The Christmas Miracle

I challenge anyone who doesn't agree - this is a true Christmas miracle. Sofia either ate, slept or sat quietly all the way from New York to Amsterdam to Manchester to Newcastle, which was nearly a 24 hour journey. She was an angel. But that wasn't the amazing part. The best bit was that she promptly settled in at Grandma and Granddad's house and slept through the night. And if you think it was a fluke - she slept through the night the next night too! We are very proud of our sleepy chubster.

The pictures above are from Christmas day. The cute baby prom dress was courtesy of Auntie Kristin and Uncle Nick. Scrummy or what?!

All I want for Christmas...

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

Love, Rachelle, Antony and the mini-cheeseburglar.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Sleep at last!

Around Thanksgiving we had a lot to be thankful for: our health, family, jobs, beautiful baby and finally, a good night's sleep! At 10 weeks, she started to go from 10:30pm - 7:00am without needing a feed in between. She didn't sleep through the whole night; a favorite of her's is to wake up between 5-6am and cry because she was bored. But even that is settling down now.

Now at 12 weeks, more often than not she is sleeping through to 7am. And if she wakes up between 5am -7am she chatters, whimpers and then puts herself back to sleep.

So that makes us all very, very happy. Rest makes us better parents and makes Sofia smile. (Fingers crossed our upcoming trip to England doesn't throw the schedule out the window!)

New Photos of Sofia - 2 months old

Sofia's First Girls Day Out

Shopping is what my mom, grandma, sister and I do best. Now we have a new addition to our shopping crew. Here is a picture of our first day out.

Travelling alone with a 2-month old baby - No Problem!

Yup - I just checked her through to Dallas and picked her up on the luggage belt. It was no sweat! As easy, an illegal, as that sounds - Sofia and I travelled to Dallas and back ALONE and surprisingly it was okay. I was a very proud momma bear with my little girl sprawled out on top of me, sleeping with her mouth open and gently farting at 20,000 ft. But almost no crying, so everyone was happy.

Here's was my secret: almost starve her before the flight so she was desperate to get her lips around that bottle at take off. The Thanksgiving-style meal promptly put her to sleep and when she woke up, guess what, it was time to eat again right as we were descending.

Sounds too easy? Well that was the warm-up, the real adventure is when we take her to the UK for Christmas! Watch this space!

Sofia's Bad Day

Her whole head turned deep purple. Eggplant purple. (Aubergine purple.) And then the screaming started. She cried. I cried. Needless to say, she was not best pleased. If you haven't figured it out yet, she had her first round of vaccinations this morning and we are both glad that is behind us.

In addition to getting her 2 month vaccinations, she was also measured, weighed and generally poked at by our very nice pediatrician. We knew that our little chubbster liked her food but we didn't realize how much. She weighed in at 12 lbs 7 oz which puts her in the 95% percentile for weight! Yikes! I asked the doctor if she was an obese infant and she laughed and said that Sofia was perfectly healthy and she was glad that she was putting weight on so well. Also, she was 23 inches, putting her in the 80% percentile for height. So she is a well proportioned Amazon Baby.

Despite the weight, Antony and I are still able to lift our little butterball and here is a picture of us taking Sofia to Central Park for the first time. She slept most of the time in Auntie Jess's arms. She approved out the outing.

Announcements

This week, Sofia's announcements were mailed out. Our dear friends and Sofia's art directors, Inigo and Phillip, not only took the photos but designed the announcement. And the service didn't stop there, they even had them printed up and hand delivered them to us! Amazing or what?!

We love how they turned out and hope you do too.

Rachelle, Antony & Sofia x

Sofia's First Halloween

Aunt Megan made Sofia's first costume and she was the cutest bumble bee in town! We met up with her first friend, Max (who is just two days older than Sofia), for a sweet photo opportunity.

Adventures with Gina Ford

Before having Sofia, friends in the UK swore that one woman made parenthood not only manageable but positively a pleasure - Gina Ford. She is the author is 'The New Contented Little Baby Book' and several other texts about training babies and toddles to do anything short of circus tricks.

So back in March when we were in the UK. I picked up her book and read it cover to cover. Ready and confident to get Sofia sleeping through the night in a matter of weeks, I was disappointed when I brought Sofia home and realized that she her schedule and temperament didn't lend itself to Gina's rules. So I put the book aside for the first few weeks and began tinkering with it again around 3-4 weeks when Sofia started to become more alert and went longer between feeds (i.e. 3-4 hours). Since then, we have tried to follow Gina's strict regime and truth be told, some days have gone well and other have not. But by 6 weeks, she was eating and sleeping well and was only waking up once between 11pm - 7am.

