The Name

No one guessed the correct name.

I think that our friend Erin had the most creative entry for the name...

"Please don't call your baby any of the following: Santa Claus, Shasta Coke, Stockinette Cable, Late For Dinner"

The "Late For Dinner" entry left me in stitches for weeks. Don't worry Sophia - we won't call you late for dinner! I am pretty sure you would not let us do such a thing at this point. The screaming would keep us in check and on time for dinner.

Erin, we will send you an autographed picture ASAP!

A few people have wondered why we choose the name Sophia. It is a name that I have always liked and while flipping through baby name books I mentioned it to Rob and he thought it was pretty perfect. We wanted to give our baby an Italian first name and this was a perfect choice. Unfortunately it has become quite popular in the past few years (it was #5 in popularity in 2005) which caused us to reconsider. I (obviously) have an unusual first name and I really wanted our child to have a unique name as she went through the world. In the end Sophia was too good to pass up.

The name Sophia means "wisdom" in Greek. I believe that she is wise and will teach us a lot about love and life. So, in that case it is a perfect name for her to have. Here is a link to a site that explains some of the history and etymology of Sophia's name. Another fun link is to the Baby Name Wizard which outlines the popularity of the name over the last century.


Sophia's middle name is the same as Rob's mother's - Christine. Rob's mom's full name was Wilma Christine. However she used Christine as her formal name. I am told that she signed her name Christine L., using her maiden name as her middle initial. I knew her as Cricket - her nickname. She was an amazing woman and I am so excited that Sophia will carry this part of her Mimi (what the grandchildren called Cricket) with her. Not only will she have her name but she will also have her nickname! Sophia's Granddad (Rob's dad) and her MeMa (Rob's aunt and Dad's wife) have taken to referring to her as Little Cricket. What an honor.

Sophia also had a second middle name - my maiden name. Therefore, her initials are actually - SCPR. Her last name is not hyphenated, she has the same last name as the rest of her little family of seven - three two legged members and four members with four legs.

What a lucky girl she is!

Spoiled by Grandpa

Sophia's Grandpa (my dad) brought this to the hospital the day after she was born. He already knows how to spoil his granddaughter.

Mama's Favorite Memories

February 12, 2007 - Our first night alone as a family.

Rob and I made dinner as Sophia slept in her sling. We sat in front of the television watching funny comedies, something we have done often. Rob sat next to me on the couch and as we ate and laughed we realized, almost simultaneously, that we had a baby. A beautiful, amazing, gorgeous baby who had been with us for nine months...a silent participant in many of these dinners. Now she was here and everything just felt right.

Sleep

Sophia took her first trip to Target yesterday. Mostly so I could get out of the house and see real people in public. She slept the whole time and only stirred as we were checking out. We headed over to the instore restaurant, had some pizza and I fed her. It was my first attempt at breast feeding in public. It wasn't too bad, with Rob's help I was able to pull it off without flashing anyone!



We are very lucky in that she likes her infant seat and does not mind the car. She also really likes her sling. Her best naps have been in these two places. I imagine as she gets older and a bit more particular we will use these to soothe her in the future.



The sling makes it easy to get things done during the day...like eating!

11 days

Little Miss Sophia is 11 days old today. Wow. Half of me thinks, ONLY 11 days?! And the other half thinking - It's been 11 days, how time flies! She is sleeping next to me now (I may have spoken too soon, I just saw the whites of her eyes) all bundled in a swaddling blanket. This is the first she's really slept this afternoon and it is 4 pm. So far today the little monkey has: eaten, pooped, eaten, sucked on Daddy's finger, snuggled with Mama during her nap, cried, screamed, had her diaper changed...rinse, repeat. A more thrilling day could not be had.

We went back to the Pediatrician for her weight check last Friday - her week birthday. As of that day she had gained back her birth weight plus an ounce...weighing in at 6 lbs 2 oz. She had also already lost her cord. The pediatrician put her through the works - tested all of her responses and check her hips and all her little body parts. He said she looks great and is, of course, perfect. But we already knew that.

All of that weight gain - 1/2 lbs in 3 days - had quite a bit of a toll on me. I called a lactation consultant over the weekend and she came out to the house on Monday. It seems that Sophia is feeding correctly, she is latching on as she should. However, the lactation consultant was shocked at what a good feeder she is! Apparently a 37 week old baby gaining that weight so quickly is rare and the consultant wasn't surprised I was feeling sore and having pain issues. For now I have been instructed to keep it up and, if needed, to use the breat pump we purchased to give myself a break.

At this point she is eating about every 3 hours. At night she sleeps pretty well in between feedings and wakes me with her little grunts and groans. They are really quite cute even for a late night wake up call. Most nights I can get her to settle into a feeding relatively quickly. She sleeps next to our bed in a bassinet which has made everything a whole lot easier. Rob and I set up a little diaper changing station next to the bed which means all I have to do is reach over to get her in the middle of the night, feed her and we're off to the races. My feet don't even touch the floor.

Our daytime has been different each day. My family left yesterday (Monday) and Sophia and I have been working out our schedule and pattern. Today she is fond of sleeping on Mama and isn't too into resting on her own. She's also been quite alert and gazing around the room, lifts her head, and generally takes stock of the world from her perch. Watching her turn into a little person is pretty amazing. She loves to suck on Rob's finger and smiles more often than not. I know that this is mostly an involuntary muscle reaction. However, I do believe it is good practice for the lifetime of giggles that she will make!

Rob is, unfortunately, back at work after having the week off. He wasn't too pleased about this transition but has been handling it like a super star. He's been home for lunch both Monday and today and I hope he can continue that pattern for the next few weeks. It's nice to see another face during the day!

It's still bitterly cold here, leaving us stuck indoors quite a bit. We have taken the dogs to the park the past few days (today was too cold - 17 degrees!). Sophia gets to ride in her sling under a big winter coat. We look pretty funny, We'll have to get a picture of it.


Here is our first family picture. Taken on Sophia's 1 week birthday. The yellow jumpsuits are worn in homage to one of Rob's favorite films - Bottle Rocket. I'll let him give you the full story on them during one of his next posts.


Thank you all for the phone calls, emails, gifts, prayers, and good thoughts. This is a huge adjustment for us all. Especially me - having to stay home all the time without access to a car. I am learning to slow down and before you know it I will be a pro and won't want to return to work. I can already see how hard it is going to be to leave the little pumpkin for any length of time and am cognizant of the important lesson she is about to teach me about living life one day at a time. I can't wait to see where she takes us!

LITTLE BANANA

Happy Birthday, baby girl... one week old!

We love you,

Mom and Dad

NEW Videos HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f00G-qu8M4U

And HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5VkakJS9lg

SHE'S GOT MY HAIR!!!

Drum roll, please... introducing:

MISS SOPHIA CHRISTINE

February 2, 2007
6 pounds - 1 once
17.5 inches
3 weeks early

much, much more to come... stay tuned!

More pictures here