Trip to NC

On Tuesday, December 16, my awesome sister drove four hours from North Carolina to pick up Lily and I to take us back to Durham for the week. Ethan joined us on Saturday, December 20, for my family's pre-Christmas get-together. Lily and I enjoyed our time with Aunt Sissy and Grandma and Grandpa Hart. Lily got to meet her Uncle Dennis, Aunt Jean and Uncle JJ, as well as her Great Aunts, who were anxious to see the newest member of our family.


On Wednesday, we drove to Chapel Hill (just 25 minutes away) for lunch with our formerly Alexandria-based friends Woody and Jenn and their son, Will. I can't believe how big Will has gotten! And Will's mom had a nice time holding a little baby again. I see more kids in their future!


Lily's mom also got to enjoy a massage on Wednesday while Aunt Sissy babysat.


Our Christmas gathering was over the top, as usual, with way too many gifts and too much food, but we had a great time, just the same. Lily and I were sad to leave on Sunday, but we were also excited for the arrival of her Idaho grandparents Dan and Charlotte on Tuesday, December 23.


While I am waiting on Christmas pictures from my parents' house, here are a few cute pictures of Lily that Sissy took on Thursday, December 18.

Lily and Santa

When we heard that Santa would be visiting our favorite coffee and dessert place, Buzz, on Saturday, we decided to take Lily. Best case scenario: we get pictures of her with Santa Claus plus coffee and dessert for us. Worst case: we get some coffee to-go as she screams.

As you can see, Lily did great! Santa thought she was adorable and she was sweet and calm while he held her and we took lots of photos. She told him what a good girl she's been this year, so I'm sure he'll be paying her a visit on Christmas Eve. While we had our coffee, Lily had her own beverage, as you can see. She really is a good baby when it comes to being out and about. She had a great time looking around and seeing the decorations and all the other kids. I also had to get a picture of her cute socks that look like little shoes (only a mom would really care about what socks she's wearing...I know...).

Two-Month Check Up

Though Lily is not quite two months old, she went to the pediatrician today for her two-month check up and immunizations. The photo above pretty much sums up her feelings on the matter. She did fairly well when she got the two injections, but as expected, she is feeling a bit crabby and fussy in the hours following. It's hard getting a shot in each of your legs! We are doing our best to comfort her and hold her while she's getting over the side effects. I think she really appreciates having her mom and dad here to hold her and tell her it will all be alright. Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day for Miss Lily.

On the bright side, she is still doing amazingly well in the growth department. Here are her current stats:

• Weight: 11 lbs., 15 oz.--which puts her in the 75th percentile for girls her age.
• Length: 22 3/4 inches--which also puts her in the 75th percentile.

She's doing great!

When Lily Met Henry and Jude

When I got pregnant, one of the first things I did was join a group called Mamistad. Mamistad's organizer matches up women who are pregnant with their first child into groups with due dates that are within a few weeks of each other. During the last 10 months, the women in my group have gotten together every few weeks to talk about being pregnant, becoming a mom and generally, just becoming friends. It has been great to have a small circle of women who are going through the same things I am.



Today, the 3 of us who have had our babies got together for the first time. Lily was introduced to Henry, born October 8 (left, above), and Jude, born November 18 (middle, above). While the three babies slept the ENTIRE time in their mothers' arms, the 3 of us had a great time talking about labor, delivery and motherhood. As we were leaving, Lily woke up, which is why she is the only one with her eyes open in the photo above. The boys were happy to just kick back and relax while their mom's did the talking. I'm sure Henry and Jude will make great playmates for Lily in the coming months, and hopefully, years.

New Photos

I realized it's been a while since I uploaded any new photos to Lily's photo page. We have been trying to take snapshots of her every few days so we can see how much she's growing. Enjoy!

Lily's photos

A Hot Bath After A Long Day

Today we headed up to Children's National Medical Center for Lily's DMSA Renal Scan. It was a procedure that will show us any scarring to her kidneys as a result of her infection a few weeks ago.

