Bjorn...success

Typical reaction of Peter in the Bjorn: anger.

Finally, in the Bjorn - with few tears.

Let me preface this entry by saying that we were so concerned that we were hurting Peter when putting him in the Bjorn that we asked Dr. Soriano about it yesterday. Her response? "He'll get used to it." So, armed with the good doctor's advice, we decided to step up our efforts in getting Peter fully locked and loaded in the Freedom Machine.

And, we did it, finally. What was the trick? Maybe it was that Mama (and her magical milk jugs) took a chance; maybe it was our son finally giving up and giving in. At any rate, we were able to walk down the street to the Stevens Creek trail, and walk a bit on that as well.

Peter's got his eyes on his two favorite objects.

I'm not putting too much hope in this, but the successful Bjornage might mean:

(1) I can make and eat lunch in more than two minutes. (As two minutes are all the Gruntster will give me in the bassinet before he flips out.)

(2) I can do minor household chores, like the laundry. Or wiping off tables. (I'm talking really minor stuff here.)

(3) We might take a hike this weekend, if we can find something reasonably shady and not too far away.

Peter visits the Bishop

I'm really not kidding when I say that Peter's being prepared for the priesthood. Today, he had a lunch date with Bishop McGrath, for which he was very well behaved.

And adorable, to boot.

All of the Directors of Religious Education agree: Peter Joseph is a cute kid.

Kevin and Peter stick together at an estrogen-heavy lunch.

stomach flu, hernia, and a tub of a baby

After today's update with Dr. Soriano, we know:

(1) Chompers probably does have some kind of stomach or intestinal upset. He very helpfully pooped all over the examination table while having his temperature taken, which gave Dr. Soriano an idea of how watery and green his stools are. But, he's not dehydrated, and he's active and has good color, so we're not concerned at this point. (Dr. Soriano did say that it was right for us to bring him in, though, and hinted that all of the ibuprofen that I've been taking for my wrist might be to blame, although that would be unusual.)

(2) Chomps has a stomach hernia. Ouch! I guess it's pretty common, though, and Dr. Soriano told us that they "reserve surgery until he's older." We suspected that something was up with his belly button, since it sticks out a good half-inch from his body.

(3) Dr. Soriano's official opinion is that Peter looks like Kevin. He certainly has his father's eyes. But...his mother's chin. And tongue? Perhaps. It's a big one.

(4) And, what we were all waiting for: Peter's current weight is 10 pounds, 12 ounces. In the words of EVERYONE who sees him, "he's a BIG baby."

Due to Mr. Chomper's...er...routundess, he's already starting to outgrow some of his most adorable outfits, including this, a gift from our friend and mentor Nancy Royal.

It's possibly the most perfect infant print we've ever seen. Both Kevin and I fell in love with it, and then were so disappointed when we put it on today only to learn that it was a bit snug. Tragically, it met an early demise due to a poorly put-on diaper (blame the good doctor) and an explosive, watery, and green stool. Sigh.

The Waking-Up Face

You would think given recent discussion of how much Peter sleeps the waking-up face is not something we see often. However, we do. And it's perfect.

the science of sleep

Lesson learned: Babies probably will not sleep all day, then all night as well. Unless, of course, you hold said baby all night long.

In proverb form: Don't let sleeping babies lie, especially if it's light outside.

I blame this one on both of us - me, relieved that Kevin was around all day yesterday, and Kevin, who was excited that Piglet actually liked to be held by him.

Kevin, always the optimist, reminds us that Peter's preferred sleeping posture (in someone's arms) means that he may avoid the flat-head common with those wussy back-to-sleep kids.

No positional plagiocephaly here! Just an increased risk of SIDS.

In other news, Chompers tried his gums at a new form of food: the bottle. To mixed results.

Daddy...and milk? Hmm. Weird events are afoot in the Davis-Ross household.

In somewhat related news, Chompers may have an intestinal infection of sorts (at least, according to Dr. Spock.) Let's just say that there has been much discussion re: the color, consistency, frequency, and odor of recent bowel movements, and none of it is cheerful. (Important note: this took place before bottlefeeding experiment.)

So, tomorrow finds us visiting Dr. Soriano for the fourth time in so many weeks.

weekend update

We have some success to report! We attended church with only minor complications (a sudden, urgent, and angry need to feed), and we attended Roxana and Tony's wedding ceremony without incident (although Kevin did have to hold Chomps the entire time).

