this little piggy

We love Zuzu’s toes. They are tiny and when you look at them from the soles of her feet, they look like those itty bitty, miniature stray grapes you’ll sometimes find left on a bunch.

Right now one of Zuzu’s little toes likes to ball up when she wriggles it. It curves so far around the bottom of her foot when she does this that we nicknamed the toe “Curly” -- just one of those special mom-and-dad things we’ve enjoyed between the three of us. “Watch out for Curly!” we’ll say as we put on her socks, or “make sure to wash Curly too!” one of us will remark during bath time.

We get a kick out of Curly.

Can I touch your baby?

There’s this thing that happens when a new baby is around that causes people to reach out and touch the little one, or at least try to. Maybe it’s something in the air, kind of like how strangers want to touch a pregnant woman’s emerging belly. Somehow, we missed noticing this phenomenon until we had a baby ourselves, and now I find myself wondering how many times I was previously guilty of doing this without asking first. Patting the baby’s back, grabbing the baby’s hand, feeling the baby’s hair, sometimes uncovering a leg or arm to glimpse further at this little wonder – things that people sometimes feel compelled to do when there’s a baby around. Kind of like how Frank, on Everybody Loves Raymond, would sniff the twins’ heads to suck out the “fountain of youth” and it would drive Deborah crazy.

Ty suggested we conduct a social experiment: when someone touches Zuzu, we’ll automatically reach out to them and do the same thing. We’ve giggled at the thought of lifting up the cuff of someone’s jeans to peek at his or her legs, reaching out an index finger to gently stroke the side of his or her cheek, or perhaps untucking the bottom of the subject’s shirt to look at his or her belly button.

It’s the perfect candid camera moment.

goin' public

this past weekend we took zuzu to the mall for the first time. in fact, it was one of the first times we’ve been out in public with our new daughter. okay, so we’ve been out in “public” – to church, walks around the neighborhood, to the pediatric clinic waiting room – but i’m talking about the kind of public where there are a lot of people, most of them being of the kind who don’t know us at all.

as we took turns pushing the stroller around from store to store, i noticed that many people were immediately drawn to looking our way… alright, they were looking more towards the stroller than to us, really, but it was an experience for me that i really enjoyed. i had a great feeling of pride. “why, yes, this is my daughter. yep, she’s mine… she’s new.”

this reminded me of the way in which i felt when i first started dating jenn (over 12 years ago!), when we’d go someplace public together and walk side-by-side, or better yet, hand-in-hand. i would try to contain myself, but inside i was thinking, “are you people seeing this?! i’m walking with her... not just near her, not just next to her, but WITH her. oh, you don’t say… she’s beautiful, eh? she’s sweet and thoughtful and smart and funny – wow, you can really tell that by looking at her? yeah, i know, it’s true and i’m glad that you have acknowledged it.” it was a feeling of exuberation just to be near enough to her to be associated with her in even a small way by “the general public.” it was an honor to be seen with her. in fact, it still is.

so when people passed by us at the mall, their eyes tracking the stroller, hoping to catch a glimpse of a stranger’s new baby beaming from within, smile, then tilted their gaze upwards to me, it’s like they’d just ‘connected the dots’. her - - - - - - - - - him. and i’m proud of that connection. now, i know that they can only smile as a result of their having seen little zuzu, how little and beautiful and perfect she is, and that they really don’t know who she is or what kind of person she is, but i know her and love her for the person that she has become already and know that if they only knew, they’d probably explode as a result of the true beauty and joy that would be revealed in that moment. someday, perhaps they will know her. for now, though… yeah, i’m with her… and loving it!

