She's growing!

Yesterday Eliza had her 2-week checkup with the pediatrician... and we're very happy to report that she's doing just fine -- in fact, she's growing at a fantastic pace.

She was born 7 lbs. 10 oz., and when we left the hospital she was 7 lbs. 1 oz, a normal weight loss during the first 2-3 days. Now, she weighs 8 lbs. 1 oz, meaning that she's gained a whole pound since she left the hospital and has surpassed her birth weight. What does all this mean? Basically just that she's eating, and eating well. (We're not surprised...our little one is still a 'gourmand'!)

She already seems to be changing in appearance (at least to us!) -- growing some cute little chubby cheeks and sprouting some more baby-hair in (random) places on her head. All in all, she's healthy and happy!

Here are some pictures of Mommy, Baby, and multifunctional La-Z-Boy taken today:



-Dan

Doing pretty well on Day 11

What's new to report? A couple of things:

1. Detectable Muscular Development in the Neck Region
That's right, we've noticed Eliza raising her head on her own with increased frequency -- and I should add, with admirable determination. When resting against your chest, she kind of pushes herself up with her little arms -- just an inch or two -- and keeps her head level, straight up and down, for a sustained period of time. It's like she's doing one big push-up. She holds her head up, maintains that position, and proudly whispers to herself, "wow, I've got neck muscles!" You can tell she's enjoying her newfound neck independence.

2. The Routinization of Play-Time
Before Eliza's grandmother, Pat, came to visit, it was all business with Mom and Dad. There wasn't really such a thing as "play time." It was all diapers, breasts, and swaddles. Now, thanks to Memsa's loving attention, Eliza is enjoying such activities as: "watch the toy fly by," "hold grandma's hands and gyrate the upper arms," and "dance around the apartment and look at windows." Her world of fun has expanded exponentially -- Eliza is clearly thrilled to be able to experience new fun things every day. And dad hasn't even started with the vocab flashcards yet.

3. The Institutionalization of Nighttime Routines
Katie and I have been developing a nighttime routine for caring for Eliza's midnight snack needs. Now let's be clear on one thing, Katie clearly carries the heaviest load. But I try to do my part, too. With the little system we've developed, we're managing to sleep over 6 hours a night (that's cumulative hours) with about 3 to 4 interruptions for feedings, burpings, changings, and re-swaddlings. Not bad; especially considering that Eliza is clearly a night-owl like her dad. What usually happens is that just as Katie and I are ready to hit the hay -- around 10, 10:30pm -- Eliza is perking up, getting ready to learn about the world. By 1am, after two drawn-out bouts of midnight snacking, she begrugingly dozes off. Only to awaken us soon thereafter for another meal. Which we (ahem, that's Katie) then provides happily for sweet little Eliza. Then, repeat sequence. And again, repeat. Then it's morning. This is all a new world for us, too; but caring for her really is a pleasure. I dare say, Eliza has already completely captured our hearts.

-Dan

A few more pictures...

These were taken today:



Eliza and Pat (a.k.a. Memsa):

Eliza: Live!

Thanks so much to all our dear friends and family for their kind wishes, emails, and calls. It means a lot.

A quick update: today is Eliza's one-week birthday. It's been a strange and sleep-deprived week, to say the least. But Eliza is doing very, very well. She's such a joy!

Evidently she is a "gourmand," as they say -- or "wine-taster" -- she loves to eat. Slowly.

Today Eliza's grandma Pat just arrived for a visit. Eliza and Pat fell in love with each other right away. I get the sense that this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship...

Below is a short video of Eliza, just hanging out. This was taken on March 22, 2007.


...but Eliza isn't always silent. Here's a little clip from March 18:

Welcome, Eliza!

Happy Birthday, Eliza Rose Galvin!
March 17, 2007

Eagerly Awaiting Baby's Birthday

I think it's safe to say that we're ready... Yep, it's time. Let's go, baby!

We're ready.

...And trying to think of ways to keep busy while waiting for the big birthday.

So here is a collection of ultrasound pictures. (Presumably only the most die-hard Galvinized family and friends will find these interesting. Yet for posterity's sake, and because we're looking for things to do while we wait, we've taken the flimsy, curling originals down from the fridge magnets and transformed them into digital images.)

First Ultrasound
This is the first picture of the Galvinized baby, taken on August 1, 2006. Baby was approximately 7 weeks, 4 days old. Even though the picture notes that the margin of error is plus or minus 2 days, we're going to go with 7 weeks, 4 days. Yes, she was really that small -- the little white peanut inside the big black peanut is her. I believe it's to scale:


Second Ultrasound
The next ultrasound was taken on September 7, 2006, and here we got the mother-load of pictures (as it were): four different pics of the baby. The first is a nice profile shot:


The second is the always-gorgeous "skeleton face" shot:


The third in this series is an "over-the-head" shot. That's her left arm, hand, and at least four fingers. Is she sucking her thumb? Only she knows.


The final shot of this sequence is a profile shot from the right side. Looks like there IS indeed a right arm in there, and you can see her jaw, teeth, and some other features:


Third Ultrasound
At her third photoshoot, taken on October 30, 2006, we collected three interesting pictures of our fast-growing baby. Though these three pictures reveal less personality, we find them anatomically fascinating, and we're confident you will too. The first is of her incredible vertibrae and other bone structures:


This second shot is her foot -- with which she will kick some ass!


And finally, a portrait of baby's face. She's looking right at you!


Fourth (and final) Ultrasound
This most recent ultrasound, taken on February 13, 2007, is a little harder to recognize. This is a left-side profile shot, and that's baby's pudgy arm. She's holding up a fist, as if in protest. Our little radical!


We hope you enjoyed our ultrasound pictures! Check back again soon for Galvinized baby pictures in color! (Soon, we hope!)

-Dan and Katie