1.26.2007

Baba

My mother was a little under the weather when she got to DC
and didn't hold the baby till midweek. Torture! But, she is
making up for lost time now, which incidentally is
cutting into Papa Du's baby time.

My mother, Pat, who comes form Croatian stock,
opted to choose the Croatian equivalent for grandma, Baba,
as her grandparenting name. This is a familiar word to us,
as it is also used for grandmother in Russian.

Baba also performed a physical therapy evaluation on Simone
yesterday afternoon, which she passed with flying colors.
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The Recently Demoted



Just to avoid any confusion, Ella is not short for Noelle.
She is our dog, also known as "Sass-box".
Ella has done very well with her transition to bottom of the
food chain. She has been calm around the baby, a remarkable
feat for a lab. She didn't even notice the baby when we brought
her up in the car seat the first day--until she cried.
She really wanted to lick Simone head to toe,
which we prevented, of course.
So, she waited till after her walk and immediately
ran over to Nana, who was holding Simone in her lap,
giving Simone a big lick on the top of the head.

She remains somewhat disinterested, but I can tell she is waiting
for her chance, biding her time, until a complete licking is possible.

1.23.2007

Girl with Towel



This last one was right after a bath,
right after the screaming,
hair still curly,
eyes sill wet.

Papa Du

My parents, Dick and Pat, came to DC to meet Simone.
My father has decided that his grand-parenting name will be
"Papa Du".
There is some concern that a young child learning to speak,
may come up with "Du Du" or "Papa Poo".
We'll let you know.

Papa Du has really taken to Simone,
holding her every chance he gets,
even during the crying spells.
He has good success calming her
with many naps on his belly.
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The Thumb

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Little by little, she is finding her thumb and learning to self-sooth.

Introductions...

Our former neighbors from the last apartment, Amy and Hanna, the ones who discovered James, the plumber, living in our furnace room and had the bathroom ceiling collapse while one of them was taking a shower, came to meet Simone. Hanna was recovering from a cold and had to watch as Amy rocked the Little One.

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New Friends

Our Peace Corps friend Becky came over to check out Simone and demonstrate her take on the "airplane hold",
not pictured here.

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Morning Walk


Even though life is really all about the baby,
Ella still needs to be walked, which took us out to the Capitol
after DC's first snow fall in a week where Congress
groped to find its political footing.
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1.14.2007

Before the Bath


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Babe in the Arms


Simone is held by Dad, Mom, and Nana. Then it starts over...








She has become more alert, her eyes looking brighter and less sleepy every day.


Nana has been a big help while staying with us. Not only has she prepared many meals for us, she also has the right touch to sooth a squawking baby.


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Getting Clean

Someone hates the sponge bath. Very tramatic.


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1.11.2007

Pass Her Around

Jen holds Simone in front of our Christmas tree. A year of firsts, we never had a tree before either. I bought it at our local outdoor market, they tied it up, and put it on my shoulder to walk back home.



Jen's parents, Rick and Sharon Ward, came out to see the new grand baby. Rick was sad to leave Simone early to go back to work.

About six months ago, he wasn't ready to answer to Grandpa, but he has become quite comfortable in the role, putting her image in his Palm Pilot. He may be biased, but Grandpa believes that Simone is a very good baby.

Here I am holding Simone and marveling at how small she looks compared to an adult-sized hand.

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Sleeping Beauty



We all basically sit around admiring the sleeping baby, since she seemingly needs 16 to 20 hours of beauty sleep. It is hard to believe how much fun it is to watch someone sleep.


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1.06.2007

Announcing...

Simone Noelle DuBord

Born: 1/4/2007 at 6:18 pm
Weight: 7 lbs 10.8 oz
Length: 19 inches

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The Delivery


Jen started feeling contractions at 8:00 am on the 4th and we went into the hospital around lunch. The contractions got pretty tough and Jen opted for an epidural, which brought the pain down considerably—one minute she was groaning and the next minute she was casually leafing through a magazine. Thinking it was still going to be hours before we started pushing, I went to get dinner. Twenty minutes later, Jen was ready to push.

Jen did amazing work in the delivery room. She pushed hard for an hour and the baby was ready to come, popping out at 6:18. The nurses quickly wrapped Simone in a towel and immediately placed her on Jen’s belly, rapidly wiping away the amniotic fluids.
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Delivery Days

Mom, relaxing with the little cherub on day one.
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Under the Bright Light

Simone at her most alert, shocked to be out of the womb, yet happy to be in the radiating warmth of the incubator.
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Daddy's Girl


Dad, proudly holding the newborn.
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The Big Reward

Happy mother holding Simone right after the delievery.
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