milk drunk

Feeding Peter is one of the most satisfying experiences I think I've ever had, if only because it's one of the most satisfying experiences he's ever had.

Dainty eater.

Milk drunk.

Post-lunch nap.

poop face

Because, really, there's nothing funnier than a one-month-old working so hard to poop.

The second video, a bit longer, is worth it for the "grand finale" - lately, Peter's been yawning with an adorable little squeak at the end.

the beginnings

lest we forget how hard we had to work to get here:

baby's first hike

Peter hangs out, while we keep him out of the sun.

As Peter has been convinced the Bjorn is not a cruel Swedish torture device but actually a rather dandy way to travel, we decided to see if Peter would respond well to the great outdoors. So, we took a hike in the Monte Bello Open Space Preserve.

And, the great outdoors was enjoyed by all.

Kevin and Peter, at the start of the trail.

Crossing Stevens Creek

Monte Bello Open Space Preserve

16 photos

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.

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.

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.