Baby's first Christmas

November-December - Four months+

Quick and dirty... Annika is still a pretty chill babe during waking hours.



She's still a fast nurser, and she's excited when she knows it's time to go down for a nap. She's in bed these days by 7 -- sometimes much earlier -- and up between 6:40 and 8:20 when it's time to take Elliott to school (usually waking around 7:45). The in-between varies widely. She's waking more at night than a month+ ago, perhaps because those pesky teeth are on their way in. Some night it's just waking with more frequency; others, she has a hard time settling back down and I can't figure out why, though her desire to chew on my fingers points toward teeth.

During waking hours, she's enjoying laughing, rolling, grabbing, squealing, and watching her personal entertainment system: Elliott.

October -- 2-3 months old

A few pics and maybe text will follow... Not really. I'll just add that that's Ina May Gaskin, diva of midwifery with me in front of the HMN booth. And Annika looking at a peacock at Frying Pan Farm Park.

10ish weeks

Just had a sec and thought I'd post a few pics. The short version is that we're all doing pretty well. Annika sleeps for a long chunk from evening until night -- at least 3 days of 6 hrs and goes back to sleep easily enough after nursing (knock on wood). She often wakes just before we have to take Elliott to school (or I pluck her out of bed and stuff her in the carseat even if she hasn't woken. We're back home within about 25 minutes so she usually holds up okay.) This morning she seemed up around 6:15 so I got up but left her in the bed. She cooed to herself for a bit and then just fell back asleep, only waking at 8:00 because I made a loud noise in the kitchen.

Yesterday she napped in bed solo for 2.5 hrs in the a.m. Right now she's cooing at a blue giraffe in a bouncy seat in front of the washer & dryer. She seems to like that quite a lot.

Okay, but now not so much. Awake time is over.

Three weeks old

Here are some images from Annika's fourth week. She still sleeps a lot most days and (knock on wood) understands that nighttime is for sleeping and nursing (but also for pooping and peeing, which means her parents don't always sleep as soundly, what with having to change diapers and outfits). Her brother is still obsessed with kissing her and stroking her face, saying "Aww, Sweetie."

She's starting to show signs of chub (haven't weighed her since two weeks, when she was 7 lbs 9 oz). There are times when she seems annoyed for no reason that we can identify, and she likes shush sounds and riding in the sling. She's spent some time happily in a swing and stays asleep after being set down in it or in the Moses basket, though yesterday she had a more fitful afternoon (but this morning and yesterday morning stayed asleep a lot on a surface).

I regret that I failed to get any photos of Annika with her Aunt Beck, whose pinkie finger was a hit with the girl (and who gave Elliott the most eventful five and a half days in recent memory, with trips to the Mall and the county fair, and even up to the top of the Washington Monument!)

We still have some warm weather, but the cooler days bring a certain brightness of blue and slant of sun -- and sounds of crickets and cicadas -- that tell us that fall is on its way. We're getting ready to move out of the summer yawning newborn period and into life with baby and preschooler-in-school.

The second week

More to come

The first week