Kicking and squealing

Another hilarious video.

Nina kicking and squealing.

Amazing to see how tall she's getting!

Enjoy.

On strike!

Last week Nina started a bottle strike - she just flat-out refused to take a bottle, and would only eat from the boob. Try to give her a bottle, and she screams, kicks, and spits. Needless to say, it's been a huge pain in the you-know-what.

So, after yesterday's visit to the doctor, we decided to try solid foods. This video shows Nina eating solid food (rice cereal + breast milk) FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. As you can see, she did REALLY well - she figured out how to open her mouth and slurp that food off of that spoon!

This is a very exciting development, for a lot of reasons. The least of which is our new day care situation (she's going two days a week so that mommy can work). Last week Nina screamed and cried (and slept) the whole time - refusing to eat. Hopefully, now that she can be spoon-fed, she'll have a better time (of course, she'll still get most of her calories from breast-feeding).

Oh yeah, and the doctor reports that Nina is growing and developing wonderfully. She's 14 pounds, 3 ounces and 23 inches tall!

Nina finds her voice!

Hey blog readers. We have here some super-cute pictures of Nina. One with her mommy, the other with her cousin Ryan. As you can see, her little face is already quite expressive.

Stay tuned, 'cause our next post will feature pics of Nina with her grandmothers.

At the bottom, we present a video of Nina "talking" to mommy. Yes, little Nina is starting to find her voice.

Enjoy!

Nina in Ohio

We had a great trip to Cleveland (actually, Twinsburg) Ohio this weekend. Nina got to meet her grandpa Jones and his wife, Cenellia!

She's getting more alert and aware every day. Everyone got a kick out of her cute face and little antics. Several friends and neighbors stopped by to see Nina (it turns out she has a pretty serious fan base in the Twinsburg area).

Next stop for the little traveler is Portland (in November) to see the other side of her family!

This last photo her is from a few weeks ago, but it's just so cute I have to post it!

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!