One Month

Eli is one month old today.  That's kind of hard to believe, but it is true.

Yesterday we had his one month check up with the Nurse Practitioner.  I have to say I really really like her in comparison to the DR we saw when Sabine was a baby. We'll probably end up switching Sabine to her too.

The stats:
Weight: 10 lbs 7 oz - he gained 2 lbs and 5 oz in 3 weeks (25% of his body weight)
Length: 21 in  - grew one inch
Head Circumference: 15 in - also grew one inch

This is a big baby.  Not in the grand scheme of life, but in comparison to Sabine's 6 lbs - 10 lbs feels enormous.  I notice that I expect him to be doing bigger kid things just because of his size.  And, I've already got a little tweak in my back from putting him into his basket at night. Hopefully that will disappear soon.

The appointment yesterday was pretty straight forward.  He eats every 2-3 hours, sleeps well and wakes me about 3 or 4 times a night with mostly 3 hour stretches of sleep.  His poop is yellow and several times a day and he makes 6 or more wet diapers.  He has baby acne which should clear up in the next 4 weeks and we're not to scrub it or put stuff all over it or anything like that.  Just keep him clean and fed and everything is good.

She gave us vitamin D drops to give him (one drop a day) because they're seeing so many kids who are deficient.  She said I should give some to Sabine too.  And she asked what we were doing this summer and I said probably hanging around the pool.  So she told us to keep him in the shade and not to lather him up with sunscreen unless he's really going to be in direct sun.  It's better to do a lower number and put it on every hour because the higher numbers have more "stuff" in them and that stuff may actually feed skin cancer cells.... "We've seen a 65% increase in the cases of skin cancer since we started using sunscreen.  We never used to see 20 year olds with skin cancer and now we do."  That's an interesting take.  She said we should keep him away from the reflection off the water because he could burn, and to increase feedings to keep him well hydrated if we're out in the heat.

She also reminded us to layer him with one more layer than we are wearing especially in the air conditioning, but we don't have to go crazy.

She asked if he nurses to sleep... NO he doesn't because that caused so much trouble with Sabine.

She commented on how strong he is and said we should expect him to roll pretty early.  (no surprise since he's done it twice already)  That means we have to be pretty careful with him on beds and changing tables because he could surprise us and be off on the floor easily.  Yikes!

And we talked about next month. He'll have to have his first round of shots then.  Also, Dr Romness (Sabine's hip dr) recommended an ultrasound of Eli's hips at 6 - 8 weeks.  So we'll have to do that as well. We'll probably just schedule them both for the same day and make a time of it at the outpatient clinic at the hospital. (Don't I have a fun day coming up in May!)

All in all he got a good report, and that's really fun. Plus, I felt like the nurse and her student really listened to us, answered my questions and talked directly to us, even as they adored my child. What could be better?

------

At home we're noticing how much more awake and alive he seems in the last week.  He is truly gazing at people and things.  He really enjoys being on his changing table downstairs where there is a mobile for him to look at. And when he's in a seat or on a playmat where there are toys close he has been reaching and hitting them purposefully.  He is holding his head up pretty well and is turning it with ease.  Most fun is that he's almost smiling.  It is so close and so cute!  He's getting easier to read as far as what he needs.  He's clear about his needs and does cry - LOUDLY at times - but it is much easier to read than when he was first born.  Maybe it's just that we've been around each other more.

Mostly I just really love having a baby in the house.  And he is a sweet one so it is a lovely time. A crazy time but a lovely time.  It won't be baby time around here forever... probably not for long with the way he grows and moves... so I'm enjoying it while I can.