Traumatic Day!

Well, I'm sorry to say that I don't have any new pictures to post this time around. But I do want to update you all about her doctor's appointment a few days ago... She had her two-month checkup (a little late... she is now two months and three weeks old). Eric and I had a little wager going about how much she weighs. I am slightly too proud to announce that I hit the nail right on the head: she weighs 12 lbs, 8 oz! She's in the 75th percentile for her weight. And in height, she is 24.5 inches long, which puts her in the 95th percentile for height. She's definitely our growing girl. After all those weeks of not gaining any weight in the beginning, I think she's making up for lost time! The doctor was very pleased with her growth and her meeting developmental milestones.

Then came the shots. OH! It is the sadest thing ever to hold your daughter's wee little fingers and hands while the nurse quickly injects her legs with three separate injections! Belén cried and cried and cried. At first, I was laughing (you know, that really inconvenient emotional reflex that rises up and causes you to react in the most inappropriate way possible to sensitive situations... Am I alone in that?)... but after a few seconds of her screaming cries, I just held her close and cried right with her. It is a terrible thing when you child hurts, even though you know it is for thier own good.

So, even though it was rather traumatic for her (and me,too, I guess!), she seems to be doing well now - all 12 lbs. and 8 oz. of her! Man, I wish Eric and I had bet something good! :) Oh, well...

Right now, we're enjoying Labor Day weekend, and soaking up my last days of being a stay-at-home-mom. Tuesday is the big day for me to venture back to working full-time. Maternity Leave has been so amazing; I feel like I needed every moment of it to acclimate to my new role and to get to know our little girl. It has been a beautiful honeymoon of sorts - where the frightful pace of everyday life mercifully slows to afford us a sweet season to bask in the newness of this parent-child relationship. It is sad to me in the same way it is sad when Belén outgrows some of her tiny newborn clothes: it confirms that life is fleeting and that we cannot cling to any one season too long - no matter how much we love it and want to hold onto it, it is time to move on. Any parent is proud to see their child grow healthy and strong... we wouldn't have it any other way. But I do not think I am alone in mourning the passage of a time that is so new and so sweet...

Silver Lining: I am truly grateful to have such an awesome place of employment with coworkers who are some of the best folks around. My heart is heavy to think that I'll leave my girl for so many hours a day but I am grateful that Eric will get to work from home and take care of her everyday. So, if you think about it, say a little prayer for us as we transition into this new season. And if you want to, send us an email - we'd love to hear from you! ericandtaralopez@gmail.com

Playing in the Activity Gym

We wanted to share with you the joy of watching her discover things... of course, as usually happens, most of her smiles happened off-camera. But, still, it is fun to watch her play! :)

Updates

This is my last full week of maternity leave so we're just trying to enjoy some dedicated, uncomplicated family time together. Eric is still working a lot, but we try to make time to have fun together, too, before the busyness of "the real world" sets in. This week, Belén will have her 2-month check up (even though, this week, she is 2 months and 3 weeks old - that's just when we could get an appointment). So we'll be excited to see how she's growing in height/weight... but in all respects, we can really see how much she's growing every day. It happens so fast! Here are a few glimpses into an ordinary day in the Lopez household...

Belén and Eric like to sit together and think deep thoughts...

And she loves tummy time!

Seriously, this hair is 100% all natural! We don't even do this on purpose! Isn't it amazing?? :)

This is the view I get when I look down to her while she is in the front-pack carrier...
I prefer the Moby Wrap, but sometimes, this one is better for when I'm doing things
around the house with her...

She's dancing on top of the exercise ball! Her legs are so strong!

Belén's Favorite Things

After our big day at the zoo, Belén had a hard time waking up the next day! She was conked out and so comfy, sleeping on her daddy's chest (Eric was fast asleep, too!).

This week with her has been a lot of fun.. She's really beginning to show more of the fun developmental things like smiling in response to us through her adorable, gummy grin. And we're beginning to discover what some of her favorite activites are.

...Like the activity gym (below). A few times each day we put her here and turn on the musical star at the top and she just dances her little legs around and flails her arms to the music. She is just beginning to reach and grab at the toys that hang down from above. She has such fun here! And when she's done (usually after 15-20 minutes) she calls for us by yelling "Ah! Ah!" And then we know she is ready for something new. We love that she is beginning to communicate with us!
This picture was taken just as she was waking up from a nap... she definitely looks like she's up to something! She actually grabbed the blanket and pulled it up over her head that way. It was just too cute to resist!

