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!

Grammy's Birthday Party

Grammy had a birthday party this past weekend.  Virginia was invited!


The party was a picnic at Tilden Park.   We found a sunny table in a quiet part of the park and enjoyed all kinds of good food and drinks.  Uncle David sent Grammy all kinds of western-themed goodies, including a cake featuring Grammy at age 10 riding her first pony.  Everybody also got a turn on on the horsey pinata.

After the picnic, we all visited the Tilden Park Steam Trains, a club where park guests can ride on small gauge live steamers.   Gramps used to love coming here when he visited California.  

Wormy got her first ride on the Redwood Valley Railroad!

It's Official!

Virginia received her first letter today: her social security card! There it is, written in ink. So the man officially knows about her.

It kind of boggles my mind that, just like her parents' old social security cards, this one is printed on just a flimsy little piece of paper. Perhaps it is just wishful thinking, but I had hoped that, when producing an ID card that forms the basis for every American's electronic identity, the federal government would have taken advantage of some of the world's technological advancements of the past 30 years. (Note that I've carefully blurred out her number so our loyal readership doesn't get any funny ideas.)  I'm sure our crack team in Congress is already all over the necessary upgrades.  

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.

Hello World!

Virginia ventured out into the big, big world this week.   On her first stroller trip, we walked a few blocks from our house to the crooked part of Lombard Street.  Since it can be touristy, Virginia tried to keep  a low profile (photo below).  

The following day we took a trip over to Fort Mason.   San Francisco was experiencing a heat wave and so everyone was out at the park on blankets, tossing the football around, and enjoying picnics.  Squirmy Harvey personally wasn't interested in any cheese and crackers, but she hung out for a few hours and sunbathed while Mommy and Daddy read.  It was a big success!