Sofia's Blog

Toddlers and the subject of death

2011-03-07T14:38:00.000-05:00

Sofia has 2 inch tall astronauts and a Barbie with a VW bug car. She makes the astronauts stand up and then she runs them over. She has the astronauts yell before they are hit with the car.

She says, "Barbie is mad and is killing the astronauts. Look at her eyes...see her eyes are mad, she is being very bad and is killing those astronauts."

I say, "Well she should get punished, maybe go to jail?"

My daughter agrees. So, I suggest the cabinet. She says she can just be stuck in the car for her jail.

So I respond, "But she can just keep running over the astronauts, how is that a good punishment?"

Her response, "Yes." and then runs over the little men again.

Cinderella

2010-11-10T12:04:00.004-05:00

The only times she would wear her costume for Halloween:

When she first saw it.
For the Halloween parade a daycare. Here are some pics from that day.

Chicken bones are gross?

2010-11-10T11:42:00.004-05:00

Well...it has been forever!

A few weeks ago, Larry was taking Evan back to Acton and Sofia went with them. While they were out, I started prepping my chicken legs (thigh and drumsticks) for making raw cat food. When I put the grinder together I noticed a burr preventing the blade from sliding on. So I went downstairs to obtain the metal file. I filed the burr and started grinding the meat and bones.

Larry and Sofia come home and I hear Larry yell. "He stole something!"

I went into the living room and noticed that Koli (one of our new kittens) had stolen a drumstick, while I was in the basement. So, I picked up the kitten and the drumstick and moved him to the bathroom where he could eat it in peace.

After I completed the food, I fed all the cats. The two kittens ate their food in the bathroom. Sofia went to check on them and opened the door. She stood in front of the door and pointed into the room and exclaimed, "What is that?!?"

I looked into the room and asked, "What? The bowls are empty."

She replied, "No, that!" and turned around and slowly walked away. I watched her walk away, her shoulders moving up and down with each gag. She stopped at a chair and placed both hands on the chair and continued to gag.

"Are you alright? Are you going to throw up?" I asked.

With each question, she shook her head, keeping it down, staring at the chair.

"Did you see something gross?" I asked.

She nodded and said, "The bone."

I looked in the bathroom and the clean drumstick bone was on the floor.

It was so funny. How fascinating! Seeing a raw bone is gross to her, an instinctive response!

Oh. I fall down.

2010-07-20T17:25:00.003-04:00

Sofia's first dentist appointment

2010-04-12T09:36:00.000-04:00

Sofia had her first dentist appointment on Saturday. She did very well and didn't cry at all! She let the dentist brush her teeth and even do a little flossing! She still has 4 more baby teeth to get and she might need braces later on.

Sofia is Brilliant!

2010-02-08T11:09:00.002-05:00

This morning as I slipped a white sock onto Sofia's foot. She pointed at the sock and said, "White."

I looked at her and as placed the other sock on her foot, I asked, "What color is this sock?"

"White."

Oh! How exciting she knows a color and is not calling it green, she used to answer green for everything. I showed her, her pink pants and asked, "What color are your pants."

"Pink!"

What a brilliant little girl! But wait, it does not stop there. Downstairs she shows me her block with the letter C and she says, "C". She then rotates the block to show me G and says "G".

WOW!

Videos of Sofia dancing

2010-01-17T11:59:00.001-05:00

Lying in bed talking with Mama

2010-01-12T09:51:00.002-05:00

Usually when we go up to bed, as soon as the light is turned off, Sofia falls right to sleep. The other night, I turned off the light and we were cuddling, our heads cocked to the side and touching; I thought she was sleeping and all of a sudden, I hear, "Mama?"

I reply, "What?" and receive silence. So change my response to "Yes, Sofia."

Her little voice responds, "I like breakfast." And the banter begins...

Mama: "Oh. You like breakfast? Breakfast is good."

Sofia: "Yeah. I like soup."

Mama: "Soup is tasty. What else do you like?"

Sofia: "Apples."

Mama: "hmmm. That is good."

Silence.

Sofia: "I love the Shauna."

Mama: "Oh. You love Shauna?"

Sofia: "Yeah, I like the Nina too."

Mama: "Mmm"

We then fell asleep. Shauna and Nina are her favorite teachers at daycare. How adorable! To talk her in the bed...I hope we do this forever...I can just imagine her coming home from college and chatting with me. Aw!

Halloween close-ups

2009-11-12T21:55:00.002-05:00

Halloween

2009-11-12T21:33:00.005-05:00

The weekend before Halloween, we attended a nice children's Halloween party in the park. It was a beautiful day and so much fun. Here are some cool pics of the costume parade. Larry took these with his Blackberry, so the pictures are a little fuzzy, but still cute.

Evan and Sofia

2009-11-12T21:26:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, Evan and Sofia were chasing each other from the kitchen to the living room and back. Larry and I were hanging out in the living room, listening to Evan's laughter and Sofia's squeals of delight. All of sudden, there was silence. We snuck into the kitchen and we see that Evan is surfing Youtube and had picked up Sofia so she should share in the search. They were both sitting on the same chair! How adorable!

