Happy to Be Home

Sofia shares a smile with me Tuesday morning. With her first international trip now complete, I think it's safe to say that this little girl was born to travel...wow, did I get lucky or what?!

Tender Ride

After spending five nights on the boat, we are headed home. Max watches as our floating hotel disappears in the distance.

The Kids

On our last day in Mazatlan.
Sofia: 2'-3"
Max: 5'-9"
How did Max get so tall so fast? Just think, next year at this time he'll be driving! (I'll let you know when so you can stay home that day.)

Outside of Puerto Vallarta

On our first night in Mexico we took the boat South and anchored in a little cove outside of Puerta Vallerta. You can barely make out the Palapas in the background. Sofia is wearing her hula girl dress!

Sunscreen

After asking my dermatologist, and my pediatrician, about sunscreen for little Sofia, I received conflicting opinions. My dermatologist said, no sunscreen for babies less than 6 months; keep them covered. My pediatrician said, if you have to be in the sun, a small amount of sunscreen is better than no sunscreen.

After a bit of research based on recommendations from friends and their sources, various news reports, the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Safety Database (EWG), my favorite baby sites, and of course the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), I found that if you are going to use sunscreen you should use one made only of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These ingredients sit on top of the skin instead of soaking in. (Hence that white "glow" which stays behind after application.) In my opinion, the sunblocks listed below seem the least harmful.

Badger All Natural SPF 30 Sunblock
UV Natural Baby SPF30+ Broad Spectrum Sunscreen
California Baby SPF 30 Sunscreen

Commen Sense:
Many sources recommend that we keep our children in lightweight, long sleeved, pants and shirts while they are in the sun. They also recommend a large brimmed hat, see photo above. For what NOT to dress your baby in, see below.

Note: I also found this recommendation, “Be careful not to put lotion around baby’s eyes, and keep the lotion away from her hands, since they may end up in her mouth”. Gee, thanks. First of all, who wouldn’t keep the lotion away from their baby’s hands? Second, my baby puts everything in her mouth! (Again, see above.)



Ps. You won't find Sofia in a bikini this summer, she will be covered up!

Good Morning Sofia

Sofia wakes anywhere between 5:30am and 6:30am, I walk into her room and she greets me with a big smile. I scoop her up, change her diaper, and take her into our room where she lays between Dan and I for ten or fifteen minutes. She spends the time looking back and forth, Dan makes funny faces and Sofia gives a big smile or laughs. Eventually her fist goes into her mouth - and we know it's time for breakfast.

Just Like Class Pictures

There were a lot of moms at our meeting on Monday, it's always fun to meet new people.

What Mommies Do

Mommies are amazing people, but even MORE amazing are these little ones. Each thriving and at the very beginning of life; they are dealing with our ups and downs, hanging on our every word (or coo as the case may be), and at our beck and call… really, do they have a choice? And with all this power, what do we mommies do? We circle them up and photograph them because we realize that this may be one of the last times they are all actually in one place.

To Sofia's left is darling Evan, our long-time friend and playmate. You may recall Evan from our previous post "sleepdate" where we went to Pinkberry. On Sofia's right is Ben, he is a new friend and we hope to see him again.

VROOM

Max is hoping his first car is this cool!

Furry Creature Curiosity

Over the last week Sofia has become very aware of our cat Corbu. Sofia will watch Corbu as she walks by and if we are on the sofa or bed, and Corbu jumps up to visit us, she immediately receives Sofia’s attention. Today as Sofia was studying her feet, Corbu walked by and startled her. As worried as Sofia looked, somehow I’m certain that Corbu’s anxiety was ten times greater.

Four Months

When will I stop saying, "I can't believe..."? I can't believe Sofia is going to be four months old on Friday. I still wish she would stay small, I still wish I could hear her newborn cry, I still wish she would fall asleep comfortably on my chest.

How can I possibly miss her when I spend everyday with her? Does this make ANY sense? Right now for example, I am down in our studio blogging. The baby monitor is on and Sofia is sleeping soundly in her room. YET, I am practically in tears thinking that she is just growing up too quickly. Right this very second, I am fighting the urge to run upstairs and pick her up. (I held her almost ALL day today because her teeth are bothering her.)

The picture is from today...just in case I don't get to take one on Friday.