Because of yesterday's success, we may take a drive to Redwood City to hunt down bottles and other breastfeeding accoutrement. It's time to let Daddy share in the fun that is our son's voracious appetite.

However, our single-minded goal for today is to get Chomps into the Bjorn. Blood may be shed. Tears certainly will. (And keep in mind that Chomps can't cry yet.)

Chomps lays surprisingly possessive claim to Busy Bee, while at Roxana and Tony's wedding.

All dressed up with somewhere to go.

Peter gives me this look all the time. It's sad when even your 3-week-old knows you're a crackpot mother.

Peter's far less skeptical about Kevin's parenting skillz.

things I didn't know about having a baby, but am very quickly learning

Re: Babies and sleep
(1) Babies sleep a lot, but not when you want them to.

(2) Good advice is to sleep when the baby is sleeping. Better advice is to get the baby to take a nap when you'd like to take a nap. Which leads to...

(3) If previously unsleepy baby falls asleep while eating, you will be mightily tempted to allow him to continue to sleep. Which means no burping of the baby. Which means super-crazy-gassy baby later. Which is all the more tolerable given the nice hour-long nap you were able to sneak out.

Nap #1

Nap #2

(4) Babies actually make a lot of noise when they are not crying. Peter, for example, makes a variety of rather loud non-crying noises, including:

- snorts
- grunts
- horse whinnies
- elephant calls.

(5) Babies take up a lot of room in a queen-sized bed. Peter may be only 22 inches (or so), but he's definitely a bed-hog. This is especially true now that he's moving around so much more, and has decided his preferred sleeping position is perpendicular to Mama and Daddy.

(6) Babies (or, at least my son) will gladly sleep if held - preferably by Mama, but, barring that, a pinch hit from Daddy will work as well. They will sleep in the most contorted baby-yogi positions imaginable, as long as they are held. They will willingly (grudgingly, really) sleep in a carseat or stroller, provided said carseat and stroller are in constant motion. They will NOT sleep in the pack-and-play, and the mere placement in the pack-and-play will cause an eruption of anger from what had been a peacefully asleep baby. They also will NOT sleep in a bassinet, unless they are so asleep they fail to realize they're not being held any longer - a process that takes about 10 minutes. (However, in those 10 minutes one can accomplish a frightening amount of household and personal necessities.)

Re: Personal hygiene and appearance
(1) Tooth brushing should be a daily goal, but, if it doesn't occur until 2 p.m., a stick of gum will help. Luckily, babies don't notice bad breath.

(2) You may be depressed to shop for an "attending-a-wedding" dress two weeks after giving birth. Plan on adding a few dress sizes from extra pregnancy weight, an additional dress size from your still-large uterus, and then seven or eight dress sizes for the milk jugs. And, really, don't count on said dress looking like it really fits you, but celebrate the fact that you can zip it up. Ignore all suggestions from husband that you will be able to wear said dress again at a later date, unless that "later date" is two weeks after giving birth to child #2.

(3) And, the only thing you have that fits are maternity clothes, which are even less attractive when you're no longer pregnant.

(4) And, you'll develop a frightening affinity for elastic-waisted pants. Eek!

Re: Breastfeeding and diet
(1) Perhaps the best thing ever: you're hungry all the time, and you need to eat all the time, due to the high energy needs of breastfeeding. And, unlike while pregnant, you actually have room to stuff in all of the food, since your stomach no longer is lodged between your nostrils.

(2) But, you're constantly afraid that the food you eat will give the baby gas, so you're reluctant to enjoy old favorites, like spicy cured Italian meats or bowls of Lucky Charms (with cow's milk).

(3) But, you can enjoy caffeine again. (According to the Womenly Art of Breastfeeding, published by the La Leche League, I can have 5 cups of coffee a day! With no effect to baby!)

Re: Personal Injury
(1) Having a baby can be harmful to your (wrist) health. Which makes caring for baby all the more difficult.

Re: Partnership
(1) You will never, ever, ever be more in love with your partner than you are when he comes home from a long day at the office, picks up the fussy infant from your arms, and lets you dash to the restroom.

weekend goals

(1) To go grocery shopping;
(2) To successfully attend Roxana and Tony's wedding;
(3) To get Peter into the Bjorn;
(4) To attend the catechist appreciation dinner;
(5) To (perhaps) do something fun.

