A visit with Santa Claus

Friday night was my company holiday party. We needed a babysitter, but I just couldn't get myself to want to leave Rachel with just anyone. So I asked my dad and Margie to come down and babysit. They were happy to oblige - they hadn't seen her since her baptism in October, so it was a good time.

Friday night was crazy - David and I both worked, Rachel was at day care and my dad arrived at our house around 6PM. David and I needed to eat and get ready, so my dad and Margie got us some to go food so we could scarf down dinner before getting ready to leave. Around 8PM we were off to Sequoia for the MicroStrategy holiday party. We got home around 130AM...I didn't think I would make it past 11PM I was so tired!

We were trying to decide what to do yesterday, and I thought of going to visit Santa Claus. So we all packed up and drove off to the Tyson's Corner mall. I thought it would be fun to see this Santa because he's been the Santa there for about 18 years - and recently he was the center of controversy when some people wanted to replace him. But petitions were signed to keep him and he was reinstated - I figured he was kind of a landmark and icon, so we should go see him. The mall is also right next to my office, so I thought we could swing by there and show my dad my office.

Santa's took a break from 1-2PM so we tried to line up at 1230PM. Unfortunately they had stopped the line and we were told to come back. So we wandered around the mall, I returned a dress I had bought for the holiday party, we got free samples from Godiva...and went back to wait in line for Santa around 130PM. Bad idea! We should have been there at 1PM...there were so many people!

But we waited, and waited, and waited...and the line wound around and around. My dad and Margie walked around the mall a bit more while David and I waited in line. We finally got up to see Santa after about an hour and 15 minutes. Rachel was great! She had been so patient waiting and was such a good girl. We handed her off to Santa and the photographer. They allow you to take a few pictures of your own, but of course they want you to buy the ones they take - which we did.

We asked Santa if Rachel told him what she wanted for Christmas and he said she wanted lots of love from her parents - that's a gift we can deliver on!

After the mall we went to a nice dinner at Coastal Flats. My dad and Margie volunteered to babysit again Saturday night, so David and I rushed off to a movie - we saw Four Christmases with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn. It was really good and a nice treat to see a movie.

We appreciate my dad and Margie coming down to babysit. It was a nice weekend. I'm not sure when we'll see them again though. I have to do a better job keeping up with this blog so they and everyone else can keep up with us!

Here are a few pictures from the weekend...

5 months ago today...

at this exact moment, Rachel was born.

She wasn't due until August 1st, but just couldn't wait anymore.

We are so blessed and she is such a joy. She makes us laugh and smile every day...she is beautiful, funny, and growing up so fast.

We love sharing a little bit of her with you when you read our blog. We look forward to continuing our stories.

Happy Birthday Rachel! We love you!

Decorations

Here are a few pictures of our holiday decorations...our tree, our tree at night and our new stockings.

It took a lot of Friday and most of today to get the tree up - between assembling the tree (yes, we have a fake tree), finding the ornaments, unwrapping the ornaments, finding lights that work, stringing the lights and putting up the ornaments - carefully selecting the place for each ornament, making sure to not ignore the back of the tree that no one sees - it is a long process.

Our tree is very special to us. It is decorated with ornaments given to us by friends and family or that we bought on many of our wonderful vacations we have taken. We have ornaments celebrating our first Christmas together, our first Christmas in our home, ornaments from the colleges we went to, ornaments that symbolize the long-standing and special friendship I have with Cindy, Kary and Trish, as well as ornaments from vacation spots such as Hawaii, Jamaica, Walt Disney World, Las Vegas and the Outer Banks.

We hadn't put up a tree in 5 years - not since the first Christmas we lived in our townhouse (2003), which is also the same December we got our dog, Kona. Since then we realized a tree and a dog aren't a good combination. But this year with Rachel we wanted to make sure it was special and that we had a tree for her. As for next year, who knows, but we really wanted to have the tree up this year.

Enjoy the pictures and I hope your trees can have as much meaning to you as ours does to us.

Thanksgiving night in the emergency room

Thanksgiving is a time for food, family, giving thanks -- but in our house on Thanksgiving Day, we made a trip to the local ER.

Before I get too much further, everything and everyone is fine. I injured my toe and needed some serious medical care. Yes, I was in the kitchen - yes, I was cooking. Maybe that should be my first clue not to do that again.

As a back story, I have had a problem with my right big toe nail for a few years. I had lost it twice before for various reasons, but it's always grown back. The last time it grew back I think I had a fungus or something that grew in with it, so it was never totally attached to my toe. You could tap on it and it was hollow-sounding. But it seemed to be fine and attached in all the right places so it wasn't loose. However, I knew there would be one day that I would hit it the wrong way and it would be time number three of losing the nail.

Well, today was the day. David and I were in the kitchen finishing up cooking Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey was done, and we realized the other food hadn't really been started. So he and I were frantic in the kitchen. I was peeling potatoes, he was making green bean casserole, both of us attending to Rachel in between. We were back and forth between the refridgerator, stove, oven and counters.

Unfortunately, one of my trips to the island and trash can ended in my toe nail almost coming off. I had limited space to move in and went to push the trash can opener with my foot. I ended up catching my toe under the cabinet and pushing the nail up. (I know this is gross - sorry!)

The nail was perpendicular to my foot, the toe was bleeding, but the nail was still attached at the base near the cuticle. I went to the bathroom to see if I could do anything about it - maybe pull it out, cut it at the base - anything. But that didn't work. I am not a great patient, so I was feeling faint. David looked at it and realized he couldn't do anything about it either.

So off we went to the hospital - after we ate dinner in case you were wondering. We had to bundle Rachel up and cart all three of us to the ER. We got there about 540PM...no one was really there when I got there, but everyone seemed to come in after me. I was seen relatively quickly - it was the waiting for the doctor and nurses in between that took a long time, as well as waiting for various medicines to kick in.

The doctor wanted to Xray the toe to make sure it wasn't broken since I had jammed it into the cabinet. Then she gave me Percocet for the pain and Ativan to calm me down - did I mention I'm not a great patient? Then she needed to numb the toe so she could work her magic. Unfortunately, she was not able to remove the nail completely because if she did a new nail would not grow back. So she and another doctor wrangled with my nail to get it back into place. Also unfortunate, the numbing medicine on the toe was not working very well, so it was very painful on the nail bed. I was really in a lot of pain and it seemed to take forever for them to finish. They bandaged up my toe after cleaning it out.

