Happy Halloween

It's Leo's first halloween.
He's not really enjoying it too much.

He seems happy to try on Tom's Frankenstein head.

Dressing up

Here's Leo practicing for Halloween. I'm not sure if Billie realizes that imitation is the highest form of flattery. (Thanks to auntie Mary Ellen for the cat hat.)

Of course, Tom had to make it look like he's riding the cat. I think the look on Leo's face says it all.

Little Pumpkin

We've been trying to follow the advice "sleep when the baby sleeps", which Tom demonstrates here.

As a result, we had a late start today and I ended up laying down with Leo for a couple hours in the afternoon. I had a distant hope that we would go to a pumpkin patch and take adorable pictures of Leo on a hay stack and with a scarecrow, but alas, that didn't happen. I did dress him up this morning in an appropriate outfit for the occasion and he has managed not to pee or spit up on it too much. This t-shirt was a gift from his aunt Tracy. We wanted to snap the perfect picture of him wearing it. The photos leading up the the ultimate shot are pretty cute too, especially if you're in to hairy arms.

Booby monster

Just a quick update on life with Leo. We're getting some nice blocks of sleep now and then. Tom is an awesome hands-on dad and this takes a lot of pressure off me. Today we experienced "cluster feeding" (back-to-back nursing sessions), which are usually an indication of a growth spurt. It has been tiring and we've been pretty house-bound, but after the worries about Leo's weight in the beginning, we're happy to know he's a hungry, growing boy.

Here he is, looking angelic.

Poopy pants

Leo is a burping, farting, spitting-up, peeing, pooping machine. It's amazing how much "stuff" comes out of this teeny tiny baby. But he's so damn cute, we don't mind.

Check it out.

baby wearing

The whole family loves this wrap. Leo is all snuggly inside it (very womb-like). It allows me (or Tom) to have both hands available, distributes the weight evenly across my back and keeps strangers from putting their cootie-covered hands all over my kid.

Uncle Mike

Leo got to meet his uncle Mike (and Mike's girlfriend, Neve) today. They'll spend more time together on Monday.

Baby's first bath

Leo's belly button fell off a couple days ago (no, we didn't save it), so he could graduate from sponge baths to the baby bath tub. Needless to say, he hated it.

My little man

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Today is Leo's official due date. I'm so glad he decided to come early so we could spend this past week with him. He seems to be changing a little everyday. Yesterday, he was more alert and looking around during the day. That means less naps for Tom and I, but more time looking at his beautiful blue eyes. He's also becoming a huge cuddle bug. All last week, he was okay with being set down in the bouncy seat, swing or pack n play. Now he wants to be held a lot more. I've been eating my meals one-handed (Tom actually fed me some ice cream last night since my hands were full). It reminds me a little of when my left wrist and hand were out of commission, but much more enjoyable.

Here he is, checking out the world.

Awww, ma...

stop taking my picture!

Baby burrito

with extra cute...

Special Day

Today Leo is one week old, and Tom and I celebrate our two year anniversary. We have postponed the gifts and romance, but still managed to go out to lunch. Our first outing as a family. We felt like part of the world again.
Leo saw the pediatrician today. He's up 9 oz since Friday; though it is probably only 8 oz based on the size of the poop he had on the exam table. Thankfully, he waited until the doctor left the room.. His jaundice is clearing up (still a little yellow in the face and eyes), and he didn't have to get poked again. We're just suppose to monitor it.

Lazy Sunday

We had a nice day and our first visitors! My friend Abbie was in from Boston and she came over with Lauren and her boyfriend Aaron. Leo was very charming and it was wonderful to catch up with them. Tom got to watch football with Aaron, which was a much needed dose of "guy time". And this evening, our friend Cara from our childbirth class brought over a delicious meatloaf and I gave her the low-down on our hospital. I warned her about the food and scratchy toilet paper. I think she appreciated the tips.

Here are my main men sleeping in on Sunday.

Getting some sun therapy for the jaundice

My Banana Baby

So Leo has a little bit of jaundice. He's being closely monitored by the pediatrician, which means his poor little heel has been pricked for blood multiple times. The first time he slept right through it.
We're optimistic that it will pass soon, but please keep us in your thoughts.

Just hanging out

We're so enjoying spending time with Leo. Of course we're all really sleep deprived. I never knew a human could function on so little sleep.