Then GiGi came to town... (that is my mom). Like a knight in shining armor, she arrived and took over the night shift, allowing Antony and I to catch up on some much needed sleep. I also worked a couple of days and she was more than happy to babysit. And for the first day, mom followed Gina's rules to the letter. Sofia was awake and asleep during the right times, ate the right amounts and slept in her crib during every nap. GiGi had it under control but then Sofia threw us a curve ball and went through a growth spurt -meaning that regardless of what Gina said, she wanted to eat as much and whenever she wanted! So we were feeding her absurd amount of milk so often that it felt like she was starting another bottle as soon as she finished the last! Needless to say, this all had a serious impact on the schedule and by the last day of mom's visit Sofia was eating and sleeping whenever she wanted and would only sleep at night when she was being held by GiGi on the sofa. Mom said that she was there to help us get some sleep - not to issue tough love. Too true! So now 'Mean Mommy' is trying to get her back on the schedule which resulted in spending FOUR hours getting her to sleep in her crib last night! Ouch. But at least I feel really rested and that does wonders for my patience levels.

While mom was here we went into Antony's work, only for Sofia to pee all over Antony's desk which dribbled down into all three of his drawers. We also got a photo of her smiling, which is Sofia's newest trick!

Aunt Megan's Visit

Just when it started to feel like the help had dried up - Aunt Megan flew in to lend a helping (and always appreciated) hand. Arriving on Saturday night and leaving Wednesday afternoon, Sofia and Megan had to do some power-bonding which consisted of lots of cuddling, feeding and burping. I'd love to add changing on that list but she only actually changed a couple of diapers and 'pooped out' when things started to look nasty (sorry - I couldn't help myself). Perhaps at Thanksgiving Megan can add dirty diapers to the list of her many talents.

Aunt Megan came bearing gifts including the super cute dress in the picture above and the tutu and headband also featured. You can tell that Sofia wasn't overly thrilled with being a ballerina but that fact that she wasn't wailing her head off gave us a clue that she didn't hate it either. Ann asked me to promise that Sofia would never be put into that kind of flower headband, but no such promise could be made when Megan had her say. And I have to admit, it is sort of cute similar to dogs wearing tuxedos. Definitely worth a couple of photos!

So Sofia has added yet another member to her growing fan club - who's next?

Sofia's 1 Month Birthday

Well, we three have made it through the first month! From my foggy calculations, I figure that we have changed about 250 diapers, fed her about 250 times and averaged about 4 hours a sleep per night (sometimes between us!). It is pretty amazing what you can get used to in a very short amount of time but I would be lying if I didn't admit that we had loads of help. Until just last weekend, we had either my mom or Ann and Bernard here helping out. So this marked out our official first week as a family flying solo. But Sofia won't have time to get too bored with us, as my sister arrives in just 4 days to entertain and delight. We can hardly wait!

This month has had its ups and lows but each day gets better and more rewarding as Sofia gets more alert. She now can stay awake for a couple hours at a time and likes to stare intently at our faces. Sometimes her serious concentration face is due to her trying to mimic our silly faces and sometimes it is due to other more pressing matters in the nether regions. Both circumstances are funny to us. She is also is on the verge of smiling and I think it will be any day now when she reveals her gummy grin.

For those of you who are interested in breastfeeding matters - read on; for those who are not - skip this paragraph. Some of you may be wondering how the feeding is going. Well after ordering special equipment, seeing several lactation consultants, going to breast feeding clinics, seeing my own OB and even asking my own mother in law to help me shove my boob into Sofia's mouth, I have called it a day. I made it until she was a month old, but in the end I had to give up. I am disappointed I couldn't go longer and some of you may also be a bit disappointed to hear the news, but I will only allow criticism from those readers who have also experienced cracked, bleeding nipples for an entire month!

In other news, Sofia's hips continue to improve. The orthopedic surgeon has confirmed that her hips are now back into place and now she just needs to wear the brace until her hips are set permanently. We go back for another check-up on Oct 22nd.

She has also now received a Social Security Number and an official birth certificate making her a real person and now longer just a figment of our imaginations. More news later...

