Visitors

I guess you have to have a baby to get people to come visit you.

Grandma andGrandpa Bickel

Grandma Meadows and Aunt Pappa

Uncle Andy

OH WAIT.... they're here to see the baby, not me ;-0

More visitors to come....Stay Tuned!

Alice's First Trip to Village Inn

Our pre-Alice life had a weekend routine, one part of which was Village Inn. Every Sat. morning we would go get breakfast, chat about the week and generally let it sink in that we didn't have to go to work. We got to know the waitstaff and manager by sight. They noticed as Cristy got more and more pregnant. At the end they kept asking when she was due, assuming it was any minute. Alice starting coming on a Sat. morning just as we were getting ready to go to Village Inn.

We missed the weekend breakfast trip for six weeks. Our first trip back they all ask about how it all went, etc. Our second trip back was with Alice. We went very early (since we were up...) when there are almost no customers there. The manager and staff all came to look at her and we heard how cute and wonderful she was...

Alice chilled in her own seat for some time (top picture), letting mom and dad eat most of their food until she ran out of patience and was ready for her breakfast. Mom fed her a bottle (middle picture) while dad kept drinking coffee.

When I tried to pay the waitress said it was on the manager, and that we have a wonderful baby. I was beaming and carried my girl out to the car... stopping briefly for a photo op for the blog.

Move #4: "I'm happy. Look over there."

Alice is still intent on grabbing her dad's beard. To this end, she has been trying out some new moves lately. Her latest and greatest move is called "I'm happy, Look over there".

She begins this move by looking away and making a sweet face. This both distracts and lulls her dad into letting his guard down. She keeps acting like her interest is somewhere else until, WAM, out comes the arm in the opposite direction.

And yes, the parental brain translates all of this to mean one thing. All is understood to lead to a single inevitable conclusion. Our baby is sooooo smart!!!

From 0 to Fussy in 5 seconds

Alice has this uncanny ability to turn on "fussy" the minute her dad gets home.

We have two names for this persona - Fussy Pants and Fussasaurus. Her pediatrician says it's probably colic, because it happens around the same time almost every day. She assures us it will get better in a couple of months, but it will probably get worst before it gets better...yeah US!

Alice is an angel in the morning. At least her dad gets to see this sweet side of her each day when he takes her while I pump and do a few chores before he leaves for work. During the day, we have ups and downs, but the full Fussasaurus doesn't emerge till evening.

When Fussy Pants rears her ugly head, there is very little we can do...keep shoving the paci into her screaming mouth, walk around with her, swing her back and forth, shush into her ear, but the two most effective calming techniques are to give her a bath (which is a temporary fix) or stand with her under the bathroom heater. Her dad figured out this last technique. It also only works for a little while, but any respite from the cries is welcomed.

Although we know there is nothing "wrong" with her that we can fix during these episodes, it is still hard to watch your little one crying and have no control.

Doctor Visit

Alice went to the Dr today. She also got one of her immunization shots... She introduced us to her "I've been hurt" cry. We had not heard it before. It was powerful... and effective, both of us were hovering over her comforting and touching and trying to calm her.

• Weighed 8 pounds five ounces today: 25th percentile.
• Body measured 21.5 inches in length: 75th percentile.
• Head measured 37.5cm: 55th percentile.

It never gets old

We are now up to 3....3 times Alice has pee'd on her mom.

I think she thinks its funny, and

it is.

Alice eats more often than a Hobbit.

When Alice is hungry, she is super hungry RIGHT NOW. She can be starting to make schrunchy faces and working up into a really healthy cry, and then the bottle is noticed and dinner is served, sweet face always follows immediately. So sweet. This is one of my favorite new activities.

Hmmm... What is that on your chin?

Alice has started reaching out, finding my beard, getting a big handful, and pulling it (and the rest of my head) towards her mouth. She has a good grip and a strong pull. This really hurts, but she is intentionally touching me so... its really cute.

Mom Nirvana

What you see here is the optimal lunch habitat for the lady of the Bickel household. Notice the Dr. Pepper. Notice the Taco Bueno. Notice the video monitor and the daily log. Fresh salsa caps this lunch feast off, combined with a few free moments to converse with the man of the house. She is in command of the baby situation, and enjoys the fresh food he has brought back from his hunt.

She is pleased:

Getting out of the House

I spent the first week (or two) after Alice's birth wearing pajamas and sitting on the couch. After my 2 week incision check, I was starting to feel more normal...still some pain getting up to a sitting position, but once I'm up, I'm just fine.

By week three, I began to get dressed and somewhat "made up"...fix the hair, limited makeup, etc...and along with that, the urge to get out of the house more.

Even though it is January, the weather has been nice and warm, so I decided it was a perfect day to take a walk. I dressed Alice in a pink jumper and cap (given to Alice by her Aunt Sissy) and placed her in the car seat that snaps into the stroller. Alice promptly fell asleep for the duration of the walk.

American Idol

Yes, that is American Idol on in the background. Yes, our daughter has turned her head away and covered her face.

She does not approve.

We couldn't help it. It was the fourth month of the writer's strike and we were massively sleep deprived.

Alice's first real toy

Although Alice is too young to play with a toy yet, she definately has begun to notice things and concentrate her attention on items and people.

Alice's first toy she is "aware" of is a rattle she likes to look at while being changed. Sometimes we let her lay there on the changing table for a while to stare at the toy....especially when she is being fussy.

She has Daddy's Ear

A friend calls it a "daddy defect". I think of it as a signal marking, shared with my daughter. She can explain it to the inquisitive as damage taken in a knife fight (boys should be wary), or as one of those interesting genetic expressions that marks us, as unique :-)

Daddy's Right Ear:

Alice's Left Ear:

Bath Time

Alice's first bath was a sponge bath since her cord had not yet fallen off. We collected all the tools....towels, wash cloths, shampoo, soap and lotion, and turned the bathroom heater on to warm the room. Not really knowing HOW to bathe a newborn, I'm not sure if her first bath got her all that clean, and as you can see by the photo...she was not all that happy with the service. As I was toweling her off and getting her wrapped up...she pee'd on me!

Alice's second bath was a little more sucessful. Her cord had fallen off, so we were able to use her infant bath tub. Again, we collected all the tools....towels, wash cloths, shampoo, soap and lotion, and turned the bathroom heater on. The tub has a battery powered shower head so we were able to better wash all her pieces/parts. This time, she didn't cry. I think she enjoyed this bathing experience, and she didn't pee on me this time.