Hey all!
Sorry its been awhile since I've written but glad to say I'm enjoying motherhood and it just keeps getting better and better as times goes on!! My tendonitis is about 95% healed!!!
Sophie will be 5 months old on July 14th however these were recent photos taken during her 3rd and 4th month. I (or shall I say, Craig) will post more recent photos on our blog soon but thought you might want to see these. Time sure does fly as Sophie is getting bigger weighing over 13lbs and getting taller! We're starting to see more of her personality as She is smiling , laughing out loud and babbling a lot more and enjoys meeting new people....very sociable! She may not want you to carry her but she will smile for you! She has learned to turn over from back to tummy and will do so every chance she gets! Diaper changing can be challenging because of this! She loves to explore and grab on to anything she can get her hands on. She enjoys music and playing with her toys and will definitely let her needs be known but using her very strong lungs....very expressive little girl!
The most recent exciting thing that has happened was Craig, Sophie and I meeting and chatting with Halle Berry and her boyfriend, Gabriel Aubry....what a beautiful couple! Craig's cousin Lorrie who works for marketing company was doing a private photo shoot for Halle at Koolina and invited us to come and hang out with her and hopefully meet the glamorous actress. While we were being introduced to various staff and crew, Sophie was drawing a lot of attention with her winning smiles and excitement. As this was taking place, here comes Halle Berry and her boyfriend trying to find out what all the commotion was about. Of course as soon as she saw Sophie she had to stop and talk to us! We chatted about 5 mins as Halle being a first time mom herself asked a questions about breastfeeding, motherhood and if we were going to have more kids. She talked about her daughter, Nala, and asked Sophie if she wanted to meet her of course that wasn't about to happen! She was so nice and very down to earth and absolutely gorgeous! Craig and I couldn't believe we were conversing with her however if it weren't for Sophie she probably wouldn't have given us the time of day! Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take a picture with her for that wouldn't have been appropriate to ask since even the crew members couldn't take a photo with her. We almost had the opportunity to have lunch with her however I had to find a private place to nurse Sophie since she was getting hungry. We did however eat at the same spot but at different tables.
See for pics of Halle sorry they didn't get any with Sophie the real star :) http://www.theinsider.com/photos/1030955_Halle_Berry_Heat_Up_Hawaii
Well that's all for now ....will write more later!
Take care!
Sandy
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Four Months & First Fathers Day
Sophie made 4 months a week ago and I celebrated my first Father's Day with my daughter. She is almost 13 lbs now and double her weight and growing every single day. The other day she learned how to flip over from her back to her tummy and did so with great speed and delight. Before you know it she will be crawling and walking. People say that this time goes by so fast. I am so glad that my business is very flexible in this season so that I can work from home much of the time :) She is also learning how to grab things and laughs a lot and is very responsive to people especially her Popo's. She doesn't care much for new people carrying her and is definitely Daddy's girl :)
In this season she has decided that she doesn't like the bottle and will go for up to 8 hours without eating till Sandy gets home.... Mommy's girl as well. We have resorted to Sandy going to the office and I bring the baby in a few hours to the office for Sophie's feeding so that Mom can get some work done in the office. Sandy has started going back to work about 1 to a 1/2 days a week and does most of the care of our little gal. Sandy is an outstanding mommy and is very attentive to all of this little girls needs and anticipates all the things that she does need :) Amazing mommy :)
Well our girl is fast asleep tonight and usually sleeps through the night :)
Much Love
The Chong's
In this season she has decided that she doesn't like the bottle and will go for up to 8 hours without eating till Sandy gets home.... Mommy's girl as well. We have resorted to Sandy going to the office and I bring the baby in a few hours to the office for Sophie's feeding so that Mom can get some work done in the office. Sandy has started going back to work about 1 to a 1/2 days a week and does most of the care of our little gal. Sandy is an outstanding mommy and is very attentive to all of this little girls needs and anticipates all the things that she does need :) Amazing mommy :)
Well our girl is fast asleep tonight and usually sleeps through the night :)
Much Love
The Chong's
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sophie 7 Weeks
Dear Family and Friends -
Its been an amazing time for all of us over the last few weeks. She is still sleeping well through the night going down around 10:30- midnight and then up between 4-7 am in the am :) this is good sleep time for Mommy and Daddy. Sophie is growing and is filling out and is almost 8 lbs. She loves people and is very sociable when we have guests visiting. Her favorite thing to do is hold up her head and sit up on her own when we prop her up in the corner of the couch and she is very expressive and smiles and coo's a lot. She is pretty rough and tumbly and loves when her Daddy bounces her up and down ... which is sometimes the only way that she calms down. Her favorite way of going to sleep is in the infant rocker on high speed.
