Emma Grace Lee
January 30, 2009
6:06pm
6lbs 10oz, 20 inches
San Ramon Regional Medical Center

Dear Friends,

Our little girl arrived Friday, January 30th. It took awhile for us to decide on a name. But we are proud to announce the birth of our daughter, Emma Grace Lee. Derived from 'Emmanuel' -- God is with us.

Isn't it beautiful?

The story behind the naming of our daughter requires an entirely separate blog entry :) ... so we shall save that for another day.

On Friday, January 30th, I went in for my weekly checkup at the doctor's. I was full term at 40 weeks and the estimated arrival date was the 31st, so we had been expecting ANY day. Of course, in the days leading to Friday, I had two false alarms and poor David, both times, got up in the middle of the night ready to rush to the hospital. Sadly, both times I had to recant and an exhausted David would watch me crawl back into bed just as dawn was breaking. At the time I felt bad that he would have to start his day with little sleep. But in hindsight after having given birth naturally without the aid of anesthesia, I find myself left with little to no compassion for others' pain.

You: I lost my leg in a shark attack.
Me: Oh, wow. Sorry to hear that. I gave birth naturally.

You: I was bit by a brown recluse spider which caused my flesh to rot. It hurt.
Me: I bet not as bad as giving birth naturally.

You: I was struck by lightening.
Me: You think that hurt? You should try giving birth naturally.

You: My body caught on fire while I was trying to deep fry my turkey last Thanksgiving.
Me: Hmm...wow...that sounds painful. But you know what's really painful? Natural childbirth. There's this thing they call the 'Ring of Fire'...

Anyways, my doctor accidentally broke my water. So I called David and asked him to meet me at the hospital with a Subway Club. You would think that he would have brought me a foot long given that I would be taking on the task of giving birth to life. A six inch sandwich provides enough sustenance to fuel the remainder of a workday. You know, emails, telephone calls, meetings...You eat a six inch before heading to the mall on a Saturday afternoon. Six inch sandwiches are eaten by construction workers, mailmen, teachers, kids, and soccer moms on Friday afternoons. A pregnant woman about to give birth on a Friday afternoon needs a foot long.

Things at the hospital were at a standstill. I had not gone into labor. No contractions, so they sent us off to walk around and see if labor would kick in. We were told to stay on campus at the hospital, but I made Dave help me bust the joint and we went to Baskin Robbins and had some ice cream. I ordered 'Wild and Reckless' and Dave had the 'Gold Medal Ribbon'. Then we went next door to See's Candies and bought a box of chocolate. And I ate that too.

In life, we get little messages. Sometimes we see them, sometimes we don't. But hindsight always reveals the small tokens of foresight that life tries to offer. Eating ice cream labeled 'Wild and Reckless' is not a normal occurance--for anyone. I should have avoided eating anything called 'wild' or 'reckless' before having a baby. You've heard of the saying: "You are what you eat"...

We returned to the hospital around 4pm and still no contractions, so they gave me potocin to induce labor and 15 mins later, I was going to have a baby...soon.

So here's where my life came to a fork in the road and I had to choose.

Epidural.

Or natural.

I asked: "What's the time difference in labor with epidural and without?"

The nurse told me that I would have the baby much quicker going natural, and that, usually, epidural adds time to the labor process.

I asked: "How much time?"

The baby could come as quickly at 15 mins going natural versus an hour with epidural. The time difference was significant enough for me to forgo the epidural because all I was thinking about was Baskin Robbins. I had been regretful all afternoon long about getting only one scoop instead of two.

Sadly...very unfortunately...I had been asking the wrong question. What I SHOULD HAVE asked was "how much more does it hurt without epidural?"

This, I can answer for you:

Natural birth hurts so bad that the birth of my second child will go down in my medical history as a near death experience. I almost died that day. I asked David if he saw any bright lights or little glowing orbs floating around in the room that day. He said, 'No'. But I'm sure he had his hands full trying to stop me from getting violent with the hospital staff and yelling at strangers.

But, here I am. Alive and well.

Dear God, are you there? It's me, Grace...

I find that I rarely question God's almighty and omniscience widsom...except in cases such as these. It's bewildering really.

After catching an episode of "The Real Housewives of the OC", I found myself immersed in a deep depression. The thought that I belonged to the same taxonomic classification as these 'people' plunged me into a life threatening depression that took days to recover from.

