Vacation 1

We're on vacation this week, so I thought would populate the blog on time-delay with some pictures taken before we left last week.

The twenty-eighth week

Sigh.

Madeline has been sick this week. She ran a fever on Tuesday and Wednesday, seemed to get better on Thursday, and then got worse today. The fever returned and she didn't want to eat or sleep in the evening. I finally got her to sleep just now, almost four hours after her normal bed time.

And Lacey's sick, too.

And we're scheduled to leave tomorrow morning for the week-long beach vacation we've been planning for months.

I'm not going to think too deeply about the timing of everything - how we've all been healthy since Madeline was born, and then fell ill in the days before our first family trip. We still plan to go - the beach could be a good place to recover. And we'll have some extended family there to help spread the duties. I just hope we can get some sleep before tomorrow morning's 4-hour drive.

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Addendum: Madeline slept until about 2:30 before waking up crying and completely stuffed up. We gave her some medicine and I ended up walking her around the house for an hour as she continued to cry. I think she was frightened since she wasn't able to breathe through her nose - it's the first time she's ever experienced that sensation. I was able to rock her to sleep at about 3:30, but I held her in the rocking chair through the night so I could keep her upright and hopefully keep her uncongested. It seemed to work, even though I didn't get much sleep. It's been a long time since we've had a night like that!

The fever

It has not escaped my notice that Madeline hasn't been sick in her entire life. She was diagnosed months ago with acid reflux, but that's more of a condition than a sickness. Otherwise she's been happy and sniffle-free.

That all changed this week with today's odd and surprising diagnosis of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (not to be confused with hoof-and-mouth disease, which affects livestock and is unrelated to the human illness).

Madeline came down with a slight fever yesterday, but it wasn't high enough to warrant a visit to the doctor. She was also very tired all day and not quite as interested in eating her solid foods. We attributed her symptoms to the vaccines she received during her regular checkup the day before.

When her fever increased today we made an appointment with the pediatrician. After a few questions and a short inspection, the doctor hit us with the diagnosis. He mentioned he's seen several similar cases in the last few weeks, and that the disease is common among children under 2. It's a viral infection, so there's nothing we can do but let it run its course while treating the symptoms with ibuprofen. The fever should last about three days, and a sore throat is common with this virus. She should be back to normal within a week.

We suspect Madeline contracted the virus during a visit to our neighborhood playground last weekend. I guess this is a taste of what childhood is like - constantly picking up germs from all the unsanitary surfaces she comes in contact with.

Six-month check-in

Today Madeline had her six-month check-in with the pediatrician. She weighs 18 pounds, 6 ounces and is 26.75 inches long. She's grown an inch and a quarter since her last check-in, at the end of July, and put on 1 pound, 7 ounces. That's 23 ounces, or 0.6 ounces a day, over the last 38 days.

She's gaining weight at a lower rate now, down from a high of about an ounce a day a few months ago. She's in the 90th percentile for weight, but the doctor said she's "perfect" and will start to thin out in the face and tummy once she starts walking in another few months.

Madeline also got four immunizations today, in the form of injections in her thighs. The doctor said this is the last time she'll get four immunizations at once, which is nice. We didn't hear Madeline cry during the shots, and she was quiet and happy when she was done. In fact, she's been pleasant in the hours since the shots - the last two times she's had rough afternoons after getting her immunizations.

Not that we were worried, but the doctor says everything is right on track, from Madeline's development to her eating to her sleeping. Our next scheduled check-in is at nine months, which will be the beginning of December.

Good morning vomit

On weekend mornings I get to sleep in for an extra hour or so. On these days I am always delighted, upon awakening from a restful slumber, to see Lacey bring our adorable baby daughter into our bedroom to say good morning.

Today, as usual, Madeline was placed on the bed next to me and started grabbing my face and cooing cheerfully. She ended up stretched across my chest, her hands patting my cheeks softly as she happily nuzzled her face next to mine. I was enjoying the moment when suddenly I felt a quick spasm in her stomach and was instantly doused in a wave of warm vomit. Directly on my face. First thing in the morning.

Lacey, being the loving, helpful wife that she is, immediately burst into laughter. Madeline, too, broke into a wide, "did-I-do-that?" grin.

There are many unpleasant things you expect as a parent, and spit-up in the face should probably be one of them. If only it could have waited until after my first cup of coffee.

Playing to (and with) the camera

Here's a video taken a couple weeks ago as Madeline was practicing sitting by herself on the couch. Seems like she was more interested in the camera than her sitting.

The twenty-seventh week

Madeline and I have a fun game we like to play. I lay her in the middle of our bed and slowly start to leave the room. She'll watch intently and sometimes make a squawk or chirp as I get farther away. Then I'll quickly spin around to face her, and her expression shifts from a look of nervous suspense to a broad smile. I rush back to her and she starts to squeal and squirm with delight, often breaking into a full laugh as I swoop down and embrace her and nuzzle her belly.

It can be quite a boost to one's ego when there's someone who is always so smitten by you - someone who beams when they see you and who becomes calm and comforted when held by you (and only you). Someone who is perfectly content just to be with you. It goes beyond the fact that she's dependent upon us - in addition to taking care of her needs, we make her happy.

As I write this, I realize the situation is mutual. Madeline has become the foundation of our lives as well. She makes us happy - being with her makes me forget everything else, and not worry that I am forgetting it. She has become a natural part of our lives, no longer a foreign entity that must be accounted for. Instead of "the two of us" and the baby, it's now "the three of us."

I understand it's all temporary. Eventually she will be embarrassed by everything I do or say. Instead of smiling at the sight of me she will roll her eyes, if she even acknowledges me at all. We'll take that as it comes, but for now I plan to enjoy being the center of someone's universe, no matter how tiny that universe is.

Drama queen

Sometimes Madeline just likes to hear herself make noise. Her babbling, aimed at no one, will be interspersed with halfhearted coughs - not because she needs to clear her throat but, I think, because she likes the way it sounds.

Sit, play

We're almost getting to the point where Madeline can sit by herself and play. Often we'll place a pillow behind her in case she tumbles, but she's pretty good about staying upright even when she gets excited or is reaching for something close by. I think she likes the new perspective - sometimes she'll fuss when she's on her back but become happy when we sit her up.

Breaking through

Madeline's bottom front teeth have finally revealed themselves. Occasional grumpiness has been the only real side effect over the last couple of weeks, but a teething ring usually helps (it also helps to just pick her up, which tells me that the grumpiness might not be entirely a result of teething, but just that she wants more attention).

Madeline seems happy to experiment with her new teeth by biting down on objects in her mouth rather than sucking on them. For instance, she'll clamp down on the spoon while we're feeding her, and she's also been gnawing on the ears of one of her stuffed bunny toys.