4 Weeks: Developmental Progress

Well today we had our one-month visit to the doctor, and we were happy to learn that progress is being made. He's grown 1.25" since his visit 4 weeks ago, and put on nearly 1.75 lbs. At this rate we can look forward to a kid who'll weigh-in at over 300 lbs on his 16th birthday. But we don't worry because he'll be more than 18 feet tall, so... pretty skinny, really.

We've noticed some real changes in our guy over the past week or so. Some real maturation. Mary actually said yesterday, "he's growing up so fast!" We knew he was heavier, and he seemed a bit longer. He's also got more command of his head and limbs, and—big milestone on the way—we can sense a smile brewing on his little face. We hope it'll crack the surface any day now. Can't wait to get photos of that online!

Anyway, we were surprised to learn just how average our guy is. He was on the large side when he was born, after all. Right now he's in the 50th percentile for weight, and 75th percentile for height.

Our doctor said that based on our appearances, she wasn't surprised that he's statistically tall. Can we really draw conclusions (or likelihoods) about how he'll turn out based on numbers gathered in his 34th day?

4 Weeks: Bear Noises

We've been listening closely to August's expanding vocabulary, or, I guess I should say, his growing repertoire of noises. But my favorite is a noise he's been making since very early-on... his "bear noises". These noises, which sound to me very much like those of a complaining baby black bear, indicate dissatisfaction and rising impatience. We can usually hear them if he's interrupted from eating (e.g., if we try to burp him mid-session).

Bear noises:

4 Weeks: Walk in the Park

Mary and I took Augs and Dogz on a fun walk today in the Public Garden and the Boston Common. Here are some still photos I snapped to document the event.

Prep child by bundling him warmly in a bear suit, preferably with ears. Pacifier not required, but much preferred.



First stop was a stick-mauling exercise in the Public Garden. Ferocious houndog.




Sunlight filters through red Bugaboo to illuminate child... he really relaxes when he's in the stroller. He woke up later on.



Mary, looking very beautiful and content walking the Monkey Moon through the Common. Click for more detail.



Watson found a nice piece of lumber to carry out of the park as we headed for home. Would make a nice piece of firewood with only some trimming. Nice work!

4 Weeks: Dog Feet

Kid's growing quickly. First time we get a chance to use this cute little dog-themed jumper, and he's already a little too big for it. Shot this video yesterday (Sunday the 27th):

4 Weeks: Video Clips

A few video clips, recorded Saturday, slapped together:

4 Weeks: Vernacular

I didn't want my vernacular to change because of this baby. I know myself too well to ever say "I'll never...", but there are a few things I'd really like to avoid, if possible.

When did the "time-out" become a thing? I never had any time-outs (times out?), and I'd certainly have been a good candidate. Mary is eight years younger than I am, and she's never had a time-out either, although in her case she might just never have been bad enough to deserve one. Anyway, I was simply "sent to my room", or if I was in school then out into the hallway, or to whichever stern school administrator was designated for dealing with such as me. I'm going to try not to threaten or administer the dreaded "time-out".

I'm hoping Mary and I can keep our adult vocabularies throughout this child-rearing process, and not affect any baby-talk in our everyday conversation. Now that babies are never to be left on their bellies, there exists "tummy time"... it's a phrase I don't love, even though we use it nearly every day, and I've used it before on this very blog. Maybe we can start to call it "front time" or "floor time" instead?

I vaguely recall being a bit puzzled when, as a child, I realized that my mom and dad weren't each other's mother and father, but still called each other "Mom" and "Dad". Already I catch myself, while talking to August, saying "let's go see if Mommy will feed you" and such. Truth is, I'm not sure how I'm going to refer to Mary in our son's presence without calling her Mom or Mommy or something. It's sure that he'll call us whatever he hears us calling each other, and I'm not sure we're going to want him calling us Mary and Waldron. Mary I can call her "your Mommy".

I wonder what other new verbal pitfalls await us in future. Well, that's all for now... time to go night-night.

3 Weeks: Pride

Another very fun walk yesterday with the whole family. It was cold but the kid was well-bundled in several layers and his thick, fleece-lined bear suit (with a cute little hood with little round bear ears). Very becoming. Mary pushed the cute kid, in the fancy stroller.

