I have been cleared to announce, Baby X = Celeste Bernice. Enjoy.

-D.

Ah, to live in a university town. This week I got a call from the University of Texas Infant Cognition Laboratory asking if Ro might be willing to participate in a study on infant perception. This, of course, tapped right into my scientist side (always looking for data – archaeology isn’t called a social “science” for nothing) so I decided to go for it. We set up an appointment and went in yesterday (unusually cold and rainy for Texas). Basically, they were looking at 7-month old’s ability to perceive images that have been altered to look more like line drawings, with minimal color. So, we went into a darkened room, sat in front of a computer screen, and looked at pictures for a few minutes. All in all, very painless.

For this, Ro got a cool bib:

Also check out this pic:

http://picasaweb.google.com/dpapas665/AuroraPics#5318053662191355410

Just put a ton of new baby pics up.   My account at Flickr expired, so I thought I’d give Picasa a try.   Let me know your feedback on how it goes, if you prefer one or the other from your POV.  Try the control on the sidebar at right, or feel free to check out her and the other album(s) at: http://picasaweb.google.com/dpapas665.

As it turns out, bedtime is a big deal for babies.   So, I am blogging about the switch from the co-sleeper to the big crib. Ro has grown out of her little co-sleeper next to the bed (see photo 1), and I have been debating about what to do next. I briefly considered keeping her in our bed, but its a little too small for three and a little too soft for a baby. On the other hand, I did not want her in a crib by herself in another room, or even on the other side of our room. So, my solution was to take the front rail off the crib and shove it in the co-sleeper’s place next to our bed (see photo 2).

Whoa, you say, is that safe? Well, its about as safe as I can make it. The crib and the bed are strapped together with bungee cords, and there are no gaps between the mattresses. When she gets to crawl stage she will have to go through me, Dave, and across a big bed before she can fall off. Plus, I can keep a very close eye on her.

In fact, that is what I like most about the arrangement so far. In the co-sleeper, I had to look down to see Ro’s face, but this way we are on the same level and can see each other eye-to-eye. She was a bit startled the first night, but seems to be settling in ok.

Sorry for the long hiatus.  I’ve been a bit busy with work travel and such.  Those just up are of Ro all around 3 months, check ‘em out via the Flickr control at right.  Enjoy.

-D.

I was looking at this blog the other day and realized that we have not posted anything since we brought Ro home from the hospital several weeks ago, so now I am trying to rectify the situation with this update. Ro is five weeks old today, and doing very well. All signs of the jaundice have long passed, and now she is on to the more typical baby stuff – eating, sleeping, and pooping.

Any hint of a schedule is folly at this point, but its amazing how much we cling to our old routines. I think that is just about the hardest thing to let go of, maybe even more than the sleep. I think it is because Dave and I have had so many years to establish our pattern of daily life, that letting it go is even harder than if we were newly married and in our 20s. On the flip side however, I really think we have a bit more patience with her than if we were younger. So, all told it is probably better that we waited.

Within these past few weeks Ro has grown bigger (9 pounds now!) and has changed in other ways too, both good (hints at smiling now) and bad (lots more spitting up). I hear that these first few months go by really fast and there is so much development, but I have to admit that it is harder for me to see since I am with her all day. We have this collection of clothes for 6-month old babies that I can’t even imagine her fitting into – I guess I will have to see it to believe it. I know, I know, when she is 6 months old I will look at it totally differently…..

At long last, after 6 days and change of hospital stay, we’re all home.  Seton was most generous in letting us occupy our room for so long, and it really helped.  As much as I detest hospitals, the staff was extremely friendly and I can’t imagine having had to sit around the house waiting for an update.  Anyhow, those of you in town, feel free to schedule a visit.  2 rules: no kissing, no pinching.   Speaking of the baby here, of course; you can always pinch and kiss me.

Well, I have been in the hospital for almost a full week – one day for labor, two for postnatal care, and another three days nesting and looking after Ro in the NICU. As Dave mentioned, we are still borrowing our mother/baby room from Seton, and I have been pretty much living between the two floors. It did not help that I was not able to walk for the first 4 days, but time is a pretty good healer and I am now up and around. So, lunch today will be my foray out of doors.

As for the title of this post, I am finding the round-the-clock pumping not as bad as I thought it would be, and I am wondering if that is due to my aforementioned limits to one small room (I have had some practice living out of hotel rooms for two weeks), and your body does seem to adapt to power napping when it is needed. I can see myself looking forward to a full night’s sleep though (many months from now ).

One last thing – Dave and I just had our first 3-minute conversation about poop today, something we would not have even contemplated before. Also, more people have seen my naughty bits in the last week than in the last 37 years; modesty and parenthood do not mix! I will leave it up to you to decide which is better.

Well, Seton hasn’t ousted us just yet, which is good since Ro isn’t quite done with the phototherapy. Her bilirubin levels have dropped about a point a day for the past 2 days, so we’re on our way, but it’s still a long, agonizing wait.

Breastmilk anyone?

Our days right now revolve largely around us traveling back and forth a floor for feedings in the NICU every 3 hours or so. Sometimes bottle, sometimes breast, but Mindy’s been doing a lot of pumping to cover the couple of feedings we can’t make it up for. Meh, it’s a routine, even if one we hadn’t counted on. It’s been kind of nice in one respect; we’re basically getting full time nursery service so we can skive off and get some sleep. Still, it’ll be nice to have her out of there.

I promise I’m not trying to keep Mindy from y’all, but my service as press secretary is allowing her time to take care of various mommy and convalescence business. I tell you, once you learn to live with a breast pump regularly around, truly very little will strike you as strange anymore.

Overpopulation in many parts of the world is a fact, but after you’ve seen a NICU in operation, you wonder how our species could be considered so durable and weedy. Newborns look fragile enough without seeing them in that state. It’s like a nursing home I suppose, only the specter of mortality is strangely twisted up with the hope of potential. The staff nevertheless keep a fairly upbeat energy about the place. Very odd that, optimism is not generally my strong suit.

Anyhow, Mindy is discharged, but still gimpy. Ro is still doing light therapy in said NICU, but looking steady overall. Seton has allowed us to “nest” here in our recovery room for an extra day or two so we can continue to visit Ro on short notice, be around for feedings and such. She is the largest baby in the block by far, most of them up there being preemies and, not to draw any hard conclusions here (as the hospital is an especially metropolitan place) very frequently non-white, FWIW. For those various reasons, we feel a little out of place up there, but the folks up there in the NICU have been pretty nice to us, and quite helpful. It helps the staff all seem to like her, but I suspect her charm is just a powerful, sinister ruse.