Look Who's One (month)

Well, our little girl turned one month!

The doctor was very happy with her progress and gave her a clean bill of health.  Mom and Dad passed their test too.  No blow outs at the doctor's office this time, but  her new parents were up for the challenge ;-)


The first month has been nothing short of wonderful.  Full nights of sleep may be a bit harder to remember, but spending time with our little girl is such a joy....even if she makes appointments at 2:00 a.m. or 3:00 a.m.

So far we've learned:

• Chiara's first bath without screaming her head off was just a fluke
• You can set your watch to her belly (like her Daddy's)
• She must be getting plenty of fiber
• She is not as fond of the swaddle as she was at say...two weeks
• We have very generous family and friends
• It is difficult to place a value on a delivered homemade meal
• A dry bottom and plenty of hugs keeps our girl pretty happy
• It is not possible for us to hug or kiss her enough

Time is certainly flying, so we must be having fun.  When you have a preemie all you wish is for them to grow.  Once your wishes begin to come true you realize just how fast babies grow and you kind of want to slow things down....

Chiara may not forgive us for sharing this photo, as she was not quite ready for it.  However, this is one of only two we took on her actual one month B-Day!

Here's TWO you Chiara!

In Chiara’s first TWO weeks we’ve learned TWO valuable lessons about number TWO!

The first lesson we learned is that changing a diaper not only tends to give her the urge to do number one, but also number TWO! As if changing a diaper isn’t already one of the lesser joys of having a baby.  Add to that the bonus of your child doing her best to project number TWO at you and you have really reached a defining moment.  As an aside, we also learned our dainty little girl has a nice little arc to her number one.  Dad felt that during one of his attempts to fasten those cute little diapers.

The second lesson took place during Chiara’s first doctor visit.  We actually learned that sometimes TWO can equal four! As her proud new parents got situated in the exam room, we realized our little girl had a greeting in her diaper for the doctor.  Well, we were determined to leave the doctor with a better first impression than what Chiara had in mind.  So, we quickly removed her diaper to discover her number TWO was more like a six! It was her first official blowout.  A real sock filler. Right after the nurse finished explaining the ban on disposing dirty diapers in their office, we realized the value of those TWO awesome diaper bags we had back at our house!

Luckily, the number TWO did not soil the swaddle blanket and we only live a few minutes away from the doctor’s office.  Who knew our little one was able to produce so much number TWO?

Ready for Another Feeding and Nap

We had a specific request from Chiara’s Auntie Elizabeth for more video clips.  You can’t imagine how much opportunity there is for riveting video of a two week old preemie!  So, for Auntie Elizabeth and in celebration of Chiara’s two week Birthday, let’s roll the tape….

What's In a Name?

We have had a few questions about Chiara’s first name.  The first one is usually, “How do you pronounce her name?” There were also questions about the meaning and origin of her name.  Well, that sounds like a great subject for a post to our blog....

Her name is pronounced (key-yar-ah) with a bit of a rolling “R”.  The “key” sound is exactly the same as in the word Chianti (for you red wine enthusiasts), as it is an Italian name.  The direct English translation of the name is Light.  As in, “Light of our Life.”   :-)  The name has also translated to Clearness, Brightness and Brilliance. The name is equivalent to the English name Clare.  We really liked the name, because it sounds pretty and is less common.  Not quite as unique as Ringo, but just different enough to grab a little extra attention!

Speaking of Ringo… Chiara’s Dad was introduced to the name almost ten years ago when he performed in an Italian production about the life of Saint Francis (San Francesco) of Assisi.  Perhaps the most famous Chiara, was actually a close friend of San Francesco in the thirteenth century.  Chiara was a beautiful Italian noblewoman who joined San Francesco in ridding themselves of material things to pursue a life of rebuilding the church and caring for the poor.

This is a great point to address Chiara’s middle name Palma.  This is also an Italian name, which translates directly to Palm Tree in English.  Palma was chosen as Chiara’s middle name in honor of her Bisnonna (Great Grandmother), Gina’s paternal Grandmother (Nonna).  Nonna was the sweetest and kindest woman and we dearly miss her.  We were fortunate enough to let Nonna know what we would name our child if we had a daughter before she passed away.  She was the only one to know Chiara’s name until we sent our announcement. 

Chiara Palma winds up being a perfect name, because it was on Palm Sunday in 1212 A.D. that Chiara found her calling to lead a spiritual life.  It is said that on that day during a high Mass, the congregation pressed forward to the altar rail to receive a branch of palm, but Chiara remained in her place as if rapt in a dream.  All eyes were upon her as the bishop descended from the sanctuary and placed the palm in her hand.  From there she went on to join San Francesco and eventually start the Order of Poor Ladies, which is commonly known today as Poor Clares.

Chiara's Homecoming!

Well, we finally were able to bring our little bundle of joy home from the hospital.  Nothing can compete with carrying a child through pregnancy and delivering one into this world.  So, Dads have to take credit where they can....like springing their child from the NICU and carrying her out of the hospital.

