Our Little Dinosaur

So I'm sitting here enjoying reading other people's blogs (who knew this blog thing could be so entertaining? It's probably a good thing I didn't get involved earlier- now I actually have time to read them) when I hear noises on our baby monitor - dinosaur noises! Our daughter's new nickname is Lucysaurus because of the stinkin' cute noises she makes, especially when she's waking up. She is so much like her mom. It takes her about a half hour of stretching and roaring before she's really up and alert. We love our little dinosaur so much!!

Family Gatherings

I sure love Sundays! The past two Sundays we have had the opportunity to spend time with our extended family - and to show off Lucy. This past Sunday, Father's Day, Lucy got to meet her great-grandma and grandpa Manwill. She also got to meet her 2nd cousin, born just 25 hours before she was. Great-grandma Manwill got to hold them both and we got a super cute picture taken. As soon as we get a copy, I'll post it.

The Sunday before, we got to spend time with the Van Hoose's. Lucy met Grandpa Van Hoose for the first time and her cousins who were born just two days before her. They are tiny compared to her - literally half her size. Check out the photos.

The Unofficial Rookie Father Q & A Column

Okay, welcome to the unofficial Rookie Father quesion and answer column. This is where the unexperienced, green, newly initiated father (myself) asks the questions, and you (the enlightened reader, or the pretended enlightened reader) gives the answers. Since the questions will be focused on the area of newborn/infant care, experience in that area is appreciated. Thank you.And now, for the first question:

Question 1: My newborn is having trouble sleeping in her cradle. For example, she will fall asleep after eating, and when she is transferred to her cradle, she begins to cry after a few minutes. Upon picking her up, she will settle down and fall back asleep. If I repeat the process, it happens again (although sometimes she does fall asleep in her cradle). How can I get her to sleep in her cradle?

Adventures in Diaper Changing

My daughter loves to play a very dirty joke on dad. Here's the scenario: Dad checks daughter's diaper. Upon finding it dirty, he decides to change the diaper. But his daughter is very squirmy. Dad cannot clean off her rear end because of her flailing legs. Using one hand, he holds her ankles up together and proceeds to wipe with the other hand. After passing a clean inspection, Dad then dries daughter off and puts on the anti rash cream. Now, with everything clean and ready for a new diaper, the daughter begins her mischief (the reader by now should see where this is going). In perfect shooting position (lying on back, legs up in the air at a right angle to rest of body), the little one lets the poop fly with all she's got. Needless to say, she's now dirty again, and father now has to clean off not only daughter, but the changing table as well. At least we know her excretory system is working up to par.

New Arrival

Well I guess I give in - I've now officially started a blog. I'll start with the most exciting news our little family has. We are now a family of three! Lucy Anne Van Hoose joined our family at 4:27 a.m. on Thursday, May 29th. She weighed in at 9 lbs. 4 oz. and measured 21 inches long. She was born with a beautiful head of brown hair and she is absolutely perfect!!

What an amazing miracle birth is! I had the opportunity to have a mirror during labor and there is nothing quite as humbling as watching your child being born. Giving birth was the most amazing thing I have ever done. I feel truly blessed to have been able to be a part of this miraculous creation.

Lucy has been given a clean bill of health and is doing quite well, although it seems that she has her days and nights a bit mixed up. We'll work on it.

In other, but very related news, I (Anne) have decided not to go back to an official teaching position for this next school year. The job share situation I had arranged fell through and I've just felt so anxious about it anyway. Plus, when I look at Lucy, I don't want to miss anything. I could sit and just stare at her all day long and be completely content. So I've decided to substitute teach instead. This way I can control how often I work, where, and when. This feels like the best solution - I can still make a little bit of money and use my degree but I can focus on my family first.