Getting Out of the House

The biggest change this week is that we have been more comfortable taking Reese out of the house. Yesterday Mike and I took her to Perry's Cafe where we had brunch, and last Monday I brought her over to my friend Cynthia's house for lunch.
Cynthia was my neighbor for 3 years when I lived next door with Terri Rippee. Terri is a professional photographer and is planning to do a photo session with Reese when she is a little older. While we were there Terri stopped by and took this picture.

I can't wait to get the rest of the photos done.

Reese is also becoming more observant of her world. She can see further so she is starting to appreciate things around her like her mobile and her stuffed animals. She is also spending more time awake so we are grateful to have her swing and vibrating chair which she loves...but then who wouldn't love a vibrating chair??

Have a Happy Memorial Day!!

4 weeks

My baby is one month old today! She doesn't really even look like a newborn anymore. She already weighs 9lbs. and seems so much less fragile than she was when she was born. Her kicks and grip are getting stronger and, if she's not too sleepy, she can hold her neck upright for a few seconds.

Speaking of sleep, we have had a few days in a row now where she has slept from about 9pm until 1am and then wakes up every 2-3 hours after that. I could live with that schedule, the only problem is, by the time the sun comes up, Reese is ready to start her day which means Mike and I have to take turns getting up at 6am to hang out with her for a few hours. Neither of us are morning people so we are hoping this habit will not last.

Now that the umbilical cord has fallen off, we are able to give Reese a real bath. I wouldn't say that she enjoys it, (look at her deer-in-headlights facial expression), but at least she doesn't cry.

All that nice, silky hair tends to get greasy so she needs a good shampoo every few days or so.

I think that's about it for now. Take care.

Family Fun

It has been more than two weeks since Reese was born. Most of our friends have met her and my parents have just left to go back to Chicago so, it seems the excitement surrounding a new baby has subsided and we can start to figure out what our new "normal" is. The three of us have been getting to know each other and are beginning to form our family. Mike is almost finished with his school semester, he is studying for his finals but most of his classes are done meeting. This is nice because it means that we are both home most of the day and can share the parenting responsibilities.

Reese is a very cuddly baby which is great, but it means that she prefers to be held rather than sit in her swing or bouncy chair. Today for example she would fuss 5 minutes after I set her down so it's 11pm and I'm only just getting to the blog even though I sat down to start it at 6pm.

As expected, being a parent is a lot of work but I think we are getting the hang of it. I am breastfeeding exclusively and while it was a (painful) challenge at first, I feel a lot more comfortable with it now and am confident that she is getting enough to eat. I am less confident that I am getting enough sleep but every day it gets easier.

We are having a lot of fun too. Here are some memorable moments from the past week:

Reese has started to gain weight (8lbs. 2oz. now) and her umbilical cord just fell off (yay!) but as Mike pointed out, her feet are still about the size of his big toe.

Reese enjoyed lying on her play mat. We can change out the toys that hang from it and give her new things to look at.

Mom and Dad had some fun at baby's expense. The good news is, even if she ends up needing glasses, she'll still look adorable!

See you next week!

Isn't She Lovely?

The Birth of Reese

As I write this, it is exactly one week ago that I was in my 20th hour of labor. At the 24 hour mark we would find out that the baby was "sunny side-up" or face up which is more difficult to deliver. After several futile attempts at pushing, the doctor felt that the best thing for us would be a Cesarean delivery or C-Section. At the time I was very disappointed, it was not how I envisioned the birth of my first child and I was nervous about the recovery but in hindsight, I'm glad we did it and only wish I had known sooner. I could have had the surgery hours earlier and saved myself and the baby a lot of stress.

So, at 7:37AM on Monday, April 26, 2010, Reese Halacy Sandor was finally born!

Mike held her first after they cleaned and measured her (weight: 7lbs. 12 oz, length: 21inches) He brought her over to see me. My body was shaking from all the anesthesia but I felt myself calm down the minute he put her in my arms.
Reese and I spent the next 4 days in the hospital where they took good care of us. In fact, other than not having a private room, I really have no complaints. We had plenty of visitors eager to meet Reese. My parents slipped very easily into grandparent mode and have by now told everyone in San Diego how wonderful she is.

Now we are home and are working to figure out what the new routine is. Mike and I never get tired of just sitting and looking at Reese while she sleeps, eats or gazes back at us. She is such a good tempered baby we really enjoy being around her and may have to flip a coin to figure out who gets to hold her next.