Hard Knock Life

Today, Virginia accompanied us to our favorite restaurant in San Francisco - Hard Knox Cafe.  The restaurant serves authentic Southern cooking - fantastic fried chicken, mac and cheese, and corn muffins!  Wormy got her first taste (indirectly) of many Southern delicacies.  She can't wait until we visit Alabama in July when she can get to taste even more Southern treats.  

It was a great lunch... Thomas and I were celebrating our 5 year anniversary today and we were glad to have Virginia along for the ride.

I see you!

This week, Virginia suddenly spotted all of the things hanging above her in her crib and play gym - all at once.  It was amazing how dramatic and rapid the change was.  One minute she looked right through them and the next minute she was tracking them and watching them all the time!  Here she is enjoying the sights and sounds of the "rainforest"...

Madame McSmiley

Virginia has been smiling up a storm recently. It's not like Leslie and I are thrilled about this or anything.

Uncle Buzz and Uncle Biggie

This week, Virginia met Uncle Buzz and Uncle Biggie for the first time.   She had a good old time with them!

Here she is telling a joke to Uncle Biggie:

She tried it out again with Uncle Buzz:

Fun times!

My Cool Hat

Virginia has been the recipient of an obscene amount of cute clothing: tiny pink sparkly Converse, a couple bikinis, a bunny costume with an attachable tail, a beanie cap shaped like a little cupcake, etc. We have been trying to roll these items out for public consumption over time, so we don't end up dominating the pages of www.cuteoverload.com too completely.

But I think it's safe at this point to show Virginia's favorite hat, a hand-knit beanie from Regan:

Gaining Weight and Sleeping Lots!

The last few weeks with Virginia have been full of lots of development.  We've had lots of challenges on the eating front, I'm happy to report that Virginia is now gaining weight like a champ.  The doctor checked her last week and she had gained a whopping 7 ounces in 7 days!  We checked her again at a baby store that has an accurate baby scale yesterday, and she had gained an additional 6 ounces during the 7 days after her last doctor's appointment.  Since our pediatrician wants her to gain 4-7 ounces a week, we are happily now in the clear.  Virginia's tummy and cheeks are now very round and totally cute. 

Even thought eating has been a challenge, I'm relieved that sleeping has not been.  Since she was 4 1/2 weeks, Virginia has been consistently going SIX HOURS between nighttime feedings.  That means that I'm getting about 5+ hours of uninterrupted sleep, usually between midnight and 5 am.  Amazing!  She's proving to be a champion sleeper. 

Virginia now smiles a ton.  Yesterday, she smiled at herself in the mirror in our hallway.  And she has also started her first baby babbles and coos.  It is nice to hear something other than a grunt come out of her mouth!

Here's a photo of Virginia in her favorite place in the house - the bouncy seat (a gift from Maribeth Lambert).  Virginia is proving to be a very independent baby who is not thrilled with the idea of being held all day.  She likes to be sitting up so she can survey the world.  My mom says that I was the same way... she thinks that I have given birth to myself!

Helping Dad draft posts for BabyHarvey.com:

Bathtime is not so fun:
The end of bathtime is much more fun - wrapped up and warm in the hooded towel (Thanks Aunt Judy and Uncle Chuck!):

Crammed in the Pram

When I was born, my parents bought a fancy English pram to show off their new baby.  With Virginia's arrival, it has re-emerged from storage and, after a tune up, is back in service.  It weighs about a hundred pounds and has the turning radius of a battleship, but there is no denying that it is cool. Virginia recently took a cruise in it.

First Recorded Smile!

Wormy has been smiling for several weeks now. (Her first definite, no questions asked, non-gas-induced smile, as confirmed by both Leslie and me, was on April 27.) But until now, her smiles have been difficult to capture on film. Over the last week, I've gotten one or two photos that arguably record a smile, either in its beginning or ending stages. But these generally had some drawback, like an errant arm in the way or an accumulation of spit-up.

Finally we have a no-doubter.

UPDATE: It turned out that, likely at the very moment that this photograph was being taken, Virginia was in the process of wetting through her diaper to soak the sheets.  Funny joke, Virginia!

Her Public

Virginia has recently chosen to grant a few select visitors an audience with her. So far it's been Aunt Lizzie, Uncle Whit, and Aunt Megan. She has been most patient with everyone.

Hitting the Bottle

Virginia has decided that it's okay for Daddy to feed her every once in a while.  Here she is getting her first bottle!