melted smoosh

dear cece, it's so much fun watching you grow -- mentally, physically, and socially! your personality continues to be the epitome of chill. you nurse every 3 to 3 1/2 hours during the day, then one last time around 11 pm before I go to bed, and sleep through until 7-7:30 a.m. (although as the days get longer and mornings get brighter, you start to stir earlier!). you love your sleep, although you're happy to stay awake for 90 minutes, sometimes up to two hours before you nap. in the past few weeks, you have started playing with toys, especially your Sophie giraffe, your green rattle, and your soft books. you also love looking at the mini board book attached to your carseat handle. you sit on my lap and look intently at the book when I read aloud. and you found your feet! you're making all kinds of new noises, too: growling, blowing raspberries, and laughing! all the noise we make in our house doesn't seem to bother you. even when Kaiser barks, you j...

dearest cecilia, you are, quite simply, the happiest baby i've ever met. when i wake you up in the morning, you open your blue eyes and immediately smile up at me. your whole body wriggles with delight when strangers say hi to you. and you absolutely melt when Greta talks to you. although when you're displeased with something, you make that very clear (you screamed at your poor daycare teacher once when she didn't warm up your bottle quite enough, and sometimes when i put you down for a quick diaper change before you eat, your whole body goes rigid and you yell until your face goes red).  you're starting to hold on to toys for longer periods of time now, and when you shake your rattle, you kick your legs in triumph. you're still not a huge fan of tummy time, but you tolerate it a little more when i set up your mirror so you can see yourself. and you've started laughing, the cutest, happiest little laugh.  at your two-month well check, we disc...

dearest cecilia marie, the last month has absolutely flown by! you celebrated your first Christmas and met your great-grandparents. on New Year's Eve, you stayed with your first babysitter, Nana, while Mommy and Daddy went to a party for a few hours. and you were baptized on New Year's Day, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (for whom you were named). amidst all the hustle and bustle of the past month, you've slowly but surely transformed from a sleepy newborn into a smiling, easygoing baby.  when we talk to you, you smile with your whole body, crinkling up your eyes and wriggling with delight. your sister gets the biggest smiles out of you! and you're starting to laugh, which is just about the sweetest sound ever. you squeal and kick when i set up the musical mobile for you in your co-sleeper. you'll hold onto a toy for a few seconds if i put it in your hand, and you still love the zebra and butterfly toys on your bouncer.  this week, you s...

dear cecilia, how can it already have been a month since you were born? the days have absolutely flown by. you are possibly the easiest baby ever -- it's like you read the textbook. you nurse like a champ, every 3 hours during the day, and by this point you sleep for 5-7 hours at night before nursing and then sleeping again for another 2 hours. and you're efficient -- it only takes you about ten to fifteen minutes to eat. you make it easy on me, kiddo! you typically take your late afternoon nap in the bouncer on the kitchen counter while we eat dinner, but otherwise you sleep in your swaddle blanket in the cosleeper in our room. you love your pacifier and sometimes suck your fingers too. you rarely fuss -- typically just when you're hungry, or need your diaper changed, or when you're tired, and you're easily soothed. sometimes it does take you a while to fall asleep on your own, but once you're asleep you'll typically sleep for at least 1 1/2 hours....

and... she's here!! our baby girl made a very dramatic entrance on Friday, November 11. and i'm still in disbelief over how it all happened! our little peanut was due on Tuesday, November 8. Mom arrived the night before, with plans to stay for two weeks. Tuesday and Wednesday came and went without much fanfare. i was still working my usual Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule. on Thursday, i had an appointment at the midwife center, where i learned that my cervix was still closed. i was hoping to have dilated at least a little bit, so at that point i figured we would just be waiting it out until my scheduled induction the following Tuesday. Friday dawned clear and cold, and i headed off to work at Mercy while Mom watched Greta at home. the whole day on Friday i had just a few painless Braxton Hicks contractions. i finished up with work around 4:45 pm and headed to the chiropractor for another adjustment. he did some work on my pelvic muscles and ligaments, and gen...

bump watch: little peanut seems pretty happy to just hang out! today is Election Day, and with all the craziness between Trump and Hillary, i'm not surprised she doesn't want to come out just yet. she has dropped down a little bit (i measured 39 cm at my appointment last week, after two weeks in a row of measuring at 40 cm) but not fully engaged. meanwhile, i'm running out of wardrobe options that are up to the task of covering this belly! little peanut: is fully baked! every day from here on out, she's just continuing to grow, although there is a definite end date in sight (more on that below). she's still moving around regularly, but she doesn't have much room at this point! thankfully she's remained head down, although her back is still rotated towards my right side. i've still been seeing the chiropractor, who is helping to keep my pelvis in alignment and loosen up tight muscles and ligaments so she can move exactly where she needs to be! ...

bump watch:  maybe the teensiest bit lower, although it doesn't appear that way from the angle of this picture! and definitely still growing. every few days i have to retire another piece of maternity clothing that isn't comfortable anymore, or just plain doesn't do the job! little peanut: is officially full term! it's a relief to get to this point and know that she is definitely ready for life on the outside. her brain is continuing to grow and develop (and apparently has grown by 30% in the past month!). image credit from  W hat to Expect When You're Expecting best moment: it's hard to pick from all the great things that happened this week. i'm still savoring the relief of knowing that my delivery at Mercy will be covered by my insurance. my coworkers at our Castle Shannon office threw an adorable sprinkle shower for baby girl -- we are certainly set in the clothing department! and on a non-baby-related note, we threw...