Abuelita's Birthday

Today we celebrated my mom's birthday down in Miami with the family. Mila was so happy to see her Abuelita, although she slept through most of the get together! Happy Birthday mom! :)

Visit from Abuelito

My dad stopped by for a visit. Little Mila was not in the best of moods!

Visiting Daddy at Work

I went to the breastfeeding support group again up in Boca today just to follow up and Mila continues to gain weight -- she's 8 lbs already! After the meeting, Mila and I stopped by her daddy's job to visit and have some lunch! :)

Baby This Week: 3 Weeks Old

Every baby has a unique temperament. Some are placid and agreeable, while others are more sensitive. One thing all babies have in common is that they communicate with you by crying. Sometime in the first month, you'll begin to hear another kind of sound. That's when most babies find their voices. When your baby is calm and alert, you may notice she says a little "ooh" or "aah" when she sees you or hears you approaching.

Be sure you're continuing to put your baby down on her stomach for "tummy time" when she's awake. Babies should sleep on their back, but they also need to spend time on their belly every day to strengthen their neck muscles, which help them push up, roll over, sit up, and crawl. Tummy time will also help your baby avoid developing a flat spot on her head from being on her back.

By the end of this week, your baby may lift her head briefly and possibly move it from side to side when she's lying on her stomach. Try putting your face in front of your baby's to encourage her to hold up her head to look at you. You can also roll up a towel or receiving blanket and put it under her chest to help get her started with her push-ups. Soon, her nervous system and muscle control will mature and her jerky movements will become more fluid.

- BabyCenter.com

Mila at Three Weeks

Hello to Grammy!

A couple of clips of Baby Mila, just for her Grammy!

Family Meets Mila

This weekend we finally went down to Miami to visit my grandmother and my mom so my family could meet Mila. When we got there, we were greeted by the paparazzi!

My grandmother was so excited! Mila is her 7th great-grandchild. It was so nice to get a picture of all four generations!

Toyota Venza

We'd been planning on buying a new car for Jorge for a while, and yesterday we took the plunge! We got the 2010 Toyota Venza. Sweet! Jorge's car was already on it's last leg, with over 187,000 miles on it and was starting to give us trouble (although Jorge optimistically thinks he could've taken it to 250,000, LOL!). Besides that, it was a two-door and it would be very difficult to access a carseat for the baby. It was time for a new car! This one has so much more room! We love it!

Moby Wrap

Mila in the Moby Wrap! I did extensive research on baby slings and I found this one to be the best one. It holds baby nice and secure, and it's really good on Mom & Dad's back. Mila loves it! I put her in it and within minutes she passed out! I first heard about it through our friend Karina. She raves about it too!




Papa G loves it too!

Beyond Cuteness!

Mila taking a nap on Mommy's lap.

The Wrath of Mila

Mila goes from 0-60 in a matter of seconds -- when she wants food, she wants it now! Only the boob can soothe this beast! Haha!



The camera was set to take this picture to capture a few frames over a period of 3 seconds or so and it caught Mila starting to cry... click on the picture for the full effect! Scary, huh?? Beware the wrath! Quick -- get her the boob! LOL!

Baby This Week: 2 Weeks Old

A whole week has passed, but doesn't it seem more like a lifetime? As you're adjusting to feedings and getting by on less sleep, your baby is also adjusting to his new world. He sleeps in short naps, wakes to feed, and spends some time quietly alert before drifting off to sleep again. Babies' eyes focus best on objects between 8 and 15 inches away — not coincidentally, the distance to your face when held in your arms.

Your womb was a warm and cozy environment, and it takes time for your baby to adjust to the various sights, sounds, and sensations of life outside your body. You may not be able to detect much of a personality just yet as your baby spends his time moving in and out of several different states of sleepiness, quiet alertness, and active alertness.

The only way your baby knows to communicate is by crying, but you can communicate with him through your voice and your touch. (He can now recognize your voice and pick it out among others.)

Your baby probably loves to be held, caressed, kissed, stroked, massaged, and carried. He may even make an "ah" sound when he hears your voice or sees your face, and he'll be eager to find you in a crowd.

- BabyCenter.com

Mila at Two Weeks

Visit From Aunt Mily

Our friend Mily stopped by with Jamil to visit Baby Mila!

