Leo is 7 weeks old today!

Baby Center says...

Your 7-week-old

How your baby's growing:


Your baby's brain is expanding in size and complexity. It will grow about 5 centimeters during the first three months.

You may notice short periods of time when your newborn is quiet and alert. This is prime time for learning. Use these calm intervals to get better acquainted with your baby — talk to her, sing to her, describe the pictures on the walls. She may not be able to add to your conversation just yet, but she's learning nonetheless.

New textures for her hands to feel and new sights and sounds (all in moderation) are all learning opportunities. Even bath time becomes a laboratory for understanding the world around her.


3 questions about: Hearing


How do I know if my baby can hear well?
"She sleeps through everything!" you might marvel. "But is her hearing all right?" All babies should receive a newborn hearing screen before leaving the hospital, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Institutes of Health. (Estimates show that 2 to 3 of every 1,000 babies are born with some degree of hearing loss.) Luckily, most babies are born with excellent hearing. A baby who turns when you enter the room or is beginning to coo and make pre-speech sounds probably hears just fine. You can check your baby's hearing in a simple way: When your baby is awake and alert, stand behind her and clap your hands behind her head. If her hearing is good, she should startle at this loud, sudden noise. Repeat the experiment a couple of times to be sure. A baby with normal hearing may respond to noise by turning her head to find the source of the sound. If your baby doesn't notice you until she can see you, it could be a sign that her hearing is impaired.

What can cause hearing problems?
Some babies are born with hearing difficulties because of a hereditary problem. A family history of deafness can be a red flag. Other causes include exposure to infections such as rubella (German measles) or CMV (cytomegalovirus) in utero, problems during delivery that compromised the supply of oxygen to the baby, meningitis, hypothyroidism, or prematurity. Some birth defects also cause deafness. In some cases, a hearing problem is temporary, caused by a cold, a middle ear infection, or a large buildup of earwax. Or the inner ear could be damaged because of an injury, a tumor, or a virus.

What if there's a problem?
If you have any concerns about your baby's hearing, be sure to tell your baby's doctor, who can examine your baby's ears, run hearing tests, or refer you to an audiologist (hearing specialist) or a pediatric ENT (ear, nose, and throat doctor), who can do a more in-depth ear examination.

Early diagnosis is important for hearing problems. Hearing loss that goes untreated can cause your baby to have trouble with learning and language development in the future, but early diagnosis and treatment usually leads to normal development of language skills. Treatment for impaired hearing may include a hearing aid, which can be made to fit even a tiny baby. Later, such children may be candidates for a cochlear implant, a device that uses electrodes to process sound, as well as speech therapy.

Fun Friday!

We had a great day today! We started out by going by Berkeley Modern Photography to see a slideshow presentation of Leo's photoshoot and make the very difficult - but VERY fun - decision of which prints to order. They are absolutely gorgeous shots, we can't wait to get the prints back!

Next, Vinny had to go to work so Leo and I went to Babies R Us. Don't worry - we went to return things, so it was a safe trip! At Babies R Us, Leo and I made use of the nursing lounge, and sitting next to me was a woman nursing the tiniest baby I have ever seen. I asked her how old he was and he was just 5 days old. I asked his stats at birth, and she said 8 lbs and 20 inches - just like Leo! He's only 7 weeks old and already I can't imagine him ever being so tiny! Time flies.

After our profitable trip to Babies, I decided to take advantage of the 60 degree weather, so I strapped Leo into the Belle Baby Carrier and the two of us plus Mauri walked to "the dog store" and got Mauri some truly disgusting treats. He was thrilled.






Leo finished his afternoon off with some quality time with Lucy, his favorite musical star.




Oh, and here are some gratuitious Leo shots, just because he's so cute.

Take Baby to Work Day!

Yesterday Leo got to see Daddy's office and meet some of his coworkers.

We took a little tour, Leo said hello, and then I nursed him and Vinny changed him (in a coworker's office! Vin's office is a hot box!)

Moo Shu Beef Lettuce Cups

This was DELICIOUS! Vinny added a little Schezuan sauce.


