In Virginia

Welcome, Danny!

We were so happy to welcome our son Danny into the world last Tuesday morning via c-section at around 5 am.  He gave us some anxiety with his late arrival, with the doctors urging a scheduled c-section and estimating his weight very high.  With Jane, they had overestimated her weight by about two pounds, so I was skeptical, but with Danny it turns out that they were right and then some.  He weighed 10 lbs 11 oz at birth and is already weighing about two ounces more than that (it is rare for babies to exceed their birth weight after only six days in the world). His size could be a reason that he did not descend when I was in labor (for about 24 hours). Otherwise, labor was progressing fine and I know now what it is like to go into labor naturally (ouch--all moms are heroic).

Here are some pictures of our beautiful Danny in his first hours and days: 

Danny just after he was born

Sweetie

Daddy was tired, too

Jane and Danny looking at the camera, hours after he was born

Ready to go home

 Danny has been amazingly sweet, peaceful, and sleepy this week.  That also could be related to his size--he is already sleeping pretty well at night (and most of the day) and the doctor said it is ok if he goes a little longer than most newborns between feedings at night because he is the size of a one- or two-month old.  I was worried I would forget how to care for a newborn, but it is fairly simple to remember and also greatly helped by the presence of my mom!  Basically, he sleeps, wakes up to eat (during the day, I try to wake him up to eat, usually unsuccessfully), and needs his diaper changed a lot.  When he is awake, he just thoughtfully tries to focus his eyes or looks at the light.  On the rare occasion he cries, it is usually because of hunger or discomfort from a diaper or clothing change, or he just wants to be walked around a bit.  It is good that it is rare because his crying scares Jane and makes her cry.

First trip to the doctor

We are so amazed that this little sweet vulnerable person is ours, and we are amazed by how cute his big blue eyes and round cheeks are. 

Jane's Talking Explosion, Part 2

Jane's talking has really taken off over the last couple of weeks, which was so cute when combined with the holidays and all the family she got to see.  We had many visitors: my mom & Pete, the Crewses, and then Erin & Annalisa, Jane's cousin of the same age.  After each group left, she said their names over and over again, and still says them.  That's new.  She loved having all of them here! 

She is also mimicking us constantly, saying big words like "hamburger," etc.  We are amazed by how much she can say!  She also remembers words we have only said once, and points the object out if she hears the word again.  She did this with the angel on our nativity scene.  She saw an angel on a card, and when I said angel, she pointed to the angel on the nativity, which looks very different.

One of her favorite words is "help," which she says like "hulp," and she uses it to ask for help, which is a great development, or to offer help, another great development.  She likes to help with laundry (loading and unloading the dryer) and unloading the dishwasher, as well as cleaning up spills on the floor and picking up (a little).   This is especially good because I am very pregnant and finding it hard to bend over!  She also loves "hi" and "moon" and says "hi there" and "bye there" to humans, animals, and objects alike.

Today, we're not sure but we think she said some sentences: "Paci fell down," "I want Mommy," and best of all, "I love you" when Michael was leaving!  Amazing.

Jane's Talking Explosion

Over the last couple of weeks, Jane has been trying multiple new words every day, which is a marked change from her days of reveling in a single word only (bird, ball, & car, in succession).  We are still amazed every time she says one and realize it is the beginning of a major shift in how we interact with her since we will be able to communicate verbally (strange!).  This morning, she said "stairs" first thing when we walked by the stairs (we talk about how they are dangerous a lot, but she's never said it before).  Then, she said "Jane" when looking at a picture of herself!  And, her favorite word for the last week has been "bye," which she usually says "bah-bah" with a cute wave, and she says it to everyone and everything, including people in stores, dogs outside, and cars on the street.  But today, she clearly said "bye-bye" when Michael left for work.  Adorbs, like everything she does!  She also still has her few signs--more, please, bath, and down.  And she loves to talk in gibberish. Her favorite word is "abeesh" or variations thereof; we wish we knew what it meant. 

Jane is also getting very huggy, especially with stuffed animals. She has a lion and a paci that are only for bedtime, and she has become very clever and persistent about stealing them out of her room, no matter where we hide them. It's so cute to see her hug the lion to her face, so it's hard to take it away from her.  She also loves dancing to any music, going outside, imitating the chickens ("bok bok bok"), running back and forth, looking at whatever we're cooking on the stove, hearing loud machines, reading, seeing the cat outside, bouncing on the couch, trying to touch the potty and unroll the toilet paper, trying to steal my phone and flick the screen with her finger, and trying to flick the TV screen like it is a smartphone. 

....It's a boy!

There was no doubt in the ultrasound tech's mind, or in ours for that matter.  And he loves to kick lately!  I can see his little feet trying to break out. 

He weighed about 11 oz a few weeks ago, so by now he might be in the 1-pound range.  Amazing!

We saw him sucking his fingers, which reminded us of when we saw Jane try and succeed to get her thumb on her 19-week ultrasound. 

Jane came with us for this one, but we still don't think she understands that there is a baby hiding in there.  She is fascinated by my belly-button, though.  We have to get used to thinking of ourselves as parents of a boy now, too!

We are still searching for the perfect name.  We're looking for something classic, not too common, not too trendy, not too exotic, and not hard to spell.  Easy, right?  We also want to like both the full and nickname versions of it.  Ideas are welcome!

My Writing Center colleague Lois also made awesome cupcakes with hidden blue frosting in the middle as a fun way to reveal the sex--picture forthcoming when I figure out how to upload it from my new fancy phone.

Jane is Really Walking

Jane started walking for real a few weeks ago, specifically on May 21, our anniversary.  Michael's mom taught her to walk while were out of town for the night.  It is so cute to see how wobbly she is and how everyday she walks farther.  She has to be holding something in her hand while walking, often a sippy cup or a large item. 

I have so many cute pictures and videos to post! Gotta get to that!

Jane Walked Today!

Jane took her first steps today! She was walking around my legs holding on to my pants, as she often does, but holding on lightly.  I said "it's almost like she could let go and walk," which she then proceeded to do! She stood by herself for a few seconds and then took a couple of wobbly steps. Then she fell to her knees and cried because she was a bit scared.  Michael had just come into the room so he saw it too!  She already loves walking around while holding on to furniture with one hand, and sometimes she lets go with both hands, just resting her belly against the coffee table.  In no time she'll be walking everywhere! 

Yay Janie!