So far, modest success: we attended the catechist appreciation dinner with little incident. Peter enjoyed being passed around the table to visit with all of the women, and he's already being prepared for the priesthood by Frs. Oscar and Bob.

And, we went grocery shopping, although it was a bit more of a harried trip - we'd not planned a grocery list, and we forgot our shopping bags. As we walked into the store, Kevin said, "I thought we'd just get some ingredient greatest hits and make it up as we go along."

By far, the trickiest will be the Bjorn. Peter hates it - blood-curdling, screaming, painful hatred. He also hates his sling. He hates everything, in fact, other than being held. Sigh.

old faithful

Peter's taken to surprising us with his - er, showers of love - while we're changing his diaper. Yesterday, Kevin was rewarded with two such presents during a single diaper change, one of which shot straight up in the air. Today, Peter managed to pee all over himself while I was changing him. Really, all over himself - most of it landed on his chest and on his face.

I'd be more concerned about this, but Dr. Soriano reminded us that baby urine is sterile for the first few months. Which, given the amount he's peed all over the place, is good news. Sample conversation:

Kevin: Aah! He's peeing on the bed!
Amy: Well, baby urine's sterile.

Amy: Aah! He's peeing on himself!
Kevin: Well, baby urine's sterile.

Kevin: Aah! He's peeing on the futon!
Amy: Well, baby urine's sterile.

Amy: Aah! He's peeing on me!
Kevin: Well, baby urine's sterile.

So, clearly we need to improve our diapering skillz.

babies suck

Listen to the sound of silence...

do babies dream of lambs?

(Insert deep sigh of relief.)

My mother left this morning on an early flight, so the Gruntster and I remained blissfully in bed while Kevin dropped her off at the airport.

I was not entirely looking forward to my first day alone with Baby Boy, as his mornings haven't exactly been the most pleasant time of his day - he's been eating every 30 minutes with 15 minutes of fussing in between. And, it still breaks my heart to put a crying baby down in his bassinet, even if it is so I can dash to the bathroom.

Well, Peter was a trooper! He was very content to sleep peacefully in my arms for hour-long stretches, waking to peacefully feed and then drift off to baby sleep again. I was able to watch a few episodes of Martha, finish this week's Entertainment Weekly and make some progress on the most recent Backpacker. This pattern was continued when Kevin came home, during our walk to the library, and again while we were eating dinner.

Actually awake, at the library.

Which makes me a little wary for what tonight may hold. However, simple math tells us that happy Mama and happy Baby equals happy Family. (Sorry, Papa Bear - you're kind of a negligible part of the equation right now.)

the many faces of Peter

Peter has only three expressions:

Wary

Serious

and Pirate

Road Trip: Half Moon Bay

Today, Peter and his grandmother had their first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean.

Kevin and my mother test out the waters.

Yes, we took the stroller on the beach.

Amy, Kevin, and stroller-bound Peter at the beach.

Checking to see if Baby Peter's still inside.

Peter also enjoyed his first dining-out experience.

On the menu: some fish, and a cute baby boy.

Seaside dining for one.

And, we learned an important lesson: never let the baby sit on a pacifier, because he will not like it.

ouch: the follow-up

I do have Babymomma tendonitis. And a ganglion cyst. Which means I get to wear this:


Which of course begs the question, how does one possibly care for a newborn in this condition?

So, I'm immobilized and taking ibuprofen; if it's not better in a week, more serious measures may be needed. Dr. Soriano mentioned that these cysts used to be treated by bashing them with a big, heavy book...which we have many of around these parts. I wonder if Kevin still has a copy of Group Insurance handy.

don't tell Aunt Bridget...

...but I think Peter has an outie.

secret Duke fan?

Today, I put Chomps in his brand-new Carolina onesie, a gift from his grandmother.

He promptly covered it in baby spit-up, requiring a change of costume.

Perhaps he's not a Tar Heel born?

Chomps, relieved to be out of his Tar Heel gear?

have we set Peter to evil?

The Hippo Gym entertains Peter for 10 seconds, which is exactly enough time for Mama Bear to eat dinner.

Like the Evil Krusty Doll, it seems our baby has two states:

Happy (only observed while sleeping or eating)
Angry (observed at all other times).

