Smiley Girl

Because who doesn't love a smiling baby?

She's an old pro with this toy now.

At daycare.

     

Cheeks.

In other news, Lucy recently made it through her first cold.  She ran a low-grade fever for a day and had a stuffy nose for a couple of days.  By Day 3 she was back to her old self.  Whew!

Thanksgiving Pics and Growth Spurtin'

Mmmm, pie...

Lucy had a great time at Thanksgiving.  She is the first kid in our family in a long, long time, so it was quite unusual to have a youngster hanging out with us this year.  (And we found out another baby is on his way - congrats Cousin Tracey!!)  Lucy was a good girl and didn't cry too much, even though she got really sleepy towards the end.  She got a lot of, "What a good baby!" comments.  We tried a few times to put her down for a nap but there was just too much excitement for that. Lucy also got to meet Erik's Uncle Jim and Aunt Anna for the first time.  All in all it was a very successful trip!

Lucy and Grandma Viv

Lucy and Uncle Jim, the Baby Whisperer!

Notice the outgrown pants, which I will get to in a minute. 

Thanksgiving dinner

Lucy and Aunt Gina

Lucy and Aunt Mary

Lucy and Aunt (soon to be Grandma!) Christine

Lucy and Uncle Michael

Lucy and Aunt Bea.  I call this one, Woman in Trees with Baby.

Saving the best for last.  Lucy and my sweet, wonderful Nana.

The LW is also in the midst of a serious growth spurt.  Don't believe me?  Just look at the data!  (I know, I have problems).

Find this ap at http://www.baby-connect.com/ 

She now weighs 13.5 lbs.  More importantly, she gained 1 lb in less than 2 weeks!!!  That's an average of over an ounce a day.  That's a pretty phenomenal rate, especially for a baby her age.  1- to 6-month-old babies usually gain 1-2 lbs PER MONTH.  She was hanging out around the 9th percentile for quite a while.  Then she skyrocketed, seemingly overnight, up to the 16th!

I don't have to tell you how important it is that she's gaining weight.  Not only is she slowly but surely catching up with her peers, but it means that her intestines are healthy and functioning, taking the nutrients from her food and distributing them to the rest of her body.  How many times can I say how happy and proud we are of her?  Well, we are.  Big time.

What does this mean for Mom and Dad?  Lots of waking up throughout the night.  The last couple of weeks have been really tough in that respect.  She can't seem to eat enough (the daycare ladies have also noticed it).  It's hard work being a growing girl!

Happy Thanksgiving

Thankful.

5 Months Old

Hello.

Lucy turns 5 months old tomorrow!  Here are some highlights from the last month.

• The L-Dub is weighing in at 12.5 lbs.  She has mostly grown out of her 0-3 month clothes.
• I'm happy (and relieved) to report that she's adjusting really well to daycare!  She doesn't cry when I drop her off and she's usually in a good mood when I pick her up (unless she's tired).  She loves Mirna and Kiera, the caregivers, and smiles at them when they look at her.  They are totally smitten with her and call her a "little angel."  She is napping well and eating well throughout the day.  We couldn't be happier with how things are going in that department.  I am doing well too... slowly but surely getting back into work mode. 
• Remember that post about sleeping through the night?  That was fun.  That lasted for about a month... and then the teething train hit.  Now our little slobber factory is back to waking up at least once a night, sometimes 2 or 3 times. But it's par for the course, I know.
• Her favorite new tricks are blowing raspberries, which she does constantly (no, really), and grabbing her feet and putting them in her mouth, as documented below.         

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  We will see some of you soon!

My Jumperoo is the greatest!

THE GREATEST!!!

Ice-in-a-washcloth teething trick.  Thanks Grammie JJ! 

Feet grabbing on the changing table.

Ready for daycare.

Ready for bed.

Cool like Auntie! 

NICU Halloween Reunion Party

Did somebody call for a Cupcake Fairy?