Here are some recent pics.

hanging with dad

Snug as a bug in his vibrating seat. He loves this seat. Thanks Ito (Humberto) and Ita (Sharon).

Nana is such a pro she can handle both baby and kitty.

I'm not sure if he fully appreciates the beautiful diaper tower he received from his Grandma Ruth and his Great Grandma Anne, but we do.

We're home

Though we were treated great at the hospital, we were very anxious to get home. Once we arrived, Tom and I looked at each other and said, "now what?"

Tom gave Leo a very thorough tour of the house and we've had a good afternoon and evening of feedings, diaper changes and bonding. I'm feeling more and more human everyday, but I'm still recovering. My mom has been an incredible help and it is such a relief to have her here.

I plan on writing up the whole birth story soon and posting it.

Here are some pics.
All dressed and ready to go. (Thanks to cousin Dillon for the stylin' peace symbol shirt.)

His stats

Weight: 7 pounds (even)
Length: 20 inches
Hair: Lots
Eyes: Dark blue (for now)
Overall: perfect

HE'S HERE!

Leonardo Joseph Mirrione was born on October 8th at 7:59pm. It was a very long process, but worth it! Leo, Tom and I are all doing well. We'll post many more pictures, but here are a few to start with.

I have a very comfortable womb...

and the baby seems to want to stay there. Still contracting hard, but not quite regular enough to bring in the doula or go to the hospital. I'm going to rest a while and see what happens.

still here

It's been a very long day of irregular contractions. My mom just arrived and I think we may go on a walk soon to see if that gets things going.

We're dorks

Like kids on Christmas morning, Tom and I had to be sent back to bed. We called Deidre, our doula, at 6am and she kindly informed us that we still had a looooooong way to go, so it would be best to try to get some more rest. We took her advice.

The contractions are strong, but short and have not yet established a regular pattern. We plan to take a walk to see if we can encourage labor and then will rest at home for a while longer.

My mom currently making the drive up. Tom is trying his best to be patient. And I'm hanging in there.

This is it!

I woke up a 4am with strong cramping and began to have painful contractions. I woke up Tom and told him about the contractions and said, "but you can go back to sleep, honey." He was quiet for a few minutes and then said, "I can't sleep; are you kidding me?"

We're both up. He had some eggs and coffee. I had a shower. We plan to call the doula soon and eventually head to the hospital. The hospital has wi-fi, so we'll update as soon as we can.

This is exciting (and scary and painful!).

Big, big belly

There is something very surreal about how the body is transform so significantly during pregnancy. Sure, it is a slow evolution over nine months, but I'm still startled every time I look in the mirror. I seriously feel like I'm defying gravity.

Want proof?

This was taken last night and, no, there is no trick photography. It's no wonder people blatently stare when I go to the market. Who can blame them? I'm pretty much a freak. And I have to wonder, how much more can my skin, back, body, take?

Plans

Though most of the time I seem scattered, I'm actually a bit of a planner. I make lists; I rely heavily on Post-it notes; I organize my days. Not knowing what to expect and the unknown in general makes me anxious. As a kid, I always visited a school before classes started to find my locker and classrooms. I still do this as an adult. When I was hired at DeAnza College this spring, I made Tom join me on a dry run of my route to work, parking in the faculty lot, walking to the classrooms and locating the nearest bathrooms. Neurotic? Yes. But being prepared gives me peace of mind.

Well, you can't plan a birth. This may be what's most difficult for me. I have no idea when or how labor is going to start. It could be tomorrow; it could be in two weeks. My water may break in a dramatic gush like the movies or I could just have increasingly painful contractions. Even if I did try to make plans for the birth, a million different factors can come into play that will take my plans off course.
So here I sit, waiting (somewhat) patiently for my body and the baby to do its thing.

The kitties

There is a lot of information out there about how to introduce a new baby to the family dog, but not as much about cats. Most cats would probably be pretty unfazed and just go about their business. But Tom and I don't have normal cats. Our cats are very neurotic, needy creatures (only to be outdone by my mom's dogs, who win the most insane pet award hands down). Take a look at Billie with Tom.

Clearly, she thinks Tom is her human. I keep telling both cats that very soon their ranking in the household hierarchy will drastically change, but they are in denial.