Goooooaaaallllllll

Max is playing all-star soccer this year, (this is an invite only extension to the regular soccer season he completed in November). Somehow I dragged myself up before the crack of dawn and drove us down to Long Beach, (it was dark when we got up).
Max played really well; he had a great assist and also scored a goal. (He had a hat-trick last game!) And...check out this header!

Swing

Dear Sofia,
You are 14 weeks old and we’ve had a big week together. You rolled over twice on Thursday, we took you to a delicious dinner at Pepolino on Friday and on Saturday you discovered your toes. You continue to use your fingers to pick up your toys and one toy (the one with the red nose) makes you so excited you uncontrollably flail your legs and arms when we dangle it over your head. You enjoy playing on your playmat, the orange monkey is your favorite, and you have discovered the pinwheel.
As my official co-pilot, you and I have already experienced so much together. I am thankful for each moment with you. Not only have we visited New York and Colorado, but we have enjoyed art shows and galleries with papa, we’ve gone out for numerous lunches and dinners, we’ve taken yoga together at Yo Mama Yoga, we’ve walked to the beach, we have spent many wonderful afternoons with Jennifer & Evan and Jin Ah & Jonah, we’ve made new mom’s group friends, we’ve shopped, we’ve seen movies and of course we’ve cheered Max on while he played soccer and basketball. Those times have all been memorable but my most favorite thing to do is sit with you at home where we read your board books, look at the alphabet flash cards, experience tummy time, stare at the kitty cat, or sit quietly with one another until you fall asleep.
If the last three months are any indication of the future, we are in for the best time of our lives.

I love you,
Mommy

New Toy

This is easy to grab and really easy to chew on...Thanks Jin Ah!

Jonah and Sofia

The weather was beautiful today and I decided to get out a Spring outfit for Sofia to wear. I have been saving this one because the size says 3 - 6 months. I could barely button the two little buttons on the back of her shirt! This particular outfit runs small because her other 3 - 6 month clothing fits comfortably. Her little bloomers have the cutest ruffles all over the butt...I neglected to take a picture.

Our very own "Happy Feet"!

Notice that Sofia is dressed all in black! Hmm, who does that remind you of?

Contemplating Bloomers

Sofia was so very sweet today. Actually, she is sweet everyday but today she was an angel.

It seems we have entered the, "everything I touch will be placed in my mouth" phase. Sofia is now fully able to pick up her toys, or teething devices as the case may be, and place them in her mouth. See below.

Cubby Bear

Sofia and I went out tonight to Mike and Mav's house. Sofia slept for two hours while I enjoyed catching up with friends. Sofia wore her Cubby jacket for the special occasion.

Happy Three Month Birthday Sofia!

This little girl captures my heart every time I look at her...she is just magical. She is holding things in her hands now and can grab her toys and put them near (sometimes in) her mouth. She occasionally falls asleep on her own and she is sleeping between 5 and 7 hours at night. We read about "bright baby colors", "things that go", the moon, Carl the dog and polar bears.
Sofia is starting to focus on Molly (little does she know that Molly will soon be her VERY best friend) and she was staring at Corbu today.

Meet Boo Bunny

Boo Bunny has a cold tummy so when Sofia gets a "boo" she can place boo bunny's cold tummy on her boo to "make it all better".

Hands

Sofia started to grasp her alligator rattle today. She will place her fist next to the rattle and opens her fingers. She then slowly closes her fingers around the handle.

Laughing Out Loud

I feel really lucky to have caught this on camera. Sofia and I were having our normal morning chat - she was in a great mood. (I must have somehow managed to avoid all the foods not to be consumed when breastfeeding). She was smiling at everything I said. I grabbed the camera and she burst out laughing, of course this made me laugh, which made her laugh even more....you get the picture. We sat for probably five minutes just laughing at each other. Beautiful.

Discovery

Above Sofia's head is a mirror that she has just discovered. She noticed it one night a few days ago and now regularly checks it, no doubt wondering who is staring back at her.
Other updates include: She is kicking with great enthusiasm every morning when she wakes up and throughout the day when she is on her back. She will only tolerate a few minutes of "tummy time" and she has been holding her fists out in front of her...like she's riding a Harley. As far as toys and playing goes, she has been smiling at her alligator rattle for over a week and she pays close attention when I show her the animals on the Eric Carle flashcards. I introduced her to plastic keys yesterday and I ordered her a lights and motion mobile along with a "play gym".

