Life as parents

It's been two weeks since I've sent out an update and sure enough, little Nora is growing like crazy. I took her in to her pediatrician appointment yesterday and Nora has gained nearly 2 pounds in just over two weeks!!! She's only in the 32 percentile for weight, but she's going to catch up in no time at this rate.

Sam has officially declared us as parents. Apparently this did not come automatically with the birth of our baby girl, but we gained the official stamp of parenthood once we were both pooped, peed, and spat up on. It didn't take long!

Nora finally had a successful experience with tummy time thanks to Sam's help. Trial 1, Nora was more interested in eating the couch. Trial 2, Nora decided to be fussy and cried until mom caved in and picked her up (she knows I'm a sucker). Trial 3, dad finally succeeded and got Nora to hang out on her belly for a good period of time with no fuss.

Bath time is still a bit of a trial, but she does seem to be taking it into consideration a bit more. We have made considerable progress from last weekend when Sam was helping me bathe Nora. In the middle of bath time and Nora's raging fit, Sam started laughing and said, "Look Jen, she's giving you the finger!" Sure enough, I looked down and Nora had a death grip on Sam's hand with the exception of her middle finger which was pointed right toward me. I'm suddenly reconsidering the teaching baby sign language approach...

Nora has been considerably spoiled as both of her grandma's have had the opportunity to come and stay with us since her arrival. I'm not sure what Nora's going to think when I'm the only one left to take care of her during the day. Sam and I have much appreciated the help of these two wonderful ladies who have made this transition for us a heck of a lot easier than it could have been!

Baby Nora has Arrived!

Here are a few pictures of our new baby girl. Isn't she just the cutest? Okay, so I'm just slightly biased.

It's hard for me to keep my eyes off of this beautiful child. She was well worth the wait.

A proud papa.

Baby's first bath. I think it's quite apparent how much she enjoyed the event.

This is Nora the Sea Turtle. At least that's what I think she looks like in her fleece travel suit that is really meant for 3-6 months. Hey, whatever works.

1 Week Out

Today marks 1 week from my due date. I've been rather ammused how the proximity has changed a few things:

• My mother holds her breath every time I call her
• I've started answering the phone stating "No, I'm not having contractions yet"
• When people ask my due date, some people step backwards when I respond
• Sam has been encouraing me a lot more to go for walks...I think dad is ready. :) Give it a few more days and I expect him to pull out the spicy food card.
• Strangers are even more likely to come up and touch my belly