That said, I should note that Chompers does sleep through the night, especially now that we've instituted the dim-lights-and-static-on-the-radio regime.

detente

So, it turns out our Old Dude and Girlfriend fears are for naught, as they very generously gave Baby Peter this Peter Rabbit dish set:


Nary a negative word again will cross my lips about our neighbors.

a rough looking baby

Our baby:He's looking a little rough. We'd just pulled into Books, Inc. to take a look around; we'd been walking up and down Castro Street at the downtown Mountain View festival.

My favorite part is how calm he is. Kevin remarked, "this can't last for long. And it can't end well, either."

I also really like how you can see the red indentation from his pacifier. I hope this gives a sense of how furiously he sucks on it.

ouch!

I think I have Babymomma tendonitis.

family photos

We took advantage of a rare moment of calm to snap a few family photos:

maybe we should have named him Judah

Oh! My freakin' ears!

Peter did NOT have a good first reaction to church yesterday, despite all of our best interventions - being changed, well fed, and having the &#@ pacifier in place.

In fact, his reaction was so adverse we were forced to bail out of church just after the Gloria. (Perhaps Peter was upset that it was spoken, not sung?)

My suspicion is that he didn't like the loudness of the voices of Fr. Oscar and Deacon Thierry, although he was able to stroll around the St. Joseph festival without incident earlier in the day.

I assure you there is a baby under all that stroller.

Kevin suggested that Peter's staging his own protest: if we've gone ahead and circumcised him, he'd like to be raised as one of God's Chosen People. Perhaps we should have named him Peter Abraham, like we'd thought about in September.

So, instead of church, we walked around the downtown Mountain View street fair, and then picked up two medium cheese pizzas for dinner. Their cost? $32. Suddenly, we had grumpy Papa Bear and Baby Bear.

a series of unfortunate events...and a few good tips

Our friends from Chapel Hill who've also relocated to the Bay Area visited last night, with dinner, hand-me-downs, and their two adorable children in tow.

They also brought a whirlwind of...well, not chaos so much as activity, as their toddler daughter vomited all over herself, her car seat, and her mother, just minutes from arriving. They were able to (mostly) clean the car seat, and clean Theda's clothes as well.

Luckily, the baby ducks were out and about, and there were plenty of rocks to throw in the ponds to keep Theda occupied. Stephan was able to fall asleep (ouch! pangs of jealousy!), and delicious pies were enjoyed (both of the shepherds' and the fruit varieties).

And, it might have been just what the doctor ordered, since we were able to spend several hours together, rather than a quick drop-and-run. I was able to ask some questions that doctors don't seem to answer (like, what's up with those night sweats?), and learned a few important lessons on the way - like, ALWAYS bring a back-up shirt for Mom. And all children. And always buy a car seat that can be cleaned without being taken apart.

Some questions still remain, such as: how much can the baby spit up on my shirt before I have to change it?

deep, deep shame

blissed out baby boy

Our lactation consultant has really turned me into a neurotic mess when it comes to being a mother. But, it's become increasingly clear that Peter would like to use ME as a pacifier, and that's really not good for either of us. (Especially when it results in eruptions of overfed baby spit-up, like this morning, in which the entire family needs a change of clothes.)

So, after a disastrous walk to the post office, I came home and put this in his mouth. He took to it immediately, and within seconds had the zoned-out look of an opium addict. My mother asked how badly I felt, and all I could say was that it made me want to cry.

Luckily, Kevin came home a few minutes later to reassure me that I was not ruining the baby. I'm still not convinced, but I can't help but enjoy the 20 minutes of sleeping baby, delinquent thank-you-note writing, and reading that we've all been able to accomplish.

It was part of our bounty from Team Wilkens, and might have been a stroke of good luck from an otherwise crazy visit.

aye, matey

Next time, we'll try to get his pirate-eye look as well.

an open letter to Gram Cracker

Dear Gram,

As you can see, I'm going shirtless until I can rock out in style.

Your grandson,

Peter Ramone

Genesis 17: 9-14

Our last shot of all of Peter, after his favorite activity ever.

Today, Peter was circumcised. Ouch, indeed. I won't go into the discussions that we had that led up to the snippage, but Kevin's reaction after he saw the results show was: "I'm glad I don't remember mine."

