Miss Scarlett is a Month Old!

Four weeks ago today, Miss Scarlett entered our lives.   Wow, that was one quick month!

Her one month exam is on Monday so as of today, we're not sure how much she weighs.  I'll let you know all the info on Monday.

She still sleeps a lot, but is much more alert during the times she is awake.  We get a little smile from her every now and then, but she seems to smile more when she's sleeping (must be having sweet dreams!).

Scarlett has some strength!  If we have her on our chest and put our hands under her feet, she'll crawl up our chest.  She's now turning over to her side and I expect that soon, she'll be flipping over to her tummy.

In the past month, we've gone out and about as a family of four lots of times:  grocery stores, the mall, furniture stores, a playdate, a few walks in the stroller, the hair salone, etc.  Overall, we've done pretty well.  Christian, and all of his incredible energy, is the bigger challenge when we go out.

Christian is still very, very proud of his little sister.   He still makes sure anybody we meet sees her, "LOOK!" He'll tell somebody and point to Scarlett.  Everybody at school has seen her numerous times, so their interest has waned quite a bit, which is normal.  But nonetheless, Christian wants EVERYBODY to have an interest in Scarlett.

Note:  Scarlett's eyes aren't this blue (yet).  The picture came out dark, so I adjusted  the exposure to lighten the entire image, and her eye color came out this shade of blue. Jonathan and I now have a casual bet going on:  I'm betting she'll have blue eyes one day (blue is the dominant color in my immediate family), and Jonathan thinks she'll have hazel eyes, like Christian.  Though, truth be told, Christian's eyes are still a mystery color - even at the age of four.  For a long time, they seemed blue, and then green ... and then sometimes brownish.  The closest color we can come up with his "hazel," though they aren't quite hazel either sometimes.  Whatever color Christian's eyes are, they are just so big and pretty - very unique.  

Your Baby at Four Weeks

Playtime

Playing with your newborn is a perfect way to gently guide him into his new — and unfamiliar — world. Mobiles with high-contrast patterns and books with photos of babies' faces will captivate him.

A play gym full of compelling toys to look at, swipe at, and listen to will give your baby practice with arm, hand, and finger coordination skills — and make lying down more interesting! You can even lie down on the floor next to your baby and join in the fun.

Although your baby can grab with gusto now, he doesn't yet have the hand-eye coordination to reach for an object you pass in front of him. That skill will develop at about 4 months of age. In the meantime, you'll have to place toys in his hand — your pinky may be an unexpected favorite.

Exploring extremities

At birth, your baby had no idea that his arms and legs were attached to him. That's all changing now as he starts exploring his body. The parts he's discovering first are his hands and feet.

Encourage his interest by holding his arms above his head and asking "How big is baby?" or by reciting "This Little Piggy" and counting his toes. Try moving his hands in front of his face so he can see and feel them at the same time.

Babies have trouble regulating their body temperature, and their circulation isn't perfect just yet. Keep in mind that some of your baby's body heat escapes through his hands and feet. Make sure little toes and fingers are covered on cold days, particularly when the two of you go outside.

Baby talk

Your baby may gurgle, coo, grunt, and hum to express his feelings. A few babies also begin squealing and laughing. Be sure to coo and gurgle back, and talk to your baby face to face. He'll enjoy holding your gaze now.

If you have things to do, your baby will still enjoy hearing your voice from across the room. And don't feel silly about talking Motherese or baby talk — babies are particularly attuned to this high-pitched, drawn-out way of communicating that can actually teach your baby about the structure and function of language.

Narrate your day to your baby. He'll enjoy your conversation and may even start to chime in with his own comments.

So, we're really interested to see what color Scarlett's eyes will be. 

Charlotte ... er, um ... Scarlett

In the four-plus years we've had the name "Scarlett" on reserve for the day we had a baby girl, one thing never occurred to me:

People might confuse the names "Scarlett" and "Charlotte."

I has happened four times now and each time I think, "Do I correct the person?"   I tried to politely correct the second person who did it, "Oh, you mean Scarlett?"  But aside from that, I'm not sure it is polite to correct people.

I imagine this error will occur throughout Scarlett's lifetime, and she'll just have to accept it.  Truth be told, even if I had thought about the confusion the name might cause ... I would have still named her Scarlett.   Love, love, LOVE the name. :)

The Kindness of Strangers and the Death of Chivalry

We're a quiet little family, living in a community known for gatherings, events and friendly neighbors.  There are seven houses on our circle, and the neighbors all know each other quite well ... except for us.  You see, Jonathan works long hours and by the time Christian gets up from his nap in the late afternoon, I'm making dinner ... and I can't just send Christian out to play at the park by himself.  He's only four, after all.

