Monday, February 26, 2007
Beautiful Flowers
This weekend my mom and Terry threw me a "Meet the Baby" Shower to celebrate Silvia's birth. Most of my friends, their husbands and kids were able to come, even some that I haven't seen in awhile. It was a wonderful treat, and we had a great time. Silvia, of course, slept through the whole thing, which worked out find since it left me a lot of time to enjoy the HUGE amount of food and treats my mom had provided. I would post a picture of the delicious THREE cakes she brought, but... well, there just wasn't much left to photograph! I should have gotten in there with the camera before we all decimated the delectables.
Anna was the charming hostess of the bash, running around in her purple dress with her new-found pig tails bouncing around. She has become such an extrovert, welcoming everyone into the house and giving all the other moms hugs and kisses. It's wonderful how big our "family" has grown and how comfortable she is with these women who have become so much more than friends to me. I love that she showers them all with kisses and tells them, "I love you, too!". It's adorable how affectionate she is these days!
Thank you very much to my mom and Terry for the lovely party and the lovely flowers. They are a beautiful reminder of how lucky and blessed I am to have so much that is good in my life.
Anna was the charming hostess of the bash, running around in her purple dress with her new-found pig tails bouncing around. She has become such an extrovert, welcoming everyone into the house and giving all the other moms hugs and kisses. It's wonderful how big our "family" has grown and how comfortable she is with these women who have become so much more than friends to me. I love that she showers them all with kisses and tells them, "I love you, too!". It's adorable how affectionate she is these days!
Thank you very much to my mom and Terry for the lovely party and the lovely flowers. They are a beautiful reminder of how lucky and blessed I am to have so much that is good in my life.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Sisters together
Not a lot to write today. It's our first week solo, now that Kurt has gone back to work, and I was definitely very, very tired yesterday. Silvia got up at 5 a.m. this morning and, though she wasn't fussy, did not want to go back to sleep. I entertained her in bed for about an hour before it occurred to me to try putting her in the baby swing, which we had brough into our room for just such an occasion. Worked like magic! But, by then I was pretty much awake and it was almost time to start the day anyway, so I'm sort of stuck with a Sleep-Deprived Wednesday. Oh, well. That's what Starbucks is for, right? (If you know me at all, you know my Starbucks addiction. It's not the best coffee, it's overpriced, I know, but... well... it's everywhere and it's SO convenient!)
Here's the pictures. Anna finally got comfortable enough to want to hold Silvia this morning, it was too cute.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Silvia's first bath
I almost forgot! Silvia had her first bath last night... and she loved it! There was no crying or screaming or squirming, she was just laying back and smiling, enjoying the warm water and looking into the mirror at her reflection. Adorable!
First day on my own!
Well, Kurt went back to work today. I'm so lucky that he was able to take two whole weeks off after Silvia was born, but I also have to admit that I am ready for things to start getting back to normal. Today we've got Anna's music class and then she gets to spend the afternoon playing with Terry while I run errands and get caught up on laundry at home with Silvia. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up on some sleep, too. It was hard getting up earlier this morning, but I'd rather wake up a little bit early and be able to take a shower and get ready to face the day than sleep in an hour, but end up in my PJ's at 4 p.m., you know?
Silvia is doing great, she still seems to be a very easy baby. She sleeps well at night, waking every 2 hours or so to eat briefly, then goes right back to sleep. She doesn't fuss too much during the day, either, and is generally just super cute. Anna is settling in to the new dynamic very well. She had a rough second week, with lots of tantrums and screaming fits, but has been pretty much an angel and "mommy's little helper" for several days now. She's sweet, likes to check in on her sister and has been wandering around telling Kurt and I how much she loves us. She's also starting to be a lot better about vocalizing her frustrations, asking for help and telling us what's upsetting her BEFORE she starts just screaming and dissolving into tears. It's a big step and we're both relieved at such progress during such a stressful time.
Below are some recent pictures... please note, Anna's very first pig tails! She's finally got enough hair, (just barely!), to put up in tails. She loves them, but I think she actually loves picking out the rubberband colors even more. Today, she has pink and yellow bands.
Silvia is doing great, she still seems to be a very easy baby. She sleeps well at night, waking every 2 hours or so to eat briefly, then goes right back to sleep. She doesn't fuss too much during the day, either, and is generally just super cute. Anna is settling in to the new dynamic very well. She had a rough second week, with lots of tantrums and screaming fits, but has been pretty much an angel and "mommy's little helper" for several days now. She's sweet, likes to check in on her sister and has been wandering around telling Kurt and I how much she loves us. She's also starting to be a lot better about vocalizing her frustrations, asking for help and telling us what's upsetting her BEFORE she starts just screaming and dissolving into tears. It's a big step and we're both relieved at such progress during such a stressful time.
Below are some recent pictures... please note, Anna's very first pig tails! She's finally got enough hair, (just barely!), to put up in tails. She loves them, but I think she actually loves picking out the rubberband colors even more. Today, she has pink and yellow bands.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
The fastest week ever
It's amazing, I was just tortured waiting for this baby to come, and now that she's here, time is just flipping by at the fastest pace imaginable.
While Silvia slept well her first two nights at the hospital, we have not had such luck since we got home. For now, the only way to get any rest after dark is for her to just sleep right next to me in bed. I'm not against co-sleeping by any means, but it's simply not as restful for me or for Kurt, since we both stay a little bit awake to make sure we're giving the baby enough room and keeping her clear of blankets. A good friend offered to loan me her co-sleeper bassinet (it's a little baby bed that attaches to the side of your own bed, at the same level), and I think we're going to give that a try and see if Silvia will go for it. Cuz I'm tired.
