Thur - April 2 - "Triple 5" - 5 pounds, 5.5 ounces

Sofia is getting bigger and stronger. She is now 5 pounds 5.5 ounces; she gained one pound the first week and an half at home.  We were very happy with the news but Sofia didn't seem to like it, she decided to do sit ups when we got home from the Dr :-) (see pics below).

Tue - March 31 - "The Eyes Exam"

Sofia had her follow up eyes exam and it was horrible. She was on my lap and I had to hold her through it... 

Step 1 - Drops are put on her eyes to dilate them. 

  Sofia didn't like this much but it was no big deal; just drops.

Step 2 - A little metal thing is put on her eye to open it and keep it open. It puts so much pressure on her eye lid that marks it for a couple of minutes.

   Sofia really doesn't like this and she's trying to move her head. I have to hold her still and her arms are all over the place. Mommy feels bad she has to have this uncomfortable thing on her eye.

Step 3 - The Dr uses a little spatula type instrument to move the eye ball around as he checks her eye... as the baby is trying to move her eye to one side, his moving it to the other side... horrible thing to watch.

    Sofia is now screaming, she's crying as hard as she can and Mommy just wants this to end. 

Then I have to suffer through it again as the Dr does the same thing to the other eye.

The good news is that the development of her eyes is progressing as required. 

The bad news is that we have to go again for two more checks one a month from now and the other one 3 months from now... Anyone wants to volunteer to hold the baby next time?

 

Mon - March 30 - "Just Hanging Out"

Sofia is doing great... her cheeks look fuller to me, we should have hit the 5 pounds by now. We will confirm later this week when we go back to the Dr to weigh her. We had visitors every day this weekend; Titi Sonia on Fri, The Negron clan and Noemi on Sat, Shani and Karen on Sun. It was nice to spend some time with family and friends ... 

Sofia's nails are longer now and she started scratching her face, since mitts fit too big, we tried socks and that works well. Mommy will ask the nurse on Thursday to help her give Sofia her first mini manicure. 

Fri - March 27 - "All About Feeding."

Sofia is spending a little bit more time awake after her feedings. She doesn't fall asleep in the middle of her meals now. She has discovered the joy of  being held... Mommy and Daddy put her on their chests and she "falls asleep"; as soon as she is back on her crib she opens her eyes. She has not linked crying to "come get me" yet, she just gives us a look of "come on, your chest feels so much nicer". She only cries when she's hungry or when she's not happy about a diaper change.  She has been eating 15 to 16 ounces of milk a day, 3-5 ounces more than what she was eating last Friday when we brought her home. She usually takes 2 ounces per feeding but she's been taking one or two 3 ounce feedings every day. During the day sometimes she eats every 3 hours and today she was asking for milk every 2 hours;  luckily  at night she has been sticking to her 4 hour schedule and I get to sleep a little :-)

Auntie Sonia came to visit today and got to hold Sofia for the first time... Sofia enjoyed the visit and was awake for a little bit. 

Wed - March 25 - "Nurse Visit & Dr Visit"

The Hospital assigned us a home nurse to visit once a week for the next two weeks. The nurse spent about an hour with us yesterday, checked Sofia's vitals, weighted her (4 pounds, 11 oz) and answered questions. I first thought it was going to be a waste of time since we were going to the pediatrician today but it turned out to be useful. 

Today was our first time out of the house with Sofia; we went to the pediatrician. The visit went well, Sofia is doing great. 

At home things are under control, it is amazing how fast time passes by when you are taking care of a newborn... I'm really enjoying my time with the baby and even Chula found something she liked about Sofia too :)

Mon - March 23 - "Having a Wonderful Time"

We are having a great time at home with Sofia. She is in a 4 hours routine pretty much and we are learning her cues on how much milk she wants as it varies.  Sunday we gave her a bath and Mommy and Daddy teamed up great. 

Sat - March 21 - "Home Sweet Home"

We've been at home with Sofia for a day and a half and we've decided she is a keeper :) ... We are all doing well enjoying each other...

Sofia has been eating 2.5 ounces in almost every feeding and she is waking up hungry every 4 hours. We are visiting the pediatrician for the first time on Wednesday and I suspect Sofia will have gained a good couple of ounces... Mommy and Daddy's energy levels are still high; Mommy is lucky to have 2 good helpers, see pic below.