But, our Piglet did a really great job during the procedure; Dr. Soriano said he slept through almost 80 percent of the procedure, and freaked out only when he needed to be strapped down. (Apparently, our baby is one of the rare ones who hates to be swaddled - or, at least, hates to have his arm movement restricted.)

In other news, our son is a tub. He weighed in at 9 pounds, 9 ounces - a POUND increase from 6 days ago. Gigantor, indeed. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised: when the medical assistant asked us what we use to calm him down (like a pacifier, or giving him a finger to suck on), my reply was that he liked to eat. A lot. It's pretty much the only thing that works. (Not that we've had much need for serious comforting.)

more sleep!

I'm not saying it's a trend, but at least n=2: eight more hours of sleep!

Alas, I suspect it will not last, due to today's events, but we'll be rested enough to tough it out.

All I can say is thank goodness for cosleeping. It's really made all the difference.

A day of many firsts

This is how Peter's rocking his style today.

We might have been inspired by last night's exceptional night of sleep, and managed to do the following:

- Go to Target to purchase MORE diapers. (Unlike our other escapades, we've actually purchased diapers that fit.) And, since my mother was with us, she couldn't help but splurge on some baby-blue clothes for Mr. Chompers.
First: Peter's first album purchase, the new Modest Mouse.

- Take a nice long walk to return overdue library books, pick up stamps for thank-you notes, and to drop some stuff off at St. Joseph.
First: Breastfeeding in public, leaky diaper, using a public baby-changing stall.

- Sponge-bathe Peter.
First: uh, the bathing-a-squirming baby part.

Peter, much calmer after his bath is over.

sleep!

I don't want to really jinx anything, but take a look at these stats:

10 pm - 2 am: asleep
3 am- 5 am: asleep
5:30 am - 7:30 am: asleep

If my math is right (and with such a good night's sleep, it ought to be), that's EIGHT hours of sleep. We're still running a sleep deficit, but suddenly things don't look so grim.

Our next task: figuring out how to change Mr. Chomper's diaper without him "showering" us all with his "love."

thank goodness for my mother

Gassy baby smiles from a gassy baby.

My mom arrived yesterday, just in time. Sleeplessness is fine if you're (1) able to counterbalance its effects with caffeine or (2) not critically responsible for the well being of something completely helpless.

Today, we were advised by our lactation consultant that Peter's seemingly ferocious midnight feeding is really a sign that he's on the wrong time zone - he's mixed up his days and nights. I suspect this is a way he's trying to bond with The Old Dude, who makes middle-of-the-night phone calls to what we've "scientifically" concluded is France, based on the fact that The Old Dude's name might be Rene.

Anyway, my mother has what is now the most magical touch of all: that of soothing a fussy baby. Which allows me to post pictures like these:

Kevin and Peter, in a rare moment of co-sleeping. (Kevin's actually faking it. And this photo was taken during a rather pleasant but overall poorly timed nap: from 5 to 8 p.m.)

Peter's first not-freak-out stroller ride up Castro Street. During which he slept like a log. From 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Note: Peter only enjoys sleeping in the following places or positions:
- On Kevin's chest;
- On my chest (although, for obvious reasons, this poses a risk of distracting him from sleep);
- Snuggled in the bed between us;
- While I'm stuck in an awkward feeding position;
- And, most importantly not at all on his back, so don't even ask him to, American Academy of Pediatrics.

In other all-Peter news, his furious eating is paying off in some ways. Kevin insists Peter's gained at least half a pounds since his last check-up on Monday. He's able to hold his head up with surprising strength for someone only a week old.

And, today, he managed to do this:


Unswaddle himself and roll on his side, all within two minutes of being placed in his new pack-and-play bassinet, a gift from his older cousin Charlotte and her parents, Erin and Tim.

At this rate, he'll be shooting layups in a month.

Peter, the wide-eyed wonder

Dr Evil plotting his next 8-hour awake stretch?

So apparently Peter Davis-Ross is a little boy who likes to stay awake.

Which is fine, except for that I can't help but feel that he ought to enjoy sleep more. I certainly do. He's really only getting a few more hours than we are at this point, which seems sub-optimal on many levels.

At any rate, he's still pretty much the most adorable thing ever.

Oh, no, not again with the camera. Will it ever end?

And, yes, I really hate my car seat.