First real food!

Simone ate her first food today, and it was as if she has been eating all along - she was clearly ready!  It was very fun to watch her eat, and hopefully this is the beginning of a very healthy relationship with food.  The new recommendation is to start with veggies rather than cereal.  I like this idea, as it goes with the new food recommendations for more fruits and veggies and less starchy carbs (did I get that right??).  Anyway, she doesn't seem any worse for wear for starting with avocado rather than rice cereal.  Enjoy the video!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Thanksgiving, and I haven't posted in a month.  Can't believe it!  Time flies.  Anyway, here is a brief digest of what Simone has been up to...

Simone is over 5 1/2 months old now.   She is growing as fast as always, and I'm now buying 6-9 month clothes for her.  She is rolling over easily from back to front now, but can't seem to figure out that she can go from front to back, so we have to continually roll her back as she gets very frustrated. 

She is one happy baby!  Simone laughs very easily.  She smiles at strangers and enjoys observing just about everything.  The one thing she does not like - being bored.  She needs to be on the move!  Often it is easier just to get out of the house so she can be stimulated rather than trying to entertain her at home.  But we have figured out how to keep things fun and silly around the house - lots of time flying in the air, in the playgym and in front of a mirror.

Sleeping:  We have started a sleep plan with some success.  This involves CIO (Cry it out) for 5 minutes at a time.  Sometimes she has just been talking herself to sleep, and other times we have to endure her crying for up to 15 minutes.  The theory goes that she is learning to self-soothe to sleep.  It must work, as the past 4 nights she has woken up only once in 11-12 hours or not at all!  Mommy is getting more sleep, which is a very good thing! :)  This isn't applying to naps right now, which is a whole different story...

Here are some pictures...

What is Simone up to these days??

Hi everyone,

It's been quite a while since I've posted - things got very busy for a while as I started working and am just now feeling a bit more balanced between taking care of Simone and my part-time work with my employer, Pacific Symphony.  Simone has grown and changed so much in the past month.  Although she's been rolling from back to front for the past month or so, it's become part of her regular repertoire of tricks only yesterday.  She has rolled from front to back a few times, but mostly she gets frustrated on her tummy and wants someone to roll her back over.

Simone is extremely vocal when she is around familiar company or at certain times of day.  We love to have conversations with her.  She also recently discovered her feet and started touching them.  Lastly, when we read to her she likes to turn the pages, and of course, eat the books.

Here are a few fun pictures of her from the past week:

Day with the grandmas

Grandma Denise, Grandma Carole, and Simone got together today in downtown LA where Carole works as a county calligrapher. It was great!

Happy baby!

Simone loves bathtime. Only problem is that sometimes she gets too excited to go to sleep!

Rolled over today!

Simone rolled over from back to front all by herself today!  She was a bit startled, but momma was proud! 

More tummy time!

She's made a lot of progress in just a few days....

Tummy Time!

 Simone did great with her tummy time today.  She was enthralled with her "ipod" which plays Mozart, Rossini, and other classical greats.  Glad to know she has good taste!

Meee meee meee mooo moo moo....

Yesterday I got Simone to giggle and today we got a good clip of her giggling to the new game "mee mee mee moo moo moo"

Visit with Dr. Alban

Simone got her 2 month shots yesterday.  I left the room and Ben stayed with her.  She was upset, but overall did very well!  She also was weighed yesterday at 12 lbs 9 oz.  Hard to believe she was born at a mere 5 lbs 15 oz just 12 weeks ago!  For her age, she is average for her weight, below average for height, and above average for her head size.  (Did someone say she looks like Ben? :)  Sorry!  Couldn't help it...)

 

In the buff!

Today, I was changing another very exciting diaper when I put Simone on her side to remove the rest of the clothing.  Before I knew it, she had rolled over herself and was trying to get her hand from under her (I had to help with that).  Then, she was lifting her head so beautifully and I got a few lucky shots:

You can take the girl out of Texas...

But you can't take Texas out of the girl!  Thanks Ryan, for this super cute Texas armadillo onsie!  I can't believe she's big enough to fit into it.  I remember just a few weeks ago I looked at all these clothes and thought - it will be months before she will fit into them.  Now, I wish I had put it on her sooner!  The color of this photo is a little off, but the smile is perfect!  Here is one more...