Sofia is sick

2009-09-16T09:36:00.000-04:00

This week has been eventful so far! Sofia was diagnosed with a fever, conjunctivitis, and an ear infection on Monday. Crazy. Plus it takes the 2 of us to give her the medicine: one to hold her down and one to administer. I can do the eye drops by myself though by sitting on her to immobilize her hands. Then I can pry her eye open with one hand and put the drops in with the other. All the while she is screaming. So fun! The poor little thing!

Marshmallow, Tigers and Godzilla

2009-09-07T22:28:00.004-04:00

Marshmallow - Tiger

What does Godzilla say?

I love you.

2009-09-03T21:25:00.005-04:00

Mommy: What does a cow say?
Sofia: Mooo
Mommy: What does a sheep say?
Sofia: Baa
Mommy: What do little dogs say?
Sofia: ruff ruff ruff
Mommy: What do big dogs say?
Sofia: ruff ruff
Mommy: What does Sofia say?
Sofia: I love you

At the Beach, July 11, 2009

2009-07-13T15:45:00.001-04:00

We took Sofia to the beach on Saturday with a little boy from her class. We can already tell that Sofia's going to have the boys wrapped around her little finger. There was one time in which Jalen, the little boy, kept calling out to Sofia to try to talk to her, but Sofia pretended to ignore him! Soon after, Sofia glanced back to make sure Jalen was still directing his attention toward her, but his mom had picked him up. Sofia, calls out: "Jalen!" in what could only be described as annoyance. Too cute!

- Daddy

Potty time

2009-06-11T08:08:00.004-04:00

Well I never posted these pics from her first time on her potty on June 2.

Images from Mother's Day

2009-05-24T18:40:00.004-04:00

Well I never posted these pics from mothers day. Oops.

Feeding herself for the first time

2009-05-24T18:22:00.004-04:00

Back on March 17th, Sofia fed herself baby food for the first time, here are the pictures.

Puppy

2009-03-18T20:57:00.002-04:00

So there it is.

Puppy.

Sofia's first word. She points to Simon and says Puppy.

Climbing into the Cabinet

2009-03-02T12:17:00.007-05:00

This was so cute that I had to share it with you all! Sofia had taken all of the plastic containers out of a cabinet in the kitchen.

Then she proceeded to climb into the newly emptied "cubby!"

Here she goes!

- Daddy

Can I have that Oreo?

2009-02-17T20:27:00.004-05:00

What do you mean I can't have that Oreo?

What if I walk around this way? Can I have it now?

How about now? Darn! Too slow.

Sofia is a climber

2009-02-11T20:09:00.003-05:00

It is getting harder and harder to update the blog. Every time I try, Sofia wants to write something too. If I don't let her, she cries...she is doing this now. Gotta keep it short!

Sofia loves to climb. The shopping cart is a no longer available for play.

First steps

2009-01-19T22:11:00.003-05:00

Sofia started taking her first steps this weekend! Check it out!

Irresistible dancing

2008-12-28T11:41:00.001-05:00

Here is a video of Sofia dancing to the Car Talk song...music is irresistible. She must dance.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-27T11:18:00.006-05:00

This was Sofia's first Christmas where she could interact with her gifts. She received some great toys: toys that make music and a box of Duplos that enable her to unpack. She really enjoys unpacking and dancing. It seems that as soon as she hears music she MUST dance. Adorable! Check these videos out!

UNPACKING

DANCING TO HER TOY

First Times in Arkansas

2008-12-21T12:08:00.002-05:00

Sofia experienced a bunch of firsts in Arkansas.

1. First time eating salmon, she LOVED it.
2. First time eating melon, LOVED it.
3. First time meeting her maternal grandmother and great aunt.
3. First time eating my mother's cooking, LOVED it A LOT.
4. First time in a big tubby.

First airplane flight

2008-12-21T11:36:00.006-05:00

Boy. It has been forever since I last updated the blog!

On December 3rd, Sofia's uncle Ty (my brother) passed away so we travelled to Arkansas to visit with my mother and to attend the funeral. This meant that Sofia would be on the plane for the first time. It was a pretty good flight, she slept in my lap the whole way. Here are some pictures of her in the seat next to me.

Sofia and Bast - sleepytime

2008-11-03T23:54:00.003-05:00

The evening started out with Sofia chasing Bast and grabbing hold of her tail. Bast would mew in protest but would do nothing else. I would tell Sofia to let go and pry her little fingers off of Bast's tail. Of course, Bast did not run away, but stayed in the same spot, so Sofia could grab her tail. Then Sofia fell asleep and Bast decided to nap next to Sofia. Isn't that cute?

Halloween!

2008-11-02T15:34:00.006-05:00

Sofia's first Halloween. She dressed up as a little white kitty.

