We call Renna "velcro baby" because of her great fondness for being held ALL of the time. We carry her around in the Baby Bjorn carrier much of the day because of her strong objections to being put down. Carrying our 13.5 lb babe around leaves us with aching backs so we are eagerly trying to get her used to her bouncy seat, the swing, the carseat... anything!
Here she is in her bouncy seat, asleep in her car seat & sacked out in our bed. All very RARE moments!!! We are enjoying the spring and the chance to take her for walks & hikes. She loves being outside. We're thrilled that she has started smiling at us!
Grandma came to visit in February. We were all very happy to have her here and she was amazed at how little baby Renna had grown since her last visit at week 3 of her life. Grandma has a great knack for cuddling with Renna and putting her to sleep. She helped us get organized, putting away all of the little baby clothes and making room for bigger sizes! Renna's grandmothers and aunts keep her looking pretty in lots of cute clothes.
This last picture is Renna with Shawn at our favorite bakery. Shawn, Amy & Sal joined us for breakfast on Sue's last morning in town. Shawn sure has the "touch" with Renna. As you can see, she's very relaxed with him! He's a "baby charmer."
Here's a family photo from back in February. We're playing "catch up" on the blog! And here's Daddy giving Renna a bath. As you can see Renna still has no problems with eating!
Renna met her great grandparents (Grammy & Grampa Jim) recently (Katie's Dad's parents). Grammy loved cuddling with Renna and didn't even want to put her down to eat dinner. Renna was named after Grammy's mother who was named Elsie Irene but was called Renna. Renna was also named to honor Scott's dad. Following a Jewish tradition we chose an "R" name in rememberance of his dad whose name was Robert.
When we brought Renna home nine weeks ago she weighed about 4 lbs, 12 oz. Today we went for her 2 month check up and found that she has grown to weigh 11 lbs, 5 oz. The girl can eat! She is in the 75th percentile for weight -- and that's among babies born at term. If we put her up against the premies she'd be off the charts! She's in the 50th percentile for height so for now she's a chub. She eats about every two hours or so still. She has about 4 chins (great for catching and storing milk in) and we can no longer see her knees for the pudge on her legs. We are very pleased of course that she's growing so well! She's got gorgeous blue eyes and a pretty calm disposition. She's a noisy little thing -- she has a repertoire of grunts, squeaks, squawks and snorts. We're waiting for the "cooing" and smiling to start as the books on babies tell us it soon will. I am thrilled that the pediatrician lifted our restrictions and we can now take Renna out in public. After a month on bedrest and 2 months home with her I'm really excited about getting out.
We took Renna to Atlanta the weekend of Feb 9-11 and she did very well on her first road trip! We went so that Scott could go to a gallery opening where his good friend Arny's sculpture was being exhibited. We got to see my sister Emily and her boyfriend Tim, as well as lots of friends -- Ruth, Arny & Stephanie, Lisa & Trish, and Tana & Kathy. We all survived the car ride just fine. We think that Renna was a little bit confused by having so many people around admiring her since all she has known is the quiet of our house with just a few folks around (usually just mom and dad!). I was so glad to get out into the world and see so many great friends!
Well, the Chicago contingent has gone back north. My mother and sister were able to leave little Renna without being too heart-broken. Maybe the Bears win buoyed their spirits? Maybe that's just my own happiness seeping through.
I am home for the week from work, so I am enjoying much more time with Katie and Renna. We just got a great sling from a friend of Katie's (thanks Laura). Renna loves it and it has revolutionized (well maybe that is the overstatement of a very tired Dad) our lives. Now she thinks she's being held in my arms, but the sling is holding her and I can type with both hands.
This posting is for both of the Grandmothers. Bea has had a cold for the past few days (most likely due to her running around helping everyone else out so much) and has not been able to hold the baby. We did have her and Jeff over before my family left, but only Jeff held her. So, I am including some photos and some video for the Grandmothers (Bebe and Grandma) so they won't miss too much of Renna.
Here is a little look we call "I'd like some food now. When I purse my lips, I mean business."
We call this look "I'm thinking about something really important, but I'm not going to tell you."
Renna may be getting a little too used to all of the attention. With the Chicago contingent in town it is a bit like her having her own paparazzi. Here she is with a little non-verbal protest.
Well, it has been too long since I got on the Blog. Sorry for the delay. I have gone back to work part-time and my family has come from Chicago, so we have not had much time. Also, Renna has gone from a predictable little feeder (we used to wake her up every 3 hours to eat) to feeding on demand -- and much more often. She eats about every 1 and a half hours. She is growing fast. She is now up to 5 pounds, 9 ounces. My mother calls her a "chaser" (with a Yiddish ccchhhh sound) which means "little piggy." We are happy she is growing.
So here are some pictures and some video at the end.
Here is Grandpa Howard with the little girl. Howie is having a great time on the visit, mostly by eating great southern food (bar-b-q, Crispy Cream donuts, etc...)
Here Renna is relaxing after her first full-water bath. She loved being in the tub.
We actually got some snow in Asheville. Katie and I got a chance to make it out for a dinner date while my mother babysat. Katie made it through most of the dinner without either falling asleep or missing Renna too much.
Here is my sister Robyn with Renna. Robyn has jumped into being a great aunt. She is very excited to be here and has been a great help.
Here is my mother with Renna. The Chicago Grandma has been a HUGE help. She loves being with Renna and we have really enjoyed having her here.
We call Renna "velcro baby" because of her great fondness for being held ALL of the time. We carry her around in the Baby Bjorn carrier much of the day because of her strong objections to being put down. Carrying our 13.5 lb babe around leaves us with aching backs so we are eagerly trying to get her used to her bouncy seat, the swing, the carseat... anything!
