I always theoretically knew that having a child would help me become less selfish and I was actually looking forward to this consequence of being a parent. Daniel is only going to be 6 weeks old tomorrow and yes, I'm already experiencing intensive training in becoming more selfless. Basically, it's not about me anymore. It's not about my schedule, what I want to do, what my desires are, when I want to sleep, etc. It's now all about little Daniel, his needs and his schedule. But despite the unpredictability of each day and not doing what I necessarily want to do, it's all good, very good, and I'm learning to welcome this reality more and more. Sometimes as I'm with Daniel and start to feel a little frustrated because I haven't been able to respond to a friend's e-mail or make an important phone call, I just say to myself "Ana, it's not about you anymore, it's now about Daniel." And these reminders help me and they are starting to sink in and are occurring less and less. Yes, the training is already having an impact! It will be interesting to see how I will have changed in a year from now in the selfishness department!
This past week has been special despite the challenges of short naps and fussy periods. He is definitely much more alert when awake and has started smiling with his eyes - the real smiles should be happening anytime soon! I can't wait for him to really smile because it will feel like we are doing something right! It will be a wonderful reward to have him interact with us more. Each day we notice him doing something different. In the last couple of days he has started to hold his head up for much longer, rub his eyes with his hands, follow us across the room with his eyes and head, and has even turned on his side on his own a few times. It's so special seeing him develop and grow day by day!
It's already Sunday night and Jonny will be going back to work tomorrow again and this makes me feel a little sad... It's so nice having him around at the weekends, I cherish our time together now more than ever! But I'm so thankful that my mother and step-father are still here with us, it's been such a huge blessing. My mother has pretty much taken over all of the housework since Daniel was born and I'll never forget all that she has been doing for us. We haven't slept in ironed bed sheets since the last time she was here - thanks maezinha! :-) We are also excited because in May, other family members will be coming to visit: Jonny's brother and sister-in-law, then Jonny's dad, followed by my sister, her fiance and my father. Jonny's mother will then be coming for two months at the end of June to help me transition back to part-time work.
So I better get going, Daniel has been gracious enough to have a longer nap than expected and let me finish this! I better make use of the remaining time to get some other of "my own" things done, because soon, when he's awake, it will be all about him again! :-)
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Yes, Daniel, Your Father Is A Scientist!
I thought I was excited about Daniel's increasing weight, but soon found out that his Papa is much more! After weighing him last night and finding that he is now 9 pounds 5 ounces (4.22 kilos), Jonny decided to plot his weight and even project his future growth - and compared it to Buffy's weight (our cat)! Here are the graphs that Jonny is sure to be updating week by week!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Five Weeks Old Today!
Our precious son is exactly 5 weeks old today! We are going to weigh him later tonight at bath time and I'm so curious if he is now over 9 pounds. He definitely looks bigger and has chubbier cheeks - very cute! He is so much more alert when awake now and starting to show excitement to our voices and other stimulation. At times it feels like he is growing up so fast already - we keep reminding ourselves that we must keep enjoying each day to the fullest!
Things are getting so much easier and better and for the last few days we have developed a routine and therefore some predictability which has been wonderful. He is napping consistently during the day for about 2 hours after being awake for about an hour so I'm finally able to get other things done and relax more. And at night, he is sleeping almost 4 hours at a go so it's much better too. I'm also feeling more confident about taking care of him as I'm understanding his little sounds and his needs much more.
Today we actually spent several hours in DC and it went great. We went to the Brazilian Embassy for my mother to get a new passport and he slept most of the time, I then fed him in the car and then he slept all the way back home too. We even had lunch at a restaurant and after feeding him and changing his diaper in the bathroom, he slept soundly again whilst we ate. What a big breakthrough it has been to be able to go out again and know how to juggle Daniel's routine with our plans. I remember that just a couple of weeks ago I was worried I would never be able to go out again! But one of my friend's advice is really proving to be true: "every week makes a huge difference, just remind yourself of that when things are difficult."
So all is well and very special here in our household. Jonny is a doting father and calls my cell phone every couple of hours when he is away "just to check up on how the wife and babes are doing."
Will be uploading some more photos soon!
Things are getting so much easier and better and for the last few days we have developed a routine and therefore some predictability which has been wonderful. He is napping consistently during the day for about 2 hours after being awake for about an hour so I'm finally able to get other things done and relax more. And at night, he is sleeping almost 4 hours at a go so it's much better too. I'm also feeling more confident about taking care of him as I'm understanding his little sounds and his needs much more.
