1 week, first outing by ourselves :)

In which Daphne Frances arrives

Welcome to the world, Daphne Frances!
March 18, 2011, 8:21pm, 9lbs 9 oz, 20.5"

We are so thrilled that Daphne has *finally* joined our family! Here is her (my!) birth story:

11 days overdue, I headed to the Dr. for a non-stress test Friday morning, March 18. I was still feeling pretty good (we spent St. Patrick's Day at Janice's super-fun annual St. Paddy's Day playdate!), though I was frustrated still to be pregnant! During the hour long test, Daphne's heart rate didn't reach as many accellerations as it needed to in order to be safe for the weekend, so we were sent to the hospital! We called our family, came home to pack, and dropped Violet off with our fabulous neighbors, the Ames family.

At the hospital, I was checked in and given pitocen a little after 1pm to start my labor. My body was ready to go into labor as I had been laboring for a few nights at home, was 4 cm. dialated, and had already lost my mucous plug. Meanwhile, Uncle Joe, Aunt Katie, and Claire picked Violet up from the Ameses then headed to the hospital long with Grandma and Grandpa Lima and Nandhi Rushika. I labored for a few hours in the hospital, then all of a sudden I felt Daphne's head engage and knew it was time for the epidural! I walked to the bathroom, and when I got back to the bed my water broke. My epidural was started right after that, around 5pm or so. The next couple of hours were great! I was comfortable and got some rest! Around 7:30 the midwife came to check me and 9 cm and fully effaced. She got a team together and I did a couple of "practice" pushes with the nurse. A little after 8pm I started pushing, and at 8:21 DAPHNE FRANCES WAS BORN! It was wonderful!

It took 2 hours and a plastic surgeon to put me right after my sweet 9 lb 9 oz baby arrived, but I didn't even realize it at the time. Around 10:30 sweet Violet got to come in and meet her baby sister; I sure wish I had pictures of that! She was so excited to finally have HER baby! Violet stayed at home with Katie and Joe and Shelley... it was the first time I had ever spent a night away from her. She did great!

That is the story of how Miss Daphne came to be. I had some complications after the birth: I passed out in the bathroom in the early morning and suffered very low blood pressure and low hemoglobin levels, and 3rd degree lacerations. Having our sweet beautiful Daphne finally home with us is worth all of that and more! We love her and are so glad that she is part of our little family! Welcome, Daphne Frances!

18-Month Dr. Visit

Violet is 1 and a half! Oh my! We took the bus to her Dr. appointment on Tuesday, which was a fun adventure. Totally beats driving and paying the $16 to park at the Dr.'s office. Thankfully our Dr. had both the H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccination, so Violet got both. She's 50th percentile for weight, 50th to 75th for height, and 75th to 90th for head circumference, though she doesn't really look big-headed. The Dr. did hear a heart murmur, so we will go back in a month to make sure it wasn't anything serious.

Resurrection of The Blog

Violet! In an effort to keep up with her and preserve some memories from this fast, fast time in her life, I AM going to keep up this blog. Here's hoping that by the time our Christmas cards go out with this blog address on them it won't be a sham. Here are some things the Lima family has been up to recently:

Halloween: Was so fun! Violet and I dressed up as sock-hoppers, Erik was a soda jerk for the L.A. M.I.L.K.s' Halloween party (yes, he loves us that much!) and a rocker on Halloween. I just didn't remember how fun trick-or-treating could be! Violet got the hang of it really fast, and was definitely leading the trick-or-treat parade. Sean (Obi Wan Kanobi), Tone (Waldo), and Rushika (The Headless Horseman) came to help us celebrate, and provided a very patient trick-or-treating crew. Of course, we all split her spoils after she went to bed.


2-word phrases: We're on the cusp! Violet is talking up a storm, and can say more words than we can count. She also can say a few phrases already (I love you, There you go), but she hasn't really started to spontaneously generate phrases on her own... until now! She really has the hang of saying "Hi ___!" and is beginning to spontaneously plug names in appropriately. So that's exciting! "Hi Mommy!" "Hi Daddy!" "Hi Bunny!"


Playdates: Violet has really started playing WITH other children. Incredible! It's so funny to watch two 1.5 year-olds play their own version of peek-a-boo or ball (which still inevitably ends in tears as one child is done and walks away with said ball).

Two year molars already! No thank you! Violet is teething up a storm as she works on her 2-yr molars. Yuck.

Short but important: Violet now does the chicken dance on demand (and all the time), and also closes her eyes when asked. Ok, maybe only important to her mother, but hey, I'm writing.

Caleb's funeral: Yesterday Violet and I attended Caleb Bryant's funeral. He was two months old. It was incredibly emotional, and I can't begin to imagine what his parents are enduring. I was awed that Violet really seemed to understand the somber mood of the occasion. I explained what I could to her, and she was quiet and still for over an hour at the service.

Finally, in an effort to keep the flu at bay, I am sanitizing Violet's nose every night and after every play date with saline spray. She has completely given up trying to resist, and instead insists that Daddy and I sanitize our noses as well. She's right.

Obon

Violet is 11 weeks old now, and she is such a joy! This weekend, we visited Madge and her daughter and son-in-law. Madge is a longtime family friend of Sarah's maternal grandparents. Here is Violet getting ready to go, and a picture with Madge and Pat:



On Saturday, we went to the West LA Obon festival at the Buddhist church. It was a great community event, with DELICIOUS food and games for the children. There was also a fun dancing display. The availability of cultural celebrations and learning experiences like this is one of the reasons why we love LA! To learn about Obon, visit http://www.wlabt.org/activities/activities_obon.html. Here is Violet with Mom in the church, and with Dad in the garden:

Quick update on Violet's 2 month appointment Friday, 7/11. She is now 21 3/4 inches, and 11 lbs, 13 oz!!! That puts her in the 75th percentile (or between 50th and 75th)! At her 2.5 week appointment, she was in the 20th percentile at 7 lbs, 7 oz, so we're glad to see her grow. She's pretty chubby, and mostly wearing 3 month clothes. Our doctor said that breastfed babies are usually pretty chubby at this point! She also got her shots, and that was terrible. She screamed and cried like we've never heard (so did I), and she felt pretty rotten all weekend. I wish there were a better way to vaccinate! Here's a picture from last night (sorry it's not great quality) and a short video.

Violet's 2-month Appointment

Quick update on Violet's 2 month appointment Friday, 7/11. She is now 21 3/4 inches, and 11 lbs, 13 oz!!! That puts her in the 75th percentile (or between 50th and 75th)! At her 2.5 week appointment, she was in the 20th percentile at 7 lbs, 7 oz, so we're glad to see her grow. She's pretty chubby, and mostly wearing 3 month clothes. Our doctor said that breastfed babies are usually pretty chubby at this point! She also got her shots, and that was terrible. She screamed and cried like we've never heard (and so did I), and she felt pretty rotten all weekend. I wish there were a better way to vaccinate!

Here's a picture of a 12 lb Violet from last night (sorry it's not great quality) and a short video.