Sofia's a baby model!

2008-10-15T00:02:00.002-04:00

So about a week and a half ago I took Sofia to a modelling agency to see if she could become a baby model. Well, they accepted her into the agency and I just mailed her head shots. Here is the headshot I used. I wonder if she will get any jobs...

Aussie Grandparents visit

2008-10-08T20:45:00.003-04:00

From September 21 to 24, Sofia's Grandparents from Australia came to visit. At first she was a little wary of them, but at the end of the visit she was attached! Here are some pics from the visit.

Sofia missed me!

2008-09-17T09:00:00.001-04:00

The other night, I went out after work to an IT-event (boring, BTW). Anyway, I didn't get home til long after Sofia went to sleep. In the mornings, I usually leave before she wakes up, but sometimes she's up earlier. Well, the following morning, she was up early and saw me. Seemed that all she wanted to do was go to me and have me pick her up and hold her! Since I was already late for work, I could only hold her for a few minutes. When I gave her back to Tara, she cried and reached for me! Well, I ended up holding her again for a little while and so was late for work, but it was worth it. She's impossible to resist! When I finally had to give her back to Tara for good, she cried again, but I had to go. Luckily, she was soon occupied with feeding (truly her favorite thing!)

- Daddy

Sofia and the laptop

2008-09-04T10:25:00.002-04:00

Here is a funny story. This happened last night.

Last night, Larry was holding Sofia and I was carrying my laptop. We were about to go upstairs to get ready for bed. Sofia started to lean towards me, putting all of her weight into, so I put my laptop down and took her. As soon as I took her, she started to lean towards the laptop with all of her weight...apparently she did not want me, she wanted the laptop!

Ah, a baby techie, what a beautiful thing!

Diaper play

2008-08-19T22:10:00.000-04:00

When I change Sofia's diaper, she likes to grab the new one and toss it about. So cute!

Teething biscuit

2008-08-16T23:39:00.003-04:00

Today Sofia had her first teehing biscuit and she loved it! It got all over her face, her shoulders and her hands. Check out the pictures!

Sofia and Bast

2008-08-15T23:05:00.003-04:00

The funniest thing happened this evening. First, let me set the scene. We have attached
Sofia's crib to our bed. I was lying on the bed and Sofia was in her crib. She was on all fours, about to crawl to the corner of her crib, when Bast jumped onto the bed and walked into the crib area. Sofia immediately fixated on Bast and crawled quickly over and said "Aaaa" loudly into Bast's face.

This caused Bast to leave the crib and proceed to the otherside of the bed...Sofia and grab and twist her ear and she does not have a problem with that, but goodness forbid that she make any loud noises. Sofia watched Bast leave, babbling to her the whole time, with ooos and aaas.

She has quite a bit to say to Bast, apparently.

Right now Sofia is sleeping in her crip and Bast is sitting next to her.

Early Invention results

2008-08-13T20:34:00.009-04:00

Early Intervention came over to evaluate Sofia and they said that she is on the cusp and she does qualify for their services. Sofia is developmentally behind when it comes to speech, but she is ahead for cognitive ability (like problem solving, finding a hidden toy) and physical ability (like crawling and pulling herself to a stand). We are going to wait a couple of months, since she may just be focusing on the cognitive and physical abilities. Maybe speech will come later...

Anyway, here is a video clip of her first crawl, which occurred on July 30...and I just happened to be video taping...what luck!

She can hear!

2008-08-08T20:17:00.003-04:00

Some of you may know Sofia has been pretty silent except for the screeching noises she makes, so her doctor ordered a hearing test. She needed to be sedated for this hearing test. But it all turned out great! She can hear just fine, she just has nothing to say.

Here is a picture of her in the recovery room after the test. I took it with my cell phone, so it may be a little fuzzy.

Sofia's screechy voice

2008-07-26T19:04:00.003-04:00

Sofia has started making some funny noises. We have determined that sometimes it sounds like The Grudge and sometimes it sounds like a baby raptor from Jurassic Park. Here is a video clip.

Total Slacker Mommy

2008-07-21T21:25:00.000-04:00

So it has been almost a month and half since I last posted and in that time a lot has happened.

A quick update. Sofia eats solidss, goes swimming and is trying to crawl.

Sofia now eats solids...and loves it
Sofia started eating solids at the end of May. She started with some pretty runny cereal and quickly graduated to thicker cereal and then veggies with lots of cereal mixed in. We found that she does like fruit at all. She LOVES vegetables, especially peas. She is the only baby in daycare that likes peas. In fact they were worried when I brought it in...they thought she was going to starve that day. They were pleasantly surprised!

Sofia is attempting to crawl...she kind of loves it

2008-07-21T21:08:00.001-04:00

Sofia attends swimming class...and loves it

2008-07-21T20:38:00.003-04:00

1st swimming class today!

2008-07-12T09:18:00.001-04:00

Today, Tara and I are taking Sofia to her 1st swimming class! It's pretty exciting! I think she will like the pool since she likes taking a bath so much and tries to swim in the tubby.