Much Love,
Sophie, Sandy, & Craig
Its been an amazing time for all of us over the last few weeks. She is still sleeping well through the night going down around 10:30- midnight and then up between 4-7 am in the am :) this is good sleep time for Mommy and Daddy. Sophie is growing and is filling out and is almost 8 lbs. She loves people and is very sociable when we have guests visiting. Her favorite thing to do is hold up her head and sit up on her own when we prop her up in the corner of the couch and she is very expressive and smiles and coo's a lot. She is pretty rough and tumbly and loves when her Daddy bounces her up and down ... which is sometimes the only way that she calms down. Her favorite way of going to sleep is in the infant rocker on high speed.
Much Love,
Sophie, Sandy, & Craig
Saturday, March 15, 2008
It's a Girl Sophie Elyse Chong
Sophie Elyse Chong
Born Feb 14, 2007
6.8 lbs
36 hours of Labor :)
Welcome to our world!!! Introducing our daughter who just made her one month birthday. She was born on her exact due date so she was on time :)
HER NAME:
Sophie is a derivative of Sophia which in the Hebrew means "WISDOM"
Elyse in Hebrew means "God is my vow"
THE LABOR:
It was a long and difficult labor that started with pre labor 3 am-10 am Feb 13th it stopped and then early stage of labor started from 5pm later that day... those were intense hours of timing Sandy's contractions and keeping her comfortable :) Thanks to our Bradley Coach Dora we worked hard and smart during this period. Sandy's contractions got really painful at midnight so we decided to check into the hospital at 12:30 AM Feb 14th and we were down to 1 minute durations with a 5 minute frequency. We thought that we were almost ready to have the baby but when they checked her dilation she was only at 3 cm & -2 station .... we were pretty discouraged by that lack of progress. In those wee early morning hours her contractions slowed to 10 minute frequency but they were very painful in addition to that they administered a precautionary antibiotic that should have taken 20 minute via IV but took 3 hours and was very painful. By 5 am we decided to take an epidural because she was simply exhausted so that Sandy could get some rest. Dr. Charlene Ushijima came in about 8 am and popped her water bag to induce labor. They administered pitosin (a drug that increases contractions) and we both slept till noon. Charlene came back and Sandy was at 9.5 cm dilation so we started pushing around 1 pm Feb 14th :) We pushed hard .... very hard for 2 hours in many different positions but baby only moved down a little bit to +1 station. We decided to give Sandy a 1 hour rest and start again around 4 pm . Lucy one of Sandy's best friends and prayer warriors showed up and she jumped in and helped with the coaching :) Sandy pushed for another hour and was pretty exhausted and beat. We got to +2 station and we made the decision to use a vacuum assist to help baby out of the birth canal. If this didn't work we would go to a c-section. Within 30 minutes of pushing and pulling Sophie was born :) We were over joyed with tears at the miracle of this little one :)
SOPHIE
Sophie was very alert and had her eyes open immediately I got to hold and comfort her for the first hour while Dr. was fixing up Mom. It was so amazing to hold her in my arms and look into her eyse and speak to her for the first time. I can remember calming her by saying "its ok Daddy's here" :) It was love at first sight. We didn't know the sex of her because we wanted it to be a surprise for the both of us :) she was beautiful and simply fit the name that we had chosen for her :) We had a hunch it was a girl because we simply could not settle on a boy's name the entire pregnancy :) ha God knew :)
SOPHIE @ HOME
Sophie came home two days later and what a ride the first week was being sleep deprived and the most difficult part is that Sandy's milk did not come in so we had to supplement with formula. In addition she had a hard time latching ... in case you didn't know this ... breast feeding is one of the most unnatural things for both mom and baby.... Thank GOD for Hawaii Mother's Milk - our lactation consultants and the "brest friend" ring to prop up baby for feeding.