Which is sort of ironic, considering now would be a perfect time for me to sleep; Anna is napping, the baby and Kurt are napping and yet... I cannot seem to sleep! I tried, I swear I tried. Instead, I'm just wide awake and starving. Fortunately, friends and family have been dropping off food all week, so I'm at least set in the food department.
We took our first family walk today, since the weather is miraculously beautiful outside. Anna's been doing okay since we got home, but she's definitely starting to feel the adjustment to her world. There have been a lot more tantrums this week and the whining is starting to really drive both Kurt and me to distraction. She's still being sweet to the baby, though, so I'm just grateful she's expressing her frustration in directions other than beating up on her baby sister. That can wait a few years, don't you think?
It's still a very surreal world for me right now, part of me can't believe that the neverending labor actually ended, and so quickly (more on that later), and I'm still feeling very overwhelmed by the expansion of motherhood. When Anna's crying and reaching for me and Silvia is nursing and helpless in my arms, I don't quite know how I'll find a balancing point, but I know it will come in time. I still feel, though, that even though this newborn period is stressful and takes some adjustment, it's better than the discomfort of late pregnancy! I'm so excited to start reclaiming my body, that's for sure.
Updates for Silvia: Her mild jaundice has totally passed since my milk came in and she nurses pretty much all day long. She smiles and looks around and has had several periods of active awakeness where she is just taking it all in. She seems very fascinated with Anna, especially, and will stare and stare and track her with her eyes whenever her big sister is close.
Updates for Anna: She still seems fascinated with the baby, often giggling and laughing out loud when Silvia squeeks or moves around. When we are in a different room from her little sister, she usually wants to "go find Silvia" rather than play seperately. The thing she finds hard right now is adjusting to all the "new" toys that are around like the baby swing and the bouncy chair. She's too big for them now, but she WANTS them and doesn't really understand why she can't sit in them the way the baby does. All in all, I think she's doing very well, and hopefully in a month or two she'll never remember there was a world without a baby sister in it.
That's all for now, I'll post more pictures and the birth story later on. Time to eat!
While Silvia slept well her first two nights at the hospital, we have not had such luck since we got home. For now, the only way to get any rest after dark is for her to just sleep right next to me in bed. I'm not against co-sleeping by any means, but it's simply not as restful for me or for Kurt, since we both stay a little bit awake to make sure we're giving the baby enough room and keeping her clear of blankets. A good friend offered to loan me her co-sleeper bassinet (it's a little baby bed that attaches to the side of your own bed, at the same level), and I think we're going to give that a try and see if Silvia will go for it. Cuz I'm tired.
Which is sort of ironic, considering now would be a perfect time for me to sleep; Anna is napping, the baby and Kurt are napping and yet... I cannot seem to sleep! I tried, I swear I tried. Instead, I'm just wide awake and starving. Fortunately, friends and family have been dropping off food all week, so I'm at least set in the food department.
We took our first family walk today, since the weather is miraculously beautiful outside. Anna's been doing okay since we got home, but she's definitely starting to feel the adjustment to her world. There have been a lot more tantrums this week and the whining is starting to really drive both Kurt and me to distraction. She's still being sweet to the baby, though, so I'm just grateful she's expressing her frustration in directions other than beating up on her baby sister. That can wait a few years, don't you think?
It's still a very surreal world for me right now, part of me can't believe that the neverending labor actually ended, and so quickly (more on that later), and I'm still feeling very overwhelmed by the expansion of motherhood. When Anna's crying and reaching for me and Silvia is nursing and helpless in my arms, I don't quite know how I'll find a balancing point, but I know it will come in time. I still feel, though, that even though this newborn period is stressful and takes some adjustment, it's better than the discomfort of late pregnancy! I'm so excited to start reclaiming my body, that's for sure.
Updates for Silvia: Her mild jaundice has totally passed since my milk came in and she nurses pretty much all day long. She smiles and looks around and has had several periods of active awakeness where she is just taking it all in. She seems very fascinated with Anna, especially, and will stare and stare and track her with her eyes whenever her big sister is close.
Updates for Anna: She still seems fascinated with the baby, often giggling and laughing out loud when Silvia squeeks or moves around. When we are in a different room from her little sister, she usually wants to "go find Silvia" rather than play seperately. The thing she finds hard right now is adjusting to all the "new" toys that are around like the baby swing and the bouncy chair. She's too big for them now, but she WANTS them and doesn't really understand why she can't sit in them the way the baby does. All in all, I think she's doing very well, and hopefully in a month or two she'll never remember there was a world without a baby sister in it.
That's all for now, I'll post more pictures and the birth story later on. Time to eat!
Friday, February 09, 2007
More pictures
The girls together... Anna didn't want to sit still. This was the first night we were home, and it was also Kurt's birthday. Anna came home from Grandma's with Elmo birthday hats for all of us to celebrate with. She insisted that we wear them the whole night. Even the Teddy Bear. 
So far, Anna has been very sweet and gentle and excited with Silvia. She's acted out a little bit about other things, (lunch, naps, toys, etc.), but with the baby, her energy has all been very positive and excited. This morning the first thing she said when she got up was, "Let's go see Silvia! She's sooooo beautiful." Then she came running into our room to find her little sister.
So far, Anna has been very sweet and gentle and excited with Silvia. She's acted out a little bit about other things, (lunch, naps, toys, etc.), but with the baby, her energy has all been very positive and excited. This morning the first thing she said when she got up was, "Let's go see Silvia! She's sooooo beautiful." Then she came running into our room to find her little sister.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
It's a girl!
Silvia Erika Schwartz was born February 5th, 2007 at 10:19 a.m. after 20 hours of labor. She was 8 pounds, 2 ounces at birth and measures 21 inches long.
Welcome to the world, Silvia! Now we are four!
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