Your First Gift to Daddy

Dear Peanut,

Mommy helped you pick out your first gift for Daddy! We got him this book to help him prepare for your grand arrival. It's called "The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for Dads-to-be".

Dad has been studying this book on our babymoon. He's almost done now. He can't wait to meet you!

Love, Mom

Your First Vacation–A Babymoon!

Dear Peanut,

We will be taking you on your first vacation! Daddy and Mommy are taking a babymoon to the Four Seasons resort in Punta Mita, Mexico. We leave tomorrow and are gone for 5 days! Although you won't be able to see anything, we will make sure we take lots of photos for you!

Daddy is taking us on a fishing trip and we also have some massages booked for us. Mommy got the Mommy-to-be package...can't wait!

Hope you cooperate and not make Mommy sick the next few days!

Love, Mom

Your fur sister

Dear Peanut,

Do you sometimes feel like someone is using Mommy's belly as a trampoline? If you do, that would be your fur sister. Her name is Zoë and she is a Yorkshire Terror. She will be almost 7 when you get to meet her. Zoë likes to bounce on Mommy's belly, especially when we are riding in the car.

Zoë still doesn't really get what is going on. She knows that there is something different with Mommy but she can't figure it out. But she has been a really good girl though. She is always by Mommy's side on the weekends when Mommy is glued to the couch. She used to sleep in the bedroom by herself but lately, she's been tucked into Mom's chest while we lay on the couch to watch movies.

When you meet Zoë, you might think she looks a little different from the photo because I think we are going to give Zoë a puppy cut. She has really long and beautiful hair but as you grow in mommy's belly, it will be very difficult for me to give Zoë her spa day every weekend. So, for everyone's sake, Mommy thinks the next time we see the groomer, we will give Zoë a new do!

I think the both of you will get along very well because Zoë loves kids, they taste great (but not in that way!).

Love, Mom

2nd Pre-Natal Appointment

Dear Peanut,

We are back at the doctor's today. You are 12w 2d old (August 22, 2008). We are here for our regular pre-natal check up and also to hear your little heartbeat.

Mommy weighs 109 lbs today...no weight gain. Her appetite hasn't really come back yet, maybe that's why.

So the doctor comes in and uses the doppler to try to listen to your heartbeat. Both mommy and daddy wanted to record it on our phones so we can send it to your grandparents to hear. But you are again so active, the doctor can barely catch 5 seconds of your heartbeat. Every time she finds it, she loses it again. She says she can hear you swirling and somersaulting around. Peanut, Mommy's belly is not your playground OK? Well, I guess you better enjoy it while you can because before long, you are going to get so big, you won't be able to swim around that freely anymore.

So we left without getting our recording. Oh well, maybe next time! We get to visit you again in about a month.

Don't stop growing!

Love, Mom

We have an Olympic swimmer in Mommy's belly!

Dear Peanut,

You are 12w 1d old today (August 21, 2008) and we went in for our 1st Trimester Screening test. It is a test for down syndrome and genetic disorders. Mom and Dad didn't think of it that way though, the way we saw it was just another opportunity for us to take a little peek at you!

Before the appointment, Mommy had a half a muffin and some chocolate milk. I guess all that sugar got to you because you could not stay still for the ultrasound tech to take her pictures. We were in the room for about 1/2 and hour and saw you swimming around and doing somersaults in mommy's belly. The tech was telling us that you will be a handful when you come! I think it is also because you are Daddy's baby...I say this because Dad is exactly like that, he cannot sit still even if his life depended on it! Dad says you might be an Olympic swimmer, a music conductor (because your hands were everywhere) or a great chef like Daddy!

Just for fun, we asked the tech to guess if you were a boy or a girl and she said if she really had to guess, she would say you were a baby boy! Daddy had the same feeling too because he said he thinks he saw your pee pee. We'll see if they are right at your next ultrasound!

After all the measurements and poking around, the tech gave us your second set of pictures. You are growing so fast! You not only doubled in size, we can see very recognizable features now. How cute!


I showed your pictures to Uncle Dan, and he said you have the very familiar Chen's head. Don't worry about Uncle Dan...he is only playing!

