Tag: Daphney
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Daphney’s Fourth Birthday
Daphney gets an extended celebration of her fourth birthday, with events spanning the entire week and both weekends. The coronavirus shelter-at-home order gives us plenty of excuses to make this birthday extra memorable.
We surprise her with the special gift book, Fables of Ancient China, compiled just for her. And Auntie Alice surprises her with a garden cake, perfectly themed to match her own venture into vegetable and flower gardening.
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Dogwood Camp
Close to Lake Arrowhead, Dogwood Campground is a convenient getaway. We arrive just in time to set up before dark. After dinner, it gets a little cold. As we prepare to go for a walk along the lake shore, Yan pulls out the little monkey fleece overalls. Daphney looks so cute in this outfit.
Every morning after camping, Daphney is happy; and this morning is no different. I love watching her follow the rhythm dawn, stirring as the sky lightens.
In our cast iron skillet, we make breakfast croissants. Then, we pack up and head out along the Rim of the World Drive. This morning, we get to take in the panoramic sea of clouds covering the San Bernardino valley. Before heading down, we tour Keller Peak and the fire lookout. The nearby Children’s Forest will have to wait for the next trip up here.
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Twenty Lakes Basin
Having successfully camped for two nights and hiked at high altitude, we figured it was safe to go backpacking. This will be Daphney’s first trip into the backcountry wilderness.
We spend the first night at Gray’s Meadow to acclimatize. Situated just below Kearsarge Pass, the campground gives us perfect night sky to view the Perseid meteor shower. I wake up just after midnight. Yan barely arouses. I try again at 4:30, and this time, through the top of our mesh tent, we lose count of how many fireballs pass across the starlit sky.
The next morning, we head out from the Saddlebag Lake boat launch and dam. On the other side of the lake on a grassy knoll, baby Audrey and baby Daphney get to know each other better. Beyond, we circle around the wrong side of Greenstone Lake but eventually make it to the highest valley; this is part of Twenty Lakes Basin.
The group decides to set camp by Mill Lake. This picturesque lake is overshadowed by North Peak. We set up and wash. Daphney gets a chilly dip into the small waterfall from Cascade Lake. She’s not happy, but I warm her up and put on fresh clothes. Yan and I get ourselves warm with egg drop soup, rice, and red curry.
As night falls, we turn in. The baby is fussy, and I’m worried again. Soon, though, Yan is able to console her to sleep. I’m outside orchestrating a tent lighting experiment. Some people’s lights are brighter than others’, so I have to call out when to shut off each one. After several tries, the lighting turns out evenly. My favorite shot from this trip would turn out to be the star trails over our lit tents.
The first rays of sun first fire up North Peak. Soon, the pools of water turn aglow with orange reflection as the valley comes to life. Daphney did fine, and she seems happy this morning. Yan and I have some hot drinks with oatmeal.
The hike out seems longer. Maybe it’s because the baby feels heavier as the trail wears on. We get to take a nice long break at Shamrock Lake—this turns out to be one of my favorite spots.
Before long, we’re back at the trailhead. A little hike along pavement brings us back to our cars. Daphney is still smiling, having gone on her first backpacking trip without ever wearing a backpack.
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One Hundred Days
This day marks an important milestone. One hundred days represents one hundred years, and the baby at one hundred days is blessed with a long life of a hundred years. Here, Daphney is in the walnut maple cradle that was recently completed.
Daphney: may your days be filled with blessings and joy, for all one hundred years.
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Walnut and Maple Cradle
This project took a lot of planning. It all started out when Yan suggested that I make a cradle for the baby—a bassinet that can be handed off to the next generation as an heirloom. After giving some pushback, I finally accepted the project.
Planning
I scoured the internet for ideas, but finally, I settled on the plan for an egg-shaped cradle. The egg is a good symbol for the beginning of life, and its simple yet elegant form entices me to create it. After experimenting with equations, I settle on this formula for the shape profile, which is based on the general ellipse equation—long axis:
, short axis:
, but with fudge factor
applied to
.
First was the design, and per Yan’s suggestion, I found an appropriate oval mattress. From that, I fashioned the cradle around the mattress. I decided to assemble slats around a slab mattress base, and the slats would radiate around the curve of the egg, so that they would be tangent at each point. Then, there would be a curved base under the mattress, where there would be a compartment that could serve as a time capsule. Applying math to the idea by spinning the egg function along the x axis and making cross sections, I generated graphs for cutting templates.
