Ninth Month

We had a fun fourth of July because lots of family came to visit! Sonja got to meet Uncle Steve, Aunt Ann, Aunt Dot, Uncle Rich, and Christopher. She also grew in her interactions with other kids, and was able to play with Victoria and her cousins Avary and Aubrey.

Ninth month

Eighth Month

During her eighth month, Sonja became ferociously mobile, crawling quickly and grabbing everything within her reach on the floor. Her sleep really settled in, and she started getting much more calm at nap time, showing that she knew what to expect. She fell in love with finger foods, and eagerly tried bringing small bites to her mouth. Occasionally she'd release the bite from her hand too soon and bring an open, empty hand to her mouth, only to look at it briefly and go for the next bite. By the end of the month, she developed a delicate pincher grasp and was picking and choosing each bite. We laugh about it, because that's how Mommy eats, too, as if the composition of each bite is important. (You know it is.) No wonder it takes so long to finish a meal. Sonja also learned to drink from a cup.

Sonja took her first airplane trip, up to Boston. She loved meeting her new friends, and her family. In particular, she had a wonderful time getting to know Tobias and her cousins, and she adores Oma, Opa, Uncle Jason, and Auntie Emma.

Eighth Month

First Virginia trip

In late May, Sonja made her first overnight trip away from home. She didn't sleep during the 5- hour car ride to her grandparent's house, but played quietly and looked out the windows. On the way home, she slept just half an hour.

Sonja enjoyed the change of scenery. Grandma set up a great area for her to sleep, and she woke up only once most nights, which was a first. She got to meet lots of friends and family for the first time, including Jeremy, Aunt Christine, Erin & Ryan, the Goldmans, and the McCreights. She loved hanging out with Grandma & Granddad, and exploring their house.

First Virginia trip!

Seventh Month

During her seventh month, Sonja ramped up on eating solids. She started on commercial baby cereal, but switched to homemade rice cereal mixed with pureed fruit as her staple. It tastes like rice pudding. She also loved bananas and yogurt, and mashed peas. She cautiously ate mashed avocado. She's so passionate about eating that she often growls and giggles, and likes to help out by guiding the spoon to her mouth.

Sonja had a lot of fun getting to her knees, and then trying to think about what to do next. By the end of the month, she was rocking back and forth on her knees and doing a soldier's crawl to get things out of her reach.

Here are some photos:

seventh month

sixth month

Sonja had a huge growth spurt, and gained about 2.5 pounds in 3 weeks. We love seeing the tiny dimples on her knuckles and knees, and are proud of all the strength she has gained.

sixth month

Sonja says "dada" now, and likes to push up on her hands. One morning, we were playing and I handed her a toy. She examined it, and then handed it back to me! These little things seem pretty obvious, but when they happen for the first time, I'm amazed at how naturally she picks up The New. Her entire domain is The New. Living with her is like being inside time- lapse photography.

fifth month

During her fifth month, Sonja grew to love her bath even more, and started swimming. She paddles around the tub constantly (but unfortunately no pictures of that). During March, Sonja saw snow for the first time, and we even had a short power outage as Carolina tried to deal with 4 - 6 inches of snow. We changed diapers by candlelight and I was thankful both for electricity and pin-less diapers. We curled up by the fireplace together and read tons of books. She likes to turn the pages herself.

fifth month

We struggled to put weight on her bones, but she was a very happy baby regardless. She pretty much just cries when she needs food or sleep. She loves people's faces and will study everyone she meets. I've heard that most babies will put things directly into their mouths -- Sonja will usually hold things up and rotate them with her hands. She also loves playing outside and taking walks. During this time, Sonja started interacting with other kids, staring at them, chattering, and touching. Sonja and Jesse have their own little language of growls, cackles, trills, and rolled "R"s. With me, she loves singing, pretending that her feet can play music, and laughing as I try to roll my "R"s and make raspberries.

fourth month

The months have just slipped through our fingers here, so I'm just going to post a lot of pictures.

fourth month

During late January & early February, we had wonderful sunny weather, and got to see many family and friends -- especially Uncle Jason! He brought Boston Lobster to us, so now Sonja knows that lobster is delicious (she likes to chew on him). Sonja could now grasp anything within reach, which translates to a lot more noise & music emitted from baby toys. She also started sleeping alone, in her pack n play, and started taking real naps. (Big thank you to Mrs N!) Previously, she'd been a somewhat elective napper. If we wanted her to take a nap, we'd put her in her sling and go about our day quietly. This became untenable as she got heavier and started needing longer naps, although she always liked it and fell asleep quickly.

