This is my second time trying to edit the text back into this entry, which screwed up because of LJapp the first time, and then the server died or something the next. :(

So I'll try to keep it short: As of her well baby check on Tuesday, Akari is 6800 g (15lbs) and 62 cm tall, which is smack-dab in the middle of the growth charts. :) There was some stiffness in her right hip joint though, so we did a follow-up check Wednesday as a precaution. They took an X-ray, which I'm still sort of worried about. Even adults use lead aprons, but her little ovaries got zapped for sure. :( The doctor said it was fine when we expressed our concerns; he said that babies in Niigata and Shiga prefecture routinely get hip X-rays as part of their well baby check.
Anyway, her hip joint looked fine in the X-ray, so we're just supposed to keep an eye on it. Troubles with the hip joints lead to problems standing or walking, but she likes to stand for a bit while leaning on somebody, totally on schedule with the milestones, so I'm thinking she'll be fine.

She also got her first vaccination on Thursday, which I'd been dreading. I don't know why they don't use normal syringe type needles here in Asia, but some of my HK relatives and my MIL still have their vaccination scars. Akari only cried a little. :'( They swabbed her arm with the live BCG (tuberculosis) vaccine, then pressed a pin pad into the area --hard-- twice. So far she's been sleeping longer than usual during the day, waking more at night, has a slight temperature and fusses to nurse far more than usual. But other than that she's her normal active, babbling and drooling self.
We're going to get her vaccinated in Canada too, while we're there. The Hib vaccine just became available here and is crazily expensive (7000 yen a pop, 4 shots required) and wait-listed, but is free in Canada combined with DTaP+Polio.

I'm sooo looking forward to going back and meeting my brand new niece! I've also been buying lots of different cloth diapers and getting them sent to my mom's house, so we can try what mamas in the West do! So expect to see more pictures of Akari's bum in cute attire in a few weeks! :D

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MY offspring, that is, while she sleeps in my lap. (Don't want to disturb her when she looks so content, although I have to get to the computer downstairs to reply the meme replies...)

( Under here... )

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As promised, pics! She's finally settled into a schedule of sorts (up every 3 hours or so needing a diaper change, milk, and a bit of company), and I'm tapping this out at 5:34AM because she's just gone down and I may as well stay up til breakfast.

( Much cuteness (and a food pic, of course) under here )

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Here's 明莉 (Akari) at long last! She was 2672 gm and 47.5 cm long at birth. She was born at 3:18AM on May 17th via emergency C-section, but she is healthy and alert (and still loves to suck her thumb!) and I am recovering just fine.

EDIT: sorry about your f-lists guys! The LJ app for iPhone screws up when it "restores previous draft" and no longer gives pic and cut options. Some of the following may be TMI, so I feel I should warn you to scroll by without reading if talk of nursing and/or surgery squicks you out. Sorry again- I'll see if I can fix the post and add photos via Safari, but I have no Internet access besides this thing, and I'm in pain, tired, and I have to feed a newborn in 3 hours or so, so forgive me if I can't, ok?

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Trying out posting via iPhone! Have been lying here for twenty minutes as this thing records the baby's heartbeat and movements. Her pulse speeds up everytime she moves to 150-something beats, but resting seems to be 130-something.
Ra for free wireless at my hospital! (^o^)/

Now to try and LJ cut this...