Ok, so I began adjourned blogging again in August of this year, only to realize I have been horrible at keeping up with it on a semi-daily — semi-weekly at that — basis. Before my life changed for the better, I considered taking on numerous side jobs to subsidize my income because as rumor has it, babies are expensive. Needless to say for all you mothers and/or fathers who are already in the know, time simply flies out the window when a baby is introduced into your life.

When I can steal away from the baby for a little while, I manage to do the following:

1. Sleep. Something I really treasure nowadays. Sleep is a rarity, and it leaves me feeling like a zombie. A non-cannibalistic zombie who still chants ‘braaaaiiiinzzzzzzz’ - if only I had all those z’s.
2. Snap photos. I’ve already shot 1000+ photos of Madeline, half of which look like duplicates or could comprise a stop-animation video. Can you blame me? She is cute and a half and what better way to store memories than to capture them with a photo?
3. Rearrange furniture or decorate my apartment. Since the baby was born, I’ve found myself watching an overwhelming amount of HGTV which has inspired the home-decor bug in me to finally make my apartment appear as though I didn’t recently move in. I’ve lived in my apartment since March of this year and I still have things in box. Shamefully, the spare bedroom — which may one day turn into a nursery — acts as my storage room. I am in the process of redecorating my living room, in hopes that friends, family, and other visitors realize that yes, my apartment IS being lived in.

It’s been about four week and a couple of hours since Madeline has graced us with her presence. She’s the chillest baby around, crying (for the most part) only when she’s hungry or needs a diaper change. Everyday I spend with her, I notice traits that she’s inherited from me.

For one, she’s got quite a lot of hair. I seriously thought I gave birth to a werewolf (there wolf!) or a Russian baby. Tons sprout on her noggin, shoulders, and back. Her pediatrician explained to us that the hair on her shoulders and back will likely fall off as she matures, which is a shame because it’s so darn cute.

Another trait I bestowed upon her was my smile. Her entire face seem to crinkle into the most contagious smile imagineable. I never knew I had such a smile, but a few friends have pointed it out.

Yet another trait of mine that Madeline shares are her toes. Unfortunately, she will probably be nicknamed ‘Pinnochi-toes’, if not by her peers later in life, than most certainly by me! Like mine, her toes are incredibly long … and incredibly edible. Nom nom nom.

I am officially a mommy. Madeline Terra Gasio was born on Friday, August 22, 2008 at 3:35pm PST. Details and photos galore to come soon, but for now, here’s some visual stimulation:

Madeline Terra Gasio, Age: 1.5 Days