Today we actually spent several hours in DC and it went great. We went to the Brazilian Embassy for my mother to get a new passport and he slept most of the time, I then fed him in the car and then he slept all the way back home too. We even had lunch at a restaurant and after feeding him and changing his diaper in the bathroom, he slept soundly again whilst we ate. What a big breakthrough it has been to be able to go out again and know how to juggle Daniel's routine with our plans. I remember that just a couple of weeks ago I was worried I would never be able to go out again! But one of my friend's advice is really proving to be true: "every week makes a huge difference, just remind yourself of that when things are difficult."
So all is well and very special here in our household. Jonny is a doting father and calls my cell phone every couple of hours when he is away "just to check up on how the wife and babes are doing."
Will be uploading some more photos soon!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
A Record Of Daniel Peter's First Milestones
Daniel will be exactly 4 weeks tomorrow and we have already experienced some important milestones that I would like to keep a record of:
Weight:
Birth: 7 pounds 6 ounces/3.34 kilograms
Leaving hospital - 2 days old: 6 pounds 15 ounces/3.15 kilograms
4 days old - first appointment with the Pediatrician: 6 pounds 15 ounces/3.15 kilograms
14 days old - second appointment with the Pediatrician: 7 pounds 6 ounces/3.34 kilograms (back to birth weight as expected)
26 days old - weighed at home with Linnan's scale: 8 pounds 8 ounces/3.86 kilograms (wow, the breastfeeding is working, thank God!)
Umbilical cord:
Fell off: 13 days old
First smile:
Day 23 as Jonny was holding him in the morning - still waiting for more smiles, should start to get more frequent in the next couple of weeks, can't wait!
Bathing:
First sponge bath at home: 5 days old
First full bath: 24 days old
First bath in tub with me - so special: 27 days old
First bottle for one night feeding:
15 days old - thank God he accepted the bottle well!
First outing:
Walk around the neighbourhood: 23 days old
Tummy time in the morning:
First time on tummy for about 10 minutes - he did not complain: 24 days old
First time that lifted head and turned face from one side to another: 26 days old
Weight:
Birth: 7 pounds 6 ounces/3.34 kilograms
Leaving hospital - 2 days old: 6 pounds 15 ounces/3.15 kilograms
4 days old - first appointment with the Pediatrician: 6 pounds 15 ounces/3.15 kilograms
14 days old - second appointment with the Pediatrician: 7 pounds 6 ounces/3.34 kilograms (back to birth weight as expected)
26 days old - weighed at home with Linnan's scale: 8 pounds 8 ounces/3.86 kilograms (wow, the breastfeeding is working, thank God!)
Umbilical cord:
Fell off: 13 days old
First smile:
Day 23 as Jonny was holding him in the morning - still waiting for more smiles, should start to get more frequent in the next couple of weeks, can't wait!
Bathing:
First sponge bath at home: 5 days old
First full bath: 24 days old
First bath in tub with me - so special: 27 days old
First bottle for one night feeding:
15 days old - thank God he accepted the bottle well!
First outing:
Walk around the neighbourhood: 23 days old
Tummy time in the morning:
First time on tummy for about 10 minutes - he did not complain: 24 days old
First time that lifted head and turned face from one side to another: 26 days old
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Daniel Peter Is Here!
Wow, this is the first time in almost 4 weeks that I have been able to sit down and start writing this blog. I know that I may not be able to finish it in one sitting but at least I've started and it feels great to finally do something different - outside of feeding, changing diapers and trying to get much needed sleep whilst the baby sleeps. I just managed to get him to sleep so hopefully he will have a nice long nap...
Our sweet little boy, Daniel Peter, arrived at 5:35 pm on Monday, March 3rd. He weighed 7 pounds and 6 ounces and was 20 inches long. After all the moving around inside of me, I was relieved to discover that he was head-down when I went into labor - amazing, he had been breech only 2 days before I went into labor and I was already 39 weeks. My contractions started regularly in the early hours of March 2nd, I was officially admitted into the hospital at 3:30 pm that same day but he was only born about 26 hours later. Even though this was my second delivery, my cervix was slow to dilate but thank God, once I got passed 6 cm it went very quickly and he came out after pushing through only about 4 contractions.
The moment of hearing him cry, the relief of knowing that he was indeed healthy and well was truly amazing...I don't have the words to describe the feelings of joy and relief. Child birth is indeed a miraculous event, I still can't believe he came from inside of me! We had the best care from our midwife Kathleen and I will in particular never forget how she helped me with getting him to start breastfeeding soon after birth. Without her help, I think it would be much harder. Nursing is harder than I thought it would be - even though I already "theoretically" knew that from all my public health work. Thank God it is going well though, I have lots of milk and I'm getting used to it - but it is indeed very demanding and I can now understand why women choose not to nurse.