Check out the "Coming Home" pictures, which capture a number of Firsts for Chiara.  As any parent knows, taking their first child home for the first time is a mixture of excitement and concern.  You are thrilled to finally go home and start your new family life, but you wonder if you can ever really be prepared for such a responsibility.

We are posting this message almost 24 hours after we got home and are glad to report we all did just fine.  Chiara made her share of noise, but so did Dad!  Mom tended to Chiara while Dad snored periodically during feedings.  As usual Mom wins the prize, which is why she got the honor of introducing Chiara to her new home.  We caught this moment on video....

Chiara's First Graduation!

We were so happy to see Chiara graduate from the Incubator to the "Big" bed for Premies!  Thankfully, she no longer needs climate control or I.V. fluids.  They are still monitoring her vital signs, but she should get to go home in a few days.  You can check out the progression in the "Three Great Days" pictures along the right sidebar of our blog.

Mom (mostly) and Dad are pretty much taking care of her full time now.  However, the care and guidance we have received from the NICU has been outstanding!  This experience has reaffirmed what a blessing it is to be born in the U.S.A.  It also reaffirms why so many people come here for medical treatment.  God bless our healthcare system and all of its providers.  Let's also hope it stays the same for generations to come.

For those fortunate enough to not experience the NICU, it is the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  We now know first hand how intense the care is there and feel it is aptly named.  Dear friends of ours experienced the same exact NICU as Chiara for their little boy.  In addition to the constant monitoring of your baby's heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen level and pulse, they also run all of the tests and blood work right there.  All along, they also provide continuous training on how to care for your newborn.  If that's not enough, they have private rooms, so you can stay and sleep with your baby while they are getting healthy and strong enough to finally come home.

I am starting to sound like the late Billy Mayes or the Sham Wow guy!  It is just hard to curb your enthusiasm or appreciation for a system and group of professionals that help bring a child into the world and make sure they are safe and healthy enough for you.  The only downside is that you hope you will quickly learn to live without all of the monitors and experts when you bring your bundle of joy home!

The Votes Have Been Counted...

Well, if you are one of the 68% that voted we would have a boy.... better luck next time!  Some people were so confident too.  Our friend Tony actually owes us $5.00.  We may let him pay his debt in wine or work it off by wearing his funny hat with feathers to Tyson's Corner mall or something...

We were happy to be surprised ourselves.  It is so cliche, but if you are blessed with a healthy baby and mom, that is truly all that matters.  It will be harder for Dad to say no to his precious little girl, but NO will come easy to the first not-so precious boy that comes knocking on our door!

Class Dismissed

This post is obviously a little late, but we are trying to keep these things in chronological order. 

As some of you knew, we were taking the Lamaze classes at the hospital where Chiara was born.  We opted for the 6 week (2 hours/week) course.  The class was either very inspiring or too dreadful for us to spend several more Wednesday nights after work!  We will have to see if we are eligible for a partial refund on the tuition…

Actually, the classes were good.  We learned most of the things we forgot about our anatomy, we also learned breathing and focus techniques that we did ultimately use during the main event.  Ironically, this Wednesday’s class was going to include a tour of the Labor and Delivery wing.  Too bad there wasn’t an exam after each class.  I would have popped down to the first floor last night just to screw up the grading curve!

I did get in a little trouble during our last class with Gina.  They showed us a Miracle of Life movie containing four different birthing scenarios.  First, was a woman that was having complications and requested an epidural shot.  Second, was a Cesarean birth.  Third, was an assisted natural birth.  This one involved the doctor prying the baby’s head down the birth canal with spoons.  However, these things looked like salad tongs made out of those wooden spoon decorations our Italian grandmothers tended to have hanging in their homes.  For those unfamiliar with them, they were about 2 ½ feet long and came with a matching fork! 

Finally, the last birth we were forewarned was very unrealistic.  This was a woman delivering her 4^th child.  It looked like the husband and wife were filming a low budget soap opera.  They were looking lovingly into each other’s eyes and hugging, while she basically hatched a baby.  This thing came out like she was on some kind of Baby Metamucil!  I believe the father’s line was, “I knew the baby was ready to come out, because she always hugs me real tight at that stage”

Where I got in trouble was their coverage of the … ehem… delivering of the placenta.  This was a moment that just caught me off guard.  I was prepared for bloody, gooey or disgusting.  What I was not prepared for was what looked like a rather large grey ball being shot out of an automatic pitching machine!  It gave me the giggles, because most body humor gives guys or people like me the giggles.  I think Gina wanted to laugh too, but she was trying to be serious in front of the rest of the class.  My moment of self-control weakness led to her questioning whether or not I was going to be Mr. Giggles when it was time to put our lessons learned to work.  Well, you’ll have to ask her, but I think I came through like Maverick at the end of Top Gun!!  Yes, I am hoping Chiara is just as modest as her Dad!