Today we tried giving Gabriela her first bottle (of breastmilk). The books say you should start a bottle between 4 and 6 weeks, and today she was six weeks exactly. Well, she was NOT having any of it.
This girl screamed like nobody's business. She arched her back away from the bottle (something we've never seen her do), and even put her arm in front of her mouth and sucked on that instead.
She ended up back on the boob. We tried the bottle a couple more times during the day, but with no success. I'm hoping she'll come around because I have to go back to work in November, and she's going to have to eat during the day.
oh goodness.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
More Pics
Gabriela is always staring at the wall when she has her diaper changed, so we decided to spruce up the area with some little stick-on decorations for the walls.
With her buddy, Grover
Tummy Time! Take a look at how high her hair is in the mirror!!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Happy Birthday, Dear Natalie!
Natalie, you big girl. We can't believe you are FIVE whole years old! And a Kindergartner!! Happy Birthday!! We love you so much.
Love, Auntie Elena, Uncle Lane, & Gabriela xoxo
Our Daughter Has Mad Skillz
Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!
From time to time I send my nearly 3 yr old nephew videos with his picture in them. This time, he specifically requested one with his new cousin. So this is one of them together.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
One Month Dr. Visit
Gabriela had her one month check up at the pediatrician. She is 11 lbs and 22 3/4 inches long. The doctor said what we thought was baby acne is actually eczema. Poor baby girl! She gave us Gabriela's very first prescription. Her face already looks worlds better. Next week we have an ultrasound appointment since the doctor said she noticed a click in her hip joint. She wants to make sure Gabriela doesn't have hip dysplasia. Other than that, she said our little baby is doing very well, and is very alert. Gabriela even flashed some of her smiles at the doctor.
In other news that I can't believe, she didn't wake up to eat at all last night! She went to sleep for the night (after a long evening nap) at 12:30 am, and didn't wake up until 7. Of course, I kept waking up all night thinking surely, she was ready to eat, but she was sound asleep.
In other news that I can't believe, she didn't wake up to eat at all last night! She went to sleep for the night (after a long evening nap) at 12:30 am, and didn't wake up until 7. Of course, I kept waking up all night thinking surely, she was ready to eat, but she was sound asleep.
Our Busy Weekend
We were so excited to have David come and visit for the weekend. It was low key and full of laughs and good food, as usual. He just loved meeting and spending time with Gabriela. He tried very hard to help her learn to say "Uncle David" over the weekend, but all he got were smiles and coos. Maybe next time.
Lane made dinner on Friday and was quite dismayed to find that we were out of sour cream and cilantro for our chili. He and David stopped at 7-11 for the sour cream, but leave it to David to get cilantro. He seriously went into the mexican restaurant, made friends with the manager and owner and left in minutes with a container of cilantro. Uh, I never would have done that! It was pretty funny though.
Saturday evening, Lane, Gabriela and I went to a baby shower, and Gabriela was an absolute angel! She slept nearly the whole time. I thought for sure, she'd wake up starving (and therefore, screaming). But when she woke up, she was bright-eyed, looked around a lot and was very happy. We had some smiley time, read some stories and she went happily went to sleep a few hours later for the night.
Our weekend with David wouldn't have been complete without the requisite late night Kebob Palace run. So the guys went out to pick us up some Afghan Deliciousness around 11 pm (instead of 1 am or 3 am).
We went to a BBQ at Torin's house on Sunday and met a lovely couple who are having a baby in October. Gabriela was also on her bestest behavior on this outing. We brought our fabulous BabyBjorn bouncer - it's so lightweight and easy to carry around. She is very happy just chilling there, and it gives us some hands free time.
Monday I had lunch with an old high school friend who was in town for a job interview. I enjoyed catching up with her. It was the first time I took Gabriela to a restaurant without Lane. Another great success! I don't know if she's so good because she's still sleeping a lot or what, but we are really enjoying that this is (so far) easier than we thought it would be. phew.
Lane made dinner on Friday and was quite dismayed to find that we were out of sour cream and cilantro for our chili. He and David stopped at 7-11 for the sour cream, but leave it to David to get cilantro. He seriously went into the mexican restaurant, made friends with the manager and owner and left in minutes with a container of cilantro. Uh, I never would have done that! It was pretty funny though.
Saturday evening, Lane, Gabriela and I went to a baby shower, and Gabriela was an absolute angel! She slept nearly the whole time. I thought for sure, she'd wake up starving (and therefore, screaming). But when she woke up, she was bright-eyed, looked around a lot and was very happy. We had some smiley time, read some stories and she went happily went to sleep a few hours later for the night.
