Out Little Person...Our Little Valentine

She's not just our baby...she's our little person...and she's the BEST little Valentine in the whole world.

Every day we wake up and stare at her in awe...what a miracle...and what an AMAZING addition to our growing family. It's amazing to think how fast she's going to grow up so for now, we just need to enjoy her every single minute of every single day...

Here's a special picture Daddy took this morning...Happy Valentine's Day!!!

The Panda Report: 3 Weeks

This is going to be short and sweet because I'm pretty sure I have about 3 more minutes (maybe less) before my little princess decides she's hungry again.

I'm convinced she's going through a growth spurt this week ("normal" timing according to the books I've read so at least that's reassuring).

She is literally hungry ALL the time...and when she's not hungry, she's either frustrated and crying or she's sleeping (with moments of calm cuteness mixed in that erase the moments of frustration and crying...amazing how that works!).  And while this week has been admittedly more overwhelming than the first two, I've loved every minute of it (minus having to cancel plans with friends because of my hungry, hungry hippo's completely unpredictable schedule...see Mommy Challenge #1). 

In the grand scheme of things, this has been a superb week because I know she's eating so much and doing so well...I can't wait for her one month pediatrician appointment to see how much she's grown!  

For now, we'll continue "tracking her progress" with The Panda Report - here she is today...one day shy of 3 Weeks!

2.10.11

2.10.11

2.10.11

Take a look back!!! {Birthday}  {1 Week}

What do Babies Dream About?

I have absolutely no idea what the answer to my question is, but I can't help but wonder what on earth is going through Abigail's head when she's napping.  

Sometimes she snorts like a pig...sometimes she makes a hilarious poopy face...and sometimes (like in the pictures I'm about to post), she looks like she's guilty of committing a crime and the cops have captured her..."Put your hands above your head!!!"  I hope this doesn't mean we should worry about having a future criminal on our hands...  :)

All I know is that when she's sleeping peacefully, she looks so incredibly happy and precious! 

Funny enough, when I was watching my new guilty pleasure this morning (Kathy Lee & Hoda...the fourth hour of the Today Show...don't judge!), they highlighted a book titled "When My Baby Dreams."  It's not available quite yet (and I am not sure when it is), but the author decided to take photos of her baby girl when she was napping and she'd create scenes for her dreams...

Here's an example:

Such a cute idea!  Check out her blog, Mila's Daydreams, {HERE}

What do YOU think babies dream about???

Mommy Challenge #1: "Planning" a Day

Doesn't she know her Mommy is a planner?

I guess that doesn't mean a whole lot to a two week old...

But in all seriousness, I am aware she's a baby. She's 16 days old. She doesn't know the difference between day and night (trust me on that one). And no, she most definitely does not know her Mommy is a planner. 

More importantly, she doesn't care. 

But that's OK...because with a face like this, I'm willing to give up being OCD for the next 18+ years (and let's be honest...I think I'm going to have to give it up for the rest of my life). 

No matter how many times other Mommies and Daddies have warned us about how much life  changes with a baby, you don't actually understand what they mean until you've had your own. 

And now that we have our precious daughter to look after 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, we are beginning to understand that Abby officially rules the world in which we live.  

"Planning" a day no longer exists. 

Here's an example for you...

It's nearly 2:00pm and I had "planned" to cook a meal for tonight (sorry Travis), go for a LONG walk with Abigail to the Golden Gate Bridge, take a much needed shower, Blog by 11:00am, respond to all my emails, clean the apartment, and possibly eat a "normal" lunch. 

Well...so much for all of that.  I have officially fed Abigail every hour on the hour, straightened the living room, video taped her hiccuping (because only a brand new parent would find that worthy of a video...but since I have it, I'll share it with you at the end), and I just managed to squeeze a shower in...oh, and I'm eating some Vanilla yogurt with ground flax seeds...that's almost "normal," right? 

So much for planning my day!  (and maybe this tells me something about setting realistic expectations for myself...quite possibly an upcoming "Mommy Challenge" topic)

And you know what?  I think this is great for me.  My days of being a planner have officially been redefined.  

All I can plan on now is being ready to feed her when she wakes up, being ready to run outside in the event she's sleeping peacefully, and being ready to love her for the rest of my life...

So far, I think I'm doing pretty darn well with each of those.  

Enjoy this silly little video of my beautiful baby girl. 

 Stay tuned for many more Mommy Challenges in the near future (I'm sure I'll have lots to share)!

The Panda Report: 1 Week

I'm doing some rapid fire posting today (I'm doing as much as I can before Abigail wakes up and is hungry again!).  

I'll make this one short and sweet...in Abigail's first week, we had an awesome doctor's appointment where we learned that she'd only lost 2.5% of her birth weight (most baby's average a loss of 8.5% - go Abby and Mommy!).  On top of that, everything looked great...her skin color, lungs, etc...we have one extremely happy and healthy baby!  WOOHOO!  Thank goodness!

At Abigail's second doctor's appointment (at 10 days old), we got yet another stellar report...she gained 17 ounces in one week (which is awesome!)...so as of a couple days ago, she weighed 7 lbs 9 oz.

As our doctor stated enthusiastically, "She definitely knows how to eat!"  Maybe that's why she makes piggy noises so often...

At this rate, she'll outgrow Panda in no time!  Go (or should I say, Grow) Abigail!

Here are her pictures at 1 Week...she even tried to nurse on Panda's nose.  haha

1.29.11

1.29.11

The Panda Report: Birthday

Abigail was born at 1:37pm on 1.22.11, an absolutely gorgeous Saturday afternoon in San Francisco (not to mention the same day as my best friend's wedding that I was forced to miss...it was most definitely meant to happen that way).  

Let's just say she did not wait around to make her appearance (and for those of you who have requested a birth story, I will get to that soon!)...once she decided it was time to come out, she did everything in her power to get out!  I wonder what that says about her personality...

Anyway, once she arrived Mommy and Daddy wasted no time introducing her to her new best friend, Panda.  

Weighing in at 7 lbs even and measuring 21", here is Abigail's very first Panda Report photo shoot.

Abigail's birthday - 1.22.11 - Hanging out with my Panda and her Panda

1.22.11

1.22.11

The Panda Report

Since I no longer have a Bump to report on every Thursday I figured I'd start a new report... 

The Panda Report. 

What exactly is The Panda Report?  

Well, I'm sure it'll evolve over time but for now the plan is to update you on Abigail's progress and include some pictures of how much she's growing (measured next to her Panda, of course...this idea was inspired by my cousin Nina who has a monthly photo shoot with her twins next to the same stuffed animals...check out her blog, Twinfinite Fun {HERE}).  What a fun way to see how much the girls are growing! 

Why Pandas?  I think most of you know (and thanks for all the tips and tricks as to where I can find more - I'm LOVING your feedback!), but in case you need a refresher {READ THIS}.

Be sure to keep up with The Panda Report to see how much our baby girl is growing! 

For now, let's play a little game called "Where's Abigail???"