Week Six

This has been quite a busy week for our girl! She met tons of new people and saw her doctor for her monthly check up.

About Alexandra: Alexandra weighs 9 pounds 9 ounces as of Thursday's appointment. This is about the 37th percentile for her age. She is also 21.25 inches long. This is the 41st percentile for her age. The doctor says she looks great!

She has been fussy this week and those two nights of 4 and 5 hour stretches of sleep from last week were a fluke. On Thursday night she woke mommy after just 30 minutes of sleep....three different times throughout the night. Mommy was happy to at least have had one stretch of 3 hours. I have read about a six week growth spurt, so I am hoping that is the cause of her fussiness and she will be back to normal soon!

Alexandra has pretty eyelashes. When she was first born, they were so light in color that you could barely see them. Now they are getting darker and it is easy to see that they are long.

She continues to receive gifts and we are so grateful for the outpouring of love from our friends, co-workers and family. I have to share this one photo of monogrammed burp cloths from Dave's cousins that she received a few weeks ago. I especially love the Baby Myers one!

Mommy & Daddy:  Mommy feels better physically and is gaining more confidence in her new role. This week she ventured out on her own with the little girl to two doctor's appointments and even went shopping. Thankfully Alexandra slept through most of the experience!

Both of us have been taking Alexandra for walks. It definitely adds to the workout when you have to push a stroller up hill.

What's New: Alexandra is smiling a lot more. She still does not smile very well on cue when smiled at, but she is definitely showing us that she is a happy girl. One of the pictures below shows this nice big smile! I am looking forward to more smiles in the weeks to come.

Visitors: Alexandra met a lot of people this week! On Sunday, our friend Ayliz came for a visit with her 4 year old son Jason. She likes meeting mommy and daddy's friends!

Then on Monday night, we took her to her first Toastmasters meeting. She was wide awake and was not too fussy. I missed part of the meeting to feed her though. Then on Tuesday, she met several of Dave's co-workers at T-Mobile. She slept through the experience but got rave reviews on her cuteness!

On Thursday Alexandra went to my school for a swim meet. Since I had been the JV Girls coach for the past 2 years, I wanted to make it to one meet this year. I got to see some of my current students and swimmers from last year. Everyone was excited to meet her and happy to see me. She seemed to take in the whole experience and like it. Hopefully someday she will be a swimmer like mommy!

Alexandra also went with me to a couple of doctor's appointments and again got all kinds of comments about how pretty she is - love to hear those! Guess Dave and I have really good DNA!

Photos: Here is the official photo from this week!

And some more fun photos:

Week Five

Our little cutie is 5 weeks already! We are starting to see some of her personality and know it will only get better. She is such a sweet girl!

About Alexandra: She is extending her sleep time at night. On Wednesday night she slept 4 hours straight and on Thursday night she slept 5 hours straight. Mommy is very appreciative of this and hope it continues!

Alexandra definitely loves the play mat and the music. She likes to move her little arms and legs to the beat. She is becoming more aware of the items dangling in front of her and has batted at them a couple of times.

She had her first big outing today when we took her shopping with them to exchange some items at Macy's and then dinner. She slept most of the time and was a quiet baby the rest. This was only her third time at a restaurant.

Alexandra is getting better at letting me put onesies over her head, although they are not her favorite thing at all. Tonight she is wearing an outfit from Baby Gap. She also has outfits from Ralph Lauren, DKNY and Calvin Klein...she is certainly a stylish baby girl!

She occasionally gets fussy, but overall is a pretty calm baby. When she is fussy, both her bouncer and her pacifiers seem to do the trick.

She is a messy eater and so now always has a bib on before she gets her bottle. It has cut down on outfit changes!

Mommy and grandma have been reading to Alexandra before bed. So far she has heard some Dr. Seuss stories, as well as classics like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It is never too early to inspire a love of reading. We are trying to get into a bedtime routine to signal to her that it is sleep time.

Mommy & Daddy: Daddy was gone much of the week, but has made up for it with quality daddy-daughter time Thursday night so mommy could go to a seminar.

Mommy still is not 100% recovered from the c-section and can tell when she over does it. She has a follow up appointment with the OB on Tuesday.
 
What's New: She is starting to smile, although not yet in response to my smile. She smiles frequently in her sleep and has even laughed once while asleep. I wonder what she is dreaming about?

She is gaining more control over her hands and can hold her pacifier. She is trying really hard to be able to put it back in her mouth by herself. If she keeps it close, she can do it, but most of the time she needs help from mommy or daddy.

Visitors: Grandma Janet stayed with us for a few days while daddy was in Phoenix for the funeral of his step-father, Jean. 