Meanwhile, I walked the dog, who was resplendent in his thick, black winter coat. He carried in his mouth a six-foot long branch, which made him feel like the tallest dog on the Commonwealth Avenue mall. He may, in fact, actually have been the tallest dog, but he walked extra tall with that stick. Tail in the air, smiling, trotting. Everyone commented.

So Mary pushed the baby, and I walked the dog, and the dog carried the stick. We were all three of us rather proud of what we carried down the avenue. A very nice time.

3 Weeks: Routine(ish)

I won't call it a routine (because "routine" implies some sort of intent) but I have noticed something of a pattern to our daily management of this kid.

In the late afternoon we generally have some kind of "event", like a bath, or a walk in the stroller, or a walk with the (highly recommended) Baby Bjorn, or just a lot of "tummy time" with Dad (see image, below).

In the late afternoon/early-evening he usually has a long sleep which can last anywhere from 3 to 5 hours. A long afternoon nap, from which he awakes hungry and alert.

Sometime around 1 or 2 AM, Mary heads to bed while Augs & I hang out together in the living room. Shortly after Mary's disappearance, the child will start to cry for food. That's when I hit the fridge for stores of pre-pumped milk, or whip up a quick batch of formula. If I'm lucky, he falls asleep between 3 and 4 AM, and I can put him down in the Moses while I grab a nap on the couch. Last night he was awake (and upset) until after 4:30 AM.

Sometime in the 6-7 AM hour, Mary wakes up wondering if we're OK and comes out to relieve me. I transfer to the bed and sleep 'til between 10 and noon while Mary tends to the boy and (if possible) naps a bit.

So that's something like our daily pattern, if not "routine".

The fact that he doesn't like to go to sleep before 3 or 4 AM? Mary says he gets that from me. I say the jury is still out on long-term sleep patterns. At least I really hope so.

Floor-time with Augs & Dogz:

3 Weeks: New Photos

Two new photos:

3 Weeks: Better Video

Here's a higher-quality video, recorded by my Mac's on-board camera. We'll try to capture him in a happier moment next time. Trying two different hosting options, since some people have had difficulty viewing Jumpcut video.

Jumpcut:


YouTube:

3 Weeks: Moses Basket Action

August is 3 weeks old today.

This Moses basket was a wonderful gift Mary received from a work friend during the baby shower. We've really enjoyed it. We bought this neat little stand which is specifically designed for the basket. We use it to let the kid nap in the living room, or if we need to put him down for a few seconds to go do/get something.

August doesn't like to be left alone if he's awake. If you watch the basket you'll notice it's considerably more shaky than the camera work. I think it's amusing that an immobile 3 week old infant can generate so much kinetic energy.

Self-rocking child:

2 Weeks: Pacifier Magic

The magic of the pacifier, demonstrated:

2 Weeks: Cowboy Names Revisited

Most of the non-family traffic that comes to this blog comes from people searching for baby names on Google and being directed to one or more of my posts on the topic. The number-one most-common search term that brings people to this site? "flapper names". Followed closely thereafter by "cowboy names".

If my blog is in the top page of results for a Google search on "cowboy names", I feel I should give some real direction on the subject, because there are many pitfalls awaiting a well-meaning prospective parent who like the idea of a cowboy name. So I have compiled my list of Great Cowboy Names, any of which I recommend, provided the child will have a last name strong enough to carry it:

• Casey
• Clay
• Clem
• Clint
• Clyde
• Eldon
• Floyd
• Grant
• Hank
• Harlan
• Hoyt
• Jake
• Luke
• Roy
• Travis
• Wyatt

But beware. There are a number of options people think are great cowboy names, but which are in fact, fake cowboy names... cowboy wannabe names. These are the names people give their kids when they're trying too hard. Please do avoid any name on my list of Fake Cowboy Names:

• Cash
• Cody
• Cole
• Colt
• Dakota
• Dallas
• Harley
• Shane
• Stetson
• Tanner
• Trace
• Zane

What about Dale, Duane, or Darrell? Stay tuned for possible future list of redneck names.


One book we loved as a name-choosing aid was "Cool Names for Babies" by Pamela Redmond Satran & Linda Rosenkrantz. We didn't get the name August out of it, though I notice it is listed there, under Authors' Names. This book doesn't have a section for cowboy names, but it was definitely a fun book to read through, and does divide names by subject-area.

