FirstMonth

Week 1	Stress is high with a new baby in the house. We wonder if we're doing anything right. Surprise visits from in-laws make mom a LITTLE stressed, ... Brings out the "Walker" in me. But I get over it. I'm tired and healing and I've got a yellow baby! Oh yes. The baby is jaundiced, so we have to make frequent trips to the pediatrician, to check his Bilirubin level. If a high initial Bilirubin level is any indication that Curren will make a good Jedi, this kid's very powerful with the Force! Curren's feet were pricked many times to take blood. We were told to strip him down twice a day and sit him in indirect sunlight until the yellow went away. By the middle of the week, his Bilirubin was back to normal and we had a pink & pretty baby again. Of course, there was also the problem with constipation. The pediatrician suggested suppositories. Umm,... We're supposed to stick WHAT ... WHERE? Jack gets to see his grandson for the first time. A wonderful welcome back after having to attend to sad family matters in Colorado. We take MANY pictures of the baby. MANY pictures. Only a few of them are worth a damn! :-)
Week 2	I really need some sleep. I'm still not getting the hang of the breast feeding thing, and I'm worried that Curren's not gaining back his birth weight because of the jaundice. The jaundice, by now, has cleared. I'm still trying to figure out Curren's cries. He doesn't cry unless there's already a problem. Usually, it's hunger. We freak and decide to start supplementing Curren's diet with formula, because I'm not producing enough milk - I thought! Trust me, PUMPING is HARD! Whether hand held or electronic, PUMPING is HARD! I didn't like it ONE bit! We begin giving Curren a bottle or two of formula a night to supplement feedings. Bad Idea. We put a mirror in the bassinet with him Good Idea.
Week 3	Curren's constipation has returned, with a vengeance. But otherwise, he's a happy healthy baby! He does some strange, cute things... a sly smile out of the corner of his face... I KNOW it is NOT gas! He still hasn't produced that "Social Smile" yet, but we're supposed to give it time... Curren is STRONG! He tries to climb you if you hold him right! He's constantly trying to hold up that head, he just holds it up at this angle, straining for a few seconds, kind of looks like a turtle... then... WHAM! If you're not careful, his head will try to fall forward really quick.
Week 4	We took Curren off the formula supplement. After reading everything I could about supplementing, I soon find out that Curren is getting enough from me and that he will still take an extra bottle even if he isn't hungry. Also, if I continue to supplement with formula, eventually he will not take my milk at all. I'd rather not give up on breast feeding, no matter how frustrating it is, right now. Hmmm,... Put Curren back on a 100% Mom diet and his constipation DISAPPEARS! Looks like the formula was blocking him up. Not a good sign. Curren likes to play a game with us now called: Spit out the binky then SCREAM like a BANSHEE until Mommy or Daddy put it back in my mouth Curren plays this game at 2:00 & 3:00 in the morning. Solution: give him the breast. He'll feed. He'll sleep. Even if I don't. We took Curren to see Dan's family on the 17th. We also met Susan, Ken's (Dan's uncle) new wife. The family simply adores this baby. Continues to coo over how beautiful he is. Curren IS a good looking child. But I get a little freaked at how people react to how pretty he is. Then I look down at him and I realize -- Geezuz, what a BEAUTIFUL child! Dan had his first Father's Day, Sunday. Even though he didn't act like it was anything special, I think it was still a good day for us. I had Curren send Dan a couple of e-greeting cards, and I sent Dan a couple, myself. We love our Hexa. He's a good man, a good husband, and a good Father with a capital F. I couldn't do this without him. Curren will be a better man because of him. Another trick Curren has learned somewhere along the line. He grips the handle of his Binky, now. He can't put it back in his mouth, but he can find it with his hand and hold on to it,... occasionally pulling it out. Refer to Curren's favorite game, above!
Week 5	We're still waiting on that first "Social Smile" but Curren is doing some odd things. He "talks" in his sleep. I know he got that from my (Kim's) side of the family! My father used to yell out the strangest things in his sleep. (The most famous quote: Get MacDougal!) Curren will coo, grunt, smile -- yes SMILE -- cough, gurgle, sigh, and just make NOISE in his sleep! It freaks us out! He's getting MUCH better at sleeping through the night. But we're not counting our luck just yet! He's also getting better at putting his hand to his mouth, and learning to use his hands. He's still doing a lot of the newborn reflexes, the Moro reflex, plantar & palmer reflexes... that sort of thing. And he's growing SOOOOOO fast! We took him to Dan's class reunion, yesterday. We saw a baby almost 10 weeks older than him who was his size. Granted, she was small. But our boy is BIG and getting bigger! As we gain more time, we're actually getting things accomplished around Curren. Yes,... BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS WILL BE SENT SOON!
back to top	It's now been a month. We're still trying to get the hang of this.