Baby Helen is 12 Days Old

Born at 6 lbs 11 oz, Helen dropped to 6 lbs 3 oz when she was two days old, but was up to 6 lbs 12 oz at four days old and 7 lbs 6 oz at eight days old, having gained an impressive more than a pound in less than a week. She is still a sleepy tiny thing, challenging our best efforts to gaze into her eyes, but she is beautiful and mellow, and we all are so glad she is here.

Mostly I sit around and gaze at the baby, which seems to be all anyone really requires at this point. It's a pretty engrossing task, I have to say.

Marcus cannot keep his hands off Helen, and plays a million and one games of "What's the cutest thing about Helen?" (his answer: her ears) and "What's the least cute thing?" (he's hard-pressed to answer that one at all).

Samantha on the other hand has simply memorized all details about Helen and about infant care, and will gladly offer facts and directions to anyone who appears to be in doubt ("She has one baby acne on her right cheek and three on her left cheek," Samantha informed my midwife, visiting, while Helen was not even in sight).

Helen also got to meet other family members, go to the pediatrician (first time hearing the raving lunatics on the 1 bus--she slept through it, of course), and have her first car ride (not a huge fan).

Meanwhile, life goes on around the newborn. Samantha and Robert went to Juan Carlos's bowling 10th birthday party,

and to an Easter egg hunt at the library park.

Robert also took both kids to one of the MFA family art days, where they met up with Baby Roman for a fun morning.

Marcus plows through books (this week it's the Wolves of Beyond series, I think, with a few Hardy Boys scattered in between), while Samantha practices her ukelele (held like the violins in the K2 orchestra, which she desperately envies), plays with her dolls, and works on her art.

Finally, I'm posting these last few (relatively random) pictures here though they were taken back on Day 1 of our tiny one's life: our decorated door with the banner the kids and our friends colored at our "Getting Ready for Baby" party in February; an adorable stuffed narwhal a friend of mine made from woven wrap scraps and mailed out for Helen; and my placenta, which my midwife pronounced "one of the more interesting" ones that she's seen, with two nearly separate irregularly-shaped lobes. So neat to think that that nourished Helen for the past months!

 

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Created: 4/6/16. Last Modified: 4/6/16.