Building
The project then required trips to Peterman Lumber. Initially, I hadn’t decided on what wood to use, but since there were large slabs of walnut on sale, I decided to work with that.
Part of my goal in this project was to experiment with pertinent woodworking joints. The pieces holding the mattress employed tongue and groove joints. Then, the slab insets were a variation of the mortise-tenon. To ensure a strong top rim, I employed the locked squinted-butt scarf joint. This was fun to make.
One of the most challenging parts was cutting the splats. Situated along the sides of the cradle, each piece had a different curvature, and this was so that they would fit the egg-shaped profile. Some of these slats required a twist, so they were cut out from blocks of walnut using the band saw and individually carved to match the graphed template.
Finishing
The finishing process was painstaking. I had decided to use a natural finish, and there is no other finish more traditional and classic than a hand-rubbed tung oil finish. Natural tung oil takes a long time to cure. First, meticulous sanding provided a smooth base for the oil. Then, each oil layer required days to cure. With light sanding between oiling, the finishing process took a few weeks.
Finally, I finished the project. Daphney is now nearly three months. She seems to enjoy it, and her smiles make the project so worth the effort.
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Big Pine Creek, Rock Creek, Heart Lake
It’s going to be Daphney’s first camping trip. I’m a little nervous about the altitude. Days before, I had been researching high altitude problems in babies. I had read that staying below 2500 m (8200 ft) is safe, but approach 3000 m (9840 ft) carefully. Since we’re staying at Big Pine Creek (7600 ft) the first night, I feel better.
We arrive just after sunset, but our site is still visible. Yan quickly nurses Daphney while I set up the tent. Then, we arrange our pads with a slight gap between and our sleeping bags on top, zipped together. We experiment a little. The baby’s changing pad goes in the middle, right between our pads. This ends up being the perfect arrangement.
Daphney is happy! The first night had turns out to be a success. She slept through most of the night, and now, I can tell that she loves being outdoors.
To acclimatize, we stay relatively high, visiting Rock Creek Lake and Crowley Lake. Deciding to visit Mono Lake for sunset, we stop just beyond Mammoth to have noodles for dinner. Even though she likes being outside, the wind really bothers her at while we visit the Mono tufas.
East Fork Rock Creek is situated at nearly 9000 ft. We are venturing into high country. Again, I’m worried, but everything turns out well. At road’s end, we hike from Mosquito Flats (10000 ft) into lovely Little Lakes Basin to arrive at Heart Lake.
Now, we have confidence in taking Daphney high alpine adventures.
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Seattle, Mt. Rainier, and the Olympic Mountains
We’re heading to Seattle for me meeting at the American Orthopaedic Association. This first flight for Daphney goes well, and she isn’t the least bit bothered by the cabin pressure changes.
Aside from the meetings, Seattle brings us great opportunities for sightseeing. Daphney gets her first rental car ride. She visits the original Starbucks. We have breakfast at Lowell’s and do more touristy things. We bring her to the Space Needle and nearby Chihuly Garden and Glass. The after dinner hike up to Kerry Park gives us that expansive view of Seattle’s skyline.
Then, we visit nearby national parks: Mt. Rainier and the Olympic Mountains. Our trip to Mt. Rainier National Park marks Daphney’s second month. Then, taking the ferry to Bainbridge Island, we tour the northern part of the Olympic Peninsula. We enjoy lunch at the Oak Table Café in Sequim, catch up with friends, and tour lavender fields. Then, we journey to Hurricane Ridge, where I run into a former resident, Chad Harbour, and his family. Lake Crescent Lodge has the most beautiful dining views. At the end of the day, we take the short hike to Sol Duc Falls, where triple waterfalls cascade over rock outcroppings.
We wake up on our last morning to the view of a lovely sunrise over a calm sound, silhouetted by Mt. Baker in the far distance.
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First Fathers’ Day
This is the most special Fathers’ Day, since it’s my first. Yan whips up this fantastic meal to celebrate the event. There is acorn squash soup, summer rolls, and clay pot rice with savory toppings. To finish this off, Yan presents mung bean shaved ice topped with a cherry.
I love Daphney’s bib: “My HEART belongs to Daddy.”
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Orthopaedics Party for Daphney
Yan and I give a big thank you to the orthopaedic department for organizing this beautiful baby shower for Daphney. The feast was nothing short of spectacular, as was the décor. We feel so blessed to be surrounded by friends.
