Photo album

The photos from my trip are finally up in my Webshots album: http://community.webshots.com/user/andromeda_carina under "Baby Caitlyn arrives". There aren't many, and they're mostly centred on the kids, with a couple of nice-ish shots that I happened by.

Enjoy!

Picture of the day

(click picture for bigger view)

Snapped this on the rainy ride to the airport on 27 December. Always wanted to take a photo of rain sliding over glass but never managed to take a decent one till then. The background could be nicer but I like the general gloomy feel - which didn't match how I was feeling on the way to the airport. It would've been more appropriate for my journey from SC to SFO airport, which ironically was completely sunny and bright (and blinded a sleepy and melancholy me most of the way).

First glimpses

Just got back after a bloody long plane journey in two parts, but at least the trip back was more comfy than the trip there, though it was certainly far sadder.

Here are some of my favourite pics from these two weeks, will probably post more in my Webshots in a couple of days when I'm less out-of-it.

Check out how tall Sean is - he's not even three and a half and he's already almost up to my boobies (this shot was taken from above by his daddy who towers over us at more than 6 ft tall). These days, carrying him is equivalent to advance planning for a chiropractor.

This is one of her earlier pictures, taken just an hour after her birth. I snapped a picture of her on her way out of mummy and more as they were cleaning the vernix off...but I better not gross everyone out with those. See that little booboo above her left brow? She probably scratched herself while still in the womb - her fingernails were already pretty damn long the moment she popped out. She looks so remarkably like Sean did as an infant that we found ourselves accidentily referring to her as "him" now and then.I still can't believe how chubby she is.

This is as wide-eyed as little Caitlyn got at 2 days old. This transluscent and hollow pacifier offers an interesting view of her lips workin' it if you peer into the little hole on the bottom. Her cheek is so soft that I can barely feel it when I stroke it with my fingertip. With fine, light coloured fuzz covering most of her and her perpetually flushed complexion, she really looks like a delicious fuzzy peach.

She didn't stay happy with the needoo for long, though - she knows what REAL mum-mum is and green rubber just doesn't cut it. When mummy can't give titty, daddy's pinkie will just have to do. Her suction powers are quite formidable too. Quoting Tom: "If I had barnacles on my pinkie, they'd be gone by now."
Yes, my fixation with hands. But aren't her tiny digits just so precious??

Wrinkly feet from basting in amniotic fluid for months, but still cute. Those toes are so long! Her fingers are very long too, like her daddy's.
Finally, a shot of the three of us together, shortly before I had to say bye to them. *Sob* Little Cait slept in my arms for 3 hours that afternoon, twitching and mewling and sighing and yawning. Holding her warm against me, she smelt so wonderful.

Sis and I exchanged tearful goodbyes at the hospital. It felt so awful to walking out still waving and craning for a last look, then shutting the door behind me. Sigh. I miss them oodles.

Baby girl is here!

Baby niece Caitlyn Ong Yoke Ginsburg was born today at 10.19am (Pacific time) after over a week of us all holding our breath. She's a whopper, weighing in at 9lb 12oz!! Little Caitlyn ("kate-len") is already chubby and looks almost exactly like my sis. From some angles, she also looks remarkably like her big brother Sean did when he was an infant.

Other than bro-in-law Tom, I got to be in the operating room for the delivery too (it was a scheduled C-section because of the way Sean was born >3 years ago - the details are too complicated, ask me next time). It was my first time in an operating theatre, so it was pretty interesting. Tom and I stood by my sis, talking to her and holding her hand to distract her from the pressure she was feeling from the op (the drugs took away the pain but she could feel pressure). I even got to see what her uterus looks like... (ok, you can stop saying "EWWW" now).

It was a magical moment watching Caitlyn pop out, covered in gunk and wailing her lungs out. I probably won't show anyone her first photo, which was taken 2 seconds after she came out, but the above photo was taken about an hour after delivery when she was wheeled into the ward. She has a little mass of black-brown curls, is covered in fine baby fuzz so she resembles a little pink peach, and has the long hands and feet of her daddy. She also has that heavenly scent of a newborn. I have 3 days to savour that before flying back.

My sis is in ok shape, in some pain and tiredness from the op but doing better than when she had Sean, possibly because she didn't have to push 3 hours and put up with hours and hours of pain. She was so happy when they handed Caitlyn over to her to hold right after delivery, but afte a few minutes, my poor immobile sis had to ask them to lift the baby off her chest: "She's heavy!" Yup, all 9lb 12 oz of her!

So the whole family's excited and buzzed. Sean was intrigued to see his new baby sister, though he had to be repeatedly forbidden from climbing the baby's cot-on-wheels. He's also give his baby sister his first kiss, as have the rest of us. Now waiting for grandpa to arrive this weekend to see the tiny new angel. OK, not-so-tiny angel.

More pictures and updates when I get back!