Guess what Erin got Albert for his Birthday?
Elia Chen was born by c-section on December 19, 2013 at 8:24 AM, at 4 pounds 8 oz, 18 inches long at 36 weeks (Curie was 4 pounds 7 oz, 17 inches long at 37 weeks). Mother and baby are well. Elia is in the NICU working on her breathing and weight for a while (Curie was in NICU for 4 days and as Bill said, while you never want anyone to have to experience the NICU, they are amazing there and you learn so much how to take care of your child there). Erin is recovering from the c-section.
Elia was delivered early because of her small size (more on her birth story page).
Curie is so excited to have a “baby sisser” that she has been diapering her stuffed animals and has bought Elia a Curious George. She will see her baby sister soon.
We did not publicize the pregnancy on Facebook, but kudos to Gloria for spotting it in the Halloween pictures (and thank you for messaging it back channel instead of posting it online). For those of you who knew and were guessing the name, the official clue was female scientist, the unofficial clues were that we chose “Curie” over Marie (or Irene) – last names – and that Marie Curie (and Irene Curie) was a Nobel laureate.
Elia is named after Gertrude B. Elion, a biochemist and Nobel prize winner of Physiology and Medicine in 1988; amongst Ms. Elion’s achievements were the development of transplant drugs, malaria, gout, acyclovir, and the development of 6-mercaplopurine used in chemotherapy to treat children with leukemia for which she won the Nobel prize.
Albert’s birthday will always be upstaged by Elia’s now and we made the 18th “Curie Day” so that she wouldn’t be left out (Erin can have the 17th or the 21st). More later, but, to Elia, welcome to this crazy world, you are loved dearly already.