A series of firsts

Of course, just about everything at this point is going to be a "first" for young Melissa (and the slightly older Steven and Lisa as parents). That doesn't take the novelty away (and the potential humor of mishaps). Without further ado, a series of firsts.

First outfit other than hosptial-issued wares: Actually, this is kind of cheating. We only put on for pictures the sweater of the outfit that mommy Lisa wore home when she was born (it was January then, so Lisa needed more than what was appropriate for the hottest day of the year!). We kept her in the hospital-issued t-shirt thingy because it was the only article we had that wasn't huge on her. And, it was paid for already (in one way or another). [This shirt was not hospital-issued - Steven just is not aware of anything in Melissa's wardrobe. -- Lisa]

First time in car seat: Not a fan at first, as you can see by the extremely vocal Melissa. Could also be due to our struggling to remember which belt goes where, including consulting the manual no less than 5 times (good thing Graco has a place for you to keep the manual on the bottom of the seat - and the lady from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue showed us where to put it). A squirming baby is a little more difficult to insert than the floppy doll we used in practice!
Once we got her in, she was content.


First breath of fresh air: Nope, she didn't notice - slept right on through. Not sure how as she was going from 75 degree air conditioned comfort to nearly 100 degree, 90% humidity swampiness. We did the environmentally unfriendly thing and left the car running to keep it cool before she got outside (don't ask how long but we got a thank-you note from Exxon Mobil already as well as a threatening letter from the Sierra Club).

First time struggling to get the seat in the car: It only took a few grimaces and manhandling to lock the seat into the base the first time. And, I kind of forgot which way to turn the seat in my attempt to get her quickly out of the heat (they make it dummy-proof enough to not screw it up that bad).
First car ride: Pretty uneventful, probably due to Steven driving the Camry instead of his car. Melissa did not seem to notice and slept. Mommy didn't complain either even though the drive was pretty much all on twisty MacArthur Boulevard (also probably due to Steven driving the Camry instead of his own car). The car ride was all of 8 minutes (was done the day before in an exciting 5, once again due to the differing vehicles).

First arrival at home: The stork made a delivery! Still sleeping...

First bottle: The pediatrician prescribed a little bit of formula as Melissa was slightly jaundiced and dehydrated the morning we checked out of the hospital. This picture denotes Steven's first juvenile joke regarding breastfeeding (well, maybe not the first...). [Definitely not the first and can almost guarantee not the last - see previous post about My Brest Friend (which is spelled incorrectly). -- Lisa]

First independent identification: This first is kind of a stretch. Sibley Hospital has a very strict system of checking armbands to make sure the baby matches the parents. The armbands are written up before the baby is born; all have the same ID number. Each time the baby comes in the room, the nurse asks the mother for her ID number while reading the baby's band to make sure it matches. Also whenever administering any test, medication, or anything else. You are not allowed to remove the armbands until you leave the hospital. So, cutting her armband off is the first time she is identified officially as herself, rather than an ID number that matches with her parents' bands.

First home diaper change: Of course we tested ourselves in the hospital, with nurses as backup. Here is our first time changing her at home. (It appears that Steven thinks he is instructing Lisa on what to do in this shot. Or, he is pointing at the dirty diaper.)

First doctor's office visit: This visit was also the first time out of the house since arriving home from the hospital. Here is her first weigh-in post-hospital (she passed with flying colors - that is, gained a bit of weight and jaundice appears to be gone).

First walk: It seemed to have cooled down to a balmy 90 degrees, so we thought Melissa would enjoy a short walk outside. Turned out, it was feeding time so it was not her favorite thing to do. We only made it around our very short block.

First attempt to manipulate daddy: Also first time daddy thinks he should get a shotgun...

First bath (outside the hospital): Not a fan. It was a sponge bath, but once again, Melissa was focused on one thing - food - and she was not getting it while in (really, on a hammock-thing attached to) the tub.