I made it through. We left around 910PM. They prescribed me more Percocet as well as an antibiotic to prevent infection. There is a 24-hour CVS near the hospital, so we drove over there to get the prescriptions filled; however, there was a one hour wait. So David drove me and Rachel home and then left again to get the medicine for me. Which is why I am still up writing this entry. I need to follow up with my family physician so I'll call in the morning and make an appointment for Monday. In the meantime I need to avoid getting the toe wet and keep it elevated as much as possible.

So that was out excitement for Thanksgiving. Good thing we didn't have a houseful of company - well, maybe that would have been better - then the food would have been cooked on time and I might not have been in the kitchen to hurt myself. There's always next year!

A cough

Rachel has had a cough for a few days. And over the weekend she slept a lot and didn't really eat that much. So I figured I should take her to the doctor to find out what's going on.

I called this morning, not sure if I could get an appointment since it's the day before Thanksgiving. We weren't able to see Dr. Williams, but could get in with one of the nurse practitioners. Sounds good - as long as we could be seen before the holiday.

Rachel got weighed first - 13 pounds, 6 1/2 ounces. WOW! Up 11 ounces in two weeks.

Then we met Miss Judy. She asked a lot of questions, examined Rachel's ears, nose, listened to her chest, took her temperature. She wanted to do a test for RSV, so she had the nurse come in and try to get some "stuff" out of Rachel's nsoe to test.

We had to wait about 15 minutes for the results, but good news - no RSV and no fever. So we were told to just use saline spray and decongestant spray by Little Noses, along with using the bulb syringe to suck out the mucus. The cough was probably caused by post-nasal drip since her sinuses were so congested. And if she's not better by Saturday, they recommended coming back in.

We'll see how it goes.

Giving thanks

One year ago today, David and I found out we were pregnant. We wouldn't find out for a while if it was a girl or boy, but at that point, it didn't matter. Just that we were pregnant was the best news ever.

Our journey to parenthood began in April 2003, 6 months after we were married. And culminated in us giving birth to Rachel Charlotte on July 3, 2008.

It was a long journey with many disappointments and a lot of emotions along the way. There were many times that we thought being parents would never happen - except being parents to our dog, Kona.

We are so happy Rachel is here. She is worth every second we had to wait. She is a beautiful and happy baby who brings us so much joy. We have so much love for her - it's hard to imagine how much you can love such a little person you hardly even know. But we love her more and more every day and feel so lucky. There are a lot of people who helped us in many ways along the way, so thank you to you as well for being there with us and for us.

As for Baby Number 2 - who knows? We'll see what happens!

Follow up

David and I had Rachel's 4-month check up last Friday. We asked a lot of questions as always, but later we realized we never discussed anything with the doctor about feeding - do we introduce baby food, how much should she be eating, does she need rice cereal in every feeding.

So I called the doctor back on Monday with our list of additional questions. She did call me back later that day, but I wasn't able to get the call.

I didn't hear back from her after that for a few days, so I called her today to follow up. She is great and always loves our questions. I think she likes that David and I come always come to our appointments prepared with questions and take a big interest in the growth and health of our daughter.

Right now she is eating 4 ounces every feeding and eats about 6 times per day. I have increased her morning feeding and her last feeding to 5 ounces since she is sleeping through the night and added rice cereal to half of her bottles. The doctor said she now should be eating up to 37 ounces per day! WOW! I have read some things that indicate at 4 months she should only be at about 32 ounces per day.

We also can start feeding her rice cereal on a SPOON, supplemented with formula!

And by her 6-month check-up in January she should weigh about 14 pounds.

So we will try the spoons and increasing how much she eats. We'll see what happens. Just another step in the process of Rachel growing.

A visit to the doctor

Today was Rachel's 4-month check-up. It was a success!

She had 5 vaccinations and was weighed and measured. One vaccination is in a medicine dropper, so no shot for that one. Three others are combined and then the last is separate. So it was two shots and a by-mouth vaccination. Rachel did great, just like her two-month shots. She sucked down the liquid and didn't even flinch for the first shot. The medicine in the second shot stings when it goes in, so she cried for probably 30 seconds and then was completely fine.

The doctor is very happy with her progress. Her head circumference is now 15 1/4 inches - up from 13 3/4 two months ago. Her length is 24 1/2 inches - up from 20 7/8 inches at her two-month check-up. And she now weighs 12 pounds, 11 ounces - up from 7 pounds 12 ounces at her two-month check-up. She is in the 50th percentile for length, but still only in the 10th percentile for weight.

She was surprised at her length. The nurse measured her first and said she should be about 24 inches long at 4 months old. When the doctor saw she was over 24 inches, she measured her again. She thought she would be about 23 1/2 inches. Maybe we will have a tall, lanky, blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty on our hands!

The nurse and doctor also asked other questions about her development and did some small tests to see how she was progressing - and as always, a glowing report!

Next stop - her 6-month check-up on January 13, 2009.

What happened?

Gas prices got crazy around here!

Just since yesterday this is what happened...

I picked Rachel up around 6PM and gas was $2.14 per gallon. This morning at 730AM it was $2.04 and then at 815AM it was $2.01!

Tonight I picked Rachel up at 6PM and it was $1.99 - WOW! $.15 in 24 hours!

Plus our gas station is part of our grocery store and if you use your Club card you get an extra $.03 off. They are also running a promotion that as you spend money on groceries you get additional cents off gas, up to the cost of an actual gallon of gas! Who knew gas could really be free someday?!

Another month gone by

Today, at this exact moment, 4 months ago, Rachel was born.

It's hard to believe it's been 4 months. But it's so exciting to see how far she's come. She still seems so little and like a little ball, but she has grown so much.

She has such a big smile that comes so freely, she has a great laugh that comes out sometimes for no reason, she can sit up almost all on her own, she can pull herself up into a crunch position in her bouncy seat, she can lift her back and neck up during tummy time and she grabs and holds on to bibs, blankets, burp cloths, shirts.

We look forward to many more months and years of love, laughter, happiness and growth.

Happy Birthday!

First Halloween

October 31st was Rachel's first Halloween. She was just under 4 months old that day. David and I debated if we should take her out trick-or-treating, but decided against it. Next year --

We did dress her up in her costume for day care that day, and had her in it at night when we were answering the door for trick-or-treaters at our house. It was a costume we borrowed from my friend Kary who has two girls. She was a little flower.

At day care she also created her first piece of art work. They fingerpainted on paper pumpkin cutouts. It's now hanging on our refridgerator. Such proud parents!

Moving day

Rachel slept in her actual crib last night. It was a big day for mom and dad.

She has been sleeping in our room in a family heirloom cradle. We have enjoyed having her in our room - being able to attend to her quickly, hear her, and just the closeness of her.

