Reaching and Grabbing!

Another first for Nina!

Yesterday, for the first time in her life, Nina was looking at something, then reached and grabbed it!

In this case, it was a sock-puppet doll that we laid down next to her in her little crib. She studied it's face for a long time, then slowly, and with a lot of flailing around, sent one of those little hands over to its face. After a few tries, she actually grabbed onto one of the puppet's eyes. Go Nina!

Below, we have a video that we think you'll find hilarious. It's Nina, sitting in her little automated swing (although it's not switched on). Once again, she's a girl of a 1,000 faces! You're going to want to crank up the volume on your computer for this one - her little noises (and one little noise toward the end, in particular) are hilarious.

And here's Mommy and Nina on an Amtrak train! They left NYC this morning headed for Vermont for the NICU reunion!

Sadly, Daddy had to stay behind to finish up some projects - last chance before the end of summer!

Stay tuned, blog readers!

Nina at 30,000 feet

We're back in NYC after a week in the smokey mountains of North Carolina!

Nina, it turns out, is a GREAT traveller (like her mom). She slept and nursed on the plane, and didn't seem bothered by take-off, landing, changes in air pressure, or any of it. Actually, the worst part for her was car rides - being strapped into that car seat!

Needless to say, it was great to get out of the city for a week. Everyone needed a little fresh air, and some much-needed rest.

22 inches tall!

Hey there, blog readers!

So, we went to the doctor yesterday, and it's all good news: Nina is 9 pounds, 11 ounces - she gained exactly two pounds since our last visit one month ago!

And she's about 22 inches long!

Not only that, but something has really clicked between her eyes and her brain - the girl loves to make and hold eye contact (seen in picture 1 here).

The other day we took a lovely trip upstate to visit with some of Nina's NY family. In this picture you see Nina being held by her GREAT-grandmother! Amazing!

Finally, we show you one of Nina's new favorite things: smiling. Yes folks, when the tummy is full, and the gas has passed, and the mood is right, this girl really likes to throw some smiles around.

Tomorrow, we're off to spend a week with friends in North Carolina.

Stay tuned!

She's growing!

Blog readers!

It's been a long time, but know that little Boo Boo is doing wonderfully.

She's growing!

First, she's up another diaper size!

Second, she's holding her head up longer and longer these days - she LOVES to be held facing outward so she can look all around.

And here's some good news for her parents: she has gotten in the habit of sleeping at night! For several nights in a row, she's only gotten up twice to eat. Last night she only got up once!

Stay tuned...

Alert and awake

Nina continues to get bigger! We'll know her precise weight this Friday when we visit the doctor, but Mommy and Daddy have a bet about how much over 7 pounds she is now.

Regardless, there is no doubt that the girl is growing! She continues to be an eating (and pooping) machine.

Lately she has longer 'awake and alert' spells. Her new favorite thing is to stare at things in her environment. Below we have a little video of her doing just that.

Nina gets plenty of stimulation. She has great music to listen to, books that Mommy and Daddy read to her, daily walks in the neighborhood, and more and more visitors coming by to meet her.

She's a busy girl, but she still spends most of her time eating or napping.

Daddy's Day!

Today is Daddy's first Father's day! Yay!

It started with homemade blueberry pancakes with raspberry jam (yum!), and continued with reading the Sunday NY Times, cuddling with little Boo Boo (see an index of all of her nicknames below), and watching the World Cup.

Around mid-day, we gave Nina a bath. In this video, you can see how chubby she's getting!

Nina's nicknames (currently) include:

Ninaz, Little Sweetie, Sweetiekins, Boo Boo, Stinky, Hungry, Monkey, and Love Bug

The Many Faces of Nina

Nina got to meet her Nana yesterday! Nana held her for a long time, and they got to know each other.

Nina is getting bigger and stronger by the day. She nursed yesterday in the evening for almost two and a half hours straight!

Mommy and Daddy are still unpacking (it ain't easy!), and we REALLY appreciate the help we've gotten from friends who have come by to bring us groceries, cook us meals, help put up shelves and unpack boxes. WE LOVE YOU!

Finally, we leave you with a hilarious video perhaps best titled, "The Many Faces of Nina." She's just waking up from a nap, and has a minor case of the hiccups. Enjoy!