a day in the life of zuzu -- last thursday

12:20-1:45 a.m. Zuzu wakes crying, nurses for 46 minutes, burps, and has her diaper changed 3 times.
2:00 a.m. Ty walks Zuzu around in the dark, then back into bassinette. Jenn & Ty whisper to each other how hopeful they are that she will fall back asleep.
5:10-6:20 a.m. Zuzu wakes, nurses for 40 minutes, burps, and gets her diaper changed.
6:30 a.m. Ty puts Zuzu back in bassinette. Ty tells Jenn they should get up soon. Ultimately, Jenn & Ty both vote for more sleep. Ty is sick and will stay home from work.
9:00 a.m. More crying from Zuzu. Ty soothes her.
9:10 a.m. Another diaper change. Jenn notices one of Zuzu’s eyes is crusty and debates calling the clinic.
9:20–11:50 a.m. Zuzu nurses off and on for 63 minutes. Ty & Jenn take turns burping her between feedings. One diaper change. Ty looks up Zuzu’s eye situation in the baby care books – it’s probably nothing.
11:50 a.m. Jenn & Ty attempt to eat breakfast. Ty & Jenn take turns holding Zuzu while the other checks email. Everyone is still in pajamas.
12:00 p.m. Jenn gets Zuzu dressed, washes her face and hands, and combs her hair. Jenn notices Zuzu’s eye is looking pretty yucky. Jenn & Ty flush Zuzu’s eye.
12:15 p.m. Jenn puts Zuzu down to nap while she takes a shower. Halfway through Jenn’s shower Zuzu starts crying.
12:40 p.m. Jenn finds Ty dancing Zuzu around the living room. Zuzu fusses off and on and Ty tells Jenn to go ahead and get dressed and he’ll stay with Zuzu.
1:15 p.m. Change diaper. Zuzu is crying and hungry. Ty & Jenn flush her eye again.
1:20 - 1:45 p.m. Ty showers. Zuzu nurses for 15 minutes and Jenn tries to burp her without success.
2:00 p.m. Ty, who is still feeling sick, lays down in the bedroom to rest. Jenn puts a dozing Zuzu in the pack-n-play in the living room and Jenn takes a short nap too.
2:45 p.m. Jenn takes leftovers out of fridge to heat up for lunch. Zuzu starts crying, leftovers stay on kitchen counter.
2:50 – 3:20 p.m. Zuzu nurses for 20 minutes, then is burped. Lunch sits untouched on kitchen counter until Ty finds it later and puts it back in the fridge.
3:30 p.m. Another diaper change. Zuzu’s eye is worse. Jenn starts to look in the baby care books but Zuzu begins to cry.
3:50 – 4:50 p.m. Zuzu nurses for 28 minutes, falling asleep between feedings and Jenn tries repeatedly to wake her.
4:55 p.m. Leaky diaper. Jenn changes diaper and clothes. Zuzu is getting fussy.
5:05-5:10 p.m. Zuzu nurses for only 5 minutes.
5:15 p.m. Friend drops off dinner and gift and meets Zuzu.
5:30-5:45 p.m. Zuzu nurses for 12 minutes, then is burped. Jenn finally calls peds clinic about Zuzu’s eye while Zuzu nurses. Probably a clogged tear duct. Jenn massages Zuzu’s tear duct.
6:00 p.m. Jenn sits on couch crying after opening meaningful gift for Zuzu. Ty holds Zuzu and Jenn & Ty both tell her how much they love her.
6:30–6:40 p.m. Zuzu is hungry again, nurses, and Jenn takes care of Zuzu’s eye.
7:00–8:00 p.m. Quiet, at last. Zuzu naps while Ty & Jenn eat dinner. Jenn feels guilty about not giving Emma the cat enough attention and brushes her.
8:20–9:30 p.m. Zuzu nurses for 43 minutes, is burped between feedings, has a diaper change. Zuzu’s eye is improving. Ty puts Zuzu in her jammies.
10:00 p.m. Jenn & Ty pick up around the house and get ready for bed. Zuzu starts crying as soon as she’s in her bassinette. Jenn & Ty realize they forgot to give Zuzu her vitamin but in the interest of minimizing crying decide to forego it for a day.
10:40-11:55 p.m. Zuzu nurses for 42 minutes, burps between feedings, has a diaper change, gets her eye wiped, and returns to her bassinette. Ty and Jenn whisper Zuzu’s nighttime prayers, then crawl into bed as quietly as possible and hold their breath while Zuzu makes squeaky, unsleepy noises. Good night, Zuzu.

"tummy time"

now that zuzu's here, we get to enjoy some "tummy time" with her... putting her on her tummy in order to help her to develop her muscles for holding her head up, supporting herself on all fours, and eventually crawling. before she was here, however, tummy time had a totally different meaning.

what better way to spend a quiet (pre-baby) friday evening than to gaze at her in motion. here's 25 minutes of tummy time sped up to just under 2 minutes, recorded only a couple of days before her birth. fascinating!

click the image below to play

a day of firsts

(saturday, april 14)

zuzu was born with perfect little hands tipped with perfect little fingernails, but by day 14 those little fingernails had become little scratch hazards. while zuzu snoozed in the morning, jenn decided the time had come for trimming her little nails for the first time – delicate business for such tiny hands. (we’re pleased to report all went well). later in the day during her afternoon bath, zuzu peed in the baby tub for the first time (at least, the first such incident of which we’re aware). after her bath, zuzu took a ride in her stroller for the first time (yippee!) for her first walk around the neighborhood.

milk coma

we know that zuzu enjoys her feedings by the following three criteria: 1) when she can eat on the hour, every hour, for seven hours straight (like last night); 2) when her diapers weigh more than she does (explosions can be heard in our neighborhood if you listen very closely); and 3) the most important of all, zuzu falls into a "milk coma" after feeding. neither burping, loud noises, tickling her feet, nor sprays of cold water can rouse her from this state of being.

food & thanks

we have been so busy (and sleep deprived) that it's been a tremendous blessing to receive meals from friends. not only is it a huge relief to not cook (yet) and have leftovers for lunches and snacks, the menu has been amazing -- so amazing that ty's desire to capture our plates with his camera sometimes overrides hunger pangs. zuzu, of course, has benefitted from this as well by receiving breastmilk from mom's healthy diet (as opposed to the cuisine of orange juice, chocolate chips and starburst candies which were top compliments to mom's otherwise decently balanced menu prior to birth). we are grateful for everyone's generosity and culinary talents!

isabella unplugged...