POINTS® Value: 4
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 18 min
Cooking Time: 12 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Forget the pancakes and use crisp lettuce leaves to scoop up our lightened Moo Shu. It's packed with good stuff: lean beef, fresh ginger, garlic and loads of mixed vegetables.

Ingredients

	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
	1 cup(s) onion(s), yellow, thinly sliced
	2 tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced
	2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
	2 cup(s) bok choy, thinly sliced
	1 medium sweet red pepper(s), thinly sliced
	2 cup(s) button mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 10 mushrooms)
	2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
	8 leaf bibb lettuce

Instructions

• Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion, ginger and garlic; cook until beef is browned and onion is soft, breaking up meat as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes.
  
  
• Add bok choy, pepper, mushrooms and soy sauce; cook, stirring occasionally, until bok choy is wilted and pepper is tender-crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  
  
• Spoon about 1/2 cup of beef mixture into each lettuce leaf. Yields 2 filled leaves per serving.

How Do You Make Over a 6 Week Old?

Our doula, Sonja, came to visit Leo and I today. It was so nice to see her again and she brought me a FANTASTIC gift - a Moby Wrap! Due to my well known and unabashed obsession with babywearing, and some might say excessive amount of slings, I had decided to try and squelch my desire and need for a Moby Wrap. So imagine my delight when Sonja completed my collection with the Baby Carrier To End All Baby Carriers!! Thank you, thank you, thank you Sonja!

Leo had a great time visiting with Sonja until he had a diaper blowout. It was pretty funny - I was out of wipes downstairs so Sonja had to sprint upstairs for me, and I had to try and use wipes to get the poop off his back, his hands, his feet... it seemed like the more I tried to clean the poop, the more the poop was covering Leo! So... eventually I decided the poop had declared itself the winner, and I surrendered Leo to the bathtub.

Before:

Enjoying a morning nap while Mommy showers (this outfit is now soaking in a bucket of Baby Oxy-Clean)

Gettin' wiggly...

Thinkin' bout poopin'....

Hmmm....rumblin' down under?



After:

Whew! What a fiasco!

Today's Cure for Hiccups

Leo got hiccups several times a day in utero, and outside of the womb is no different!

We are constantly trying to come up with new cures so that he doesn't become immune to one (hiccups really piss him off).

Today's cure:

Watching Mama & Baby Lion in the swing!

Leo's Oma - my Grandma Hilda - suffered a heart attack on Sunday. She is doing fine now and will leave the hospital tomorrow or Thursday, but please keep her in your thoughts.

Shopping Spree!

I seriously should not be let loose unattended in Babies R Us.

I am a sucker for design, and I decided Leo had to have one of these bottles. And I couldn't resist a developmentally appropriate (and, you'll note, also beautifully designed) mobile that plays Bach and Mozart!

....and stay tuned for Leo to model the outfits I picked up...

Snow Day!

Yay! It's finally chilly enough for Leo to wear his bunting Aunt NeeNee got him!



Last night he slept for 4 hour stretches! It's Vinny's first day back to work, so I know he was excited to get that little extra beauty sleep. The monster is actually still asleep while I'm downstairs enjoying some coffee and listening to him stretch on the monitor. Today I have my 6 week post-partum doctor's appointment. It feels like just yesterday I was mall walking to "get my overdue baby out" and then just the blink of an eye ago my water was breaking. Now our little bundle of joy is smiling and giggling and inching his way towards sleeping through the night! The monster is growing up too fast!

Whew! Friday was a long day for us! Thursday night was rough for Leo - lots of gas and fussing, and he ended up getting maybe a couple hours of sleep total.

I had made plans to go to Mommy & Me yoga with Rene and Baby Ella on Friday morning, and I considered just skipping it since we'd had such a rough night, but went anyway. The class itself seems very cool - lots of different stretches for baby to stimulate motor development, and then some mommy time. However, Leo ended up sleeping through most of the class and then during the "mamas only" time he decided he needed to nurse. Oh well - we'll try again in a couple weeks!

I had time to come home and change into jeans and then it was off to school to introduce him to my first graders. We were there for several hours, and by the time we got home, all 3 of us were exhausted!

I wish I had photos of yoga and the first grade visit, but alas, I was so sleep deprived and harried all day that I forgot my camera. Sorry.

I do, however, have a photo of Leo enjoying the nest I made for him out of the Boppy and my Dream Blanket. How much would you LOVE to have a bed like this in your size?!

Other than our fantastic weight loss this week, today was a good day for lots of reasons.

#1 - Leo finally graduated from sleeping at night in his bouncy chair to his bassinet! We thought we'd have trouble making the switch, but nope! He took right to the bassinet! I love having him sleeping right next to me so that getting up for midnight (or wee hours of the morning) feedings is easy.

#2 - Leo's 6 week growth spurt seems to be coming to a close. This means no more eating every 90 minutes (or, as yesterday from 3 pm - 9 pm was, constantly!) and no more waking every 90 minutes all night. In fact, he was very sweet to mommy last night by giving me 3 and 4 hours of sleep between feedings, and he was amazingly generous to his daddy - Vin didn't have to wake up once last night - his shift for feeding Leo is 12-3:30, and Leo slept through the entire thing! Actually, he cried out of hunger at - you guessed it - 3:31 am! I had to laugh.

#3 - My Beaba baby food maker arrived! Leo says thank you to his Nonna for sending it. I can't wait to experiment with it this summer using the books Aunt Neenee got us. (PS - How cute is it?!)



We celebrated our weight loss by having a nice lunch at one of our faves - good ol' Ruby Tuesday's - and strolling through Babies R Us. We ended up getting a few things: diapers, Nuks for Leo, and size 3 month pants, since his other pants are shorts on him. Here is is resting after a long day (and a loooong growth spurt) on daddy. Note that he has his cell phone in the cargo pocket of his new pants in case one of his friends wants to call him - this could mean any one of his grandparents, his friend Ella, whom he may or may not know exists but he'll see again (to notice or not notice her) tomorrow in Mommy & Me yoga, Mauri, or, his BFF, the ceiling fan.

We are the biggest losers!

Our week 2 weigh in at Weight Watchers was today - I lost 6.8 lbs this week and Vin lost 6.6! Woo hoo!

Here's your WW Recipe of the Day - we had it last night and it's delicious!

Chinese Pineapple Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

POINTS® Value: 7 Servings: 4 Preparation Time: 15 min Cooking Time: 13 min Level of Difficulty: Easy

Forget Chinese take-out: This sweet and savory chicken recipe is delicious and a breeze to make. It's wonderful served over brown rice.

Ingredients

	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	4 medium scallion(s), chopped (green and white parts)
	1 tbsp ginger root, fresh, chopped
	2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
	1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
	20 oz canned pineapple, packed in juice, use tidbits
	1/4 cup(s) black bean sauce
	2 cup(s) cooked brown rice, kept warm (regular or instant)

Instructions

• Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. Add scallions, ginger and garlic; cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned on all sides, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
  
  
• Add pineapple (with its juice) and black bean sauce to skillet; bring to a simmer. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
  
  
• Divide rice among 4 shallow bowls and spoon chicken mixture over top. Yields about 1 cup of chicken and 1/2 cup of rice per serving.

More to come today - but currently Master Leo is hungry, so blogging must wait!

Tummy Time!

Here is Leo enjoying (or, at least not hating) some tummy time in his play gym!


Here's your Baby2k9 Lesson of the Day: The American Academy of Pediatrics says that the safest position for babies to sleep is on their backs. It reduces SIDS by 40%. Thing is, when babies are on their backs for most of the time, they can get misshapen heads, or flat spots (and, in the worst case scenario, end up wearing helmets as toddlers).

They've also noticed that today's little ones meet their physical milestones - rolling over, etc - a little later because they just don't have the motor skills to do so since they're always on their backs!

"Tummy time" gets the babe off his back! It gives the back of the head a little break, and lets him practice strengthening his neck muscles so he can get ready for pushing up, rolling over, sitting up, and crawling.

Breast is Best

I truly am not a breastfeeding militant who believes formula is poison, but breastfeeding Leo for at least 6 months is very important to me.

Here's why:

BENEFITS FOR BABY:

The primary benefit of breast milk is nutritional. Human milk contains just the right amount of fatty acids, lactose, water, and amino acids for human digestion, brain development, and growth.

Cow's milk contains a different type of protein than breast milk. This is good for calves, but human infants can have difficulty digesting it. Bottle-fed infants tend to be fatter than breast-fed infants, but not necessarily healthier.

Breast milk has antibodies in it to help protect infants from bacteria and viruses. About 80 percent of the cells in breast milk are macrophages, cells that kill bacteria, fungi and viruses. Breast-fed babies are protected, in varying degrees, from a number of illnesses, including pneumonia, botulism, bronchitis, staphylococcal infections, influenza, ear infections, and German measles. Furthermore, mothers produce antibodies to whatever disease is present in their environment, making their milk custom-designed to fight the diseases their babies are exposed to as well.

Recent studies show that babies who are not breastfed for 6 months are more likely to develop a wide range of infectious diseases including ear infections, diarrhea, respiratory illnesses and have more hospitalizations. Also, infants who are not breastfed have a 21% higher postneonatal infant mortality rate in the U.S.

Some studies suggest that infants who are not breastfed have higher rates of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in the first year of life, and higher rates of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, lymphoma, leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, overweight and obesity, high cholesterol and asthma.

Babies who are not breastfed are sick more often and have more doctor's visits.

Breastfed babies have slightly higher IQs than formula fed babies.

Sucking at the breast promotes good jaw development as well. It's harder work to get milk out of a breast than a bottle, and the exercise strengthens the jaws and encourages the growth of straight, healthy teeth.

Nursing may have psychological benefits for the infant as well, creating an early attachment between mother and child. Many psychologists believe the nursing baby enjoys a sense of security from the warmth and presence of the mother, especially when there's skin-to-skin contact during feeding. Parents of bottle-fed babies may be tempted to prop bottles in the baby's mouth, with no human contact during feeding. But a nursing mother must cuddle her infant closely many times during the day. Nursing becomes more than a way to feed a baby; it's a source of warmth and comfort.

BENEFITS FOR MOM:

Nursing uses up extra calories, making it easier to lose the pounds of pregnancy. It also helps the uterus to get back to its original size and lessens any bleeding a woman may have after giving birth.

Breastfeeding delays the return of normal ovulation and menstrual cycles.

Breastfeeding lowers the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, and possibly the risk of hip fractures and osteoporosis after menopause.

Breastfed babies spit -up doesn't stain the way formula fed babies does.

Smiles!

Leo is so happy to welcome Barack Obama to the White House!

A Day at the Zoo...

Whew! We had an exciting (and somewhat exhausting!) afternoon. We decided to take advantage of the 60 degree (but windy) weather and take Leo and E, the 5th grade boy we mentor, to the zoo.

Unbeknownst to us, today was Zoo Free Day! Guess what that means?! The zoo was a zoo! We had to park a mile away to get in. There must have been 10,000 people in the zoo, and 2,000+ of them had strollers. People were elbow-to-elbow, tons of kids running into each other and babies screaming. Vinny pointed out that our trip must make us the most ambitious new parents in history. "Ambitious" wasn't the word I was thinking, but we'll go with it.

We weren't sure if we wanted to stroll it up or break in our new Belle Baby Carrier, so we had both. As a sidenote: I am becoming a baby wearing maniac! We now have 4 different selections when it comes to baby wearing!

It was difficult to get any good photos where we weren't swarmed by other people, but here we are kind of hiding in the trees, Leo enjoying the Belle.

And here's Leo and I - can you find the tiger? Or the baby?

There is nothing I love for breastfeeding more than my Boppy.

Apparently, I am not the only one in the household with Boppy Love. When I am done with it, it will happily be reincarnated as a bed for Mauri.

Looks comfy, doesn't he?

