first smile!!!

today my baby girl smiled for the first time--we were just sitting there talking after her belly was full from a nice meal and she burst into a smile, not once, not twice, but three times!! I can't wait to take some pictures!!

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world traveller

you would think getting a passport for a baby wouldn't be so difficult...

well, after figuring out what forms and documents I needed, I was all ready to go to the post office with Chloë in tow to get her American passport (the Brazilian passport will no doubt get its own extensive blog entry...)

I had all the things I needed:

* Passport Application Form

* Statement of Consent or Special Circumstances: For Minors Under 16

* An original copy of Chloë's birth certificate

* Two passport sized pictures

* A check for $134 for US Dept of State

* A check for $52 for US Post Office

After arriving at the post office and barely starting the process, we were immediately met with several obstacles, perhaps the most important being that the person in charge of processing passport applications didn't know how to process passport applications.

She didn't know which forms we needed, or whether the picture we had brought was going to be accepted by the State Dept (she informed me that in the picture Chloë's head was too big.) After a surprisingly patient explanation from me detailing the requirements and forms needed to issue Chloë her passport, the post office lady seemed happy enough to proceed but decided we needed to take a new picture.  Despite the fact that Chloë was asleep, I understood that a passport is an important document, and we don't want to mess around...so I woke her up, got her out of her car seat and held her for her picture. It came out great--I though, sweet, we're in business.

Hmm, not so fast.  The post office lady deleted the picture when trying to print it.  People make mistakes, right?  Well, she deleted it twice.  On the third attempt, I started to lose my cool a little, and demanded that someone else take the picture so I wouldn't have to keep coercing a 7 week baby to keep her eyes open for the picture....

So in the end, after an hour and half, we were done.  According to the very (in)competent post office employee, I should have Chloë's passport in 1-3 weeks. 

The waiting begins...

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a girls day out

   
today Chloë and I went to Sweet Life in Old Town Fairfax to meet Jess and Reagan, and Caitlin and Allison for lunch.  Chloë ended up wearing the very pretty pink and brown polka dot dress Daddy had picked out several months ago and she was supposed to wear on her way home from the hospital..except it was way too big for a little 4 lbs baby.  Now that she's almost 8 lbs, it almost fit perfectly!  

We had a great time sitting outside and enjoying our lunch while the babies slept, looked around, and ate.  Chloë decided to give me a hard time and didn't eat very well while we were out, but to make up for it, she did sleep like an angel before and after she ate.  Our car ride there and back was pretty uneventful, except on the way back she decided to cry until I gave in and sang to her the whole way back.  That seemed to soothe her and by the time we got home she was sound asleep in her car seat. Sometimes I wonder if I should place her car seat inside her crib so she'll sleep as peacefully in her crib as she does when she's in there...

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family day out!!

today after Chloë ate at 11am, we decided to spend the day out---after packing her diaper bag full of diapers, and a change of clothes, and the million and one things we need to have on hand, we set out for Arlington where we wanted to window shop and get lunch.  Chloë behaved really well, and despite some whining and crying for her binky, she did eat an sleep at the appropriate times, and was a hit with people on the street who were constantly wondering if she was "brand new" to which we had to explain..no, she's just tiny because she had ants in her pants and came out 6 weeks early!

it was by far the best day I've had as a family..other than the day Chloë was born and the day we brought her home...

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making friends

today Chloë met Allison, Caitlin's daughter. The girls hung out and seemed to enjoy each other's companies as Caitlin and I talked for HOURS and HOURS about nothing and everything.

It was entertaining to see a 5 week old baby next to my 6 week preemie baby and see the size difference..though Allison was born two weeks past her due date--but still I forget how small Chloë is at times.

Regardless of how funny (but adorable!) they looked together, we all had a great time and it was so nice to talk to another new mom about the ins and outs of our early days of motherhood.

PS. if you click on the images you can see them bigger!

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happy birthday, Chloë!

today is Chloë's official due date...it's funny to think I gave birth 6 weeks ago, when I should have been pregnant until at least today.

the super exciting thing about Chloë's due date is that she is now allowed to go out a little more..still not advised to take her to crowded indoor places, but she's not extremely restricted anymore. now we just have to work with her busy schedule to figure out the best time to have her baby shower!

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pancakes and a new refrigerator

Sears is delivering our new fridge sometime this morning.  After making pancakes for breakfast we started waiting for the delivery...they have missed their delivery window and are now dangerously close to arriving right when I'm in the middle of breastfeeding.

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meltdown

both our refrigerators decided to break on the same day...

VERY unhappy--I don't actually really care all that much about all the normal food that went bad, is going bad, or will go bad in the next few days, but I am absolutely in total and complete despair over the 2 days worth of breast milk that we have to throw out. SO sad..

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grandma's visit

this week my mom came to meet chloë ALL the way from england. I picked her up at the airport on Tuesday and she leaves next Monday. I surprised her at the airport so we could come by the house in time so that chloë would still be awake. Given that she sleeps a majority of the time, being awake is precious!

grandma was very, very emotional when she first set her eyes on Chloë--they sat and cuddled, and she sang the song she used to sing to me when I was little. Chloë was definitely a fan.

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dad's back at work..

So sad...today Josh went back to work after 3 weeks off.  Both Chloë and I missed him terribly all day.  Thankfully he came home early enough to feed her at 7pm after he got his hair cut.

He was SO happy to hold her when he arrived, and she was equally as excited to be in his arms.

as I sad in earlier posts..Chloë is indeed a daddy's girl.  Just like her mother!

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BEST thing about not being pregnant

while pregnancy was something I embraced, and enjoyed for the most part (how easy it has been to forget about the 3 months of all day morning sickness, especially in comparison to the several weeks of bed rest) I have to admit that I am absolutely 110% THRILLED about the return of normal bathroom breaks. I no longer find myself peeing every half hour, having to get up in the middle of the night 7-10 times. I could potentially go all night without going to pee if I had the chance to sleep all night (now that I have a baby to tend to in the middle of the night as opposed to bladder issues, sleeping through the night is not possible for different reasons.)

In any case, as I evaluate the joys of my non pregnant state, not peeing constantly is by far the BEST of them!

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pooped on

this morning's 10am feeding routine was going pretty well for most part. Chloë breastfed well, and finished her 2 oz bottle afterwards with little fuss. I held her against my chest for a while--her new favorite past time after eating--before getting her changed and dressed.

I handed her to Josh so I could pick out her outfit while he tried to get some more burps out of her and I grabbed her and plopped her onto the changing table when I was ready to primp her.

I cleaned her tiny poop and was applying her butt paste when I noticed milk spewing out of her tiny nose. I FREAKED and immediately picked her up--naked and all--and held her upright in my arms. Josh suggested I should wrap her in something but I was just concerned with the milk coming out of her nose so I just held her little naked body while Josh stared at me..just as I asked him if he was scared she was going to poop and pee all over the carpet I felt something down my legs and land on my foot. I looked down and it was poop. I didn't know what to do so I continued to hold her and then she started to pee...all over my legs and the carpet..

I was amused..not sure about Josh who had to clean the carpet.

PS. the poop and pee came out of the carpet after some heavy duty scrubbing.

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