By the way, this outfit lasted all of 20 minutes, as poopageddon won the day (or at least the morning!).

Visit with Jennifer!

Hey everybody,

Jennifer just left for the 2nd leg of her trip today :(.  We had a great time while she was here!  Jennifer arrived on Wednesday after an uneventful and mercifully short flight.  The 3 of us (Jennifer, Simone, and me) went on a drive up the coast through Malibu and Pacific Palisades on HWY 1.  While the views were stunning, Simone just wasn't a happy camper (she usually loves car rides) so we had to do a bit more managing of Simone than normal.  Jennifer graciously sat in the back of the car most of the time so she could reinsert Simone's pacifier when she spit it out.  (Side note:  we've decided to use a pacifier, with mixed feelings.  I cannot believe she is old enough to spit it out to get attention, but she does seem to like playing this game whether she knows it or not!.  For now, we'll keep using it - it does seem to sooth her - but we're watching this carefully!)

Yesterday we went for a walk on the Manhattan beach boardwalk.  There are some very fancy houses which are almost as impressive as the ocean view.  Then we went to the Getty Museum, which I think was a highlight for Jennifer.  It really is such a stunning place - a great place to get away when you've had enough of LA congestion!  Simone's temperament was much better yesterday and seemed to enjoy the fresh air at both Manhattan Beach and the Getty.

Vegas Baby! (literally)

Ben, Simone, and I are in Vegas this week. Ben is at a diabetes conference for work and Simone and I decided to tag along.  In addition to just having a change of scenery, we wanted to try out this relatively short trip to learn how to travel with a baby.  So far, I've learned that you need twice as much time to pack and you need to pack twice as much!

So what does one do in Vegas with a 2-month old baby?  Well, I learned yesterday that you do not - I repeat - do not - want to stay in your hotel room most of the day.  I thought it would be nice to just not do very much and relax (Ben got a very nice room for us) but I think by the end of the day we were both bored and Simone's fussy period was just too much for both of us.  Today, I took Simone out into the hotel and we walked, and walked, and walked.  I also got tickets for a few of the Exhibits and saw a Titanic exhibit, to be followed by "Bodies" and "Sharks" tomorrow.  Simone absolutely loves to be out and about.  She loves the stimulation.  You should see her eyes bulge out of her head looking at all the lights!  The sound and energy also soothe her, and she pretty much only falls asleep when out in public - the louder, the better!

Simone also has been smiling so much more and today she followed me around the room with her eyes.  It's great to connect with her in this way - it makes it all worth it!

More videos!

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I haven't posted in a while...  here's an update:  Simone is getting BIG.  She is more and more alert everyday.  I love her quiet awareness - I've posted a video below from today where she seems to be staring at a telephone pole...she absolutely loves to be outside.  I think the strong contrasts between the bright sky and other objects is very appealing to her.   

Here is another video from a few weeks back where you can tell she is starting to focus on objects and reach out to them (I'm sure at one point in the video she's saying "OK Mom, now this is getting annoying!! :) )

Grampa Dylla has arrived!

Grampian holding Simone.

What can a pregnant lady do in Vegas?

I just received these photos from our friends Dave Good and Michele Diener who were living in Las Vegas.  We went to visit them back in March or April and Michele took some photos from that trip that I had to share.  So what can a pregnant lady do in Vegas?  Apparently quite a lot!

 In the photo (left to right):  Ben, me, Dave Good (Vegas), Leslie Graham (friend from LA)

A little gelato, please?

Baby Naming

I forgot to post about Simone's baby naming ceremony a few weeks ago.  Baby naming is a Jewish custom to welcome a baby into the Jewish community by giving her a Hebrew name.  We chose Simone Margalit as Simone's Hebrew name.  We didn't have to change it much, as Simone already is of Hebrew origin.  We chose Margalit because it starts with an M like Marin and means "pearl".  Marin has a number of meanings, but generally includes things that have to do with the ocean, so "pearl" seemed to be a good choice.  Also, Simone means "to hear" so if you put the two together, you get "to hear and pearl" or even better "pearls of wisdom"! 


