Thanks, Grandma!

After a month in town, my mom heads back to Providence tomorrow morning. Which means I have to relearn how to go grocery shopping, empty the dishwasher, and make dinner. Should be interesting...thank god for take-out.

Thanks, mom! We couldn't have made it through the last month without you.

Six Weeks...Six Faces

It's a good thing she's cute. She seems to have forgotten how to sleep...

Ellie Takes Manhattan

With Poppop Steve and Mommom Pat in town, Little E hit the Big Apple in style. She had her first subway ride, her first taxi ride, her first Gray's Papaya hotdog, and her first visit to Times Square. Despite never having been there before, our little New Yorker insists she likes the old Times Square better.

Gobble Gobble

You all said we were crazy, but we pulled it off.

We're thankful for Fresh Direct pre-cooked turkeys and side dishes, Lucy's masterful way with a potato peeler, mom's pumpkin pie, Mat's beard, Aunt Barbara's birthday cake, Sara and Andre's wine, Mommom Pat's skill with a diaper, Poppop Steve's turkey carving, Cousin Jay's liberal politics, and Ellie and Paul's sweet dispositions.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

(Note: I didn't take nearly enough photos)

Lovely Sunday

No cute baby picture to commemorate it, but we had a lovely Brooklyn Sunday. Brian and Ellie met Mike and Leila for lunch, while I had a "no-baby-afternoon" with my friend Melissa. I missed the kid, but it was liberating to spend a few hours visiting the adult world. Next step? Brian and I going out TOGETHER and leaving the kid behind. Are we ready? Our friend Lucy gave us coupons for some mid-afternoon babysitting, and I think it's almost time to take advantage...

Happy Month-iversary!

Our little tyrant is one month old today. As such, her loyal servants (read: me) bundled her up and trucked her off to the pediatrician for her monthly check-up.

She's almost real-baby-sized! Ellie was born at 5 lbs, 12 ounces and is now a whopping 7 lbs, 5 ounces. That's a 23 ounce gain since her last weight check two weeks ago, which explains why I'm so darned exhausted. She's eating me out of house and home! (Please don't check my math. It's probably wrong, but you have no idea how hard it was for me to figure out. Stupid, useless brain.) She's now 19.4 inches long, up from 17.25 at birth. So all is going well.

She also received her first immunization today, which is notable only because of the BANGING hot pink camouflage band-aid she's sporting. She's such a fashion plate.

On a completely unrelated note, while at Dunkin Donuts this morning we heard the first christmas music of the season. The holidays are coming! The holidays are coming! I recognize I'm noticing this pretty late, but hey, I haven't been getting out much. Mostly I'm excited since this means I can update my ringtone to the Kinks' "Father Christmas," something I've been looking forward to doing since June.

If you don't know it: http://popup.lala.com/popup/504684715144199565
Enjoy!

Gratuitous Baby Butt

Something tells me I won't find this so amusing when she's 14 and wearing sweatpants with "Juicy" written across the rear end...

Ellie Plays Air Piano

(Thanks to Ellie's Auntie Diana in Vermont for the wicked cute outfit!)

Bottle Milestone

Success!  Now Daddy can share middle of the night feedings and Mom can get more sleep.

Nap Time

It's a rainy day in Brooklyn. Perfect for napping. Also, learning to use the breast pump, attempting to bottle-feed for the first time, and hopefully finally finishing our thank you notes. Wish us luck!

60 Seconds of Stretching

...Because I think she's just the cutest thing in the world when she's waking up.

We had a girls' day out today, and pretended to be "ladies who lunch" to celebrate Grandma's birthday. Ellie proved herself a cheap date and slept through the whole afternoon. And thank god. I'm still living in fear of the first time she wakes up in the outside world and demands to be fed. One of these days I will conquer public breastfeeding...just not yet.

As Promised...

A shot of Ellie with her eyes open.

And a shot of her yawning, just because it's so darn cute.


Until she started crying because I was too busy taking pictures of her yawning to realize that HELLO, yawning = tired = put her to sleep before she starts screaming bloody murder. Lesson learned.

Happy three weeks, kid.

Three Weeks

Ellie will be three weeks old tomorrow. Wow. Three weeks. 21 days. I can't decide if it feels like no time at all, or an eon.

All I know for sure is that I haven't marked this many milestones in a new relationship since my first "boyfriend" in junior high. Hopefully she won't break up with me the day before the big dance. And maybe tomorrow I can get a photo with her eyes open.

Cousins

The best part of living in our neighborhood is that Mike, Sari, and cousin Leila live here too. It's absolutely fantastic that they can pop over for a visit anytime. With all the rest of our families spread out throughout the country, having them here can't be taken for granted.

More Cats and Babies

...Because everyone loves pictures of cats and babies...

Sophie is getting more and more comfortable with Ellie, and Topaz has even deigned to sniff her twice. It's as though he's accepted that she's not going away, and he may as well figure out what sort of hair-less kitten she is.

Weigh In

Ellie had her day 17 weight check today and has officially surpassed her birth weight. She's eating like a champ, and is now 5 pounds 14 ounces. Still scrawny, but give us time. We'll fatten her up by thanksgiving.

Mirror Mirror On the Wall

Our little narcissist is completely enthralled with her own reflection. Can't say I blame her.

60 Seconds of Noticing the World

We're a little sleep deprived and at a loss for words, but it doesn't seem to be bringing Ellie down. She's spending more time awake, checking out the universe.




Anyone know how to convince a baby that night time's for sleeping? The construction happening next door makes the whole "sleep when the baby sleeps" thing very challenging. Ellie can sleep through anything, but I find a jackhammer disruptive of my afternoon nap.

Back to Work

And with one last kiss at the door, Brian's 2-week paternity leave comes to an end. We are so lucky he was able to stay home with us so long.

My mom arrives today and will be staying in town until Thanksgiving, so I'll still have plenty of help. Still, there was something lovely about Brian and I at home, learning about Ellie together.

Marathon Day

Brian and I have a habit of living on the NYC marathon route. It's led to some pretty rowdy Marathon Day parties, bloody marys, and donuts...mmm...It also got us in the New York Times in 2006. That's us up on the roof, cheering the runners. Yeah, we rocked Marathon Day. This year was a little less rowdy, and we didn't hold our usual party, but we were thrilled to share Marathon Day with Ellie. And a huge THANK YOU to Todd and Bess for catering brunch. I promise, the Party is back on next year.

Baby, meet Grandpa.