But with Rachel growing and getting bigger and becoming more animated and wriggly, she needed more room.

So last night we put her to bed in her crib in her own room. We put the monitor on so we could hear her (it works - 610AM came very early today!). David ended up sleeping on the floor in there with her - just in case.

It's another step in her growing up, and in our journey as first-time parents. She will be great, it's us I'm worried about!

Hangin' out

Rachel was sitting next to me on the couch tonight while I was watching Jeopardy. I turned to look at her and this was the pose she was in - just hangin' out!

A special day

Yesterday we had Rachel baptized. It was a wonderful day filled with special people. The weather was spectacular too which made it even better! An amazing warm October day.

The relatives all arrived on Saturday. My dad and Margie, my sister Marisa, David's parents, his sister, her husband and baby Melanie who is 17 days younger than Rachel and Cindy and Chris from Florida with their youngest son Colin. We were so glad to get all the immediate family here. Rachel and Melanie had not met each other yet, and it was so cute to see them together. David and his sister Julie really enjoyed seeing each other with their babies. David's parents hadn't seen Rachel in two months, and my aunt, uncle and grandmother from Rhode Island had never met Rachel at all.


Saturday night David and I hosted dinner at our house. We ordered food from Honey Baked Ham. It was great not to have to cook. We ordered a boneless ham and several side dishes. All we had to do was heat everything up. I bought paper plates, napkins and plastic cups - I know, not great for the environment, but I don't have enough dishes for 15 people to eat dinner and drink.

Sunday was the baptism. The original plan was to go to 1230PM mass and then the baptism was at 230PM. However, starting in October, Holy Trinity changed the 1230PM mass to all Latin all the time. So unless anyone had a Latin major and could translate, we weren't going to the 1230PM mass. So we had to regroup and go to the 1030AM mass. That mass is always very crowded and David and I can't usually make it there on time, but we were determined. We needed seats for 9 people so we couldn't be late!

After church we came back to our house for a light snack before the baptism. I left my sister at home to get ready, set up the table and drinks and then head to Safeway to pick up the sandwiches and cake while we were at church. When we came back after church we were able to have coffee cake and cheese and crackers. David's parents were there, his sister, her husband and their daughter Melanie, along with my dad, Margie and my sister.

We were also able to feed Rachel and change her into her baptism gown. She was so beautiful. It was perfect. The dress had a bonnet which was not an option since it was way too big. We took some pictures and then headed back to the church for the baptism.

The families all sit in the pews around the church, with the parents, child and godparents in front rows. There are some general parts of the baptism that the priest does with all the families in the pews, and then he brings each family to the baptismal font separately. It is nice because each individual family can be up close to their child being baptized and can take as many pictures as desired. Most other baptisms I have been to have been all the families all at once crowded around so you are on tip toes trying to see and take pictures between heads.



And then we went back to our house. We had croissant sandwiches, cheese and crackers, cold salads and CAKE! It was nice to have all the families together - the Croce/Vianello side and the McDonald side. They would not have been together since our wedding in August 2002. We took lots of great pictures and had a good time watching football. There was some dicey political talk for a while, but that was quieted down quickly - well, not so quickly!




Here are some pictures from the weekend:



Grandma and Grandpa with both their grandaughters.


4 generations!

Auntie Julie with Rachel and her baby Melanie.

Cindy, Chris and Colin.

Auntie Marisa with Rachel.

The grandparents, great-grandmother and godparents.

The Vianello family.

Cindy and Chris - The godparents who adore their godchild.

Update

I took Rachel to the pediatrician on Thursday to get weighed.

She is now 10 pounds, 7 1/2 ounces. She is now on the curve! She is in the 10% percentile which means 90% of children her age are still bigger than her. But she is on the curve which is the important thing.

We bring her to the doctor again on November 14th for her 4-month check-up which includes weight, length and more shots!

Pumpkin picking

On Saturday, David and I took Rachel to pick out pumpkins. We met my coworker Kevin, his wife Peggy and their son Noah at Cox Farms. It's a local farm that has been around for over 30 years, and every year they have a Fall Festival that runs for about 6 weeks. They have games, rides, animals, music, food and of course, pumpkins.

Rachel is too little for the games and rides so we met in the pumpkin patch. It was just about her eating time when we got there so we knew it was going to be dicey...just a matter of time before there was a meltdown. We walked around and looked at all the pumpkins. Why are so many of them so much bigger than Rachel?

We took some pictures but soon Rachel needed to eat. As you can see in this picture, she was not happy...not sure if it had to do with being stuck in the middle of some pumpkins or because it was time to eat.

And good thing we had a hat in the diaper bag; however, we did not have her sunglasses. It was so bright and beautiful out - a perfect fall day. She did end up with some rosy cheeks at the end of the day.

Kevin and Peggy stayed with us for about 30 minutes, but then wanted to take Noah on the slide so they went to the other part of the farm. You have to pay to get into where the rides and games are, but since Rachel can't participate, we didn't want to go to that area.

After we were done taking pictures and picking out three pumpkins - a big one for David and I, a little one for Rachel and another little one for our dog, Kona - we went into the Festival Market and bought apple butter, pumpkin butter, raspberry jam and an apple pie. The pie you can freeze as is and then when you are ready to serve it, bake it at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. I figured that would be nice for Thanksgiving. I always make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, but never apple pie since David doesn't like it, so now I'll get to have my apple pie without all the work and hassle to make it.

It was a nice day out and fun to spend some time with friends - although short. We will definitely plan to go back next year when Rachel is older.

How time flies!

At this exact moment, 4:58PM, our daughter Rachel is 3 months old. Happy Birthday, Rachel!

Progress

This week David and I were able to put some of Rachel's clothes away for good - they are clothes they actually don't fit her anymore. Some are the fuzzy outfits she wore in the hospital when she was born, and some are side snap shirts we bought after she was first born. We thought we'd never get to this point since Rachel was so little when she was born. It was an exciting moment!

And we are realizing her diapers are not fitting any more either. They are a little snug and require some pulling to get them to fit. This weekend we are going to try some larger diapers to see if they fit better. Unfortunately her day care has a box of 92 diapers in the smaller size they need to go through - we might have to just give up and provide them with the bigger size diapers.

She is also advancing in some of her skills. She is now holding on to blankets, burp cloths and clothes. She is "talking" more and more, smiling and laughing all the time. When she is in her swing she will stare up at the animals spinning around, and in her bouncy seat she is now intrigued by the lights and animals. We play a game where she lays on the sofa and I hold her hands. I count to three and pull her up. She used to need me to pull her up the whole way - now she starts pulling herself up before I finish counting to three.

Out little girl is growing up so fast!

