The Robells’ Blog

Michaela is now over one month/five weeks old already! She had a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday and got a clean bill of health – and a shot. Well, two shots, actually, since the first one wasn’t done correctly by the student nurse – Michaela looked super tough for several hours sporting matching bandaids on her thighs. She is now 9 lb 10 oz (60th percentile) and a whopping 23 inches long (95th percentile!). In the last several weeks she has seen her first rainbow, taken such a long nap Nicole started to get worried there was something wrong, and now occasionally rewards both her parents with super wide smiles. BEST ever!

Today was Nicole’s first day at home by herself with Michaela and Bella. Reports from the front lines are that she has no idea where the day went, but that she did manage to do some laundry AND take a shower. Of course, what she forgot to do was take pictures!

We don’t plan on having an official nickname for Michaela, but we do find ourselves calling her several things that are not her given name on a regular basis. Our favorites are Shmunchkin Munchkin (when she’s all scrunched up and looks like she doesn’t have a neck), Poquito Burrito (when she’s swaddled), Fussy Fuss/Fussy Fussersons (obvious!), and Missy Moo (general use).

Many family and friends have asked how Bella has been handling the new addition to the family. After the first week – during which Bella went outside and sat in the grass whenever Michaela started to cry – Bella has settled in well, mostly ignoring Michaela and taking whatever attention we remember to give her. 🙂 We’ve promised her that if she’s patient and waits a couple of years, she and Michaela will be best friends.

Michaela has enjoyed several visitors over the past few days! PopPop (Nicole’s dad) flew in for a quick overnight visit on Thursday to enjoy his newest granddaughter. Michaela was sad to see him and Nana, who had been here for over a week, leave on Friday morning. She was cheered up by a visit from Nicole’s friend Melissa on Friday afternoon and by a visit from Brian’s friend Craig on Saturday. Craig set a new record for Michaela-holding by someone other than her parents – over an hour!

Michaela has also enjoyed video chatting with Gammy and Gampy (happy belated birthday, Gampy!) and going for the occasional walk (on the days it’s not 45 and raining).

Michaela took her first road trip today, across the biiiig Bay Bridge to the eastern shore to visit Nana’s/Nicole’s cousin Terri, her husband Frank, and the 14 VERY cute lab puppies they currently have. Michaela was a great traveler, sleeping the entire ride down and back. Bella settled right back into her first home, although she wasn’t as interested in playing with the puppies as Brian and Nicole were (Nicole feels lucky to have escaped without bringing one home). The trip was made all the more exciting by the fact that Michaela’s umbilical cord fell off while she was there – we’re guessing it’s not a moment that’s usually shared by extended family! Terri and Frank gave us a tour of their soon-to-be-opened dog/cat kennel (Maryland Shore Pet Resort), which is beautiful, and Bella inspected every room and picked out her luxury suite (complete with beach mural) for when she goes to stay. Finally, we can officially report that the minivan works wonderfully with a baby and a dog!

Michaela has enjoyed visits from her Nana, who is staying through next week, and her Aunt Kara, who came for a quick overnight visit just to meet her first niece. Michaela is loving the extra snuggle time from both!

Hard to believe it – Michaela is two weeks old today! Today is also a big day because it’s Brian’s first day back at work. Michaela is waiting for her Nana (Nicole’s mom) to arrive; she’ll be here for a week to visit and help Nicole with her girls. Aunt Kara is coming for a quick visit tomorrow night since she didn’t get to meet Michaela on her birthday. In the meantime, Michaela will continue to work on her to do list: sleep, eat, make dirty diapers (1), make dirty diapers (2), cry, wear cute sleepers, make funny expressions, look adoringly at parents (i.e. make up for getting them up several times every night).

Michaela had her second appointment at the pediatrician yesterday and got another clean bill of health! She cried for a bit when they pricked her heel for a blood sample, but then cheered right up when Brian held her – and when she got a super-cool pink Snoopy bandaid. She was only an ounce away from her birth weight, which means she’s gaining about an ounce a day – great news that doesn’t surprise Nicole (aka, the 24-hour diner) one bit. At birth, her weight was at the 50th percentile, height at the 75th, and head circumference at the 50th. She seems to have some loooong legs – courtesy of Nicole – and the ability to burp just like Brian.

So many firsts this week… first night at home, first time in the bouncy seat, first bath. Brian is completely entranced with his little girl and Nicole is wondering if anyone caught the license plate of the truck that hit her. Everyone is doing well settling into our new reality of dirty diapers and 2 am (and/or 3 am and/or 4 am) feedings. Michaela says thanks for all congratulations and good wishes! She’s a very lucky baby to be welcomed by so many people.