Sleepdate...

...as opposed to playdate.

Tomato

It is amazing how much time has passed since my last post. So much has happened. I will try to spend some time updating, until then...a big thank you to Martin, Vicki, Tom and Sandy for this adorable outfit! I can't believe Sofia is into her 3 month clothes already.

Converse

I think Sofia is happiest on her changing table. Or perhaps she is so excited by this adorable little outfit from Maria at KAA, that she had to smile.

Sleepy Time

Our new favorite thing is falling asleep on mom's chest. This one is blurry but you get the picture.

Play Date

On Saturday we had our second "play date" with Jonah. Jonathan, Jin-Ah, Dan and I went to Tivoli Cafe with our little ones. What I've realized about myself...I say it would be nice to have "adult time" but I don't really mean it. All I want to do is talk about the baby and if we wander off my new favorite subject, I manage to find a way to bring her back into the picture.

Five Weeks

The time goes by so fast. I can hardly believe Sofia is five weeks old. Over the past week or so Sofia has lost most of her hair and has developed 'baby acne' which resembles a rash that comes and goes. The pediatrician said it would go away on its own. Aidan was here this week and took a few pictures for us. This is one of them.
This week we've noticed that Sofia is smiling to interact with us. She even laughed once when Dan was making faces at her. In addition, she will hold our gaze and if we move, her gaze follows us. She has big blue eyes still, which the pediatrician commented might just stay. Sofia is using her legs a lot more; she kicks both legs out and then will alternate kicking each leg.
And lastly, I can now recognize her cries. The most furious ones are instigated by a wet diaper or impatience with me if I take too long to feed her.

Little Feet

Endless

I could do this forever.

Almost One Month

Friday, Sofia will be 1 month old. This is both wonderful and sad to me. She is kicking her legs more now and is increasingly more "chatty". I see her holding my gaze for longer periods of time, and after a duel weigh in, she has gained back her birth weight plus three pounds. (Proudly I have lost 30 of the 50lbs I gained!) It makes me sad because the last four weeks have gone by so fast and I just don't want her to grow up. (Yet.) I want to soak in every expression she makes, every sound she utters and all of her movements - so that I won't forget how truly amazing this experience has been. I have enjoyed each day with her...more than I could have ever imagined. I don't mind the sleepless nights or when she cries, because the second she smiles or coos I forget how tired I am.

Talking About Toes

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mug Shot

I'm sure Sofia's face will change but it is so hard to imagine in what way. Who will she look like? Right now I think she looks like Dan's side of the family, more specifically, I think she looks most like Dan's mom.
For the time being I have given in to this overwhelming desire to capture every moment with Sofia, which means many more solo Sofia pictures to come. She is truly the light in my life.

Captain's Log

Date: Sunday
Time: Late...or very, very early.
Location: Bed
Notes: Baby is well fed. Gastrointestinal tract is in check = clean diaper. It's the middle of the night. She's wide-eyed. She doesn't appear sleepy. Hmm, middle of the night, not sleepy...I'm sure this won't be the last time this happens.

3 Days Old

This is our big day of "firsts".
We are going home today which means many things:
Sofia will not wear a "Property of St. Johns" tee shirt.
Sofia will ride in an elevator.
Sofia will go outside for the first time.
Sofia will ride in her car seat in a car.
Sofia gets to meet her first dog Molly and Cat Corbu.
I could go on and on...but the bottom line is that we had a great "First" day home.

Three Days Old At Home

Our little angel!

Details

It's always the little things: the whole package is amazing but when I look at the details I am even more entranced. My body made this little person, with finger nails the size of pinheads and barely formed eyelashes. This little being incubated for nine months and then voila - was delivered with all of the same pieces and parts that I have...just smaller. (Okay, MUCH smaller.)

20 Minutes Old

After they finished stitching me up from the C-section they moved us to this temporary room. This was where I nursed Sofia for the first time and where Max met his little sister for the first time. She was around 20 minutes old!

Newly Added...

Welcome to the family Sofia Sage!
Details:
8lbs 6oz
20" long
light brown hair
30 hours of labor
cesarean section