a day of firsts! and a wee pink harness....

today was a day of firsts!  we gave hazel her first bottle, which was a momentous occasion since it means that jana can actually be away from her for more than 2-3 hours at a time.  she took right to it, and it worked even better once we realized we initially used a low-flow newborn nipple that let almost no milk through.  we got that fixed, and she chugged the whole bottle like a champ! 

it was also the first time jana fed her in public- in a crowded coffee shop, no less! 

and lastly, it was hazel's first day in her pavlic harness, since yesterday she saw the orthopedic doctor who confirmed that she has a bit of hip dysplasia.  it's a condition where her thigh bones aren't fully seated in her hip sockets.  this is due to a combination of risk factors- her breech position in the womb (butt down, legs up by her ears), her being a girl, and her being first born.  we knew it was a possibility that she would need to wear this harness (based on evaluations by the pediatricians when she was born) for a bit, so this wasn't a complete surprise (although we had of course hoped she could avoid it).  the harness goes around her chest, shoulders, and legs, and it is designed to pull her legs up and out, so that her thighs are encouraged to stay firmly in the hip joints.  it's not a huge imposition, since it can go over some clothes, although it changes clothing options, makes changing her more difficult, and makes her slightly less cuddly in general (don't worry- she's still plenty cuddly).  we're just glad that the doctors identified this condition early-on, and that hopefully a few weeks of harness-wearing should be all she needs.  luckily she doesn't seem to mind it too much... although hopefully her fitful and irregular sleep last night with it on was just a glitch...

drinking from a bottle, whoa!

hazel and her little pink harness