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.