As I write this, we are at McDonalds grabbing a quick breakfast for Tara before heading to Chinatown for the class. I am going to be the photographer and I hope to get some goods shots we can post here later on!

- Daddy

2008-07-07T23:20:00.002-04:00

I thought I'd write a little not to tell about something cute that Sofia does. If I am ever at a computer with her on my lap, she always wants to press the buttons on the keyboard! Now that is cute enough, but the cutest part is that she get really mad when I don't let her!

She's not really very vocal in general, but when she is mad or annoyed, whoa!

I'm glad that she seems to already have the traits of a strong-willed person. I always thought that if I were to ever have a daughter, that I would want her to be confident and strong-willed. I want to feel satisfied that, when she goes out into the world, that she will not take any crap from anybody!

Well, if our experiences at the keyboard show, or indeed if we try to give her baby food that is too liquid-y, she is well on her way!

- The Daddy

A week of illness

2008-06-01T22:05:00.002-04:00

Last week was a tough week for Sofia. It started on Friday with a little sniffle, the daycare sniffle. Then on Monday she had pink eye in one eye. So on Tuesday we go to the doctor's...she has pink eye in both eyes and a little cold. Wednesday rolls around and she sleeps almost all day and night, waking only because she cannot breathe from the snot in her nose. So, back to the Doctor's we go on Thursday. She has pneumonia. Friday, she throws up her breakfast of milk (at home)...I figured she coughed so hard she puked. I took her to daycare...she throws up there. I get a call, come pick up Sofia, no vomiting allowed.

She is doing much better now! Her cough is clearing up and her week of illness is now over.

Candid shots from the past couple of weeks

2008-05-28T18:18:00.002-04:00

Lounging and reading

Ready to garden with Mommy

Beautiful sleeping angel

All dressed up!

Mother's Day!

2008-05-13T20:49:00.004-04:00

Updates galore

2008-04-27T21:02:00.003-04:00

A lot has happened in the past few weeks!

Sofia is now 12 pounds! She is 25th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height.

Daycare is great. She has some friends and her teachers love her. What's not to love? She is so cute!

Sofia has started to talk more. She has no problems talking when she is irritated, but when she is happy she likes to just smile away.

She loves to chew on her fingers and has found her feet. She loves to hold onto her feet.

Check out the newest pictures!

Jumper

2008-04-27T20:55:00.002-04:00

Aquarium pics

2008-04-27T20:50:00.001-04:00

Daddy-Time

2008-04-08T00:10:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to post a little note about some alone time I had with Sofia this weekend!

Well, this past Friday, I had just returned from a business trip to San Francisco. Oddly enough, Tara left for a business trip that same morning! Actually, my flight landed about 10 minutes after Tara had to check in. Too bad we weren't in the same terminal! We could have given each other a high five as she went toward the gates and I went toward the exit! Our friend, Metti, dropped Tara off at her terminal and then circled around and piucked me up at mine!

Anyway, while I really wanted to see Tara after being away for so long, it was really nice to have some pure one-on-one time with my little girl! We talked (well, mostly I talked and she listened), we sang, we watched TV, and I fed her . . . a LOT! That, I must admit was a bit difficult. Usually, by the time I realized she was hungry, she was on the verge of getting upset and that breast-milk couldn't heat up fast enough! I hope that mothers who breast-feed realize how incredibly convenient it is to be able to provide milk instantaneously!

The night was not quite restful, but was really special. Sofie slept next to me. I am really happy to say that she felt very comfotable with me and slept very well. I really enjoyed being so close to her for that time, even though I woke up every 2 hours and scrambled to heat up milk before she went crazy and started scratching her own head!

To conclude, while I am glad that Tara is back, both because I missed her for myself and because of her dairy section, I am very glad that I had that precious time with my baby girl!

- L3

Mississippi trip

2008-04-04T17:29:00.002-04:00

I am on the campus at the University of Mississippi for work today. I will be returning to Boston on Saturday morning. My first night away from Sofia...I wonder how well she will sleep. She sleeps right next to me in bed...I wonder how I will sleep. I am sure I will wake up every couple hours, since that is my sleep cycle.

I can't wait to hear about Daddy and Sofia time! I hope Daddy updates the blog, so you can see how it went too!

Aquarium

2008-03-31T09:17:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was Sofia's first time at the aquarium. We rode the train into the city and she loved it. She was looking around, taking everything in. When we got to the aquarium it was mobbed. I had no idea it was going to be so crowded!

We met up with Sofia's baby friend, Sterling, from our first class, and her Mom.

Sofia loved watching all the people, especially the children! We made it through the first exhibit, the jellyfish, then at what appeared to be the most vibrant tank she had a little breakdown. She started to cry and squirm, so I had to turn her around and she fell asleep for the rest of the trip. Sterling had a great time!

What a great trip! We are definitely going to do it again!

