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Adam's Birth > Updates |
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Adam is an eating, pooping, crying machine. On average, he needs feeding and diapers every three hours. At first, the poop was black in color; at this stage it's called meconium. Then it changed to green, then yellow. Every diaper change you see the poop and you can frequently hear the poop being deposited into the diaper and we aren't even feeding him beans yet. At least, there's not much of a smell yet. At three weeks, he's finally starting to open his eyes a little more, maybe two or three hours a day. People come to visit and are disappointed when they aren't here when his eyes are open.
Lyn has plenty of breast milk so far; she's even freezing some bottles of milk for later
on when she goes back to work. She uses a breast pump we rented at the hospital for $63 per
month. We tried buying one at Target for $130, but it pumped very slowly and wasn't very
comfortable for Lyn. Without teeth, Adam can still bear down quite well on Lyn's nipples.
Her breasts have swelled up greatly as her body has shifted into a massive milk production
mode.
He can change from a look of contentment to sheer anguish in a second and back just as quickly. The trick is trying to figure out the reason for that anguish. Sometimes it's just gas; sometimes it's a diaper change; sometimes it's food. If Adam is opening his mouth and looking like he's searching for a nipple, then we figure it's feeding time. Sometimes we touch his cheek with our finger. If he chases the finger with his mouth, it's confirmed. Mostly, his eyes are closed when this happens. So far, he's just as pleased feeding from a human nipple as a plastic one.
Lyn is doing an incredible job as a mother. She has performed almost all the feedings. Though I wake up at night when Adam cries, Lyn is the one to feed him. I have lost a lot of sleep, but Lyn has lost a lot more and yet she doesn't complain. She never tires of caring for him.
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-3.5 weeks old- Adam is transforming much quicker than we expected. He has gained an amazing amount of strength and is difficult to hold now. When I hold him in my arms, he can push down with his head, arch his back, and wriggle from side to side, arms and legs flailing away. I now have to be very careful, lest he wriggle out. Also, with his knees bent and his feet against a solid object, he can push his body foward. So, when I am sitting and lay him on my legs with his head to my knees, I have to keep a good grip on him or he might push himself and fall off of my legs. His arms and legs are active and being exercised so much of the time! Also, his eyes are open a lot now. He has gained a lot of weight, as well.
-4 weeks old- Adam sees the doctor -- this one was scheduled! He is 22(?) inches long
and 9 pounds 2 ounces, more than a 50% weight gain in 3 weeks. He screams quite well now
and does it with good frequency. It's very painful to see him in so much distress and not
know what's wrong. Ever since his emergency room visit, Adam has been the screaming baby.
Also, he has a lot of congestion in his sinuses. The doctor says that
he's still getting rid of stuff from the birth process and that this is normal.
-5.5 weeks old- Adam is the wonderful miracle I would not wish on my worst enemy. Newborns are a strange species. They are obviously not very closely related to homo sapiens. Outside of sleeping and eating, they always have pained expressions on their faces and eminate siren like sounds. Ours, has a horrible rash on his face, which looks like a bad case of brownish yellow colored acne. All this makes it a rather hideous looking creature.
-6.5 weeks old- Adam's rash is gone, but the crying, of course, remains. You can feed him and change his diaper and he can be perfectly content in your arms, but the instant you put him down, it's as if someone cut off his leg. Speaking of his legs, his thigh is now as big around as my wrist and has folds of fat. He can be terribly frustrating during feedings. He will start to get milk down his air passage, so part by his pushing and part by my pulling the nipple comes out of his mouth. He coughs a bit, but instantly starts fuming. You try to put the bottle's nipple back into his mouth, but first you have to fight off his arms which are flailing around in all directions. Once you get past the arms you have to find the right moment to insert the nipple, because the head is shaking from side to side in angry fits of rage. ... I picked him up and he immediately quieted down. He had been crying the whole 5 minutes it took me to write this paragraph. This feeding / diaper change is taking 90 mintues and counting. I layed him down, because he was falling asleep. He is now wide awake and is starting to cry again. It's 4 p.m. and I haven't had my lunch yet. Oh, the pleasures of fatherhood.
