Close Up

I'm desperately trying not to fall into the second child cliche and am snapping photos of little Dagny whenever I can.  She's a more willing subject than her always-on-the-go big brother!  Here she is sleeping in after a rough night...

And here are some photos I'm extremely proud of--she looks so alert and interested plus she's laying on the lovely quilt my mom gave her.  It's been SUPER HOT around here lately so diaper-only fashion has been a must.

Some quick tummy time before it was time for yet another nap.  I wasn't able to capture it on film, but Dagny has excellent neck strength for such a little tike...we may be in for trouble with this one!

My Aunt Marnie (my mom's sister) and her boyfriend, Michael, came over last weekend and brought dinner plus Marnie took some wonderful photos of Dagny!

And one last one, so precious!

Dagny Gets Schooled

Well, it may be summer vacation, but as a teacher I never miss the opportunity to get some teaching done.  While we are currently having zero success teaching Finley how to put on his own shoes (arg!), Dagny excelled at her first lesson.  Using the fancy, overpriced black and white cards that I was suckered into purchasing when Finley was an infant---we got down on the floor to see how well Dagny could track the pictures.   

Pretty good for a first timer, right?  We went through the rest of the cards and even used the wooden cow that was lying around from Finley's farm train.

A for effort, Miss Dagny!

Dagny So Far

So four days in, Dagny has already shown herself to be a pretty sweet little girl.  Being nearly 2.5 weeks older than Finley was when she entered the world, she certainly has things "together" a bit more than her big bro did.  Her cries are most often justifiable, though she does possess a shrill pterodactyl type yelp.  She latched well immediately and has been nursing like a champ since, though she seems to be more of a grazer (doctor said she may just be a more efficient eater...but time will tell).  She handles her independence quite well, falling asleep in the bassinet or on a blanket on the floor during the day.  Neither Dan or I can recall being able to put Baby Finley down on his own successfully--now perhaps we were simply over eager first time parents who didn't know if we were allowed to do such things...

I won't write about her overnight habits as to not jinx things, but let's just say she is more cooperative that her brother was.

Dagny enjoys being naked when it is time for a diaper change, which is quite often.  She just wriggles around on the changing pad, looking all around.  She tends to pee when diaperless, but since she is a girl--we are not in the line of fire--so aside from needing new clothes, it's not a big deal.  Speaking of clothes, we are planning to minimize the pink that covers Dagny and so far, she seems to be okay with that! Most newborns look fairly androgynous so if people think she's a boy, so be it--gluing a bow to her head or draping her in pink lace just doesn't seem to worth it.

Like her brother, Dagny is a good traveler and shopper. The two car rides she's had in her young life have gone smoothly and caused immediate slumber :) Today Dagny went to Crate and Barrel and Best Buy and snoozed through the entire outing, despite all the attention she got for being out in the world at just four days old.  I can only hope she will continue to be an excellent errands companion as her brother is and always has been!

While we are still using the "he" or "him" pronoun occasionally when referring to our delicate flower, that's just out of habit, and we are working on coming up with a term of endearment for her that's more fitting than "Buddy."  We test drove "Peanut" but that did not stick.  Today, "Squirt" seemed quite fitting so we'll see if that has any staying power.

Granddad Arrives!

My dad boarded an Acela train early this morning and arrived here in Boston by afternoon and couldn't wait to get his hands on his newest grandchild.  Dagny was happy to oblige and the two locked eyes for some time!

However, the real fun began once Finley woke up from his nap and requested the guitars that Granddad promised to bring up from Virginia.  The two jammed like old pals and I was officially chopped liver (which was a nice change!).

Maybe having a baby sister isn't so bad since lots of people visit and bring special gifts and toys!

Now with all these posts, you haven't seen me or my mom in a single photo! Well, trust me, the two of us are here on the front lines :) My mom is in the trenches: doing laundry, cooking, changing all manner of dirty diapers, grocery shopping, and providing moral support.  And me, well, I'm doing my part!

A New Doctor for Dagny

Since we'll be moving next month, it made the most sense for Dagny to see a local pediatrician in our new town.  It breaks our heart that we won't have the pleasure of working with Dr. P. here in in Arlington, but logic won out and we went to see Dr. Debbie Simon this morning.

 With Finley in tow, the exam room was a bit tight but he was ready to be Dr. Finley and give his sister a check up.

And even wrote down notes in her chart!

Dr. Simon was very nice and gave Dagny high marks (and us, too).  Second time around sure is different and it was reassuring to know that we were doing everything we were supposed to be doing and appeared relaxed about it all!  Her weight is already going back up from when we left the hospital and we can wait to go back for a week since all is well :)

When we got back, Caitlin arrived and got right to work!

Welcome Home, Dagny!

While I expected to greet an eager Finley at the basement door when we arrived home on Thursday, we ended up waiting for him to come home himself as he was far too busy up the street at a park with my mom and Dan's parents.  He had made friends with some neighborhood kids (George and Tess) and probably would have stayed up there all day if allowed!! But after about an hour at home adjusting to life on the outside, we held his footsteps climbing the stairs and then heard him bursting through the door.  He couldn't wait to see us and have a turn to hold his new baby sister.

We laid her on the floor later and after giving her one of his penguins (Arty), he laid down with her and  we had to make sure he didn't flatten her as he gave her an enormous hug.  I could have melted.

He couldn't get enough and while he doesn't quite understand just how gentle he needs to be, we are thrilled at his interest in her so early on.

 We grilled out for dinner and Finley (who loves having dinner picnics) seemed to think things were back to normal and while that's far from the truth, we couldn't have asked for a better first evening as a family of four (plus grandparents!).  However, the highlight was certainly right before we put Finley to bed and I asked him, "Who is your best friend? Daddy, Mommy, or Owly (his lovey)" and without a pause, he said, "Dagny."  You can imagine our reaction! Yes, I think we're going to be alright :)

On Friday, Finley was just as enamored with his lil' sis.  Here are some shots of the big brother holding his sister like a champ.  Dagny seems to take to him i.e. doesn't scream.

 We are now trying to balance two kids' demands and while it's not really realistic to have my mom always within arm's reach to make things easier, Dan and I are finding ways to entertain both kiddos.

He makes it look easy, right?? Keep up the good work, Dad!

Goodbye, Hospital!

Here's Aunt Caitlin in her element holding a very content Dagny.

We had another decent night of sleeping, feedings, and far-too-frequent vital signs checks on Wednesday night.  

On Thursday morning, we got the green light to take Dagny home.  It's never easy trying to get released from a hospital, but by 11am---we suited her up in one of the few new items that this poor second child has (an elephant themed pajama look)--and buckled her into the carseat.

She seemed intrigued by the whole thing.

We made it out to the car and while Dan drove carefully, we both noticed how much more relaxed we were driving #2 home than #1.  I sat in the front instead of the back (since the aforementioned #1's seat is in the back) and Dan didn't remain in the right lane the entire highway ride home :)