8 Great Weeks

Ok, ALL eight weeks of Kendall's life so far have not been equally great, some of them have been downright trying, but all have been great in some way, shape, or form. This one has been particularly great because Kendall has finally started sleeping for 7-8 hours at night. Yes, I just knocked on everything wooden within my visual perimeters. The first night she slept 8 hours was probably the night that I got the least amount of sleep in a while. I woke up promptly at 3, when she usually wakes up to eat, and then spent the next 2.5 hours either staring at her in the monitor or trekking to her room to put my finger under her nose to make sure she was still breathing. In fact, she may have slept later than 5:30 that morning had I not felt the need to poke her to make sure that she not only could still breathe, but that she still had the power of movement. She did. And her vocal chords still worked too. I couldn't help it, I had to poke at something other than her father, who was getting increasingly more annoyed with being repeatedly poked and asked if he thought I should go wake the baby. He did not.

A not so great part of the week was when Kendall went four whole days exhibiting voracious intake behaviors, but completely nonexistent output behaviors. In other words, my little girl was so full of .... well, let's just say her eyes turned a little more brown. The floodgates opened up on Thursday and I really wish I'd video taped the smiles that occurred both during and after that 5 diaper event! We have that on our list to ask the doctor about next week at her 2 month check up. I restrained from leaving any messages for the doctor this time around. She can be taught.

Outings this week: 3 visits to the Arboretum, 2 visits to the mall, 1 visit to Target (my new nemesis), 1 visit to the bank, and 1 visit to the grocery store. This was the first visit to the grocery store with Kendall in tow and hopefully the last for a while. She screamed whenever the cart stopped or turned around. Loudly. So I basically had to race up and down the aisles grabbing things quickly while still moving, and returning down the same aisle twice, sometimes three times, if I didn't grab something before we passed it, so as to avoid the stopping or turning around of the cart. This will either turn into a Daddy chore, or something that can only be done on weekends. She was fine in the cart in Target. I think she knew I was adding to her wardrobe.

I also had the wonderful opportunity to have an afternoon to myself and get my hair some desperately needed professional attention! Thank you to Erica Duncan (a friend of mine from Legacy Boxer Rescue) for staying with Kendall and then hanging out with me that night over some wine!

Next week Saba and Nana will be here and next weekend my cousin Stacy and my Aunt Melanie will be here. Lots of folks to cuddle Kendall to help her get over her first round of shots scheduled for Tuesday! Can't wait to hear what the doctor has to say about the fact that she is now weighing in at TWELVE pounds and is fitting quite nicely into a lot of her outfits marked "6 mos!"

My little chunk in an outfit that was supposed to fit her approximately 4 months from now!

Getting ready to go power walking at the Arboretum. Yes, I realize she kind of looks like a rapper. Her rap name is "Heavy K."

Kendall and Owen clearly not as enthusiastic about and having their pictures taken in front of the lovers statue at the Arboretum as their mothers were!



I was proud of myself for only wheeling the stroller on the grass (boldly right next to the sign that asks that this not be done) and not taking my child out of the stroller and placing her IN the flowers for a photo session.

Kendall's First Trip to NC

On Sunday, Feb. 15th, Kendall took her very first airplane ride and she proved to be a much better passenger than her mommy (although her mommy did ok this time too!). We flew first class from Dallas/Fort Worth to Raleigh/Durham (only the best for that little girl!) and Kendall slept through both the flight there and the flight home, receiving accolades from fellow passengers after the flights were over on what a good baby she was. I'm sure those same passengers were cursing my very existence on their flight just 2 short hours prior to said accolades. As for me, it was quite a different experience being the one carrying a baby and being glared at rather than the one doing the glaring. There is no reason to glare at me, however. MY baby is perfect!

Kendall was a champ in NC and tolerated her busy social schedule nicely. Saba and Nana's house grew a revolving door to accommodate the rash of visitors coming to see my little celebrity. She also received lots more presents, requiring an additional suitcase on the way home.