Daniel Peter is so cute and I'm growing to love him more and more each day. It is so special to look at him and know that he is our child and no one elses. It is an amazing feeling, though definitely overwhelming at times since it's hard work and exhausting! The first two weeks were the hardest but it's getting a little easier each day as I get used to the sleep deprivation and he has started to sleep for about 3 hours at a time at night - as opposed to 1 and a half hours! Jonny has also been giving him a bottle once a night with my expressed milk for the last week so that has given me a chance to sleep a bit more which has really helped. I have also recently started to go outside of the house - spring is here and I've been able to go for short walks around our neighborhood and yesterday even managed to go to the hairdressers with him - with my mother's invaluable help.
Jonny is an amazing father. I always thought he would be, but seeing him with Daniel is so special. So far, he has been the only one to bath him, since he just has this special way of doing so with much care and tenderness. He takes such good care of him and is a perfectionist when changing his diaper - my mother was happy to have him around to teach us to take care of his "bits" since he is the only one around who understands them! It's still a common occurrence to be peed on but I think we are getting better at predicting and containing the "mess."
Wow, he is still asleep... it's been 55 minutes and I've been able to write this peacefully. I hope to upload photos soon, the next time I get a chance!
Our sweet little boy, Daniel Peter, arrived at 5:35 pm on Monday, March 3rd. He weighed 7 pounds and 6 ounces and was 20 inches long. After all the moving around inside of me, I was relieved to discover that he was head-down when I went into labor - amazing, he had been breech only 2 days before I went into labor and I was already 39 weeks. My contractions started regularly in the early hours of March 2nd, I was officially admitted into the hospital at 3:30 pm that same day but he was only born about 26 hours later. Even though this was my second delivery, my cervix was slow to dilate but thank God, once I got passed 6 cm it went very quickly and he came out after pushing through only about 4 contractions.
The moment of hearing him cry, the relief of knowing that he was indeed healthy and well was truly amazing...I don't have the words to describe the feelings of joy and relief. Child birth is indeed a miraculous event, I still can't believe he came from inside of me! We had the best care from our midwife Kathleen and I will in particular never forget how she helped me with getting him to start breastfeeding soon after birth. Without her help, I think it would be much harder. Nursing is harder than I thought it would be - even though I already "theoretically" knew that from all my public health work. Thank God it is going well though, I have lots of milk and I'm getting used to it - but it is indeed very demanding and I can now understand why women choose not to nurse.
Daniel Peter is so cute and I'm growing to love him more and more each day. It is so special to look at him and know that he is our child and no one elses. It is an amazing feeling, though definitely overwhelming at times since it's hard work and exhausting! The first two weeks were the hardest but it's getting a little easier each day as I get used to the sleep deprivation and he has started to sleep for about 3 hours at a time at night - as opposed to 1 and a half hours! Jonny has also been giving him a bottle once a night with my expressed milk for the last week so that has given me a chance to sleep a bit more which has really helped. I have also recently started to go outside of the house - spring is here and I've been able to go for short walks around our neighborhood and yesterday even managed to go to the hairdressers with him - with my mother's invaluable help.
Jonny is an amazing father. I always thought he would be, but seeing him with Daniel is so special. So far, he has been the only one to bath him, since he just has this special way of doing so with much care and tenderness. He takes such good care of him and is a perfectionist when changing his diaper - my mother was happy to have him around to teach us to take care of his "bits" since he is the only one around who understands them! It's still a common occurrence to be peed on but I think we are getting better at predicting and containing the "mess."
Wow, he is still asleep... it's been 55 minutes and I've been able to write this peacefully. I hope to upload photos soon, the next time I get a chance!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Just waiting and many questions...
So now we're officially “just waiting”. I'm 39 weeks pregnant and Daniel Peter could arrive at any moment but we just don't know when - the estimated due date, March 7th, is now only 6 days away. Every few hours we ask ourselves: Will it be today? When will it be? Will we have to leave for the hospital in the middle of the night? What kind of delivery will I have? Will he be head-down? Will it be quick or long? So many questions that will soon be answered - but we just don't know when!
