Early Adventures of Baby L

Our first few days at home with Baby L were actually fairly eventful.  When G and I got pregnant, we committed to trying maintain status quo once we had the baby as much as we could.  That means not being afraid to take the baby out with us and trying to do a lot of the same things we did pre-baby. This was a bit challenging during pregnancy since I had a lot of nausea and fatigue, but we still tried to enjoy as much of expat life as we could.

Cue new baby!

Our first day at home with Baby L, we took a trip to the mall.  The actual trip to the mall was bust -- we didn't find anything on our list.  The trip with Baby L, however, was a success! We packed up her diaper backpack (Thanks Kathy Re!!!) were able to test out the stroller (Thanks Auntie Danielle!!!) and make sure that the carseat (Thanks Brinkman St. Neighbors!!!) correctly connected to the stroller.
Funny story about the stroller/carseat -- we bought the adapter kit, and I tried for HOURS to get the carseat to connect to the stroller.  I watched youtube videos, I checked Amazon comments, and I could NOT get it to work - yes, I followed the instructions.  The carseat would sit on the adapter, but it wouldn't fully "click" into place.  We decided it was ok, since it was still pretty secure, and G would try to rig up a fix later.  Fast forward to our mall outing - G made an adjustment to the adapter so the stroller would fold down better, and lo and behold, the carseat clicked right in!  On the one hand, I was super annoyed at the instructions and my inability to figure it out (I'm usually very good at these things!!), on the other hand, I was super relieved that everything works the way it is supposed to.  Anyway, the stroller (Baby Jogger City Mini GT, as recommended by all my neighbors and some of G's cousins) folds and unfolds like a dream. It also maneuvers around well, we are really happy with it!

Once at the mall, we tried to find the few things on our list, no success.  We did go out to eat at Galita's, a South African Peri Peri chain.  Baby L slept all through lunch, so our first meal eating "out" was a success! I also confirmed at that lunch that all the foods I couldn't eat while pregnant are back on the table, thank goodness.  The big "changes" to my diet before had been red meat, onions, and then anything super fatty (some cheeses, greasy foods, etc).  At lunch I had onions, corn on the cob dripping with butter, and juicy chicken and shrimp skewers.  As G will tell you, since coming home from the hospital, I've been in foodie heaven.

Our second day at home with Baby L, G had to make a quick trip to Dubai in the morning to sort out some visa paperwork, and in the afternoon we had our 48-hour checkup with the pediatrician.  We packed her up into the carseat and off we went, back to BrightPoint Hospital.  She is doing great! She passed all her physical tests, and her weight is up to 3.5kg!  She was born at 3.33, dropped to 3.23 on the first day, and was back up to 3.33 by the time we left.  I was actually worried that maybe 3.5kg was too much weight, and doc reassured me that it wasn't.  My hungry, hungry hippo is gaining weight on my milk, so I couldn't be happier.

G and I had a total rookie moment at the doctor's office.  We forgot the diaper bag!  When the nurse went to take her diaper off to weigh her, we both realized our mistake...and to make matters worse, after the nurse checked her weight, Baby L both pooped and peed all over the examination table (makes me wonder what her weight was AFTER this! Hahaha) G and I were mortified!  The nurse and the doctor kept telling us it was ok, but the poor nurse was scrambling around the hospital trying to find extra diapers and wipes since there were none in that particular exam room. To top it all off, Baby L hates the process of getting dressed and undressed, so while the nurse was undressing and weighing her, and then trying to clean up her mess, Baby L was screaming at the top of her lungs.  The doctor was trying to give us "new parent info" and it was hard to concentrate with Baby L's powerful pipes blaring in the background. The nurse finally had her dressed and in my arms (I'm still not sure how the nurse got her long-sleeved gown on so quickly, it takes me forever to put those on her!) and now Baby L was screaming in my arms instead of on the table.  The doc finally finished up and the nurse and I hurried to find a place for me to feed her.  The nurse kept offering to help and explaining that men weren't in the room, and I wanted to tell her "go away, I got this!!"  I couldn't concentrate on what she was saying while trying to get ready to feed a screaming Baby L at the same time.  I refrained from snapping at her since she was just trying to be helpful and just politely said we'll be fine.  Ten minutes and some milk later, Baby L was still hungry but calm enough to go home.

This sweet little girl has quite some lungs!!!

After 2 eventful days with Baby L, I am ready to just stay home and nest for a bit -- this weekend is a long holiday weekend in UAE, so I think we'll be staying up late for college football, snuggling on the sofa, and I will post the full galleries of our birth story photographs from our amazing photographer, Lacey Sexson.  In addition to our photos, she also put together a video similar to our maternity shoot, only this time the music was recorded by G, so it is extra special.  Stay tuned!