3 Weeks Already?

It's difficult to believe that three weeks have already gone by since Miss Zoe made her surprise arrival on February 4th. Halmuhnee is obviously enjoying her visits with her granddaughter ("sonyuh" in Korean) as you can see from these photos. She always attempts to wake Zoe from her slumber so that she can look into Zoe's beautiful eyes.






And, as is custom on Wednesdays, Zoe had another photoshoot with Mom. This time, the chair-and-a-half was the backdrop. Jan enjoyed propping Zoe up in the corner of the chair, only to have Zoe end up reclining on her back at the end. What a life!

Zoe's first Movie

A star is born, right? Hee, hee. We just thought we try sharing a video of Zoe enjoying her new activity mat.

Activity Mat

Zoe is starting to enjoy her activity mat, courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa Wyglendowski. This only lasts for about 15 minutes at a time, but her eyes are engaged on the many colorful objects dangling above her. On occasion, she even reaches out to move some of the toys. And, I have even caught her checking herself out in the mirror. Oh the vanity!

Dad goes back to work

On Tuesday, Dad (that's me) reluctantly returned to work. It was very difficult to put on my corporate outfit and know that I would be away from my two beautiful girls for most of the day. At least Zoe has Mommy around to take care of her ... and she's very lucky to get visits from her Halmuhnee (Korean for Grandma) on most days. Her Halmuhnee loves to hold her for the entire visit (see photos below, I am not sure who's cuter!).






Daddy is also a big fan of holding Zoe when he comes home and has found that she likes to doze off on his chest. If only Daddy could sleep so easily.



Mom has decided that Wednesdays are "photo shoot" days (you know, celebrating the day of the week she was born), so check out these two shots of Zoe asleep (what a surprise, right?) in her car seat. Expect to see more weekly photo shoot pictures in the weeks to come.

Valentine's Day Visit from Grandma and Grandpa

What a wonderful Valentine's Day gift for Grandma and Grandpa Wyglendowski to meet their newest granddaughter today (it was a pretty nice gift for Zoe too, even though she might not be able to express it quite yet, we felt pretty confident it was true). Check out the beautiful bouquet of pink roses they brought as a gift to Zoe and Jan.



They also brought with them lots of loot from the Delaware members of the family who couldn't make it to our shower in January. Lots of lots of gifts ... Zoe is certainly a very loved and lucky young lady (and now, very well dressed!).

I thought I would share a few photos of Zoe getting to know her Grandma Linda and Grandpa Tom. We had a feeling that they didn't want to let her go. What do you think?

I'm not sure about this bath stuff...

We are trying to convince Zoe that bath time is fun. Not sure she agrees with us yet. What do you think?

Pretty in Pink

Much to the chagrin of her daddy, Zoe donned her first pink outfit today. Check out these photos that Mom took this afternoon. We just can't help saying it, "Isn't she cute?".

Zoe comes home from the hospital

We were fortunate to leave the hospital around 6:00 pm on Friday, February 6th about 36 hours after our arrival. This early departure was due, in no small part, to how well both Zoe and her mommy were faring after delivery. Zoe was feeding well and provided the requisite wet and soiled diapers (and then an extra one for good measure! That's our girl!). Jan was a little sore, but feeling pretty good overall. We were all happy to take the short, cold ride home so that we could relax in familiar surroundings.

The next few days at home were mostly quiet affairs. Zoe spends the majority of time sleeping, with regular breaks (every 2 hours or so) for a feeding. We love those precious moments after a feeding when she opens her eyes and seems to take in her new world.

Here are a few more photos of Zoe at home in her first few days:

Zoe, Day 2

Here are a few more photos taken of Zoe in our room. She was resting quietly in her crib. How adorable, right? And, you gotta love those little feet!

Zoe is born!

We welcomed Zoe Yon-Hee to the world at 8:00 am on February 4, 2009. She decided to show up two weeks before her due date, much to the surprise of her parents.

Jan's water broke around 1:30 am that morning and labor quickly progressed. When contractions were coming every 5 minutes (~4:30 am) we decided it was time to leave for the hospital. At Jan's first examination, the doctor reported that she was already 6 cm dilated. Extremely fast progress for a first time mommy - go Jan! The labor continued to move ahead very quickly over the next three hours until Zoe made her arrival, weighing 6 pounds 11 ounces and measuring 19 1/4 inches. Jan was absolutely amazing throughout the labor, never asking for pain medication or other intervention. Relying on her own ability, the support of our doula, Amy Glenn, and the fantastic nurses and doctors at Capital Health System, Jan delivered a very healthy baby (Apgar scores of 9, 9) and truly impressed every one! Each time the new shift of doctors and nurses came onto the floor and reviewed Jan's chart, they openly commented about how uncommon it was for a woman to deliver without intervention and so quickly. OK, enough with the spousal praise already.... =)

Now to the good stuff. Here are a few beautiful photos Jan's dad took later that day (Thank you Soyon!). You just have to love the delicate features of a new born baby. Mom and Dad are in love.








Here are a few more photos that our doula, Amy Glenn, took right after Zoe's delivery: