Two weeks

There's not too much new to report from here. Erin has continued to be a mellow baby even after the infamous two week mark. She does have a restless period in the evening, but nothing that could really be called fussy.

Erin did have her first bath last week after her cord fell off and we have since repeated a bath a little bit more successfully. Erin dislikes getting all naked, but she seems to enjoy the warm water until we rinse her hair. That's when she decides that she's had enough and is done cooperating.


Auntie Muggy is in town to meet Erin this weekend. Between Muggy, Gramma Beth, Gramma and Grampa Prekker and Matt, Erin hasn't been set down all weekend. She doesn't seem to mind a whole lot and woos everyone with her sly accidental smiles and other funny faces. I think that she's going to take after me with her range of facial expressions. That means at this point we think that she takes after me with her expressions, her long fingers and funny toes. I'm so proud.


We're going to try our first trip to the dog park today with Muggy and Paul and the dogs. Hopefully the boys will be well behaved and Erin won't have a blow out diaper in the middle of the walk. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed. Erin did manage to break her own personal record yesterday by pooping on me and Gramma Beth. What a day.

Here is a picture that gives you an idea of her feet. They are incredibly long and skinny with nice gripper toes. I think that they look like Charlie Brown feet because her heel manages to stick out behind her ankle. I'm also convinced that she looks like Darth Vader when she's burped and her hands look a little bit like Mr. Burn's. Gramma Beth seems disturbed by these rather unflattering comparisons. I really do think that she is beautiful, but come on, babies look funny sometimes.

My turn

I figured since Daddy's done most of the posting lately, I would chime in from Mama's point of view.

I agree, things are going really well. We've had some rough patches, but things really have gone remarkably smoothly. I think that we have a relatively easy-going baby (at least for now) and lots of help to thank for this. Gramma Beth is still here helping out a ton, especially at night, and Gramma and Grampa Prekker and Auntie Laura are also eager to hold and cuddle Erin for hours on end. Life is pretty good for this little peanut.

We were at the clinic again today. I had a few concerns about breastfeeding and figured that if I took her in I could stop worrying. Little Erin is growing like a weed and I was assured that things are going really well. In fact, she's gaining weight so well that the lactation consultant told me that I could end feedings a little bit more promptly and didn't need to let her half-heartedly nurse and doze at the end of each feeding. Great. Erin's weight was 8lbs 1oz at birth, 7lbs 13oz when we went home from the hospital, 7lbs 15oz at 5 days and now 8lbs 12oz at day 13. This is fantastic and explains why she seems to be growing out of some of her clothes already. Indeed she is getting bigger. I think at this rate she's gonna beat the peas at this growing thing.

We're still working on sleeping, but all in all it's going well. Gramma Beth is taking her, keeping her happy and doing diaper changes most nights and I have the luxury of only being responsible for feedings. This has been great for helping me catch up on sleep, but will probably lead to a rather rude awakening when Gramma Beth leaves next week. The last few nights Erin has gone 5 hours or so between going to bed and her first night time feeding. Maybe Erin has inherited my love of sleep after all.

Erin has been spending more and more time awake during the day. She is now spending several hours wide awake and content during the morning and early afternoon. She loves laying on her changing table and watching the faces bending down to entertain her during her diaper changes. She enjoys listening to us talk and coo at her and has rewarded us with some completely unintentional smiles. She's just giving us a sneak peak at what is to come.

It's been hard to have Matt back at work this week, but things seem to be going fairly smoothly for him and he enjoys his time in the ICU. Most nights Erin's been welcoming him home with a stinky diaper or two.Tonight is his first call night back so this will be the first time he probably won't see her awake today.

My 30th birthday passed yesterday without too much of a fuss. We went over to Jan and Dean's for some Holy Land food and dessert. Erin entertained the group by pooping each time Dean got to hold her. What a girl.

He's Back...

We spent a quiet Mother's Day at Dean & Jan's house with waffles, fruit, and a side of Duncan! Like Oscar, he was curious and somewhat nervous in his first encounter with Erin. She didn't seem to mind the sniffing and staring, and he is amazed by the gurgling, snorting, and squeaking. So far so good.

The other big news around here: Erin's cord fell off today. She was 'the stinky kid' for a couple days for sure. Now tonight we'll give her a bath and she will be back to a sweet smelling one-week-old.

I planted pole beans and sugar snap peas in our new raised bed in the backyard on the evening before we went to the hospital. I'm proud to say the peas are poking up, no sign of bean sprouts yet. We'll see who grows faster, Erin or the veggies.

One Week

Erin is one week old today. Fran and I agreed that we're officially settled back in at home, but we also are now strong believers in sleep debt! Things are going really well. We've gone on walks in the neighborhood and introduced her to many friends and family. She seems to really like the Baby Bjorn and Fran's sling, and we no longer take for granted having our arms free. Duncan, our political prisoner, remains in exile-- we're thinking of bringing him home on Mother's Day.



Erin seems to localize to our voices much better over the last couple days. We also get a kick out of her cute grin when she finishes feeding. I'm back to work Monday, so I'm turning over the blog duties to Frances...

Lazy Days

We've been home for two days with Erin, and I think we're getting the hang of being parents. Beth has been a huge help with day-to-day tasks and company. Dean, Jan, and Laura have been bringing us food and spending some quality time with Erin. We're looking forward to meeting up with friends later this week.

Erin is definitely a night owl. She is awake and ready to go from around midnight to 4 a.m. , so lately we are too. Oscar is a natural with her-- each time we're up to change or hold her during the night he plops down in the nursery with a curious look. Erin can go from crying to calm in a hurry. She responds especially well to the combination of Fran, the nursing pillow, and the rocking chair . The dirty diapers have been coming fast and furious lately too.

More pictures below. We know Erin is not the first baby to hiccup, but this movie has entertained us several times already. Enjoy!

The Artist Formerly Known as Baby Girl

With excitement (and some relief), we've decided on a name... Erin Josephine. In the end we think she really looks like an Erin, and who knows, she may grow into a Jo or Josie. We enjoyed the last minute e-mail suggestions (Roberta, Juliana, Banjo Kazooie... or why not stick with Oprah?) but in the end the decision was easy.

We got home earlier today. It's strangely quiet-- Laura is still dog-sitting and Erin has shown mainly indifference to her new surroundings by falling asleep during the car ride and staying that way. It's been fun getting to know her. She likes normal baby stuff (the pacifier, a nice tight swaddle, and a clean diaper) but also told us last night that if the weather cooperates this week she'd like to learn to ride a bike, and she plans on starting her residency at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in 2030 (we insisted she at least see HCMC first!).

It's great to finally have her home (outside of Fran's belly). Fran's mom Beth arrives tomorrow morning. The weather is perfect for early May, maybe a walk later today. Enjoy the pictures from the end of our hospital stay!

Baby Girl Prekker

Fran and I are thrilled to announce that our little girl was born May 2, 2008 at 7:06 p.m. She weighs 8 lbs 1 oz and is 21 inches long.

We decided to get to know her for a day or two before picking out her name! Baby and Fran (who was incredible yesterday!) are doing great and we're all looking forward to heading home tomorrow. Of course, Duncan and Oscar are blissfully unaware what's coming thru the door!

Thank you to all for the well wishes, we can't wait to introduce you to her soon, she's even cuter in person.