One Month In

I assumed that rearing another baby would be easier the second time around. I thought it would be less dramatic, and in many ways it is. But…we’re a wee bit tired. Que sera sera. However, I’m happy to write that after Marina’s first month checkup, she’s doing just fine, with all indicators in the healthy green zone. Or is it pink?

Although we heard many reassurances from other parents that the first month or two would be a blur, I am astonished at the numbing light speed of daily life. Dates/days have vanished from precise recall, except for the days where I have to lurch into the office. We’re lucky that the weather has turned into Hiroshima’s typically-idyllic warm spring, and I no longer squint like a vampire when I head out into the morning sunshine. The younger Rising Daughter is thriving, her older sister is survivin’. (More on this next post.)

I thought it would be fun to offer a comparison of the two sisters at about one week old. So have a look at the following quiz to see if you can figure out who is who.

Match the photo to the person/entity:

                       A                                   B                              C

                                   D                                     E

Answer key: A) Buddha B) Lady E at four days C) Despotic North Korean Leader D) Marina at four days E) Me if I don't start running again soon.

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Stork Brings XXs: Another Rising Daughter!

We have great news! On April 30, we were blessed with the birth of a baby girl. With great joy and love we introduce our newborn rising daughter, Marina, a.k.a. ‘M’.*¹ She weighed in at a respectable 3-plus kilograms and was measured at a standard anklebiter length. Great hair, too.

She looks pretty good when you consider what she’s been through to get here.

After roughly 3.5 days out in the world, she has dazzled us with her eye blinking, adorable gurgling, and erratic tiny hand movements, all of which we find awe-inspiring and absolutely mesmerizing.

Lady E. is naturally curious about her new sibling and has taken on her new role with enthusiasm. So far.

I asked her to draw a picture of “M” (see below),

which not unsurprisingly bears a striking resemblance to one she drew of me. I guess you can say Marina takes after her father?

*¹ Naomi rejected my initial idea that we name her Neo after the lead character in The Matrix.

“From small beginnings come great things.”