Mila Napping

Mila napping on Mommy, Daddy and Abuelito!

Breastfeeding Again!

With some encouragement from Jorge, I went to the Breastfeeding Support group provided by the hospital. I was very reluctant to go since it's so far away and coordinating the outing with her feedings are difficult, especially since she eats every 2 hours and she takes about 45 minutes to eat, so I only have maybe an hour and a half in between. But thanks to Jorge's encouragement, he took me to the meeting and I met with Carrie, the Lactation Consultant from the hospital. Although I was feeling much better with the soreness, I still felt I needed a few more days to make sure it was completely healed. Carrie is great, but she's a tough lady and I half expected her to tell me to suck it up and just put her on the breast despite the sensitivity -- which is another reason I was reluctant to go to the support group. However, as soon as she met with me and I explained that I was still sore, she recommended something called Nipple Shields.


Carrie brought me one and helped me get Mila latched on. I cringed, expecting pain.... but there was none. I was in shock! Mila was on for a full feeding -- and for the first time there was no pain! The nipple shield covers the entire nipple and protects it from the friction in the baby's mouth, so now I can use it until I'm fully healed. Carrie hadn't recommended it at the hospital because nipple shields shouldn't be used during the first days after after birth. A mother only has colstrum those first days and colustrum is hard to extract with a nipple shield in place. Once a mother's milk comes in, a nipple shield can help.

So now I can finally breastfeed again! No more supplementing!!! I can't tell you how incredibly excited I am!!!!!!!!! :)




Mila's little sleep smiles!

Mila Making Progress

The whole weekend I spent it pumping every couple of hours... we were sleep deprived by the end, but I was determined to plump my baby up for our doctor's appointment! I called the Lactation Consultant that our doctor recommended, and with her tips I was able to pump more. I thought for sure we were making progress!! Where before I was only able to pump 1-2oz, now I was pumping 2-3oz! On Monday, we went to our appointment, and I was confident she was gaining weight -- she was getting so much more now! But the news was not so good -- she did gain weight, but she only gained 1 oz, and that was not enough. The doctor told us we had to supplement with formula. I was so disappointed that what I was pumping wasn't enough, but I was doing all I could. The pump just isn't as effective as a baby would be in getting out the milk and increasing my supply. I just needed more time -- just a few more days to heal, then she'd be back on the breast. Our doctor wanted us to pump and give her whatever we were able to get, and then give her formula to supplement until she was full. It was so dissappointing to give it to her -- I really felt overwhelmed and sad. I wanted so badly to be the perfect mom for her -- and already I wasn't able to give her her basic need -- food! :( It was a really sensitive time for me... I was sleep deprived, exhausted, overwhelmed, sore from my stiches... But when we started giving her the formula on Monday, we saw an immediate change in her mood. She definitely slept longer and didn't cry as much. So sad to think she was crying because she was hungry!






Wednesday, we had another follow-up appointment with the pediatrician to see if she'd gained weight. So to recap: She was born at 7 lbs. 6 oz. and by the time we were discharged from the hospital 2 days later, she'd lost weight (which is normal) and weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. So she lost 9 oz. She was expected to be gaining weight by that first pediatrician appointment 2 days later, so that by her two week apointment she would back at her birth weight -- that was the goal. But instead, she lost another 2 oz at the first appointment and was weighing 6 lbs. 8 oz. At the follow-up appointment on Monday (one week after her birth) she'd gained only an ounce and was then at 6 lbs. 9 oz, which was progress, but still wasn't enough -- she would have to gain 13 oz in one week in order to regain her birth weight! She certainly wasn't making that kind of progress when she was on breastmilk, due to the limited quantity I was pumping. Now that she was being supplemented with formula though, by her second follow-up appointment on Wednesday -- just 2 days later -- she had gained a whopping 11 of the 13 oz she needed to gain!! Needless to say, the pediatrician was pleased and said she was doing well. Jorge and I were so happy she was gaining weight! I still need a few more days to heal, but I plan on trying to put her back on by the end of the week and seeing how I feel. I'm comforted knowing she won't be on formula for long and that the boobs will be back in order in just a couple of days... For now, at least Mila is healthy and satisfied, and that's the most important thing!