2.29.12 ~ Fussy Bear


It's funny how we still don't really know who Nora is. When I was pregnant we really didn't know anything except that she's a girl. Now that she's a part of the outside world, we have some more clues - like what she looks like, that she needs a lot of sleep, and has a really high pitched scream - but a lot about her is still a mystery. And, she's becoming more and more mysterious as we seem to be headed down a path of colic or acid reflux or general infant fussiness. 

Our sweet, easy, regular, little newborn sleeper has slowly become more and more fussy. Some of the signs (like crying while and after eating, writhing when her stomach makes gurgly sounds, and spitting up and then gasping and gagging and swallowing it) seem to point to acid reflux. Other signs seem to indicate it's more just infant neurology: that her fussiness starts up around 5:30 or 6 and then she cries in a way that makes her seem in pain and where its not possible to get her back to sleep until sometime between 9pm and 10pm. At that point she conks out and sleeps for about 2 hours. Usually - though, not always - the night goes alright after that, with her only waking up to eat and then going back to sleep after each feeding. But we have had a hand full of nights now where she wakes up and then we struggle to keep her quiet and to get her back to sleep after she eats. She's also suffering from a stuffy, dry nose and an umbilical cord stump that refuses to fall off. So, I have unending theories as to what is bothering her. When she gets worked up she has the loudest and most high pitched cry I have ever heard come from such a small creature. Once Liam is in bed, Jason and I have  been spending the last few evenings going to heroic lengths to try and soothe her.  

I talked to the pediatrician yesterday and she gave me some tips to try between now and our next appointment with her. So, keep your fingers crossed for us. We're hoping to keep our sanity over here! 





2.26.12 ~ Fun with Phone Photos

While Nora is nursing, I like to play with photo apps on my phone. 






2.26.12 ~ Hetzners

This must be how Hetzner children sleep.

 Liam

Sydney

 Nora

2.25.12 ~ Poops


Yesterday Nora reached an important newborn milestone. It was the day that her poops got too large for her newborn diapers. But, she isn't big enough for size one. This means she has to endure poop up her back and I have to wash out lots of onesies in the sink. 

2.25.12 ~ Happy Birthday, Nana!

Carol spent the last week here in NY helping us out. Her birthday happened to fall during the week so we got the chance to celebrate it with her.

We brought Liam and Nora along for a nice, Italian, birthday dinner. Nora slept through the whole thing and Liam surprised us by acting like a little angel at the fairly fancy restaurant. He put his napkin in his lap, ate almost all of his adult-sized entree, managed not to break his glass, and put quite a bit of effort into trying to participate in our conversation. With very serious expressions and tones, he chimed in with things like "I like the broccoli and noodles together" and "I did spill some water, but I wiped it up".

Then we headed home to have the cake that Jason baked.


  Liam put the candles in...

Jason lit them....


and then Liam helped Nana blow them out!







Happy Birthday,Carol/Mom/Nana!! And thank you for all the help!

2.25.12 ~ Nora, Meet Your Family

Nora has been meeting a lot of her family...










And those who can't visit in person, she's met via Skype.


2.15.12 ~ She Can EAT!

Jason, Liam, Nora and I took a family trip to the pediatrician this morning for Nora's second weight check. She weighed in at 7lbs!! That's almost a full pound more than she was when we left the hospital (6 lbs 2 oz). She's a very regular nurser and its paying off! She sleeps in two and half hour chunks pretty much around the clock. In between she eats and poops and then returns back to sleep. She's rarely awake for more than an hour at a time. And (I can hardly believe I'm putting this in writing since I fear jinxing it) she is very content to sleep on her own in her own bed! 




I would say that Nora might catch up to Liam soon in size - except we threw Liam on the scale as well while we were at the doctor's this morning. And he finally weighs 30 lbs! That means he has had a growth spurt since his third birthday checkup. Since November he's gained about 3 lbs!