Quick Update

Wow... only two blogs in all of July so far... we are slackers! Bea is definitely not slacking, though. She will be 16 weeks old tomorrow and is really doing well. She is sleeping 5-6 hours regularly now (hope typing it doesn't jinx it!). For the last few days, she has even been sleeping in her crib, not her bassinet. What a big girl! She has a doctor appointment next week, and we can't wait to see how much she weighs, because she is h-e-a-v-y!

The big news around here is that my parents (Liz and Dick) sold their house and are moving to Minneapolis. My dad started his job at the Eden Prairie Center mall in the Twin Cities in April and the Appleton house has been on the market since then. We are happy the house sold, but they have to be out on August 3 and they don't have a new house yet! They had an offer on a house, but the inspection didn't go well. So, we've been busy scouring the city for something they like in a hurry. Bea has been house hunting, too, and she actually does pretty well.

Bea is now getting out fairly often. We go to the grocery store, to see friends, to restaurants, to Matt's parents' cabin, and this weekend we are making the big trek to Appleton! Although five hours in the car with Bea does not sound particularly fun, we thought we would go back while Mom and Dad still have a house so Bea could meet her Great-Grandma Marcella and maybe some other relatives if she's not too crabby from the car ride. Should be interesting with Bea, Bullet and all the gear that goes with them.

Which leads us to other news... we got a minivan to carry all that gear. We are so suburban it's ridiculous. We sold the Super Subaru, to make room for it. It was a sad day, but the baby seat didn't fit well in the "Superu", so it had to go. I hate to say it, but the minivan is pretty cool. They really thought of a lot of good features for the family.

What else... I am taking tennis lessons again, which is the most physical thing I've done in almost a year. I love it. I also take the dog for walks, etc. So, I'm getting there!

Ok, I really need to get going and get to bed. Have a great weekend.
Melissa

Thanks, Bea! You're So Thoughtful!

Hi Everyone, it's Melissa here with an update. Things are starting to get a lot better around here. We think Bea is around 12 pounds by now -- which is more than 3x her birthweight. She is starting to smile a lot and she is sleeping a lot more. So, everyone around here is happy, happy, happy. Except between 7:30-8:30 p.m. which we call "the witching hour" during that hour she screams bloody murder. But, we'll take smiley, sleepy 23 hours and one bad one. We're definitely moving in the right direction.

Friday (the 13th) was my birthday - and was it ever a good one. Bea started off the day in grand style, by giving me her gift: sleeping for SIX HOURS in a row Thursday night. And, she did it again Friday night. Amazing! I felt so refreshed!

In addition, for more birthday festivities, I did a "status check" with my pre-pregnancy jeans (how much further do I have to go to fit into them...) and guess what... I got them on! Whoo-hoo! I was totally not expecting that. They are a bit tight, but that's the way it goes. I actually weigh 40 lbs less then I did right before Bea was born, but I still have a bit to go before I get to my pre-pregnancy weight. The non-dairy diet is probably at least helping me out in the weight loss area.

I got nice gifts from Matt and my parents, too. Then Matt and I went out for a little adult time (dinner and a movie). We went to Cafe Brenda downtown (very grown up) - however, then I chose Harry Potter for the movie. I know I probably should have chosen something at least rated R for my big night on the town, but I really enjoy the Harry movies in the theater. Let me tell you, this Harry Potter movie is scary. Seriously, not for small kids at all. I left the theater thinking I just saw this generation's "Empire Strikes Back" moment. For those of you who didn't see the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back when you were about 10 years old -- it gave you nightmares for weeks. And, I'm pretty sure there will be a lot of nightmares from this movie.

In other news, Bea is getting out and about a lot more lately herself. She has now been to the grocery store, target, and last week we went to a baby party at my friend Kristina's house. Kristina who was due at the same time as me, happens to know 12 other people who were due at the same time -- so she invited all the moms and babies over to her house! It was hillarious all the mommies, their tiny 4-week babies, and their stylish diaper bags. We had a great time.

Hope all is well for you!
Melissa

84 days = 1 month

We're all settling into routine, including the daily grind of parenthood. Bea is doing fantastic. She's gaining exactly an ounce a day and is up to 10 lb 10 oz. Saturday was June 30th - which is exactly one month after her original expected due date or 84 days from when she was actually born. Thus her abilities should be compared to a one-month old.

She's doing a pretty good job of holding her held up for short instances. In that last two weeks her eyes are able to focus on many more things that are much farther away. We're trying to stimulate her eyes and brain with black and white print outs of shapes/objects and recently with red colored objects. She's recently had a a couple of giggles, but no cooing. She passes gas with the best of the adults.

Her acid reflux medicine is helping out a lot. She never slept before, she just moaned and squirmed. Now she actually sleeps peacefully and appears to be actually resting and rejuvenating. I'm really happy we did it for her, and I'm not going to complain about us getting a little more rest. She now can sleep for 2 to 3 hours at a time at night if we don't let her sleep too much in the evening.

We've retired a good 30 outfits and have moved from newborn to level 1 diapers. The Huggies brand kept leaking so we're proponents of Pampers. I feel very guilty about the poor land fills we're filling up. Below is one of my favorite outifts that was recently retired. We call it the "Flying Elvis" outfit.

Melissa and I certainly have our moments like any other parents. Right now Melissa's body is sore in every conceivable area partially due to the physical needs of holding, carrying, and feeding a 10 1/2 lb weight that's changing shape and form constantly and being on bedrest and in the hospital for so long. My surgically repaired back has been in better shape. Bea is currently yelling out loud for attention, but not crying. The tone is changing. All very interesting (some times).

While we're extremely happy about our new baby girl and love her so much, Melissa and I are probably in the parent category that is looking a little forward past the infant stage to where there is bigger blocks of sleeping, they can be stimulated and entertained more easily (you can figure out what's going on), and you can transport them much more readily.

It's been a really long six months since Cincinnati. Melissa and I are pretty mentally and physically wore down, but we know we've got it a lot easier than many people. The adrenaline was wore off before Bea was even born, and that was three months ago and we've got a ways to go before things starting getting much easier. I've resumed attending school for an MBA at night. I'm only taking one class at a time, and that's the current long-term plan. I don't think Melissa is able to carry all the slack if I had two classes and with my new appreciation for life, family, and baby girls; I'm trying to balance being a good father, employee, and still contribute substantially at school. Two classes would upset that balance for quite a while. I currently read my text while burping her on my nighttime feeting which usually occurs between 11 and 12:30. Let's just say the retention rate isn't phenomenal. Last week was the first week in a long time I've average more than 6 hours of sleep at night, so I feel like a million bucks compared to the rest of June, May, and April. I should mention that Melissa probably hasn't hit the 6 hour average barrier yet.

I hope this fourth of July finds everyone out there enjoying time with their friends and family and giving thanks for our freedom to vote and speak. While there appears to be more outspoken people recently, I think we should have a holiday for true listening to others and critical thinking with emotions removed. I'm included in that category.

Take care everyone.

Matt