However, it is during that time when our neighbors are outside visiting - either on their front porches or across the street at the park.  I'm sure we've been the talk of the block on occasion, "Why aren't they ever outside?  Why don't they come visit with us?  Are they snobs?  Anti-social?"

We know three households on our block casually, but I wouldn't say we're close, tight-knit neighbors.  So you can imagine my surprise when one of them showed up a couple of days after we got home from the hospital and told me that the neighbors wanted to come together and bring us a few meals.   WOW!

We got meals on two nights, and they also came bearing gifts - clothing for Scarlett and cars for Christian.  I was touched by their kindness and thrilled that they were considerate of Christian's feelings, too.

The other night, Christian, Scarlett and I ventured out to get the mail and we were called over to our neighbor across the park.   We made our way over to find three of our neighbors there visiting.  One of them, Monica, I haven't seen for months.   But as soon as she saw me coming, she ran to her house and returned with a gift bag of outfits for Scarlett.  I was so humbled ... of all the neighbors, I've seen her the fewest times and yet, she was so kind to give us gifts for the baby.

These neighbors - who joked that they are our block's "Desperate Housewives" (none of them work) - provided a nice adult conversation outlet for me ... and they were amused by Christian's energy and antics.  Christian even sat in on of their laps and had a little conversation - not something he'd usually do with people he doesn't know.

We were completely blessed by the kindness of strangers (or, near-strangers) and are thankful for our new friends, all of whom have given us their phone numbers and have told us to call them if we need anything.

On the flip-side ... chivalry is dead.  Dead, I say.

One more than one occasion, I have noticed that as I'm walking up to the front door of the school - carrying the car seat (which Christian is weighing down because he's 'helping' me carry Scarlett), and also Christian's lunch bag and water bottle (because he's 'helping' me with Scarlett, he somehow can't carry his own stuff) and on Thursdays, I'm also carrying his backpack which houses his enticing show-and-tell object du jour - there is a dad taking his own kiddos to school and not as weighed down with objects as I am.  He will see I'm approaching the door, as is he, and he doesn't pause to hold the door open for a moment.  He allows the door to shut as I'm approaching the door.

I've noticed this only happens with the men (a few occasions - always a different man), and yet women are more than willing to hold the door open for another person.

I always try to hold the door open for somebody carrying a child, or otherwise has his/her arms full.   In fact, just yesterday as I was leaving the school while carrying Scarlett in her car seat, another mom was coming in - same situation:  walking in holding a car seat ... and I held the door open for her.

It's the principle of "The Golden Rule."   And it's also just nice thing to do.

And of course, to be fair, I should say that there are indeed some men who still hold the door open for a lady - my husband and father-in-law are among them.  

I certainly don't expect anybody to cater to me - we're all busy, rushed and otherwise preoccupied.  I'm just trying to figure out what happened to chivalry.

Is it really dead ... or just dormant?

Click, click, click!!

A while back, my sister made me promise I'd take as many pics of Scarlett as I did of Christian.  She noted how many baby pic there are of me from back in the day, and how relatively few there are of her as a baby ... second children just aren't as photographed as much as the first.

And well, Scarlett is just so darn-tootin' cute, that I can't help but take pics of her anyway - my camera is always close by.   So here's more baby cuteness for you to feast your eyes on!

(Side note:  I do need to update our "original blog."  That blog isn't going away - look for pics and stories about Christian very soon!).

Then again ...

As I mentioned, getting my kiddos ready and Christian to school all four days last week was a success.  I had high hopes that it might be that way each day, but realistically knew I'd have some struggles at some point.

And that was today.

Scarlett wasn't sleeping this time as I rushed to get Christian ready.  In fast, she was just plain fussy.   Christian somehow completely tuned out everything I said and it was impossible to get his attention as I was feeding Scarlett (which means I'm glued to my seat until she's done).

It went something like this, "Christian, have a bite of your waffle.  Christian?  Christian?  Hello?  Christian, listen to Mommy ... have a bite of your waffle.  Christian!"

Repeat the same dialogue with the egg, and with his glass of milk.

Repeat the same dialogue for getting dressed:

It went something like this, "Christian, please put your underwear on.  Christian?  Christian?  Hello?  Christian, listen to Mommy ... put your underwear on.  Christian!"

Repeat for socks, pants, shirt, shoes, jacket, etc.

Finally got him to school at 8:15am - a half hour late.  

I'll get this figured out.  Some day.

