First Smile!!!

That's right, this morning and again this evening Eliza smiled for the first time! Of course in the past month she has shown us those half-mouthed lip curls that we say are smiles but are really just animated reactions to gas. But today she showed us the real thing -- a full-faced, eyes twinkling and crinkling, cheeks squooshing up toward her eyes, wide-open-mouthed smile! Exactly on her 5-week birthday, as it turns out. This little girl is full of sunshine. We can't wait for her to show us more!

Here is a pretty washed out picture of this evening's smile -- sorry about the quality, it's the best we could do in the heat of the moment!

Growing fast!

Yesterday we had another routine visit to the pediatrician. Eliza now weighs 9 lbs., 8 oz.! She's growing at an exponential rate. If she continues to gain 20% of her body weight every 2 weeks, a year from now she'll weigh 770 pounds! We're looking into ways of preventing this.

Here are some pictures:





And here is Eliza wearing the beautiful hat that her Great Aunt Judy made for her, and the beautiful red sweater that her Great Grandma Flum made for her!

Hiccups

Grandma and Grandpa Galvin were here during this past week -- they showered Eliza with hugs and kisses. They also made Eliza feel like a movie star. She never had so many pictures taken of her! And even a couple of videos. Here is one Grandma took, called "Hiccups":



And here is Eliza with her Galvinized grandparents:

Growing Pains

Apparently, we've entered a growth spurt. Eliza's pediatrician warned us that this would come around 3 wks: she said Eliza would become increasingly fussy and unpredictably cranky in what she termed a "pre-puberty" phase. (Replete w/ a little "baby acne" to boot!) Thurs. night, Eliza was up every 45 min. or so -- she's begun "cluster-feeding" to help her grow. Very good for her development -- not so good for Mom and Dad's sanity. Every time we feel like we have a "system" in place for caring for Eliza, she changes. Without exaggeration, we're exhausted. Just trying to keep up with her at this point. They say things improve at 6 weeks?? Knock wood.

Eliza after a bath, 4/6/07:

Why is this baby different from all other babies?

...because all other babies, apparently, love the baby swing. This baby, however, does not.

On p. 54 of What to Expect: The First Year (c. 2003, 7 million copies sold), it says "Ask most parents to name the single best piece of baby equipment they purchased, and chances are they'll say the baby swing. Baby swings can be nothing short of miraculous when it comes to soothing a fussy baby."

Eliza is not a particularly fussy baby, though she does have her moments. But the swing, rather than calm a fussy Eliza, makes a calm Eliza fussy. It's hilarious -- she'll be hanging out, looking around the room, just soaking in the scenery, and then BAM -- put her in the swing, and she starts fussing. Grunting, groaning, then crying. Anything, please, anything, but the swing, Mommy and Daddy. Pick her up, sit her down, put her in her car seat of all things, put her down in the pack-n-play, swaddle her in a straitjacket, whatever -- and she's more or less satisfied. But the baby swing? No...please no...

Here are some pictures of Eliza during her third week of life:




Eliza's smile...


Eliza's first Seder:

*yes, that's her in the top-right corner in the baby swing. Hey, you can't win 'em all.

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