Love, Rachelle, Antony & Sofia

Pictures of Sofia

Sofia Update

I thought I would send out a quick update on Sofia. Things have been pretty crazy in the Pereira household with trying to produce enough breast milk, getting her to sleep at night and keeping up with the never ending laundry (the laundromat next door is getting some good business from us). Antony and I (and my mom too) are truly sleep deprived but still enjoying her (almost)every minute. But this week has thrown up some new challenges.

Because she was breech in the womb she has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia which means that her hips were out of socket when she was born and the hip isn't developed enough for it to go back into place. We went to the orthopedic surgeon yesterday who confirmed the diagnosis and put her into a body brace that will help to correct it.

The good news is that there is a very, very high percentage of full recovery and Sofia will never remember being treated for this. She also isn't in any pain. The harness doesn't hurt except for where it has started rubbing on her delicate skin.

The bad news is that she has to wear this brace full-time for the next 2-3 months and part-time for another 6 weeks afterwards. I have attached a photo so you can see what it looks like but needless to say, I have shed many tears over this. Poor baby! To make matters worse, she can't wear a single item of her 0-3 months clothes and instead I need to buy her tent style dresses that will be able to fit over the harness. What a heartbreaker that all of the little outfits that I bought for her when I was pregnant she will never be able to wear.

But given all of this, we are going to stay positive, hope she is out of her brace by Christmas, and are already planning a 'Free Sofia 2009' party for when the brace is finally removed.

Thanks always for your warm wishes and support from both near and far,

Rachelle, Antony and Sofia x

Sofia 'Peanut' Emily Pereira's Debut

Home at Last!

Well, this news is five days old but on Monday morning, at 11:30am, we had a lovely little girl that we named Sofia Emily. She was 7 lbs 6oz, 20 inches long and full of vim and vigor with a very strong cry. The c-section was a strange experience to say the least. After the spinal went in (which took 4 painful tries) and Antony was able to enter the OR, Sofia arrived in less than 10 minutes. The second the doctor pulled her out I experienced an amazing weightless feeling, like a welcomed emptiness. Sofia was then taken by the pediatrician to be checked out, weighed, cleaned and so on and in 30 minutes the three of us were being taken into the recovery room.

After a couple of hours in the recovery room, Antony took Sofia to the nursery and left me to get some more rest. While he was away, I noticed some commotion around me. Nurses were putting monitors on my chest, the OB was called in to take a look at me, a cardiologist arrived and everyone around me was talking about what needed to happen with me, without talking to me directly. Feeling very confused and doped up, all I could understand was that the medical staff were telling me that I had an arrhythmia and that meant that I needed to be transferred to cardiology to be monitored for 24 hours. All I heard was that I would be separated from Sofia for that length of time. I said that I didn't want to go, they said that I was 'refusing care' and the arguments began. Being alone in the recovery room, trying to make sense of the mess was both scary and disorientating. Eventually Antony came back to the recovery room to find me crying and the doctors frustrated. And once the story was revealed and Antony calmed me down, I was wheeled down to the general medical ward for the night.

The 10th floor was filled with sick (and crazy) people. Throughout the night, I heard patients moaning, wailing and sometimes screaming. The nurses, while very nice, had no idea what to do with a post-part um c-section patient and I could tell that they were feeling there way through dealing with the aftermath of birth, much like I was. In the morning, I had an echo which checked out how my heart was functioning and afterwards I was taken back to my empty room. I felt so separated. I wasn't with my family, my husband or my baby. When Antony came back to check on me he showed me pictures of Sofia being help by the grandparents and himself and it was like looking at someone else's baby. What this really my baby?

It wasn't until 4pm that day that I was cleared by cardiology and was able to be moved to the post-part um floor. They suspected that the heart irregularity was due to drugs given to me during the surgery and they were satisfied that I be moved to the post-part um ward on the condition that I have a follow up in the coming weeks/months. So at last, I was reunited with my daughter and we started fresh, getting to know one another.

We were in the hospital for four nights and luckily my experience on the 12th floor was amazing. The nurses and the doctors were so helpful and friendly. I was so happy to finally be where I belonged that I felt grateful for every moment I was there. And on Friday, (I can't believe that was just yesterday), with teary eyes we were discharged. We slightly expected someone to handcuff us and charge us with baby-nabbing as we took Sofia out the hospital front doors, but no one did and we arrived home feeling happy but 100% clueless.