Ben's Uncle, Rabbi Gershon Weissman, was supposed to officiate at the event, however he became ill and Ben ended up running the short ceremony.  I was very impressed - he put together everything he was going to say that morning!

Special thanks goes to our friends Daniel Tarica and Joshua Bobrowski, who hosted the event at their awesome home.  Thank you Daniel and Joshua!

If you would like to see some pictures of the event, Grandma Carole (Ben's mom) took a few and uploaded them to this site:  http://gallery.me.com/quillproquo#100050&bgcolor=black&view=grid.

Baby Einstein

I finally got out the baby Einstein play gym and it seems to be enjoyable for Simone. She focused on the octopus above her for a while and the whale pillow is perfect for tummy time.

Video of Simone

I've finally started creating mini videos of Simone.  I should have started this earlier, but I'll be posting more little snippets of Simone's day.  She'll be interacting with her surroundings so much more very soon!

Out on the town with Grandma Denise

We are enjoying the beautiful weather at Kay n Dave's in Culver City.

Photos from Mom's Visit!

My mom, Denise, has been visiting from Texas for this week.  Here are some photos off of her camera.  Simone is definitely becoming more aware and interactive by the day!  I'll post some other events later - just wanted to get these cute pics on the blog.  These are from Simone's 4th week of life.  This Tuesday, July 5th, will mark the Simone's 1 month birthday!

Beach day!

First beautiful day at Manhattan beach! Simone isn't too impressed.

Simone and Daddy

Just took these pictures of Daddy relaxing with Simone after a long day at work.   I'm still learning how to use this camera, so the pictures are a bit blurry.

She's growing (up too fast already!)

We went for our second visit to the pediatrician, and Little Miss Simone has gained over a pound in about 10 days!  On our first visit, Simone weighed 5 lbs, 9 oz.  Yesterday she weighed in at 6lbs, 12 oz!  No wonder it seemed her face looked different overnight and that I have been exhausted keeping up with her feedings!  This is all good news that Simone is very healthy!  Stay tuned for more pictures of a very cherub-looking Simone!

First (well, second) sponge bath

Simone isn't ready for a full-fledged bath yet, but we have been giving her sponge baths and, for the most part, she seems to enjoy them. 

Week 2 Sleeping Eating and Pooping

So Simone has been home almost a full week now!  Sorry I have not posted until now, but I've been extremely busy with Simone.  We have been taking pictures, though, so I'll have a lot of nice ones to post today.

Since being home from the hospital, Simone has been doing great.  She is making being a first-time mom super easy.  She keeps a regular schedule of sleeping (a lot) and then waking up every 2-3 hours for diaper changes and feedings.  We are trying to keep her up a little bit more  during the day so she will fall asleep a bit more easily at night.  I can't complain, though.  I've been getting 2-3.5 hours of sleep at a stretch.  Simone just doesn't cry very much, and when she does she is easily soothed. Some friends are saying that we should watch out - that this doesn't last - so I'm appreciating it while it does!

Ben went back to work on Monday.  I cannot imagine having to go back to work right now, but Ben is handling it well.  I'm very much looking forward to this weekend with Ben and Simone.

Here are some pictures from this week.  I think she is already changing so much and starting to develop a little personality of her own:

Mom got this adorable outfit for Simone, and I couldn't resist dressing her up in it this week.  I thought it was going to be too big, but it fit her perfectly! 

This is one of my favorite photos - so sweet!

 Ben is a pro already at changing diapers.  Simone is a serial pooper - meaning, she waits until she has a clean diaper to immediately land another poop.  We tend to go through 2-3 diapers per change.  I've tried waiting it out, but I really think she's waiting for a nice clean diaper until she strikes again!

Another adorable shot showing her Dylla feet! (no dainty feet here!)

A friend of Ben's mom (Carole) got this football for Simone.  Ben thought that was cool.

Here is Grandma Carole with Simone today.

A major activity today was learning how to use the Moby Wrap.  It is totally awesome and I will definitely use it around the house as well as on certain outings.

 Simone is becoming more alert by the day!

Aunt Sheva (Ben's aunt) got Simone this Israeli baby book just for newborns.  All of the pictures are in black and white which is mostly what Simone sees at this point.  She actually seemed interested in the pictures, but that could just be my imagination.