The Tongue

It’s the tongue!!

Sounds like a cheap horror movie, doesn’t it?  But it isn’t.  Tomoe’s been extremely active lately, and she’s been sticking her tongue out a lot.  It’s normal, as she’s discovering how to use her body.  Before, she was playing around with her hands and watching them.  Now, it’s her tongue.

That’s not all that’s been developing recently.  Tomoe’s becoming mobile!  She nearly turned herself over this week, making it onto her side, but not quite onto her stomach.  She’s also been pushing herself around with her feet while she’s on her back.  We have a small sofa that unfolds into a mattress that she’s been lying on, but she’s nearly pushed herself onto the floor head first.  So, we tried putting her on the floor, on a cork mat used to prevent damage to the floor from our trampoline.  Well, she turned herself around by 90 degrees.

On her stomach for tummy time, she’s beginning to push up with her arms.  She doesn’t quite get it, though.  She can keep her head high despite not mastering the push-up.  But that’s okay, as it’s expected to happen by 4 months old.

She’s getting good at sitting up with support, and enjoys it far more than lying down.  She can take her own weight on her feet, as well.  Of course, she can’t stand, but her legs are pretty strong now.  She has a powerful kick!

She’s been extremely vocal, too.  She often talks by herself, experimenting with different sounds.  She’s done raspberry sounds, and can often say things like “ba,” “ma,” “buuu,” “mom,” “aaa-uuu,” and so on.  It sounds cute, but there are times when she gets irritable and won’t stop complaining.  It’s most likely discomfort from gas, as she isn’t hungry nor does she need a diaper change.  She’s just noisy!  All day, all the time.  It’s easy to get frustrated, but we have to be patient.

Her sleeping habits are becoming more routine.  She sleeps through the night quite often and has a couple naps during the day.  But sometimes, she suddenly wakes up because she’s hungry.  We need to break the habit of a nighttime feeding.

She’s finally becoming more interested in toys.  She has one rattle-like toy that has bells in it that she will hold if given to her.  She’ll look at it a lot, but not play with it.

It’s an exciting time for Tomoe’s development right now.  So much is happening, and she’s changing so fast!  I can’t believe she’s probably around 8 kg now.  Coming soon is her 4 month checkup and immunizations.

Moody baby discovers her hands!

Lately, Tomoe hasn’t been taking naps well at all during the day.  She’s been spending her day awake and crying.  She’s full, but keeps crying.  Her diaper’s been changed, but keeps crying.  She drools a lot, but she doesn’t seem to be teething.  Still a little early for that.  She just doesn’t settle down.  She only seems to settle down if she’s being held or if she’s outside.  I’ve been finding it difficult to do any blogging or writing.

Tomoe’s definitely developing at a fast pace mentally.  She’s extremely aware of her surroundings now.  She watches everything.  She focuses on us when we speak, and she’s very attentive about how we speak.  If I talk to her, she’ll stare at me and follow my mouth movements.  She often smiles when I talk to her.  She’s beginning to make sounds that are almost laughs.  Can’t to wait to hear her laugh.

She’s also found out that those hands that are waving around in front of her are actually hers.  She’s gaining control of them, and now directs them to her mouth to suck on.  Whenever I hear a kissing sound from her, I know she’s sucking on her hand.  She’s also grasping at things, usually a finger, her blanket or my wife’s lip or hair.

She sleeps quite well at night these days, probably because she’s awake all day.  I think the longest was more than 8 hours in one stretch.

Now that she’s looking around a lot and she’s probably restless while laying down alone, we need to consider getting her a toy that hangs above her so she can be occupied and stimulated.  We saw something at Akachan Honpo that looks good.

In other news, a couple other Japan bloggers have just had babies of their own, David of Ogijima and Salaryman of Foreign Salaryman in Tokyo. Congrats!

And now, a picture.

Oh no! What did I just do??? (Actually, she's asleep and her mom put her hands like this)

Tomoe, 3 weeks old

Tomoe’s 3 weeks old!  The past 3 days have shown some ups and downs, though.

Last night, she slept well, and I could actually sleep the full night.  The night before, she would not sleep until 5 am.  She would only sleep if she was sleeping with us.  So, she finally went to sleep on our bed with us.  Last night, she slept in her own bed perfectly fine.  Tonight, she’s a bit fussy again.  She’s been really hungry, and wouldn’t stop demanding food.  Finally, we filled her up just a few minutes ago.  She’s now in her new bed on a bed.  That’s right, she has a new bed, but it’s a small mattress that she can use on our bed.  It’s designed to keep her in one place, so she doesn’t move around, and also to keep us from rolling onto her.

Tomoe's new bed on a bed.

Now, my question is, do you or did you let your baby sleep in your bed with you?  It’s quite common in Japan, but in Canada, I believe it’s not so common.  If you allow your baby to sleep with you regularly, they won’t get out of this habit until they’re 3 years old.  Hopefully, we don’t make this too regular.

