Ariana - Month 1

It is hard to believe that Ariana, our little angel, is already a month old! It is certainly true what other parents have warned me about time going by so fast. For that reason, we have tried to cherish every moment we have with her, even the ones where she is screaming her pretty little head off. She is absolutely adorable, and we can't believe how fortunate we are to have such a perfect baby. We have fondly nicknamed her "Squeaks" because of her very loud squeals, squeaks, and grunts which she does pretty much all day and night long, even when she is sleeping. Also, the faces she makes when she is waking up from sleep are priceless and can best be described as dramatic. We hope to capture it on video and post it for everyone to see at some point soon. Below are some of her stats, likes, dislikes, outings/happenings, and milestones from her first month of life. We hope you enjoy watching her grow and thrive as much as we have so far!
Stats (not exact because we have not had a doctor's appt. in about 3 1/2 weeks)
-Weighs over 8 lbs.
-Measures 21+ inches
Her Likes
-She loves watching the mobiles in her crib and swing
-Every morning and evening she takes a nap in her swing enjoying the music and rocking
-She had her first bath at 4 weeks old and has gotten one almost every night since. She also gets a baby massage afterward so that she is nice and relaxed before bed time
-Ariana likes taking rides in the car and usually falls asleep when we do that
-Taking walks and being in the fresh air seems to calm her, so we try to fit that in at least once a
day when the weather cooperates
-Daddy making funny faces at her
-Mommy dancing and singing with/to her
-Eating, which she does every two-three hours




Her Dislikes
-Having a poopy/peepy-filled diaper
-Having her diaper changed (although she is getting better
about this)
-Having her clothes changed (screams her head off every
time)
-Being hungry (obviously. . .no one likes being hungry :-)
-Spitting up (which she does A LOT)
-Sitting in her car seat
Outings/Happenings
-Went to Mimi's house one day and out to lunch at Ruby Tuesday


-Visited Kristi and Gavin a couple of times down in Falls Church







-Had her first photo shoot at Kristi's house with a photographer












-Went shoe shopping with mommy


-Enjoyed visiting with Uncle Jeff, Aunt Melissa and Kendall and having dinner with them





-Had grandma and grandpa babysit so mommy and daddy could go out to dinner and a movie
(so nice to get out as a couple again)









-Had two doctor's visits within the first two weeks of life; she goes back at 2 months of age
Milestones
-She can raise her head and neck from our shoulders and look around her
-She is starting to recognize mommy and daddy and will smile at us
-Becoming more and more curious of her surroundings

Ariana Isabelle Stoyas

7 lbs. 10 oz. and 19 3/4 inches

Born at 3:55pm at Inova Fairfax Hospital

After being admitted to the hospital on Tuesday evening, with preparations for a Wednesday morning induction scheduled, we were anxiously anticipating the birth of our little one. I began having contractions at about 3:00am which woke me up and I was pretty much up until 6:00am waiting for the pytocin to be administered. I was one centimeter dilated at 6:00am. I received an epidural about 2 hours later and then went from 2-8 centimeters dilated in a few hours time. I began pushing at 3:15 and she was born at 3:55pm! Pete was an awesome labor coach and helped to make sure that my labor went as requested. We had relaxing music playing and besides myself, Pete, a nurse and the doctor, the room was quiet and peaceful with very little talking between contractions. Just what I wanted the atmosphere to be like when Ariana arrived! Here is her proud papa immediately after her birth. Pretty much love at first sight. Pete is so done. . . Ariana will get anything she wants from her daddy. He adores her!

Everyone was surprised by how beautiful her skin was. Must take after my mom's side of the family there! She really was pretty as a newborn, if I do say so myself :-). Since I pushed her out, I figure I get some bragging rights - LOL!

Our first night in the hospital was exciting and we could not get enough of her, but we were also so exhausted. She was given a bath by the amazing nursing staff and we had her in our room for most of the night. Letting her go out of eyesight was tough to do, even for a second. I don't think we slept much . . .

We were in the hospital for a couple of days before taking her home. I bought this outfit below for her to wear home and although it was a little big on her, she still looked so cute!