Back to China

We're heading back to China after a long and turbulent time in Hong Kong. It was actually a pretty good experience, being in HK. We had a great doctor, who finally figured out what was causing my high fever and abdominal pain. I feel better today than I have in months. She even said that this particular infection, which is more common in folks who live in the Mainland, may have been the cause of the continued contractions throughout my pregnancy.

I feel better, but Sammy seems to be fighting off a cold. He also has an eye infection. We'll be heading back to the doctor for him tomorrow. In the meantime, we're trying to cuddle him and feed him as much as possible.

My parents headed back to the States yesterday and today. My father is currently stuck in Tokyo, as his flight was cancelled. Poor guy. My mom should be back by Thursday night, EST.

Gerry Ann will be coming to China with us on Monday, when we all leave. We're thrilled to be going home! I can't wait to introduce Sammy to all our Chinese friends.

Wrapping up Hong Kong

Well, our time in Hong Kong is almost at an end. We are renewing our tourist visas tomorrow, because we have officially been here three months, which is the limit. My fever has subsided and I am finally starting to feel a little bit better, though not 100% yet. I will be seeing the doctor again on Thursday and we are going to be submitting Sammy's passport for a visa to China tomorrow (it will take one week to come in). We just got his passport today - he's really cute it in!

Here are some new family photos:

Infections and beautiful babies DO mix

Even more pics of the little one. He's really changing shapes quickly. He looks more and more like a little boy now - his face is getting more long and skinny and his cheeks are nice and chubby. We can also dress him in onsies now that his umbilical cord has fallen off. We have so many clothes that people gave us, we're trying to at least dress him in everything once.

I still have some sort of infection, which is causing me to have a fever of 101-102F and have abdominal pains. I have had to start another antibiotic to see if this helps. If I don't improve by Monday or Tuesday, I'll have to have a laparoscopy to see if something more serious is wrong.

In the meantime, we're falling more and more in love with Sammy every day. If I felt 100% again, I might enjoy him even more. I can't wait for that day...


Sammy makes some pretty funny faces. This is us on a good day. He falls asleep while he's feeding and then we can pose him in all sorts of different positions.

Here's another position that Bill put him in. Those pants make him look like he's an old man. A cute old man though.

Here is Wendy, our lactation consultant, weighing Sam (he's inside the blanket) with a fish scale. He's finally back to his birth weight!

Daddy and Sammy.

This is my daddy and Sammy. My father seems to have some sort of calming effect on Sam. Whenever he holds him, Sam quickly falls asleep or just stares into my father's eyes.

The many faces of Sam Klear

Have you ever felt like this?

That is essentially how I felt the entirety of last week, as we were training Sammy to breastfeed again. Those of you who are currently expecting or have just had a baby will definitely relate.

But he felt like this...

Always fresh and ready to go. What a mouth! It's really kissable.

When we finish feeding him, we have to burp him. Our parents keep commenting on "the many faces of Sam Klear." Here's his "burp me" face...

This one was taken after he had blood work done. The doctor had to try both hands since Sammy's veins are so small. Poor little guy. Notice his hair is changing colors to strawberry blonde - just like his Aunt Kendall's and Aunt Jacque's.

This next one was taken on the blanket his Mamaw made for him. She's quite the seamstress - I can't believe how high quality this blanket is. Thanks Mary Ella - we love it!.

Thanks again for your prayers! I will continue to add more pics, so check back often.

Team Klear

I've got more photos. I don't have the energy to write much now, but hopefully I'll have more energy later. Just gotta get my infection under control and teach little Sammy to breastfeed properly first.

Even when he's crying, he's beautiful (in my humble opinion).

Actually, Sammy crying is a really good thing. He's finally getting the nutrition he needs and is becoming more vocal. Before, he just slept and slept with no opinions on anything. Now his bellow is a lot deeper and sounds healthier.

This is actually a yawn. His denim outfit is courtesy of Deb. The hat is from Jodi and James.

I absolutely love this pic. It really characterizes little Sam's personality. He uses his arms a lot and loves to stretch out on his own. He has such an independent spirit.

Here Sam is with his Nana. She's been a great help and a great addition to "Team Klear." My mother and father are important members too, and Bill is excited that he is now on the team and not just a cheerleader. He feeds Sam every three hours while I pump. What a team!

This one really characterizes the atmosphere around here. Everyone just loves looking at Sam - he's really the center of attention. We can't get enough of holding and loving him. What a beautiful kid.

More pictures

Here are pics that everyone's been asking for...

