Our first plane trip!

 

Unlike previous trips with just Osei and I, we packed in advance, so getting ready to leave town wasn't too stressful.  We have an entire suitcase full cloth diapers, by the way.  Anyway, I put Palesa down at 10:00.  She was awake, but I turned the radio to static and she put herself to sleep.  Major success.  Osei and I went to bed around midnight, exactly when Palesa woke up again to eat.  And eat.  And eat.  And poop.  I tried putting her down, but she makes all kinds of cute noises, and I can't sleep when she's awake.  Finally, at 2:30, she and I both fell asleep, at last.  And at 4:45 am, the alarm clock rang.

We made it out the door and to the airport without incident.  Palesa spent most of her time in the Moby wrap, and she did wonderfully on the flight (a 5 hour flight from Boston to Denver).  She nursed during takeoff, but I couldn't wake her up to nurse for landing.  By the time we landed, she needed a new diaper and was pretty hungry.  She didn't cry until the plane landed, which I consider a major success.  Unfortunately, I didn't get much sleep on the flight- just a few short cat-naps.

Mom and Ralph picked us up from the airport, and were so thrilled to meet their new granddaughter!  It is hard not to fall in love with Palesa as soon as you set eyes on her, and just as we predicted, they are both smitten.

Eventually, we put Palesa on the dining room table while we ate dinner.  She was our centerpiece.

Nature's best

 

Palesa is a great little eater.  

Three weeks old!

 

We can't believe Palesa is already 3 weeks old.  She is getting cuter and cuter by the day.

She is definitely her daddy's daughter.  We love how she'll grip our finger, even when she is sleeping.  Palesa may or may not have been snoring in this picture.

She's all smiles!

I think Palesa looks a lot like my sister, Suz, when she was a baby

I told her some pretty funny jokes this morning, and she was laughing

Finally, one of her beautiful smiles that I captured with my camera

Nipple Confusion

Last night Osei went to kiss and nuzzle with Palesa, and he realized that she may be hungry.  Yes, she is sucking on his nose.  Personally, I usually just give her my pinky finger when she wants to suck but not necessarily nurse.

We have to post something for 11/11/11

Awake Awake!

Palesa had a very alert morning, and was in a fantastic mood.  I wish I could capture her little smiles, but I never seem to have my phone nearby, and they are so cute to look at that I don't want to stop engaging with her.  When we get her changed and dressed in the morning, I love to just put my face next to hers and "play."  At this point, it is mainly talking to her and making funny, expressive faces, but every day she is more and more responsive.

 She is 17 days old today.

This is her thoughtful face.  I so wish I knew what she was thinking!

This is just a general happy and content face

She's just like her Daddy and enjoys playing with her ears.

Look at my booties!

The purpose of these pictures is actually to show off Palesa's little knit booties.  In retrospect, I should have taken a zoomed-in picture of just her feet, but instead, I got the entire cute little girl.  My grandma (Grandma Benson) was an avid crafter.  She would knit and crochet blankets, sew quilts, sewed matching dresses for me and one of my dolls, and even made clothes for my barbie dolls.  She made these booties years ago.  In fact, I believe my sister and I wore them as babies as well.  Palesa is definitely enjoying them, as you can see from her content yawn.  

15 Days old

Palesa was helping Daddy type.  Actually, she was distracting Daddy from typing

 Our big accomplishment of the day was Palesa's first bath!  I wanted to hold on to that newborn smell in her hair for as long as possible, but the sour milk smell from her neck indicated that it was probably time for her first bath.  Osei handed her to me while I was in the shower.  At first she was surprised at suddenly being wet, but she seemed to enjoy it after a while.  However, though I splashed her body with water, I completely forgot to pay attention to her milky neck.  Oh well.

When she nurses, she'll easily grip whatever is around her.  Her fingers are still so tiny.   

We also had a visit from Audra and Catherine, two of our midwives.  They loved getting to see her again, and confirmed that she's gotten exponentially cuter since their last visit.  She's gaining wait like a little champ, and according to Audra's scale, 7 lbs, 13 ounces.

Two weeks old!

Palesa was napping this afternoon and both Osei and I realized how different her face looks now compared to the day she was born.  It is amazing to think our little girl is two weeks old.  I guess that means it is time for her first bath soon.  Though you wouldn't know it from these pictures, we actually do change her clothes daily, but usually not until late afternoon.