Firsts

Monday was my first day back to work, and Rachel's first official day at day care. It's hard to believe my 11 weeks of maternity leave are over. I'm not sure how they went so fast or how that happened. At the beginning it seemed like so much time. And then all of a sudden, it ended.

So it was back to work.

We got Rachel dressed in a new outfit we bought specifically for her first day...a little purple corduroy jumper with a flowered onesie underneath. So cute! David has the morning drop-off so he left with Rachel and I went to my office.

My office needed to be cleaned since no one had been in it for three months - it was quite dusty. So I started the day with some fall cleaning. I had a morning meeting with my coworker Chris to get up to speed on what had been happening with the recruiting team. He and I manage the department together. I have 5 recruiters, he has 8. We talked about some items that were outstanding when I left - and you know what's funny...not much had changed on some things! But some things had moved along, so I need to get caught up on them.

Then I had lunch with my recruiting team. We enjoyed a nice Italian lunch, plus dessert of course! It was fun to be with them again - the group dynamic seems to be good and they seem to get along great as usual. The newest recruiter Sally, who started on July 7th - yes, the day I came home from the hospital after having Rachel- seems to fit right in. I felt bad for her initially - she got thrown into her role with no training or help from me. Since I had Rachel early, I was not there when she started. She called me a few times early in my maternity leave since she was just getting ramped up and no one else was able to answer specific questions she had about the positions she was working on. I expected to have 3-5 weeks with her before I went on maternity leave. She has been doing fine, but is so glad to have me back!

Then I met with each team member individually in the afternoon - just to catch up on what they have been working on and what their expectations were of me coming back as their manager. They haven't had direct management in three months, so I wanted to understand how can I best help them now that I am back. My role is different too since we hired Sally - she is taking a lot of the recruiting responsibilities I had before so that I can concentrate on being a manager and more strategic duties within the department.

I only called to check on Rachel once - at 2PM. I found out later that night from David that he had called too - around 1230PM. When I called she was in the swing, laughing and smiling. When David had called she was eating. They say she is very happy there and that she is a very good girl. I hope that continues to be the case. It was hard to leave her yesterday morning, and I was teary when I got to my office and was talking with my coworker Kevin - who also has a child in day care.

It was so good to pick her up at the end of the day - to snuggle her and see her laugh and smile myself.

And we did it all over again today....

Follow up

Today I took Rachel to the pediatrician to have a weight check. Per my earlier posting, the doctor felt she was underweight for her age and wanted to check her again a week after her 2-month check-up. During the week we added rice cereal to her formula and increased the amount of formula we were giving her - we weren't sure she would drink it all, but it made calculating the amount of cereal we needed in each bottle a whole lot easier.

Well, she did drink all of it every time, and probably would have eaten more if we gave it to her. Since she has been at day care this week we have only been adding the cereal to the bottles we give her at home. The day care needs a note from the doctor to have anything added to the formula, which today she said she would write if we wanted her to.

But with her weight now at 8 pounds, 12 ounces, we decided to stay on the course we have been following. We feed her 4 ounces of formula and anywhere from 1-2 tablespoons of rice cereal added in every time we feed her, day care feeds her 4 ounces of formula only each time they feed her, and we make sure she eats right before bed time.

The doctor was so excited today that Rachel weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces. She was much more comfortable with this weight than the 7 pounds, 12 ounces, she weighed last Friday - yes, she gained a pound in one week!

She asked when our next appointment for Rachel was - not until November 14th for her 4-month check-up and shots. She seemed hesitant about waiting that long to weigh her again. So we agreed I would come back in 2-3 weeks to have her weight checked again. That's a little less than halfway to the November appointment - just in case. Her goal for Rachel at that appointment - to weigh 10 pounds.

It's crazy though - she might be about 21 inches long and weigh almost 9 pounds, but most of the clothes we have still don't fit her. David and I went through her clothes tonight to see what realistically fits and what doesn't. Since she is going to day care every day she needs to wear some real outfits. Sure she'll be on a playmat or in her crib or in a bouncy seat, but she will still need to wear onesies and pants, or dresses and bloomers, or one piece outfits. What we realized is that this weekend we need to pick up a few things to supplement the ongoing wardobe dilema. See, this crisis for girls can start at any age!

Sizes are so different dependant on the brand. We find Carter's to run big, Old Navy to run big, Gap is pretty much on target. Plus since she was born early and smaller, the clothes are off a few months - so 0-3 months we thought she could wear through October if she were born in August barely fit - but by the time they fit, it will be too cold to wear them. There might be a number of items she never gets to wear that will be put away with tags still on them.

So, we'll see how the clothing situation goes. But the main point and good news is that Rachel is growing and thriving and doing very well. She is smiling, laughing, holding her head up, just about sitting up on her own, "talking." It really is a joy to watch her change every day. Stay tuned for the update on October 6th when she has her next "weigh-in."

Starting day care

Today was Rachel's first day at day care. She actually doesn't start until Monday the 22nd, but the center allows one free week before the official start date.

We started looking at day care back in early 2008, not long after we found out we were pregnant. I understood it could be a challenge to find a place with no waiting list, or to get your name on a waiting list for availability when you need it. I researched a lot of options near our house and found about 8 day care centers.

One Friday in April David and I took the day off and went to visit all these day cares. We were able to narrow the list down to two. Some were not conveniently located, some were too expensive, some were not a fit to what we imagined her day care should be, and one was an utter nightmare - everything you can think of that could be wrong with day care all rolled into one center. That was a definite NO!

We sent in our registration deposits to the two centers we liked the best to make sure to hold our spots. No waiting lists - they were ready for Rachel as of mid-October. Well, that was when I was due August 1st. Since Rachel came one month early we needed day care one month earlier as well. After I came home from the hospital with her I called the two centers and indicated we needed day care as of mid-September. No problem - our spots were still held and available whenever we needed them.

After Rachel was born, David and I went back to visit the two we had narrowed down to and decided on one. The other still has our place on hold just in case. But we officially enrolled her in the one we liked the best and today was her first day.

Yesterday David and I spent a lot of time getting her things together. We need to provide diapers, wipes, 2 extra sets of clothing, bibs and bottles. We went to Babies 'R Us and Target to get the supplies we needed. We included some socks and two blankets as well. I had completed all the registration paperwork this week and had the doctor fill out her form to verify she has been vaccinated - we were ready to go.

It was a hard day. I started getting upset before we even left the house today. And then when we got there and I had to leave her - oh boy! Good thing I brought tissues with me since I figured I wouldn't be able to handle it.

