We are finally getting Esme's blog up and running ...so here goes!
Esme Elizabeth Pollard arrived March 17, 2012 at 10:08 pm (our little St. Paddy's baby!). She weighed in at 6 lbs. 3 oz and measured 19 inches. She nailed the APGAR with a solid 9. We spent two days in the hospital learning how to feed and bathe her (which was not nearly enough time for any of us!) On her first visit with the lactation consultant, we discovered Esme had ankyloglossia (this was wonderfully ironic to her daddy: his daughter is literally tongue-tied and he is figuratively!) After a small snip to her frenulum, her tongue was able to move freely and breastfeeding improved significantly. Our first night home from the hospital netted us 1 1/2 hours of sleep total, followed by a 9am visit to the pediatrician - welcome to parenthood!
Breastfeeding was a struggle for several weeks with many tears from both mommy and daughter. After a few ounces of formula from the pediatrician, a couple visits to the lactation consultant, and hours of practice, we've found our routine and breastfeeding has become a regular part of life (day in and day out!) At Esme's 2 week doctor's appointment she weighed in at 6 lbs. 10 oz., and is now (on 4/21) up to 8 1/2 lbs (according to our dubious bathroom scale).
Esme's neck is getting strong (daddy comment: "she's not such a bobble head anymore") although she often gets frustrated during tummy time ..it's a work in progress! She loves kicking her legs and she's keeping them straightened out most of the time now. She has officially outgrown her newborn diapers as well as some of her newborn-sized clothes (footed pj's seem to be a problem with her long, lanky feet). She intentionally cooed for the first time on April 10th. We thought it was pretty neat. On the night of April 14th (right at the 4 week mark), Esme slept for 5 hours ...and the new parents were stupid enough to wake her up for a feeding! Won't be making that mistake again.
My mom came to visit during Esme's second week to help out the sleep deprived parents and meet the new addition. My dad and Rosie came during her fourth week, and although things were improving, the help was again needed and again much appreciated. Esme had a visitor friend from Long Island (Shirley) come to visit for an afternoon as well. Ryan and I enjoyed having all of our visitors and Esme was a sweet, sleepy baby (until everyone left and she didn't have to show off anymore ...now it's back to more frequent feedings and crying sessions). We look forward to seeing Brandon, Sarah, and Nadine in June!
Hospital pictures:
Moments after her grand entrance...
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| going-home-from-the-hospital outfit (way too big!) |
Esme's first month ...
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| froggy legs! |
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| first mani |
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| first bath at home |
Erin's mom came to visit a week after Esme was born
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| Grandma Trudie holding Esme for the first time |
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| Ryan's first attempt to put a dress on his daughter. He later realized the snaps go in back. |
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| "Whatta YOU lookin' at?" |
First time we heard her cooing. It was an exciting event for us. Not sure how Esme felt about it.
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| Our first attempt to put an Easter dress on Esme. It was cute, but she wasn't quite big enough to fill it out. |
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| Easter dress version 2.0 Erin's dad and Rosie came to visit after Easter
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