Everything is ready waiting for him, my mother is here, our hospital bags are packed, both Jonny and I finished in the past week important work-related tasks we wanted to... so... “Come baby, we can't wait to meet you!" I know that I'll soon look back at this "waiting time" as a special time, but it's hard at times since I'm feeling more and more uncomfortable and feel that we can't do much else to prepare except to be very patient and resist our natural desire to want to be in control of events...
Yesterday, was a fun day and I was thankful for feeling more energetic tha
n usual. After our weekly appointment with the midwife and finding out that he was again in a transverse/breech position (we're still hopeful he will turn again, he continues to do so every few days!), I went to get my hair washed and blow-dried at a salon and then had a luxury pedicure. It was fun to be pampered and get my toe nails painted since I haven't been able to reach my toes easily in a few months and will probably not have time to take care of them for a while!
Anyway, I hope that the next blog I write will be to announce his arrival and to write about our first moments together... but in the meantime, we will continue to “just wait" and enjoy this special time of anticipation and many questions...
Everything is ready waiting for him, my mother is here, our hospital bags are packed, both Jonny and I finished in the past week important work-related tasks we wanted to... so... “Come baby, we can't wait to meet you!" I know that I'll soon look back at this "waiting time" as a special time, but it's hard at times since I'm feeling more and more uncomfortable and feel that we can't do much else to prepare except to be very patient and resist our natural desire to want to be in control of events...
Yesterday, was a fun day and I was thankful for feeling more energetic tha
n usual. After our weekly appointment with the midwife and finding out that he was again in a transverse/breech position (we're still hopeful he will turn again, he continues to do so every few days!), I went to get my hair washed and blow-dried at a salon and then had a luxury pedicure. It was fun to be pampered and get my toe nails painted since I haven't been able to reach my toes easily in a few months and will probably not have time to take care of them for a while!Anyway, I hope that the next blog I write will be to announce his arrival and to write about our first moments together... but in the meantime, we will continue to “just wait" and enjoy this special time of anticipation and many questions...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Up or Down: What will it be?
So right now we just don't know if I'll have to have a c-section or if I'll be able to deliver naturally. Daniel Peter, at almost 38 weeks, continues to flip from being bottom-down to head-down every few days! At 32 weeks he was breech, then at 34 head-down, at 36 breech, at 37 head-down and now tomorrow, at 38, we will have to see! Earlier this week I was convinced that he was breech again because I could feel his hiccups close to my stomach but then this morning, I felt them way down! I hope he is head-down again and stays there because the bigger he gets, the less likely he’ll be able to flip. But I’ve already prepared myself that I just will not know until the end what kind of delivery I will have and that the most important thing is that he will be healthy and coming home soon!
Is this a sign of what he will be like? :-) I think God is preparing me for the reality of parenting even before he arrives: you just don’t have as much control as you would want over your child’s life and you must take one day at a time, trusting in God’s sovereignty and goodness.
Anyway, soon we will find out which way it will be… Can’t wait!
Is this a sign of what he will be like? :-) I think God is preparing me for the reality of parenting even before he arrives: you just don’t have as much control as you would want over your child’s life and you must take one day at a time, trusting in God’s sovereignty and goodness.
Anyway, soon we will find out which way it will be… Can’t wait!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Expectantly waiting for Daniel Peter's arrival!
It's been a long time since I last wrote on our blog but I think we're back! So much has happened over the past 7 months...
The biggest news is that I'm currently 37 weeks pregnant and we are waiting expectantly to meet our second son, Daniel Peter, very soon! I first stopped writing our blog because of feeling so ill in my first trimester and then just lost momentum... But we now have so much reason to continue to keep loved ones updated on our family life, especially with Daniel's arrival so soon!
I just can't believe I'm officially full-term today and that he may be arriving anytime soon (estimated due date is March 7th)! It's been a long journey of faith this second pregnancy; counting each passing week and praying for a healthy baby. So far, all is very well and Daniel is a healthy little boy, currently estimated to be 6 and a half pounds (almost 3 kilos). We are just sooooo excited to meet him!! We just can't wait to hold, love and kiss him! And he is such an active little boy too - if his activity level outside the womb continues as it has been the past few months, boy, we will definitely get a work out! :-)
What joy it will be to officially announce his birth and post photos on this blog for all to see! The miracle of new life is one that we have learned not to take for granted and so here we are, waiting and hoping eagerly!
Daniel Peter, we are waiting for you with so much expectation and excitment! Can't wait to finally see you face-to-face and begin the parenting journey!
The biggest news is that I'm currently 37 weeks pregnant and we are waiting expectantly to meet our second son, Daniel Peter, very soon! I first stopped writing our blog because of feeling so ill in my first trimester and then just lost momentum... But we now have so much reason to continue to keep loved ones updated on our family life, especially with Daniel's arrival so soon!
