Mirei is 13 days old today, and she had her 2 week doctor’s visit yesterday. The doctor said she’s perfectly healthy! As is the case with most newborns, she lost some weight in the first few days after birth (she was 7 lbs 6.5 oz when we took her to the doctor Wednesday of last week), but she’s gained it back and is now heavier than her birth weight. She weighed 8 lbs 4 oz at yesterday’s appointment, putting her in the 61st growth percentile based on weight-for-age.
She measured 22 inches long, putting her off the charts for height-for-age (though I’m feeling dubious as to how accurate the nurse’s measurements were, especially with how much Mirei was moving during the measurement).
Mirei’s head size was 14 inches (up a half inch since birth), which is in the 70th growth percentile based on head circumference-for-age.
The doctor said she’s “perfect” in terms of health and growth. I’m so glad that Mirei is off to a great start — she didn’t even have any issues with jaundice! (What a relief!) She nurses a lot without any problems, and sleeps surprisingly well for a newborn, too. The first couple nights home from the hospital were a little rough because she’d be wide awake from 1am to 4 or 5am straight, but we were able to successfully shift her more awake time by keeping her stimulated and awake in the evenings, before we go to bed. She now only wakes to nurse a couple times in the middle of the night and promptly goes back to sleep afterwards, making sleep a whole lot better for Mama and Daddy! 🙂
Here are some photos of Mirei in these first two weeks at home…
Mirei’s first sponge bath at home, when she was 3 days old.
3 day old Mirei in her bassinet
Mirei being held by her auntie Miwa, as Mio looks up at the camera.
A very much posed picture of Mio and Mirei together… Mio looks like she doesn’t know what to do with crying Mirei.
5 days old. She always looks so alarmed when awake!
My girls taking a nap together. Much sweeter than my forcibly posed photo above. Candid, natural shots are best!
6 day old Mirei hanging out next to Daddy. She loves being cuddled and just feeling us nearby. It calms her immediately.
Wittle feet!
Mio peeking on her baby sister napping… 🙂
Sleeping angel… 9 days old.
Lovin’ on mama. Love these late night cuddles. ♥
Love that little fist… too cute! (Newborns sure do sleep a lot, as I’ve been rediscovering…)
As a child, I remember getting my height recorded every year on a growth chart, and I always thought that it would be a fun tradition to continue with my future kids, too!
I searched high and low for the perfect growth chart, but being very picky when it comes to these types of things, it took me a long time to find one I liked. Most of the commercial ones I found either looked too cluttered or baby-ish (I wanted the growth chart to be something we could keep hanging until Mio stops growing, so 15-20 years from now), and the ones I actually liked were pretty expensive and I wasn’t about to shell out $80+ on a growth chart. I wanted something made of a sturdy canvas, so that it would be durable but could be rolled up for compact storage if/when we move someday. I turned my sights to Etsy, and while I couldn’t really find the perfect growth chart, I found one that was simple, cute, easy on the eyes, and affordable. If I had a sewing machine and was better with that kind of thing, I would have wanted to make one myself, but I just don’t have the time between chasing a toddler around and all the freelance projects I’ve got going on right now. (I’m actually pretty busy with a lot of work coming in these days, which is very exciting!)
So this handmade growth chart arrived a while ago and I’ve been nagging Dan to nail it up on the wall… and we finally got it up yesterday! It was a bit of a challenge to accurately measure and mark the growth chart with a squirming toddler, but we had fun with it! 😀
She never misses an opportunity to look fab in the spotlight.
"Okay, Mio... you're adorable and all, but it's time to get serious and measure you."
Trying to get her to stand tall against the wall.
Standing still, while Mama gets the measurement.
Marking her height.
She is approximately 2 feet 5 inches.
Mio just turned 14 months old on Saturday, so I wanted to also write an update and all the awesome things she’s doing these days.
The Rundown at Fourteen Months…
Stats: You now weigh approximately 23 lbs, and according to our measuring skills (which may not be very accurate), you are around 29 inches tall! In the past month, you’ve gotten four of your molars in, resulting in a total of 12 teeth!
Things You’re Doing Now: You’re very vocal these days and we find you “talking” a lot — having conversations with yourself while playing, to us, to random strangers walking by… we wish we could understand what you’re saying, but it’s just really sweet to hear your voice! In the past couple weeks, you have been saying “uh oh” whenever you’re doing something that you know is wrong (climbing things, knocking books out of the bookshelf, opening things you’re not supposed to open, going places you’re not supposed to go, etc.). It’s hard to get mad at you when you say your “uh oh”s because it’s so darn cute, but we wish you wouldn’t do those things if you know you’re going to get in trouble for them! haha* You’re mastering the signs for a lot of animals these days, such as “dog,” “bear,” and “monkey.” You’ve also picked up on how to sign “baby,” “yummy,” and “shoes.” You completely weaned yourself from nursing while we were in Virginia and are drinking a lot of milk these days. You want to eat everything we eat, and you surprised me last month when you bit into the corncob I was eating — surprisingly, you ate most of it without leaving many kernels behind! You’re starting to get a little picky with your vegetables sometimes, but you always have a healthy appetite and eat almost everything we give you. You’re starting to be able to run now, and it’s hard to keep up with you when you move so fast! Lately, you are really interested in books — it used to be so hard to hold your attention for more than ten seconds while reading to you, but now you are fascinated by them and like to turn the pages, and sign certain animals as you see them in the book. You especially like the interactive books that feature audio sounds, flaps, or pop-ups and I often find you sitting on the floor, “reading” books books to yourself. We’re so thankful that you are growing into such a sweet, bright, and active little girl!
