Moriarty Week 6

This week has been very polarized. We got our first clear signs of colic, and our first actual smile. Moriarty seems to sundown some days. One horrific evening he screamed for 3 or 4 hours, only sometimes settling down when we bounced him or vigorously danced him around the room. For stretches of up to half an hour we was completely inconsolable. Not gassy, wet, or hungry, just screaming. It's either colic or he's practicing for a career in heavy metal. The pediatrician told us the fact that he requires hours of walking/bouncing/dancing every day means we've found the one thing that calms him, otherwise he'd be screaming those hours too and the colic would have been more obvious. 

The smile was much more delightful, and made me cry. He's been making proto smiles for a week or so, but they weren't clearly in response to us. This time we were playing on the floor and I looked down at him and smiled (which I do often) and he smiled back. Pure magic. 

He's experiencing explosive radiating growth. He was 8 lb 11 oz at birth and was 11 lb 3 oz at the end of last week. He's growing out of the 0-3 clothes. He's solidly in 3 month clothes and will start migrating into 3-6 soon. A co-worker of mine with a 1 year old son donated lots of old clothes so we have some on hand. Despite becoming gigantic, he's actually decrasing in weight percentile. At birth he was around the 80th percentile, now he's more like the 72nd. Same for head size. He's still growing well, but you could say he's regressing to the mean.

His eyes are focusing much better now. When he's looking around it's often directly at us, and watching us. He's noticing the contrasting things in the room more. We have the pink/red cherry blossom mural that he likes to look at now, and a bright blue octopus on a green background. He also noticed the frog hanging above his changing table for the first time today (it's been there a week). His little brain is starting to actually take in the world. He's also willing to spend more time awake in his swing, which I take as less constant need for my smell/sound/touch. He is still spending ~6 hours a day on me which makes things like eating and getting the bathroom difficult, not to mention chores (which clearly then become Pip's job).

The last exciting milestone of the week is a giant head lift during tummy time. Ok, giant by Moriarty's standards. He'd gotten a little better at lifting his head last week but this week I was shocked at how high he lifted it. Pip and I were having naked baby tummy time and he held his head up like a turtle coming out of it's shell. Awesome. 

Next week Phil will be in town and we'll have a special Grandpa edition.

Moriarty Week 5

This week has been mostly about Moriarty's head. For starters, he's doing much better with tummy time. He can actually lift up his head, and turn it from side to side. This is impressive considering his head is in the 95th percentile. He has one enormous cranium. But he's growing big and strong and will achieve the largest neck muscles known to baby. Heads are also important in calming the baby down. Many of the things parents do to calm the baby include bouncing in your arms, bouncing on your knee, bouncing on a yoga ball, bouncing around the house, and dancing, while bouncing, and in my case singing. All of this is primarily to jiggle the baby's head. Yes, a little head jiggle does make him happy. 

We took our first car ride together. Pip had driven the baby around a few times, but I hadn't done it alone. I was terrified. He slept. On our second time out the world came to an end. I was heading into a particularly traffic light heavy intersection, with added construction. Moriarty got a wet diaper. He screamed at the top of his lungs. I'd never heard him scream that loud. He'd gasp and choke and keep screaming. It took about 5 minutes to get through the intersection and into a parking lot safely. We changed his diaper on the seat and the screaming magically stopped. Sheesh. 

Pip and I decided our anniversary wasn't a date, it was whenever the cherry trees bloom. That's been going on for the last week so we took the baby to the Arboretum and wandered around the cherry trees that began the chain of events that is him. He smelled his first daffodil and rhododendron. Well, like all times we have him in the carrier he was asleep, but I'm sure his brain took in the delightful scents. He's also staying with a babysitter for the first time tonight. Pip and I are going to our favorite Italian restaurant sans baby. 

Moriarty Week 4

Spring has exploded in Seattle. I've also healed enough to start taking real walks. Moriarty and I have gone walking around the neighborhood enjoying first the plums, then the magnolias and of course cherry blossoms. He rides in the Moby which is one of our magical devices. The first magical item is gripe water. It's this herbal stuff with no official medical claims, but nine out of ten times it cures his hiccups. It's pure magic. It stops much suffering. The Moby is the second piece of magical gear. When he's cranky (or screaming) I can put him in and bounce around a little and he goes to sleep. Every time so far except once when I realized right after I put him in he was wet (again) and  suddenly hungry. Not even a magic wrap could counter that. The next magic object is when we dance. I even calm down the 'I'm hungry' crying that happens while we wait for the bottle warmer. Dancing calms him and me so it's synergistic magic.