WW Mexican Meatloaf

POINTS Value: 3 Servings: 6 Preparation Time: 15 min Cooking Time: 65 min Level of Difficulty: Easy

Cook this spiced-up meatloaf on a broiler pan so any excess fat can drip away. Line the bottom of the pan with foil for speedy clean up. Ingredients 1 spray(s) cooking spray 1/2 pound(s) raw extra lean ground beef 1/2 pound(s) lean ground turkey, breast 2 large egg white(s) 2 oz cornbread stuffing dry mix, (about 1 cup) 1 medium onion(s), chopped 1/2 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp ground cumin 4 oz canned green chili peppers, diced 8 oz canned enchilada sauce Instructions Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix beef, turkey, egg whites, stuffing mix, onion, chili powder, cumin, chilies and half of enchilada sauce together. Shape into an oval with your hands and place on prepared broiler pan. Cook for 1 hour, top with remaining enchilada sauce and bake for 5 minutes more. Slice into 6 pieces and serve. Vinny made ours with jalepenos instead of green chiles, and HOT enchilada sauce; my mouth was on fire! I was initially dubious (c'mon...Mexican Meatloaf? Kinda weird!) but it was very tasty.

Baby Center says...

Our 5 week old

Head's up!

Your baby's neck muscles are getting stronger, which allows her to hold her head up for short periods. She can support it for a few moments while lying on her stomach, for example, and she can probably turn it from side to side. She may be able to hold her head up when she's in a car seat or front carrier.

Okay...not to brag, but Leo could lift his head basically from birth. We like to think it's those extra 9 days baking in Mommy's oven. He's also able to hold it while on his tummy, and turn it from side to side a full 180 degrees. I mean... he's pretty much a superstar.

The first real smiles

Smiling happens at about the same time in all cultures, so get ready for your baby to reward all your loving care with a beaming, toothless, just-for-you smile. This will probably make your heart melt, even if you've just had your worst night yet.

For Ron Heckman, a new father in Piedmont, California, that first smile from his 6-week-old daughter, Hadley, brought tears to his eyes. "It was a lousy day at work," he recalls. "I was sleep-deprived and the commute traffic that day was incredibly thick. When I finally got home and my wife handed me the baby, who looked straight at me and smiled this gorgeous all-gums grin, I remember thinking, 'She knows me' — and nothing else mattered."

Awwww! We have gotten a couple absolutely perfect, just-for-mommy-and-daddy, definitely-not-gas smiles, but we have yet to capture them on film (or, digital memory card). As soon as we do, you better believe we'll post them!

Sound asleep

Your baby may start sleeping longer at night (maybe four to six hours) sometime between 6 weeks and 6 months of age. It's a broad range, and much depends on your baby's development and your behavior.

Most sleep experts suggest putting your baby to bed while she's still awake, but drowsy. This will help her learn to fall asleep on her own, a skill that will come in handy for you both when she wakes in the wee hours of the night. You can help your baby reach that milestone sooner rather than later by establishing healthy sleep habits from the start, such as a bedtime routine with a calming bath, a baby massage, or a bedtime story.

This is our next goal. Leo is still figuring out his bedtime, but it seems to be about 8:00 or so. The past couple nights, he's been literally fighting his droopy eyelids to stay up with us and party! I put him to bed before he was asleep for the first time yesterday, and it worked, until an hour later he woke up hungry. We were up for hours last night because the poor guy had gas. We'll get to a bedtime routine soon, though!

Remember, your baby is an individual

All babies are unique and meet milestones at their own pace. Developmental guidelines simply show what your baby has the potential to accomplish — if not right now, then soon. If your baby was premature, keep in mind that kids born early usually need a bit more time to meet their milestones. If you have any questions at all about your baby's development, ask your healthcare provider.

Today was mostly a lay around kinda day - Vinny let me sleep in until 10:30 - but we joined Weight Watchers last week and they require 30 minutes of exercise (not to mention it's good to get some sunshine). So we finally slid our lazy butts off the couch this afternoon to enjoy the 60 degree weather and take a stroll around the lake at Berkeley Park.

Leo enjoying his stroller

Mauri loves to chase the stroller!

These trees look so pretty at sunset.

Now we're home and Vinny is preparing a Weight Watchers recipe - Mexican Meatloaf - and Leo is modeling his new outfit from Grandpa - it says "It's fun 2 B Me"

Today Leo is 5 weeks old!

He had his celebrity photoshoot at a local photography studio, Berkeley Modern Photography.

He was a star! He didn't get fussy, and just posed and posed and posed! We can't wait to see the proofs!

Daddy getting Leo ready to go to his photo shoot:

I got on the scale with Leo today and he weighs 10 pounds! We also measured his length last night - 23 and a half inches! He is growing like a weed!