Sadness and gladness

2008-03-18T08:34:00.002-04:00

Well it has been a sad and a glad week.

The sad news:
Sofia's Grandpa passed away on March 8. It is very sad, but I am glad that Grandpa got to meet and hold Sofia before he passed on. It is cool how as a life passes on there is a new life (Sofia) to help those left behind. Sofia is such a wonder and a joy, she makes everyone happy!

The glad news:
Sofia discovered her feet last week. She was wearing her Robeez, which her Auntie Mary gave to her, and she was enthralled. It was the cutest thing! She would move her feet and then her eyes would get bigger and she would smile. Sooo CUTE!

Sofia also understands what the massage sign means. I learned from my Great Beginnings class how to give infant massage. It starts with making the sign for massage, which is rubbing my hands together. So when I made this sign to her on Sunday night, she smiled and made a little squeak sound. I, of course, thought she knew that she was getting a massage and was very excited...but I did have a doubt that maybe it was just a coincidence. BUT the very next morning, I made the sign for massage and the same thing happened! She knows! She knows! How wonderful it is to interact with her!

Sickness hits

2008-03-04T23:10:00.002-05:00

Sofia and I have been holed up in the bedroom going on 8 days now. I had a fever for 7 days and went to the ER on Saturday. They gave me fluids and the next night my fever broke, I am just getting over the runny nose now. Sofia went to her doctor too, her blood was drawn and all tests showed she was fine...she only had a temp of 99, I am glad she did not get the runny nose, sore throat and cough.

Unfortunately, we missed our last day of class. We will be starting a new class on March 8 with two other moms from the first class.

I return to work on March 10. Sofia will be in daycare during this time. I am worried that they won't hold her as much as I do or worse let her cry all day. I know there are positives to daycare, like socialization and structure, but 3 months seems too young to be "alone."

Sofia and Evan

2008-02-24T18:05:00.002-05:00

Sofia adores her big brother. Whenever he comes into her field of visions she is riveted. She loves to look at his face and his coloroful T-shirts. She is smiling a lot more now. She smiles back! It is the cutest thing and it sure does melt my heart.st thing and it sure does melt my heart.

Where did you find that baby?

2008-02-21T13:15:00.002-05:00

Sofia and I went to Costco yesterday and as usual she was a big hit. Her eyes were wide open and she was looking at everything around her. This, of course, makes her so much cuter. Two older couples asked me, at different times, which aisle she came from, because they would like to buy one just like her. What is funny about this is this only seems to happen at Costco. No one at Super Stop & Shop or Home Depot ask me where they can find such a cute baby in the store.

Sofia sure is popular!

Everyday she gets cuter and cuter!

2008-02-19T21:43:00.002-05:00

Well, it has been a while since I posted. I am sure all you Sofia fans are wondering what is going on with this cute little lady. Well here's the scoop.

We have been working on some pretty cool developmental exercises, or I have been trying to work on these, but all she wants to do is sleep. When she is awake I try the tracking exercises with her toys and my face. I also make faces at her and speak to her in a silly voice, all so I can see a smile. I am also working on strengthening her stomach muscles by helping her situp and pulling her up to a sitting position. She is a strong little girl!

Today she had her shots, oh she cried. Poor Sofia. She is pooped out now.

We only have one class left in our new mom and new baby class. We are going to take the next class in the series with three other moms and babies from our current class.

For cute pics of Sofia check out the two previous posts.

Candids

2008-02-19T21:39:00.002-05:00

Tubby Time pics

2008-02-19T21:32:00.003-05:00

What an eventful day!

2008-02-06T21:32:00.000-05:00

Today Sofia and I participated in a filming at Isis Maternity. Isis Maternity is a nice little place that offers classes to expecting and new moms. They also have a little shop where they sell some pretty cool things. Sofia and I are taking a new mom class. The Director emailed a bunch of us in these classes asking us to volunteer for filming a short film about going back to work after having the baby. This little film will be aired in hospital rooms across the country on the newborn channel. The newborn channel is a channel with a bunch of informative newborn information for mothers. I know I watched it!

Isn't that exciting?

We also went to see the OB/GYN and I should be completely healed in a couple of weeks. The good news is I can work out now...time to get rid of this flabby baby belly!

Sofia and I also went on out Mom Outing with the other moms from the class. We went to the Atrium Mall in Chestnut Hill. It is a pretty nice place. It was great to see the other moms.

I would have posted a picture of her super cute outfit, but she puked on it. Poor Sofia, looks like she has a little stomach bug on top of her reflux.

She's a little bear

2008-02-02T12:45:00.000-05:00

Sofia and I have been taking a new mom and baby class. I learn a bunch of tricks to soothe her and tips for encouraging her development. I also get to meet other new moms. It is a great class!

We found out that Sofia cannot take Zantac because it causes her rash/eczema. So we are going to try Prilosec. Poor Sofia!

Here are more pics! She is wearing a cute little outfit from my Aunt Diana. She looks like a little bear!

