Marissa was born in Matilda Hospital, The Peak, Hong Kong. The town slogan of where we live in the USA is "The Peak of Good Living"
We picked Marissa because it was my middle name before I got married. Emily Marissa Baker.
We picked Claire because we love the name and this is the name Craig's parents had this as their "girl" name. They tried three times but never had a girl to use the name on.
I was born on my Great Grandfathers birthday (March 9) and Marissa was born on his son's, (her great grandfathers) birthday November 7.
While I was in labor in Hong Kong it was Election Day for the next president of the United States.
After I sent the email announcing Marissa's birth, several people thought I had typed the date incorrectly. Because of the 13 hour time zone difference it was already the next day for us in Hong Kong.
Marissa Claire Hardin
November 7, 2012 at 12:28 AM in Hong Kong
3.11 kg, 6 lbs 13.5 oz
49.5 cm, 19.5 inches long
Dr. Alexander Doo and nurse Jenny Ng were in the delivery room.
We announced Marissa's birth to friends and family from across the world using email, our family blog, Facebook, and Skype.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Marissa Claire Hardin is here!
Sunday night I had a dream I was in labor. I felt awful all day Monday and could not keep anything down. I went to the Doctor and he monitored me and there was still no action toward labor. He sent me home. Tuesday morning I was feeling much better.
Tuesday night, I sat down to dinner at a little after six with Kay and next thing I knew...I was running to the bathroom. I called Craig to tell him to hurry home from work because my water just broke (not an easy task during rush hour in Hong Kong). I called the doctor and he asked me how far apart my contractions were. I told him I had no idea and had given up on timing them because I had been having contractions constantly for the past five weeks. He told me to call the hospital and head on in.
I kissed Kay goodbye, Craig grabbed a taxi and came to pick me up so I would not take forever for me to flag one and off we went. I was so thankful after we finished the 40 minute taxi ride. Throughout the whole pregnancy I have been so nervous about having a taxi baby! (I was excited when Craig picked me up- he was wearing the pink shirt he bought to wear to work after Kay was born to announce he had a girl! Perfect to welcome his next little girl into the world)
Once at the hospital Craig had to call our international insurance to figure out payment (the hospital does not contact insurance companies like they do in the US). After about 30 minutes he was able to join me in the room.
This labor was the one I always had hoped for. I was not hooked up to any machines (other than an occasional check of the baby- her chord was around her neck). We walked halls for several hours.
It was very strange to have only my OB, one nurse, and Craig in the room. Kay had a roomful of doctors, nurses, and specialists. The doctor and nurse kept talking in Cantonese. After laughing, they finally explained they were taking bets on how long it would be until I pushed and how many pushes it would take. The anaythesilogist patiently waited outside all night. My doctor kept telling him he did not think I would be a customer and he was right. The nurse said 30 minutes and one push and doctor said two to three hours and three pushes. The doctor left to try to get a quick nap and the nurse ran to the phone and told him to come back. He did not even make it to the top of the stairs. They both were right. It was less than 30 min and took about 3 pushes. Craig was able to quickly cut the chord.
The best part....I got to snuggle my baby!!!!! It is the most amazing thing to be able to snuggle with your baby after giving birth. No one whisked her away to the NICU, Craig was able to stay and support both of us vs having to leave someone (I will always remember that look on his face last time), and I got to snuggle the entire time!
We all went as a family to the nursery to have her weighed in etc. They do not really clean the babies for awhile here. I asked the nurse about it but could not really understand what she was saying. Something about "keeping the good stuff on".
I was moved immediately to the next room and Craig was sent home (I have a twin room). I sent Marissa to the nursery in high hopes of some rest. Unfortunately, my roommate did not have the same idea.
Marissa took to nursing like a champ and we are both doing great!!
When I went to change Marissa's diaper I could not find any wipes. I paged the nurse and she said they use cotton balls and a small bowl of water. I thought "ok, I can do this...it is just different". Well, have you ever tried to change a meconium diaper with an itty bitty cotton ball? I decided the best solution was to page the nurse and ask for help :). Changing dirty diapers with little cotton balls in the middle of the night is not real fun...we went on a search for wipes :)
Here are a few pictures from my phone. I will post better ones from the camera later...
Tuesday night, I sat down to dinner at a little after six with Kay and next thing I knew...I was running to the bathroom. I called Craig to tell him to hurry home from work because my water just broke (not an easy task during rush hour in Hong Kong). I called the doctor and he asked me how far apart my contractions were. I told him I had no idea and had given up on timing them because I had been having contractions constantly for the past five weeks. He told me to call the hospital and head on in.