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Baby in Black and White
Some of these first month shots are better presented in black and white, where the shapes and contrasts speak for themselves. This album represents some of those photographs, where simplicity better portrays the bond between parent and child.
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Daphney’s First Month
This first month is about eating, feeding, and sleeping. In between those crucial activities, we had to squeeze in photo shoots. The curly baby poses are hard to get, and it was tricky to time this just right—right after feedings so that she’s sleepy enough. Then, there were times we had to dodge bodily functions. We weren’t always successful, but the pictures are worth getting dirty for. I always felt like time was running out, as each day brought new changes.
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First Anniversary
It’s been one year! We are so excited to be celebrating this first anniversary. We feel very blessed—to have each other and our newborn Daphney. According to what they told us, we saved the top of our wedding cake from the reception. Unsealing it brings back memories. It tastes familiar, and at the same time, the sponge cake portion and the mango tastes like the freezer. Regardless, this is still very special.
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Pregnancy Sequence
Starting at the eighth-week mark, we began to take pictures at regular intervals. We decided to do this every four weeks, and as it turned out, the timing was perfect—monthly at about the same time after church. Each month, I would add to the sequence. Daphney was born right at 39 weeks, so the week 40 shot gave us the perfect opportunity to feature mother and child.
We also took pregnancy pictures at beautiful places.
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Baby Daphney Arrives
It’s nearly 6:00 am Saturday morning. I am groggy, but I remember Yan getting up a few times during the night.
“You’re in the bathroom again?” I ask.
“I’m not sure, but there’s some water here.”
I jump out of bed, and after one glance, I grab our packed bags. We’re heading to the hospital. It is in this rush that Yan would find out that she forgot her ID.
We zoom off to the hospital, and at the Labor and Delivery unit, we are greeted by the unit secretary. She could be characterized like the sloths in Zootopia’s DMV; anyways, that’s how she seemed to us. We are assigned one of the rooms, but I ask for a different one—one that has better sunlight. The nurse accommodates my request.
After getting hooked up to monitors, the doctor examines Yan. She’s at 3 cm. There are some regular contractions, but she says they are not too bad. Several weeks ago, I had gone to the birthing class without Yan, since she was preparing for an exam; I took notes, and now is the right time to apply what I had learned. I place Yan on the birthing ball and coach her through breathing techniques. This carries on for quite some time, and the contractions are becoming more intense. Examinations show that the dilation is progressing well.
Yan wants music, and I put on some classical music. Then, she wants different music. I put on different music. Then, she wants different music still. I put on different music. Finally, it’s Secret Garden that works.
Soon, 1:00 pm rolls around. Contractions are becoming more frequent and intense. The breathing becomes more deliberate. Our doctor comes in and finds that Yan is now at 8 cm. It has only been about seven hours, and labor is progressing very well. In the birthing class I attended, the instructor suggested that we help by counting backwards from thirty once active labor starts; that way, there is at least a sense of going toward completion as the countdown approaches zero. We start that: 30, 29, 28, 27. Yan had initially decided against an epidural given the risks, but now, as things are becoming more unbearable, she asks for anesthesia. I stall a little bit before asking for help, thinking we might get a few more contractions underway. 26, 25. Our doctor calls for the anesthesia team. 24. The resident arrives. He asks Yan to sign the consent, which she does in a scribble. 23. He goes out to prepare the tray, and in the meantime, Yan feels like pushing. I tell our doctor that Yan is now pushing. 22. She rushes in, examines her, and cancels the epidural.
“We’re delivering now!” she tells the nurse.
All of a sudden, the bed breaks down into a delivery chair. I am busy taking pictures while helping Yan through the next two contractions. The doctor coaches her. The head crowns, with the next push, and after another two pushes, Daphney is out!
It’s 1:33 pm, and a miracle just happened. Yan is holding Daphney in her arms, and both mom and daughter look exhausted from what they had just gone through. Later, talking to Yan, that first moment of baby on the chest felt so important and special. I didn’t exactly feel the throb of that miracle until later in the newborn nursery while giving her the first hairwashing and cleaning.
The night and next day tested my endurance, as the nurses insisted on waking us up every three hours to breastfeed. But with the help of the lactation consultant, we experience success. The baby latches, and Yan eventually makes enough colostrum and milk. The persistence paid off.
With Daphney joining our family, we feel so blessed!