We left the paperwork at the front desk, signed her in, were given the code to get to the infant room and brought Rachel down there. The staff is so nice there. They remembered meeting us before and were happy to see Rachel. Everyone heard there was a new baby today and came to see and meet her. It was very nice.

We gave the staff all her belongings and reviewed the details of feeding, sleeping, what she likes, doesn't like, and mentioned the all important froggie pacifier that can solve most problems. She gets her own crib, cubby and drawer. We can bring family pictures to put around the crib. They wash and change all the linens every night and wash the mattresses. They also wash and disinfect all the toys every night.

And then it was time for David and I to leave. Of course I cried again. I did take one last look at her. One of the staff members was holding her and talking to her, trying to get her settled in. I had a full day of errands planned so I got on my way and David headed to work.

I picked her up around 330PM. She had been there 6 hours. I figured that was enough for her first day. When she goes next week it will be closer to 10 hours by the time David drops her off and I pick her up. It seemed like she had a good day and we'll look forward to going back on Wednesday. We have other plans tomorrow and will not be going to day care. And Wednesday is picture day at the center so maybe we'll have some professional pictures to share.

I am sure there will be more stories from day care so stay tuned.

Vaccination day

Today was Rachel's two-month check-up at the pediatrician. The visit includes weighing, measuring and yes, shots!

I had called the office this week to see if I should give her some Children's Tylenol before the appointment, but was told she was too little, so we went in with nothing to ease her pain.

She weighs 7 pounds, 12 ounces, and is 20 7/8" long. I expected her to weigh over 8 pounds now (she should gain .5 ounce per day), and per the unofficial measurement David and I did few weekends ago, we were also surprised at her length. The number we got was around 22 1/2". Her head circumference is 13 ¾” which is up from her August 1st one-month check-up when it was 13”.

The doctor was concerned about her weight - she expected her to be around 8 1/2 pounds. Rachel has had some issues with spitting-up, but not enough to cause her to lose that much formula that she would not be gaining weight. And she eats 5-7 times per day at 3 ounces each time. From a recent chart I saw on feeding, she should probably be closer to 4-5 ounces of formula per feeding, but she’s right in line with the number of feedings per day.

So we are trying two things - we are going to put Rachel on Prevacid for her reflux and also add rice cereal to her formula…1 tablespoon for every two ounces of formula. The doctor wants to weigh her again next Friday - if she gains the .5 ounce she should be gaining every day, she would weigh just about 8 pounds next week. So we'll see.

Rachel also has been "sleeping through the night" - if she falls asleep at midnight or 1AM or whenever, she does not wake up again until 6, 7, 8AM. So she is basically missing a feeding in the middle of the night. The doctor wants me to get back to waking her up in the middle of the night for a feeding - around 4 hours after her last evening feeding.

Then it was time for the shots. Since she is at the two-month mark she gets 5 vaccinations. They can be done in either 5 shots or three shots - three of the vaccinations can be bundled to make only one shot. I had done a lot of research on vaccinations before this visit and saw no reason to be worried about any vaccination, so we went with the least number of shots. She also had one vaccination by mouth in liquid form.

Before the shots started the nurse gave me a syringe with some Children's Tylenol for her. Then Rachel got the liquid vaccination and then the shots. Rachel did great! I had been prepped by a number of friends with children that this is a tough appointment, the child will scream, David and I might cry, etc. But I felt it was a success - maybe better that I was prepared for the worst. Rachel certainly did scream - not much on the first shot, but the second two burn according to the nurse, so the screams were worse for those. She had her Wubbanub (pacifier) and she squeezed my fingers with her death grip. And when it was all over I held her and she was very calm but alert.

I was given all the information on the shots which includes reaction symptoms to be on the lookout for and instructions on giving her Tylenol for the next 24 hours.
So far this afternoon she has been very sleepy and only when it was close to the time to eat was she fussy – actually quite fussier than usual. But I was able to give her a dose of Tylenol at that time and she has been quiet and calm since then. We’ll see how the next 18 hours go.

And wish us luck in her feedings and weight gain.

"Talking"

I had to write a little post about Rachel's attempts at "talking." David and I have been laughing for the past hour at Rachel and her sounds. She is "aaahing" and "ooohing" and has small outbursts that soon enough will be actual sounds of talking. She is really trying to talk, and seems to have a lot to say, although I know that is sometime off in the future. But it really is great to see and hear her changes and growth. She is becoming such a big girl, even though she is still so little!

HANNA!

Today is Sunday, a beautiful day in the Washington, DC, area. The sun is out, it's currently 76 degrees. A far cry from yesterday's weather - from the wrath of Hanna. By the time Hanna was screaming up the East Coast, she was categorized as a Tropical Storm. But it didn't stop the damage.

Our rain started Friday night around 6PM. It wasn't supposed to start until around midnight, so that was a surprise. At that point it was lighter rain, kind of like a regular rain storm.

By the time Saturday morning came around, the rain was much heavier and the wind was fierce. As you can see from the pictures below, our backyard became a lake and the wind whipped our lawn chairs around. The rain was sideways at times.

David also discovered a leak in our downstairs patio door. He happened to go down to the rec room mid- to late-morning to check the outside. He found water dripping heavily from the top of the patio door into the track and splashing onto the carpet. It looked like the screws at the top of the door inside the upper track were loose and that the water was coming in from there. So David tightened them - that only helped a little bit. He found some caulking and tried to caulk the areas where water was coming in. However, since it was wet, the caulk didn't hold well. But it worked overall.

Since the carpet was wet by the door, David needed to wet vac any extra water up and then pulled the carpet back a bit to air it out. He also put this lovely blue bucket in the door track to capture any remnant water that decided to drip out as the rain continued (see picture below).

The rain stopped around 6PM or so and by 7PM the sky was clear and the sun was out. And Hanna was on her way to the Northeast.

Some of the problems caused by Hanna locally include: 25,000 people without power, roads closed, power lines down, trees down and about 7 inches of rain. It certainly could have been worse. Good luck to those still in the path of Hanna. And good riddance from everyone here in the Washington, DC, area.

A special day

Today is Grandparent's Day. David and I want to wish a Happy First Grandparent's Day to Grandpa Tony, Grandma McDonald and Grandpa McDonald. We have special thoughts today for Daniella's mom, Charlotte, who is Rachel's biological maternal grandmother. She passed away on February 8, 2001. Rachel's middle name was given in honor of her. David and I are also thinking about our grandparents today - both living and deceased. We love and miss you.

Milestone

At this exact moment, 4:58PM, our daughter Rachel is 2 months old. Happy Birthday, Rachel! We love you very much.

