Changes to the Album

I rearranged the photos so that the most recent photos show up first.
Photos of Yarden

Yarden continues to poop with enthusiasm about Grandma's visit - including an impressive post bath poop into her lion towel.

A Quick Recap of the Last Few Days

It's been a few days since our last post.

My folk have left so Seamus and I have been on our own for the last few days.
We wanted them to stay forever, but they claimed that was impossible.
It was a sad goodbye.

We wanted to all drive to the airport together so they could have more time with her, but Yarden needed to nurse, so Seamus drove them by himself.

They were kind enough to leave us enough food to make it through a week without leaving the house, but it's still been hard to find time to blog.

For a tiny baby, Yarden generates a lot of laundry and she leaves her clothing EVERYWHERE.
Daddy will have to teach her not to - since mommy still has that bad habit

GRANDMA BETSY ARRIVES

Grandma Betsy arrived yesterday (which is how I'm finding time to blog).
We'd been telling Yarden about her and I guess she got overexcited because she made an explosive poop all over her pants on the way to the airport and had to be changed in the back of the SUV.

She was all dressed up in her "Grandma's Girl" shirt, green pants and fancy socks, but since she managed to line her pants with mustard seed poo, they needed to be bagged - so she met grandma in the rock star combo of long sleeve t-shirt, diaper and socks.



It's wonderful having BetsyMom here.
While I type I'm listening to the two of them playing and it's incredibly sweet.



CONTENDED LITTLE BABY


We are trying to get Yarden, and ourselves, on what resembles a schedule.
Our friends Susan and David recommended "The Contented Little Baby Book".
Their baby, Angelina, certainly seems contented.
More importantly, Angelina's folks seem well rested.

The schedule is a rotation of eating, sleeping, playing and the occasional bath with specific times. Seamus and I are good at keeping to it, and we are grateful to have some semblance of structure to our days - but Yarden has room for improvement.

She sleeps when she's supposed to be awake and playing and vice versa.
Usually the boob chills her out, but last night she was a rabid little truffle hunter - snorting and grabbing at me with her eyes wide open and wild. It was truly hilarious. I don't think I've ever seen her that active.

We are under no illusions that we can actually get a 12 day old on a schedule, but we are trying to get her used to her room and her crib so that she doesn't find it unfamiliar/frightening.

One great piece of advice the book had was to skip the bassinet and go straight to the crib to get her familiarized. Already she'll do her daytime naps in her room, though at night when it's dark and quiet, she likes to be with us (and we like that too).

BREAST FEEDING

Thanks to everyone who has emailed with breastfeeding advice - and in general thanks so much to the veteran parents who have been a phenomenal source of advice and reassurances.

Yarden seems to be taking to the boob well and she's a good eater.
I've been caught outside the house 2x so far during feeding hours and I actually managed to walk the aisles of Costco with a nursing cover.

The only challenge is that she occasionally gets so worked up and enthusiastic that she starts flailing her hands (still foreign objects as far as she knows) so she'll be pushing my breast away with both hands while frantically struggling to get her mouth on the nipple.

YARDEN'S FRIENDS HAVE ARRIVED!

Greg Gleidman and Liz Neuberg - two of my favorite people from and since high school - had their second babies. Greg and Diana welcome Samuel Anthony and Liz and Jesse welcome Seth Jonah.

All three babies were born within 7 days of each other and all families are doing great.

TAKE YOUR KID TO COSTCO

If you ever want to feel like you are traveling with a celebrity, take your infant to Costco.
She is a head turner to start with, but I think at least 20 different people started conversations with me.

TALES FROM THE SLEEP DEPRIVED

My work sent me a very sweet keepsake kit that lets you imprint her foot and hand in plaster.
I was very excited to try this out, but it took longer to dry than the directions said and by the time it was starting to dry Mommy and Baby had gone down for a nap.

I now have a hardened imprint of virgin plaster, which, in it's own way, is a more accurate memento of this time in my life. A reminder that I'm no longer the one in control.

Things That Took One Week for Us to Do.

First bath.
First trip to the mall.
First costume. Yarrrrrr.. den
Umbilical cord fell off by lunch.
Aliyah found it.
We decided not to keep it.

Pink Flowers and Purple Monkey

To my friends at the WGA, thanks for the flowers.And here is my favorite picture so far: