June 29 - July 8

Mom & Pap (Grandma & Grampa) arrived sometime around 10:30 p.m. on the 29th. We were already ready for bed and William was sleeping in his pack & play. Both grandparents came into our bedroom to peek in at the little guy and they were so excited and proud and happy and (I think?) overwhelmed to see him. But they didn’t want to disturb him, so left the visiting until the next day.

Mom took care of William during the night of the 30th, and thereafter every other night; we would move the pack & play into the guest room on these occasions. This was very gracious (and brave) of her, and allowed Darryl and me to get a luxurious full night’s sleep every other night. I know things went well, but I hope it didn’t tire her out too much. Especially as William often had bad gas for at least a couple of hours a night.

July 30 was the first day I noticed William grabbing onto people’s clothing (e.g. while feeding or burping). Also, when he’s very hungry, he gets quite agitated when you interrupt his feeding to try and burp him. Draped over your shoulder, he raises his head very well (had been doing so since Sandra & Jerry’s second visit) and sort of thrashes it from side to side while crying. Sometimes he hits me in the face with his head, and other times he moves around so much that he essentially squirms off of my shoulder altogether!

July 1: for the past little while, William has begun eating more so that by July 1, we have been making up 4 ounces of formula at a time instead of just 2 ounces (unless we suspect he is not very hungry). He is eating well and at a feeding will generally eat anywhere from 2 to 6 ounces. Happy Canada Day, William!

On July 2nd, we sort of ‘celebrated’ William’s 1-month birthday anniversary! Mom, Pap, William and I met Darryl at his work after work and we all drove to eat out at Ruby Tuesday’s. This was William’s first time in a restaurant. He did very well, though we had to feed him during our supper, Darryl & I taking turns eating. William weighed 8 lbs, 2 oz. today!

July 4: Happy Independence Day, William!

July 5 was William’s first visit to the pediatrician, and his 4-week check-up. Mom & Pap both went along too. We were somewhat late for our appointment since it took some effort to find the pediatrician’s office, but we got there (a very sterile-looking place). We brought William in to see Dr. Thorne. First, after being undressed, William got weighed and measured. On the scale there, wearing his diaper, William weighed 8 lbs, 15 oz. and he measured 21 and some-odd inches long. I didn’t catch his head circumference measurement.

Then Dr. Thorne came in and asked if I had any questions. I asked about William’s cradle cap, which the doctor said was perfectly normal and not a bad case at all, and that I could use lotion or Vaseline to improve the appearance but that there was nothing really that I could do to help it or make it go away faster; it would just disappear on its own eventually. I asked about the “lymph node things” on the back of William’s head; Dr. Thorne confirmed that they were in fact lymph nodes and therefore perfectly normal. I asked about the series of raised bumps on the left side of William’s neck, which had been there ever since he was born; Dr. Thorne said they were probably clogged sebaceous glands since they had little heads on them. I asked whether William was eating too much or gaining weight too rapidly; the doctor said emphatically “no” and that the more rolls of fat on a baby, the better! Dr. Thorne showed us a chart plotting weight and length versus age, and on it William fell just shy of average as far as weight goes, and on par with respect to length. I asked about formula, and the doctor said that Enfamil, which I’m using, is the best out there so there was no problem with that, or with the fact that I am only giving William 3 or so bottles of breastmilk a day. I asked about William’s gas and how he seems to always been so terribly uncomfortable or pained with it; Dr. Thorne said that that was normal and that we probably wouldn’t see an improvement till he was at least 2 months old and his digestive system started to mature. The doctor said we could give William Mylicon, but that in his professional opinion, it probably wouldn’t do anything since it was such benign stuff, but that we could give it to him if it made us feel better (indeed, we hadn’t noticed that Mylicon—simethicone—had any real effect at all).

The doctor asked if William was tracking with his eyes, and I said that he was, or at least that he seems to follow me if I move my head around while I’m feeding him. Dr. Thorne asked if William was smiling; I said he was, but that it appeared to be reflexive only, mostly in his sleep. The doctor said that probably within the next 2 weeks or so William should begin smiling socially. Then the doctor checked his ears and his mouth, and listened to his heart and his breathing (both sounded good and clear). Dr. Thorne checked to make sure William’s private parts were in order and that both testicles had descended (they had), and then he moved William’s legs around to make sure his hips were in their sockets. The doctor said that most babies cry when this is done, but William didn’t at all.

Then the nurse came in and did a heel stick to get some blood for another PKU test. Although William’s newborn PKU test showed everything normal, another one has to be done at one month of age just to make sure, I guess. William didn’t care for the heel stick too much, but he calmed down quite quickly. He did NOT calm down very quickly after the nurse gave him his second hepatitis shot (the first he got as a newborn). William’s face turned all red and he was overcome with such sadness/madness that his scream was silent. Then, after a bit, it became vocal and the poor guy was tearing up (oddly, he only had tears in his left eye), and it was so so heart-wrenching for me! I felt so awful and just tried to hold him and comfort him. Then we changed him, and fed him a little more, paid the copay, and made an appointment for Aug. 2 (when he will have to have 4 immunization shots!). All in all, his first doctor’s visit went pretty well.

Sometime during the week when Grandma & Grampa were here, William had another bath. I told my parents beforehand that he would scream (he had last bathtime), and so Mom wanted to videotape the experience. This time, though, William had a great time. Upon being put in the water, William decided to demonstrate a little fountain of his own, and thereafter he really seemed to enjoy his bath! I think it was probably because he was fed and happy and in one of his “awake & alert” times. He definitely made it a fun experience, so now we’ll no longer be dreading his bathtimes either!