Weekly Sophie video #4

6 AUGUST 2006: THIS VIDEO HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE BLOG. PLEASE EMAIL US IF YOU WOULD LIKE A COPY.

The video is brief this time, but I've left in the audio track. Sophie is starting to coo and grunt and "talk" a little in a pre-verbal way, so I thought you'd all appreciate hearing her voice a little. The video shows her just after a bath, which she enjoys a lot more now that she can sit in the water a little. In the video she's trying to get ahold of the video camera lens cap. She's been in a really good mood the last few days, impressing everyone she meets.

Elusive Smiles

We've been really busy trying to paint the house before we move in next weekend, so we haven't been taking too many pictures or posting them. We'll try to be better about it next week. In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures I took last week. I've been trying to catch one of Sophie's smiles on camera, but whenever I have the camera out, she gets camera-shy. She's starting to smile at us in return for our smiles. Here's a half-smile that I caught the other day:


She's also starting to play a little too. She likes to bat at things dangling in front of her, but she hasn't started grabbing at them yet:

Sophie's last couple of days

Sophie's had a pretty good couple of days with no really eventful occurences to report. She's trying very hard to hold her head up, and we've discovered that she really enjoys the music her swing plays. Most of the music is by German-speaking composers, so that's perhaps not so surprising. Sophie continues to be pleased by the play of the Germans in the world cup, especially by that of Miroslav Klose. She just wishes the US commentators would learn how to pronounce German names better! She's also rooting hard for UNC to pull out another win against Cal State Fullerton tonight in the College World Series, which would get her Heels into the final.

On Sunday, Sophie spent a few hours with her first babysitter (besides Grandma Fine), the best landlady ever, Stephanie Dew. Stephanie reported that Sophie slept most of the time, waking only to eat. Here's a photo of Sophie with Stephanie.

We're finally finished with some painting at the house, so Sophie wanted me to share shots of her new yellow room and her mom and dad's green one.

Finally, here's one last shot of Sophie on my birthday. She enjoys resting (and sleeping) on my shoulder, but she also seems to like posing for photos, too.

Weekly Sophie video #3

6 AUGUST 2006: THIS VIDEO HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE BLOG. PLEASE EMAIL US IF YOU WOULD LIKE A COPY.

We made the video yesterday morning as Sophie woke up (for the final time at about 9:00 am!!!). The second part shows her about to get her first diaper change of the late morning (certainly not of the day). Dirk the Diaper Monkey, named for a German I knew while I was in Vienna, keeps Sophie company while she gets her diaper changed. She seems to have really taken to Dirk. (Whether the "real" Dirk would be charmed or horrified by the idea of inspiring the name of a "diaper monkey" is still unknown at this point.)

Sophie's sports heroes

So Sophie's World Cup hopes for the Americans look bleak, it's true. But the Germans still look good, and continuing fortune for the Czechs would be OK, too. Meantime, Sophie's taken to rooting for the Tar Heel baseball team, which won its first game in the College World Series last night in 13 grueling innings. Here's a picture of Sophie rooting her Heels on.

Sophie's Mom's and Dad's Baby Pictures

Below are a few baby pictures of Mindy and me. I think Sophie's got Mindy's eyes and maybe a combination of Mindy's and my mouths. Nose-wise, it's hard to say, but we can hope that Sophie follows Mindy's lead there. Luckily, she's been spared my elephant ears as an infant, though I think my ears are at least proportional now . . . .

Our First Walk

The whole family took our first walk together on Saturday. It was great for me to get out and about, but as you can see, Sophie slept through the entire walk (which lasted about 1 1/2 hours because we stopped on campus to listen to some live music at the Brass Band Festival). Maybe next time she'll be awake to enjoy the great outdoors!

And, as Ian mentioned yesterday, we had our second doctor's appointment. I took a couple of pictures while we were waiting for the doctor. Here's one of Sophie trying to eat her fist:

Here's one of her being the well-behaved little girl she is:


Finally, we had a little surprise last night: Sophie's umbilical cord finally fell off! And it fell off exactly as Grandma Fine predicted--right into her diaper!