Scarlett at Three Weeks

Your Baby at Three Weeks

Belly baby

Be sure you're continuing to put your baby down on her stomach for "tummy time" when she's awake. Babies should sleep on their back, but they also need to spend time on their belly every day to strengthen their neck muscles, which help them push up, roll over, sit up, and crawl. Tummy time will also help your baby avoid developing a flat spot on her headfrom being on her back.

By the end of this week, your baby may lift her head briefly and possibly move it from side to side when she's lying on her stomach. Try putting your face in front of your baby's to encourage her to hold up her head to look at you. You can also roll up a towel or receiving blanket and put it under her chest to help get her started with her push-ups. Soon, her nervous system and muscle control will mature and her jerky movements will become more fluid.

Self-soothing

Babies love and need to suck, so don't discourage it. In fact, you may have discovered that a pacifier works wonders in helping your baby calm down.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using pacifiers at nap time and bedtime, based on evidence that using a pacifier may reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). When the binky or your finger isn't around, your baby may even be able to find her thumb or fingers to soothe herself.

Our First Week ... Alone

After nearly a month off, Jonathan returned to work on Tuesday.  And that meant I was on my own with Christian and Scarlett for the first time.  The thought was daunting, as I needed to get Christian off to school.

My huge advantage is this:  since Christian is only in preschool, there isn't a rigid drop-off time as there might be in elementary school.   We typically have him at school by 7:45am so I can get back home for work by 8:00am. But since I'm on maternity leave right now, I'm not on a schedule for myself.  

But I am happy to report that Scarlett ate and was asleep again by the time Christian woke up ... and she stayed asleep until after we got back from dropping him off.

I timed her feeding so that she was done and asleep again when we picked him up at 12:30pm.

And it worked out nicely for each of the four days I took Christian to school this week.   I think it comes down to two things:  a little preparedness ahead of time, and expecting the absolute worst (and not getting it).

I know that not every morning will be as easy as the mornings this week.   But it sure was a nice way to start off our new routine. :)

Is she a "good baby"?

One question I get asked a lot is, "Is she a good baby?"

This sort of question has always perplexed me. If she's not a "good baby," does that make her a "bad baby"?  Is there any such thing as a "bad baby"?   Is the word "good" really the best way to describe a baby?

Just wondering ...?

So what kind of a baby is Scarlett?  Well, she's an adorable baby, of course! :)  

But what about her temperment ... her personality?

I haven't quite figured out her temperment yet - she sleeps most of the time. 

She is definitely a snuggler.  She likes to lay on our chests and it seems that for Scarlett, the more skin she can lay on, the better.   I'll hold her so that she's on the front of my shoulder and very quickly, she makes her way to the middle of my chest.   I have read that babies are fond of that position because the noises they hear right there - heartbeat, breathing, talking, etc. - are the same noises they heard from within the womb.

In fact, for much of the night, Scarlett is sleeping on Jonathan's chest.  I have suggested to him that letting her do that ever night sets her up to reject her basinett.   But he likes her there, and who am I to deny a father some snuggle time with his princess?

Scarlett is waking up about every three hours or so overnight to eat.  In an effort to give each of us a bit more sleep, Jonathan feeds her pumped milk for the first feeding, and then I nurse her the other times she's wakes up after that.   It was a routine that Christian's pediatrician suggested four years ago and it worked out nicely then ... and is working out nicely this time, too.

I would have to say that overall - even though she's still sleeping a lot - she's a pretty mellow baby.  She certainly has no sensitivity to sounds, which is a huge blessing.  Christian tends to be very loud (I never realized just HOW loud until I had a quiet baby in my arms), and he's got some loud toys (a sarcastic thank you to the manufacturer of his Buzz Lightyear toy who neglected to includ an on/off switch and volume control).   Depsite all the noises going on around her, Miss Scarlett stays sounds asleep.   Had she not passed her hearing screening with flying colors, I'd be concerned.  But, there's nothing wrong with her hearing ... she just has the awesome ability to filter the noise out.

We spend a lot of time comparing Scarlett to Christian when he was a baby.   "Did Christian do this ...."  "Did Chrsitian do that ...?"  "When Christian was a baby, didn't we ________."  

Christian was an awesome, mellow, and happy baby.   I remember a friend of ours in Santa Fe who was a former pediatrician told us to stop having kids, because we'd never luck out and get a mellow, happy baby the second time around.   But I think it is quite possible that we've been blessed with just that.

Only time will tell.  She is, after all, just three weeks old (tomorrow!).

