Happy birthday, Penny!



Yesterday Penny had her 2 month old checkup with Doc Douvris. She was 9lbs 10oz (25th percentile), 22'' (25th percentile) and her head was...actually, I forget how many inches her head was, but I know it was in the 50th percentile! So it looks like she is going to be short, slim, and VERY smart!



Some milestones so far:

- Penny is now "talking". She will sit on the couch and look in my eyes and we will chat. She make sounds like "ah goo" and "ahhhh" and repeat them back when you say them to her.



- Penny is sleeping 4 - 6 hours at a clip at night. Last night she slept from 11pm - 7:30am! I think that may have had something to do with her getting her vaccinations (maybe they made her sleepy?) but I'm still happy she slept so much.



- Speaking of vaccinations, Penny got her shots yesterday like a big girl. That night she had flushed cheeks and was sleepier than usual, so we think she had a slight fever. We gave her some Tylenol and she was fine.

Penny on her exercise mat

Penny LOVES her exercise mat! We took it out when she was about 4 weeks old, and right away she fell in love. She will spend up to a half an hour laying content on it (which is a long time...usually after staying on one place for 10 minutes she either falls asleep or wants to be moved!)



Her favorite part of the mat is her "singing star". She loves to look up at the star and watch it change colors and play music. Sometimes she will even try to talk back to it.



Her other favorite toy is the red robin. Just recently she started reaching for it! One day soon I'm sure she will be able to grab it.

First 6 weeks...milestones

4 weeks - We noticed today that she is really good at holding her head up. When she lays on Mommy's belly she will keep her head up by herself.

4 weeks - we took out her exercise mat. She loves her singing star!

5 weeks - Penny found her voice! Especially when she's laying on her exercise mat, she "talks" to the singing star. So far we've heard things like "Ahhh!" and "Ah goo".


6 weeks - first smile. she was sitting in her swing, and she smiled at me! Her second smile was at Grandma while she was changing Penny's diaper. Daddy is still waiting for his smile!

6 weeks - Penny decided that it is time to start pooping once a day, or every other day. Not 4 or 5 times a day like when she was first born!


6 weeks - Penny has been "binking herself to sleep". That's Jason and my term for when we put her down drowsy, but not alseep, and she sucks her binky until she falls asleep. So far she's been really good at it!

First smile?

Our little Penny is growing up...and hitting her milestones!


Just today Penny was sitting in her swing, and I went over to say hi. To my surprise, my little baby girl greeted me with a huge, wide open mouth smile!!! I ran to get the camera thinking she will do it again, but she must have some of Daddy's subborn streak because I didn't get a repeat performance. I did get a few cute pictures of her AFTER she smiled!


Oh well, maybe next time....

Exercise mat

Starting at about 4 weeks, we decided to try out Penny on her exercise mat. Well, wouldn't you know that our little girl LOVES it! At first she wasn't sure what to make of it, but once she got used to the "singing star" and all of the hanging toys, she became a big fan.

Daddy is also a big fan of playing with her on the mat. He's really good at shaking the rattle and having her follow it with her eyes.

Not surprising, our cats are big fans of the mat too....they seem to think every baby toy is theirs also!

Penny week 3

Week #3 meant more fun for little Penny!


Grandma, Nana, and Bonnie spent a few days with Penny, and Penny got her first bath. Grandma was a great helper, and Bonnie did a great job with the picture taking. Penny didn't cry or fuss at all...until the end. I think she liked being in the warm water, but didn't like it when we took her out.















Penny had another weight check, and the good news is, she gained weight! We have been supplementing her with formula for about 4 days, and in that time her weight went from 6lb 15oz up to 7lb 4oz. I guess all she needed was a few extra calories from the formula. She has another weight check in about a week, and we're hoping she'll be close to her birth weight. Think heavy!


New Year's Eve was yet another first for Penny...she spent the night with Mommy and Daddy at Aunite Kel and Uncle Smitty's house. We had an awesome night of filet mignon and lobster tails, and Auntie Em and Uncle Danny joined us too. Penny decided to stay awake until about 11:55, at which point Mommy and Daddy put her to bed, and almost missed the ball drop! But we got back downstairs just in time, with about 10 seconds to spare.



Penny's 3 weeks birthday (Thursday) was a busy day. We made our Weichert debut at my annual meeting, and of course Penny was a big hit! She slept in her car seat the whole time, but of course the ladies wanted to hold her before we left. She was very good being passed around from person to person. After our meeting we went right to the hospital for our weekly Mom's Club meeting (it was our first time going). The club is for moms and babies under 6 months. Penny was the youngest one there, and we had a great time meeting other families. Penny was one of the most well behaved babies there!




Penny is more alert now, and likes to make eye contact - especially when breastfeeding. She likes to be held either on a shoulder, or sitting on a lap facing out. I guess she doesn't like to miss the action. She slept through the night on Wednesday (from midnight to 8am), but that was the only time she's done that. Otherwise she goes to sleep around midnight, wakes up at 3 or 4 to eat, then sleeps until 7ish. Not a bad schedule...let's hope she keeps it up!




This week Daddy goes back to work for good, so night time feedings will have to be with Mommy from now on. Although Daddy loves his little girl, I think he secretly likes being at work without fussy baby. Geez, I never thought I'd say that Jason actually LIKES to be at work!

Penny week 2

Miss Penny Lane is now two weeks old!

This was a big week for Little Miss...we did lots of fun stuff. Penny went for her first walk around the neighborhood with Mommy and Daddy. It was a little chilly out, but she was bundled up nice and warm, and Daddy carried her on his chest in her Baby Bijorn. She was a happy little girl!

We had our annual Christmas dinner with our friends, and it was Penny's first time meeting her "Aunties" and "Uncles". Kelly, Smitty, Emily, Danny, Kim, and Christian all came over to visit our Little Miss....and she was showered with gifts! The girls all brought food so that I wouldn't have to cook (bless their hearts). We had a great night of eating and relaxing with Penny. Of, and if you are wondering why Christian is wearing a surgical mask...well, you can probably guess. He was just getting over a little illness, and his doctor gave him the clearance to visit Penny, but suggested wearing the mask. Gotta love Christian...the things he does for little ones!

Christmas Eve was Penny's first trip to Grandma and Grampy's house, and her first time meeting her Uncles! She was very good in the car ride down (slept the entire time), and she loved meeting her family. Uncle Jeff, Uncle Robby, and Uncle Mike took turns passing her around and taking pictures. She was even kind enough to sleep in her car seat while we ate our traditional dinner.

Christmas Day was Penny's first big family gathering at home. Grandma, Grampy, Uncle Jeff, Svetlana, Uncle Robby, Uncle Mike, Xiaodao, Nana, Great Aunt Holly, Great Uncle Keith, Bonnie, Ben, Great Aunt Maria, Great Uncle Mike, Mike and Lisa all came to visit. We had a restful relaxing day of eating, picture taking, and sitting by the fire. All family holidays should be like this.