the big transformation

four months
17 lbs, 2 oz and 24 inches
90th (!) percentile for weight
25th percentile for height

This gorgeous guy had his four month well baby check up today and it was boys only as Daddy took little bitsy to the doctor all by himself. (I wonder if we can still call him little bitsy after this weigh-in.) While I was sorry to miss the appointment, I wasn't sorry to miss the round of shots. It hurts my heart to think about those.

For those who are counting, Jack is up about 5 pounds since his 2 month appointment and has grown a whopping fourth of an inch. So at 2 months he was tall and skinny like Daddy and now he's short and fat like me! The truth is I find this growth reassuring. He's definitely getting enough of what he needs to thrive.

We're going to wait a little while longer for solids, given that he seems to be getting plenty of calories.

In fact, one might even call him:

stab me once, shame on you.

12 lbs. 6 oz. and 23.75 inches
50th percentile for weight
70th percentile for height

As Daddy said, this boy is "one long, tall drink of milk."

Jack had his two month well-baby check yesterday. Daddy met us at the doctor's office, which was a great help as it seems to be cold and rainy every time we go. First, he was weighed and measured. The nurse did a double-take when she realized that little-bitsy had grown four inches in the last six weeks. Not so little-bitsy anymore! She was so unsure of it that she measured him again and came up with the same number. No wonder our boy has been wanting lots to eat and lots of sleep.

Jack jumped off of his old growth curve (5th percentile for weight, 10th percentile for height) and onto a longer, plumper one. We couldn't be more pleased as we think he is where he needs to be after a shaky start. While Jack is solid, he still has room for a few more thigh rolls.

Then it was time for four immunizations--two shots in each thigh. Daddy held his arms and tried to comfort him while the nurse worked super quickly. This mommy really appreciated it as Jack let out this piercing scream that definitely meant pain and surprise. When she was finished, the nurse told me that I could pick him up and he was just precious. He buried his face in my neck and snuffled for a minute and then stopped crying all together. Brave boy! Every once in a while, there is nothing like a mommy hug.

Jack and I stayed home from work today because I thought he might feel pretty crummy. He hasn't shown any signs of fever, though, and I haven't noticed any extra fussiness. He's been pretty tired today and that's okay with me. We've had a couple of nice cuddly naps together. If this is the worst of it, I might have to have him immunized more often. Just kidding. Don't tell Jack I said that!

It does a body good.

first milk mustache.

Someday, when Jack is 6'3'' like Richie (or even bigger) and I find myself spending more on groceries than I ever did on daycare, I may have to remind myself of the first week. Sure those hands and feet make us think that Jack really will be 6'3.'' But when we went for his first doctor's appointment and found out that he had lost nearly a pound and were hovering at 6lbs and 10 ounces...we got scared.

Bibi and I took Jack because Richard was back at work for the first time. We were not surprised to find out that his bilirubin as he was starting to get a little bit...orange. But the boy who seemed to have gained an ounce on his first night was losing ground fast. For a couple of days we had been commenting on how cute his wrinkled brow was...how much he looked like a little old man or a puppy whose skin was just a little bit big for his body. The night before we went to see the pedi, I noticed something like powder in his diapers. It turned out that these were both symptoms of fairly serious dehydration.

When the nurse came in and drew blood, little buddy didn't make a peep. We thought he was good natured. The pedi called it lethargy.

The more we talked with Jack's doctor, the more I felt I had been noticing some symptoms for a couple of days. (Both Richard and I had been concerned about dehydration on the last day we were in the hospital. Our nurse said there was nothing to worry about. It isn't in my nature to push further.) I cried. And then I got a plan.

We followed Dr. B's advice and started supplimenting with an ounce of formula at every feeding. Richard got me an emergency appointment with a lactation consultant so that Jack and I could work on our longterm technique. Aunt Lizzie and I spent 48 hours waking Jack every two hours on the hour. We pumped his little arm, laid him on the hard floor, sang and jiggled--all to keep him awake and feeding. Without Biz, I seriously would have thrown in the towel on the nursing. I so wanted to get calories in this boy as fast as I could.

After the first twenty-four hours, Jack had done his part and gained eight ounces. And I felt myself able to breath again.

I learned a couple of Mommy lessons.
1. I am Jack's advocate. Even at three days old, I knew him better than the hospital nurses. I'd known him exactly three days longer. I can trust myself--at least a little--to ask questions on his behalf when it seems like he isn't himself. And I have the right to keep pushing when I think I'm getting the run around.

2. No matter how much I have thought out my parenting philosophy (no bottles, no formula, no exceptions), when it comes down to it, I will throw that plan out the window in a heartbeat to help my son. No doubt. No arguments. No exceptions.

3. Jack is still a mystery. This boy that we were laughing about, the boy we thought would never wear newborn clothes, who had a 99th percentile tummy, who weighed six and a half pounds a month before he was born--well he turned out to be a little bit smaller, a little bit blonder, a little bit more fragile than we imagined. Still, he is exactly who he always was.

And finally...milk. It really does do a body good.