Wormy's Playtime

Wormy was in a grand mood today and enjoying her playtime. She spent the morning at Wee Play, a playtime session for little babies offered by Alameda Parks & Rec at the Veteran's Building. She was the belle of the ball, cruising from toy to toy and meeting new friends. We thought it would knock her out for the day. But back at home, she still had some playtime left in her (followed not long afterwards by a two and a half hour nap).

Talking to Mommy

Virginia sure does like playing with all the stuff in her toy box. Sometimes she gives Mommy a running commentary as to what she's doing by offering the constant refrain of "baa, baa, baa."

Madame McSmiley

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

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!

Tuesdays with Grammy

On the eve of her 60th birthday, Grammy Harvey came over for the evening to have a slumber party with Virginia.  On several occasions in the last two weeks, Grammy has generously offered to serve as our "night nurse" so that we could get a little rest at night.  It has turned out that Virginia is quite the night owl, sleeping easily during the day and partying all night long.   We were a little anxious that Grammy would have a bleary-eyed 60th birthday as a result.

Our fears were unfounded.  Recognizing the importance of the occasion, Virginia was as good as gold, sleeping for long stretches and snuggling up with Grammy for some quiet quality time after nursing.  It was a happy evening for everyone.

The First Week at Home

Thomas and I survived the first week at home with a newborn!  We had a lot of help to make it all possible - my parents were both in town all week and served as cooks, housekeepers, and baby holders (so I could take the occasional shower or two).  Thomas's mother came and served as our "night nurse" on Monday and Tuesday nights.  We also had some fabulous meals courtesy of her kitchen.  We couldn't have done it alone!  Here are some photos of the proud grandparents - Mi-Ma (Elise), Papa (David), Poppy (Peter), and Grammy (Susan).

Virginia (who is now affectionately known as "Little Squirmer," "Squirmy McWormy," and "Baby V") has been a pretty darn good baby so far.  She has her bouts of fussiness, but they don't seem to last for long.  I'm starting to figure out the differences in her cries so we can address her needs and shorten the crying spells.

Virginia is also showing signs of some pretty bizarre but promising eating and sleeping patterns . . . she slept on Friday night for a more than 4 hour stretch after a 2 hour marathon eating session.  Apparently, a lot of newborns "cluster feed" like this, and it seems to have the effect of putting her to sleep for long periods.  I'm really hoping that this means she will sleep through the night early.  She is finally getting the hang of breast feeding and we are pretty sure she is going to have gained all her weight back by her pediatrician's appointment on Monday.

The Harveys are Home

Leslie, Virginia, and I returned home from the hospital the evening of Easter Sunday.   It was a happy surprise and a welcome return to the comforts of home.  

Initially, the hospital had planned to keep us through Monday morning because it wanted to observe Virginia for an extra day.  After her birth, Virginia had developed a hematoma on the base of her head that had given the CPMC doctors pause.  It was a Marsallis Wallis-style bump at the spot where her head meets her neck.  (I wanted to put a little band-aid on it.)  But after half a day of further observation, during which they confirmed that her hematoma was stable and not growing, the doctors concluded that Virginia was fine to return home with us.  Despite her little bump, Virginia was deemed road worthy. 

Here's a picture of Leslie leaving the hospital:

And here's a photo of me as I head into the house with Baby V: 

Note: At the time of this photo, I had showered exactly once since the big day.  Unlike me, Virginia was smart to keep her cap on.   

Getting the Nursery Ready

Thomas and I have been spending what little free time we have had the past few weeks making some big preparations for Baby Harvey. During the first weekend in March, we attended our second birthing class with the McMoyler Method. Thomas was unwittingly picked as a "volunteer" to demonstrate how to push the baby out in front of the whole class. He was quite a trooper and acted it out with reality and drama! Here we are with our teacher and with one of our classmates who was Thomas's "birth attendant."

We also have been making repeated trips to Target and Babies 'R' Us to get final supplies. Picking which diapers and wipes to get was quite overwhelming - Thomas finally determined that we should try Huggies first after reading lots of reviews.

The nursery is almost ready. We purchased a beautiful Ragazzi changing table from one of my coworkers that matches the natural wood furniture look we are going for in the nursery (thanks, Kim!). Thomas found a matching bookcase at Ikea, so along with our glider we purchased off of Craig's List and the dresser we already owned, we have managed to decorate the nursery at a reasonable price. Our only "splurge" was a new crib from Italian furniture maker Bellini. Sadly, it is the only hiccup we've encountered in our baby preparation so far. When we opened the box, we found that it was broken and had several stains on it! So, we won't have our crib until a replacement shipment comes in by mid-April. Baby Harvey is instead going to have to make do with the bassinet feature of our Pack N Play for a week or two (somehow, we don't think she'll know the difference).

Here are some photos of our almost-done nursery. I like to say that we kept the blue wall color because we are progressive San Franciscans who are raising a gender-neutral child, but those of you who actually know me know that probably isn't true! We just didn't want the hassle of painting since we are looking for a house and may move within a few months or a year. And the blue is kind of calming.