A Week for "Firsts"

This has been a week for "firsts."

Last weekend, Mom & Dad Steinbrecher flew out from Wisconsin to visit and finally get to snuggle with the little granddaughter whom they hadn't seen in person since October. It was a short but sweet visit. Knowing that it is really hard on Andrew's parents to be so far away from their youngest grandchild, I suggested that we introduce Gabriella to "solids" while they were out visiting. At 5 1/2 months old, it would be ideal timing and it would let them be present for one of Gabriella's major milestones. We decided to start with sweet potatoes since they are so rich in nutrients and so easily pureed to the right consistency. She did a good job with her first experience with food other than mommy's milk. There were definitely a lot of "what the heck is this" expressions the first couple times, but I think she gradually got it figured out and really enjoyed it. It was quite entertaining!

First bite - not too sure.

Just finished her second time around - still not too sure about the whole thing...







But by the last meal before Grammie and Grampa left, she was beginning to really enjoy it:

The next few firsts were not so much fun. On Tuesday evening Gabriella was hit fast and hard by her first stomach flu. The poor little girl couldn't keep down even a drop and soon she had nothing left to throw up but stomach acid and air. We had to take her in to urgent care overnight where she was given an IV for hydration. Before getting the fluids she looked so sick, it was so scary. Pale and yellowy, dry lips and mouth, barely able to keep her eyes open, no tears even when she cried and struggled against getting the IV. I hope I never have to see her look that miserable ever again. As she got hydrated, she began to gain some color back. The pictures below were taken only after she had the IV for a while so she was looking much better. Like I said, I never want to see her looking the way she did at her worst ever again. I was not exactly in a picture-taking state of mind at that time. Once she improved a bit, I remembered the camera was in the diaper bag so I thought we should take some pictures so that when she is all grown up we can show her and say "look how worried you made your mommy and daddy that night!"

Sleepless nights then became our new trend. I had to be up with her every hour the next night since she was still barely staying hydrated. Finally having this behind us, we are now enjoying the wonderful discomforts of teething. The past three days have been characterized by an out-of-character baby fussing constantly, low-grade fevers, and sleepless nights of course. We can feel and see a little white spot on her upper right gum, signaling the approaching of her first tooth. What a painful process! I hope this tooth pops through soon and gives her some relief before it's time to start over with the next one! Unfortunately, I know it can take a long time so I guess we just have to be patient.