Samantha Smiles

Just a quick update: Samantha is now smiling. And not just because she has gas. Here are a few shots of her adorable little grins. It's so fun to see her get more alert and aware of her surroundings. And whose heart doesn't melt when a baby aims a toothless grin their way. She's also started making the funniest noises. Bryan and I lie in bed laughing at her grunts and snorts. She's also got some more kitty cat noises that we need to capture on video so that we don't forget how fun she is at this age.

We don't have a doctor's appointment until 8 weeks (she's only 5 weeks 3 days today) so I don't know how much she weighs but she's started to outgrow some of her newborn clothes and her face has definitely filled out. She's looking more like herself and less like all other newborns. She is still having trouble with gas but she doesn't scream for hours at a time any more so no colic I guess. Just typical baby cries.

She's still not sleeping in her crib. Part of that is my fault. I like having her by the bed at night. Plus the transition seems like it will be so difficult, though it will probably only take a couple of nights. I need to just accept that fact and buckle down to it. She's just still so little but I know that it will be easier on all of us if we do it sooner rather than later. Maybe next week...

She's gaining weight but she's still a little skinny girl.

Hangin' with daddy.

She loves bath time.

Her first visit to Pizza Port and definitely not her last. She loved the noise and slept throuugh it all.

The Many Faces of Sammy

Happy Valentine's Day! Sorry it's been so long since I updated the blog but newborns are a lot of work...surprise, surprise. She seems to sense it every time I get on the computer and starts to cry. But now that Bryan is home I've got the time to get on here for some updates. This picture is my Valentine's present from Bryan. I woke up this morning and he had changed her into these "love" jammies as a surprise. Sooooo cute! What a sweet daddy she has.

We're all doing really well...now. We had some issues with gas a couple of weeks ago but we switched to a different formula and added some Mylicon drops and things seem to be better this week. We were afraid it might be colick. She was crying every night from about 5-8, just as Bryan got home. She still has her moments where she screams in pain but they are fewer and farther in between. It's so hard to hear those screams without crying myself.

On Monday she had her 3-week check-up. She now weighs 7 pounds, 9 ounces, up 1.2 pounds from her first appointment. Her belly button fell off this week too so we were able to give her her first real baths. She hated the first one but the second one was much better. She realized that being immersed in warm water feels really good.

We've also taken her on a few outings. We went to the Fish Market for lunch last weekend and she slept the whole time. I was even able to have a glass of wine, something I hadn't had in a very long time. I also took her to visit my office. She was, of course, a big hit.

Bryan and I are settling into parenthood. We've had quite a few sleepless nights but she is starting to give us at least 4 hours of sleep at a time so we're feeling lucky. We haven't had much luck transferring her into her crib at night (she still sleeps next to our bed) but we plan to start the transition pretty soon since she'll be one-month old next week! I can't believe it's already been a month.

Here are some pictures of the many faces of Sammy for your enjoyment:

Pacifier view.

First smile recorded on camera.

Her sleeping baby zombie hands.

Victory!

So tired her tongue hangs out.

Her first mail. Why we recorded this and not her first bath is a mystery.

7-mile stare...

Funny faces.

Crying.

Popeye.

Baby Pictures

No time for more than some pictures since I need to get to a doctor's appointment. I'm on day three by myself and so far its going ok but I'm still not showered at 12:30 so...Here are some pics of Samantha's first 11 days days.

Her first official photo.

Our first family photo.

Under the bili-light in the nursery. Bryan called it "the spa".

You can see how yellow she was in this one.

Finally going home!

First look at her nursery. Lions, tigers and bears...oh my!

Sleeping mommy's arms.

She loves her boppy.

Meeting her cousins.

My favorite photo.

Samantha Leigh is here!

I went into labor on Saturday night and checked into the hospital at 9:45 pm. After 12 hours of labor, including 3 hours of pushing she was born at 9:30 am on Sunday, January 18, 2009. Stats are 6lbs, 11oz, 19 in. long with lots of brown hair and super long fingers and toes. She is beautiful and we are madly in love with her! She's already got her daddy wrapped her little finger. I had some high blood pressure after the birth and Samantha is jaundiced and sitting under the bili-light so we are still in the hospital until tomorrow but otherwise we are very happily getting to know one another. So far she's been a really mellow baby but we'll see how she does when she's feeling better. I'll post pictures when we get home. Thanks for all of the well-wishes and phone calls. I'll try to get back to everyone once the chaos settles.

XO
Laura, Bryan and Samantha

Quick Baby Update

I had my 39 week appointment yesterday and found out that I am a little over 2cm dilated and about 50% effaced. I know that I can walk around like this for a while before delivering but it was encouraging to know that something is happening. I'm still a week out fom my due date and 4 days from inauguration day (I hope to wait until there's a new president to give birth : )) so I'm not quite ready yet. I have been having sporadic contractions since yesterday but nothing regular and this could go on forever too. Could be just from the doctor's exam. I'll keep you all posted...

The Nursery. Is. Done.

Yes, it's finally true. I finished the nursery yesterday. On Monday my mom brought over the crib skirt and window valance and they look great. I put up the valance all by myself yesterday. I even got the carseat put in the Mazada. So now all we need is the baby. And yes, her name is Samantha. I had Ian and Nicole decorate name letters for her wall. They came out pretty cute.

Being off of work has been heaven. I've been very productive and have felt physically better too. Its nice to be able to sleep in or take a nap when needed and the swelling hasn't been too bad either since I can put my feet up more easily on the couch than I could at my desk. No signs of labor yet. A little cramping here and there but my belly is still way up high and no contractions except for the Braxton Hicks that I've been getting for weeks. I've still got 9 days to go until my due date so it's not surprising but Tracey had Ian 9 days early so ya never know...

Wall decals above the crib.

Bookcase opposite the crib. I decided to add a few pink accents.

Sorry this is dark. The window made it tough to get a good shot. Love the valance.

We have one green accent wall.

Close up of Ian and Nicole's artwork.

Better look at the crib skirt.

38 Weeks and My Last Day of Work

The title says it all. I can't believe I've only got two more weeks until my due date! The time has flown by and then again...some days seemed to drag, especially during those morning sickness months at the beginning. I haven't started to feel that overwhelming get-this-kid-outta-me feeling yet but as I get more and more uncomfortable I'm sure I'll be getting more anxious to get this over with. I had my doctor's appointment today and all is fine. Baby's hearbeat was good, blood pressure still normal and measuring right on schedule. No more weight gain either. I'm up about 37 lbs total so far and hope it doesn't get any worse. I swear that at least 10 lbs of that is water weight. My ankles and hands are still really swollen. I hope I can put my wedding rings on again soon. I'm a little worried my hands will never go back to normal. At next week's Dr.'s appt. they will start checking to see if I'm dilated and effaced.

Today is also my last day of work before maternity leave. I've been busy tying up loose ends all week. I'm a little sad to be leaving. Two of my co-workers are leaving for India this weekend so my boss took our whole team out for lunch at the Yardhouse. It was a nice send off. Next time I see everyone I'll be holding my baby girl. It feels weird to leave with my pictures and personal items and to think that I won't be doing that drive or walking into that building for quite a while. But I will be happy to sleep in while Bryan goes off to work on Monday : )