Morgan & Erin Dahl

Photo update (a few snapshots and grandparents)

A few snapshots from late last week. Grandparents Dahl came this weekend, then I realized that photos of Grandparents Wetzel haven’t made it onto the blog yet!

Left to right:

• June 28 — Grandma Wetzel, Grandpa Wetzel
• July 11 — Four shots of Morgan
• July 12 — Grandpa Dahl, Grandma Dahl

Morgan’s first movie

While Molly slept on Monday night, Morgan and Jim went to Morgan’s first movie. It was a repeat of last week’s aborted attempt to hit the Crystal City Film Festival. This week’s feature — The Spy Who Loved Me.

Morgan wasn’t sure what she thought of her first James Bond movie being a Roger Moore film, but better than Timothy Dalton in the end, she decided.

The movie started at about 8:30p (sundown), and Morgan managed to stay awake for about 30 minutes. She woke up occasionally, but I’m not sure she caught the overall plot. Nonetheless, Morgan and Jim had fun and Molly got some more sleep.

Morgan’s schedule shifts

Morgan has been a very easy-to-care-for baby so far:

• She doesn’t cry when her diaper needs changing (though that does put some pressure on mommy and daddy to think to check)
• Going out doesn’t make her fussy, but rather makes her sleep
• When she was born she didn’t cry, but instead looked around the room inquisitively for five minutes until whisked away (what daddy reads as inquisitive may instead have been dazed and confused)

Nonetheless, her parents have been wishing that her “needs attention” awake time was something other than 11pm-5am.

The good news is that though she continues to sleep at least 15 hours/day or so, she has become quite alert during the afternoon. A useful corollary is that she has now slept through each of the past two nights, waking only for a quiet feeding mid-night then falling back asleep.

We’ll enjoy the new schedule while it lasts.

Aunt & Uncle Wetzel visit

Morgan met her first aunt and uncle on Saturday, as Angie & Andy Wetzel came to Arlington to visit her.

Morgan’s First Week

Well, it has been quite a week for Morgan.  This time last week, I was getting ready to head home from work a little early.  Jim and I were going to swing by the hospital, where I was pretty sure they’d tell me I wasn’t in labor and I should go back home.  And we came close to that very outcome.  But then things started happening and at 11:38pm, Morgan was born.  And here we are, a week later.

And what a week it has been.

Last Saturday Grandma and Grandpa Wetzel came up to visit us in the hospital.  That night, Morgan and I struggled with breastfeeding.  (It was a long night.)

Sunday we were given our discharge papers and sent on our merry way home.  Jim hunted and gathered some additional baby supplies from various stores while Morgan and I got settled.  She seemed to relax quite a bit after leaving the hospital.  Or maybe it was me.  At any rate, we were glad to be home.

Monday we made it down to the courtyard of our apartment complex for lunch at the local Irish pub.

Tuesday was our first pediatrician appointment.  He says everything looks a-ok! We go back next Tuesday for a follow-up appt, just to make sure Morgan is gaining weight well.

Wednesday we made it to the National Mall downtown to see some of the festival sites and take some traditional DC photos (Morgan with the Washington Monument in the background, Morgan with the Capitol in the background, etc.).  The weather was gorgeous.

Thursday Grandma and Grandpa Wetzel were back for a second visit.  Again, we went down to the courtyard for lunch.  We were back again a few hours later for dinner and music (there is a live band in the courtyard on Thursday evenings in the summer).  As you can tell, the courtyard is a popular destination for us.  Entertaining for Mom and Dad, with quick escape routes in case of meltdown.  Very convenient.

And Friday, July 4th, Morgan’s 1 week birthday, her umbilical cord stump fell off.  They grow up so fast!

She has definitely been changing.  She’s no longer as ‘balled up’ as she once was.  Her hands splay out and she often sleeps with her arms up over her head.  This is a big change from the first 48 hours or so, when she kept her hands in little fists and loved to be swaddled up tight (like a burrito).  And already she’s adding new squeaks, sighs, and grunts to her vocabulary.  And she smiles in her sleep.  It has nothing to do with me or Jim, but is still pretty awesome.

Here are a couple of photos.  Her daytime sleeping area and the umbilical cord stump after it fell off.

First bath

Yesterday Morgan had her first bath. It was long enough that I didn’t post the entire video, but these excerpts should give you a pretty good taste of how much she enjoyed it.

This should also satisfy those who have asked if she ever cries.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall

Morgan took her first trip into D.C. today to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. A favorite of mom & dad’s, this is the annual cultural festival that takes place on the mall over the Fourth of July and neighboring weekends.

While we would normally never even consider driving to such a thing, the promise of a quick escape to the car if Morgan became unhappy proved irresistible.  Our concern proved for naught, as Morgan happily rode around (admittedly mostly sleeping) for a couple hours, going a full four hours between feedings without a complaint.

Tummy time!

First full day at home

Morgan’s first full day at home was activity-filled and tiring.

She:

1. Took her first trip to the pub
2. Hung out on the balcony outside with Jim (while Molly napped)
3. Napped with Molly

Morgan and Jim also went for a walk in the evening, while Molly napped.  Morgan and Jim were going to go to Morgan’s first movie, but weather looked inclement.  Maybe next week.