Our weekend with David wouldn't have been complete without the requisite late night Kebob Palace run. So the guys went out to pick us up some Afghan Deliciousness around 11 pm (instead of 1 am or 3 am).
We went to a BBQ at Torin's house on Sunday and met a lovely couple who are having a baby in October. Gabriela was also on her bestest behavior on this outing. We brought our fabulous BabyBjorn bouncer - it's so lightweight and easy to carry around. She is very happy just chilling there, and it gives us some hands free time.
Monday I had lunch with an old high school friend who was in town for a job interview. I enjoyed catching up with her. It was the first time I took Gabriela to a restaurant without Lane. Another great success! I don't know if she's so good because she's still sleeping a lot or what, but we are really enjoying that this is (so far) easier than we thought it would be. phew.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Dimple Dilemma
Gabriela has some extra sweet dimples. We had no idea where they came from at first, since neither Lane nor I have any dimples. But the only logical explanation is that she got one from Auntie Adie and one from her new Uncle Jesse :) Here is the evidence:
Our baby is one month old!
We can't believe our Gabriela is an entire month old! We just love her to pieces and still can't stop staring at her.
She is starting to smile and boy, is it ever cute! We think Gabriela's Moby Wrap and Baby Bjorn have magical powers because the instant we put her in them, she quiets down and falls asleep.
Gabriela has developed quite a sense of style with her new hairdo. We can't tell if she's losing some of her baby hair, or if it's all just sticking straight up now.
She is a great sleeper, waking up only a couple times during the night. Gabriela is quite the stretcher. Who knew that someone so tiny had to stretch and move around so much!!
My parents said I would always wake up just as they sat down to eat dinner, and I seem to have passed on that trait to Gabriela. We just set her bouncer on the floor in between us and she joins us for dinner. She still has a very big appetite, and still snorts like a little piggy to let us know she is ready to eat!
Gabriela has her one month doctor visit on Monday. She's also very excited to meet her Uncle David, who is coming to visit this weekend.
Here is Gabriela enjoying her beautiful handmade blanket. Thank you Marsha!
See how much she's changed in 4 weeks!!! We can't believe it either!
And my personal favorite:
Monday, August 18, 2008
What a Week
Last week was quite an adventure. Gabriela must have been going through the 3 week old growth spurt. She was *starving* every half hour or so, and each time she'd nurse it was for like 25 or 30 minutes instead of the normal 5 or 10. This led me to have no time to do things like brush my teeth, or eat a meal without someone screaming in the background. It was also accompanied by a massive blow out diaper change, being spit up upon right down my boobs, as well as some projectile spit up that required us both to bathe. Some delightful firsts :) I took a step back to be grateful that it was just like this for a few days, and that every day wasn't like this.
We also had a fabulous adventure at the DMV. After waiting for at least an hour (with a very well behaved and sleeping baby), it was finally our turn. The lady complimented me on my lovely license picture and then told me it was too bad I had to retake the picture today (clearly a commentary on my appearance that day). Here I was, with my hair barely pulled out of my face and completely not ready for a photo that would be on my license until 2016. Then she told me I couldn't renew my (expired) license without my passport, which I of course didn't have with me. So, we got in the car where I fed a starving baby, and then proceeded to torture her by putting her in her carseat. Gabriela totally freaked out and screamed hysterically until she fell asleep. We got home, got the passport, got back in the car, where she relived the wrath of her mother again in that wretched carseat. We waited about an hour for my new license, got back in the car, and AGAIN Gabriela cried her little heart out. Gabriela hardly cries, so it's really upsetting to hear her scream at the top of her lungs (while driving on the highway)and not be able to do anything about it. She probably thought I abandoned her or something. Thankfully, she got over it.
Some highlights of the week though were visiting with some of our friends, Lane and I took Gabriela out for $4 burgers where she was just a doll and didn't even make a peep, and watching Lane read books to his little angel. So sweet.
This week is already off to a better start. Last night, Gabriela woke up at 11pm (we were still awake) and 3 am, and not again until 8am. The previous night she slept 6 hours in a row!! And we had a very nice morning walk today.
p.s. I TOTALLY lied about my weight on my DMV paperwork, I admit it. I know I'm not done losing my pregnancy weight yet.