2 Weeks: August Video

Here's some phone-video I shot yesterday of two week-old August, hanging out. A couple of times in the video you can see him doin' his "fish face". We won't talk about what that means...

Watson: Snow Dog

Proof that Watson, perhaps no longer the central focus of our lives, is still a happy dog.

2 Weeks: Photo Session with Mary & August

Baby was a bit fussy for these photos, but we certainly couldn't show only the angelic ones... that would be misleading!

1 Week: Coupl'a Photos

Just a couple of photos.

Yesterday:


And today, relaxin' in his nifty, sports-themed jump-suit:

1 Week: Baby Talk

Mary and I have been thinking that taking care of our little guy has actually been pretty simple. When he cries, he's usually hungry. If he cries and he isn't hungry, he probably either needs a change or he's just suffering a bit of intestinal distress. Other than that, it's eating and sleeping, and sometimes just hanging with us (eg, floor time, staring out the window, etc.).

But someone recommended we check out the Priscilla Dunstan DVD. Ms. Dunstan is an Australian woman who says that by paying close attention to the sounds babies make when they cry—especially when they are just beginning to cry—she (and we) can determine what a baby is "saying" with his/her cry. An informative Wikipedia article on the topic may be found here.

What can babies say?

• "Neh" [I'm hungry]
• "Owh" [I'm sleepy]
  
• "Heh" [I'm uncomfortable]
• "Eairh" [Lower gas pain]
• "Eh" [I need to burp]

We've both got pretty good ears, and we've begun listening quite closely. So far we're not able to discern these noises in what August has "said", but so far we think he's just been hungry. We'll keep listening.

1 Week: Labor Day(s)

Since Mary had such an uneventful, easy pregnancy, I guess I suspected her delivery would be just as smooth. I was wrong.

Warning to all women: eating barbecued ribs causes you to have a baby.

On the evening of December 27 we were walking through Beacon Hill on way home from eating ribs when Mary's water broke. When we got home we called the hospital. We were told to come in. We did, in fact, walk to the hospital, finally putting to rest the much-blogged question of just how I'd get her there when the time came. Good thing we didn't buy a car.

High-level time-line is as follows:

• 10:30 PM, Dec. 27 - Arrive at hospital, wait 2 hours for a room.
  
• 12:30 AM, Dec. 28, for 21 hours - Mary lies in a hospital bed hooked to an IV, and receiving increasing doses of pitocin, to induce labor.
• 9:30 PM , Dec. 28, for 3.5 hours - Intense, painful contractions. Epidural administered.
• 1:00 AM, Dec. 29, for 2.5 hours - Pushing.
• 3:23 AM, Dec. 29 - August is born!
  

So it was basically 24 hours of tedious, uncomfortable waiting around, followed by 3.5 hours of pain, followed by 2.5 hours of hard, painful, exhausting labor, followed by August.

I learned a new appreciation for Mary that day. She worked really hard during the pushing process. I would have expected most people to take a little break from time-to-time, or to give it less than 100% effort when things got tough, but she never paused once, even toward the end when the pain & pressure were excruciating, despite the epidural. There were moments when she was brought to tears, and still didn't back down. I was completely distressed to see what labor was doing to her. And I was completely unable to help her.

When August finally came out I was shocked to see how big he was. I had seen glimpses of the crown of his conical, little head, and had been thoroughly unprepared for how huge a baby my poor Mary had just delivered. I think I said "oh my god!" and got all teary eyed to see him. He was beautiful, and pink and crying loudly, almost immediately. I was really overcome when I saw him. He didn't have any of the splotches or fur or vernix-covering new parents are told their newborns might display. He was perfect, and I remember thinking "what a strong-looking little chest he has!" He was good looking!

After a minute I was encouraged to go see the boy, who had been moved to the heat-lamp thing. I had wanted to stay with Mary because... well, she had been through a lot. The kid was crying loudly, as I say, with a "maah! maah! maah!" noise I thought was really quite wonderful, because it was so clear and loud. And who knew he'd be able to make an M sound?

I know it's cliché, but it was truly one of the most important and memorable moments of my life to watch Mary deliver our son. I'll never forget it.