Things that are new this week:
1. LOTS more smiles!
2. A newfound affinity for disco music and dancing on tables (thank you David Page!)
3. First trip to a bar with mommy (Nana's restaurant in Durham - don't worry, it's a very classy bar!)
4. First airplane ride (described above)
5. 3 month size clothing at 7 weeks of age. I expect my little weed will be in 6 month clothing around 3 months of age!
6. Kendall finally got to meet her cousins Mason and Maya on Saturday. Amy, Brian, Mason and Maya came over and brought a delicious dinner for us. We had a great time and really need to hang out with them more! Pictures will be coming soon.


Kendall had LOTS of fun in the play gym at Saba and Nana's!

Kendall meets Kelly and Chris Copolo (her "Super" cousins!)

Kendall and Uncle Dan, who is clearly NOT a baby person!

Kendall and Aunt Corinna

And of course, we can't leave out the picture of our first glimpse of a future attitude pointed in Mommy's direction. "Do I HAVE to wear this outfit, Mom??" And we hadn't even found the matching hat yet!

SHE SMILES!!!

I told ya her Nana would catch it on film during her visit to NC! She's now smiling a lot ....and laughing .... and dancing! More to come in a later post but I wanted to get the smile on here, which is not nearly as elusive as it was this time last week. :)

A Valentine Week full of Love!

At long last, after 9 long months of waiting while their mommies got fatter and fatter, Kendall Harris and Owen Laszewski finally met ... in the flesh! While this was a momentous occasion for their mothers, Kendall and "Little O" remained unphased by the event and slept through their initial meeting. They then had a quiet lunch together. Owen is SO cute and SO alert! He looks around a lot and seems very aware of everything around him (and apparently has already outgrown naps at the wise old age of 2 weeks!) When we put them in Owen's bed together, he was very interested in Kendall. She was a little more tentative about her bedfellow ...which I'm sure pleases her Daddy, who was not at all amused when I called to tell him his daughter was already in bed with a boy! Kendall and Owen could very well find themselves promised to each other in a marriage arranged by their mothers so I'm sure they will have lots more dates in the future. It's hard to believe my little chunky monkey was as little as Owen just 4 short weeks ago!


Owen: "Ooooh! A cute girl in my bed!"
Kendall: "Ummm, I'm pretty sure Daddy told me I should NOT be in bed with boys!"


"Back atcha Little O!"


Does it look like they're plotting something, or is it just me??
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While Chris and I no longer celebrate Valentine's Day (our anniversary is the 9th so we celebrate both occasions together and get them over with!), Kendall gave me the best Valentine's gift of my life this week. On Thursday, she SMILED at me! A real smile too, not just one associated with the imminent filling up of her diaper. Then she smiled at Helen, my wonderful housekeeper. I hope to catch one on film soon but so far they're a tad elusive. Mainly because when they happen I just want to stare at her and not run to get a camera! This coming week we'll be in NC and Nana will undoubtedly have a camera in Kendall's face for the duration of our visit so maybe a smile will be captured by this time next week.

Tomorrow Kendall and I fly to NC so wish us luck on the plane ...and thoughts of peace for those around us in the first class cabin, please!

Here are some more pictures of Chris and Kendall zonked out together. I'm going to start a collection.

WEEK #5

It's a rough life out here!