Tomorrow we go in for our 2nd pre-natal appointment!

Love, Mom

Fire Drill day at work

Dear Peanut,

At the beginning of the week (August 3, 2009), Mommy got an email alerting her of a fire drill that all employees of the building had to participate in. This is bad news because she is still not feeling well! We were expected to go down 8 flights of spirally stairs and Mom knew she would not be able to make it down the stairs without either passing out or throwing up!

So on the day of the drill (August 6), she went to her fire warden to let her know the situation and instead of having to go down those stairs, we waited in the stairwell until everyone had gone down and we could go back to our desks.

We almost had to let the peanut out of the shell because a couple of people were asking us why we were not downstairs when they did the roll call!

But the secret is still safe!

Love, Mom

I guess you call this Morning Sickness?

Dear Peanut,

Mommy always thought morning sickness meant throwing up in the morning. But Mommy's morning sickness did not consist of any kind of throwing up, which is good. Mommy just feels like she has a major hangover all day (not that you should know how a hangover feels like!) and a lack of appetite. This week (week of August 3, 2008) it hit Mommy hard. There were a couple of days when Mom had to bring some of her fruit/snack/lunch home.

And not eating is soooo not like your Mommy. She LOVES to eat! She actually lives to eat and not eat to live (a good thing she married your Daddy!). So Mom has been a little depressed lately. Not only she can't eat, the tiredness has hit her once again. Every day when she gets home from work, she tells herself that she should start working out. But once she hits the couch, she's out like a light bulb until Dad calls her for a ride home.

Mom has been doing a lot of reading and she read that this week (9th week), mommy's body is still developing the placenta for you. So until the placenta is fully developed, mommy's workout routine will be placed on hold.

Love, Mom

Subway and McDonald's run

Dear Peanut,

Are you already becoming junk food junkie??? Mommy is asking because she cannot remember the last time she had a meatball sub and a hot fudge sundae.

One evening, after picking Dad up from work, mommy suddenly had an instant craving for a meatball sub topped with spicy pickled jalepnenos and a hot fudge sundae for dessert. Dad just looked at mom all perplexed when she told him of her craving. I think in our 12 years of being together, Dad has only seen Mom have a subway sandwich maybe twice. But nonetheless, Dad figures that a pregnant woman's cravings MUST be satisfied so we drove to the nearest Subway to get the sandwich and then to McDonalds for the sundae.

We got to Subway and found out that they were out of meatballs!! URGH!!!! We NEEDED the meatball sub! Dad told us to chill out, we went to get the sundae first as it was right beside Subway and then we drove to another Subway to get the sub. Luckily the next subway had meatballs!

When we got home, we pigged out on the sandwich and inhaled the sundae...yummmm... After that day, we haven't had a craving for a subway sandwich ever since.

You are definitely turning mommy's tummy upside down!

Love, Mom

A Construction Worker's Lunch Bag

Dear Peanut,

Daddy has been packing us our lunch to take to work everyday. He also makes us eat breakfast in the morning before we head out so we can take our pre-natal vitamins because when mommy takes that on an empty stomach, you don't like it very much, I think.

So breakfast we usually try to eat 1 soft boiled egg, french toast or some cereal and a glass of chocolate milk. Then the vitamin goes down smoothly.

You should see the lunch that Dad packs us! People at work think Mom's a construction worker! Our lunch usually consists of a portion of fruit, a snack (like chips and salsa coz mom's craving sour and spicy right now) and a regular portion of lunch (like last night's leftovers). Mom is grazing on food all day...sometimes she feels like a cow!

But knowing that you are growing into a strong and healthy baby is all worth it!

Love, Mom

Lil peanut,

I have been very good to you and your mom since we found out, I only feed you the best. I make sure I visit the farmer's market once a week to buy Harry's berries strawberries, white peaches, high omega 3 eggs and all sort of fruits and vegetables. If I cannot make it, Uncle Dan aka God pa usually will be responsible to purchase the "goods" also. He is dying to teach you how to drive stick shift because your old man is just not capable. I will try to make it to all of your doctor's appointments, excited to meet you. I will read you my favorite recipes from all of the great chefs of our time, hope you don't mind. As soon as we know if you are a boy or a girl, we will not be calling you little peanut anymore. Mom and I have your name picked out already, grandpa and grandma are picking out your Chinese name.