No one every told me to plan for caring for two I had planned for caring for the baby but was caught a bit off guard to being a full time nurse to mom & baby for the first 2 weeks :) we would have never made it if our family, friends and small group had not brought a continual supply of food :) it was like MANA from heaven when they stopped by our door :) Thanks so much!!! We were also encouraged by the hundreds of congrats emails and many gifts from all of our friends and family :) Sandy says Sophie has a better wardrobe than her :)
Sophie is an awesome kiddo and can be very demanding @ feeding time. She is definitely an extrovert and can hang for hours with guests visiting :) She sleeps very well and at nights she sleeps 5-6 hours (this is very very good for mom and dad) but she likes to cluster feed and has fun eating and playing with mom's nips. She also is very active between feeding and sleep and makes a lot of poop :) We are doing our part in being anti-enviromental going through 8-12 diapers a day :) I have no idea how our parents did the cloth diaper thing :(
SANDY
Sandy continues to heal and continue to pray for her tendonitis in her hand and for her body to get totally healed. Most of the time her day is sleeping, pumping, feeding, eating & drinking :) we do try to get her out once a day even for a short walk to keep her sane :)
CRAIG
Craig started back to work last week and continues on with a light schedule this month of March and has moved his office to the house for now :)
OTHERS
Both Popo's are in love with this little girl and spoil her with love and affection. Our dog Hoku who normally lives with my Mom has checked Sophie out but continues to be the star of the show and hold her own in getting attention from everyone.
Born Feb 14, 2007
6.8 lbs
36 hours of Labor :)
Welcome to our world!!! Introducing our daughter who just made her one month birthday. She was born on her exact due date so she was on time :)
HER NAME:
Sophie is a derivative of Sophia which in the Hebrew means "WISDOM"
Elyse in Hebrew means "God is my vow"
THE LABOR:
It was a long and difficult labor that started with pre labor 3 am-10 am Feb 13th it stopped and then early stage of labor started from 5pm later that day... those were intense hours of timing Sandy's contractions and keeping her comfortable :) Thanks to our Bradley Coach Dora we worked hard and smart during this period. Sandy's contractions got really painful at midnight so we decided to check into the hospital at 12:30 AM Feb 14th and we were down to 1 minute durations with a 5 minute frequency. We thought that we were almost ready to have the baby but when they checked her dilation she was only at 3 cm & -2 station .... we were pretty discouraged by that lack of progress. In those wee early morning hours her contractions slowed to 10 minute frequency but they were very painful in addition to that they administered a precautionary antibiotic that should have taken 20 minute via IV but took 3 hours and was very painful. By 5 am we decided to take an epidural because she was simply exhausted so that Sandy could get some rest. Dr. Charlene Ushijima came in about 8 am and popped her water bag to induce labor. They administered pitosin (a drug that increases contractions) and we both slept till noon. Charlene came back and Sandy was at 9.5 cm dilation so we started pushing around 1 pm Feb 14th :) We pushed hard .... very hard for 2 hours in many different positions but baby only moved down a little bit to +1 station. We decided to give Sandy a 1 hour rest and start again around 4 pm . Lucy one of Sandy's best friends and prayer warriors showed up and she jumped in and helped with the coaching :) Sandy pushed for another hour and was pretty exhausted and beat. We got to +2 station and we made the decision to use a vacuum assist to help baby out of the birth canal. If this didn't work we would go to a c-section. Within 30 minutes of pushing and pulling Sophie was born :) We were over joyed with tears at the miracle of this little one :)
SOPHIE
Sophie was very alert and had her eyes open immediately I got to hold and comfort her for the first hour while Dr. was fixing up Mom. It was so amazing to hold her in my arms and look into her eyse and speak to her for the first time. I can remember calming her by saying "its ok Daddy's here" :) It was love at first sight. We didn't know the sex of her because we wanted it to be a surprise for the both of us :) she was beautiful and simply fit the name that we had chosen for her :) We had a hunch it was a girl because we simply could not settle on a boy's name the entire pregnancy :) ha God knew :)
SOPHIE @ HOME
Sophie came home two days later and what a ride the first week was being sleep deprived and the most difficult part is that Sandy's milk did not come in so we had to supplement with formula. In addition she had a hard time latching ... in case you didn't know this ... breast feeding is one of the most unnatural things for both mom and baby.... Thank GOD for Hawaii Mother's Milk - our lactation consultants and the "brest friend" ring to prop up baby for feeding.
