Just weird

Last night Grammy and Grampy babysat while M and I went out to downtown Naples for dinner and a drink. Had we consumed about 5 times the alcohol we did, this display in the window of a clothes store might have made more sense...

First swim!

Syl didn't really know what to make of the pool at first. She didn't get upset, exactly, but she wasn't thrilled either. As soon as she realized all was well she settled down and had quite a nice time. Her little bikini did not do much of a job preserving her modesty. But then again, she didn't foul the pool so I guess we came out ahead. We're definitely learning that Sylvie does not much care for the bright sunshine. We have not been able to find a pair of sunglasses that fit her yet. And anyhow, her mom seems to think that her skin will sunburn if exposed to more than 15 seconds of direct sunlight. So keeping her in the shade seems to be the best option for this trip. Fun time in the pool though.

Hanging out by the pool!

It's almost 80 already...

Figuring out what to do today. The pool? The beach? Golf? It's so hard...

Tonight Mom and Dad are going out to dinner while Grammy and Grampy babysit, a precedent set in Ohio that we're quite fond of.

With Gramp

Obviously we made it safe and sound last night, and Syl has settled in with Grammy and Grampy Haley. She was REALLY tired when we arrived last night, and more than a little crabby for it. She had dinner and went to bed, and slept about 11 hours! That seems to be her "thing" after a long trip...

Off to Sunny Florida!

Syl on her THIRD plane ride. So far no poops...

UPDATE: 3 minutes after takeoff, the above was rendered untrue. True to form, Syl pooped liberally both on takeoff and as we began our descent. The kid likes to poop on planes. In this case she found it absolutely HILARIOUS to poop right after her dad braved the airplane restroom changing station to relieve her of her first loaded diaper. If you haven't had the pleasure, imagine trying to change a diaper in a phone booth. A phone booth with a toilet in it. And a sink. During an earthquake. Anyhow, not 2 minutes after we returned to our seats, fresh and ready for landing, Sylvie looked at me, scrunched up her face, turned purple, let out a powerful grunt, and re-filled her diaper. Then she smiled broadly and burst into laughter.

Sun chasing

Thursday, Jan 31
High: 81 °F RealFeel®: 81 °F
Mostly sunny


That's the Accuweather forecast for Thursday, Sylvie's first full day in Naples, Florida, where we're headed tomorrow to visit Grammy and Grampy Haley.

It's interesting to think that when Sylvie experiences the 81 degree afternoon on Thursday, that will literally be the warmest she's been in her entire life (ex-utero, anyhow). If she's anything like her mom, we expect her to enjoy the warmth.

Party!

Today we went to Jake O'Leary's first birthday party. Trystan and Brendan went over the top, as usual, bringing in a magician to entertain the room full of kids (most of whom were older than one, by the way). The guy was pretty good!

Tons of photos posted here. But look at these few and tell me that our 12-week-old was not actually watching the magic show... It sure looked to us like she was!

Congratulations!!!

Sylvie is thrilled to hear that her Aunt Naomi got engaged this weekend, to a fellow who Syl likes very much.  She notes that now she is going to have two Uncle Bens...  she's taking suggestions for distinguishing adjectives...

Aunt Mary

Last night Sylvie's Aunt Mary came to babysit her while M and I swung by a neighborhood party.  They had a real nice time and of course got along famously.

Snuggling with Mom

Sylvie had a great time in Ohio, but seems glad to be back home too.  She's been catching up on her day time sleeping, which means she's staying up later at night.  These photos were taken last night at almost 11pm, and I think you can tell she's not exactly drifting off to sleep... though her mom clearly is (and did!).

I also added a few more photos from last night to the January 2008 gallery - of Sylvie sitting in her Bumbo, watching Inside the NFL with me.  Based on her expressions you'd swear she's actually paying attention.  We're getting a bit worried about how much she suddenly LOVES television.

Reunited!

The girls arrived safe and sound, on time and in good spirits. Sylvie greeted me with a broad smile, which made my week. This photo was taken in the changing room in Logan's new, swank Terminal A. Quite a nice facility as such things go. Melissa reports that the flight went well, with Sylvie receiving accolades on both her comportment and her cuteness. The only wrinkle was her insistence on pooping while boarding. That's two for two for Sylvie in the full diaper flying category. Next week when we go to Florida, we'll encourage her to take care of business in the terminal, prior to boarding.

A week at home, and then off to see Grammy and Grampy Haley in sunny Naples, FL. Look for too-cute-for-words photos of Sylvie in her multiple baby bikinis to in the coming days.