I kissed Kay goodbye, Craig grabbed a taxi and came to pick me up so I would not take forever for me to flag one and off we went. I was so thankful after we finished the 40 minute taxi ride. Throughout the whole pregnancy I have been so nervous about having a taxi baby! (I was excited when Craig picked me up- he was wearing the pink shirt he bought to wear to work after Kay was born to announce he had a girl! Perfect to welcome his next little girl into the world)
Once at the hospital Craig had to call our international insurance to figure out payment (the hospital does not contact insurance companies like they do in the US). After about 30 minutes he was able to join me in the room.
This labor was the one I always had hoped for. I was not hooked up to any machines (other than an occasional check of the baby- her chord was around her neck). We walked halls for several hours.
It was very strange to have only my OB, one nurse, and Craig in the room. Kay had a roomful of doctors, nurses, and specialists. The doctor and nurse kept talking in Cantonese. After laughing, they finally explained they were taking bets on how long it would be until I pushed and how many pushes it would take. The anaythesilogist patiently waited outside all night. My doctor kept telling him he did not think I would be a customer and he was right. The nurse said 30 minutes and one push and doctor said two to three hours and three pushes. The doctor left to try to get a quick nap and the nurse ran to the phone and told him to come back. He did not even make it to the top of the stairs. They both were right. It was less than 30 min and took about 3 pushes. Craig was able to quickly cut the chord.
The best part....I got to snuggle my baby!!!!! It is the most amazing thing to be able to snuggle with your baby after giving birth. No one whisked her away to the NICU, Craig was able to stay and support both of us vs having to leave someone (I will always remember that look on his face last time), and I got to snuggle the entire time!
We all went as a family to the nursery to have her weighed in etc. They do not really clean the babies for awhile here. I asked the nurse about it but could not really understand what she was saying. Something about "keeping the good stuff on".
I was moved immediately to the next room and Craig was sent home (I have a twin room). I sent Marissa to the nursery in high hopes of some rest. Unfortunately, my roommate did not have the same idea.
Marissa took to nursing like a champ and we are both doing great!!
When I went to change Marissa's diaper I could not find any wipes. I paged the nurse and she said they use cotton balls and a small bowl of water. I thought "ok, I can do this...it is just different". Well, have you ever tried to change a meconium diaper with an itty bitty cotton ball? I decided the best solution was to page the nurse and ask for help :). Changing dirty diapers with little cotton balls in the middle of the night is not real fun...we went on a search for wipes :)
Here are a few pictures from my phone. I will post better ones from the camera later...
Saturday, November 3, 2012
37 weeks!
I made it to 37 weeks!! We took family photos yesterday. Stay tuned to see them soon :). I wanted to take bump photos with Kay but was unable to because of her surprise entrance into the world. We are getting excited to meet our newest addition!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sushi...
Craig had to work over one of the biggest holiday's here in Hong Kong. He was meeting with a co-worker from Japan. The co-worker was so thoughtful and brought Kay a gift as a thank you for sharing her daddy with him during the holiday. Little did Craig's co-worker know, he picked out the BEST gift for our little girl. He got her some pretend sushi from Japan with a pretend knife that she can cut the sushi rolls. It was a hit! We even had to get bowls to "dip" our sushi in after she cut it!
If we ever ask Kay what she wants for dinner (usually she just eats whatever we eat) she ALWAYS says sushi.
If we ever ask Kay what she wants for dinner (usually she just eats whatever we eat) she ALWAYS says sushi.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Friends!
We had a great visit from our fellow ex-pat friends from Singapore! I was on bed rest for most of the time. I did get dismissed just in time to have a farewell dinner with all the adults. Craig and Kay had a blast showing them our new home and city. Kay was so exhausted from the adventures around the city she fell asleep in the stroller on the subway. I can't remember the last time she has slept in the stroller! Sleeping on the subway takes some skill! We are looking forward to hopefully visiting their new home in Singapore.
Friday, October 26, 2012
36 weeks!!
I am officially off bed rest and meds. I am still taking it pretty easy because I really want to make it to "full term". It is amazing how tired I get after laying around so much. My doctor said I can do as much or little as I want depending upon how fast I want this baby. So far, still having a lot of contractions but I am feeling so good to have made it this far. We laughed in the office about how it would be funny if I ended up having to be induced because the baby was so comfy. We will see! Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers for our family. It has been a long road!
Monday, October 22, 2012
Waiting Game...
We are still waiting for Peanut Butter. This makes us all SO HAPPY! We have been doing a lot of hanging out. Kay likes to read books to Peanut Butter. She thinks that she needs to "see the pictures" so she insists on lifting up my shirt while we read. We are having to be creative on how to entertain her in my bed. We have spent WAY too much time on the iPad. We are in survival mode at this point.
Craig was so excited to take Kay to the first annual Red Bull Soap Box Derby. He obviously was not the only one with this idea. It was so crowded he only got to see one race from afar.
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