Christian - An Awesome Big Brother

I am so very happy to share that Christian is an awesome big brother!  So far, we've seen no signs of jealousy or any difficulty in adjusting to our new family member.

In fact, Christian is full of kisses, hugs and adoration for Baby Scarlett.   And he likes to show his baby sister to EVERYBODY - even perfect strangers.  When we're at school with Scarlett in her carseat, Christian will stop everybody and say, "Look!  It's Baby Scarlett!"   And then he'll tell them, "She's SOOO cute ... she's SOOO precious!"  And he gets all giddy when the person agrees with him.

When I arrive at his classroom to pick him up, he runs up to Scarlett ... and a few of his friends come along, too and he makes sure they ALL see her.   His teacher tells me that he talks about her A LOT.

Christian likes to lend a hand where he can.  When I change Scarlett, he runs to quickly get his stool so he can get a good view of what is going on.  And he's always ready to give me a diaper or a wipe.

He asks to hold her a lot - many times, I must decline his request, because she's eating or sleeping ... but when he does get to hold her, he's over the moon.  And he very quickly asks for her to be taken away when she starts to cry.

Christian is contantly kissing her and getting right in her face to look at her and adore her.  He loves to hold her hands, and hug her and talk to her.    If I've stepped away and Scarlett starts to fuss, Christian makes sure I know, "Mommy!!! Scarlett is crying!!!"

We weren't sure how he'd do with Scarlett, and I must say we are most impressed and delighted that he's taken to her so well.

WHEW!!!

The Sweet Life of a Newborn

Ah, the sweet life of a newborn:  sleep, wake up ... and fall asleep again ... and snuggle sweetly with anybody who holds you.



Christian Holds Scarlett for the First Time

Christian has asked several times to hold Scarlett, but as we put her in his lap, he immediately changes his mind.

Today he asked, and actually let us put Scarlett his his lap ... twice!

As you can see, he adores his baby sister!

Our Little Model

Newborn photography is all the rage these days ... cute little naked, bottom-in-the-air pictures ... handmade crocheted hats, etc.  You've seen the pics, you know what I'm talking about.

So Auntie Liz and I have been planning this kind of photography session for Scarlett for months.  And, it ended up being a comedy of errors:

1. We moved our broken torchiere lamp into the bedroom for some extra photography lighting - it has been propped up in our living room corner for months until we can find a suitable replacement.  But, of course, I managed to knock it over in our bedroom and the glass shade and the lightbulb shattered into a million pieces - on the carpet.  Nice.
2. I picked up Scarlett and got her naked and took off her diaper and as if on cue, she peed all over my shirt.   I dealt with it and keep the wet shirt on to save time.
3. We put her onto the pillow for her pics and "splooge" ... poop came pouring out.

Below is the one good pic we managed to get.  We'll try again next weekend.

I may need to contact my friend on the east coast who is a professional photographer and has some amazing newborn pics on display.  Surely there is a trick (or set of tricks) for getting awesome newborn shots that doesn't involve broken lamps, or pee and poop flying everywhere.

1. 

A Papa and His Princess

Scarlett at Two Weeks

The First Bath at Home

At last, Scarlett's umbilical cord stump fell off, and it was BATH TIME! 

Jonathan reminded me how miserable Christian's first bath was, because I was overly-cautious with the water temperature, and the water was just too cool for the baby (you know how first time parents are).

Scarlett's first bath was considerably warmer, and after she got over the initial shock of the water, she was pretty good with the bath idea.

I asked Jonathan if he wanted to be the bather, or the photographer, and he chose to be the photographer.  He's such a good daddy ... involved at every level!

Christian was curious, but wasn't too keen on actually lending a hand, and that is okay.   We're letting him take things at his own pace.



The First Adventure Outside

Phoenix is so awesome this time of year - love this weather.  So today, we took Baby Scarlett out for her first walk!

Scarlett at One Week

Welcome to the World!

Birthday Pictures

"Your Pregnancy - 39 Weeks"

It is now just a matter of days.  Four, to be exact.   Friday is the big day.  EEEEK!


I'm still feeling pretty good, considering.   Still not having the discomforts I had with Christian at this stage, so I'm guessing she's quite a bit smaller than he was (Christian weighted 8 lbs, 4 oz.).   Since the ultrasound tech couldn't (or wouldn't) tell us last week how bit the baby is, we'll just have to wait and see.


I have my final Dr. exam on Monday, we'll see what he says.  Hopefully all is well, and Lil' Biscotti will still arrive on Friday, as expected.


On Friday, I'll be 39 weeks along ... and so here is the info for 39 weeks:


Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.