Monday, September 1, 2008

Happy One Month, Emma!


Love these expressions..., originally uploaded by alwaysace.

Check out that double-chin! Emma celebrated her one-month birthday this past weekend, and I have to admit it was a relief to learn on Friday that she has been gaining weight and has grown steadily over the past month (she went from 53 centimeters at birth to 57.5!). We saw the pediatrician together, and the news was good -- she is alert and in good health, and aside from some pesky "baby acne" and some of my own concerns with breastfeeding, things are going very well. Of course, I have my good days and my bad days, as I find myself constantly worrying about one thing or another, but Emma is as adorable as ever and is always surprising my boyfriend and I with her expressions, as you can see in this photo.

This past weekend we also made some steps forward in preparation for my brother's and my parents' visit in about 2 weeks' time... We managed to finally choose a sofa-bed at Ikea on Saturday and then did some more reorganization around the apartment. The place will be far from perfect, but hopefully it will be much better than the state it has been in in recent months... Emma's mint-colored crib will also finally be arriving tomorrow (we've found other places for her to sleep up until now, trust me!), and I even chose a little rug for her eventual "room". What is serving as her room right now will actually also be a combination guest room/office, because we just don't have enough rooms otherwise! But I know that's the dilemma of many of us living in la région parisienne...

So I was in a great mood on Saturday, and then yesterday for some reason I fell back into the blues, and I couldn't even figure out why. Part of it was probably my knowing that my boyfriend was heading back to work again the next day, and I love the time we spend together just the three of us, and part of it was more than likely hormonal too. One day I'm up, and the next I'm down! More so than usual these days...

Emma is relaxing in her transat beside me right now. She's just started breaking out in a few occasional smiles, and there is absolutely NOTHING like seeing those moments of joy! We are looking forward to many, many more...

16 comments:

Leah said...

I can't believe she's already 1 month old...and still so cute! Things sound like they're good, minus the usual ups and downs, but that's to be expected. Lovin the updates!

L said...

She looks adorable! Check out askmoxie.org I stumbled upon this blog, and it's a really good no nonsense yet realistic place to get kid advice and read about the experiences of the other readers. If you haven't heard of it yet, poke around the site for a while and be sure to read the comments.

Anonymous said...

Don't underestimate the impact of your changing hormones on your mood. All the women I know who have had babies really had some crazy emotions after having their baby, it takes a while for the body to work itself back into it's usual state I guess. Sometimes if you know that's what it is it makes it a bit easier to deal with, i.e there's no controllable cause.

Wow can't believe it's already been a month!

screamish said...

you sound so happy! I think the attacks of the blues are completely normal. My Mum has warned me...I guess it's tru, imagine all those hormones we have building up over 9 months, suddenly changing ina matter of a few weeks. It's got to hurt!


She's cute! You seem really relaxed about the room/sleeping arrangements, it reassures me...at our place too; things are a bit up in the air, the babies' room is still the spare room with easels and books and stuff all over the place. Hopefully we can sort it out soon....its getting more and more difficult for me to move so I'll have to get to it.

What's the routine like? do you have any time to take a breath or rushed off your feet??

Nicole said...

She's adorable! Hey, don't beat yourself up about the anxious thing or the moody thing. It's hard with the first one, everything is just so new. Try La Leche League for the breastfeeding questions - or a friend who did it for a long time. If you can't get ahold of either of those, email me, I nursed the both the boys for a couple of years and encountered along the way the standard difficulties and questions.

deedee said...

She's a darling!

Anonymous said...

I found your blog last night; I enjoyed it so much I read the whole thing and was up till my eyes were going wonky in the wee hours. You're still in the apartment with the mold? If you moved, that must have happened when my head was spinning. If you didn't move, do you know that stuff growing on your walls is not just an inconvenience but a health hazard?

Riana Lagarde said...

she is getting so big!! congratulations!! it is so much hard work and the blues are completely normal, a baby turns your life upsidedown, those awesome hormones are leaving your body, and its hard to arrange everything all at the same time. definitely read whatever you can to help. lots of hugs, best wishes too!

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

What a cutie!!!!!!

Badaude said...

Haven't looked at the late bloomer recently so this is the first time I've seen Emma. She's gorgeous! So many congratualtions! Hope you're managing the art of typing while feeding...
xbadaude

christine said...

She is really cute! The mood swing thing is tough especially when the little person is born in the fall/winter and the weather is bad. Make sure you get out a lot and go to a park or just go in shops. French people love babies and I always loved all the attention my kids got when I took them out at that age. It always cheered me up.

Jo said...

I've just found your blog, and I've spent a happy few moments looking at your lovely baby pics.
It's taken my mind off the fact that my daughter is three days overdue with her first baby ( and my first grandson) She's now booked in for a inducement on Sunday.
She's in the Uk, I'm here in France...oh dear! He will be a month old before I see him so I was intrigued to see your little poppet aged 1 month. Hope he's as angelic- looking.
Bwt...I know you must be up to your eyes in baby talc and bottles but how about some more news and pics?

ashtanga en cevennes said...

She's so cute, Alice! How's your little family now? Enjoying the visit?

Anonymous said...

Oh Emma is so adorable!

And wait until she's 6 weeks, the 'magic age'. Even if you've been having baby blues, so totally normal (oh do I remember!!), Emma at six weeks will knock your socks off: the smiles, then the giggles, the total mommy-adoration.

Keep posting! And don't forget that first and foremost you are still your wonderful self, in addition to now being a great mom too.

Cheers,
Polly

Amy75 said...

Hi Alice, What a beauty! I hope you're doing well. Amy

Emily said...

I'm so behind in blogs...

Congratulations! She's beautiful. And I love the name.

We'll becoming a family of 3 in March! :)