Sophie's smiles

Sophie's Grandma Schmidt asked for a few still images of her smiling from the last video, so I thought I'd make them available for everyone.

She was not this happy but still well-behaved at a second visit to the pediatrician today. She's now gaining weight well, and has added another 1/2" to her already long frame.

Yesterday she gave moral support to her parents while Mindy did some laundry over at the new house and I spackled and primed her room. It should get its coat of paint today right after the US plays the Czechs in the World Cup. Like her dad, Sophie likes the Czechs, but she's rooting for the US in this one. Hopefully, out of respect, Yaro, who's named for Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek, will be able to contain his enthusiasm for the Czech side. He's been known to hack up a hairball in disgust when the Czechs are scored on in international competition, but his manners have been exemplary since Sophie came home.

Weekly Sophie video #2

6 AUGUST 2006: THIS VIDEO HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE BLOG. PLEASE EMAIL US IF YOU WOULD LIKE A COPY.

The second portion shows her ecstatic about Germany's 4-2 victory over Costa Rica in the World Cup yesterday. She says she knows that her mom and dad really enjoyed their honeymoon in Costa Rica, but if she's got to pick sides . . . .

Sophie is sleeping much better now, sometimes even four or five hours during the night. At the least, she's sleeping well between feedings at night, and Mindy and I are trading off getting up with her after the 6:00 am one. We bought the paint for the house, and I'll be starting with Sophie's room on Monday at the latest. We chose a light yellow for her room. Please keep your fingers crossed that I can pull off all this painting on my own. Mindy's healing well, but she's just not up to the standing and stretching necessary for painting, and Sophie shouldn't be around those fumes anyway. We're back to the pediatrician on Monday for another checkup. Stay tuned for developments.

Mommy Update

Hi all! I'm finally getting around to writing something here. Between feedings, naps (Sophie's and mine), and visiting with my mom, I just haven't had time to update anything here. Ian's been great at keeping you all informed, though...

I am doing well. I am able to get up and around by myself now. I'm still a little sore, but I'm healing well. I love being able to see my daughter now after nine months of carrying her around with me! It's still a little surreal to think of myself as a mother, but it's so exciting at the same time. Ian's been the acting photographer (mostly), so I thought that I'd post a couple of pictures that I took today.

Here's a close-up of Sophie in my arms. She's been very awake all day, so we're hoping this is a good sign for tonight!

And here's one that I just took with her sleeping in her swing:

Well, it's time to feed little Sophie again, so I'll sign off. Thanks to all of you for your well-wishes!

Rocking into the first pediatrician's visit

Sophie contiues to do very well. She's settling into a bit of a routine, which includes a fair amount of crying, but now lasts for a shorter time. Mindy and I are working as a tag team to deal with her during the night, and so far it's working pretty well, though Grandma Fine had to pitch in and give us a break the first night we were home from the hospital.

One thing we've found that helps (surprise surprise) is rocking her in the rocking chair, which should touch Grandma Schmidt's heart, since she used the same chair to rock me and passed the chair on to us last Thanksgiving for Sophie. It still has magic in it, Mom!

Today Sophie had her first appointment at the pediatrician's office. She was very well behaved despite being naked (which she pretty much hates at the moment), and the doctor says that she looks great. Sophie's lost a little more weight, so we're going back in a week for another check-up, but everything looks great. We've met four of the seven pediatricians in the practice (soon to be six due to retirement) between today and the visits in the hospital, and they've all been terrific. They seem quite sensible regarding hospitalizations and antibiotics and so on, and they're very open to questions and are quite encouraging. And one's a Centre grad, so hey . . . . Here's a picture of Sophie at the appointment:

I went in to work yesterday afternoon to pick up the two Richard Scarry books I ordered for Sophie. I had them when I was a kid and still love the pictures. I think maybe my love for animals comes partially from his books, which are filled with animals acting like people. (I have to say, though, that they are a bit dated in places--the gender roles are a little traditional, the families are all pretty homogenous, and there are a few quaint notions like "grocers" shown, but I suppose reality can correct the oversights in these otherwise terrific books.) Sophie and I will work on the pictures in at least English and German, but maybe Mindy will teach us both some Spanish with them, too.