I just can't believe I'm officially full-term today and that he may be arriving anytime soon (estimated due date is March 7th)! It's been a long journey of faith this second pregnancy; counting each passing week and praying for a healthy baby. So far, all is very well and Daniel is a healthy little boy, currently estimated to be 6 and a half pounds (almost 3 kilos). We are just sooooo excited to meet him!! We just can't wait to hold, love and kiss him! And he is such an active little boy too - if his activity level outside the womb continues as it has been the past few months, boy, we will definitely get a work out! :-)
What joy it will be to officially announce his birth and post photos on this blog for all to see! The miracle of new life is one that we have learned not to take for granted and so here we are, waiting and hoping eagerly!
Daniel Peter, we are waiting for you with so much expectation and excitment! Can't wait to finally see you face-to-face and begin the parenting journey!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Florida, here we come!
We are leaving for Florida today to visit my cousin Manuela and her adorable twins. We are excited and are so looking forward to enjoying the beach of Boca Raton - about an hour north of Miami. This will be the first time that we've gone this far south in Florida. Look forward to blogging when we come back about our time there!
A special birthday wish to: Mainha do Recife! FELIZ ANIVERSARIO!!! Estou pensando muito em voce hoje e lhe desejando toda felicidade, amor e paz do mundo! Um grande beijo bem especial para voce, com muitas saudades!
A special birthday wish to: Mainha do Recife! FELIZ ANIVERSARIO!!! Estou pensando muito em voce hoje e lhe desejando toda felicidade, amor e paz do mundo! Um grande beijo bem especial para voce, com muitas saudades!
Sunday, July 8, 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FAFA!
Tomorrow, July 9th, is my dear sister's birthday and I wanted to write a special blog, just for her. She’s currently visiting my mother in Portugal and will be able to read this in the morning.
Fafa, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I'm already thinking of you today and thanking God for your life! I so wish I could be there with you tomorrow to give you a special birthday hug but I'm happy to know that mommy has been spoiling you and already started celebrating your birthday a few days ago!
Here are some of the photos that she sent me of the surprise birthday party she had for you with some of her friends, last Friday night:
Honey, I’m so blessed to have you as my sister and your birthday is a special day for me to remember that! This year is even more special because we both know that we have never been as close to each other as we are now. God used the last difficult year to bring us closer together and this too, is one of the very special things that your nephew, Jonathan David, did for us. Thank you for being such a wonderful, loving and caring sister! I will always be grateful for how you loved and took great care of me during the last year.
I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow and really get to enjoy your day, surrounded by people who love you so much! I look forward to all the amazing things that God has planned for you in this new year of your life. Each day that passes you become more of the amazing woman God created you to be and I feel very blessed to be a witness of it. I love you so much and can’t wait to see you again in September and personally give you your birthday hug!
FELIZ ANIVERSARIO MINHA QUERIDA IRMA!
Fafa, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I'm already thinking of you today and thanking God for your life! I so wish I could be there with you tomorrow to give you a special birthday hug but I'm happy to know that mommy has been spoiling you and already started celebrating your birthday a few days ago!
Here are some of the photos that she sent me of the surprise birthday party she had for you with some of her friends, last Friday night:
Mommy surprising Fafa with a birthday cake!
Fafa, Stephen and son of a friend
Beautiful birthday woman!
Honey, I’m so blessed to have you as my sister and your birthday is a special day for me to remember that! This year is even more special because we both know that we have never been as close to each other as we are now. God used the last difficult year to bring us closer together and this too, is one of the very special things that your nephew, Jonathan David, did for us. Thank you for being such a wonderful, loving and caring sister! I will always be grateful for how you loved and took great care of me during the last year.
I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow and really get to enjoy your day, surrounded by people who love you so much! I look forward to all the amazing things that God has planned for you in this new year of your life. Each day that passes you become more of the amazing woman God created you to be and I feel very blessed to be a witness of it. I love you so much and can’t wait to see you again in September and personally give you your birthday hug!
FELIZ ANIVERSARIO MINHA QUERIDA IRMA!
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And also to honour this day - this is my (Jonny's) first blog entry! Happy Birthday Fafa!!
I am glad that you are having a wonderful time in Portugal and I am wishing you all the best for the year ahead. Thanks so much for the support you gave us over the last year and for being the wonderful sister-in-law and aunt that you are!!
Lots of love,
Jonny
Here we are thinking of you!
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