In the fragile state that I was in, I should have stayed away from TV altogether, but I thought that Animal Planet would be a safe haven for the emotionally distraught--as far away from human disappointment as possible in the syndicated world of network television.

But who knew that a special on Borneo's wildlife would cause one to experience such theological and spiritual bewilderment. I happened to be watching a show that featured the Proboscis Monkey and I was so taken aback by the appearance--the nose--of the Proboscis Monkey that my immediate reaction was to wonder why God would allow such a thing?

I just don't understand it...

AMEN! Alex prays for lunch.

We had Young and Elena's family over for lunch a few weeks back and young Alex prayed over us and said grace for lunch!

Wild Kingdom

Getting ready in the morning has turned into a special morning series that resembles those network specials you see featured on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel.

You know: Shark Week, Animal Kingdom, The African Elephant, Elephant Seals, Champions of the Wild, National Geographics: One Year of Magnificent Large Mammals...you get the idea.

Everything I wear now makes me look like some sort of large beastly creature.

The other day I wore my black and white striped shirt and while in the past I looked very chic in this top (Yes, by my own admission -- I'm entitled to opinions however self congratulatory they may be), in more recent days I've begun to look like a large ailing zebra ready and primed to be taken down by a pack of prowling lions (I can probably reach a larger consensus on this point). I couldn't outrun a maimed sloth if my life depended on it in my current state.

But even funnier, I wore this top when Noah was in his Penguin Suit and I felt like we were shooting an episode of Animal Kingdom...the only thing amiss was the absence of a British voice over. I should ask Dave to give it a try and make a home movie.

You know, just a couple of days ago I was standing there, innocent, minding my own business and out of nowhere David came up to me and gave me a belly bump. A little more gentle, but similar to what you would see sumo wrestlers do in a match. I was a little surprised and puzzled and this must have been reflected on my face because David followed up with commentary. With his belly still abut to mine he leaned down and said: "It's like you have a little ball in your stomach". I wasn't sure if this was an apology, a reminder or just background information.

Adding insult to injury, Noah often will come up to me, lift my shirt and give the belly a good whack. My only consolation is that he does it to David as well.

And, I wonder what kind of commentary Noah is suggesting there...

RECALL: Mylicon Gas Relief Dye Free Drops

http://www.mylicon.com/page.jhtml?id=mylicon/press_release.inc

JOHNSON & JOHNSON • MERCK CONSUMER PHARMACEUTICALS COMPANY ANNOUNCES URGENT VOLUNTARY NATIONWIDE RECALL OF INFANTS' MYLICON® GAS RELIEF DYE FREE DROPS (SIMETHICONE-ANTIGAS) NON-STAINING DUE TO POSSIBLE METAL FRAGMENTS

Fort Washington, PA (November 10, 2008) – Johnson & Johnson • Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals Company (JJMCP) is voluntarily recalling approximately 12,000 units of Infants' MYLICON® GAS RELIEF DYE FREE drops (simethicone-antigas) non-staining sold in 1 oz. plastic bottles that were distributed after October 5, 2008 nationwide. The company is taking this action in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Although the potential for serious medical events is low, the company is implementing this recall to the consumer level as a precaution after determining that some bottles could include metal fragments that were generated during the manufacturing process. If any medical events were to occur, most are expected to be temporary and resolve without medical treatment. Parents who have given the product to their infant and are concerned should contact their health care provider immediately.

The two lots of Infants' MYLICON® GAS RELIEF DYE FREE drops non-staining 1 oz. bottles included in the recall are:

Product Code #	Lot #	Exp	Product
71683791111-1	SMF007	09/10	Infants' MYLICON® Gas Relief Dye Free Non-Staining Drops 1 oz.
71683791111-1	SMF008	09/10	Infants' MYLICON® Gas Relief Dye Free Non-Staining Drops 1 oz.

Consumers can find the lot numbers on the bottom of the box containing the product and also on the lower left side of the sticker on the product bottle.

Consumers who purchased Infants' MYLICON® GAS RELIEF DYE FREE drops non-staining included in this recall should immediately stop using the product and contact the company at 1-800-222-9435 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. EST) or via the internet at www.mylicon.com for instructions regarding how to dispose of the product and request a replacement or refund.

