Baby-Related Aches and Pains

Kailyn has only been here for three weeks but I have already been feeling assorted aches and pains from caring for our newborn. Most of them are pretty minor and wouldn't land me on the 15-day DL or require Tommy John surgery (baseball references) but I definitely feel them during my daily routine.

Whether they are painful thumbs from lifting, aching joints like wrists or hips from bottle feeding or minor back pain from changing a diaper at an odd angle, these are things that I hadn't ever thought of. I suppose it's not much different from carpal tunnel syndrome - doing the same (repetitive) motion over and over again. Helen says she's felt the same thing.

Not that I'm complaining. While these aches and pains can hurt a little bit, all it takes is for Kailyn to look up at me and all is right in the world.

Baby's First Christmas

It was very cool to have Kailyn celebrate Christmas with us this year. She got more presents that Helen and me combined! In addition to having Helen's parents and brother over for dinner, I also discovered the wonderful world of Skype and was able to introduce my parents, sister and her family to the baby on Christmas Day.

The holidays are a time for family so to be able to have the people we love most meet Kailyn, either in person or over video, was really nice.

Little Miss Popular

It's been nice to have many visitors come see Kailyn in the week since she's been home. Not only is it great for her to be exposed to new people and interact with them (once they Purel), it's a nice break for Helen and me. Even if the guest just holds her for a few minutes, it provides us some much needed rest and time when we don't feel 100% responsible for baby.

Overall things are great - Helen's mom has come over which allows us uninterrupted hours of sleep, friends have stopped by to see the baby and keep us company during the witching hours between 2-4 a.m. (when it can get tiring and lonely) and the baby's been good about drinking both breast milk and formula interchangeably with as little problem as one might have milking a cat:



Even though the doctor nicknamed Kailyn 'Little Stinker' because of what she put Helen through during the delivery (13 hours of labor, only to decide to come out via C-section) I have to say she's been a total pleasure to hang out with, and others seem to agree so far.

Kailyn vs. Kaitlyn

Helen was the person who came up with the name Kailyn for our baby girl. It's a name that many of our friends and family member say they like. We are also fans of it, since it's unique enough to be different but also close enough to other popular names like Kaylee, Kayla and Ke$ha (j/k.)



One name that it is particularly similar to our baby's is 'Kaitlyn.' Before selecting our baby's name, we did some research to see what the internet reaction to our potential name selection was. Many of the people with the name Kailyn said the biggest issue they faced was that everyone mistook their name for 'Kaitlyn.' They said it got to be kind of a pain to always correct people, but that overall they were very happy they had such a great sounding yet original name.

Some people told me when they learned our baby's name they wondered if I had made a typo. Rest assured, our baby's name is Kailyn. Just remember it as 'Kaitlyn', minus the 'T.'

*Helen took the photo above of our daughter.

Settling In

It's been a while since I last blogged, as many people suggested would be the case once Kailyn arrived. Even with time off from work, I am busy nearly every waking hour of the day. My life feels somewhat like Groundhog Day in that I have fed, burped, changed and swaddled the baby, washed dishes, done laundry and made food again and again and again. To break up the monotony, a nurse suggested we take the baby out for a stroll everyday. But that goes against what our Asian parents have said about letting the baby (and mom) recover from the delivery. So we stay in and go slightly crazy.

To be fair, Kailyn's days are almost exactly replicas of the day before, too. The Jersey Shore kids may have GTL (gym, tan, laundry) but our baby girl has ESP (eat, sleep, poop.)

Are You the Little Fella Making All That Noise?

So much has happened in the last few days I don't even know where to start- Helen was a warrior in the delivery room, getting an unexpected C-section after 13 HOURS of labor. I learned how to feed, burp, swaddle and change the baby, and we came home after just two days to introduce the baby to our crib.

Since we've been back, it's like the house is a totally different place. In addition to all the baby stuff lying around, I have discovered that to be a good dad means I can't concentrate on TV shows, the internet or video games with the same intensity as before, since my major focus is always on Kailyn.

Oh yeah, and she cries. A lot. And loudly. Like Puffy from the movie 'There's Something About Mary,' whom Ben Stiller thought was a cute little puppy until it bit him and dragged him across the floor, I was a little shocked about the ferocity with which she screamed. Our baby girl packs alot of punch in those small lungs.

Kailyn Renee

At long last, we are now parents! Kailyn Renee came into the world at 12:24 p.m. today, weighing in at 6 lbs. 8 oz. and 18 inches long. She is tiny, cute and well behaved.

Everyone told us the process of delivering a baby would be long and difficult - and I'm just the father. For as exhausted as I might be, I can't imagine how Helen feels. She was a champion through it all, and my love and respect for her has grown more than I thought imaginable, after we went through this together and produced such a wonderful newborn.

Kailyn's only been here a few hours and already I've gotten to see her smile (I think) and wail more than Bob Marley's band. I've fed and burped her, and seen the sweet sight of her resting skin to skin on Helen's chest, bonding with the woman who brought her into this world. I am looking forward to experiencing a million more great things with this perfect little girl and can't express in words how much love I feel for her.