Friday Photo - 10/30/09

Nearly 6 weeks!

No one ever told us it would be this hard. And, if they had, we wouldn't've believed 'em. The thing is, we have a relatively good baby. BUT, it still seems like she always needs something - food, a clean diaper, rocking .... Unfortunately she can't reach the cupboard yet- even WITH her "stand up to make me tall / sit down to make me small" stool.

The serious truth is that Anna had developed (emphasis on HAD) a nice sleep/awake/eat schedule that consisted of several 3 hour naps, a few hours of awake time, and eating in between. Her schedule had her sleeping 3-4 hour stretches at night, waking only to eat. Then, something happened. She turned five weeks old & all of that went out the door. Now she sleeps in 45 minute increments, if we're lucky, and wails (not cries, wails) for equally as long periods. Everyone says that this fussy period around 5-6 weeks is common. Everyone says that it'll pass. We just wish "everyone" would come take their turn pacing up & down the hallway with her in the wee hours of the morning.

On a less stressful note, Anna is growing like a weed. (I never thought I'd actually use that expression. I'm turning into my parents & my parents' parents before my very eyes.) Anna's 4 week pediatrician appointment showed her at 9 lbs, 8ozs & 22 inches long. Mom's milk suits her, I'd say. Her neck has grown amazingly strong. She's able to raise & control her head for several seconds at a time now. She's starting to focus on people and things now too. She loves the light of a lamp and will turn her head when she hears Traci enter the room.

My favorite part of the day is just after I get home. I sit on the couch, telling Traci about my day, with Anna in my lap. Anna stares up at me, soaking in every word, as though at any moment she might speak up to comment.

Anna's facial expressions are developing too. She smiles often now, makes cooing sounds, & blows spit bubbles for fun. (Live it up, Little Lady. Soon enough we'll be getting on to you for blowing spit bubbles!) Her best expression of all though is the sad face that she makes just before she cries. The corners of her lips turn down (almost at right angles); her brow furrows; her eyes squint. Then, just for a spit second, right before the wail escapes her lips, she's the most adorable, heart-melting baby you'll ever see.

Parenting a fussy, six week old is hard work. But, the joy outweighs the pain.

Friday Photo - 10/09/09

Friday Photo - 10/02/09

Top 10 ... Baby Style

The Top 10 Most Unglamorous Things About Having a Two Week Old Baby

10. Having your daughter pee a stream directly at you in the middle of a diaper change. (I thought only boys peed like that.)

9. Sucking boogers out of your baby's nose with a rubber suction bulb.

8. The stench of a rotting umbilical cord stump.

7. When said umbilical cord stump comes off on your wife's bare belly while nursing.

6. A poopy diaper that squirts out the diaper, up her back & soils her onesie.

5. Trying to decide if your bedroom smells more like dirty diapers or spoiled milk.

4. Struggling to remember the words to lullabies that you haven't heard in nearly 30 years ... at three in the morning.

3. Having your wife stop you on your way out the front door - not to kiss you goodbye, but to tell you that you're about to leave with a burp cloth on your shoulder.

2. Cleaning dried breast milk out of your baby's hair.

And, the number one, most unglamorous thing about having a two week old baby ... (drum roll)

1. Cleaning dried breast milk out of your WIFE'S hair.

Friday Photo - 09/25/09

Happy Birthday, Baby!

A couple of weeks ago, as Anna's due date approached, I started to contemplate the blog post that would be her birth announcement. I run most days at lunch and I allow my mind to wander in a million directions to distract myself from the fact that my thighs are about to explode & my lungs are quickly collapsing. One particular day, I penned the complete "birth announcement" blog post in my mind. Even though I didn't know any of the details of her birth, I was sure that I knew exactly how I was going to feel & what I would want to say. Boy! Was I ever full of myself!

Since the big day, this blog post has loomed over me. I've enjoyed blogging & am anxious to keep it up. I know at least a few family members (*cough* Aunt Betty *cough*) are following along, so that's some incentive as well. But, I'm stuck. It's not right to move on to tell you how adorable Anna is and how little Traci is sleeping without some mention of her birth. After all, it was a life changing event for her. (For the record, it was pretty life-changing for me & Traci too.)

It's been one week since her birth and all that I can really say is that I have absolutely no words to describe how perfect & beautiful both she & Traci were in that very moment. We all know by now that I'm a big ole sap & a complete sucker for an emotional moment. But, truly, I've never experienced anything as happy & beautiful as what I witnessed that morning. Traci's labor through the night & work to bring Anna into the world, Anna's loud first cry, the bustle in the labor room, the excitement when you realize they're both okay, & then the joy when you see her placed on mom's chest ... there are simply no words to express it all. For all our technological advances, there's still no way to post, text, or tweet pure love. And that's just the way it should be.

For the statisticians amongst us ... here's the wrap-up

Anna Genevieve Hinshaw

Born: 09/15/09 at 8:42 a.m.

Weight: 6 pounds, 10 ounces

Length: 19 inches

Overall: Absolute perfection