This is Sammy lounging around after a fresh diaper change

Here I am mesmerized by my new angel

Another fresh diaper change (he must have a hundred every day)

The long awaited photo - His father holding him (I had to beat Bill up to get the camera!)

Day 2 pictures

Here are some newer pictures of Samuel. He's really an easy-going peaceful child. His first night home was a little rough (cried for 5 hours straight!), but once we figured out that we had the AC too cold, that was rectified quickly. It's 5:40 in the morning right now and we've just finished a feeding. Sammy is wide awake and Bill is playing with him. We have a great routine to follow at nights now.

My parents saw how exhausted Bill and I were after the first night at home they decided to intercede. They really handled it well, with no 'I told you so's' or any of the expected comments (it helped that I was bawling when I saw my father for the first time after what we now call
"The Long Night." The new "plan" is that at nighttime, I am in charge of feeding and sleeping (myself) and Bill is the "shift manager." He is to wake up my parents when he feels he needs more sleep (an hour here or there). Knowing that that was taken care of really helped me to sleep well last night, when I was sleeping. I only had to get up about four times for feedings, since he is only feeding about every four hours (with a small two to three hour break in between sometimes). Sammy hardly cried at all, except for this last feeding, because my milk came in and he wasn't used to the taste. Kind of freaked him out, I think.

Check out how beautiful this blonde-haired blue-eyed boy is. Who would have thought a newborn could have so much blonde hair? It's actually over an inch long in some places...

This picture is when he had his first bath (don't mind me in the picture, the key is to look at him):
Here is Granddaddy Don holding him at the hospital:

This is me admiring him on Day 2 of his life (before I changed hospital rooms - long story):
This is my little breastfeeding area - lots of pillows (again, don't mind the tired woman in the picture, just look at her surroundings):

Here's another photo of his grandfather holding him.

I will post more pictures as soon as I get them uploaded. Thanks again for your prayers. Please continue to lift up Gerry Ann, as she comes in tonight.

Teesa

Sammy William

Sammy William was born on October 2, 2006 around 10:15p.m. He is just under 20 inches long and weighed 7lbs 3.5oz.

He has a full head of blonde hair and looks very similar to my twin brother Adam's baby pictures. Except, he's got his paternal grandmother's chin (Bill calls it the Haynes family chin, his aunts have it too). All in all, I think that Sammy is a perfect mixture of Gilbert-Klear.

He is a wonderfully peaceful little boy. He cried once after he was born and hasn't cried since. He's made some noises as I've tried to breastfeed him, but never a full-out cry. The doctors say he just seems so at peace and the nurses keep taking bets as to when he will cry. Bill said even when Sam got his first immunizations, he only crinkled his face up, but never made a peep. We're thrilled with this for now, but we know it will be short-lived.

The birth was difficult, but God helped us through it. I got a pair of diamond earrings from Bill as a present for working so hard!

Thanks to everyone who has prayed for us over these last difficult weeks. In the end, we needed a labor-inducing drug, which is so ironic since we had been trying to stop labor for almost 13 weeks. I'm exhausted now, so I need to rest. I'll try and keep up my posts to keep you all informed.

Teesa and Bill

38th Week

I am now in my 38th week of pregnancy and I feel - well, 38 weeks pregnant. It's getting harder to keep a smile on my face now. I bet Bill feels similarly - poor guy. He's been living with me AND my mother for the last 9 weeks here in Hong Kong. Geesh.

The doctor said I've already dropped the baby, though he might drop a little more. I guess Sammy is so long that I'm just going to have to breathe AFTER he is born. We'll have another ultrasound scan IF we make it to my due date. I am still amazed that we've made it this far. One thing that I am having a difficult time with is my mother constantly asking me when Sammy is going to come. Also, the influx of hormones is also difficult. Again, I say, poor Bill - he has to deal with a lot of crying.

We'll see the doctor again on Wednesday. Keep you updated...

Teesa's Belly

Teesa's Belly
Originally uploaded by Bowlomeat.

37 weeks 2 days and counting! Only 18 days left.

Bill and I took my mother to Ruby Tuesdays for lunch and then we saw a movie afterwards. We bought a nice pillow at Ikea before the movie, so I had something to rest my big HIGH belly on during the two hours of "The Devil Wears Prada."

I had a few lightheaded spells while I was out, but did well otherwise. Bill and I can't believe how close we are! Look at that belly! It's so high - I can't wait for him to drop and stop playing with my ribs. The doctor said his head is very low, but I guess he hasn't completely dropped yet. When I look at that picture, I am surprised by how large I look. Almost like I have a soccer ball hidden under my dress!

We'll keep you updated.

