swing time!
This picture leads me to draw the following conclusions: (1) my daughter is damn cute, and (2) if she could speak, she would be telling us that she needs a new activity to replace swing time.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
What do babies do all day?
Well, if you are our baby, you eat (a lot) and sleep (even more). Occasionally there are other activities sprinkled in, such as the assorted diaper change, tummy time, bath time, being read a story by Daddy, and of course...
swing time!
This picture leads me to draw the following conclusions: (1) my daughter is damn cute, and (2) if she could speak, she would be telling us that she needs a new activity to replace swing time.
swing time!
This picture leads me to draw the following conclusions: (1) my daughter is damn cute, and (2) if she could speak, she would be telling us that she needs a new activity to replace swing time.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Jocelyn's First Date
Dave, Jocelyn and I ventured out yesterday for lunch to celebrate the New Year. We were lucky that she was the perfect lunch date ~ she slept the entire time and gave Dave and I some time to enjoy the New Year together as parents. Since it was her first date, I dressed her in a beautiful handmade sweater from my sister's baby sitter, June Kelly. This picture is of Jocelyn still sleeping after we returned home to take a nap and watch some football.
Monday, December 31, 2007
One week in
The little one is a week old as of this morning! Here's a birthday picture.
She has an appetite like you would not believe and seems to be packing on the pounds (well, ounces anyway). In the past four days or so, she has gone from eating about 1-1.5 ounces at each sitting to about 4-5. Take my advice: buy stock in Enfamil.
After the holiday tomorrow, I settle back into the routine of heading off to work each morning. I'm not so excited about leaving the Peanut each morning. I feel like she's already changed so much in the last week, I don't want to miss anything while I'm away from home each day. And I kinda like spending time with her. She's pretty good company.
She has an appetite like you would not believe and seems to be packing on the pounds (well, ounces anyway). In the past four days or so, she has gone from eating about 1-1.5 ounces at each sitting to about 4-5. Take my advice: buy stock in Enfamil.After the holiday tomorrow, I settle back into the routine of heading off to work each morning. I'm not so excited about leaving the Peanut each morning. I feel like she's already changed so much in the last week, I don't want to miss anything while I'm away from home each day. And I kinda like spending time with her. She's pretty good company.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Jocelyn, presented in Technicolor
Here's a little taste of the sights and sounds on Jocelyn's birth day.
Settling in
Jocelyn seems to be getting acclimated bit by bit to being home now. Up until a couple of days ago, she had been fussier at home than in the hospital, but we changed the way we were feeding her and she seems to be much more content now. The first few nights I thought she was going to lose her voice from screaming so much when we changed her diaper or clothes, but now she's much more sedate and much easier to handle during the night. Hopefully this trend continues! (This is me knocking on wood.)
She definitely is beginning to show little personality traits, and as a result has acquired a few more nicknames. She has been known as the Peanut ever since we received the news of her impending arrival, but now has also been dubbed Maggie (after the Simpsons character, for her love of the binky and the way it moves when she's working on it) and Wilbur (for the snorting noises she sometimes makes when she's really hungry and settling in for a nice meal, like a little piggy). She's quite adorable if I and Julie do say so ourselves.
One thing that's been a little bit of a challenge is trying to figure out what she's trying to tell us when she cries. All of the baby books will tell you that a baby has different cries to ask for different things, and that you can identify what she's asking for by listening carefully to her cues. Sounds like a nice idea, but they all sound the same to Julie and I. Maybe we will become better listeners over time.
Another thing that's a little challenging is fighting the tendency to be a neurotic, overprotective father. Every little sneeze or cough around her makes me anxious, and I find myself wanting to wrap her up in a little cocoon, safely sheltered from the world around her.
At the same time, I am amazed at how strong she is already at six days old. She surprised us all in the hospital by being able to hold her own head up almost immediately after being born. When we saw the pediatrician on Friday, we told him about this and he seemed a bit skeptical, but then he put her on her belly. Not only did she hold her head up to be able to look straight ahead, but she propped herself up on her elbows and pushed herself to one side, almost rolling over. She also has fought through the swaddle blanket we wrap her up in for naps several times, working her hands free so that she can move her elbows around and put her fingers in her mouth. So, maybe I shouldn't be so neurotic, because it seems like she will be more than capable of taking care of herself.
Nah, I'm pretty sure I'm still going to worry. How could I not be overprotective of a daughter as beautiful as this?