Each year, CPMC hosts a Halloween Reunion Party for all the babies who were patients in their NICU.  This was a very special day for us, not only because we were reunited with the amazing nurses who cared for our daughter, but also because it represented an important emotional milestone for us.  Each night during my 6-week stay in the hospital, Erik and I would walk the halls to get some exercise and a change of scenery.  We would always pass by the NICU and I would think to myself, "There's the next step. We just have to get there."  It was both exciting and terrifying.  Exciting because that was the place where they would save our daughter's life, and terrifying because we didn't know how rocky of a road it was going to be.  Outside the NICU doors they have a cork board with photos of NICU reunion parties from years past (they've been doing this for over 40 years!)  When the fear would hit, I would glance over at that board and think to myself, "That will be us someday, after this is all over."  Lucy was originally due in July, so we were pretty sure that she would be out by October.  So to us, the Halloween party marked the end of our ordeal and the beginning of our new life as a family.  Well, that day is here, and it's just as awesome as I imagined.    

Family Portrait, Halloween 2012

We had a wonderful time, including the Cupcake Fairy, who slept through most of it.  And I only teared up once. :)

Nurse Jennifer and her cute little man.  Jennifer was in the OR when Lucy was delivered and assisted with the removal of her silo. 

Nurse Anna, Lucy's primary night shift nurse.  She greeted us with, "Is that my baby?!"

The amazing, amazing Nurse Mary.  You may remember Mary from such posts as, "Visiting With the NICU Nurse" and "Good News and More Good News!"  

 

Lucy still loves her some Nurse Mary. 

 

This was in the middle of a DJ playing for a bunch of screaming, dancing kids.   

Belly Update

I haven't posted a belly pic in a while (the last two were here and here).  In the past couple weeks we've noticed more definition in her abdominal muscles, and as a result, her hernia has really started to go down. Here is what her belly looks like now.

Lucy's Special Spot

Almost like a real belly button, right?  I just can't get over how amazing it is that her body has healed up so nicely on its own without one single stitch. 

We also got her a Jumperoo to help tone her legs and complement those rock hard abs.  It's sound activated by her movements to help teach cause and effect.  This morning she took it for a test drive, and as far as she's concerned, it's the bees knees. 

Four Months Old!

Lucy turned 4 months old on Sunday!  Here's what's new.

First and foremost....

LUCY SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT NOW!!! We are finally getting full nights of sleep.  She goes to bed around 8:00-9:00 pm and wakes up at 6:00-7:00 am.  I've never been much of a morning person, but compared to the relentless weeks in the beginning, this schedule is perfectly acceptable to me.   



Sleeping babies = happy mommies

 She also laughs now.  It's the sweetest thing I've ever seen.  Best milestone so far!

She's gaining motor control and can reach out and grab things.  I have a feeling this is just the beginning... once she starts to realize that she's the master of her own destiny, watch out world.   

She has doubled her birth weight and now weighs just over 11 lbs.  She also jumped from the 5th percentile to the 25th percentile in length!  She's a long, lean, drooling machine. 

She loves cruising around town. 


Geared up for another adventure



Golden Gate Bridge

Twin Peaks

Dolores Park

Baker Beach during a week of record heat in SF (it got up to 90 degrees that day).

Lastly, I'm preparing to return to work in a week and a half.  After much searching, we selected a family daycare that is down the street from our house.  It's run out of the owner's home and has a maximum of 6 kids for 2 employees.  The owner is very nice and competent, and I got a good vibe from her right away.  The days are structured and full of activities and there are a range of ages (babies to pre-school).  Although I'm excited for Lucy to be with other kids and start making friends, it will undoubtedly be a bittersweet transition.  As much as I'm looking forward to getting back into the real world, it will be really, really hard to only see Lucy for a couple of waking hours a day.  But I just keep reminding myself that this is not a unique problem.  For most parents out there, this is life.  As George W would say, we all gotta work hard to put food on our families.

That's it for now.  Wait, you want more cute baby pics?  Okay.        

Cute

Cute

Cute

Cute

Cute

Cute



Mad beatz.



First Yo Gabba Gabba experience on the iPad.  She was very intrigued!

Silly Dad.

Lucy in Diane von Furstenberg, proving you're never too young to look fierce.