More pictures!

2008-01-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

Update: Sofia has been diagnosed with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and eczema. We will be going to the dermatologist on Wednesday, January 30 to follow up on the eczema. She takes Zantac for her reflux.

Here are more pics!

5 weeks + 3 days

2008-01-21T19:14:00.000-05:00

Wow! It took me two weeks to update the blog...sorry about that as I am sure you are all dying to see more pictures of Sofia, but first a weight update. On Wednesday, January 16 Sofia weighted 8 pounds 10 ounces. She is gaining about 8 ounces a week.

I am surprised by how much I love this little bundle of cuteness. She is so precious and I just can't resist giving her kisses ALL the time.

All dressed up

Sleeping on Mommy

Crying (her heart is so broken)

The calm after the cry

3 weeks

2008-01-05T18:55:00.000-05:00

Sofia is 3 weeks old!

Here are some pictures and a tubby time update. This week we gave her a bath and it was a great success! She enjoyed it this time.

Doctor's visit

2008-01-02T17:30:00.000-05:00

Age: 19 days old
Weight: 7 pounds 10 ounces

Cuteness on a scale of 1 to 10: infinity

She is gaining weight nicely!

A weekful of updates

2008-01-02T17:13:00.000-05:00

Here is a little background on what we have noticed about Sofia. Sofia is a pretty happy baby, she sleeps a lot and when she is awake (and not hungry) she just looks around and stretches.

When she is hungry, she starts to stir and breathe quickly, while she smacks her lips too. If I do not get her her meal (my boob) within 3 minutes of this stirring, she starts to whimper and let's out a little cry. A cry that sounds like I broke her heart. If I take much longer, she let's out a few more "you broke my heart" cries. Her cries are always soothed by fast service...who doesn't like fast service?

When she is sleeping...she is so cute! Well, she is cute no matter what she does. Her crying is cute. Anyway, at night she sleeps on her back in the crook of my arm and during the day she sleeps on my lap. I put her into her co-sleeper or car carrier when I need to take care of things (like getting some food), but if she wakes up and realizes that I am not nearby she starts to cry. Not the few "you broke my heart" cries, but entire succession of those, which usually escalates to really loud "you broke my heart, you abandoned me" wails. I, of course, run from whatever I am doing and pick her up and the wails quiet to a soft whimper. I tell her that I would never abandon her or leave her alone...but I guess to a baby who can only see up to 14 inches in front of her that probably sounds like a lie.

I totally don't mind that she wants to be with me...I want to be with her, so the feeling is mutual. I am trying to get her to sleep in the co-sleeper, but it is going to take time. Besides all this constant holding and cuddling is great for her developmentally, she is going to grow up secure, knowing that her parents are always going to be there for her. She will always be safe. That is what I have read.

Last week Sofia had her first tubby. Now that was a truly traumatic experience for her. She cried and then when she calmed down, I got water in her face, making her cry all over again. I am willing to bathe her once a week...she hates to be naked.

Sofia and I are still recovering from the virus...she has boogies in her nose...and yes I do pick them out.

What a week!

2007-12-25T21:33:00.000-05:00

Well, I am finally posting something!

This past week has been pretty hectic.

Sofia and I were discharged on Sunday (12/16/07) evening. Her bilirubin level was borderline, so we were told to take her to the pediatrician the next day to make sure she was alright. We had an appointment at two, when we met the pediatrician she sent us right back to the hospital, she was jaundiced.

Sofia was checked in and placed under the "bili" lights. She had to stay under these lights for a couple of days.

It looks like she is under some tanning lights at a spa. Check out her cool goggles.

We stayed in the hospital room with her, until she was discharged on Wednesday. It was nice to be home again. My milk had come in while we were in the hospital, so we setup a feeding schedule. Sofia's high bilirubin level made her sleepy, too sleepy to wake up when she was hungry, so we had to wake her every 3 hours to feed. She wakes up on her own now when she is hungry, most times it is not on a nice 3 hour schedule, but a 1.5 hour schedule.

Friday, the pediatrician says she looks great. A completely different baby!

Later that same day, Sofia and Evan meet. At first Evan was a little shy, he did not want to hold her, then before bed he wanted to hold her and give her a kiss.

Later in the weekend Evan fed her a bottle.

Over the weekend, I came down with the virus Larry had been fighting. I think Sofia has it too. We have another appointment with the pediatrician to check things out tomorrow.

Welcome Sofia!

2007-12-15T10:48:00.000-05:00

Well it finally happened! We got to the hospital at 4:00am on Friday, Dec 14. Tara hadn't started dilating yet, but it's the hospital's policy that you can't go home once your water breaks so there we were. We got to rest a little bit during the morning, but then they started her on Pitocin (sp?) at around 7:00am (I think) to get the contractions starting.

By 4:30pm, she was 10cm dilated and then the fun began! Tara said that she wanted to have the baby out by 5:00pm! The nurse kind of chuckled, but by 5:10pm, there she was!