Comin' Home

My girls are coming home today, and I could hardly be more excited to see them. Although it has only been since Sunday, I'm half convinced that Sylvie will have changed fundamentally in the interim. She'll probably say, "Hello father, how have you been?" and then walk past me to the car.
I pick them up at Logan at 5:30. I would promise some photos or video tonight, but think I'll probably spend all my time playing with my daughter.

Photos

As promised, I've uploaded a whole lot of photos from Ohio, most of which were taken at the Open House yesterday.  They are in the January 2008 gallery, clickable from the main page.

I'm at home now, without my girls, and feeling pretty blue about it!  Looking at all of these photos helps.  Here are a few of my favorites, but do check here for the rest.

Open House

Today Grandma Lynne and Grandpa Steve hosted an open house, so that friends and family in the area could come meet Sylvie. I will, of course, post a whole lot of photos after we get home. Sylvie was her usual affable self, happily allowing herself to be passed from admirer to admirer, smiling, gurgling, occasionally farting, and generally charming everyone. Then at about 5 she hit the wall and commenced screaming blue murder. A bottle and a lot of rocking, and now she's napping - though reluctantly.
All-in-all a very nice day in Ohio.
Tomorrow Dad heads home, hopefully in time to catch the Patriots/Chargers game. Melissa and Syl follow on Wednesday.

Hip2

New out-FIT from Aunt Naomi!

Hip

Hip coat from Aunt Emily!

playing in Ohio

Uncle Tim and Aunt Laurie were very kind to loan Sylvie the use of a bouncy chair, which she LOVES...

Great Grandparents!

Sylvie had a busy day here in Ohio. After her 11.25 hrs of sleep, she, Mom and Grandma headed out to visit Great Grandma Rosie. Dad stayed at the house to do some "emergency" work... always an "emergency"!! Mom got some photos, but they are on the 'big camera' so Dad won't be able to upload them until he goes home.
After a very successful visit with an adoring Great Grandma Rosie, who introduced her to everyone in the assisted living facility, Syl went with Mom and Grandma to meet Grandpa Steve for lunch. A stop at Costco, then back to the house for a Sylvie meal, and then off to Garfield Heights to see Great Grandma and Grandpa Halasz, and Great Uncle Kevin. She even met Barney, a much smaller dog than Pax. She was fascinated. Unsurprisingly, Syl was in a great mood throughout. Here are a few photos from Dad's Blackberry. Much better ones to come!

This one goes to Eleven!

We were worried about last night. Sylvie didn't sleep at all during the day, what with all the travel, and when we got here to North Ridgeville she was too interested in looking around and hanging out. So by night time she was pretty exhausted and a little fussy. In a new place, with new sounds and a new bed, etc., we thought maybe she wouldn't do her usual 7 to 8 hours. And she didn't - she slept for 11 hours and fifteen minutes, from 9 pm to 8:15 am!

Up, Up and Away!!!

Sylvie's first plane ride went off without a hitch... well except that we all could have been taken into custody by Homeland Security due to the bomb she dropped not five minutes after boarding. Other than that, though, she was her usual sedate, smiley, curious self. Now we're safely in Ohio, settling in for dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Halasz. A few Blackberry photos from the plane...

Two Month Check-Up

Hi all,

Sylvie and I went to her 2 month check-up yesterday, and she was great. She received 3 shots and an oral vaccine, and although the shots were not appreciated, she was mostly upset that I had the audacity to put back on her sleeper post-shots. (She absolutely loathes being dressed.) We had a bit of a rough patch last night, but she was quickly soothed by the infant Tylenol, and ended up sleeping like a champ (10:30 to 7:30).

Here are the stats:

Weight: 10 pounds, 12 ounces -- 50th percentile
Height: 22-1/2 inches -- 50th percentile
Head circumference (I had no idea they measured this): 15 inches -- 45th percentile

Now we're off to the airport for Sylvie's first airplane ride. Wish us luck...

TGIF

Another day, another restaurant trip for Sylvie. This time it was TGIF. Turned out not to be one of her favorites, as she decided about 15 minutes in that she wanted very much to go home. A bottle solved that problem, and as you can see from the photo Melissa was able to improvise and continue her lunch.

January 12

Just another brief window into how Syl's little personality continues to develop.

SuperBaby

She's not quite ready for rough-housing with Dad yet, but Sylvie is definitely starting to enjoy playing.

Pals

Up until now, Sylvie has not paid much attention to her Uncle Pax.  He hasn't been allowed to get too near to her, and so he hasn't really come to her attention.  Over the last couple days, though, she's starting to notice every time he walks by.  And today she started greeting him with her radiant smile.  We're glad they're going to be friends...