We also had a fabulous adventure at the DMV. After waiting for at least an hour (with a very well behaved and sleeping baby), it was finally our turn. The lady complimented me on my lovely license picture and then told me it was too bad I had to retake the picture today (clearly a commentary on my appearance that day). Here I was, with my hair barely pulled out of my face and completely not ready for a photo that would be on my license until 2016. Then she told me I couldn't renew my (expired) license without my passport, which I of course didn't have with me. So, we got in the car where I fed a starving baby, and then proceeded to torture her by putting her in her carseat. Gabriela totally freaked out and screamed hysterically until she fell asleep. We got home, got the passport, got back in the car, where she relived the wrath of her mother again in that wretched carseat. We waited about an hour for my new license, got back in the car, and AGAIN Gabriela cried her little heart out. Gabriela hardly cries, so it's really upsetting to hear her scream at the top of her lungs (while driving on the highway)and not be able to do anything about it. She probably thought I abandoned her or something. Thankfully, she got over it.
Some highlights of the week though were visiting with some of our friends, Lane and I took Gabriela out for $4 burgers where she was just a doll and didn't even make a peep, and watching Lane read books to his little angel. So sweet.
This week is already off to a better start. Last night, Gabriela woke up at 11pm (we were still awake) and 3 am, and not again until 8am. The previous night she slept 6 hours in a row!! And we had a very nice morning walk today.
p.s. I TOTALLY lied about my weight on my DMV paperwork, I admit it. I know I'm not done losing my pregnancy weight yet.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Tummy Time Improved
Oh, and check out her fancy hairdo. It ends up like this no matter what we do, kind of like Harry Potter's hair. We don't really try to decrease the punk rocker factor anymore.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Like Mama, Like Baby
Ever since I was a little kid, my mom would tell me stories about when I was a baby. One that I wasn't too thrilled about was that she said I'd pull my own hair. Not only that, she said when it started hurting, it would startle me and I'd start crying. Naturally, I'd pull harder and get even more upset.
So imagine my surprise when I caught our daughter doing this:
Look at that fist full of hair!
So imagine my surprise when I caught our daughter doing this:
Look at that fist full of hair!
What Soothes Our Fussy Baby
Gabriela is overall a very happy and content baby. But in the early evenings, she tends to get a little fussy. The other night we tried everything and just couldn't get her to settle down, that is until we put on The Beatles!!
She immediately quieted down and got back to her happy as a clam self! How appropriate, because in a few more months, she'll be fitting into this darling t-shirt from Auntie Cati & Uncle Noal:
She immediately quieted down and got back to her happy as a clam self! How appropriate, because in a few more months, she'll be fitting into this darling t-shirt from Auntie Cati & Uncle Noal:
Monday, August 11, 2008
The Latest on Gabriela Elena
We are loving the punk rocker bed head Gabriela is sporting these days (pictures coming soon).
She is a total wiggle worm. Somehow, she inches herself all the way to the bottom of her co-sleeper during the night.
Gabriela loves story time. We read three stories at a time and she sits attentively listening and looking at the pictures for all three stories. This week we are reading A Picnic with Monet, In the Garden with Van Gogh, and Miss Spider's New Car.
Despite her Rocky-esque Tummy Time efforts at the tender age of 4 days old (which you can view here), Gabriela has recently confused Tummy Time with Suck on Your Hand Time. We have to work on this.
Gabriela loves playing with her hands and moving those long fingers all over the place. Unfortunately, this morning they landed in her eyeball. Our poor sweetheart started crying and refused to open her eyes back up for a little while. She gave herself quite a scare.
She has gone on several more adventures lately, including meeting her friend Carter, whose parents were in our child birth class with us. Gabriela went to restaurants on Thursday AND Friday nights where she was on her best behavior.
She is a total wiggle worm. Somehow, she inches herself all the way to the bottom of her co-sleeper during the night.
Gabriela loves story time. We read three stories at a time and she sits attentively listening and looking at the pictures for all three stories. This week we are reading A Picnic with Monet, In the Garden with Van Gogh, and Miss Spider's New Car.
Despite her Rocky-esque Tummy Time efforts at the tender age of 4 days old (which you can view here), Gabriela has recently confused Tummy Time with Suck on Your Hand Time. We have to work on this.
Gabriela loves playing with her hands and moving those long fingers all over the place. Unfortunately, this morning they landed in her eyeball. Our poor sweetheart started crying and refused to open her eyes back up for a little while. She gave herself quite a scare.
She has gone on several more adventures lately, including meeting her friend Carter, whose parents were in our child birth class with us. Gabriela went to restaurants on Thursday AND Friday nights where she was on her best behavior.
Delicious Dinner
Last night Lane and I had one of our first delicious dinners that we actually cooked for ourselves. Up until now, we've had the pleasure of dining on my mom's fantastic dishes.
