A 10 Pounder!

We went to the doctor on Friday for Lyla's one month visit. My mom came with us because Mark was in Washington, D.C. for a couple of days. We loved having Grandma with us for two nights. She sang lots of songs to Lyla and handled the night feedings so I could get some sleep. At the doctor, Lyla weighed in at TEN pounds and 22 inches, both of which are around the 80th percentile. I actually wasn't that surprised given her insatiable appetite and the fact that she is already fitting into 3/6 month clothes! Everything else looked great and Lyla showed off her neck strength when the doctor put her on her tummy. My mom calls her a turtle because she loves to pop her head up when she is sleeping. She needs her "tummy time", so we have been putting her down on her tummy a little bit each day. She is getting so strong! After the doctor, we all went out to lunch and then Lyla went down for a long nap. When I peeked in on her, I saw her little finger sticking out through her blanket. :)

A Visit With Grandpa

Earlier this week, my dad, Fred, came all by himself to spend the day with me and Lyla. While this may not seem like such a big deal, my dad is not a huge fan of the city so I was even more excited that he was making the trip. And he even took the subway and found his way to Penn Station! He also brought Lyla roses. We gave Lyla a bath, took some video of her, had lunch and watched The View together. :) My dad is not one to sit still for long, so he came equipped with a project. Before Lyla was born, he installed a beautiful chandelier in her nursery. It was really bright and blinding her during diaper changes so he installed a dimmer while he was here. While he was at it, he fixed a short on the circuit so the lights wouldn't flicker. Thanks, Dad! With the dimmer installed, the nursery is really coming along. We bought a Degas print of a ballerina for above the changing table but Lyla is already able to pull it so we have to move it before it falls on her. And we are going to hang her initials over her crib. We got beautiful letters from Restoration Hardware Baby (love that site!!) as a gift from Sheila and Bob Spector. Hopefully the nursery will be done by the time Lyla is willing to sleep in her crib!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

A good Murphy girl, Lyla was ready to celebrate her first St. Patrick's Day! Irish or not, she always gets lots of kisses :) Here is her second outfit of the day. P.S. I tried to get a good shot of her in her St. Patty's outfit while she was awake but she would have none of it today...

Thank You Bammie!!!

We were spoiled this past week when Donna -- crowned with the name "Bammie" by Julia and Kelly -- stayed with us for an entire week. Donna and Jack arrived on Saturday afternoon with a cooler full of homemade food for us. She made us lasagna, beef stew, chicken cutlets, cheescake, brownies and muffins. It was not a good week to start my diet. The cheescake and brownies are long gone and we have made a significant dent in the lasagna. She also cooked for us while she was here, which was more gourmet than anything we've had in a long time. We got very spoiled and it will be hard to go back to frozen dinners from Trader Joe's. Lyla had so much fun snuggling on Bammie's chest all day long. And I don't think Bammie minded it at all :) The days went by fast and we quickly settled into a routine of playing with Lyla, feeding and changing her, bathing her and taking turns napping. We took a couple of nice walks and went to meet Mark for lunch on Stone Street. Mark told me that it was amazing "having the three most important women in my life in one place." Jack came back the following weekend to pick her up and squeeze in a little more Lyla time. And on Sunday we had a not-too-tearful goodbye (we were proud of you, Donna) as Bammie started to think about when she can come back to visit. She was such an enormous help and it feels empty here without her. It was a very special week for which we are enormously thankful and will never forget. Thanks Bammie! We love you and miss you so much. Come back soon!

Lyla's First Weeks

The last couple of weeks with Lyla have been filled with new experiences for Lyla and for us. She has had lots of "firsts" each and every day and the crazy lady with the camera (me) has been there to document every one of them. Her first bath Her first NYC cab ride (kind of scary for Mom and Dad) Her first doctor's appointment Her first walk in NYC Mark and I have had our fair share of "firsts" as well. Mommy's first glass of wine in a very long time. Daddy's first night sleeping with Lyla Grace on his chest. We are loving every minute with her and could stare at her for hours. My mom told me that when Dina was a baby she used to sing the song "Getting to Know You" because every day she learned more about my sister. That is exactly how we feel with Lyla. Each day we discover something she likes or dislikes, and if we are lucky we figure out something that helps her fall asleep at night. Every day is certainly an adventure and we are enjoying the ride.