Friday

May 30

Today, Daphne rolled over from her belly to her back several times in the crib all by herself! This tear evoking milestone left Jennie and me speechless. Our little baby is growing up right before our very eyes.

Later, I read some Richard Scarry stories (featuring Huckle and the Lowly Worm) to Daphne. Persistently trying to communicate with us, she cooed and mumbled baby gibberish for a good amount of time. Betwixt her chatter, I swear she said "Daddy" or maybe it was "Dabby"... oh well, wishful thinking, right? But, Jennie heard it, too.

Here are some photos I snapped today before nap time...

Daphne is 13 weeks old today!




Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Thursday

May 29

The NHL hockey season is winding down for the year (Detroit leads Pittsburgh 2 games to 1 in the Stanley Cup Finals) and tonight's 2-hour season finale of Lost (greatest TV show ever) has me absolutely salivating...

Last night, Daphne's swaddle blanket was replaced by a "sleep sack" gown. She is approaching 4 months of age and will be completely rolling over any day now. So, to avoid any potential suffocation issues, we are trying to wean her from her swaddling dependency. And, oh brother, did she ever voice her displeasure last night? waahh, pout, cry... Our little screamer kept us up for most of the night (swaddling detoxification is a tough addiction to break). Hey, it was reminiscent of the olden days when she acted colicky in the early evenings. The major difference now is that her pleading cries sound like a dying cat instead of a baby in pain. hehehe

Jennie and I giggle like two little school kids when Daphne rips a giant poot across her baby monitor. All will be silent and whammo! She releases her painful flatulence. That's my girl!

Daphne's favorite time of the day is around 6am (when she first starts to stir). She smiles from ear to ear and reaches out to be picked up.

Guess what? I began the tedious task of replacing the porcelain tile in front of our new dishwasher last night (after months of talking/griping about it). It feels really nice to get that process started.

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Monday

May 26

Torrential rainfall, thunder, and lightning relentlessly blanketed middle Tennessee all day. I hope your Memorial Day was filled with sunshine, family, and sinful food...

Daddy loves reading to Daphne...


LINK OF THE DAY: How many of me?

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Sunday

May 25

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Daphne has nearly perfected the art of rolling over from her back to her stomach. Our little wiggle worm loves to kick feverishly and reaches for toys with great vigor. As Jennie tempts her with a stuffed toy frog, Daphne sways back and forth continually in attempts to grab it. I could watch her for hours...

Daphne's neck muscles continue to stabilize daily and she is beginning to hold her head up like a champ. Other than a tiny episode Friday night, Daphne threw no fussy tantrums this weekend. She even smiled several times for Grandma and Grandpa.

Yesterday, we celebrated Memorial Day with Jennie's parents at our house. I fired up the grill and tossed some juicy ribeyes over the coals. After dinner, we played some Blongoball in the backyard until Daphne woke up from her brief nap.

Here is a photo of Daphne (in Mommy's arms) smiling at me just before her bedtime...


Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Saturday

May 24

Here are some teaser photos to kick off the holiday weekend...
(more to come later)




Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Friday

May 23

Daphne reverted back to her "I'm gonna cry every two hours" routine last night. She is on the cusp of being old enough to "Ferberize" or where you let them cry themselves to sleep. No worries; Jennie has read up on all of the different theories regarding self soothing techniques. Soon, Daphne's neurological system will be mature enough to cope with these concepts. After all, we don't want her to grow up manipulating us and ruling the roost (yet, I think she has me wrapped around her finger already! She's just so flippin' cute when she grins at me...) hehehe

Daphne's sleep patterns had been doing so well all this week (usually waking up once per night between 3 and 4 am). Oh well, babies are unpredictable, right?

This is Memorial Day weekend! A time for some cold, frosty liquid refreshment and homemade hamburgers on the grill... be safe and enjoy your weekend!

I will be sure to snap a lot of photos of Daphne this weekend.

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Tuesday

May 20

This Friday, Daphne will be 3 months old! Can you believe it? She is growing up so fast!

Daphne's bassinet was officially retired to the attic this week (and set it aside for child number two). So far, we have been successful establishing a sleep routine. Daphne is placed in her crib most nights between 7 and 8pm and snoozes soundly until 2am. One nightly feeding is a huge change from the early days! I can only imagine how exhausting it must be to have twins or triplets...

I am anxiously waiting for Daphne to say, "Daddy". I better not wish for her to grow up too quickly -- she will be learning to drive and dating before I know it!

