1 Month Check Up!

Holden had his supposed "one month" check up today. A little late, I know...But our pediatrician is apparently very busy, so we couldn't get in until yesterday.

He now weighs a whopping 11 lbs 6 oz, and measures 22 inches long! That is, the 60% percentile in weight (my little chunky monkey!) and the 30% for height. What a big boy!

The doctor said he checked out just fine! And asked if we wanted to go ahead and get his 2 month vaccinations.

Undoubtedly this is a day most new parents dread, as having people stick your baby with large needles isn't exactly a picnic.

He was vaccinated for polio, whooping cough, rotavirus, hib, hepatitis B, and pneumococcal disease. Luckily, three of these were in one shot, for a total of three sticks. Still, watching his little face go from content to tragic broke my heart.

Surprisingly, though, as soon as I picked him up and cuddled him (while struggling to restrain tears myself) he calmed back down. I had imagined him to cry all the way home and be fussy for the rest of the day, but he was OK. I gave him some grape infant Tylenol, and the world was good.

ps : The look on his face after tasting the Tylenol was classic... adorable!

Umbilical Hernia

Since Holden's cord stump has fallen off, his belly button has increasingly grown in size. Alarmed by this, Alex and I first turned to Dr. Google to see if we couldn't find out what was going on before his one month examination.

We discovered that he has what is called an umbilical hernia. MayoClinic.com defines it as a common, harmless condition that "occurs when part of the intestine protrudes through a weak spot in the abdominal muscles."



It should hopefully go away on its own within a year.

In the last few weeks, we've seen it increase in size, so we opted to see the pediatrician today just to put our minds at ease. He basically told us what we already knew from our online research, and added that he has seen them grow up to 4 times the size of what Holden's is now, but are harmless. I hope that it doesn't get any larger. It just looks so awful already, poor baby!

We left the doctor's office feeling a bit more relieved. We will go back next week for his regular check-up, where he will get his first set of vaccinations. Stay tuned for updates!

P.S. Holden now weighs 10 pounds and 9 ounces!

Testimonials

Naturally, becoming new parents opens us up to an entirely new market spectrum: the baby market.

Naturally, if I try a new product, I feel entitled to write a review for it. Not because my opinion is the be-all of new mothers, but because I feel testimonials are helpful for others venturing into this new consumer wonderland. Online reviews have a hefty influence on what types and brands of products I buy. I hope this helps someone.

That being said...

Diapers

I absolutely hate Huggies brand diapers. Perhaps it's only the newborn size, but I have had nothing but leaks, blowouts, and difficulty putting them on.

1. The cut-out beneath the belly-button to leave room for the umbilical stump is a hindrance rather then a help. Parents of baby boys beware = you will have leakage via this opening, 'lest you strap your baby so tight that his legs lack circulation. 2. The sides are not snug enough to prevent poo from creeping out. 3. These diapers are just more difficult to position on baby. It takes me several times to adjust to make sure it is not riding too high or too low.

So what diapers would I recommend? Pampers. All the way. Again, this just applies for the newborn size, but I have had no problems at all with them. They are thin but very absorbent, breathable, and snug as a bug.

Wipes

However. I applaud Huggies for the quality of their wipes. They are thick and just textured enough to get the most out of a single wipe. Also, the lid of their containers feature a "feed" that enables you to pull out single wipes while keeping the others moist.

So far, we do not like the Pure and Gentle brand baby wipes. They are thin and do not get much mileage. They also do not utilize the "feed" feature. You have to open the entire container and risk grabbing too many while letting the others potentially dry out.

Swaddlers

We fell in love with the Kiddopotamus product "SwaddleMe". These are perfect, because I stood in awe of the nurses' ability to swaddle babies like it ain't no thang, and failed miserably at duplicating it. These make it easy to wrap baby up nice and tight without him kicking or punching out of it. The fleece wraps are awesome for cooler weather. We are going to have to buy a bigger size soon!

That's it for now. Stay tuned for more reviews as we experience more baby gear!

Rockin' and (More Importantly) Rolling!

New mom here!

I forgot to mention in the last post that Holden has hit an important milestone! (At least, important to us "gaga" parents)

Last week during tummy time, he figured out how to roll onto his back!

From what I understand, this is very early for him to be doing this. I thought maybe it was just a one time deal, but my little man surpassed my expectations when he did it again not once but twice when I was back in Wichita! Honest to goodness, as grandma and Uncle Matt as his witness, he did!

It takes him a while, but several frustrated shrieks and a few wobbles later he is on his side, and then eventually onto his back. What a rockstar.

Baby's First Blog Post.

Greetings!

When Holden was born, my mother gave me excerpts from her diary on her hopes, fears, and firsts as a young mother raising me. I'm creating this blog to do the same for my son.

Follow along as my husband Alex and I document both pictorially and verbally the craziness that is becoming new parents.

Feel free to laugh, these things don't come with instruction manuals.