After spending a few hours in the hospital, being poked and prodded, what Lily really needed to relax was a warm bath. She seems to enjoy baths. While she doesn't really smile, she doesn't scream either. She just lays back and enjoys the warm water. Shortly after this picture was taken, she was fast asleep!

When I spoke to the nurse yesterday about Lily's DMSA scan, she told me that they would need to sedate Lily and that we could not feed her after 9 a.m. (her scan was at 2 p.m.). First, we were opposed to her being sedated--she's only 6 weeks old. Second, there's no way she is going to go 6 hours without eating. No. Way. The nurse said we would have to wait until we got there to talk to the doctor about our options.

In anticipation of her having to go 6 hours without eating, we tried to get her to eat as much as humanly possible during her 8:30 a.m. feeding. Ever try to force-feed a 6-week-old? It doesn't work. But here is a photo of Ethan trying his hardest to get her to finish a bottle before 9 a.m.

Luckily, we didn't have to keep her from eating, because let me tell you--a hungry Lily is a CRABBY Lily!

All Dressed Up...

I dressed Miss Lily on Wednesday and took her to my office. All of my co-workers, especially my boss, were anxious to meet her. She was a hit with everyone. My boss even suggested I bring her to work with me. Obviously she hasn't been around Lily when she lets loose with one of her change-my-diaper-now screams, but I appreciated the offer.

Professional Pictures

We got the CD of Lily's professional newborn pictures today. These were taken on October 31. I can't believe how much she's changed already!

We may be biased, but we think they are the cutest things we have ever seen. We may have to get prints of ALL of them.

To check out all of her pictures, click here.

10 lbs. 14.6 oz.

Our little Lily is growing by leaps and bounds. At a follow-up doctor's appointment, she weighed in at 10 lbs, 14.6 oz. That's a whole pound more than she weighed at her appointment on November 14 and almost 3.5 lbs more than she weighed when she was born! We are happy to see that despite being in the hospital, she still managed to eat like a champ, which I can attest to since I am the source of her many, many meals.

The two pictures above--one taken right after she was born and one taken on November 24--show just how much our little girl has grown!

Discharged!

Finally! After 10 looonngggg days in the hospital, our Lily was released today. I got her an adorable bunny hat for the occasion. It's a little big now, but at the rate she's growing, it will fit soon enough.

I know we are not the only parents in history to have a child in the hospital, and there are way sicker kids out there than Lily, but it was still very hard on us (ok, ME). Thank you to everyone who was so, so supportive during the last 10 days. It really meant a lot to us to have such great friends and family who where there to offer support, assistance, a good meal or a shoulder to cry on. We love you!

Hospital Day #10

Not much to report today. Lily and I hung out all day while she got her meds. She was pretty crabby today. I think she is just sick of being in the hospital.

We started an antibiotic countdown on the dry erase board in her room. Every time she got another dose, I crossed it off the board. It made the last full day in the hospital go by more quickly.

Hospital Day #9

As our days here at Inova Fairfax wind down and the doctor visits become fewer and far between, Lily wanted me to pass on a few tips about what to wear if you ever find yourself in the hospital.

Hospital Fashion

by Lily Ackerman

When you are in the hospital, it is important to focus your attention on getting well. It is also important to be stylish and fashionable while you are doing it. For newborns like me, the most important consideration when choosing a hospital outfit is staying warm. Since I have this big IV in my arm, I cannot wear traditional long sleeve shirts, gowns or onesies. And everyone knows that putting pants on and off of newborns during diaper changes is a big pain in the you-know-what. So, we improvised.

You will see in the photo above that my mom bought me a "kimono" shirt that snaps, as opposed to going over my head. She also cut the arm off to make room for my IV. This way, I can have one long sleeve to help keep me warm. Pink is also one of my favorite colors.

I also got to wear these stylish leg warmers during my hospital stay. They kept my legs warm but allowed for quick diaper changes. They are also pretty hip and I look cute in them.

So, if you find yourself stuck in the hospital, make sure you look good while you're doing it.

Editor's note: I did not really PLAN Lily's outfit for stylishness or coordination. Mainly, I just wanted to keep her warm and clothed till we can get her home!

Also, not much happened in the hospital today. Just more antibiotics!