Toe-fu?

So much as been going on lately with Isabel. We moved to Peru for a couple of months, she's eating solids, she's sleeping through the night (hurray!!!), and as you can see from this photo, she can now suck on her toes. See the full series of pics with her flexible moves starting with this one with her sock still on. What a guilty pleasure.

Queen Isabel's new throne

As promised, here is a (cute!) pic of Isabel in her new throne. We also have a mini version for her dolly (pictures of all chairs in a row forthcoming).

Izzy's first Hanukkah and other news

Tonight was Isabel's first Hanukkah. We lit an electric menorah since somehow I thought that having a baby in the house would increase the risk of my burning it down with real candles. Oswaldo and I both got each other the exact same gift of iTunes downloads (we were both pretty excited about it). Isabel got some finger puppets from us (frankly she seemed somewhat indifferent considering she just loves her little cow finger puppet that she hugs and smiles at).

She also got a little chair (pictures forthcoming) from grandma and grandpa and she loves it! All smiles and giggles as she sits on her new throne. I say new throne because this week we had to retire her papasan. She's too big for it. Her legs are hanging off the end. We have come a long way since we had that tiny little yellow peanut lost in the giant pink papasan.

A couple of other exciting updates while I have your attention. Isabel has started teething (we think??). Everything goes in her mouth. Here is a nice pic of her chomping on a teether. Second, Isabel is finally sleeping through the night. And I mean, REALLY sleeping through the night. Last night she slept from 8pm to 6am. Hurray!

A lot to be thankful for

As many friends and family have reminded me, I have not posted to the blog for a month. It's not that Isabel hasn't been as cute as ever, it's just that I'm getting lazy. So, I've got a lot of ground to make up, starting with Thanksgiving.

We had a great time visiting Grandma and Grandpa in New Jersey and visiting our friends Jody and Sebas in New York. Isabel continues to be fascinated by Aunt Robin's curly hair (we're just wondering when Izzy's curls will start coming in).

Probably the most exciting news of late, has been Isabel's first solid foods. You can see it on her face in the picture here. We started with rice cereal and have moved on to oatmeal. She'll be ready for turkey next Thanksgiving.

Obligatory parental Halloween post

Now just what kind of parent would I be if I didn't post a link to all those cute pictures of Isabel's first Halloween?! Izzy was a leopard princess - very very original.

Test driving the high chair

Izzy's not quite ready for solids, but I thought we'd give the newly assembled high chair a spin. As you can see from her face in the first couple of photos in the new high chair photo album , she wasn't quite sure about it at first, but she definitely liked hanging out there for a while with the new toy that came with it.

Smells Like Teen Mommy

Now that Isabel can roll over in her sleep and we can't use the swaddle, we've been experimenting with other ways of soothing her and signaling that it's sleep time.

I received some advice to use a toy or her "lovey" for this purpose. Our friends Rob and Sloan bought us a dog lovey, and I had no idea what it was. I was told to keep it close to me so that Isabel could smell me when I'm not there. So, for the first couple of months, I pretty much kept it in my shirt when I fed Isabel, but never really used it to soothe her.

Today, Amada (our wonderful nanny) gave her the lovey to take a nap, and like I've done a few times before bedtime, tucked it under her arm. A few minutes later Isabel pulled the lovey over her face so she could smell it. This picture tells it all. I've been told this is safe, but I don't plan on leaving her alone with her face covered like this. For her later nap, she also did the same thing - pulled the lovey over her nose so she could smell it.

Who knew that those hours of my walking around with a little dog blanket under my shirt would pay off?!

Isabel rolled over today

Isabel rolled over from her back to her stomach today for the first time. I don't have any photos or videos of this, but over the next few days I'll try to capture it on film. Hurray for Izzy and bye bye swaddle! I need to run to Babies R Us tonight to buy some more sleep sacks.

Wait for it...

Isabel's doing a lot better at nap time during the day (during the hey days of her colicky period, we were lucky if she got one 45 minute nap in). If you watch this video all the way (at least until 22 seconds), you'll get a nice treat towards the end (note there is no talking so don't expect much sound).

Happy dreams!

5 kilos and proud

Yesterday Isabel hit 5 kilograms (11 lbs). She seemed pretty happy about it.

Miles of smiles

Some of you have already seen the video of Isabel smiling, but these photos that Oswaldo and I took show some great smiles too. Please excuse the graininess - I was experimenting with the ISO setting on my camera and forgot to set it back.

Heat wave

There's a heat wave in San Francisco right now (actually, our summer really starts in September and October!). Yesterday it was so hot, Isabel had to break out the sleeveless tiger onsie Aunt Vicky got her.