I'm also trying to work a little music into Sophie's routine. Besides grown-up music, we've got a Sesame Street greatest hits CD (maybe that's more for me to enjoy . . .), a beautiful CD of international lullabies from Phyllis Bellver, and some lovely acoustic lullabies from Deb Jones. They Might Be Giants and the Beatles would seem logical next steps, but the Beastie Boys are many years off, I think. Sophie's definitely got the hand gestures down for being an MC, though.

Finally, one more shot to show you her favorite way of sleeping at the moment. I love the little outfit, too. Quite mod, I think, while still being colorful.

Weekly Sophie Video #1

6 AUGUST 2006: THIS VIDEO HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE BLOG. PLEASE EMAIL US IF YOU WOULD LIKE A COPY.

We got a video camera in anticipation of Sophie's arrival, and I'm playing around with ways of getting some of the video I shoot out to you. Given the space limitations we're working with, I've decided to try out posting a brief weekly video every weekend. When a new video is posted, the old one will have to come down. But we'll still have it on our computer, so if you'd like a older video, we can burn it to a CD. Just let us know. If you're using a PC, you could also right click on the link below with your mouse and download the video to your own computer. After right-clicking, choose "save target as" or "save link as" and go from there. (If you're using a Mac, you know what you're doing and don't need my help.)

This first video, shot on Thursday and Friday, is without sound (there wasn't much of interest, and without sound the file is smaller). You'll need to have Apple's QuickTime program installed on your computer to watch the video. If you don't have QuickTime installed (you probably do), visit here to download the program for free. It's trustworthy.

At any rate, enjoy this first weekly video of Sophie. It gives a better impression of her personality than a still image, I think, and you get a chance to check out her monkey-like toes and the way she holds her own pacifier with her hand.

We're home . . .

Sophie and Mindy (and I) returned from the hospital late this morning with Grandma Fine's help. Sophie seems to be adapting pretty well so far, and Yaro at least is showing minimal but respectful interest (except when the baby monitor makes a little noise). Sophie had a bit of a rough night last night, though there was nothing serious wrong--she's just getting used to the schedule of days and nights. At the moment, she seems to think the days are for sleeping and the nights for screaming. But we're hoping a bath a little closer to bedtime will help her ease into a more restful night.

Here's the first picture of Sophie at home. She's in a cute little gown, which she loves because she can kick her legs around freely.

Update on Sophie's 1st couple of days

Sophie continues to do very well. She loves to squirm around and wave her long arms and legs emphatically. Her long fingers and toes seem to take after her dad, but we're hoping she can draw upon her mom's athletic abilities to put those fingers to some good use, especially since neither of her parents have much musical ability. Long fingers, long arms, and long legs . . . a basketball player, perhaps, like her mom and her Grandpa Fine? Or maybe her gestures will be useful in debate and speech activities like they were for her dad and her Grandpa Wilson. Who knows.

After sleeping much of her first full day, Sophie's been more awake so far today. She's doing great medically. She already gravitates toward her mom whenever she's upset, but maybe that's because I've been changing most of her diapers while Mindy continues to recover. (Grandma Fine has been helping with the diapers, too, thank goodness.) Mindy's doing really well, recovering quickly and able to get around a little on her own. I think both Sophie and Mindy are ready to get out of the hospital and home, which should happen tomorrow.

SOPHIE HAS ARRIVED!

Sophia Elizabeth Wilson thanks you all for your patience!

With Mom this morning . . .

With Dad last night . . .

With Grandma Fine this morning . . .

Right after birth, at 7:32 pm . . .

The pediatrician cleaning her up right after birth . . .

Weighing in at 9 lbs. and filling the whole scale with her 21.5" frame . . .


Sophie hopes that she'll get a chance to meet all of you soon!