Photos: Here is the official photo from this week!

And after bath time in her frog princess towel:

One Month

Hello Readers,

Alexandra here. My mommy has been doing the weekly blog posts, but I thought it was my turn to share my thoughts about this world that I was forced into a month ago. I can't believe it has already been a month! So much has happened to me.

Mommy has done a pretty good job writing in this blog about many of my experiences, but here are a few things from a little baby's point of view!

I have so many clothes! It is hard to decide what to wear each day. Sometimes I spit up or eat so fast that I get milk all over my clothes so I have to change outfits. Mommy does laundry every 2-3 days. Now that it is getting warmer, mommy has been putting me in onesies, but at night I wear sleepers. They are very comfy. I did put on a dress for Easter. It was a little too big on me. When it comes to clothes, I don't like having to put something over my head. I much prefer the sleepers and outfits that can just be snapped on. I squirm until mommy gets the clothes over my head.

I spend a lot of my time napping. I love being held and falling asleep in someones arms...it honestly does not matter whose arms, just as long as they are there. Car rides sure are nice. The motion lulls me to sleep. I also like the swing for that same reason. Mommy and daddy will put me in it sometimes when they have dinner. That way they can keep an eye on me and I let them eat in peace.

I like music! Some music puts me to sleep because it is soft. Mommy and daddy have played Journey, The Beatles and The Eagles songs in a lullaby version. I love the music in the play mat and it makes me want to move my feet and arms and dance!

I really hate it when mommy tries to clean around my eyes. I get green goup on them all the time. The only time I will allow her to wipe my eyes without screaming is when I am distracted with a bottle. I also don't like being burped much of the time. It just feels weird being tossed over mommy's shoulder. Occasionally though I just give in, curl up and fall asleep.

While I do love to sleep, I am not sure about sleeping in the cradle because it moves! I will startle myself awake sometimes if I move too quickly. It is a strange feeling. My other beds don't move like it does. No matter which "bed" I am in, I really like sleeping on my side. Mommy and daddy always put me down on my back and most of the time this is comfortable for awhile, but then I usually roll onto my side. When I am in the Pack n Play, I wiggle around and end up 90 degrees from the way mommy set me down.

I am a night owl and can lay awake for several hours at night. Mommy does not like this and tells me night time is for sleeping. I will try to work on that.

When I am hungry I scream loudly and daddy says I sound like a donkey. I have no patience for waiting until mommy mixes the formula or heats it up. I often stick my fingers in my mouth. Daddy jokes that they must taste good. Sometimes mommy has to pry them out of my mouth so that she can feed me a bottle. I like to make noises when I eat. I can also be messy, especially when I am really hungry. Mommy and grandma insist that I wear a bib so that I don't get milk all over my clothes. I don't think I really like bibs very much!

Mommy and Grandma Janet love to take my photograph. Most of the time I cooperate and try to look cute, but sometimes I make funny faces. Here are some pictures from my one month photo shoot.

Thanks for reading and I will check in next month!

Love,
Alexandra

Week Four

Wow! It is hard to believe that Alexandra is almost a month old! Look for a special post on Tuesday the 16th with her 1 month photos!

About Alexandra: She loves the bouncy seat and the swing! We are so thankful that our friends loaned us both these items as they are lifesavers for a fussy girl!

She had another bath and loved it. While she does not have much hair, a few of the blonde locks are starting to curl so it looks like she will have curly hair like mommy.

Alexandra is a noisy eater. Sometimes she makes the cutest little noises as she gulps down her bottle. She also sometimes uses the bottle as a pacifier and just likes the sucking motion. Mommy has gotten wise to this and if she is not eating, takes the bottle away. Daddy calls what she does "eaping" (eat-sleeping) because sometimes she seems like she takes little naps while eating!

How many "beds" does one little girl need? Probably not as many as Alexandra has. She has a crib, a cradle and 2 pack n plays. So pretty much she can sleep in any of four rooms in the house! When placed in her crib, she likes to slide all the way to the side and stick her feet through the railings. 

Mommy & Daddy: Daddy had to go to Phoenix for a family emergency. That meant mommy had her first night alone with Alexandra. Both girls did well, although mommy was very happy when daddy came home and there was another adult in the house.

Mommy has a new sleep schedule. From 10 pm -5 am she often sleeps on the sofa in the media room while Alexandra sleeps in her cradle. This is because daddy needs his sleep so that he can function at work and Alexandra can be a noisy sleeper. Then once daddy gets up, Alexandra and mommy move into the bedroom and nap until 10 am. Of course all of this "sleeping" depends on Alexandra and how often she wakes up at night. Some nights she is wide awake in the middle of the night for a couple of hours. Mommy hopes that she will develop a sleep schedule soon that stretches out to allow a regular 4-5 hour stretch at night. We have had one stretch as long as 5 hours and another as short as 15 minutes. The average is about 2 hours.