Say "CHEESE!!!"

Dear Peanut,

Today (July 22, 2008) is our first pre-natal appointment, also the day for your first picture! Yippe...mom and dad are soooo excited to finally see you growing in mommy's belly. You are 7w 6d old today. We got to hear your heartbeat, which was a very strong and fast one at 134 beats/minute. You are one strong peanut!


After seeing you and getting a picture of you. Mommy had to endure needles again...URGH! This time, the nurse had to take about 4 vials of blood. Mommy almost passed out but I guess she better get used to getting pricked and prodded. Sometimes she feels like a science experiment!

Mommy weighs 109 lbs today, she lost 2 lbs from not eating those couple of days.

Anyway, the appointment went really well and your estimated due date is on March 4, 2009. That's 2 days after Daddy's birthday! Yay, Mommy won't have to buy Dad a birthday present next year. The next time we get to see you would be in about a month!

Keep on growing, our little peanut!

P/S: I guess by this time you are wondering why we keep on calling you "Peanut". Since we don't know whether you are a little boy or a little girl (although Daddy thinks you are a little boy because he says mommy is growing a moustache–so mean!), and on the ultrasound, you look like a little peanut, the name just stuck. Hope you don't mind!

Love, Mom

The Couch is Mommy's Best Friend

Dear Peanut,

You are about 6 weeks old now (week of July 13–Auntie Danny's bday!) and growing you in mommy's belly is very hard work! Mommy is constantly tired and the couch is mommy's best friend right now.

Mommy is also very sensitive to strong smells and tastes. When you meet Daddy, you will find out that he is a great chef and cooks lots of yummy things. But this week, mommy's stomach could not take anything that Dad wanted to cook. But your Dad has been very patient with us, he made us lots of soups and congees...the only food that we will eat right now.

Keep on growing, little Peanut!

Love, Mom

The Confirmation at the Doctor's

Dear Peanut,

So our appointment with the doctor for mommy's blood test was on July 1, 2008. You don't know how much mommy HATES needles! But for you, I'll do anything. So everything went as planned and you were confirmed to be making a home in mommy's belly for the next 9 months!

Mommy weighs 111 lbs today, she gained 1 lb!

We were so excited and called both sides of your grandparents that evening to share our good news! Auntie Danny said she had a hunch all along because mommy has been really stressed out lately...hahaha. We all can't wait to meet you!

Love, Mom

Big FAT Positive!!

Dear Peanut,

Mommy will not lie to you, but when she found out you were coming after taking the home pregnancy test, she was freaking out!

It was an early Monday morning on June 30, 2008, before getting ready to go to work, she decided to take a home pregnancy test. Within 15 seconds of taking the test, 2 pink lines appeared...YIKES!!!! Is this for real???

She then sat on the "throne" for 5 mins to gather her thoughts. Were we ready for this??? Mommy was doubting herself. She then went into the bedroom and pulled your Dad out of bed. "Honey, I have something to show you." She couldn't say ANYTHING else, as she was all choked up.

Dad walked into the bathroom with Mom and took a look at the stick. Once he broke into a big smile, Mommy knew everything would be OK. All he said to mommy was, "Now you have to stop shopping!" Mommy then started bawling...but it was happy tears (I promise!).

Once mom got to work, she quickly made an appointment with her doctor to confirm that you were really here with a blood test.

That evening when mommy got home, she took another home pregnancy test and those 2 lines appeared faster than you could say "Peanut"! So I guess all this is real and you are really growing in mommy's belly!

Till our doctor's appointment!

Love, Mom

Since the cat's out of the bag...

...or should I say, the peanut's out of the shell? I thought I should start to chronicle the beginnings of baby peanut Chen! This blog is dedicated to you, our new addition. Your future dad and mom are so happy and excited to meet you! Let's start from the beginning, shall we?