Month: May 2009

Well I had my first Mother’s Day and it was great.  Ajax got me beautiful flowers and Dave has offered to take me shopping for new clothes before I return to work. Yea!   On Sunday we had my family and Dave’s family over for a BBQ.  The guys did some yard work, the ladies talked and watched ANTM, and the grandma’s loaded Ajax into his stroller and took him for a walk.  My mother-in-law and two sister-in-laws also came down early on Friday to visit (really to see Ajax, not Dave and I).  They also took him for two nights so that Dave and I could sleep, which was just awesome.  It was wonderful having the whole family over and luckily the weather was great.

Some new things with Ajax.  He is learning and growing more everyday.  He now finds his playmat more entertaining and will watch the lights and objects for longer periods of time.  He will turn toward your voice and try to locate you.  If you place objects in his hand he will hold onto them (though he still cannot control them as he has hit himself in the face with his rattle a few times).  He is making more noises and still likes to stick his tongue out.  He loves it when you talk to him and will stare at you like he’s taking in everything you’re saying.  I have also discovered that he likes the theme song to the Pink Panther.

Somehow, a few days ago Ajax got his days and nights mixed up.  Before having a child, I never realized or knew this was even an issue, but apparently babies, as they have no concept of time, come to believe that day is night and night is day.  I say what is up with that?  I have therefore spent the last three days struggling to keep Ajax awake during daylight hours and quiet at night.  This is quite a challenge.  I would like to say that last night, however, he slept for a five hour stretch and then a subsequent four hour stretch.  Horrah!

Ajax had his one month check up today.  The Doctor said that he was a very healthy boy!  Ajax now weighs 10 lb 4 oz (putting him in the 50 – 75 th percentile), he is also 22.5 in long (putting him in the 75 – 90 th percentile).  I must say however, that I think he’s longer than that and question the precision of the office measuring system, which is simply to lay the kid down on a mat-like-tape measure.  I also ran the cold theory by the Doctor and he said that no he wasn’t sick, simply congested, which again is normal for babies.

What does “percentile” mean? (per Babycenter)

It’s easiest to explain this by example. If your 3-month-old son is in the 40th percentile for weight and the 80th for height, for instance, that means 40 percent of 3-month-old boys in the United States weigh the same as or less than your baby and 60 percent weigh more. Similarly, 80 percent of boys his age are the same length as or shorter than your child and 20 percent are longer.

Well Mr. Dave said that in the internet/blog world it is unacceptable to go more than four days without updating.  I apologize.  Ajax was sleeping better at night (going down at 9, then up at 1 and 4 am for a feeding, then sleeping till about 7 or 8), but for the past three nights has decided that 1 am is playtime.  Dave and I therefore are getting very little sleep and the dog is annoyed.

I also think the little guy may be coming down with a cold as he’s been pretty fussy lately and congested.  He has a doctors appointment on Thursday so I’ll run my theory by the Doc., not in a crazy hypochondriac new mom way, but in a calm, rational, and clear fashion.  I am an attorney and I’m sure I can present a list of my child’s symptoms without getting overly emotional.

Since hitting the one month mark I’d like to say that we’ve been getting out of the house with more ease.  It no longer takes us an hour to get the nino ready for a 20 minute trip to Target.  Besides being more mobile, Ajax is also quite the pro atlifting his head and shoulders while on his tummy and turning his head from one side to the other (what a champ).  He also thinks its funny while you’re trying to burp him to fling himself backwards so that he can continue eating.  He’s starting to smile more, but I think it’s still more of a gassy smile, than an actual reaction smile.  He has also come to love his vibrating chair (just like that Sex in the City episode).

Ajax will be one month old on Sunday, what a milestone.   Some new developments- he’s discovered his tongue and loves to stick it out, he watches you and follows you/objects with his eyes and head, he likes it when you make funny noises and stares at you with awe, he’s more vocal (he “talks” a lot in his sleep), he’s beginning to be entertained by his baby playmat and mobile (but only for a very limited time), and he loves to look out the window and watch the dog.

He also managed to stay awake for a car ride to Target and stayed awake throughout the whole shopping trip (a first).  He did start fussing during checkout, but overall a success.

Some interesting things I’ve discovered/noticed as a parent- I’m always sticky and I don’t know why (spit up, feedings, diapers, etc… but the baby is always clean), my house is always a mess (though I’m home all day this kid keeps me busy and it feels like I’m constantly picking up the place and straightening up), I’ve stopped changing his little outfits every time he drools/spits up on it as I realized I can’t keep up with that amount of laundry (also my mom laughed at me when she realized how often I was changing his clothes), his sleep bear not only puts him to sleep but knocks Dave and I out (sleep bear- teddy that makes white noise to help him fall asleep).

I’m also getting more accustomed to his night schedule, so I’m dealing with the lack of sleep better.  With this better management of my sleep deprivation I’m also dealing with his crying better.  Meaning, I don’t freak out as much when he cries.  Dave and I actually managed to have a conversation over his screams as I calmly made his bottle and Dave told me about his day.  I think Dave and I, though still in shock and awe of being parents, are getting better at this everyday, in a – wow, I can handle this – fashion.