Kendall had many outings this week. The first was to the doctor's office where we were told that her 1 month "house arrest" period is officially over (but of course to be careful and still try to avoid germs in public). No shots or sticks at this visit. She is now 10 pounds, 2 ounces and 22 inches long. Today I spent some time removing all newborn clothes from her drawers and closet. It's sad that there are some adorable outfits, into which I no longer have a prayer of stuffing her porky little self, that she never got to wear. Here are her percentiles from the doc's office:

Weight: 75%
Length: 90% (she's gonna be tall!)
Head circumference: 50% (I have no idea of the reason for this measurement but I think this means either her head is growing or all other infant heads are shrinking since she was in the 25th percentile last time)

On Thursday we visited my office where she was the center of attention for the better part of 2.5 hours and slept for darn near the entire visit - even through most of the mega diaper change on my desk! On Friday we ran errands. It still amazes me how much extra time I have to tack on to every day activities to be able to include Kendall in them. On Saturday, we went to the MALL for the first time and Kendall was officially introduced to Neiman Marcus, where the oh-so-helpful sales people showed her (and, of course me) the Prada section, a Louis bag, a Manolo Blahnik shoe, and a Christian Louboutin shoe. She showed little to no interest in those things so Chris can breathe a sigh of relief for now! :) It is unbelievable how much attention one can get from sales people (as well as random people) when pushing a stroller with a baby in it through the mall. Apparently she makes me a much more attention-worthy person!

Finally, Grandmother was nice enough to keep Kendall at her house on Saturday night so Chris and I could go out to dinner and to a wine tasting for our first wedding anniversary. Thank you Grandmother! It's hard to believe that one year ago, we were in Antigua and I was minus 20+ pounds. We had a very "re"productive year!


Today is "Lazy Day" .... at least for two out of the three of us!

RALPHIE SAYS ....

"THANK GOD MOM HAS SOMEONE ELSE TO DRESS UP NOW!! This was starting to get really embarrasing!"





Kendall donned her bathrobe for the first time and looked right cute in it ....albeit not terribly thrilled with the duds ....



Kendall also donned a dress for the very first time when she accompanied me to my office to meet my work buddies. She was absolutely adorable in it! And yes, she was lying on my office desk, where she had a very messy 5 alarm diaper change. There was something rather ironic about Kendall (the reason there is currently no work crap on my desk) depositing crap of her own on my desk.

WEEK #4

This was a rather eventful week (ok, as eventful as a week can get when one barely sheds one's pajamas and barely leaves one's house!).

Event #1: ("Home Alone") Kendall's Nana went back to NC so I was home alone all week with a baby and 4 dogs. I think we did ok and even successfully ventured out of the house on Thursday and Friday for a bit (no speeding tickets this time!). It's amazing to me how I can be home (and awake) all day long and when Chris gets home at night, I have no ability to account for the activities of my day. Surely there were activities other than feeding, burping, and changing a baby and keeping random things out of Pippin's mouth?? I need an extra arm. Or two. I can honestly say that being a lawyer is easier than being a stay at home mother!

Event #2: ("Mommy is Physically Healthy") I had my 4 week doctor visit and all is well! Gonna be strange to wait until June to see my doctor again. I was starting to get somewhat attached. I'm pretty sure she felt the same and will miss me.

Event #3: ("Poop Drama") Kendall had not a single poopy diaper for nearly 48 hours at the end of the week. She was clearly uncomfortable and VERY gassy (I think she's part boxer!). It was awful to watch her in such discomfort. This condition prompted "Panic Stricken Mommy Call" #1 to Kendall's doctor's office. They were very patient with me, assured me that this did not warrant a message left on the emergency voice mail system, and told me that it was completely normal for babies to go up to 7 days without pooping, especially when breast fed. Um, 7 days??? Ew! Well, the dam finally broke on Saturday morning ... resulting in 8 very full diapers, one very full bathtowel, one ecstatic Pippin who got to "clean up" the bathroom floor and one completely crap covered Mommy. I knew she was clogged up and this was not "normal!" I think I'll call the doctor's office back and inform them that I was indeed correct. In fact, I think I'll leave them a message on their emergency voice mail system.

Here is a video of Kendall enjoying her Baby Neptune play gym. I think she wants to go diving with Saba and Nana. She really does look around a lot now and seems to enjoy things (especially music) more and more. It's so fun to watch!