-9 weeks old- Adam is 13.5 pounds. I learn so much, but have so much more to learn. I
think I have been feeding him too much and am working towards a more regular feeding
schedule, but I got so frustrated today when only 1.5 hours after downing 3.5 ounces, he
downed 3 more ounces. That's a lot of milk in a little time. It seems like he sleeps less
when I'm taking care of him, than when Lyn takes care of him.
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-10 weeks old- Dramatic changes are occurring. I can now pull Adam up by his hands into a sitting position. This means that he has gained a lot of strength in his neck muscles to be able to hold his head up. For the first time, I have seen him smile -- big smiles -- and laugh. Other people have said they could see him smile before, but I have never seen it. He is making various sounds (other than just crying). We let our friend Arleen baby sit for a couple of hours while we went to see a movie.
-11 weeks old- Adam set an all time record of 8.5 hours from one feeding to the next! He seems to sleep more soundly and be happier when he's awake. It's a lot of fun to try and get him to smile and laugh.
-13 weeks old- When I put a rattle into his hand, he can grasp it and move it back and forth, thereby making noise. A simple step, yes, but I want to start to show him what he can accomplish with his hands. I understand him so much better now, which makes life so much better (until things change -- teething?). I am feeling pretty good about his hunger cry (loud and continuous) and his gas cry (he flails around a lot, kicks, arches his back). However, there is a lot less crying now.
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-16 weeks old- Adam has been such a good boy the past week -- how long can it last? He wakes up happy; I change his diaper and he is still happy; I even feed him before he starts crying! His head is still a little wobbly; I wonder when we can use the jogging stroller we just bought.
The period of tranquility ended the night I wrote the previous paragraph; as Adam woke up a few times screaming. He sleeps better during the day than at night, but he screams more and sometimes I can't find a reason.
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-18- weeks old- Adam has slept the whole night five straight times! This has coincided with the introduction of rice cereal just before bed time. We are also rolling Adam over onto his stomach so that he can have a different view of the world. Feedings have been easy as Adam no longer plays with the nipple and doesn't seem to be bothered by different nipple flow rates.
-21- weeks old- Adam rode in the jogging stroller while I pushed him on my skates. He likes the ride, but falls asleep very quickly. Adam can now, with help, stand up.
-6- months old- Adam is now 20 pounds and eating "solid" food. He likes green beans, peas, rice, spinach, sweet potatos, but doesn't seem to care for carrots and potatos. He rolls over on his own and also holds his own bottle for feedings.
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-8- months old- Adam is crawling around the house and investigating and grabbing everything -- we now have to keep an eye out for him, not just listen. He also scoots around in his walker, grabbing everything in arms reach. He walks while grasping our fingers with his hands. To try to prevent Adam from messing with the VCRs, I added a plexi-glass door. Also, I covered up the buttons on the television.
-9- months old- Adam is 23 pounds and 30 inches and likes to rise up on his hands and feet, arching his butt into the air.
Lyn took Adam on a 3 week
trip to the Philippines so that her family could
see Adam for the first time. Adam was very good on the trip. He had no problem with flying,
but was a little overwhelmed on arrival in Tubas. As soon as the car pulled up, a family member
took Adam to the house where he was surrounded with people. Meanwhile, Lyn had to wait for
10 minutes for some help with bringing the luggage to the house. By the time Lyn got to the
house, poor Adam was crying. It wasn't long, though, before Adam got used to all the people
to take care of him and was eating it up. Adam didn't get much walking practice in as he
was passed from waiting hands to waiting hands.
On their return to California, Adam has changed. He was used to sleeping along side Lyn and now he is back in his crib in his bedroom. The first few nights were rough and he now no longer wakes up in a good mood. He used to gobble down his food and yell for his next spoonful. Now he sometimes tries to push the spoon away. We are feeding him a lot more solid food rather than pureed food. He also wants to stand almost all the time and practice walking (with our help). He has eschewed the one legged belly crawl in favor of the hands and knees crawl. He is starting to bite us. We think it may be because his gums are irritated with new teeth coming in to support the four he already has.
