First week

(this post contains a few photos - patience may be required if you are on dial-up)

We have survived week 1. While this is not really all that great a feat considering how many others have done it before (and how many will do it again), I think it is safe to say we were all a bit relieved to see today arrive without any major incidents and some sanity left in tact.

Grace has been a bit of a lady about town, attracting fans everywhere she goes. On Monday we made a quick run to get a few essential items that I had intended to get before she arrived, as well as a birthday cake for both me and the little one (our birthdays are one day apart - me thinks mine will be trumped at least for the next little while and that's ok). Yesterday I had an appointment and the weather was so nice the three of us grabbed lunch at a downtown patio. Grace was a trooper and slept through most of it. When she did wake up she was a little startled to see she wasn't at home but was happy to learn that her food supply (i.e. me) travelled with her. Today we continued to tackle the "stuff we'll do before the baby arrives" list and made a quick run to Ikea. You know who shops at Ikea in the middle of the day? Seniors and moms with babies (with a few dads thrown in for good measure). Grace was pretty popular with this crowd.

(Oh - and the reason we had to go to Ikea? Rob got his first bit of baby brain. He went and bought a couple items but drove home without going to the warehouse to pick them up. He got a taste of the my state of mind for the last nine months!)

We have gotten to learn a bit more about Grace's likes an dislikes. If it were to be put in a personal ad, it would look something like this:

SF seeks SM (or SF, still not sure on that one) between the ages of 1 and 15 days for companionship (anything more and Dad may not like it). Likes include being held (a lot), frequent feedings, and sleeping. Dislikes include having diaper changed, wearing clothes and these stupid arm things that keep flailing about and scaring the bejeebuz out of me (especially when they wake me up).

The solution for the arms has been swaddling - or the baby burrito as we call it. Last night was the first without swaddling and it seemed to go ok so we'll see. She is a little jaundiced but otherwise her health is just great. She has had a couple well-baby check ups from the midwives this week and is gaining weight. She is a pretty good eater, which is good for treating the jaundice. Here is a photo of the little one being weighed (the midwives leave the fancy digital scales at the clinic and bring the travel-friendly technology to the home visits). Rob was quite taken with the shot of her feet sticking out the end.

We have gotten a few visitors, too, as friends come to meet the new addition. We have been making sure to enjoy the good weather and fresh air by joining the neighbours in the co-op's courtyard. This has the added advantage of Grace being able to sleep in arms that are a little less tired than Mom and Dad's.








All in all, it's been a good week, if a little tiring. And as the photo here shows, it's not just Rob and I that need the occasional R&R break.