Friday, July 26, 2013

2 weeks old

Isabel had her 2 week check up and she's doing great. She weighs 11 and a half pounds, so she more than gained back her birth weight. She's in the 100th percentile for weight, 92nd for head size and 95th for length. She's a big girl!

She's growing so much already. She's opening her eyes a lot now and her umbilical cord is off and healed. We're getting the hang of nursing together. I hadn't thought about outfits that work for breastfeeding, but I need to revamp my whole wardrobe to include clothing that makes nursing possible. I was wearing so many dresses towards the end of my pregnancy, but many of these won't work and sadly I probably won't be wearing many of them for a long while.

Isa's hair is lightening up so much in just a couple of weeks. We also finally took off her infant gloves so she can grab onto things. We just cut her nails by biting them, because we'e both scared to use the nail clippers for fear of cutting her little fingers. I feel like if we cut her she'd never forgive us -- which of course is not the truth, but I have such a strong instinct to protect her!

Overall, she's a very content baby. When she fusses, we can usually either pick her up, change her or feed her and she calms rights down. It is rare that she cries for longer than a few seconds. We're so lucky to have such a good and happy girl. She's spitting up a lot, which I think is normal. The lactation consultant at the hospital said that spit up is a laundry problem, not a nursing problem, which put my mind at ease.

It's so fun to watch her face change expression so quickly. She moves from smiling to scowling in a second and her faces are all her little brain synapses making connections. Soon she'll be able to control them more and start expressing herself with more of a controlled pattern. For now, it's really fun to see her brain working out all the possible combinations of facial expressions. We can't help but laugh when she smiles and hold her when she frowns, even though much of her expression is random.

We love her so much. I think Patrick, Isa and I all like the chest to chest position. That way, she can feel our heart beat and gets to curl up like in the womb. We hold her like that a lot and she's getting good at lifting her head off our chests. She's so strong and beautiful!

video of isa's faces here

Friday, July 19, 2013

One week old


We are getting adjusted to life with little Isa. The biggest challenge so far has been getting good quality sleep. Thankfully, we've had tons of help from Mary Ellen, Colin and Charley in the cooking and cleaning departments. We've mostly had to focus on caring for and getting to know Isabel, which is a great luxury.
She sleeps most of the day, as is normal for her age. She's a great nurser, so breastfeeding hasn't been a problem at all. She is a very strong girl -- she has already turned herself onto her side from lying on her back! We go for her 2 week checkup on Monday, so by then we'll know if she's gained back her birth weight. She makes us smile when she smiles. We know it's an involuntary facial expression now, but it still cracks us up!
She is very easy to please. When she lets out a little cry, usually we can either hold her, change her diaper or feed her and she calms right back down. We're lucky she's a very happy baby. So far no inconsolable crying. *fingers crossed*

She's had a couple of baths so far, and she's loves them! She is very calm in the water and relaxed when she comes out of the bath. We'll probably make it into a bedtime ritual.

We spent the afternoon in the park the other day, just to get out of the house for a bit. She loved the sunshine and the breeze.
As always, more photos can be found here.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Isabel Cora Fitzgerald


Isabel Cora Fitzgerald
born July 7, 2013
10 pounds 12 ounces
21.5 inches long

My water broke at 2 am, at the hospital at 3:30 am I was 1 centimeter dilated. By 9 am I was just over 9 centimeters and starting to push. At 11:08 am, Isabel Cora emerged into the world. She had a little trouble breathing when she came out because she got some fluid in her lungs and tummy at the last minute. The nurses got some of the fluid out, she started breathing great, and by 12:05 pm she was breast feeding vigorously, skin to skin with mama. It felt like a whirlwind. Words can't describe the joy, the ecstasy.

Here is the full belly collage:

For now, we're going to rest and get to know our new family member. 

You can see more pictures of this adventure here.