It's incredible that Adam has gone from a blob on the floor to a crawling, almost walking rascal in such a short time!
| Child-Proofing:
I put child proof locks on cabinets and drawers in the living room and kitchen. I
built a gate between the dining room and kitchen which to confine Adam to the dining
and living rooms most of the time. I built covers for two bookcases and a computer
desk (which keeps him away from the printer which he kept trying to dismantle).
The gate and covers utilize a wood framework with cardboard facing (cheap & light
weight). There were no
commercially made gates which could span the passage between the kitchen and
dining rooms and be adequately attached. We were given a gate which we mainly use
to keep Adam out of the bathroom. I also made a small,
quickly removable cover for the keyboard drawer. Kids are fascinated by computers, keyboards, mice, telephones, and remote controls. It is very difficult to design things which are child-proof, yet adult convenient. Kids watch what you do, then repeat the motion. At 1-year, Adam easily turned and opened a lever style outer door (meaning he could leave the house). I am glad we don't have that style. It's amazing that manufacturers build electronics without children in mind. I guess there aren't very many people who have young children? On our cd player, if you press any one of about 20 buttons, the player is turned on and some function is performed (cd drawer opened, for example). This is an idiotic design; only one button should turn it on. I made a cover for the 7 buttons on our television. Using a hole punch, I made holes in a piece of cardboard, exactly where the buttons would be, then sealed the cardboard to the tv with black electrical tape (the tv case is black). Adam doesn't even notice this cover. For the television stand, I made a plexiglass cover to prevent Adam from touching the VCRs. It is hinged on top. Adam hasn't figured out how to open it yet. |
-11- months old- Adam has lost interest in walking, possibly because adults, who are holding his hands, control where he goes. When he crawls, he goes wherever he wants. We joined Las Madres and have attended some of their events. Adam is very comfortable around the other kids and adults. Some of the other kids are "clingy", but not Adam, who is very adventurous and energetic. One time, my heart skipped a beat while Adam was standing beside the dinner table. His hands were clasped around the edge as he pulled himself up for a better view. His feet slipped from under him and he momentarily swung from the table. I was afraid his hands would slip and he would fall down and hit his head on the floor. I grabbed him before any damage could be done.
| I child- proofed our house, but he still gets in! |
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Adam started out in life in the 25th percentile for height. He surged past
the 90th percentile, but has fallen back to the 80th percentile at one year. For weight,
Adam started out at the 5th percentile, almost reached the 90th percentile, but now lies
just above the 75th percentile.
-13- months old- Adam is now walking unaided! Sometimes, in a kamikaze way, he will take a few steps and then excitedly dive down. He received his first injury, a scrape while doing this outside on concrete. Others times he goes for a more controlled walk. He can use his arms to pull up his whole body and can now climb up onto our living room chair. We are starting to tell him "no" and his reaction is to cry.
-14- months old- I treat Adam very differently now. The gate to the rest of the house is open more often and Adam can walk around and explore more. I'll be making the bed or shaving and hear Adam trampling down the hallway looking for me. Before, I would always be near him when he was awake. He is of course never far away. His walking has progressed quickly and he walks much more than he crawls, what a difference! We even take him on walks around the park. His bottle habits have changed; now he likes to carry one around with him as kind of a security blanket. Before, as soon as he emptied the bottle, he would discard it; an empty bottle was never of any interest.
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-16- months old- Adam had another cold (via a playgroup) which turned into an ear infection. His fever topped 105, which scared us greatly. Two weeks later he had another cold (via a trip to an amusement park). These are rough times as even between illnesses we can't get the old Adam back. He doesn't sleep like he used to. You can put him down and he sleeps peacefully for an hour, but wakes up screaming unconsolably and stays that way for a long time. You try to do everything you can for him and he fights you with every once of strength he has. Even when he is sick he has unbelievable stamina to scream and fight and at 32 pounds (now at about the 100th percentile for weight) {Growth Charts} he is quite a handful.