today was zuzu's original due date. of course, we're thrilled that she came early - an extra 9 days to spend with her! she decided to make today special by losing her umbilical cord. we had been practicing good cord care by folding down her diapers so as to not disturb it's natural process of drying out, but were waiting with great anticipation for it to disconnect.

jenn was the first to see the belly button that emerged and was very excited to share it with me when i returned from work. it was beautiful. of course, the first thing i just had to do was take a picture! well, actually, the first thing i needed to do was to give it a big KISS and let zuzu know how proud i was of her for accomplishing this task.

we're relieved now that breastfeeding and tummy-time can be spent without the worry of snagging her little cord. we've certainly been reintroduced to the amazing wonder that is human life!

cards of congratulations - part 1

we've received many words of congratulations from friends and family, far and wide. recently, one of the teachers from the school at which jenn works delivered some cards made by students in the older class. we thought you would enjoy reading what they had to say.

1.)
Dear Jenn and Ty,
Congratulation on the new family member. Everybody at school is happy for you!

2.)

Dear Isabella,

I hope your future is bright. You have good parents, so part of your life will be awesome.

3.)

Dear Jenn & Ty,

Congratulations. I hope Isabella is doing well. I hope I can see her soon.

P.S. I like the nickname Zuzu.

4.)

Dear Isabella,

Welcome to the world! This letter was sent to you 5 days after you were born. Even though you couldn't read, we still decided to send it to you. I hope to hear that you will be at school. Did you know that your mom worked here?

P.S. Jenn and Ty, do not throw this away when Isabella is able to read it or read it to her and still save it.

5.)

Dear Jenn, Ty, and Isabella,

CONGRATULATIONS! We are so excited for you!

Isabella - you are so cute and I can't wait to see all of you! We've really missed you and we are all so excited. Congratulations again!

cards of congratulations - part 2

6.)
Dear Isabella,
We hope all goes well and you have a good time. Congratulations and WELCOME TO THE WORLD!!!

7.)

Dear Ty and Jenn,
Congratulations on your new baby. We hope all goes well.

8.) Dear Jenn and Ty,
Congratulations! We hope all is well.

9.)

Dear Isabella,

Welcome to the world. I think you will like it. It's pretty cool. Hope I see you soon.

P.S. You'll know me soon enough.

10.)

Welcome to the world, Isabella!

You are so cute. Congratulations Jenn and Ty. I am so excited. How much does she weigh? Does she cry a lot? When will I see her? Those and others are chief. From the picture at school, I just want to eat her (in a manner of speech, of course). She looks so alert in the picture... like she's just eaten her first hard food already. Hope to see you ALL soon.

cards of congratulations - part 3

11.)

Dear Jenn and Ty,

Congratulations! (see front cover for full-color word) I can't wait to see Isabella!

Dear Isabella,

Welcome to planet... Earth! You come in peace (we hope).

P.S. ga ga goo goo!

the first doctor's appointment

picture of zuzu at her first well check appointment. april 5th, 2007

(no, there's nothing wrong with your computer - read below for an explanation!)

Zuzu’s first doctor’s appointment was at four days old. As soon as we went into an exam room, POOF -- the lights went out. Pitch black. (Believe it or not, the entire hospital lost power). We would end up having most of Zuzu’s exam on the floor of the hallway (lit by emergency generator-powered lights) while some nurses brought a lightheaded Jenn, who was on the verge of passing out (still very much healing from childbirth), a cold compress and apple juice. Then, while being weighed, a naked Zuzu pooped three times on the scale. Of course as first time parents, instead of apologizing on her behalf, we remarked at how incredibly cute it was. When it was all over, we wondered if the peds clinic would ever want to see us again. A memorable experience indeed!

the meaning behind the names

isabella: zuzu's great, great, great grandmother - on jenn's father's side
christine: in honor of zuzu's aunt christy (jenn's sister) and grandma chris (ty's mother)
hope: so that zuzu will always know how much we prayed for, waited for, and hoped for her existence in our lives; as well as our hope for her future
zuzu: a character in the 1946 classic, "it's a wonderful life."
the movie is one of our favorites.

in this film, george bailey (zuzu's father - played by jimmy stewart) returns home amidst the most stressful day of his life (he's possibly going to prison because of a misplaced $8,000 bank deposit) - only to find that his youngest daughter, zuzu, has come home from school with a fever. he checks in on her for a moment, comforts her, and encourages her to get some sleep. when zuzu insists that her father give her flower a drink of water, the flower loses a few of its petals. zuzu asks her daddy to "paste it" - to fix it. he takes the flower and the petals, turns to the side and puts the petals in his pocket. he turns back toward zuzu and lets her know that it's all better now. he kisses her goodnight, tucks her in, and leaves her to get the rest she needs.

my desire as a father is to be able to love my zuzu to the fullest, no matter what happens to be going on in my life at the time... to "fix" flowers, to shower her with hugs, to constantly encourage her... to give her the most "wonderful life" i can.

april 1st... no foolin'!

Name: Isabella Christine Hope Coleman
Nickname: Zuzu
Born: Sunday, April 1st, 2007 at 7:27 PM

6 pounds,10 ounces
19.5 inches

Feel free to check out some pictures of little Zuzu by clicking the link to the left.