Happy Baby

We are just now rounding out two weeks of both parents being back at work, and some people are wondering how the three of us are adjusting to the changes. Does it look like we are suffering?



Not a bit! Sonja is growing and thriving, and continues to enjoy even her most hiccupy days thoroughly. She is happier than ever, and I am very happy as well. Sonja has a zest for life that amazes me, and I hope to contribute a part of it at work and everywhere else. We have two parties to thank for our current state of affairs: the wonderful leadership at work, and the excellent nanny we found here. To say anything more about either one would just be selling them short. Jon & Angela were actually able to capture her smiling, which she does all the time, except when I have a camera. Click to see more:

02-18-2009

Third month

During her third month with us, Sonja matured a ton. She can stand with just a little help from us to balance, and loves to swim in the tub. We haven't put her face or ears underwater yet, but she can spend half an hour pushing off with her legs and then drifting close to push off again. She's also fascinated by her hands, and will hold them up in front of her face and examine her fingers endlessly. She can make contact with objects and will occasionally reach to grasp something. She seems to have a wonderful sense of humor and timing, and she keeps us laughing.

Click this album to see pictures from her third month!

third month

Second month & Christmas

During her second month, Sonja did a lot more talking and smiling at us, plus rolling over. She can easily roll to one of us now, and always wants to be close. We love it! There is no stopping this kid when she wants something. (Unfortunately, the opposite is also true, and she passionately fights against naps and socks.) Here are some photos of her!

second month

We had a wonderful time getting together with some family after Christmas. I had wanted to go up to Boston, but we chickened out because our baby is so tiny, and it was icy and cold. We were fortunate to have a visit from the Collins side of the family.

Christmas 2008

Sonja's first month

During her first month, Sonja spent a lot of time being carried in the sling, dozing in her basket bed, and curled up with mom and dad. She was a light baby and didn't gain weight quickly, so we used supplemental feeding with a finger tube to help her get more nutrition and be a more nutritive nurser. One of the positives of this was that Jesse got to do a lot of bonding with her during these feedings. From the beginning, Sonja loved to kick her feet, look at sunbeams, and make faces.

first month

Sonja met her cousins Avery, who had just turned 3, and Aubrey, who is ten days older than Sonja, for the first time at a belated Thanksgiving get- together.

thanksgiving 2008

Visit from Grandparents

Sonja's first weekend home, she got a wonderful visit from her Oma and Opa from Boston. Since Oma is a professional photographer, she was snapping lots of pictures, but, unfortunately, we were not. We were so excited by the newness of having her at home and the fun of Oma & Opa's first visit to NC, that we didn't capture their time together. Sonja had a wonderful time getting to know her family. We went to the park for the first time, took walks, and had lots of cuddles. Sonja studied Oma's and Opa's faces intently -- there is lots of recognition now when she looks at pictures of them. We hope to be with them again very soon.

On the second weekend, we had a visit from the Collins grandparents. Here are some pictures from our time together.

grandma & grandpa visit

first weeks

Here are a few pictures from Sonja's first two weeks, in the hospital and at home. Sonja was born at a hospital in Greensboro at 11.27 PM on October 25. She weighed 6 lbs 13 oz and was 21 in long. She was in the bottom percentile for weight and the top for height! She may grow up to be taller than her parents! She was about a week and a half early, and her labor was induced because my water broke. As with many induced labors, she was eventually delivered surgically by C section.

However, Sonja came out awake and kicking fiercely. Her head was a bit moulded from the long labor, but has since evened out. I had a very quick recovery and didn't have any post- surgery pain at all -- nothing to "manage." I had excellent care, particularly from the labor nurses who were full of compassion and good sense.

We were so excited to bring Sonja home and enjoy our time together. We could not love her more. Thanks to all the friends and family who sent good wishes -- we have been enveloped by warmth since Sonja was born!

Sonja.B