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-17- months old- Adam got his first trip to the circus (Ringling Brothers); beforehand all the children were able to see some of the animals. Naturally, Adam was the loudest and most active kid of any age there. On walks, he will no longer take my hand and he will go only where he wants to go. When stretched out, the dining room table is armpit height to him, so everything must be moved a foot from the edge of the table. He is adventurous, independent, loud, and huge for his age and throws tantrums a few times a day.
Adam and I got another cold; this time from a visit to the zoo. This cold hasn't slowed Adam down. After Adam got well, he started taking showers with me; this makes things much easier. He is also so fast now.
-18- months old- Adam understands some of what we tell him now, for example, "Sit down!" We keep moving things higher and higher as Adam's reach increases. Adam had another cold (and gave it to Lyn, but not me!), but it hasn't slowed him down. Adam and Charlie (our friend's 5 year old) are now competing for room on my lap. Adam has finally become a little finicky in his eating; to the point of sometimes spitting out foods he tires of. However, if he likes something, he does quite a dance of enjoyment, flapping his arms and walking around in circles.
-19- months old- Adam has a little sister, Danica Renee! With the baby out of her belly, Lyn is now able to get closer to Adam and I'm sure he appreciates it. Adam tries to examine Danica by poking his index finger at her. Adam still wants me to read him a book every two minutes. He will follow me around the house and watch what I do. He watched me brush my teeth and then I brushed his. After I change his diaper, he picks things up and hands them to me (even the soiled diaper).
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| Adam ran out of the bathroom screaming and told me he'd dropped his toothbrush in the toilet. I fished it out and threw it in the garbage. He stood there thinking for a moment, then ran to the other bathroom and came out with Lyn's toothbrush. He held it up and said with a charming little smile, "We better throw this one out too then, 'cause it fell in the toilet a few days ago." |
Adam had two major tantrums this month, one lasting for about 30 minutes! It's started when he was pulling our 25" television off the stand. If we would have let him, it might have fallen on him and injured him badly; it wouldn't have done the tv a whole lot of good either. We told him no and gently pulled him away from the tv and suddenly he started crying for a long long time.
-22- months old- Times with Adam have improved steadily as the months have passed until recently when a reversal has occurred. Adam rarely plays with his toys, choosing instead to climb on and/or destroy everything in the house. His favorite torture target is me of course. Adam is more of a picky eater and is a lot harder to put down for his afternoon nap.
-23- months old- Adam is ripping apart his books, one-by-one; it is sad to watch.
-24- months old- Adam really enjoys his second birthday party. He dances the day away at an Easter party. He counted up to 14 and is learning lots of words.
-27- months old- Adam's grandparents have arrived for a visit! Also, we've attended several parties recently. Adam's life has therefore been a lot noisier and busier which may have disturbed him somewhat. He doesn't eat or go to sleep easily anymore. He is very rough and even body-slammed Jennifer. After one party Adam fell asleep on his own for about the third time ever.
-29- months old- Adam had a fever of 102.3 degrees. It seemed to come on suddenly, but that day and the previous day he had been complaining about various parts of his body hurting. It's good that now he can communicate that something is wrong.
-30- months old- Adam talks and talks and talks! He can talk complete sentences now: telling us what he likes, wants, or doesn't like. He counts up to 13, misses 14, and keeps on going. He recognizes many letters of the alphabet. He still loves to play on his computer and can open games, kids programs, and videos by himself.
-34- months old- One of our best memories ever is taking Adam to the Oakland Zoo and watching him on the car ride. He had the biggest smile and was so happy as he road! His smile has about three times as big as any other kid. Without my showing him, Adam knows how to shut down his computer. We have instituted timeouts. I installed a TV card in Adam's computer.
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