In addition to magic items, I also have a cursed item. A specific black shirt of mine is the only one he's peed on, but he's done it three times. Clearly  he's trying to send me a message about my fashion choices.

We initiated the pressure for Moriarty to pursue ridiculous and semi-meaningless higher education (AKA PhDs) with his first University visit. One of my colleagues was having one of her PhD exams and I wanted to both support her and show off the baby. Many people cooed over him though he wasn't nearly as interested in the posters on the walls as I hoped. He slept, and well, I guess he can't actually SEE the posters so I shouldn't be too disappointed. His literary inspiration was both a math professor and super villain so we feel obligated to continue his indoctrination at home, and included pics in this week's gallery.

We started the disposables vs. cloth experiment. We like experiments. Moriarty is our test subject. We have tried 3 brands of disposables now in a range of eco friendliness, and 5 brands of cloth diapers. I thought I had a plan, but I'm second guessing myself. I have choice paralysis.

We were on a waiting list for daycare, planning to start in a couple weeks, but that isn't working out as planned. They think the earliest we can get a spot is July or August. Since I intend to go back to work long before then we're talking to a nanny friend of mine who has the time to watch Moriarty full time. We're still talking about specifics, but I think this will be a much more flexible option for the near term and he'll be with someone I trust.

Moriarty Week 3

I think Moriarty needs therapy. He's incredibly co-dependent and terrible at identifying his emotions and articulating them. If he starts therapy now, he'll be the most well adjusted person ever! 


The biggest highlight of the week was that his stump fell off. When we last saw the pediatrician it was coming off at one side, but it took another 4 days to fall off on its own. We saved it and put it in a mounted cabinet full of rocks, dried flowers, artificial fulgurites, a 3D printed aorta (our friend Ratha's, specifically), and now a dried umbilical stump. Over the course of that evening the skin moved and reshaped in cool (or gross) ways. Pics in the gallery.

The pediatrician encouraged us to have more 'tummy time'. Moriarty mostly hates it. He'll be fine for 1-5 minutes then start to scream. He can lift his head and move it from one side to the other, but he doesn't enjoy it at all. The doc said it's important to motivate him to use his body on purpose, and avoid flat spots on his head. When I hold him vertically he is fine at moving his head around and controlling where he wants to look. He also spends a lot (read: possibly a ridiculous amount) of time in my arms either asleep with his head on my shoulder or in a frog position on my chest. I'm not worried about flat head syndrome. Maybe co-dependent-mother-syndrome is more likely.


One challenge with holding the baby so much is that he gets ridiculously hot. I thought he was peeing through his clothes a lot, but it was really just sweat. They say you should dress a baby in one more layer than the adults are wearing, but he is better if he's wearing one less. Around the house Pip and I wear hoodies, long pants, and socks. Moriarty is optimal in short sleeve onesies without his legs or feet covered (based on the temp of his hands and the back of his neck).

Overall the baby acne is getting better but now his whole forehead is dry and peeling. It looks terrible, but it doesn't seem to be hurting him.

Moriarty Week 2

Moriarty decided to get his first tattoo, a commentary in response to the recent measles epidemic from anti-vax nonsense. He now has red spots all over his face. It's actually baby acne. It came on quickly over the course of about 2 days and really freaked me out. Turns out it's quite normal and should go away in a few weeks. It has to do with hormones he got from me finally wearing off, and his own turning on for the first time. At the moment has a face only a mother (and father) could love.

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We added a new reason for crying this week. Last week is was exclusively hungry, gassy, or wet/dirty. This week we added tired. He is now awake enough that he gets sleepy and needs help calming down and going back to sleep. I've been doing a lot of rocking and singing to help him along. In doing so I discovered that I know about half of the words to a LOT of songs (often mixing lines from multiple verses), but all of the words to very few. Conveniently, I can pull up lyrics on my phone to help me while I'm singing. Moriarty doesn't care, but I'm increasing my repertoire. When he's active we sing showtunes and dance. When he's sleepy it's mostly standards. My current favorite to sing to him is That's All, originally recorded by Nat King Cole. I think it could have easily been written about a mother to a child.

I also successfully sang two of Mom's songs to him without choking up and having to stop. It's so important to me that I bring some of her into his life but it's been hard. (Gladwins, for reference, my mother was a nationally award winning children's songwriter and poet who passed away 7 years ago)

Moriarty has nocturnal lagophthalmos. That's the medical term for terrifying exorcist-looking eye movements while he's asleep. He'll open his eyes like he's looking at me, smile, then roll them back in his head. He's completely asleep, but he can sleep with his eyes partly or completely open. So creepy! He's also a very noisy sleeper. He makes squeaky noises, whistling sounds, tiny cries, giggles and grunts. 