I have to admit that we are in love with her and can't believe that we made her! The last 36 hours have been wonderful, trying, tiring and generally mind-blowing. Stay tuned for more on this adventure and our beautiful Peanut's progress.

The Final Stretch

Now at 36 weeks, we are nearing the end of this pregnancy marathon and preparing for the next race that will last a lifetime.

As it turns out, Peanut already has a mind of his/her own by bucking the status quo and has decided that head up is much more comfortable than head down. This, of course, causes me a bit of difficulty in welcoming it into the world the ol' fashioned way and so we have a c-section booked for Sept 14th. This will be Peanut's birthday unless it decides otherwise at the last minute. This would be the definition of sod's law as we have cancelled our birthing classes and have already organized ourselves for the big day!

Now we have less than 3 weeks to go before D-Day so stay tuned!

Lastly, many have asked for updates on the bump so this 'Hitchcock' styled photo is courtesy of Bernard who, I might add, has been a real trooper in listening (he says tuning out) to Ann and I talk about female nether regions.

Our Co-Ed Baby Shower

Last Sunday, July 26th, was our co-ed baby shower celebrating all things baby club-sandwiched between great company, wonderful food and lots of wine for everyone but me. I was luckily enough to have my mom, sister and grandma (who would also appreciate me mentioning that she was not drinking wine either) flew in for the occasion and we were also joined by Antony's aunt Margaret, cousins/friends Nick and Jess, and friends Annie, Phillip, Inigo, Matt, Leonard, Stephanie and Kristin, who kindly hosted the whole soiree.

We had a wonderful afternoon looking at baby pictures of the guests and a mocked up photo of what our Peanut may look like using a combination of our baby pictures (it is hung on the wall above the photo of the ladies). A few wagers were also made as to when it may arrive and so now there is a 50 buck pot riding on it. Kristin also outdid herself with nibbles of freshly made pesto, fresh Italian bread, cheese, olives, nuts, fresh fruit, berry pie, chilled squash soup and freshly squeezed lemonade with mint from the garden. I have included this because I know some foodie friends of mine like to know these things (Jos!).

The guests were also asked to bring their favorite childhood book so now Peanut's library is beginning to be fairly established and now has no excuse about not going to college and such. Thank you everyone!

Decorating the Nursery

I am incredibly impressed with Antony's skills. I have to admit that I was a bit concerned about putting together the three pieces of furniture (crib, dresser and bedside table) kindly purchased by the four grandparents-to-be. My fear came from previous experiences of putting together Ikea furniture - the end result being a slightly knackered piece of furniture and bad moods all around. But not this time! Fatherhood has revealed a new superpower called 'patiently following the instructions' and the result is a beautiful nursery custom-made for our Peanut.

We still have some things to do and a luxurious 9 weeks to do them but the video should give you an idea as to what we have been up to.

Pre-Peanut Festivities

We now have just 12 weeks before our new arrival is fully cooked and ready to come out of the oven. Given that seems like both a very long and very short amount of time, we have been doing our best to maximize our last child-free summer.

We have had several wonderful guests visit during the last few months including: Howard & Vicki, Dan & Grania, Luke & Marni, Mom & Ed, Jos and currently Bobo. We are going out for dinner, visiting museums, having weekends away, spending time with friends and spending time with each other. No one can say that we aren't trying to make the most of it!

Now in the final stretch, we are busy trying to set up the nursery and preparing for imminent arrival. Our co-ed baby shower is scheduled for July 26th and our childbirth and baby care classes start soon afterwards. So check in again in early August for another update!

Peanut's First Picture

This is Peanut at 12 weeks. We couldn't believe that there was really something actually growing inside there!

There have been scans since then, but none as good as this one.

When one blog dies, another one begins.

Maintaining our 'Pereiras On Tour' blog was a labor of love but it gave us a way to capture our adventures and share them with our friends and family all over the world. Given that, we are setting out to start another blog - this time recording the adventures of pregnancy and parenthood. This will give us the opportunity to share with you ups and downs of having a baby and raising a family in the heart of Manhattan.

Currently, our little 'Peanut' has been cooking for 23 weeks and has another 17 to go. In this short time, you can expect updates on getting the apartment baby-ready, our co-ed baby shower, our last summer of baby-free fun in New York City, Rachelle's big belly and her struggles with our 5-floor walk-up.

As always, we hope that this helps to keep us connected with all of you.

Love,

Antony, Rachelle & Peanut