Jennie took Daphne on a play date today to visit a good friend and her 9-month old daughter. Here are some photos taken by Jennie before they left the house:





Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Sunday

May 18

Happy Birthday to my Mommy!

One year ago today, I began providing a daily diary of our IVF experiences for close friends and family. Jennie and I have accomplished more in one short year than we ever dreamt we could. I managed to overcome my fear of syringes (giving Jennie countless fertility shots), I conquered my vaso-vagal response (fainting) at the sight of gross stuff (blood, bodily fluids, etc), and I have mastered the art of changing a diaper! All in all, it has been a successful year!

Daphne is doing much better these days -- no fever in a week or so. We took nearly 100 photos this morning and posted them on SnapFish. Let me know if you would like to view them if I foolheartedly forgot to send you an invitation. Here are a few of my favorites:





Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Saturday

May 17

Daphne got all dressed up today and visited some of Mommy's friends over lunch. Here are some photos I snapped this morning:









Happy birthday to my Mom tomorrow! I will be spending the day mowing the jungle known as my backyard...

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Friday

May 16

Daphne continues to amaze us daily. She has now discovered the art of slapping at toys to make noises and she will watch you shake a rattle for several minutes in awe. The new expressions of surprise and satisfaction on her face are priceless.

Last night Daphne managed to scoot from one side of her crib to the other while staying completely swaddled. After five hours of silence, Jennie peeked in on Daphne around 1am and found her wide-awake, staring at the ceiling, and happily chewing on her thumb and index finger. Still wrapped up in her Kiddopotamus (resembling a straitjacket), our little Houdini has mastered the art of wiggling her tushy and rolling her body. Jennie is doing some research today about removing the crib bumper. Now that Daphne is quickly becoming mobile, we want to eliminate the possibility of her suffocating herself on the side of the crib.

Both Jennie and I have a busy weekend ahead... lots of chores to do.

I will post some new photos of her tonight when I get home from work this evening.

EVENING UPDATE: 6:12pm a couple of new photos.
Apparently, Daphne and Mommy had a LONG day with no significant naps. Some days are better than others and each day is very different.

Breastfeeding wears me out!


Tired and fussy, Daphne poses with Daddy...


Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Tuesday

May 13

Good news! Daphne's lab results came back negative for blood in her stool. So, what does that mean? Basically, Jennie can slowly introduce dairy products back into her diet (one group at a time while being extra mindful of Daphne's bowel production).

As I arrived home from work this evening, Daphne happily played while cooing for her bouncy seat's dangling giraffe and elephant toys. Twenty minutes or so later, out of the blue, she begins screaming and crying inconsolably. Naturally, I try all of the soothing techniques I have acquired during my Daddily-duties (holding Daphne over my shoulder while patting her back, reclining Daphne in my arms while rubbing her belly, propping Daphne up against my thighs while moving her hands like a marionette, etc), but nothing seems to work. Increasingly fussy, little Miss Daffodil is still running a low-grade fever (between 99.4 and 100.8 depending on how mad she is at the time). The good doctor said not to bring her back to the office unless her temperature reaches 101 degrees... amazing how such a content little girl can go from 0 to PO'ed in less than 60 seconds.

All of the parenting books say that babies may cry several hours per day for no reason whatsoever. Geez, I guess we are truly lucky that she does not cry more?

This is week two of my new job. While still getting settled in and adjusted to my surroundings, I am having a great time configuring my 2 PCs and laptop. I have plenty of tasks to work on, so life is good...

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Sunday

May 11

Happy Mother's Day!

I woke up around midnight shivering with a low-grade fever of 99.6 degrees. I ended up wearing a pair of gloves, a long sleeve sweatshirt, and bundling up with several heavy blankets in attempts to get warm. I feel much better today -- no fever or runny nose.

Yesterday, we decided the time had come to transition Daphne from her bassinet in our bedroom to the crib in her own bedroom. She already takes afternoon naps and enjoys the mobile in her crib, so it should be a piece of cake, right?

MILESTONE: Daphne snoozed in her crib last night for the first time. Since her bedroom is on the other side of the house, we used out a baby monitor to listen for her cries. Unfortunately, she cried every 1 1/2 to 2 hours...

We find out this week if Jennie can slowly introduce soy products and hard cheeses back into her dairy-free diet. Hopefully, Jennie will be able to eat dairy again soon. I never realized how many food products have some form of milk, butter, whey, or soy ingredient.



