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