Month two: smiles and trials

We have made it through month 2! Its been a long one. With family and friends departed, and Mohamed back at work, life has developed somewhat of normal routine, with the exception of the tiny person now at the center of our days. We have often been left wondering how it is that someone who weighs less than most items at Costco can be the boss of the family, but she sure is. Most of our outings are planned according to her schedule and desires, and our little dictator does just not always appreciate doing things outdoors in the beautiful springtime weather the way we do.

Laila "enjoys" a walk in downtown Boulder



hanging out in the back yard

 Just when we are about to crazy from lack of sleep and crying, Laila will give us a toothless grin or a conversation of goo goo ga ga and we'll remember that there is actually a little person in there and how precious these early months are.  We've managed to capture some smiles on camera, but so far every time we pull out the flip recorder, the chattering stops. We do have a few great videos of Zoe talking baby talk though....

So long till next month- on the agenda- our first trip as an expanded family (yikes!)

Month one: Photo shoots and paparazzi

This first month with Laila at home has been a whirlwind. We are learning the ropes as new parents and trying to catch up on everything else in life in the small increments of time that Laila allows us.

We were lucky enough to have a number of adoring fans visit us this first month to see the new addition. Mohamed parents stopped in for a weekend and my parents took advantage of their newly retied status to spend 10 days or so with us. Tara also came out for a long weekend to see her new niece. Our family all pronounced her to be a beautiful baby  (not that they are biased) .  More importantly, they helped us to stay sane by pitching in for sessions of baby holding and rocking, cooking dinner, fetching things for Zoe while she was nursing and other exciting activities. We can't thank you enough!

Auntie Tara

Grandma Lieberman works her baby calming magic

Grandpa Ghali

Grandma Ghali

Like all new parents, we are determined to capture every moment of our baby's life...the result thus far is countless photos of Laila sleeping ( she is just not as photogenic while crying or eating, her other favorite activities). We even attempted to create some of those cute newborn photos that you see in the magazines (because Mommy did not want to pay for the pro price tag) in a few photo shoots. Now that we have a spare moment, I can finally post some of our favorites from the month...Enjoy!

 

Labor 3.23.2011

Research states that only 4% of babies are born on their due date and so we figured that it would  not happen on 3/23/2011.  The night of 3/22 until early morning of 3/23, I started having some mild contractions that kept me awake, but I didn't think it would progress to active labor by that end of the day. Mohamed initially left for work that day but after much debating on whether he should go or not he wisely returned home to be with me in case labor progressed...and we were right! That whole day we timed the contractions following the famous 511 rule and sure enough the contractions became longer, stronger and not far apart from each other. I was working that day; writing emails and making phone calls and taking breaks to deal with the pain of contractions every six minutes. At about 4:15PM we decided to go to the hospital and active labor began at about 6:00PM. Thankfully we filled out all the administrative paperwork beforehand so that I can concentrate on labor and getting the baby out. I have to thank Mohamed for being next to me all the way through because I don't know what I could have done without him. At 9:07PM, and after pushing through all the pain, baby Laila was born!

Counting down....

Preparations are in full swing for the arrival of baby Ghali-who's due date has steadily creept up on us. We have been spending the last few weekends here getting the nursery (formerly known as the office) ready, relaxing, and attempting to get some sleep in while we can. Not so easy to do with what looks to be a watermelon in my stomach!

The result- the crib is finally assembled, our old bedroom dresser repainted with new knobs, and even some artwork and a handmade mobile and wall decal up. I'm even 2/3 of the way done with my first official quilt. Still a few artsy projects to complete if baby permits, but  the room is basically ready for his/her arrival.  See some photos of the room in progress below!

 As much as I am tired of feeling huge, In some ways it would be nice to still have another week before baby arrives, despite the fact that breathing and sleeping are tough and bending over to tie shoes impossible...Mohamed is a bit shocked by the current size of my stomach and getting used to the the idea that there is really a baby in there that could be making his/her appearance in the outside world at any time. He was a good sport about the labor and delivery class and all of the lovely videos in it, now if I could only get him to read some baby books.  As for me, I am keeping busy trying to finish up things at work, doing taxes, cleaning the house and otherwise obsesivly getting things in order as only a pregnat woman can do... Countdown 1 weeks to go?!



Mina's new favorite spot to nap - the changing table



Entry into the land of blogging...

So here we go, my first attempt at blogging. Have patience as I learn the ropes!


I have been meaning to create a blog and post some photos of my expanding waistline for quite some time... so now for your viewing pleasure some early pics of Baby Ghali (at the 20 week ultrasound)