Labor Day weekend

My dad and Margie came to visit this past weekend. They arrived Saturday afternoon and left Sunday after lunch. They had come down when Rachel was born and then again late in July, but didn't want to wait until mid-October when she is baptized.

We hung out at our house Saturday afternoon for a few hours and let them hold and play with Rachel. Then we went to dinner at Sweetwater Tavern. YUMMY! We were celebrating our 6-year wedding anniversary, which was Sunday, August 31st, as well as my dad's birthday, which is September 9th.

On Sunday we went to church (we were just about on time this weekend!) and then out to breakfast at IHOP. Then they left for home after a stop at Cracker Barrel to purchase an audio book for the ride home.

It was a short visit, but we'll see them again in 6 weeks.

The rest of the weekend was relatively uneventful. David and I went to Old Navy so he could buy some work pants. I bought a coat - a gray knee-length trench-type coat...and it was on sale! I recently realized that I need to replace any and all coats I own - from spring to rain to winter. I also need to replace some clothes before I go back to work, but that requires trying on clothes which I was not in the mood for. (Have I mentioned I hate shopping?) David and I ate dinner at Cracker Barrel on Sunday evening - since it was our anniversary and we didn't feel like cooking.

Monday David gave Rachel a bath and then we ran some of the usual errands - Target and the grocery store. It was nice to have the extra day to spend with David...and then he was back to work today.

The next long weekend - Thanksgiving! URGH!

A night out

David and I had a date night last night, sans Rachel.

Tomorrow is our anniversary - August 31st. We will be married 6 years. After we had Rachel, my friend Trish volunteered to babysit on our anniversary so we could go out. Great!

Last week my husband was asked by a coworker if he wanted to buy tickets to Friday night's Washington Nationals/Atlanta Braves game. My husband being the Braves fan that he is said yes. But our babysitter was for Sunday, not Friday. So I called Trish to find out if she could change the date - yes, but she needed to babysit at her house because she needed to set up for a party she was having. Perfect - we'll be there at 530PM.

This was our first time going out without Rachel. We have taken her lots of places - Bed, Bath and Beyond, Babies 'R Us, Manassas Mall, Red Robin, Logan's, Five Guys - but we have not been without her since she was born. So this was a big deal.

We arrived at Trish and Ron's at 530PM - with Rachel, a diaper bag and her Pack 'n Play. David got that set up in their living room. I went over the instructions with Trish - when to feed her, about her toys, her pajamas, where the diapers and wipes were. She had it all under control. So off David and I went.

There was hardly any traffic for a Friday night of Labor Day weekend driving into DC, and we got to the stadium in 45 minutes. Our tickets included a parking pass so we made our way there. It was about 4 blocks from the stadium.

The National Stadium - Nationals Park - just opened March 30th of this year. David and I had not been there yet and were excited to see the Braves. They had been in town for the opening game as well as the weekend of April 11th, but we were unable to attend either one of those series. Then when we knew they were going to be in town again this weekend, we didn't think we'd be able to see them then either. Since I was originally due to have Rachel on August 1st we figured we would have a three-week old baby and could not make the trip to DC to see the game. Well, since she came one month early and is now close to 8 weeks old, that made all the difference. We thought about bringing her, but not knowing where we needed to park, what the walk or environment would be like, and with a babysitter, we figured we'd do it alone.

The ballpark is great. Open with lots of great views. A great screen - so crystal clear - to see all the players and game happenings. We took a look around and then grabbed some food - hot dogs, french fries, peanuts and sodas. What else do you need?!

We found our seats and got settled in. I checked in with Trish to see how things were going. She said Rachel had eaten and was just sitting on her lap - all was going great. Good news!

We were rooting for the Braves, along with a few others around us. The game did not really go our way though. We should be happy that the home team won after a miserable losing streak, but we were disappointed. Trish called in the 7th inning to let us know how great Rachel was and that all was still going well. I mentioned that there were fireworks after the game and she said "no problem."

We left the stadium around 11:10PM and got to Trish's house before midnight. Long night for them, but they said Rachel was great and that made it easy. We made our way home and eventually to sleep. It was a lot of fun and I really appreciate Trish and Ron watching Rachel. It was a nice treat to get out by ourselves. I wasn't nervous like I thought I would be. I knew she was in good hands and if there was a problem, they would call.

We certainly would take Rachel another time now that we have checked it out. And of course we bought her a Nationals t-shirt - now we have to get her some Braves gear!

Lunch date

Tuesday I went to Bethesda, MD, to have lunch with my friend Kary and her two girls. I loaded Rachel and the diaper bag in the car and headed over the bridge into Maryland.

Her one daughter Audrey started school last week and her other daughter Campbell starts school next week, and I am still on maternity leave until September 22nd, so we thought we should try to get together.

She took her girls to the park for some playtime in the sandbox until I was closer to their house. She made turkey sandwiches for her girls with fruit and egg salad for us. It was really delicious.

While we ate her daughters who are five and three took Rachel and played with her on the floor on a blanket. They brought her stuffed animals, toys and made sure her legs were covered with her blanket so she could sleep. They gave Rachel her pacifier when she got fussy. It was very cute.

Rachel needed to eat while we were there, so Campbell, the five year old, helped me make the bottle, mixed up the formula and actually fed Rachel. She made sure she had no spit up on her face when she was done. She did a great job - holding her upright, holding the bottle at enough of an angle, wiping her mouth. She was very grown up.

We went upstairs to look at some clothes Kary had from when her girls were born. We went through a storage container and picked out quite a few things to borrow. Rachel has some clothes, but a lot don't fit because she is still kind of small. However, when she goes to day care when I go back to work, she'll need outfits, so hopefully these clothes from Kary will help supplement her wardrobe.

While we were upstairs, Campbell took out a bouncy seat from their attic for Rachel to sit in. She thought she might like it. She helped her grab at the toys hanging down and made sure the music was playing for her.

We had a great visit. I really appreciated Campbell's help with Rachel and enjoyed the yummy lunch Kary prepared. I look forward to seeing them again before I go back to work!

An update

I took Rachel to the pediatrician on Friday for a rash she had on her cheeks, neck, chest. Turns out it is a yeast infection so she has some cream to put on for a few days. I hated to go to the doctor again since we were just there last Friday and then two Fridays before for her one-month check-up, but the rash was really bad. It was very red and bumpy.

Anyway, the important thing out of the appointment was that she got weighed again. She now weighs 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Actually the scale said 7 ounces, but the nurse indicated that the pad they put on the scale weighs an ounce...no one has ever told us that before at the doctor's, so we'll go with 7 pounds, 6 ounces. She has almost gained two pounds in almost 8 weeks.

