This is my baby girl, whose name I'm going to try not to mention on this blog because... well... Amy and Sherene don't mention their daughters' names on their blogs, and they must have good reasons.
The doctors at IHC made us take her home from the NICU last Tuesday, which still terrifies me. As much as I hated seeing her hooked up to all those wires, monitors, and IVs, there was a certain comfort in knowing that if anything went wrong, a handful of trained professionals would come running to resuscitate my baby. Yesterday we took her to the pediatrician who has been overseeing her development here in Utah, and he told us that she looked absolutely perfect in every way given her early entry. He did emphasize several times that she is still a "premature baby" and that we couldn't treat her like a full term baby. We're proud (and mostly relieved) to announce that she not only regained her birth weight (5 pounds), she also gained an extra 7 ounces! Can you see her progress? We think she is looking downright chubby.
True story: My daughter had not yet fully exited my womb when she grabbed one of the receiving blankets the doctor was holding, and would not let go. He had to struggle to get it away from her. She continues to grab everything in reach, which was a problem when she was connected to all those wires, monitors, and IVs. But it's pretty awesome when she holds my hand or shirt or hair when I'm feeding her. Below, she is holding my dad's finger.
We had four ultrasounds while I was pregnant (mostly due to Baby Dearest not exactly cooperating), and every time her hands were right next to her face. We can't swaddle her properly because she grunts at us until we loosen the blanket enough for her hands to become free. They immediately go to her face / mouth:
One of the benefits of accidentally having a baby six weeks early and 3000 miles away from home is that I have a lot of friends and family nearby. We unfortunately can't receive many visitors since our daughter is still so little and has so much developing to do before she catches up with full-term infants, but we have had a few really close family members drop by (Melinda is practically family, come on).
I knew Tim was awesome when I started dating him, but honestly I had no idea how awesome. He was so good and kind and patient while I was pregnant, and the trend has continued with the birth of our baby. He changes about 90% of her diapers, gets up to feed her at 1:00 am so I can sleep, rocks her when she has indigestion, and softly talks to her about what's happening in the world (this usually involves hockey). It warms my heart every time I wake up to scenes like the following:
We are a happy family.
True story: My daughter had not yet fully exited my womb when she grabbed one of the receiving blankets the doctor was holding, and would not let go. He had to struggle to get it away from her. She continues to grab everything in reach, which was a problem when she was connected to all those wires, monitors, and IVs. But it's pretty awesome when she holds my hand or shirt or hair when I'm feeding her. Below, she is holding my dad's finger.
We had four ultrasounds while I was pregnant (mostly due to Baby Dearest not exactly cooperating), and every time her hands were right next to her face. We can't swaddle her properly because she grunts at us until we loosen the blanket enough for her hands to become free. They immediately go to her face / mouth:
One of the benefits of accidentally having a baby six weeks early and 3000 miles away from home is that I have a lot of friends and family nearby. We unfortunately can't receive many visitors since our daughter is still so little and has so much developing to do before she catches up with full-term infants, but we have had a few really close family members drop by (Melinda is practically family, come on).
I knew Tim was awesome when I started dating him, but honestly I had no idea how awesome. He was so good and kind and patient while I was pregnant, and the trend has continued with the birth of our baby. He changes about 90% of her diapers, gets up to feed her at 1:00 am so I can sleep, rocks her when she has indigestion, and softly talks to her about what's happening in the world (this usually involves hockey). It warms my heart every time I wake up to scenes like the following:
We are a happy family.
10 comments:
Laura! I've said it before, and I'll say it again. She is beautiful! I am so jealous that you decided to have her so far away from me! I can't wait to hold her for myself. Give her a little snuggle for me, please! You and Tim look great, too. I'm so happy for your happy family.
She is perfect.
And La, you look fantastic. Hope you're feeling that way too. Tim, thanks for taking care of my sister and you make being a father look easy. (which it is not...)
Also, Melinda is absolutely family.
she is adorable. when do you go back to boston? any chance i'll see you before then? would love to. in the mean time, savor ever second. :) oh, and i request an email with her real name!!
Now I feel really privileged that I got to hold your peach pit. :) I'm glad to know she is developing so well and I have to agree with the doctor that she is perfect!
You and Tim are making great parents and I hope someday you will all get a good nights rest!
Laura I can't look at these photos without tearing-up! You guys are such a beautiful little family, I'm so happy for you all! So glad to hear Baby is doing well, I can't wait till she can come back to Boston so we can all meet her. To repeat Karen, she is perfect!
Finally; THANK YOU! Baby α is pretty much the most beautiful baby ever to squirm the earth. And she is getting soooo chubby. I really like her squished and sprouting brain. Now keep posting or else I'll start leaving menacing texts and phone messages.
Yeah, yeah, yeah! I've been waiting for this post. It seems like FOREVER when I check every two hours for days on end. :)
My, my, my goodness - SHE IS SO ADORABLE. And I'm not just saying that because that's what you say when you see a new baby, she REALLY IS one of the most beautiful babies I've ever seen. I love the shape of her head and nose.
Okay...you MUST email me to tell me her name; I can't (and Joe can't) stand it any longer! :) "Baby Girl Hanley" doesn't cut it any more - I demand a name! :)
She is gorgeous! Can't wait to meet her...and more importantly hold her!
I love your little family and the fact the baby A grabs everything in sight and holds on tight. I think that says something about her personality!
We feel so bad that we couldn't visit this weekend, but we can't have Jeffrey spreading his germs around baby. Maybe next Saturday if you're still around.
Love everything about this post.
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