Fingers animated

As promised in my Finger food blog post, here is a video of Isabel discovering her hand. Click on the video to see.

Finger food

At 11 weeks, Isabel has hit a lot of milestones lately. Pictured here is one of her cutest ones. She's found her fingers and thumb, and although she can't always keep them where she wants them (her mouth!), it's been an adventure trying. Check out more pics and stay tuned for an awesome video of some primo finger sucking. Other milestones: today Isabel lifted her chest up with her arms while on her stomach and turned her head from side to side. Then she pooped!

Colicky Baby? Read This Before Calling an Exorcist

If you've been wondering what Isabel (and we) have been going through, check out this NY Times article our doctor recommended we read about colic: "Colicky Baby? Read This Before Calling an Exorcist."

I read Dr. Karp's book, Happiest Baby on the Block, mentioned here, and Oti and I follow it pretty well. Isabel has been doing great lately and didn't have a colickly outburst at all yesterday (OK, briefly at the Dr's office when she peed all over Oti!). We hope the baby Zantac is working (she was diagnosed with reflux :(.

Yesterday she received her first immunization shots (well, she got one in the hospital at birth), and she did great after the initial shock of the needle. I think Oti and I were more in pain than she was! She's now 9 lbs ( 4.082 kilos), and 22 inches (55.88 cm).

On another front - she's starting to get some red hair!

Dancing in the mirror

I've been told that babies love to look at themselves in the mirror. Isabel is no exception. Not only are there some great photos of her checkin' herself out, but add a little music and she just goes hog wild. Don't just take my word for it from the still pictures. Check out the video below.

Photos (click on photo):


Video (on YouTube):

Passport fun

We're leaving for Peru in just under four months now which is just about the time it takes to get a new passport these days (no exaggeration!). Since before Isabel was born, Oswaldo and I have been researching what we need to do to get her passport ASAP. In case you were wondering, this is what you'll need:

1. Birth certificate (available 6 weeks after birth)
   
2. Social Security number (you should apply at the hospital when you apply for the birth certificate).
3. Passport photos

If you're in a hurry like we were, all of these steps require going in person to various offices, often with a baby in tote. In our case, Oswaldo had to wait hours for the birth certificate, and I had to go to the Social Security Admin office because her card hadn't arrived via mail (luckily that only took 5 minutes). We then had to bring Isabel to a processing center where we both had to be present and take an oath.

The trickiest part, frankly, was getting two valid photos. Why so tricky? The photos have to be straight on with a white background. It's not like I can sit Isabel up against a wall and tell her to smile. And, I didn't want to take her to a photo store, so I decided to do it at home with a digital camera and the help of my mother in law.

Here are the results from two photo sessions. Can you guess which one we had to use? Not very attractive, but it's the only one where she's looking straight on (hint: it's not the one with her tongue sticking out or her eyes closed - we didn't think those would be kosher). Click on the images to see larger versions - it's worth it, they're pretty funny!



Useful links for those of you getting passports for baby:

• Baby Center passport info page
• State Department page - Special Requirements for Children Under Age 14 Minor Children must Apply in Person

UPDATE: 9/5/07. With all the bru ha ha about passports taking forever, Izzy's passport arrived today! We applied on 8/24/07, it was issues 1 week later on 8/31/07 and arrived via express mail 2 business days later. We did pay for expedited service which they said would take one month. Hum, with all this extra time, I could have tried for a better photo. Zannie is correct - it is the fourth one in the second row. Also, Oswaldo spoke too soon - bath time pictures now available on Picasa.

Swing success!

I think it's safe to say that Isabel is a fussy and possibly colicky baby (she likes to express herself via the art form of cry from about 4:30pm onwards). This week we made a bit of a breakthrough. She finally took to the swing which calmed her for about 30 minutes.

One month plus

It's been a while since we've posted. It seems that things have been sort of hectic lately as the adrenaline has worn off, and we're trying to get into a routine.

Isabel is thriving and is closing in on 8 lbs as you can see by her chubby face here. (For more pictures of Isabel from one month on, check out the Isabel - One Month Picasa Web Album).

She's had some gas pretty much since she was born, so that has been making her a bit cranky (hence the break from blogging). Also, our night nurse finished her stint, and while Oswaldo is an expert swaddler, I'm hopeless so her night time sleep has not be as great as it was (and neither has ours!).

Grandma has come to the rescue with another visit - giving me time to get my hair cut (and colored!!!) and other personal hygiene things and providing a nice place for Isabel to take her naps in Grandma's cozy arms.