Mommy is trying to start walking since that is the only exercise she is cleared to do post c-section. We went for a short walk on Friday. At first she was fussy and complained, but then Alexandra settled down and seemed to enjoy being in the stroller.

What's New: We set up the play mat that Grandma Janet got for Alexandra and she seemed to really like it. There are things that hang down that she can look at and touch, a mirror for her to look at herself and a musical device. When we played the music, she moved her body like she was dancing to the beat.

We tried tummy time and I am not sure she thought much of it. She did move her legs but just kind of laid there. We will continue to work on that. The good news is that she did not cry!

Visitors: Alexandra did not meet anyone new this week, but she did have a visit from Grandma Janet on Thursday night. 

Photos: This weeks photo taken at 28 days says it all..."What? I am already 4 weeks old. No way!"

And some favorite photos from this week:

We have the proofs back from the newborn photo session and they are great. Here are the instructions to view the proofs:

• Go to www.instaproofs.com
• Click on the search button on the bottom
• In the event area type in Susan and Dave
• Click on the first one
• It will take you to the event

Week Three

Alexandra is now 3 weeks old! It was a big week for her as she met her other grandma, celebrated her first Easter, had her first bath and went out to dinner with us for the first time!

About Alexandra: She now weighs 8 pounds 12 ounces as of Wednesday when we saw the doctor. She did very well at the doctors, except that she peed all over him and needed to change outfits! He said he is used to it so it was not a big deal.

I have yet another nickname for my little girl - "Squishy." When I posted a photo of Alexandra on one of the message boards to which I belong, someone replied how cute she was and called her a squishy baby. It just stuck with me. Daddy calls her Lady A.

Alexandra gets the hiccups a lot. I guess it is very common for babies, but I feel bad for her when it happens. She makes lots of different noises, some of which are pretty funny. There are definite grunts, coos and squeaks. 

Mommy & Daddy: Daddy went to work at the office three days this week and missed his little girl while away. He made sure to take some pictures to work to display. He is enjoying the quality time he gets with his daughter during feedings. He is sleeping just fine because mommy is the one to get up at night Sunday thru Thursday. Daddy happily helps out on weekends!

Mommy is quite sleep deprived these days. On Tuesday night, Alexandra was basically awake for most of the hours of 9 PM to 4:30 AM. Mommy finally got some sleep until 10 AM thanks to Grandma Sara! The next night was more of the same! Despite not sleeping much during the day, Miss Alexandra did not want to sleep at night. She wanted to eat. And then she spit up. Finally, mommy gave her a pacifier and that calmed her down. She finally decided to go to sleep at 7 AM!!!

Speaking of pacifiers, while she is awake, she will sometimes hold a hand up to make sure it stays put. Once when the pacifier came out, she was able to grip it in her hand and even though she was upset and flailing her arms, that pacifier stayed in her little hand.

My body continues to heal from the c-section and I am eager to be able to do something more than just walking short distances. It still hurts sometimes if I move too fast or walk too much. I have lost 30 pounds and am so excited! It is hard to believe that I just had a baby!

What's New: Alexandra had her first bath this week. She did not complain too much so hopefully she will be a water lover like her mommy! She also had her first outing this week when we all went to dinner at Duke's in Huntington Beach to celebrate my birthday. She was very calm and not too fussy. Here she is with Grandma Janet at Duke's:

Visitors: Alexandra met her Grandma Sara this week when she came for a visit from Phoenix. Sara loved being here and was so excited to spend time with her granddaughter. Here are a couple of photos of her with Alexandra.

Alexandra also met our friends the D'Souzas - Kelly, Elroy and Elizabeth.

Photos: This photo was taken on Day 20, just one day shy of three weeks.

And here are some favorite photos from this week. The first one is her sporting her new Ralph Lauren outfit from Uncle Alex (got to love the expression on her face), the second was on Easter with a new stuffed animal and the third was a smile we caught as Grandma Sara held her.

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Easter

Alexandra's first Easter was spent with lots of family members including both grandmas and her Grantie Lorel and Great Uncle David. The Easter Bunny brought her a bunny rattle and some books. Grandma Janet gave her a musical device that attaches to her crib. So far she seems to love it and music in general. Grantie Lorel gave her a white bunny and some clothes. She also got a purple bunny from a friend of Lorel's.