She definitely is beginning to show little personality traits, and as a result has acquired a few more nicknames. She has been known as the Peanut ever since we received the news of her impending arrival, but now has also been dubbed Maggie (after the Simpsons character, for her love of the binky and the way it moves when she's working on it) and Wilbur (for the snorting noises she sometimes makes when she's really hungry and settling in for a nice meal, like a little piggy). She's quite adorable if I and Julie do say so ourselves.
One thing that's been a little bit of a challenge is trying to figure out what she's trying to tell us when she cries. All of the baby books will tell you that a baby has different cries to ask for different things, and that you can identify what she's asking for by listening carefully to her cues. Sounds like a nice idea, but they all sound the same to Julie and I. Maybe we will become better listeners over time.
Another thing that's a little challenging is fighting the tendency to be a neurotic, overprotective father. Every little sneeze or cough around her makes me anxious, and I find myself wanting to wrap her up in a little cocoon, safely sheltered from the world around her.
At the same time, I am amazed at how strong she is already at six days old. She surprised us all in the hospital by being able to hold her own head up almost immediately after being born. When we saw the pediatrician on Friday, we told him about this and he seemed a bit skeptical, but then he put her on her belly. Not only did she hold her head up to be able to look straight ahead, but she propped herself up on her elbows and pushed herself to one side, almost rolling over. She also has fought through the swaddle blanket we wrap her up in for naps several times, working her hands free so that she can move her elbows around and put her fingers in her mouth. So, maybe I shouldn't be so neurotic, because it seems like she will be more than capable of taking care of herself.
Nah, I'm pretty sure I'm still going to worry. How could I not be overprotective of a daughter as beautiful as this?
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Arrival!
Jocelyn Isabelle Gesner was born on Monday, December 24, 2007 at 6:38 am. She was 8 pounds 9 ounces at birth and 21-1/2 inches long. Santa outdid himself this year, because she is absolutely gorgeous!
The little angel arrived complete with her own halo. Mom had a bit of trouble during the delivery and the doctors needed to use a vacuum device to help Jocelyn proceed through the birth canal, and the device left a little ring on the crown of her head. The halo is fitting given the Christmas season. :)
I was surprised at how emotional I was when she emerged. Obviously the anticipation had been building for weeks, and I had been excited to become a father, but when I first saw her I just couldn't hold back the tears of happiness. Instantly, she became my inspiration. I want her to be as proud of me as I am of her, so right then and there I vowed to do everything I could to make that happen. It was a powerful and transformative experience.
The little angel arrived complete with her own halo. Mom had a bit of trouble during the delivery and the doctors needed to use a vacuum device to help Jocelyn proceed through the birth canal, and the device left a little ring on the crown of her head. The halo is fitting given the Christmas season. :)
I was surprised at how emotional I was when she emerged. Obviously the anticipation had been building for weeks, and I had been excited to become a father, but when I first saw her I just couldn't hold back the tears of happiness. Instantly, she became my inspiration. I want her to be as proud of me as I am of her, so right then and there I vowed to do everything I could to make that happen. It was a powerful and transformative experience.
Overload
Dear Jocelyn,
Years from now when you are having a look at this blog, you may ask us why we didn't post anything from the beginning of November until the end of December, so we missed almost 2 months just before you were born. When that happens, my little treasure, we will tell you the story of how we discovered that our previous house in Manchester had been built on a landfill, and how we had to move into a tiny apartment in Arlington just before you were born to make sure you were not exposed to anything harmful. We will tell you about having our lives turned upside down just before you arrived, and how we were forced to sue the person who built and sold us the house to get back our money and move on with our lives. Hopefully we will be able to tell you that things worked themselves out quickly and relatively painlessly. Hopefully.
Love,
Dad
Years from now when you are having a look at this blog, you may ask us why we didn't post anything from the beginning of November until the end of December, so we missed almost 2 months just before you were born. When that happens, my little treasure, we will tell you the story of how we discovered that our previous house in Manchester had been built on a landfill, and how we had to move into a tiny apartment in Arlington just before you were born to make sure you were not exposed to anything harmful. We will tell you about having our lives turned upside down just before you arrived, and how we were forced to sue the person who built and sold us the house to get back our money and move on with our lives. Hopefully we will be able to tell you that things worked themselves out quickly and relatively painlessly. Hopefully.
Love,
Dad
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