I Can't Walk Yet, But...

I can't walk yet, so I'm not really sure how mom and dad expect me to go three and a half miles in a mere 39 days, but that seems to be the plan.  On May 3, 2009, Mom, Dad and I will be walking to raise money for March of Dimes.  That means I have to do a shameless plug here and ask you to donate.  It's pretty well documented how small I was when I was born, but in case you need a reminder...

October 15, 2008

The other day, I was weighed at 12lbs, 5oz.  It's hard to believe I was ever that small, but thanks to organizations like March of Dimes, I have thrived.

March 3, 2009

Here's a link if you want to find out more

Thanks! and...

Don't Forget To Breathe

My Turn

O.K., I'm taking over this blog now.  My daddy has been "too busy" lately to keep you posted on my progress, so I thought I'd chime in myself.

First of all, I've been sleeping in my new crib the past few weeks and I think I like it.  I have a pretty mobile over my head that plays some music over and over.  I wish I could change the music from time to time,  but I like the spinning stuff.  It keeps me occupied until I fall asleep.  My mom says it was kind of weird at first when I wasn't in the bedroom with her and dad the first few nights, but every time I started crying, one of them was right there right away.  It's as if they're monitoring me or something.

On the subject of sleeping, I guess I take after my dad, because that is now one of my favorite things to do.  I never realized those first few months what I was missing.  Lately, I've been going to bed between 8-9pm, and I usually sleep until at least 5am, sometimes as late as 7:30.  Then I get up and have a nice breakfast, which I prefer rather than eating every few hours all night.  I feel much better rested this way, and coincidentally, so do my mommy and daddy.  To all you newborns out there, I recommend this sleep thing as soon as you can!

Here I am in my new crib.

How cute am I?

On Wednesday, March 4, I weighed in at 11 lbs, 11 oz.   They switched my formula to a new one with fewer calories because I was growing so well, I don't need the special preemie formula anymore, so I may not be gaining as much as I used to.  We'll see what happens when I adjust to the new stuff.

Also of note, mom and dad have been playing a lot of music for me.  So far my favorites are Nina Simone, The Beatles, Miles Davis, The Grateful Dead, and whatever else come up on the ipod shuffle.  

Don't Forget To Breathe

Movie Night

We went to see Slumdog Millionaire the other night, which is a great movie, if you haven't seen it yet, you should.  I know I don't usually write about movies here, and this is no exception.  The point is, we went to a movie.  In the theater.  With popcorn.  My mom was in town, and insisted that we go out at least one night while she stayed home with Lily.  She said it would be good for us to get out, although I believe she had ulterior motives for getting rid of us, i.e. spending a few hours alone with her granddaughter and using that time to brainwash her about the joys of shopping.  It was a bit surreal leaving the house, but we felt we had sufficiently trained my mom in how to take care of a baby, that we could sneak away for a little bit.  Miraculously, when we got back home, everyone was ok, and we all went out for dinner.  My mom went back home yesterday, Lily has been de-programmed, and we got to see a great movie.  Thanks Mom!

Don't Forget To Breathe.

Back To The Grind

Lily was 17 weeks old yesterday, and weighed in at 10lbs, 1oz a few days ago, now more than 4 times her birth weight of 2lbs, 6oz.  I can actually hug her now when I hold her without feeling like I'm going to do her harm.

Lily's new favorite thing to do is Smile!  Her second new favorite thing to do is Sleep!  

She's been sleeping much better the past week or two, sleeping as much as 6-7 hours at a time. She still hasn't slept through the night yet, but has come dangerously close.

She has been smiling quite a bit the past few days, and that has been great to see.

Tomorrow is Amanda's first day going back to work.  We've been extremely lucky to have both spent the amount of  time with Lily these past few weeks as we have.  I have travelled a little, and worked a few days here and there in town, but have been home for the most part.  Amanda has been fortunate to have the amount of time off from work that she's had, and we're sad to see that come to an end.

The good news is she'll only be working half days, and should be home by noon most days.  I'll stay home with Lily, travel on the weekends when I have to, and work in the afternoon/evenings in Seattle when I can.

These pictures were all taken this afternoon.  Enjoy.

Don't Forget To Breathe.

Brief Update

9lbs 8oz.

Way to g(r)o(w) Lily.

She's A Big Girl Now

8lbs, 2oz yesterday!

Here's a backlog of pics...

Don't Forget To Breathe.

Happy New Year

I know I haven't been posting as much as I'd like to and as much as you want to keep up with Lily's progress, but we've been in a routine of every day stuff lately, and haven't had anything major to report.  Also, between making formula, cleaning bottles, taking care of Pearl, taking care of the house, um... nevermind, I'm not starting out the new year making excuses, I'll try to be more diligent.  

On 12/26, Lily weighed seven pounds exactly, and measured 19 inches tall.  She is pretty close to outgrowing all her preemie clothes, and fits nicely in some newborn outfits already.  Her reflux is a little better, but she is still fussy during most nights, and will sometimes only sleep if being held.  She is starting to have longer periods of being awake, sometimes for an hour or two, and enjoys lying on her play mat and staring at all the pretty colors.  She also seems to stare at us sometimes, and I can't say I blame her.  She is big enough now to hang out in her swing, and also enjoys her new bath.

Although Lily is just shy of 12 weeks, she has already made some significant New Years resolutions.  I'm usually not a big fan of resolutions because I think January 1st is an arbitrary date to start doing things you should be doing anyway, but in Lily's case, I think it's appropriate.  Lily's resolutions for 2009:

To hold her head up on her own,

To sleep through the night,

To let mommy and daddy sleep through the night,

To smile and laugh ( a lot),

To crawl,

To say a few words,

To take her first trip to Michigan,

To stay healthy and strong.

We hope you all have a healthy, happy, joyous, prosperous 2009!

Don't Forget to Breathe.