Gianna and The City

Thursday was a beautiful day to play hookie! My wonderful husband and I took Gianna into the city to see the Cherry Blossoms. Afterall, we couldn't let her first spring go by without seeing how beautifully they grace the Tidal Basin. It was a perfect day, the sun was shining, and Gianna seemed to love being out in the hustle and bustle that is DC. While we were there we showed her where we got married and she cooed with approval. At the Jefferson, Travis spotted some of our "guests" that day and we wondered if they recognized us. We should have taken some pictures of them for the blog...

Who says big girls don't cry?

Gianna had her two month check up on Wednesday, March 23rd, and as predicted there wasn't a dry eye in the place...besides the doctor, of course. For her this was routine, 7 vaccinations in the form of three shots and one liquid given orally, which I was assured tasted like lemonade. I had my doubts. The shots were put into her thighs. She screamed and cried while I held her in my arms and cried right along with her. I couldn't help it. It's amazing the amount of pain you feel when your child hurts. Who would have guessed it? I had imagined that I would feel terribly for Gianna, but I never thought I would want to rip the doctor's face off. I wish I were joking.

Before being given the shots, Gianna was poked and prodded and checked out. She handled all of this very well and was her usual happy self. The most exciting part of the check up was when the doctor placed her on her stomach to make sure she was developing normally, and was able to do her mini push-ups. It was then that Gianna turned herself over from her stomach to her back. I guess I didn't seem excited enough and so the doctor said, "You know, most babies begin turning over at around 4 months, this is great." So I smiled and said, "Wonderful!" I know I should have been really happy, but to be honest all I could think about was that now I had to worry about her turning over onto her stomach in the middle of the night when I wasn't watching. I swear, I worry when there is nothing to worry about...I may need to work on this. However, I definitely think this solidified the need to further extend the time she spends in the bassinet next to our bed. This should make Travis happy.

When Gianna was born she was 7 pounds 8 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long. However, the fact that I pushed and pushed for quite awhile before the doctor finally decided that my pelvis was too narrow for Gianna to descend and that I would need to have a c-section, produced one cone-headed baby. So when I went for her first check up at two weeks, it was no surprise that she was 7 pounds 12 ounces and only 20 1/4 inches long. At that time she was at the 25th percentile for weight and the 50th percentile for height. Currently, she is 10 pounds 7 ounces and 22 inches long. She is at the 50th percentile for both weight and height. She's getting to be such a big girl! Our next adventure is forthcoming. Hopefully it won't include any doctor's visits or shots for awhile.

 

Necessity is the mother of all invention...

I have decided that it is necessary to create a digital archive of our little girl's life. I feel it's easier for family, which is scattered all about, and friends to keep track of our little mutton (one of many nicknames we have for her). So although I am excited about the blog, I worry about not having an actual "baby book". Thankfully, my friend told me about this website that I can go to and create a book, thus fufilling that need to have something "on the shelf" or in boxes to show friends, family, and future generations. 


Gianna was 7 weeks old yesterday and has entertained us with her constant "dove" noises. We affectionately call her Columbo, which means dove in Italian. She has done this since her very first day in the hospital and we have come to cherish it. Travis however, wishes we would move Gianna into her own room at night. The label on the bassinet says, "infants up to 5 months", so I've told him that she's got 3 more months. He laughed. I think he thinks I'm joking.


When Gianna was just 6 days old she started lifting her head and began focusing on our faces. She would follow the sound of our voice with her eyes, eventually turning to look at us. She turns toward loud noises and throws her hands up when she's startled.


At 3 weeks old her umbilical cord fell off and we began contemplating whether she would have an innie or an outie. At 7 weeks we are still unsure! Gianna does "tummy time" each day to help her learn how to push up, roll over, sit up, crawl, and pull to a stand. She enjoys it and rarely ever fusses because she wants to stop.

Three generations making pizza for the first time at 3 weeks.

One of Gianna's greatest developments as of late is her gorgeous smile. Smiling not just because she has gas but because she genuinely thinks what we say and do is entertaining. It's amazing! She loves to smile in the morning, especially after asked if she's ticklish. That toothless grin makes all the long nights worth it.


As we are all aware Gianna looks exactly like her father. From the moment she was born it was clear. She is a beautiful girl version of Travis. Her hair is unbelievable and everyone at the hospital remarked about the quantity of it. As she continues to grow some of my traits have surfaced...she twirls her hair with her finger, something I've done my whole life and she's stubborn, need I say more? Although, with the Italian curse my mom put on me, we could have predicted as much.


Speaking of moms...I don't know what we would have done without my mom here for the first 4 weeks of Gianna's life. From washing clothes and making every meal to just dealing with my crazy hormonal mood swings on a daily basis, she was the reason I was able to cope with being a new mom and the trials of nursing. Travis' mom has been great too. She has come down almost every weekend to help and took Gianna for the better part of a Saturday night, so I could get 4 consecutive hours of sleep! Imagine that?


So from now on I will update the blog as often as Gianna allows me to. We have our 2 month appointment on Wednesday, where she will get some shots...i hope I don't cry. We will also get an updated height and weight among other measurements. Stay tuned...

Leaving the Hospital...Oh no, we're on our own!