The First Two Weeks

The day after we got home, Monday the 4th, we had our first appointment with the pediatrician. We were relieved to find that Dr. Oppenheim was so nurturing and patient. Lila weighed in at 6 pounds and 1 ounce, so we left determined to put some weight on her.

Naturally, the first few nights with Lila at home were exhausting. Because she had been jaundice, the doctor gave us strict orders to feed her every three hours around the clock. And because it took about an hour for her to eat, she nor I got more than two hours of sleep at a time. I was an emotional wreck, but I'm told it's just due to the shift in hormones. Whatever the reason, I'm pretty sure Gabe was terrified to be in the same room as me. Breastfeeding took a toll on me, so I pumped and passed off some of the feedings to Daddy. (I was very lucky to have him home on paternity leave). We went back to the pediatrician on Wednesday the 13th and found that Lila had gained 11 ounces since her first visit a week and a half before. Dr. Oppenheim was very pleased with her progress and gave us the OK to stop waking her during the night for feedings. That night, we put Lila down around 11:30 pm and she slept until 6 in the morning--we got REALLY lucky with this one.

From the start, Lila had incredible strength in her upper body. She was able to lift her head and neck off of my shoulder and look me in the eye. Many times she did so to try and latch on to my nose--for some reason she was convinced she could get some food out of it.

Lila had many visitors over the last couple of weeks, including: Jenn, Craig and Ethan Lewner, Jeanna Novelli, Jess Ferrara, Lorne Fierbach, Suhaib Altaie, John Kwasek, Limor and Jordan Mann, Sara and Adam Bobkin, Diana, Mike and Maddie Mann, and Sam Mendez. She also enjoyed several visits from her Uncle Nicky, and her Nana and Papa. She seemed quite intrigued with her Uncle Nicky's silly ways. And she loved the walks she took with her Papa, and the conversations she had with her Nana Barbara.

The first couple of weeks were an adjustment, but Gabe and I are both on a high...having this little girl in our lives is better than we ever expected.
Jamie gave me the idea to take weekly pictures of Lila using one of her dolls as a frame of reference. Actually, I stole the idea from her, but thanks anyway, Jame.