Rachel has also recently started to push her legs down when you "stand" her up on your lap or on the couch. She seems really tall, so David and I took out a measuring tape yesterday just to see how much she had grown. According to our non-professional measurement she is now 22 1/2 inches. She has grown 4 1/2 inches in almost 8 weeks. So very tall!

Our next appointment is on September 12th for her two-month check-up. We'll get an update on height and weight then. Keep you posted!

Facebook

I have to say I am addicted to Facebook.

I decided while I was out on maternity leave that I would create an account. Everyone else was doing it -- and now I can't stop!

I log on several times a day...I love reading everyone's status - how else would I know when someone goes on vacation, has a baby, gets engaged, is tired or hungry. Although I do wonder why people at work are constantly updating Facebook. I will probably be just like them on September 22nd when I go back to work.

I enjoy getting friend requests and sending friend requests. I am also now receiving wine, flair, pink ribbons, quizzes to find out what kind of cheese I am...what does this all mean? Who cares - I am on Facebook along with most everyone else. I just accept the requests, gifts, flair and am excited by it because my profile page is getting full. Again, I am not sure what that really means in the grand scheme. I don't think I'll win a prize for the most stuff on my profile page. It's just fun to see it grow and look like everyone elses.

But I have a long way to go compared to others who have pictures, poker games, interviews, quotes, you name it.

It has been fun to reconnect with people from middle school, high school, my old New Jersey neighborhood, college. I like looking at their pictures, where they work, where they went to school, who else they have as friends in case I know anyone I should add. I also like adding pictures to my page - mostly of Rachel, of course!

This maternity leave has been enlightening - besides having a baby I have also kept up with this blog and joined Facebook. Who knows what else I can do. See you online somewhere. I'll be looking for your friend request!

The visit comes to an end

Saturday and Sunday were the last two days David's parents were in town visiting us. They were busy days...

Saturday we went to the eye doctor to get my glasses adjusted. They kept sliding off my face so they just altered the part that goes behind my ear to be a little more bent so it curved more over my ear. Diane and David also got their glasses cleaned while we were there. Then we went to China King in Herndon for Chinese food for lunch - yummy beef and broccoli. I am not really supposed to eat broccoli since I am breastfeeding, but I did eat about half the broccoli in my dish. Diane and I then had pedicure appointments at Christie Adam. We had pedicures at the end of June before my baby shower, so I decided to treat her again. She had been so helpful during the week that I felt she deserved it. We made dinner at home Saturday night since we had been out a few times during the week for dinner as well as eating out every day for lunch.

Sunday we went to church - three weeks in a row of being late though! (Maybe we should plan for the 845AM mass so then we can arrive on time for the 1030AM service!) Then we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast/lunch. We had to wait about 30 minutes, but it went by fast. Rachel needed to be changed so I took her in the women's bathroom. As I was changing her she peed and missed the new diaper I was in the process of putting on her - plus she got her dress wet under her! So I secured the wet diaper, grabbed all the changing supplies and went to find David with the full diaper bag so I could get another diaper and backup clothes to put her in...I guess another lesson - bring the whole diaper bag in the bathroom with you!

After Cracker Barrel we drove to the airport to drop off Jim and Diane. They had a 345pm flight - we got them there about 215PM so plenty of time. They had already printed boarding passes so they just checked in their luggage outside. We said goodbye and left the airport.

We really are glad they were able to come visit - and for so long. Rachel enjoyed her time with them and they enjoyed Rachel. Plus it was nice having the extra hands and help around the house. This week has been hard getting back to being on my own! We look forward to seeing them again soon - probably mid-October for Rachel's baptism. That day we'll be on time for church!

PS The health update on David's dad - he went to his doctor on Tuesday and has double pneumonia! How does the hospital here miss that after XRays, EKGs, lab work?! One will never know. So Jim is on medicine to get better soon, and he was not contagious. WHEW!

Weighing in

I took Rachel to the pediatrician on Friday. She had some "goop" on her right eye and a very stuffy nose. Turns out the "goop" is from a clogged tear duct - she just had her tears "come in" within the last two weeks, so that function is still a little immature. So we had to get some eye drops to use twice a day for just a few days. We also have to start using Nasonex for her nose...spraying it on a Qtip and rubbing it into her nostrils. She also has to take Zantac since she spits up frequently, sometimes out her nose! :( The pharmacist was surprised to see 3 prescriptions for a 6-week old! Poor thing!

But the exciting part was that Rachel got weighed. She is now 7 pounds! She was born at 5 pounds, 9 ounces, but had dropped to 5 pounds within 5 days of being born. But in 5 weeks she has gained two pounds. So she is doing well and growing.

She is also holding her head up and is trying to push herself up with her arms. She is very animated with her eyes, looking around everywhere and at everything. She is very active with her arms and legs too - they are always flaling around! I am so proud of my so very strong and beautiful girl!

Adventures with baby

David's dad started getting a cough while he has been here. It was getting worse as the days went on and Robitussin wasn't helping. So it was decided he needed to see a doctor.

He called his insurance company on Tuesday to find out what doctor he could go see. He got names of some doctors in the town we live in, but we don't know anything about those doctors. He found out from the same person that he could see our primary care doctor in Chantilly. So we made an appointment for Wednesday morning. However, when we got there they indicated they do not take his insurance because it's an HMO.

So Jim called the insurance company back to find out what happened and to get the name of another doctor. Turns out he could only go to an urgent care center or emergency room. We needed lunch and I had a beauty appointment in Reston, so we had Chick Fil A in the car and then went to Christie Adam for my appointment. Then we went to the urgent care in Fairfax.

Rachel needed to eat and be changed, so I stayed in the car with her to do that while Jim and Diane went in to the urgent care. I had come prepared with a stocked diaper bag with one bottle of formula since we were only supposed to be out for a few hours. But again, they didn't take his insurance so they were in and out in 15 minutes. Frustrating since the names were given to us by the insurance company referral line.

So off we went to Inova Fairfax Hospital - the place of Rachel's birth. Jim registered and within 20 minutes was taken back - that was at 305PM. 415PM comes and Diane comes out with an update - they are doing an EKG and bloodwork. It would be at least another hour. I was starving so I got a Snickers bar. At 5PM Rachel started to get fussy, so I walked around the emergency room with her in the stroller. Keep in mind that I had only packed one bottle of formula since we only had a few errands on our agenda, and should have only been gone a few hours.