Snoozing on Mother's Day


Lounging in her Baby Bjorn



Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Friday

May 9

Daphne's third straight day of fever (101 degrees today) prompted Jennie to schedule a doctor visit. After arriving home from work, I packed up the car and we made our way to the night clinic in Belle Meade. The doctor on duty believes Daphne is getting better but definitely suffered a viral, upper respiratory infection (as indicated by the rash on her chest). No blood work was ordered and guess what? Daphne weighed in at a whopping 11 pounds!

I have eye twitches in both eyes. Both Jennie and I are exhausted for different reasons -- I am sick with a common cold and Jennie feels like an endless baby milk factory. Will it ever get easier? I suppose when Daphne is 18 years old and moving off to college...

Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! Get lots of rest and celebrate with your Mom.



Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Thursday

May 8

Daphne's fever has subsided and she appears to be back to her old self. I guess first-time parents are always guilty of being "worry warts" and overprotective. Probably by child number two or three, you have seen it all and nothing fazes you.

As I left for work this morning, Jennie's exhaustion is becoming apparent. What she would give for an hour or two of "me" time to take a shower or shave her legs! All the little things we take for granted completely disappear after giving birth...

Oh well, on the optimistic side, Daphne is beginning to show signs of "parroting" or trying to mimic sounds we make. She responds to certain nursery rhymes (i.e., recalling the tune from a previous day) by showing a smile.

Tomorrow, Daphne celebrates her 10th week of life. I am still trying to decide how Daphne and I are going to surprise Mommy for Mother's Day...

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Wednesday

May 7

Only a few shopping days left until Mother's Day is upon us...

Jennie and I have been concerned about our little daffodil all day. Daphne had a 100.8 degree temperature this morning and has been hot to the touch all day. Naturally, she has been her normal fussy self and has cried a lot. The doctor told us to continue monitoring her temperature throughout the day and not to worry unless it increases (or if she acts erratic).

My new job is great! I am having a blast getting up to speed.

I will post some new photos of Daphne later in the week.

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Tuesday

May 6

Happy belated birthday to my sister! She can celebrate the Cinco de Mayo holiday each year with a heaping wedge of birthday cake and a margarita on the rocks. My birthday falls on the Eve of Veteran's Day -- a lesser known holiday enjoyed by bank employees.

Daphne is growing like a weed. Now that I am working much closer to home, I will be able to spend more time with my little pooh bear. This afternoon, Mommy, Grandma, and Grandpa are taking her to the park for a ride in her stroller. I hope they snap some photos...

As I type this blog entry, I am sitting in the cafeteria at my workplace, eating my ham sandwich, and surfing the web on my wireless laptop. Ahh, the life... no shackles restricting me from the internet! This is the way it should be for everyone.

Happy birthday to my nephew, Cole! I hope your third trip around the sun was a good one.

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Saturday

May 3

Jennie's folks came over today and helped us hang some curtain rods and heavy drapes in Daphne's room. Hopefully, Daphne's room will cease to be the warmest room in summer and the coldest room in the winter. Little by little, we are gradually knocking out our chores around the house. Replacing the six tiles in front of our new dishwasher is currently at the bottom of Jennie's "Honey-do" list.

My sister's birthday falls on Monday and then Tuesday is her son's (my nephew) third birthday. I like to phone and remind her that her birthday gift is still on the shelf at a local Wal-mart (just waiting for me to go and pick it up). Hmmm, my mother's birthday is two weeks from tomorrow. What should I buy for all of these Tauruses?

If good weather comes our way tomorrow, we might take Daphne out for a walk in her stroller.

Ready to play some Nintendo Wii


Bashful beauty


Daphne loves her brand new mobile...


Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Thursday

May 1

Happy May Day!

Daphne's immunization side-effects finally appear to be gone. Over the next few weeks, Jennie has to eliminate all dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, whey) from her diet. At her 2-month visit last week, the doctor determined that Daphne exhibited a mild food *sensitivity* (and cow's milk protein is usually the culprit). If it can be nipped in the bud now, Daphne should be able to tolerate dairy products after 6 months of age.

Tomorrow is my final day of work for my current employer. Maybe I will arrive late and leave really early just for kicks? What are they going to do, fire me? hehehe

Here are some new photos of Daphne...

Starstruck Senorita


Sleeping Beauty


Until tomorrow,
Dave T.