite all of the physical and emotional difficulties. When I'm tempted to give in to discouragement and sadness, I know that the Lord is near. I've been meditating on the Psalms and especially Psalm 24. God is my refuge and I know that He will continue to strengthen us for ALL that we need. I know we'll look back on this time with warm fuzzies, even though it's difficult now.
Praise God for His wonderful blessings. We can't believe we have a daughter and that we are parents!
Ray and I really wanted to go to CBC's annual retreat. We made it for the first night and thought maybe Norah would wait just long enough for us to stay. Norah, on the other hand, had plans of her own. After a long night of strong but irregular contractions, I woke up with the feeling that labor would happen soon. As soon as I told this to Ray, I felt my water break at 7:30 a.m. We rushed to the hospital and by 8 am I was having strong and regular contractions...craziness!
We got to the hospital by 9 am after making a McDonalds detour for some sausage mcmuffin with egg. I was a sight to behold - a 9 month pregnant lady stuffing her face with McDonalds in the car inbetween painful contractions. I couldn't help by laugh at myself. Anyways, when we got to Cedars Sinai I was admitted to the pre-labor room where I experienced contractions for another 2 1/2 hours until I got the epidural around 11 am. By then I was 4-5 cm dilated. I was then given a the smallest dose of pitocin to help things along and moved to the actual labor and delivery room. One important note: I LOVE EPIDURAL!!! Praise God for the comforts of modern medicine. I don't think I could've gone through without it. :)
After the epidural it was just a matter of waiting. We expected to be ready to push around 8 pm since the nurses said it takes about 1-2 hours to dilate just one cm. So, I got comfortable and enjoyed Cedars' delicious italian ice pops. At 3 pm I had a fun conversation with my sister on the phone where I told her I still had to wait a while, and got another exam as soon as I hung up. Lo and behold, by 3:15 or so I was fully dilated and Norah was ready to come out!! I couldn't believe it all happened so fast. Doctor Sumen arrived at 3:45 and after about four sets of pushes, Norah emerged into this world at 4:09 pm. God was SO gracious to have me push for only 20 minutes - something that rarely happens with your first baby.
The doctor put Norah directly onto my belly after she was born and though I thought I would be bawling, I was actually laughing and just utterly relieved and amazed that she was healthy and that everything had gone so smoothly. Ray bravely cut the umbilical cord as the nurses cleaned up the baby. Having my baby in my arms was such a precious moment that I will truly cherish.
That's the birth story in a nutshell. We stayed at the hospital for 2 nights and came home on Monday morning. Since then it seems like it's been one long day. God is definitely giving us grace, though, despite all of the physical and emotional difficulties. When I'm tempted to give in to discouragement and sadness, I know that the Lord is near. I've been meditating on the Psalms and especially Psalm 24. God is my refuge and I know that He will continue to strengthen us for ALL that we need. I know we'll look back on this time with warm fuzzies, even though it's difficult now.
Praise God for His wonderful blessings. We can't believe we have a daughter and that we are parents!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Introducing Norah Sae-Yeon Kim!
Norah was born at 4:09 p.m. on Saturday, September 5.
6 lbs, 8 oz
19 inches long
Praise the Lord for such a beautiful gift. He is so good and faithful!
6 lbs, 8 oz
19 inches long
Praise the Lord for such a beautiful gift. He is so good and faithful!
Coming soon: Jane's birth story
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Some Recent Pictures
Here are some pictures of Norah's room. I wanted to go for a soothing, feminine look that wasn't overly girly. Hope she likes it!
My belly at 37 weeks!
Let's Try Blogger
I've been mulling over which online journal service to use for a while now. So far, I've tried xanga and wordpress. I like the clean look of wordpress and had my account for about a year, but thought it wasn't as user friendly, so now I'm going to try this blogger thing. Plus, I like how I can link pictures directly from Picasa to blogger.
Hopefully this blog will be used to chronicle the happenings of the Kim family, especially the imminent the arrival of Norah Sae-Yeon Kim!
Currently, I am 2 cm dilated and Norah's head is in the "ready" position. We're praying that Norah chooses to make her grand entrance after the annual Cornerstone retreat, which is this weekend. It wouldn't be fun driving from Ontario to Cedars Sinai in West Hollywood while enduring contractions!
All in all, Ray and I are in good spirits. We're super excited to meet our daughter, who, though we've never met, we love so much already. I do have my occasional moments of panic, but the Lord has been so good to remind me of his faithfulness and goodness when I am tempted to worry and fear. I've been meditating on Psalm 23 and singing the Sovereign Grace song over and over in my head. Indeed, the Lord is my good shepherd, leading and guiding me. His peace is covering over my heart and while abiding in Him I shall not lack any good thing!
Hopefully this blog will be used to chronicle the happenings of the Kim family, especially the imminent the arrival of Norah Sae-Yeon Kim!
Currently, I am 2 cm dilated and Norah's head is in the "ready" position. We're praying that Norah chooses to make her grand entrance after the annual Cornerstone retreat, which is this weekend. It wouldn't be fun driving from Ontario to Cedars Sinai in West Hollywood while enduring contractions!
All in all, Ray and I are in good spirits. We're super excited to meet our daughter, who, though we've never met, we love so much already. I do have my occasional moments of panic, but the Lord has been so good to remind me of his faithfulness and goodness when I am tempted to worry and fear. I've been meditating on Psalm 23 and singing the Sovereign Grace song over and over in my head. Indeed, the Lord is my good shepherd, leading and guiding me. His peace is covering over my heart and while abiding in Him I shall not lack any good thing!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
