Doggie Daycare

We've been interviewing potential daycare candidates these past few weeks, and judging by these pictures, it seems as if Manny and Olivia have decided to throw their hats (or should I say ears?!?) in the ring. Sometimes they watch over Maribelle like a hawk, and that's exactly the kind of care we're looking for! Luckily, we think we've found that and more in the provider that we've chosen for Maribelle. Yes, we FINALLY found daycare! It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders now that we've made some decisions about how I will be returning to work and who will be watching Maribelle while I'm there. While a big part of me wants to stay home and play mommy all day long, another part of me is excited about finding a balance between work and family and giving Maribelle the opportunity to learn from others. I've got one more month at home before I'm back in my office at the law school ... You better believe I'm going to soak up as much baby yummy-ness as I can before that day gets here!

Baby Chatter

Maribelle had her two-month checkup last week, and our little girl is doing just great! She weighed in at 9lbs 8oz, which moves her up from the 5th percentile to the 25th percentile for her age. Her length of 22 inches moved her to the 50th percentile. She also received her first full round of immunizations, and while I was a nervous wreck about it, she took the shots like a champ. With just a few seconds of fussing, she went right back to sucking on her pacifier once the shots were done and over with.

So what else is new with Miss Maribelle? Well, she's becoming more vocal and interactive every day, so we spend a lot of time just looking at her and talking. Oddly enough, her favorite time to play is during diaper changes. The photo below is of Maribelle talking to her favorite stuffed toy (given to her the day she was born by cousin Maria!) while hanging out after a diaper change.



We've finally gotten some true, genuine smiles out of her, but man do we have to work hard to get them! She only rewards us with her gummy grin once we've displayed every silly noise/word/face that we can think of. I think she just likes seeing us make fools of ourselves, as demonstrated by the clip below. It's footage of Maribelle sort of smiling. I apologize for all the "meowing."

Eight Weeks

Six Weeks

Baby Days

Coming up on her six-week birthday, we're happy to report that Maribelle is quickly becoming a "biiiig girl" and is now weighing in at 7 pounds, 11 ounces. She's an eating machine, and is eating about every two hours around the clock. Which brings me to a question that I've been getting a lot lately: How are you enjoying your time at home with Maribelle, and what do you do all day long?


Of course I'm loving the time with Baby Belle and getting to know her more and more as she changes right before our eyes. Being a first-time parent (and a paranoid one, at that), every day brings a new situation for me to obsess over, Google or call my mom about, just to make sure everything is "normal." That's been the hardest part for me, learning to relax and accept the fact that babies do some pretty weird things. For example, Maribelle is the noisiest little baby I've ever met. When she sleeps, she puts on quite a show as she snorts, grunts, squeals, blows bubbles and tosses and turns for what seems like forever. Who would have thought it's perfectly normal for a baby to do that?!?

As for how I'm spending my days, they are pretty much a cycle of nursing, burping, changing diapers, and, lately, trying repeatedly to put Maribelle down once she falls asleep. Some days Maribelle sleeps most of the day with about a two- to four-hour awake period, and other days she's awake for what seems like the WHOLE day and refuses to be anywhere but in my arms. Those are the days when the baby swing is my saving grace.


When she's in a playful mood, we practice doing "tummy time," which she enjoys. Her neck muscles are getting so strong!



And by about five or six o'clock, we start counting down the hours until Daddy's arrival home from work. Most days, that's the best time of all, for both Mommy and Maribelle.

Happy Valentine's Day

Our little Valentine marked her first V-Day today, and she's got the bib to prove it! Today we had a short holiday photo session, followed by a big-girl bath given to her by Grandma A.

In fact, Maribelle was visited by both sets of grandparents and a few of her aunts this week and has been enjoying all the company.

Life with Baby M

We're settling in here at the Moorhead household, getting used to having a little one in charge of our days and our sometimes very long, long nights. Maribelle is quite the eating, pooping and sleeping machine, and the amount of baby laundry we've been doing is a testament to that. At her first pediatrician visit last week, we learned that she now weighs 5 lbs 15.5 oz, which means this baby girl is growing!


Also, Little Miss Maribelle has quickly become quite the Daddy's Girl (I still believe that's why she decided to come into this world so early ... to meet her Daddy, who had been reading and singing to her since Day 1. She just couldn't wait any longer to meet him!). In fact, Jeremy seems to have the calming touch when it comes to a crying Baby M. Whenever Maribelle is in Daddy's arms, everything is right in her little world.