Mostly pictures. 5 Weeks!

Well, I already spilled my most interesting news this week when you guys lovingly drunk-dialed me, which is that Ernesto and I sold my Honda Civic.  It's surprising to me how easy it is to sell a car. At least Sam and Jennie will be hearing it for the first time. Now I have the much more fun task of picking out and finding a new (used) car.  As I told someone to tell everyone, I'm actually thinking of the Honda Fit.  Supposed to drive well, have versatile cargo space, good mpg, and it meets my most important requirement of having four doors.  Plus, I don't know why, but I've wanted a hatchback for quite a while.

Miladys is holding Amelia while I write this. I might not be doing many updates after she leaves. :-P

And now, lots of pictures.

What do you do when you can't get your daughter to stop crying? Just hang out with her.

She loves "standing" up/

Her first reaction to my face disappearing behind the camera.

A hint of her cute smiles.

A pretty representative picture of what she looks like when awake and not crying.

A Month Already

Ernesto and I are masters of diaper rash. Once it showed up on Amelia, we re-worked our diapering routine.  I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that if this girl gets diaper rash again, it will be because god personally decided to smite her.

She's a month old!  That's crazy.  That means that we're two weeks away from being within a pacifier-permissible age, two weeks away from my milk supply being well established enough to pump, and two weeks away from my postnatal appointment with the OB/GYN.  Pretty much, 6 weeks is the best number of weeks ever.

The only new development with Amelia is that she has a period of three hours or so that she cries inconsolably every evening. It starts almost precisely at 5, and ends around 8.  She cries inconsolably at other times, too, but not with this regularity of timing. It sucks.

Did I ever mention that the day we got back from the hospital, I also got my admissions letter to the counseling program at Bradley (a small university here in town)?  Plus a little bit of financial assistance. Classes start at the end of the month.  They're in the evenings, so Ernesto will watch Amelia while I'm gone. Thus my interest in beginning to pump. I'm excited to be on the path towards a career that I'm qualified for.

I don't have many new photos, but here she is in the capable hands of her abuelita.

Three Weeks Old

We've made it to three weeks without killing Amelia.  Given my track record with plants, I deserve a gold star.  Or maybe Ernesto does.  

Amelia is a natural at tummy time. Her very first time, she not only tolerated it but enjoyed it for ten minutes. She's normally a free range baby, just sitting around in a diaper (who needs clothes?), but we also give her some naked butt time every once in a while. 

Watching Amelia watch the world is like looking at someone tripping on acid.  Her eyes get so buggy and freaked-out looking.  She just can't believe what she's seeing.  "What are these shadows??!"

My least favorite thing to hear someone say to me when Amelia is crying is, "What happened?" What do you mean what happened?  We were sitting here, and then she started crying.  That's what happened.

We went to a Natural Family Planning picnic, which was entertaining because there were many more children than adults.

Natural Family Planning picnic

This Sunday, Ernesto, Miladys, and I enjoyed a lovely Sunday afternoon at a local winery. I have no taste in wine, so I can neither be horrified nor appreciate what they're serving. I suspect that rather than missing out, my lack of taste is an advantage. Ernesto and I visited this winery last summer, when we were engaged.  The location is really nice.  They serve lunch for a few hours, so you can sit outside eating, and then wander around among the vineyard afterwards. It was amusing to me to return the next year, not only married but with a little daughter.

Amelia's got the chest nap down.  Ernesto uses little feet anchors.

 

Visitors

Anne Marie and Grandma Callahan came for a visit, which was awesome.  They arrived the Tuesday before last and stayed until Saturday.  We were very much a posse of ladies out and about on the town.  We went for walks, got our hair cut, and got pedicures together.  Grandma was a hoot at the nail salon, and also a big hit with all the staff, who called her 'Grandma' and wanted her advice on how to live a long and healthy life. 

Peeps!  I have my webcam back on my computer, and have allowed Skype to start itself again, so I am probably pretty available for calling.  My only caution is that I breastfeed around the house, so if there's no one in camera view when I

answer, I'm probably hiding just out of sight. 

In the cute dress that Auntie Anne Marie brought

Also, Amelia had her first submersed bath, which was such a big hit that she fell asleep in the water.  She loves everything about it except getting out, which is when she starts screaming at the top of her tiny lungs.

Chilling in her nice, warm bath

Walking along Grandview Ave, overlooking the Illinois River

Out on the town!

First bath with Dad.  This is going to be a good daddy-daughter task.

After Anne Marie and Grandma left, Miladys arrived that evening.  She's a little bit like Anne Niblock, in that she's always busy cooking or cleaning, and doesn't know how to sit down and do nothing.  Thus, our house at the moment is cleaner than when we first moved in.

With her very loving Abuelita.

Very tired, and with a cold that I'll probably give to Amelia.