Ante-natal Classes

We finally started our prenatal classes on Tuesday. It's about time, since we've been in the hospital getting ready to give birth on so many occasions already. We are taking two days worth of private lessons and today is our last one.

Bill and I learned a lot about birth during the first lesson. Apparently there's a lot of information out there that women just don't talk about. I'm not sure that we even heard all of it, but I do know that we feel so much better now that we've got some idea of what to expect.

I have decided I don't want an epidural, unless absolutely necessary. Now, before you scoff at me and say that's crazy, I DO want medicine, just not the epidural. There are other options out there - like a morphine-type drug and gas. I'm not trying to do this the "natural" way, just the simple way, which will lead to less complications in the end. I know everyone has their opinions about it, but I don't really feel strongly one way or another - so if you give me your opinion it won't sway me. We've made our decision and I'll let you know what I choose in the end (no pun intended).

Hospital nights

I spent yet another night in labor and delivery last night. Fortunately, this time I was at a private hospital where they treated me like a person and not just one of many cattle being herded through. We are so grateful to the Lord for allowing us to move to the private sector here in Hong Kong.

I started having some strange sharp pains in my lower abdomen yesterday and my doctor suggested I go in to the hospital for monitoring. While I was there I had a mama-jama contraction, that was actually two back-to-back and lasted about 4 minutes. It was quite painful and the nurses got really upset. They ended up keeping me overnight so they could monitor me. I am still not progressing towards labor though, which is fantastic. I have another 6 days before I am considered full-term (at 37 weeks on Sunday). Bill even got to spend the night with me - he slept in a Lazy Boy. It was great to have him by my side.


We have 26 days left till Sammy's due date!


I was released this morning and told to resume normal activities (which is resting a lot and maybe a two-hour trip out each day). Bill and I finally start our pre-natal classes tomorrow. We'll be able to figure out what kind of birth plan to make and what is really going to happen. It seems strange to be this late in the pregnancy before learning this stuff, but I've been on bedrest and couldn't set up long enough to take the classes.

Meanwhile, we're still playing Monopoly with my mother and she's still hanging around, despite my laughing incessantly when she lands on my property and has to give me lots of money. Patient lady, she is.

Keep praying for Sammy to stay in until the Lord calls him out.

My Mother the Grandmother

Well, today my mother officially had a taste of what being a grandmother will be like. Bill finally bought a Baby Bjorn baby carrier today. He had to try on a ton until he finally found one that will fit his tall 6'5" frame. Good ol' Mr. Tallhead. I made my mother try it on to see if she could work it.

Here is my mother's progress...

Just wait till there's a baby in that thing! I told her a couple times today that he would have fallen on his head had he been in there. The #6 picture is especially funny to me because I was laughing so hard I couldn't help her and she had to get up to ask Bill to help her.

My mother got the privilege of babysitting for some friends of ours today. Our friend's child is still a toddler and my mother thought it would be funny to do some magic with her. She pretended that she pulled a Cheerio from behind Elizabeth's ear and Elizabeth spent the rest of their time trying to put Cheerios back in!

I can't wait (and am a little anxious) to see how Mom handles Samuel. This is going to be a grand adventure for everyone involved...

Still waiting

We are still here in Hong Kong, and have been here for six weeks tomorrow. It doesn't seem like it's been that long, but on the other hand, it seems like just yesterday when we arrived. Little Sam is kicking like crazy - I had heard that the bigger they get the softer their kicks are because there's no room left. Well, he is definitely defying all logic and when I look down at my belly it's like there's an alien in there! I'm thrilled to know that he's healthy and strong, but my muscles are absolutely killing me. I haven't slept in who-knows-how-long and my belly feels very stiff when I get up in the mornings.

However, our opinions haven't changed at all - we prayed for four and a half years for this child and we are grateful to God, our Provider, for giving him to us. What a blessing!

My mother is here in Hong Kong with us, a real necessity when we first arrived. Bill isn't useless in the kitchen, but he certainly does need help, so my mother has graciously offered her services. She has been making us some great comfort foods like beef stroganoff and spaghetti a-la-Sandra. What a real treat. I have definitely gained weight (and so has Sammy) since she's been here. I've already grown an inch around my belly since my mother arrived five weeks ago.

Some friends of ours are in town too and we have enjoyed eating meals with them. I am allowed out on short excursions now and we have been taking advantage of the Webels being here so we can join them (at restaurants like Ruby Tuesdays and Outback Steakhouse).

Bill has been a real support during this time. He seems to be able to take all the hormones I throw at him in stride. He's a real "troopa." What a man of God he has shown himself to be. I am so proud to call him the Love of my life.

Enough sappy stuff. On with the resting...and waiting...