Lara and I are once again at the pediatrician, not for any particular reason, just a routine visit, weight check and the basics. He is almost 10 pounds, 9.9. This puts him a little ahead of the preemie weight gain schedule. This is partly due to what I call rage gorging, whereby he grabs a boob or a bottle and smushes it and its contents into his face, yelling and fidgeting simultaneously. I find that his rage gorging unintentionally hilarious. Our cat Luke exercises similar behavior as he tries to shovel a much food down his face in the shortest possible time and starts growling if anyone even looks like they may interrupt. That’s Jaxon rage gorging.
As typical, the resident pediatrician was smitten with Jaxon as he naturally was on his best behavior – smiling on cue, looking innocently into people’s eyes even while pooping twice in 20 minutes in the doctor’s office. We chalked this up as a side effect of rage gorging. That said, no one smiles when I poop, especially at a medical facility. Only Jaxon can make pooping adorable. Jaxon was so cute that the pediatrician took a few moments to get some cuddles in, just like a normal person.
Other than that weight check and relatively minor typical baby issues – a diaper rash, questions about if they butchered the boy’s junk during circumcision (no), and a general discussion of if we are doing this all wrong; there is nothing to report. Jaxon is healthy and right were he should be developmentally.
As most of you told us, we has reached his normalcy point where while he doesn’t sleep through the night, his nightly sleep pattern is more like a typical baby. This typically means maniacal rage eating twice between the hours of 11:00p and 6:00a, pooping once or twice, and most importantly, sleeping in between. Lara and I can now sleep when he sleeps, something people said we should do but somehow could not be done initially. In those early dark times of month two, the only times he slept at night was in our arms. Now, he fusses a bit but is genuinely asleep most of the night. It’s not always a quiet sleep as he occasionally gurgles and snorts, but it’s much, much better now. We no longer are considering the purchase of exotic baby bassinets that cost about the same as a decent used car. He currently sleeps in his exotic baby bean bag bed, which is totally different. Jax might be ready for a traditional flat mattress soon, which would be a significant turning point in our sleep journey.
I want to take a moment to thank Patricia and Bill Fife who traveled from the great state of New York to spend time with Jaxon last week. This included the occasional cuddles, belly pokes, and smiling faces. Mostly, they performed the yeoman’s task of going on long strolls with Jaxon to the local Franciscan Monastery or around our middling middle class faux suburban neighborhood. Despite rising temperatures, they somehow didn’t spontaneously combust while walking on higher heat index days. Honestly, I was a little worried but I should have known better as they have overcome much more significant challenges. Lara, Jax, and I are thankful that this didn’t happen. More importantly, this gave Jaxon’s parents the opportunity to sleep, clean the house, or do nothing. As a bonus, we had conversations surrounding a variety of topics – from the mundane to world affairs. Rarely do I get a chance to talk about Robert Moses, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and importance of quality wine and cheese. It was a nice respite from baby talk or talk about the baby, or babbling.
Again, thank you all for your support.