She is beautiful!

She weighs 7 lb, 5 oz. and is

20.5 inches long.

Both mother and baby are tired, but doing well! I am home to feed the dogs and cats and send this update and then I am going back to the hospital. I can't wait to see them both!

We are at Tufts - New England Medical Center, North Building, Mother Infant Unit (MIU) on the 3rd floor. Our room phone number is (617) 636-3348. The MIU main number is (617) 636-4200.

Oops! I had an accident

2007-12-14T03:14:00.000-05:00

So I just woke up about an hour ago...I thought I had an accident (the pee pee kind) in bed.

NOPE! My water broke. It just keeps leaking.

I called the on-call doctor, I wanted to know if I could go back to sleep. I am tired. She says I have to come in. We are packing the hospital bag and getting ready to go. I can probably sleep when I am there, or so I hope.

Anyway off we go! Soon, Sofia will be here.

Better get better!

2007-12-11T17:32:00.000-05:00

Ok, so Tara's belly measures 39cm and she is 1cm dilated already! That means she is going to go at any point and here I am with the flu! I had better get better real quick because Tara really wants me in the delivery room with her! I called in sick yesterday and today so I can rest up. I hope Sofie stays in for like at least 1 more week. By then I will be good to go!

Sofie, one day you will read this blog and understand how excited we were to meet you! I can't wait to be your daddy!

Doctor Visit

2007-12-11T16:42:00.000-05:00

I just got back from the Doctor's office.

Fundal Height Measurement: 39 cm

What this means? Sofia is a big girl.

My cervix has started to dilate. It is about a centimeter (a finger's width). What does that mean? I could go into labor tomorrow or in 3 weeks, who knows. It appears that pregnancy is not an exact science.

What I have noticed is when my activity level increases (going from a sitting position to going upstairs) I have a contraction. Larry is currently ill, which means that he cannot visit the baby after birth if I were to go into labor tonight. So, my plan is to do as little activity as possible, until he is better, then maybe I will go for a long walk to initiate labor. ;P

2007-12-05T23:41:00.000-05:00

It seems quite a bit has happened since I last posted.

1. 11/26/08 - Oops, I hurt myself.

I twisted my ankle walking to the train, but because my ligaments and joints are so loose, I did not feel any pain. Well, a few days later, my ankle swelled up. I have a pretty fat ankle. Now this brings to question was it the twist or is it the pregnancy? Maybe both? The twisted ankle is fatter than the non-twisted. Anyway, I will ask the doctor about it next week. I am not too concerned about it now...it is ugly, this fat ankle, but it is also winter, so no one can see them.

2. 12/04/08 - Breast feeding class.

This class was pretty fun and definitely interesting. The teacher basically read off of a sheet of paper to teach, but she was very knowledgeable when people asked questions. It was certainly neat being in a room with other late term pregnant women. I was watching their belly's to see if their babies moved...I saw nothing. I bet you can guess what Sofia was doing during the class. That's right! Kicking and punching me. She also tried out her new tricks, the one where she extends an elbow into the side of my belly and extends her foot into my rib cage. She shifted and kicked through most of the class.

3. 12/05/08 - Fetal MRI.

While I was getting an ultrasound last week, I was approached to participate in an MRI study. The study involves women with preeclemsia. So, I would be a control. So I said yes, I will do it! I arrived on time (I have been working hard to be on time, it is difficult for me, but I am making progress), but still had to wait an hour and half before it was my turn. Well, I have had an MRI already this year, so I was pretty confident that I could handle being in the tunnel. In fact, my first MRI lasted 3 hours (I was being tested for MS, which it turns out I do not have) and I fell asleep, I thought I could totally handle 30 minutes. Being pregnant makes a difference.

I lay on my back and they placed a circular thingy (for lack of a better word) onto my belly around where her head is (it helps with imaging). Slowly, I entered the tunnel and the circular thingy hits the top of the machine. I start to feel light-headed and nauseous. I feel my heart racing. I asked them to pull me out. We tried again with me lying on my side...I did not fit. So, I lay on my back for a few minutes and they offered for me to watch a movie. I tried that...basically it is just a pair of goggles with the movie showing in them. Pretty neat. I picked The Secret Garden, but ended up watching A Little Princess. The MRI was at Children's, so my movie selection was limited to kid movies, which I do not mind, I watch lots of G movies. The movie worked. I entered the tunnel and all the pictures were taken. That machine is LOUD and I could tell Sofia was starting to get irritated. Every time the machine started I could feel her kicking me, but when it stopped she stopped.

At the end of it all, I was able to see MRI images of her little brain and eyeballs. It was soo cool. After the study is over, they are going to send me some images of her brain. I must say, her brain looks a lot like mine. ;)

Baby size update

2007-11-29T18:48:00.000-05:00

Larry and I went in for an ultrasound on Tuesday and this is what we found out.