Stay tuned for more posts in the coming days - I've got lots of things stored up - including videos.

Collage crazy

Since I spend most of my days holding Isabel, I've become the master of one-handed photography. This collage is my latest work.

You can see more updates at the increasingly bloated Early Izzy Days Picasa web album.

Alert Eyes

Isabel is getting more alert every day. Check out her alert eyes from yesterday. Click twice on the image to see the video on Picasa Web Albums.

I don't need no stinkin' socks

Isabel's still a little small for most of her footsie outfits so we've been using her teeny tiny little socks to keep her feet warm.

Problem is, Isabel doesn't like socks.

We put them on, she kicks them off. We don't even see her do it. The picture below was taken about 3.4 seconds after we put her socks on. Turned my head for just a couple of seconds and next thing I knew, they were flung every which way.

By the way, she's over 6 pounds now!

Weight comes off and weight comes on

Isabel has officially regained her birth weight as of today (actually, she's now a bit more than her birth weight coming in at 5 lbs 13+ oz as of this afternoon). This is a big deal for any parent, and in fact, it's expected within the first two weeks. But, for Oswaldo and me it was a big cause for celebration since we were on a daily weight watch in her first few days because she's so small. We're still feeding her formula supplements per the doctor's orders, but she finally has a mushie tushie so we're out of the woods.

And, she's about to outgrow her first favorite sleep outfit (OK, it's the ONLY one that fits her), and she's already outgrown many of her preemie hats.

As for my weight, I'm doing pretty well. Here is the secret to all you new moms - THERE IS NO TIME TO EAT!!! Actually, my parents have been awesome on that front. Dad was on breakfast and lunch detail and mom has cooked up some yummy dinners. We finally learned to time our meals around Isabel's feeding schedule (although someone forgot to tell her that!).

A world of onesies

Isabel's umbilical cord thinggie came off on Wednesday, and that means she can finally wear all of the cute onesies she got as gifts. To commemorate, I dressed her up in her Google onesie and went a little crazy with the camera while she posed on my lap.

Check out the beauty queen at the full gallery of the onesie photo shoot.

By the way, did you know that in the Fiji culture, they keep the cord stump and bury it in their back yard so the baby has a green thumb. I'm still thinking about it.

Izzy Giving Instructions to Grandpa

I'm posting this annotated photo on behalf of my dad (Isabel's grandpa). The background is that the docs were a bit concerned that she wasn't pooping as much as she should.



If you can't read the caption it says:
"ANOTHER STRONG-MINDED JAFFE-SANDOVAL WOMAN HITS THE GROUND RUNNING."

Grandpa: "Kootchy-coo."

Isabel Ana: "Kootchy your own coo, Gramps, I got a problem here. Get the car, drive to West Portal and bring me back some prunes...small prunes, baby prunes. They want me to poop, I'll give them some poop. Poop like you can't believe. I'd drive myself but my feet won't reach those pedal-thinggies."

A day of firsts

Today was Isabel's first visit to the doctor's office (because she's so tiny, they want to make sure she's gaining enough weight (stay tuned for the post titled "Feeding every two hours = feeding constantly"). She looked so cute in her car seat (Technically not a first car ride, but I was so focused on Oswaldo not driving more than 2 miles an hour on the ride home from the hospital yesterday that I couldn't take in her first car seat experience until today).


It was also the first time I got to fill out a form where I wrote "Isabel Sandoval", my name, and under the "relationship" field I got to write "MOTHER." Holy cow! I'm a mother! I cried a little.

Other firsts today for Isabel:

• First smelly poop (she's gonna kill me in 15 years) and other gas related things
• First manicure (I filed the nails on one hand)

Some firsts for me:

• First time I had sushi in 8 months
• First time I walked out of my way to hold the door open for a mom with a stroller
• First time I weighed my self after giving birth

Also, some of the latest photos are in a new Picasa web album called Early Izzy Days

Dancing Daddy

Here I am teaching my little girl to dance at a very tender age. She seems to like it.

Isabel Ana Sandoval has arrived (early)

Unlike her parents who tend to be a bit tardy, Isabel Ana Sandoval decided to enter the world a whole month early today at 9:14am. Despite her early arrival, Izzy is in good health. She weighs 5lbs 12oz and measures 20 inches.

Likes: sleeping, warm snuggles, cozy hats.
Dislikes: needles, underarm thermometers, being woken to eat.

She thinks her very first picture in the world shows a little too much shine on her forehead, but I think it's great.







Izzy's first photo







Oswaldo and I have already taken a ton of photos of her first day, and you can also read about her goings on at www.isabelsandoval.com