We had garlic and rosemary roasted red potatoes, grilled steaks with bleu cheese parsley butter and a mushroom onion wine sauce, and a spinach salad with raspberries, blueberries, goat cheese and honeyed pecans and walnuts. The best part of all was that Lane was the dinner chef. I'm so proud of him! I put together the salad, but who am I kidding - he toasted and candied the nuts and made the homemade salad dressing.
Yay for Lane (and me too)!!
We had garlic and rosemary roasted red potatoes, grilled steaks with bleu cheese parsley butter and a mushroom onion wine sauce, and a spinach salad with raspberries, blueberries, goat cheese and honeyed pecans and walnuts. The best part of all was that Lane was the dinner chef. I'm so proud of him! I put together the salad, but who am I kidding - he toasted and candied the nuts and made the homemade salad dressing.
Yay for Lane (and me too)!!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Another Special Blankie for Gabriela
My Nana crocheted this baby blanket and gave it to me for Christmas in 2002!!! We have kept it safe and sound all this time. Gabriela brought it home with her from the hospital. We're so lucky to have this special blanket made with lots of love, even though Gabriela was never able to meet her Nana Eclarin.p.s. Gabriela was wearing this cutie-patootie outfit, complete with matching Mary Jane socks when someone in the elevator SERIOUSLY asked if she was a boy or a girl.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Bath Time!
"hmm, this pinky is kind of tasty!"
"I'm a good eater; just take a look at that belly!"
Gabriela really enjoys her bath time. This is her second non-sponge bath. I'm just going to have to pretend it's her first since I forgot to get out the camera the first time.
As I was getting everything ready, Gabriela started crying and I sighed and resigned myself to the fact that bath time would not be so pleasant. But the instant I put her into her tub, she calmed down, started looking all around, and really seemed to enjoy being in the water. phew!
We are so Adventurous: Part 2
Gabriela loves her BabyBjorn Bouncer. She loves it so much, in fact, that I had the guts to suggest we attend the outdoor movie on Monday night in Crystal City. During the summers they have free outdoor screenings of movies, and it's just one block away from our apartment.
So we loaded up Gabriela in the BabyBjorn, packed a couple snacks and baby essentials, including her bouncer and headed over for free popcorn and James Bond movie goodness.
We didn't make it through the whole movie, but we were very proud of Gabriela for making it 1.5 hours just sleeping and bouncing away through loud action movie sequences and planes flying overhead. She even successfully nursed with a (gasp!) blanket over her head!!
We got the hint that she was over it when she started getting a little fidgetty (okay, a lot of fidgetty), and were all packed up and on our way back by the time she started fussing.
We may just try to go again another Monday. The whole series is James Bond movies, but they're ending it with Austin Powers. Too funny.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Check it Out!
If you look closely, you can see one of my little dimples in this pic.
Check out my beautiful blankie that Auntie Adie made for me. I am also trying out my new Mary Jane socks I just got in the mail along with lots of other goodies from Auntie Adie, Uncle Ian and my cousins, Claire & Natalie.
In other news, I found my fingers the other day, and I've been sucking vigorously on them ever since. But still no milk. What's a girl to do??
Friday, August 1, 2008
We are so Adventurous
That's right. Last night we had guests over for dinner. Lane volunteered to cook his signature feta cheese pasta and Wes & Ioana brought wine and salad to share. It was a great success. I was proud of us. Although, we learned that Gabriela does not like to nurse discreetly. She wants the whole world to know she's eating and therefore, gets very fussy if someone has the nerve to cover her up with a blankie while she's feasting!! We'll have to work on that.
Since Gabriela's cord fell off on Wednesday, I decided to pull out her bathtub and give her a real bath today. Based on her reaction to her sponge bath, I thought she'd be a little upset about getting in the water, but she actually seemed to enjoy it.
We read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? today. She paid attention the whole time and really liked the pictures.
We'll try to post some new pics soon. This girl must be growing more because all she seems to do is sleep, sleep, and sleep some more. sheesh!
Since Gabriela's cord fell off on Wednesday, I decided to pull out her bathtub and give her a real bath today. Based on her reaction to her sponge bath, I thought she'd be a little upset about getting in the water, but she actually seemed to enjoy it.
We read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? today. She paid attention the whole time and really liked the pictures.
We'll try to post some new pics soon. This girl must be growing more because all she seems to do is sleep, sleep, and sleep some more. sheesh!
Congratulations, Auntie Ann!
We are so happy for you and your big day today. My momma and daddy really wish they could be there with you to celebrate, but I'm too little to come along, and they didn't want to leave me here by myself ;)
You are GLOWING. We can't wait to meet Uncle Jesse and send you both big giant hugs and kisses. We are so excited to hear all the details of your big wedding day.
Sending lots of love your way...
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