Asking for it.

Last night at about 9 pm Melissa commented that although Sylvie had been wide awake all day, she had not fussed once. Not once. Her streak was broken as she protested her dad's usual post-bath fumbling in getting her into her onesie (she hates having those arms confined!), but that was my fault and it ended as soon as she got her hands back. An hour later we all went to bed. She slept 7 hours and woke with a smile, as usual.

Sylvie Eats Feet

She's persistent. You've gotta give her that. As I suggest during the course of the video, I'm thinking this might be the cutest Sylvie video yet.  A few days ago Sylvie all of a sudden became aware of her feet.  Now when she's sitting up they are all she's interested in.  

Pshaw.

Since we found out Melissa was pregnant we've been getting these weekly informational emails from babycenter.com. They have been very useful, giving us helpful information on what to expect each week, first from Melissa and then from the baby. Until now they have also been fairly accurate. It seems, though, that our little Sylvie has jumped way ahead of the curve in a number of areas. Here's this week's update, with my annotations:

Hello, Melissa!

Your baby is growing stronger every day. She may now be able to lift her head, chest, and shoulders off the ground when she's on her tummy. [Ha. Sylvie has been doing that for over a month. I have the proof here!!] Your Superbaby will look so proud and happy while she's "flying" this way. If she's especially strong, she may be able to push herself up using her arms while lying on her stomach. [check.] She won't crawl until at least 6 months, but these precrawling motions are her way of developing her muscles.
If your baby's sleeping through the night (five or six hours at a stretch), [try eight!] you're one of the lucky few. [Well, we knew that already!] Most 10-week-old babies still wake up in the middle of the night. But even babies who aren't sleeping through the night at this stage should be sleeping and staying awake for longer intervals instead of cycling back and forth so much. Your baby will most likely have two to four long sleep periods and as many as ten hours of awake time in 24 hours. [Sylvie is pretty much awake all day and asleep all night these days]

An interesting note: Whether your baby is a night owl or a morning lark, a long sleeper or short sleeper, she'll probably stay that way throughout childhood. [EXCELLENT!!]

Syl in the Big City

Sylvie and her mom had an excellent surprise for me today - they came all the way into Boston for lunch with Dad! This not only allowed Sylvie her first look at a big city - she was wide-eyed the whole time, craning her neck back to look up at the buildings in a way that, frankly, I would have thought indicates more curiosity than she has a right to have at 9 weeks old - but also afforded Dad the opportunity to take her around the office to soak up the compliments. Of COURSE she was an angel, and of COURSE everyone loved her. Oh, and she had her second "big girl restaurant" lunch, this time at Houston's. Mom had sushi, Dad a cheeseburger, and Sylvie... milk. Sorry for the photo quality - these were taken with my Blackberry.

Dinner at Ben & Lia's

Last night Sylvie road-tripped with us to Weston for dinner at Aunt Lia and Uncle Ben's house.  She again had milk, but the rest of us enjoyed a delicious goulash.  Pat taught Sylvie a few dance moves, and happily managed to avoid injuring her.  Here's a little video Lia shot.  A couple photos of the evening from Uncle Ben have been added to the January 2008 photos.  

Look how I've grown!

... in just 9 weeks.  Pretty wild huh?  

We weighed Sylvie yesterday, and she's put on FIVE POUNDS since coming home from the hospital - from 6 pounds one ounce to 11 pounds even.  She's also stretching out vertically as well.  This is not surprising since she eats at every waking moment, but it is still impressive.  

In other news, big moment this morning.  Sitting on Dad's chest, Sylvie all of a sudden discovered her feet.  Her eyes went wide, and she lurched forward to grab them with both hands.  Then she sat there for a good three or four minutes, staring at them, grabbing them, jabbering away to them and occasionally bursting into squealing laughter.  Of course the video camera was nowhere in reach and she refused to repeat the performance later.

I'm off to CA for work this evening, and am quite sure that between then and when I get home Tuesday night she'll probably start walking, start talking, and maybe learn to drive...

Sylvie's not worried...

She's Happy.

At the tender age of two months, Sylvie has already identified a favorite song: Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy."  The "ooo-ooo-ooo" part, whether sung by Bobby or by Mom or Dad, never fails to bring a broad smile to her face.

Loving the Bouncy Chair

All of a sudden this week Sylvie went from total ambivalence about things like dancing monkeys and illuminated waterfalls to a very high degree of enthusiasm...

Snoozing and Playing

An exciting beginning to 2008...  A few more photos here.