1 Week: First Walk

It wasn't the first time he's been out, or the first time we've tried out the stroller, but we took advantage of the fine weather to take our first-ever leisurely stroll up & down the Commonwealth Avenue mall this afternoon. Fun for the whole family.

Action photos:

1 Week: Help

Mary's Mom left yesterday, after ten days of indispensable help. I don't see how we could possibly survived that first week without her. Still not convinced we're going to get through the rest of this first month.

This experience has given me a new appreciation for the difficulties facing single parents. I had previously thought mostly about the financial challenges, but after the past 11 days I've had some insight into the logistical impossibility of single-handedly taking care of oneself and a newborn. Feed baby, care for baby, feed self, sleep. One or more of these basic tasks must necessarily suffer if one tries to handle a newborn without a good deal of help. We've had three, now two people on the task and still at least one of us is tired at all times.

1 Week: More Photos

Here's a nice shot Mary took while the boy slept:


Me & Augs having some floor time:


Couldn't resist turning this pair into an animation:

1 Week: New Music Selections

Santa brought me the soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" which contains a good deal of music I think will be excellent additions to my Kids' Music list. The whole album is good, but there are a few stand-outs, and two which I've added to the Hall of Fame.

• Big Rock Candy Mountain - Harry McClintock
• Down to the River to Pray - Alison Krauss
• Hard Time Killing Floor Blues - Chris Thomas King
• Keep on the Sunny Side - The Whites
• I'll Fly Away - Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch
• Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby - Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch

Let me know if you can think of any must-haves for a playlist of kid-friendly "real" music (as opposed to purpose-built kids music like Raffi, etc.).

1 Week: Photo

One quick little sleeping photo:

5 Days: Photo

August at 4 days:

5 Days: August at 4 Days Old

Fussy, worried-looking baby? No problem. Pinky in mouth, thus:


Produces happy baby, like this:

5 Days: Drama and Resolution

We had a dramatic two days with Augs starting on the 1st. We were sent to a skeleton-staffed pediatric emergent care unit at MGH... no real problems, just concerns about feeding and hydration, but it's never relaxing when you're told to take your 3 day old out for emergency care. We then spent a long evening, worried that if we didn't have evidence of hydration by midnight we might be asked to take him to the scary ER at Mass General, with all the germs and waiting and mayhem. Turns out we didn't need to, so that was a great relief.

Then yesterday we had our first regularly scheduled doctor's appointment. Wheeled the kid over to MGH in his super fancy buggy, on its maiden voyage (see previous post). Everything had changed. All the problem-symptoms we had been watching had gone away. He had gained a whopping 4.7 oz overnight (that's 3.7% body weight). He was pronounced extremely healthy.

So... fairly dramatic, valleys with "cause for concern", and peaks of "extremely healthy".

Kudos to Dr. Katherine Zuckerman, who was warm, friendly and reassuring, but simultaneously professional and confident, despite looking like she's about 22. She spent her New Year's Day holiday working the pediatric emergent care unit at MGH. Really helped us feel better and gave us good, clear instructions.

4 Days: On the Streets

August Watson Faulkner, riding the mean streets of Beacon Hill in his pimped-out, red road buggy.

Big Picture



Up Close

3 Days: Blog/Life Balance

We brought August home yesterday. Long night last night. Tons of topics I want to cover but don't really have time to right now. Back when this was the "Journal of a newly minted father-to-be", with Mary having a very smooth pregnancy, topics of conversation were limited to the naming debate, prepping the house, advice I'd received, and hand-wringing over whether I'd be a good/adequate father. That makes for sparse posts, as you've seen. Now it's the "Journal of a new father", and I suddenly have much to write about but not enough time/hands to do it. Even right now I'm only able to type this by hunching my body over a sleeping baby on my lap, hoping to god he doesn't wake up.

Topics I plan to cover in the next few posts:

• The delivery saga (no gory details)
• Conflicting advice from the throngs of overlapping professionals at MGH
• The August Watson Faulkner cycle: eat 10 minutes, sleep 35 minutes, cry 15 minutes, repeat.
• Coming home & introducing dog to baby & vice-versa.
• More pictures
  

Looking forward to doing all that, but frankly I'm proud just to have paid the mortgage and kept the dog walking schedule.