Three Weeks With Our Newborn Girl
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September 1st, 2006
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After struggling for a while to come up with a name for our new baby girl we finally agreed on something. 
Her name will be Annika. This name came out of nowhere since we already had picked a few names to chose from. Alexandra, Isabella, and Anna were our three choices. But I didn't like Anna very much and it turns out that pretty much every kid in Sweden is now being named Alexandra or Isabella. I'm grateful for some choices that were mentioned by readers and it was actually one of those that we liked. Genuine, the experienced father of four, gave us Annika as a suggestion since he named one of his kids Annika as well. We liked it and made a decision quickly. The name is a bit different but can be pronounced by people all over the world which is important to us. Everyone seem to like the name but my parents seemed hesitant for some reason.
Her name will be Annika. This name came out of nowhere since we already had picked a few names to chose from. Alexandra, Isabella, and Anna were our three choices. But I didn't like Anna very much and it turns out that pretty much every kid in Sweden is now being named Alexandra or Isabella. I'm grateful for some choices that were mentioned by readers and it was actually one of those that we liked. Genuine, the experienced father of four, gave us Annika as a suggestion since he named one of his kids Annika as well. We liked it and made a decision quickly. The name is a bit different but can be pronounced by people all over the world which is important to us. Everyone seem to like the name but my parents seemed hesitant for some reason. This time around our first weeks at home have been very different compared to when Daniel was born. We had a nightmare start with Daniel, specialist care for a few days and Sandra recovering from surgery. 
The first two weeks were tough and we didn't get the breastfeeding going properly until week three or so since Sandra's body was slow to recover from the surgery. The first weeks with Annika have been going almost too well. Out of the hospital after 18 hours with breastfeeding working fine. She's gaining plenty of weight and sleeping a lot. The first five days she cried a bit during the night since she didn't get enough food but that quickly passed when the boobies got filled up. She cried some during the days until we discovered a beginners mistake. We had kind of forgotten how much newborns need to sleep and she was over tired, so tired she couldn't sleep. Smooth sailing since we made a few changes and her sleeping has since then been amazing. Last night she slept seven hours in a row but usually she goes 3-5 hours between feedings. And the best thing of all, she doesn't cry at night. Not once during the past two weeks. God, I hope she keeps this behavior up and doesn't turn into a nagging little monster.
The first two weeks were tough and we didn't get the breastfeeding going properly until week three or so since Sandra's body was slow to recover from the surgery. The first weeks with Annika have been going almost too well. Out of the hospital after 18 hours with breastfeeding working fine. She's gaining plenty of weight and sleeping a lot. The first five days she cried a bit during the night since she didn't get enough food but that quickly passed when the boobies got filled up. She cried some during the days until we discovered a beginners mistake. We had kind of forgotten how much newborns need to sleep and she was over tired, so tired she couldn't sleep. Smooth sailing since we made a few changes and her sleeping has since then been amazing. Last night she slept seven hours in a row but usually she goes 3-5 hours between feedings. And the best thing of all, she doesn't cry at night. Not once during the past two weeks. God, I hope she keeps this behavior up and doesn't turn into a nagging little monster.Quite a few people have seen our daughter and parents behavior is always the same. The all go, 
"She's soooo cute!!" Either all parents are blind or they lie like bastards. Newborns are not cute. Their heads are misshaped, they are sticky, eyes swollen, weird skin color, and all wrinkled up. This reminds me of a Seinfeld episode when Elaine and Jerry saw their friends butt ugly baby but the parents seem to think it's the cutest thing in the world. Classical parent behavior. After three weeks Annika is actually looking kind of cute, if that's important, but she's not really a newborn any longer. I'm not too bothered by all that cuteness talk, my main focus is on health. Doctors visits all look fine even though we flunked the hearing test on one ear. But we think it's just some blood or wax that has dried up in the ear and is screwing up the test. A more thorough test will follow next week but we are not concerned. As long as she get big boobs is healthy overall everything will be fine.
"She's soooo cute!!" Either all parents are blind or they lie like bastards. Newborns are not cute. Their heads are misshaped, they are sticky, eyes swollen, weird skin color, and all wrinkled up. This reminds me of a Seinfeld episode when Elaine and Jerry saw their friends butt ugly baby but the parents seem to think it's the cutest thing in the world. Classical parent behavior. After three weeks Annika is actually looking kind of cute, if that's important, but she's not really a newborn any longer. I'm not too bothered by all that cuteness talk, my main focus is on health. Doctors visits all look fine even though we flunked the hearing test on one ear. But we think it's just some blood or wax that has dried up in the ear and is screwing up the test. A more thorough test will follow next week but we are not concerned. As long as she After taking three weeks off from work I'm now back at the desk which actually doesn't feel too bad. I've been off work a total off 12 weeks this year so I can't complain of too little vacation. And I still got some vacation left and about 600 paid working days of parental 
leave to enjoy at some point. A large part of my time after Annika's birth have been spent with Daniel who continues to be amazing with Annika. As I mentioned in my previous post, I see the older sibling as a crucial key to a happy and well functioning family. If Daniel is difficult, angry, and obnoxious it will make life difficult for all of us. But he loves his little sister and I hope he still feels like that in a few years. It's very important to us that Daniel doesn't feel neglected but at the same time we don't want to spoil him with attention. So far things are falling into place and we've not noticed any negative behavior from his side. In the beginning he was more emotional than usual but that seems to have disappeared. He's new sister coincided with some serious potty training and we're now using diapers only at night and during naps. Some minor accidents here and there but overall good progress. We're very proud of Daniel, he's been a fine example for his sister so far. Lets see how long it lasts…..
leave to enjoy at some point. A large part of my time after Annika's birth have been spent with Daniel who continues to be amazing with Annika. As I mentioned in my previous post, I see the older sibling as a crucial key to a happy and well functioning family. If Daniel is difficult, angry, and obnoxious it will make life difficult for all of us. But he loves his little sister and I hope he still feels like that in a few years. It's very important to us that Daniel doesn't feel neglected but at the same time we don't want to spoil him with attention. So far things are falling into place and we've not noticed any negative behavior from his side. In the beginning he was more emotional than usual but that seems to have disappeared. He's new sister coincided with some serious potty training and we're now using diapers only at night and during naps. Some minor accidents here and there but overall good progress. We're very proud of Daniel, he's been a fine example for his sister so far. Lets see how long it lasts….. Have a great weekend!
Hello,you happy family!
We,that is Håkans grandma and grandpa, are so happy with this newborn girl! Håkan says she is looking so so, but we think she is a real beuty! About her name Håkan is completly wrong, we never hesitated about the name, maybe we were somewhat surprised over the choice of name, because it is so typically Swedish. We wondered where you got it from and thougt you maybe had your grandma “Annie” in mind. She was always called “Annika” by her siblings. You did not mention that in the blogg but you admitted it was a nice coincidence!
Hugs to all of you and all luck in the future!
Åke o Gun
Congrats. Your daughter and your son are beautiful.
Such a beautful baby girl and a beautiful name!!! Daniel is looking so grown up too! Congrats!
Dena & Paul & Amelie
Great name for a beautiful little girl. So happy to see how well things are going.
She is cute. But I always think newborns are cute. I love the name. For some reason, the second time around seems to be a bit easier. Maybe it’s because we feel more confidant.
What a perfect choice! Annika Adventure Dad — it has a ring to it.
Congrats!
Mike