Sofia is big but not too big, so it is not me. The doctor said she has a big belly and that is what is making her so big. She even showed us her fat deposits in the sonogram. The doctor also said that Sofia has hair! Yay!

Here is the kicker. I have 6 weeks until the due date and the baby is estimated to weigh 6 pounds 2 ounces! There is a 20% margin of error. So she could be a little less than 5 pounds or 7 and half pounds, right now!

She is a big baby with hair! How cute!

Hiccups!

2007-11-25T16:10:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we celebrated Thanksgiving. Yes, we celebrate on a Saturday. I was on my feet almost all day. It hurt to use my feet and hurt my back to sit, so when Larry and I retired for the evening to play some Scrabble in bed it was wonderful.

While playing Scrabble, I thought I felt a rhythmic kick on the lower right of my belly. I placed my hand there and asked Larry to do the same. There it was, something felt like a little kick evenly timed.

I exclaimed, "It must be hiccups!"

This hiccups continued for a few minutes. I was very excited, because a lot of people have been asking me if I felt hiccups yet, and I always responded, maybe Sofia won't be a hiccuping baby. Well, I was proved wrong!

Just as an aside, while she was hiccuping she would kick really hard every once in a while...do you think she was annoyed with the hiccups?

Weekend update

2007-11-18T21:45:00.000-05:00

Sofia seems to have learned a new trick. She sticks me in my side just under my rib cage. I tried genlty pushing her to get her to move and she responds by pressing against my bladder, so of course I stop...it is not a very comfortable sensation.

Other than that, nothing new going on.

Here is a picture of my belly. It does look rather large. From my angle (the one where I look down upon my belly) it does not seem to be so big...in fact I keep thinking I look rather small. I can't wait for the ultrasound. We get to have some more pictures of Sofia!

In case you were wondering on Wednesday (11/14/07), my fundus measured a little greater than 35 cm at 32 weeks.

Doctor Appointment

2007-11-14T19:18:00.001-05:00

This morning was my OB/Gyn checkup. It was a little bit of an adventure.

I arrived late (as usual, I am rarely on time for anything), but the office was really busy, so I didn't feel so bad, everyone else was late too.. There were at least 7 other ladies ahead of me. When I was finally called in my blood pressure was 110/68 and I had gained 4 pounds since my last visit...oops...I was only supposed to gain 2!

The Doctor measured my belly, 35 centimeters. She said I was big and would need an ultrasound. Then she listened to the babies heartbeat. It was difficult to obtain the heartbeat, as Sofia kept moving. When she did get it, it topped out at 200, she made call to the Non-Stress Test nurse and I had to go over there right away. I was scared.

I was strapped to the bed. One strap across the lower portion of my belly, with the heartbeat monitor and the other strap across the top with the fetal movement monitor (I am not sure if that is what it is called, but I am calling it that). I am not sure if you know this, but Sofia does not or does (who knows) like for anything to lay tight against my belly, she will do her best to kick it. Which is exactly what she proceeded to do. She kicked and punched those two straps for the first 10 minutes, then she calmed down and with that her heart rate went down. All was normal. The nurse said I have an active baby and there was nothing to worry about.

Sofia is fine, she just moves so much!

2007-11-13T10:48:00.000-05:00

Sitting in a training class this week, but I'm bored so I keep thinking about the baby coming! It's exciting and scary at the same time! I guess that's to be expected. I am excited to get the shelves built in Sofia's new room. Wanted to work on them last night, but I was wiped out because I had to take a Benadryl for allergies during the day. Maybe tonight will be the nite to finish them up!

Looking forward to the hugs!

- Daddy

Baby shower time!

2007-11-10T22:01:00.000-05:00

Today was Sofia's baby shower.

The started out a little stressful for me, Sofia was not moving that much and I am used to her being in constant motion. I lay down, took a hot shower, ate food...but her activity level was still low. We had to leave for the shower, so we got in the car and started listening to classical music, we changed the station to classic rock to see if she would kick...nothing. Then the song, "Play that funky music white boy, started and at last some action...she rolled 5 times and then was her active self for the rest of the day. Phew!

I think it was a great success! Sofia got some cute toys and clothes, as well as some pretty neat necessities (diaper trash can).

Thanks go to all the guests who attended and especially to Jennifer Metti, Phyllis Kaplan, and Lucille Monuteaux for planning the event. It was wonderful to see family and friends.

8 weeks to go

2007-11-09T19:02:00.000-05:00

Sofia is due on January 8, 2008. 8 weeks!

She is very active. She rolls and kicks, and sometimes extends a limb. The extened limb is a little uncomfortable, so I gently push on it and she retracts it.

Here is a list of her favourite things (as I, her mother, have interpreted them to be):

Kicking my bladder, but only when it is full

Classic Rock (she is more active when I play classic rock)

Kicking the elastic on my pants when it lays across the belly

Kicking the maternity support belt

Sleeping when I sleep, she does not wake up until I am awake

Here is a picture of her at 12 weeks, sucking her thumb.