The walking only lasted so long. Diane had come out around 515PM to give me an update so she got some formula from one of the nurses. It is the same formula Rachel has anyway, since she started on it in the hospital when she was born. The update from Diane was that the bloodwork wasn't completed yet, they had given Jim a breathing treatment and were going to do an Xray. So it would be a while longer. I was trying to reach David, but kept getting his voicemail. So I fed Rachel and changed her in the waiting room bathroom. And we continued to wait.

I heard from David around 615PM and he was on his way to the hospital to meet me. He needed to go back to his office to drop off a coworker who had been out with him for the day. His dad was still being seen by the doctor and waiting for results. When David got there around 7PM he bought me some water and peanut butter crackers because I was getting grouchy from not eating!

At 730PM we could finally leave. Jim got the CD of his Xrays to bring to his doctor in Texas. His hospital diagnosis - cough! They told him to schedule an appointment with his own doctor when he returned to Houston. Before we left I asked Diane to score some more formula just in case.

We were supposed to make tacos at home, but since we wouldn't get home until close to 830PM, we went out to eat at Chevy's. Not that great, but at that point it was food!

We went across the street to CVS to get Jim's prescription filled. Jim decided that he would wear a mask for the rest of the week so he didn't cough on Rachel. So we bought those at CVS also. For the rest of the week we joked that Rachel would not recognize her grandpa unless he had his mask on, so we took a picture that we could show her!

What a day - I tried some new things and realized I need to have extra formula in case of emergency. I had never changed Rachel in the car or a public bathroom until yesterday and I had never fed her in the car either. So we learned a lot - it's good to learn something new everyday even if it can be a challenge!

Visitors from afar

Saturday we welcomed Grandma and Grandpa McDonald from Houston. They have not met Rachel yet since their daughter Julie, David's sister, was due to give birth July 23rd. Even though Rachel came early, they still weren't sure when Julie would have her baby so they wanted to wait until after that. Julie had her baby girl, Melanie Nichole, on July 20th, so Grandma and Grandpa were finally able to come to meet Rachel.

We met them at the airport and then went to lunch at Red Robin. The rest of Saturday we just relaxed and spent time together. We never ended up eating dinner because we were so full from lunch.

Sunday Rachel turned 5 weeks old. We went to church and then breakfast at IHOP and a stop at Target. We were late to church again this week - we are learning that having a baby means we are late for everything. No matter how much we plan to leave early we can never seem to get it together to leave on time, or there is a diaper emergency that needs to be taken care of before we go.

Today David went to work so Grandma and Grandpa took care of Rachel while I did some errands around the house. I put Rachel's diaper bag together, did some laundry, took a shower, made a few phone calls. Then we ate Potbelly sandwiches for lunch - Grandpa stayed home with Rachel while Grandma and I went to pick up the lunch. I was making dinner in the crock pot and didn't want to leave it on with no one home, so we left Grandpa home to mind the house, baby, food and dog.

Grandma and Grandpa also let me take a nap today which was great! Grandma has been very helpful washing dishes, stacking and unstacking the dishwasher, dusting and cooking. Grandpa has been great with Rachel - singing her songs while holding her. It's been nice having them here for a visit. Rachel has enjoyed spending time with them as well. They are here until the 17th so there will be more postings and pictures about their visit.

Cousin Cindy

My friend Cindy came to visit last weekend from Florida. She and her husband and kids moved to Florida from Virginia in September 2007. So we don't see them often and miss them very much. Funny side story about Cindy - she and I went to college together at University of Richmond and my husband David is her cousin. Long story short - David and I met indirectly through Cindy, we dated for three years long distance and in August 2002 we were married. So now my college friend is also related to me. Who knew?!

Back to the original story...

So Cindy came to visit last weekend so she could meet Rachel. Since she is now in Florida, being here for Rachel's birth or soon after was not possible - especially since Rachel came one month early. She flew in Friday and left Sunday. We had a great time and Cindy was so helpful. Her main goal in coming, besides meeting Rachel, was to cook some meals for David and me that can be stored in the freezer for us to eat at a later date. So she cooked all day Saturday - she made 4-5 dishes that were then stored in smaller containers or freezer storage bags. It was really great and came in handy as early as Monday night after she left. We look forward to trying the other dishes soon.

We also went to lunch with Kary and her girls Campbell and Audrey. We ate at the yummy Cheesecake Factory. And we had lunch with Trish and her boys, Alec and Caleb, on Sunday at her house. She made delicious quesadillas and salsa. Then Trish took Cindy to the airport so she could head on back to her boys in Florida.

It was hard to say goodbye. We can't wait to see her again. She has been a special part of my life for almost 19 years, YIKES, and now will be a special part of our daughter's life as well. Although we won't see her often, she is always in our thoughts. We miss and love Cindy, Chris and the boys. Thank you for everything!

Rachel at one month

As I mentioned in a prior post, our daughter turned one month old on Sunday, August 3rd. So Friday the 1st was her one-month appointment with the pediatrician. We were anxiously awaiting the appointment since her weight had been an issue since she was born. She was born at 5 pounds 9 ounces, but by the time she reached her first pediatrician appointment 5 days later she was down to 5 pounds. All babies lose some weight in the hospital, but Rachel was close to the dangerous limit. So we had to visit the pediatrician two more times before her one month appointment. During those visits her weight went to 5 pounds 2.5 ounces and then 5 pounds 6 ounces. But this last appointment she was up to 6 pounds, 7 ounces and now 20 1/2 inches, which was up from her birth at 18 inches. So she is growing rapidly! Our next appointment is her two-month in early September - that will be a big one since she will start her vaccinations then.

On my own

Today David went back to work. That doesn't seem too significant in itself. But considering he has been home for a month with Rachel and I, it was quite significant. And I quickly realized that accomplishing one task in a day might be a real feat. I had been warned - pick one thing you will do for the day and be happy if you can do it. I thought, no, not me - I can have a task list I can check off easily each day. But today I managed to accomplish one thing - and it pretty much took the entire day to do it. When talking with David tonight when he got home, he asked how my day was. So I began to recite what I had done - but the list was not that long, although somehow it was already 8PM. I'm not sure where the day went or what I did, except change diapers, feed Rachel, hold Rachel, wash bottles and stuff and address our birth announcement envelopes. So I guess I will reset my goals each day until my maternity leave is over - plan to accomplish one task and be happy with that.

Welcome!

Hello. Our family has now entered the world of blogging. We hope you enjoy our posts and sharing in our family.

We wanted to create a special entry today to start off our blog - today is our daughter's one month birthday. Rachel Charlotte was born Thursday, July 3, 2008. Happy Birthday little one!

Meet Rachel

Rachel Charlotte

Born: 7/3/08

At: 4:58 PM
Weighing: 5 lbs 9 ozs
Measuring: 18" long