He's gained weight and some height, but isn't proportioned for baby clothes. They're all a little loose in the chest, a bit too long and WAY too small in the neck. We have to keep the top snap undone on most of the onesies or they dig into his giant neck. His changing table is next to a window smooshed against a tree. He's discovered the stark dark and light patterns the leaves make against the sky and it helps him stay calm and happy during his changes.

To introduce him to other loves of my life, we had our first trip to the coffee shop. We strapped him in the Ergo and walked to Top Pot (no donuts for the baby, or coffee for that matter). I successfully got him into the Moby wrap (a rather complicated stretchy fabric contraption that is great once it's fitted properly). We'd had 2 failed attempts before where he screamed but I got it! We also had our first bath. He pooped in his bath tub (AKA our kitchen sink) making cleaning him somewhat futile, but it was a good first effort. Pip sterilized the sink afterward.

Pictures for the second week are up. Same password.

 

That's All Lyrics

I can only give you love that lasts forever,
And a promise to be near each time you call.
And the only heart I own
For you and you alone
That´s all,
That´s all.

I can only give you country walks in springtime
And a hand to hold when leaves begin to fall,
And a love whose burning light
Will warm the winter night
That´s all,
That´s all.

There are those I am sure who have told you,
They would give you the world for a toy.
All I have are these arms to enfold you,
And a love time can never destroy.

If you´re wondering what I´m asking in return, dear,
You´ll be glad to know that my demands are small.
Say it´s me that you´ll adore,
For now and evermore
That´s all,
That´s all.

Moriarty Week 1

He made a stubborn entrance into the world. I hope this doesn't portend future behavior. It was 42 hours between the time we checked in and us forcing his hand to make him come out. I plan to hold that against him in the future.

The first couple days were really rough because I was  stuck in an uncomfortable hospital bed not really able to  walk, and Pip was stuck on a more uncomfortable hospital  chair. Moriarty didn't cry a ton, and actually slept 5.5  hours at a stretch before we realized we should wake  him up to feed him. Oops. Parenting mistake #1 of  uncountable infinity. Pam and Kent were in and out to  help, helping me get some much needed sleep. The nurses  also did a ton of work.

Things got more fun when we took him home. For the  first few weeks Pip and I planned to sleep in shifts. Our  sleep schedules are normally pretty different, but we  planned for 1 parent to be up all the time so the other  could get restful sleep. This worked great! I'm actually  healing and making up some sleep debt! It also means I  get some quiet time with just Moriarty, and some as a  family. We've been working out lots of hacks and  simplifications so we can fix bottles with lightning speed  and whatnot. At the moment we've been feeding him  whenever he's hungry and stopping when he seems full.  That is about every half hour to hour. That's a lot of  short sessions.

OK, on to the baby milestones. The first couple days he  reacted loudly to being cold. Now he doesn't mind not  having on clothes for a few minutes. He makes a lot of  accidental smiles. Face twitches and shapes that are  smiles to us, but not in control for him. They still make  me giggle. He also makes the Blue Steel face from Zoolander with the big eyes and rounded mouth. I'm trying to get a picture but it's elusive. 

We've taken a couple family naps. We got a co-sleeper  that sits in our bed and that lets us touch him if he's  stirring to comfort him, and have him nearby. When he's  bigger we'll move him out of the bed for now this is  great. We also took our first family walk around the  neighborhood. Pip put him our Ergo carrier and we walked  a few blocks and looked at the flowering plums just  starting to bloom. We'll take him to the cherry trees  when they explode in a few weeks!

Overall I think he's a great baby. He seems to mostly cry  when something's wrong. It's gas, or he's wet, or  hungry. Occasionally because he's restless and wants to  be held, but then he calms quickly. This could change at  any time, but for now it's awesome.

We had our first doctor's visit. He's right on track for  weight and growth. He reacted well to the visual  stimulation and range of motion testing. The doctor did  suggest we start feeding him a little more and extending  the time between feedings to more like 3 hours. I had my  first parental emotional meltdown (mostly on the inside)  at the thought of my baby being sad and crying because  he was hungry. But Pip is the rational parent and had  suggestions for how to work up to it, not make our baby  suffer, and help him progress. I know it'll be important  for him to have skills like these for our sanity and for  starting daycare in 6-8 weeks, but I have a lot of new  mom hormones and NO ONE hurts my baby! We  successfully made it 2 hours tonight. Pip and Moriarty  are still napping (I woke up) and at the 2.5 hour mark.  We'll get this! This is an opportunity for growth, and I  never shy away from those. :-)