Tomoe, 12 days old

Today was a big day for a couple reasons.  First, we registered Tomoe with city office, which I already wrote about.  Second, I changed her diaper.  That’s right, I managed to avoid changing her diaper in the past 4 days, but I got to do it today.

I was feeding Tomoe, and when she finished, she relaxed comfortably in my arms while I made faces at her (more on that later).  She started making faces back at me, but not in response to me making faces.  I suddenly felt and heard an explosion.  She took a rather soupy poop.  My wife asked me to change her diaper, and when I took it off of her, I noticed that she pooped a lot.  Gee, thanks.  My wife describes her poop as “tuna curry.”  It has the colour of curry.  Well, I did eventually get her diaper changed, after she put her own foot in her poop.

Tonight, she’s been quite peaceful.  She’s been sleeping very well today and not so fussy.  But newborn babies tend to be irritable in the late evening, but sleep well during the day.  That seems to be true for Tomoe, but she’s been good so far tonight (it’s not over yet!).

As I said before, I was making faces at her.  There’s a reason for this.  Babies her age tend to focus on people’s faces all the time.  They like to watch the mouth and eyebrows more than the eyes.  So, according to Baby Center, 1 week old babies try to mimic mouth and eyebrow movements.  I decided to test this.  She actually has copied my mouth movements a bit, but not so much.  She loves to look at our faces, though.

Her legs have been straightening out and less bowlegged than they were a week ago.  She’s been holding things with her hands quite a bit more, and has been moving her hands closer to her face.  Her neck also seems to be getting stronger.  We’ll have to try putting her on her stomach while she’s awake for short periods to help her strengthen her neck muscles.

Here’s a couple pictures for those of you who want to see a peacefully sleeping baby.

Tomoe has been sleeping quite peacefully tonight.

One hour later, still asleep.

Week 36

In less than 6 hours, the pregnancy will be at full term!  That’s right, the baby could come at any time and not be premature.  There was no visit to the clinic during these past 7 days, but there will be one tomorrow.  This will involve a lot of tests.  We’ll also be scheduling the birth.  Our clinic specialises in scheduled births with painkillers.  It’s not common to use painkillers during birth in Japan, as it’s believed by many superstitious people that it’ll result in feeling distant from the baby.  The mother and baby can’t bond because she’s not writhing in agony.  Of course, we both think that’s a load of BS.  So, the birth date will either be next week or the week after.  We’ll be seeing her soon!

My wife has been having plenty of pain in the pubic area, most likely due to dilation of her cervix and pressure from the baby.  She says that she has a lot of problems breathing because of pressure from the baby on her diaphragm and lungs.  She finds it difficult to sleep, as well.  Her bellybutton has popped out quite a bit, too.  She feels that it’s hard to eat large meals, as well.  Some common signs in pregnant women are extra body hair, stretch marks and varicose veins.  Luckily, she hasn’t had stretch marks or varicose veins!  Just the extra hair that I understand pretty much every woman gets when pregnant.  Yes, she has a hairy belly from the pregnancy.  But it should fall out in a few months.

How’s the baby doing?  Well, she continues to be quite active, moving a lot.  She hiccups a lot, too.  From what I’ve read, at week 36, the fine hair and waxy substance covering her skin will fall off, and she’ll swallow much of it.  That’ll result in her first bowel movement after birth being slimy and black.  I’m guessing she’s over 2700 grams now.

I’ll probably have some more news tomorrow about the scheduling and the checkup.

Week 33

This week was a bit unusual.  Because of the baby’s incorrect position last week, we had to go back to the clinic today to check on her position.  We were told to come between 2 and 4 pm, but we got a call from the clinic at 10:50 am, and they asked us to come to the clinic by 11:30.  We had only 40 minutes, and we were still in bed!  I’ve been fighting a cold for the past week and just wanted to sleep, while my wife has trouble sleeping at night and wanted to sleep more.  Well, we quickly got ready and left the apartment.  We walked much faster than usual and arrived at the clinic at 11:31.  Well, after about a 20 minute wait, she was called in to have the baby checked.  It was only supposed to be a brief check, but I was later called to come in.  I was slightly worried, actually.  But it was just to see the ultrasound.  The baby was back in the head down position!  Great news!

What we saw on the ultrasound was our healthy baby girl, only about a month away from birth.  She’s still average size, slightly long legs and her nose looks a bit like mine.  We also saw her open and close her mouth several times, as if she were chewing.  She’s now 2102 grams, closing in on the minimum 2500 grams for full term birth.  Her bones should be hardening, while her skull will remain flexible for the birth.  She looks like a newborn baby by now.

Mom is feeling the kicks and punches a lot these days.  She can now sleep on either side, the doctor said.  Her sleeping habits continue to be unusual, but that’s thanks to the baby keeping her awake.  She has a hard time sitting up from bed, so needs to roll over and try push herself up.  She easily gets out of breath from walking uphill.

