Birthday, novel, Zoe, raw fish, TV
My birthday was on Tuesday. I'm now 33 years old. I don't feel all weird about getting older, probably because for the past year or so I haven't been able to remember how old I am. (A sign of old age, perhaps?) People ask and I literally have to calculate from the year I was born. And there's something I like about 33. There seems to be a sort of roundness or softness to that number.
To celebrate, Nate and I had a date, our first since Zoe was born. We went to Kenichi in Victory Park for some sushi. I'd been wanting some nigiri for a while and since I mostly abstained while I was pregnant, I was eager to get my paws on some raw fish. They had interesting combinations. The emphasis was definitely on subtlety and innovative pairings versus the stuff-your-face route we normally take when served with a plate of sushi. We also had some really nice sake. After dinner, we stopped for some gelato at a nearby cafe. They have movies on a big screen in Victory Park on Tuesday nights during the summer, so we caught the end of The Princess Bride while we enjoyed dessert. It was a nice, low-key birthday. I have the sense that this is going to be a good year.
The 19th was also Zoe's one-month birthday. Nate has taken to sometimes calling her "Zoe D.," which is a fun nickname. He also got a good video of her during tummy time. You can check it out here. I have heard her laugh in her sleep a couple of times, which is one of the cutest noises ever, though I do wonder what she's laughing about.
In other Zoe news, this past week I have been setting her down more and more. And the past two days, all of her naps have been on her own (in other words, I'm not holding her). This morning she took her first nap in her crib, which I was very excited about. I've actually been able to get a few things done! I don't think this is any great parenting on my part, necessarily. I think she just got old enough or reached some developmental stage where she doesn't need to be held practically 24/7. Of course, now that I said this I've probably jinxed everything. The one thing I've learned in my one month (LOL) of parenting is that what worked yesterday isn't necessarily what will work today. She is an evolving person, and when you think about how quickly she is developing right now and how different she will be in a year, it's pretty amazing.
In husband news, Nate has had some excitement lately. He was on a local TV station's morning program today and tomorrow he will be on the radio. It's funny because, as most writers and editors know, we usually don't go into this field because we love public speaking, but I think he's doing great.
And in novel news, I realized yet again that I am the freaking queen of the back story. I'm trying to cut as much excess as possible. It's a bit slow going since I've got the wee one to feed and take care of, but it's going.
Tuesday
Zoe update
Some of the funny things Zoe does:
Purses her lips into an "o" when she is hungry. She looks like she's about to whistle but it's the "give me food, woman!" signal.
Crosses her feet while she is nursing. Also, makes a fist with her thumbs inside her other fingers at the same time.
Likes being held. All. The. Time. She wakes up when you put her down. Although she will sleep in her swing and the doctor says she will outgrow this holding thing, possibly around six weeks, possibly later.
She used to wake me up every morning around 4 a.m. while I was pregnant. This has turned out to be one of her feeding times and also, coincidentally, one of the times of day when she is most alert. She usually has a late afternoon alert time, too, when we try to play and get in some "tummy time." (Parents will know what I'm talking about.)
She is still mellow. In three weeks, we've had what I would consider two bad nights. One when she was waking up every hour (instead of her normal two-three) and wanting to eat. I think she was going through a growth spurt. And one night of fussiness when she couldn't seem to sleep. All the other nights have been pretty decent. She wakes up two-three times, usually, eats, poos, and then goes back to sleep. She doesn't cry all that much. We've also had a couple of nights when she's slept four-five hours. Woo to the hoo!
While she's feeding, she grunts and makes all sorts of squealing noises. That, combined with her bullfrog belly and her being a good eater (putting on eleven ounces more than her birth weight at her two-week check up), have led to me calling her Miss Piggy. I'll stop eventually so she doesn't have body issues later that she blames me for during therapy.
She could lift her head at one week (I've been told this is unusual for newborns) and now holds up her head for extended periods of time. Also, she could turn on her side at a week, which she did at her two-day check up. The pediatrician said she is "unusually strong." What do I know? I ain't ever birthed no baby before. Now she is starting to grip things, like my shirt or my arm. She also appear to be focusing on objects like mobiles and reaching out for toys.
Some of the funny things Zoe does:
Purses her lips into an "o" when she is hungry. She looks like she's about to whistle but it's the "give me food, woman!" signal.
Crosses her feet while she is nursing. Also, makes a fist with her thumbs inside her other fingers at the same time.
Likes being held. All. The. Time. She wakes up when you put her down. Although she will sleep in her swing and the doctor says she will outgrow this holding thing, possibly around six weeks, possibly later.
She used to wake me up every morning around 4 a.m. while I was pregnant. This has turned out to be one of her feeding times and also, coincidentally, one of the times of day when she is most alert. She usually has a late afternoon alert time, too, when we try to play and get in some "tummy time." (Parents will know what I'm talking about.)
She is still mellow. In three weeks, we've had what I would consider two bad nights. One when she was waking up every hour (instead of her normal two-three) and wanting to eat. I think she was going through a growth spurt. And one night of fussiness when she couldn't seem to sleep. All the other nights have been pretty decent. She wakes up two-three times, usually, eats, poos, and then goes back to sleep. She doesn't cry all that much. We've also had a couple of nights when she's slept four-five hours. Woo to the hoo!
While she's feeding, she grunts and makes all sorts of squealing noises. That, combined with her bullfrog belly and her being a good eater (putting on eleven ounces more than her birth weight at her two-week check up), have led to me calling her Miss Piggy. I'll stop eventually so she doesn't have body issues later that she blames me for during therapy.
She could lift her head at one week (I've been told this is unusual for newborns) and now holds up her head for extended periods of time. Also, she could turn on her side at a week, which she did at her two-day check up. The pediatrician said she is "unusually strong." What do I know? I ain't ever birthed no baby before. Now she is starting to grip things, like my shirt or my arm. She also appear to be focusing on objects like mobiles and reaching out for toys.
Monday
Not much time
Things are going pretty well. Mom went home a week ago and Nate returned to work this week. I've started revising my novel (again!!!!) so between baby and trying to get a few things done, I doubt I'll have much time for posting. So, a picture.
Zoe, with grandma and cousins. Also, Nate has some more pictures on his Flickr.
Things are going pretty well. Mom went home a week ago and Nate returned to work this week. I've started revising my novel (again!!!!) so between baby and trying to get a few things done, I doubt I'll have much time for posting. So, a picture.
Zoe, with grandma and cousins. Also, Nate has some more pictures on his Flickr.