Another one of her favorite things is BATHTIME! She cannot get enough of the water! She hears the water running and she gets this look of joy and peace. Then I settle her down into the water and she is so happy, so calm. But lately, she's been getting more playful. She is discovering that she can splash the water and sometimes, she tries to kick away from me. I'm certain it is just the budding evidence of her destiny as an Olympic swimmer!

Her hair is still crazy (unless it is sopping wet, as you can see!). Eric and I have decided that it looks like of like the hair of those troll dolls that were so trendy in the 90's... :) But she's still our little cutie! Someone once told me that they believed babies needed two things to be irresistably adorable: chubby cheeks and scary hair. I think we can all agree that, according to that definition, Belén is the most adorable baby on the planet!

Another one of Belén's favorite things is the morningtime. Eric will often give her a feeding around 5:30 or 6:00 am and then they play together for a little while. Then he brings her to our room and wakes me up by laying her in the bed there with us (she usually wants to nurse). But she is just full of sunshine in the mornings. Her best smiles are always during this sweet morning time together. This time I caught her in the act!
She is definitely our little sunshine! :)

Big Day at the Zoo!

On August 6th, we got to have a big day out to the Oregon Zoo! My awesome place of employment hosts a picnic every year where we get to bring our families and enjoy festivities and food and time connecting with each other. It is wonderful! So, even though I'm on maternityy leave, I got to go see all my co-workers... such awesome folks! And Belén got to experience the Zoo for the first time!

Beginning our big day!

Hanging out with the Cougars! (She's actually awake! It's a miracle!)

Happy family photo - with the giraffe! I love how he looks so poised for his photo with us! :)

She is dressed just right for the zoo! But she's had a long day and she is surely tuckered out!

Later that night... I got her this cute hat to keep the sun out of her face, and it matches her giraffe onesie from Gymboree (an awesome gift from Eric's boss). She evidently has serious issues when it comes to accessories. She didn't like this any better than she liked the barrette I put in her hair. :) I think I must be a mean mommy because these pictures of her crying are so funny to me!

The second after I snapped this shot, I was appalled to see a critter hopping along the baseboard of her nursery!! Seriously, a little tree frog was just making himself at home in her room! I stalked it with a box in hand and it hopped up the wall and under the crib and all over the north side of the room. Meanwhile, Belén is still screaming because I've caused her to remain in her undesirable accessory for far longer than necessary. I wouldn't leave the nursery because I didn't want the frog to sneak out into another part of the house... and Eric wasn't home and I wasn't about to touch this frog myself... so I did what any reasonable scaredy-cat would do: I called the emergency maintenance hotline! :) The onsite fellow who came was amused to discover that I had manged to trap it under the confines of an empty wipes box which I then secured with an iron on top. He was less amused to have to leave the confines of his cozy evening at home for my "emergency," which he removed by grabbing the two-inch beast with his hand and promptly releasing him in my front yard. Still, he was gracious, and all was well.

I still can't fathom how the critter got into my home... I kind of wonder if, while walking through the exhibits earlier in the day, he hopped onto Belén's carriage and made himself our own little "Zoo-venier!"

Sometimes, she looks like the tiniest infant... and sometimes she just looks like such a little girl! Either way... she has captured our hearts completely...

I finally did catch her smiling today with my camera in hand!

And that was even after this little episode... (She became rather angry once I placed the barrette in her hair. It is crazy trying to tame that 'do!)

It's as though she is saying, "Fine! I'll wear it, but I'm not gonna be happy about it!"

But she really enjoys it when we get to go on outings...

We finally got to go berry-picking on Sunday after church... we picked Marionberries, Blackberries and Raspberries. Delicious! Sadly, Belén slept through the whole thing in the Moby (my fabric wrap carrier), but we had a great time. The pictures are all on the camcorder, though, and I don't know how to get them off (Eric will have to do that). But Eric is staying busy with lots of work... and I have another four weeks of maternity leave. I anticipate doing a little bit of work from home in the weeks to come. I'll return to work full time on September 2nd... Eric's work is work that he does from home, with the occassional meeting on campus at George Fox Evangelical Seminary, so he will be able to be the primary caregiver for our sweet girl for 95% of the time while I'm at work. We feel so glad that God has worked out these details... it is so much nicer to be able to know that one of us will get to be with her most of the time.

So right now, we're just trying to enjoy every bit that this last month of maternity leave has to offer... soaking up every minute with our growing girl...

Still Getting the Hang of Blogging...

Since I can't seem to get as many pictures as I would like into these pages - here is a link to my Facebook photo albums for your viewing enjoyment!

First month: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29852&l=4b301&id=537904122
Second month: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31197&l=b4245&id=537904122

Maybe one of these days we'll be really cool & figure out how to post video! ...But for now this will have to do!