No one every told me to plan for caring for two I had planned for caring for the baby but was caught a bit off guard to being a full time nurse to mom & baby for the first 2 weeks :) we would have never made it if our family, friends and small group had not brought a continual supply of food :) it was like MANA from heaven when they stopped by our door :) Thanks so much!!! We were also encouraged by the hundreds of congrats emails and many gifts from all of our friends and family :) Sandy says Sophie has a better wardrobe than her :)
Sophie is an awesome kiddo and can be very demanding @ feeding time. She is definitely an extrovert and can hang for hours with guests visiting :) She sleeps very well and at nights she sleeps 5-6 hours (this is very very good for mom and dad) but she likes to cluster feed and has fun eating and playing with mom's nips. She also is very active between feeding and sleep and makes a lot of poop :) We are doing our part in being anti-enviromental going through 8-12 diapers a day :) I have no idea how our parents did the cloth diaper thing :(
SANDY
Sandy continues to heal and continue to pray for her tendonitis in her hand and for her body to get totally healed. Most of the time her day is sleeping, pumping, feeding, eating & drinking :) we do try to get her out once a day even for a short walk to keep her sane :)
CRAIG
Craig started back to work last week and continues on with a light schedule this month of March and has moved his office to the house for now :)
OTHERS
Both Popo's are in love with this little girl and spoil her with love and affection. Our dog Hoku who normally lives with my Mom has checked Sophie out but continues to be the star of the show and hold her own in getting attention from everyone.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Our Engagement Story
We called the engagement day the “AMAZING DAY” after the hit reality show the Amazing Race. I planned the day with my best friend Richard Lau who also proposed to Pearl Misa. It was a double engagement surprise for both of the girls. We told our girlfriends that we were planning the day to help the other couple get engaged.
After weeks of planning this special day was very rainy but that didn’t stop or dampen the grand plan. In fact we had a day full of fun racing the other couple around the island from Ala Moana Shopping Center to the North Shore and back to Waikiki with challenges like getting $200 in receipts from mall customers, running through a huge maze, taking 5 guys to take of ftheir shirts for the girls to pose for a picture, and running around Waikiki to famous spots. The final challenge was for both of the girls to go home, shower, and get dressed for dinner. Little did they know what was in store that evening.
Richard and I both choose different spots for this final challenge. I wanted to propose at the beach and almost canceled the plans and moved it to a restaurant because of the nonstop rain all day long but thanks to God’s Amazing Grace the sky cleared just before sunset and the rain stopped.
Sandy’s final clue was to meet me at the place where we had our first kiss and to bring a pair of sneakers for along with her dress shoes. I had her friend Kevin Pang pick her up and drive her to the final destination at Diamond Head. I then had Deb and Kiha Pimental who were a mentor couple to us walk Sandy down to the beach. While she was getting ready I laid out a blanket, candles, rose petals, music, champagne, and leis at a secluded spot on the beach and waited for her arrival that seemed like forever…. When she finally arrived I couldn’t hold back the tears of joy. I lead her to the blanket and read to here the “Our Love Story” that I had written for her along with pictures from our relationship. The last page of the story was a picture of an out door wedding that we had attended and I got on my knees, slipped a diamond ring on her finger and asked her to marry me. She said YES!! We then watched the sunset, sipped champagne, and recounted the day. We then had a romantic dinner at Michel’s a French Restaurant overlooking Waikiki Beach and later that evening we met up with Richard and Pearl at the Kahala Mandarin to relish in the day.
After weeks of planning this special day was very rainy but that didn’t stop or dampen the grand plan. In fact we had a day full of fun racing the other couple around the island from Ala Moana Shopping Center to the North Shore and back to Waikiki with challenges like getting $200 in receipts from mall customers, running through a huge maze, taking 5 guys to take of ftheir shirts for the girls to pose for a picture, and running around Waikiki to famous spots. The final challenge was for both of the girls to go home, shower, and get dressed for dinner. Little did they know what was in store that evening.
Richard and I both choose different spots for this final challenge. I wanted to propose at the beach and almost canceled the plans and moved it to a restaurant because of the nonstop rain all day long but thanks to God’s Amazing Grace the sky cleared just before sunset and the rain stopped.
Sandy’s final clue was to meet me at the place where we had our first kiss and to bring a pair of sneakers for along with her dress shoes. I had her friend Kevin Pang pick her up and drive her to the final destination at Diamond Head. I then had Deb and Kiha Pimental who were a mentor couple to us walk Sandy down to the beach. While she was getting ready I laid out a blanket, candles, rose petals, music, champagne, and leis at a secluded spot on the beach and waited for her arrival that seemed like forever…. When she finally arrived I couldn’t hold back the tears of joy. I lead her to the blanket and read to here the “Our Love Story” that I had written for her along with pictures from our relationship. The last page of the story was a picture of an out door wedding that we had attended and I got on my knees, slipped a diamond ring on her finger and asked her to marry me. She said YES!! We then watched the sunset, sipped champagne, and recounted the day. We then had a romantic dinner at Michel’s a French Restaurant overlooking Waikiki Beach and later that evening we met up with Richard and Pearl at the Kahala Mandarin to relish in the day.
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