It's a Boy

Happy Birthday, Max

Well.. birthday dinner plans were originally for Merlion, a Singaporean restaurant, one we had gone to for Kelly's birthday.. but because of our unexpected bundle-of-joy, I had to settle for a quiet celebration in our hospital room at Duke... with food from Merlion of course! Yes, Krishelle to the rescue, again. No, again-again. This dear friend has really gone above and beyond to make Kelly, Ethan and I very happy the past few days. God bless you! And certainly not to be out done, Jessica bought a cake from Madhatters in downtown. So, yes, a quiet celebration, but with great food, a great cake, and wonderful company all around. I will have to think long and hard on how I will return such kindness. THANK YOU KRISHELLE AND JESSICA!

And as the night went on.. we had one more visitor. Elyse Lee came in to see us and got to see our precious Ethan. Many thanks for the great Jungle Book, Elyse!!!

As great as this day was for me, I am a little concerned about Ethan since his billirubin levels have gone up slightly from yesterday. Of couse, this is likely due to the fact that the phototherapy lights were removed this morning. I will pray that the levels are more stable than anything, because even with the slight increase, Ethan's billi levels are not in serious ranges, but Duke staff are just being very cautious which I am grateful for - although I am not happy to see Ethan's heel pricked for blood every 12 hours.

These days will pass my son.. and I can't wait to take you home and love you and feed you and raise you up.

Love,
dad

Elephant Ear's Flower

Summer has officially come to an end, and North Carolina certainly seems to be ushering in the colder autumn-like weather. My elephant ears have totally overgrown, and surprisingly, have flowered!!

Enjoy these few pictures of my garden at summer's end...

Day 2 - More Visits

Ethan was visited today by some friends. Krishelle and Jessica again dropped by (with food) and some good company and caring for Ethan. And great news!!! Ethan's bilirubin level is sufficiently low to no longer need the phototherapy which required Ethan to wear these goggles. So he is free to be held and put to sleep in Mom's arms which is a huge blessing! What a feeling.




And Amani also came to say hello. An old friend meets a new. Ethan was waking up and Uncle Amani was just thrilled to hold the little bundle.




Ethan is also feeding better and Kelly is progressing well. We hope to stay one more night, maybe two, as Ethan works on his feeding and his bilirubin level is rechecked. We should be home before Kelly's mom arrives Tuesday 9/26 evening.

Day 2 - More Pics

Some of the pictures above are actually still Day 1.. will get on the camera again today..

A Day in the Life of Ethan - 48 hours

Ethan is slowly but surely progressing. He is feeding better, but not necessarily always consistent. We are still working on this one, aren't we Ethan? :-p And also getting a lot of "sun" through phototherapy to control the levels of bilirubin so that he doesn't get too jaundiced. (that is the glowing blue light in some of the pictures - a bili-blanket).




We are still at Duke hospital, and likely to be kept here for another 24 to 48 hours until Ethan's feeding schedule becomes more regular and bilirubin levels reduced a little more.




Ethan has to wear these eye-protector "goggles" - which he did NOT like to wear at all at first - to protect from the bright lights that are overhead his bassinet for phototherapy. He is definitely getting used to them though, and sleeps well between feeds with them on.

We have had a few visitors, but mainly hospital staff, poking and proding poor Ethan, drawing blood and taking vital stats. Soon he will be home and will have real uninterrupted sleep between feeding times. Right, Ethan? Soon :-)

Jessica (left) and Krishelle (right) have been an absolute blessing totally taking care of us, buying meals (a lot!), keeping us company and even taking care of Ethan - Jessica is a pulmonary fellow and Krishelle an internal medicine and pediatrics senior resident (like Kelly). So they certainly know their stuff medicine-wise, but I think all of us are learning about nursing and lactation and being mothers (myself included).

More updates again soon.

I love it when Ethan grips my finger... but nothing beats the satisfaction of seeing him drink 1oz (30mls) of milk/formula!!

My First Day of Life

Welcome Ethan!

It is with great joy that Kelly and I announce the arrival of our son -

name: Ethan Koay Yong-Ren Eblaghie
date of birth: 21 September 2006
time of brith: 2:08am
weight at birth: 5 lbs 0 oz.
height at birth: 18 inches
place of birth: Duke University Hospital, Durham, North Carolina, USA

Ethan's due date was estimated to be October 26th. However, Ethan clearly had other plans, making his grand entry into this world, and into our lives, nearly 5 weeks ahead of schedule.

Baby is doing well, trying to feed, keeping mom and dad up all hours.

More pictures to come soon!

Blue Ridge, GA

Walla Walla, WA