With only about a month to go, we’re getting pretty excited to see our baby girl.  Here’s the ultrasound picture we received today.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a good 4D picture, as her arms were obscuring her face.

This is 33 weeks, 6 days. At the top is her full face, though both of her arms are slightly blocking the view. Below is another view of her chin, lips and nose.

Week 27

This is the final day of week 27, which also means it’s the final day of the second trimester.  The homestretch starts tomorrow with the final 10-12 weeks in the third trimester!

The baby’s been very active lately.  She’s been kicking up quite a bit, and I’m afraid it’ll just get more painful as she grows bigger.  She’s getting closer to 1 kg and around 37 cm long.  She’s sleeping and waking up regularly and can now open her eyes.  She may even be sucking her fingers.  She’s starting to gain body fat, filling out her loose, wrinkly skin.  Her lungs aren’t fully developed, but they are developed enough that she could survive if she was born now, of course with medical help.

Mom is doing fine, though continues to experience cramps and other pains in her lower abdomen.  It’s getting difficult for her to sit at her computer on the sofa, too.  And she’s getting sleepy a lot.  It’s getting more difficult to walk, especially uphill and up stairs.  She can’t sit up after laying on her back.  The baby is pushing up on her stomach, so she can’t eat much, but as a result, she gets hungry every 2 hours.  Another problem is when she’s drinking a lot, she gets gassy and burps.

I asked my wife how she’s feeling, and she said that the baby is training, possibly to be a boxer.  Punching a lot!

Well, this is the last post of the second trimester!

Week 25

It’s the final day of week 25 today, and we’re getting to the final two weeks of the second trimester.  Only 3 months away from birth!

The baby should be around 34cm long now and about 680 grams.  She’s growing hair on her head, and her wrinkly skin is starting to smooth out, as she is now gaining body fat.  As always, she’s been kicking and punching a lot.

Mom is having a hard week.  She spent one day extremely dizzy, having a difficult time walking anywhere in the apartment.  But that happens when lying on her back for too long.  Too much pressure on her veins in her back.  She’s also been experiencing some pain due to the growing baby.  Sleeping at night has been difficult, but this isn’t a problem with the pregnancy.  Our dog has been pacing back and forth all night for the past 2 nights, and only sleeping during the day.  We’re concerned about his health, as this could be a sign of dementia, or it may be pain (he does have a bad back).

Later this week, mom starts her bimonthly checkups.  We’re getting into a more critical period where the baby’s development and mom’s health have to be watched carefully.  The baby is at a stage at which she can be born and survive at any time, but we certainly don’t want a premature birth.  It’ll get harder over the next 3 months.

Week 24

We’re getting closer to the 3rd trimester.  They baby is extremely active these days.  She keeps kicking and punching.  Last night, I watched her move under my then fiancee’s skin (we just got married today).  Of course, that’s our other announcement.  We’re now married!

How’s the baby this week?  She’s nearly 30cm long from head to toe.  She’s still a bit thin, but should be filling out into her wrinkly skin quickly.  Her brain, taste buds and lungs are developing quickly.  Her skin is still translucent, as well.

Mom is doing well, but has to deal with the baby’s kicking and punching.  It’s rather painful.  Her sleeping schedule is closer to normal than it was a few weeks ago, but she sleeps often during the day, and still has problems sleeping for a full night.  Also, we got our first baby clothes last week.  My mother-in-law bought her baby socks.

Week 19, and it’s a…..

This post is a few days late, but it’s still week 19.  The last day of week 19.  On Thursday, we went to the clinic for the first time in 4 weeks for an ultrasound and checkup on the baby.  There were lots of questions for the doctor, and a reassurance that everything is going normally.

So, how’s the baby?  It’s now 16.7 cm long, which is normal for 19 weeks and 2 days.  Everything is in the normal range for size, though the legs are slightly shorter than average.  The senses are developing quickly and the baby can now hear.  So talking to the baby is a good idea from now.  The kidneys are producing urine now, and hair is beginning to grow on the head.  Also, the baby is moving a lot.  My fiancee feels the baby moving quite a bit, and I was excited to feel it moving this past week.  These are the ultrasound pictures:

Ultrasound at 19 weeks, 2 days

4D ultrasound at 19 weeks, 2 days.

How’s the mom?  Well, her morning sickness is pretty much gone, but it’s been replaced with lots of cramps.  This is normal, though.  It’s her round ligaments expanding.  Also, she’s had some leg pains due to her vena cava being compressed by the baby in her back.  This can lead to varicose veins and collecting of blood and swelling in the feet, ankles and legs.  Her sleeping schedule is pretty unusual now, sleep during the day, awake at night.  This is normal, according to the doctor.  An interesting side effect of pregnancy is forgetfulness, which has been happening as well.

Finally, some exciting news.  A month ago, the doctor told us what the gender was, but I didn’t announce it, because of the uncertainty at that time.  But now, we are much more certain.  We are having a girl!