Infants' MYLICON® drops are sold over-the counter, in retail stores and pharmacies, as an anti-gas medicine to relieve the discomfort of infant gas frequently caused by air swallowing or by certain formulas or foods.

The recall does not affect any Original Infants' MYLICON® GAS RELIEF products (1/2 oz. or 1 oz. size) or Infants' MYLICON® GAS RELIEF DYE FREE drops non-staining (1/2 oz. size).

The manufacturer has instructed retailers and wholesalers to return their inventories.

Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

Online: www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm

Regular Mail:
Use postage-paid FDA form 3500 available at:
www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm.
Mail to MedWatch 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852-9787

Fax: 1-800-FDA-0178

About MYLICON® drops

Infants' MYLICON® drops, the #1 pediatrician-recommended anti-gas medicine, relieve the discomfort of infant gas frequently caused by air swallowing or by certain formulas or foods. For more information, visit: www.mylicon.com.

Johnson & Johnson • Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co. is a U.S.-based 50/50 joint venture formed to develop and market non-prescription products derived primarily from Merck & Co., Inc. prescription medicines, as well as products licensed and acquired from outside sources. Brands marketed under this joint venture include Infants' MYLICON®, MYLANTA®, PEPCID® Complete and PEPCID® AC.

MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Marc Boston
215-273-7649 (office)
215-429-7034 (mobile)

Bonnie Jacobs
215-273-8994 (office)
856-912-9965 (mobile)

Better lookin' than George Clooney

I cut Noah's hair for the first time and it turned out better than I had anticipated. I sat in the tub with Noah and snipped away at his hair until it seemed to be cut evenly on all sides. It's the only place that Noah will stay seated for a long period of time and it took so long that all of Noah's fingers and toes turned to shriveled little raisins. Even after an hour and half of water play, Noah was still upset to leave the tub.

I know the haircut looks like a cross between George Clooney's famous ceasar cut and Frankenstein's blunt straight edge. But strangely, Noah still looks good. I suppose his good looks brings out the Clooney and my poor barber skills brings out the Frankenstein.

Spankin' Good Food: Bi Bim Bap

Lately, I've been craving certain dishes. So we eat out for those things that seems like too much work for me to cook...and almost always I am never satisfied with the food that restaurants serve. I don't know why this is? But it makes me sad and folorn when I eat bad food.

Taco Bell is not what it used to be and that is one of my greatest disappointments in life.

So I have resorted to cooking more at home. I have been wanting to eat Bi Bim Bap since yesterday and decided that I would make it at home EXACTLY the way I want it. You can buy all the ingredients pre-made, and for a second I was tempted to buy the premade bi bim bap packs, but it seems a little ridiculous to spend $20 on vegetables that I can prepare for a quarter of the cost.So I went to the Korean Market and bought all the ingredients and came home and started prepping.

And it took forever.

There was the spinach (which you have to pick clean, wash thoroughly, blanch and then season).
The beansprouts (which again requires picking the stems, washing thoroughly, blanch and season).
The carrots (which you have to wash, peel, and shred, then saute and season).
The radish (which you have to wash, peel, shred and season).
The chi na mul - english name unknown (which requires thorough cleaning, seasoning and long saute process).
The do ra jee - again english name unknown (which requires soaking, draining, splitting into bite size pieces, seasoning and sauteing).
The cucumbers (which you have to wash, slice and season).
The mushrooms (which you have to wash, slice, saute and season).
The meat (which you have to cut, marinade 'which requires work itself' and then cook).
And of course...the fried egg to top it all.

Don't forget the ko chu jang sauce, that needs to be made as well. And then, you always have to have soup with bi bim bap. So I made mi yuk guk as well, which isn't so much work, but, still...I do have a full time job, you know. AND I'm pregnant, so my fat belly keeps getting in the way making life that much more difficult.

It took me almost an hour and half to prep (some of the stuff I did ahead of time like marinating the meat and do ra jee). Korean food is always such a pain to cook. SUCH A PAIN. But it's sooo good...one of life's cruel ironies. It wouldn't be so bad if we ate Korean more regularly throughout the week, because then I could make all the ban chans in larger quantities. But, alas, I'm not a big fan of leftovers and neither is David and eating the same food two days in a row just does not whet the appetite.

Oh but it was SPANKIN' DELICIOUS.