Sunday, April 26, 2009

12 weeks

It's been a great few weeks. Mina has started to really show her personality and is more aware of us. She smiles and giggles with us (or maybe at us) and it's the most wonderful thing to experience. Tonite she was smiling at herself - G. was holding her up to a mirror and she thought the little baby in the mirror was super cute.

Ok, so big news: Nicole (good friend/sister in Florida) gave birth to her daughter Hazel on March 30th. Hazel was 9 lbs and 21". It's very exciting to have good friends with children of the same age as Mina. I feel lucky with that, even if some of those friends are far away....

1 week later at our pediatrician's office Mina weighed in at 12.4 lbs and 23 3/4". Here are her stats:
50th percentile for height
90th percentile for weight (oink)
75th percentile for head size (big brain, smarty)

Nana Sue came to visit us for a week in the begining of April. It was wonderful to have help around the house again. Mina enjoyed her 1st long car ride (2+ hrs) when Nana Sue & I went to visit cousin Allison in La Jolla. Allison is expecting twins, a boy and a girl, in June. She looks great and I'm thrilled that Mina will have cousins (or is it second cousins?) her own age that live fairly close.

Mina had her first Real Bath in the bathtub with mommy at approx 10 weeks old. She had fun and so did Mommy. Since then she's only had Real Baths, both with Mommy and Poppy. She's been sleeping like an angel since about 2 months old, with the exception of a growth spurt and a few off nights. She usually sleeps for 3 or 4 hours, wakes up with a wet diaper then goes back to sleep. I'm nursing her in the bed which helps us all sleep more soundly. She's so cute - when she's hungry she knocks her head against my breast to wake me. We've begun doubling her cloth diapers at night to make things even easier for all of us. :)

Easter was spent at Griffith Park. It was a lovely day for a picnic, we all had fun. Mommy & Poppy snuck some Sauvignon Blanc in a baby bottle since alcohol isn't allowed in the park.

The day after Easter our littlest cat, Littlelittles, made The Big Escape. He fell thru the window while climbing the screen and we've not seen him since. Very sad. The other 2 cats miss him terribly and so do we.

Since I've been walking so frequently with Mina a new stroller was in order. Poppy got us the Uppababy Vista which looks great and performs beautifully. It's the Audi of strollers. :)

My 40th birthday was April 22nd (also Earth Day) and to celebrate my friend Shawn took me to lunch and then we all went to Descanso Gardens. Mina slept thru the whole garden adventure, so Shawn and I hunted faeries without her. It was a lovely day. Poppy and I went back to Descanso a few days later and this time Mina was awake to enjoy the roses and faeries.

Milestones:

Mina has head and neck control
More smiles and cute behavior
She has started to drool and make spittle bubbles
Mina sleeps more consistently at night (yipee!)

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

2 months already?!

WOW! Time flies when you're not sleeping much... Mina is 2 months old. Over 10 lbs and 21 inches. Lots of hair. She gets cuter by the second, more adorable every day.

At about 1 month Mina hit her first puberty... well, sort of. She got BabyAcne. Ugh. It took all my willpower to keep from 'treating' it, since newborns are so sensitive I was reluctant to use anything other than a gentle baby cleanser. The acne lasted almost 2 weeks, then it turned to eczema. I used gentle baby lotion and oils (all-natural, non-mineral oil based) and tried to not pick at the flakes. Finally it all went away... now her skin is relatively bump and flake free.




Mina graduated to real baths - no more sponge baths! At first she wasn't too thrilled about them, but she got used to them quickly! I started bathing her in the kitchen sink but transitioned to the bathroom sink, which is easier. For now - she will soon outgrow our tiny bathroom sink. After her baths we follow up with a massage, like a real spa treatment. Oh! At about 6 weeks Mina's hair began to curl when wet. It's kinda funky and wavy when dry, at least for a day. With all the petting, our oily hands end up straightening and flattening out her 'do.



We've taken her out to eat regularly. Usually she sleeps quietly while we enjoy a meal. Hope this lasts. :)

Mina has had lots of visitors since her 1 month birthday. She puts on a happy face for company most of the time, but sometimes she just doesn't feel social and will fuss. She loves to be outdoors so we try and take a walk every day. Usually in the stroller because the vibrations lull her to sleep. She gets carried in the sling daily - around the house and sometimes on quick errands. She is happy when we wear her...most of the time.



Mina's Gram visited from Florida at 7 weeks. We all had a lovely time. Gram babysat twice - once so Mommy & Poppy could get Thai Massages and the other so we could have a dinner date. We missed Mina but enjoyed having a bit of time to ourselves. :) With Gram we went out to eat, shopped, walked and visited Descanso Gardens. Gram cooked yummy and healthy food and helped with Mina. Quite a few times she sat and held Mina close while she slept in her arms, but that peace was balanced by the times she held and soothed her while she was fussing. The cats were happy to have someone to sleep with and hang out with, since we're too busy with the baby to give them the attention they're used to.




Mina is taking to the bottle well too. Gram and Poppy have each fed the baby girl twice since our last update. These is great as it gives Mommy's food bags a much needed break.


Milestones:

Baby Acne/eczema 4 - 7 weeks
Mina follows movement with her eyes focused - 6 weeks
Mina follows movement with her eyes & head - 7 weeks
Mina watches her b&w mobile and garden - 7 weeks
Lots of smiles
Legs are strong, she stands with support for a short while - 7 weeks
Mina recognized Mommy and smiled at her - 8 weeks