Meet Murray! (15 Weeks, 2 Days)

Okay, one last roadtrip/wedding post....We were very excited to have Zeke meet his cousin Murray who was born just 3 days before Zeke. Just 3 days! We originally thought there would be 3 weeks between the babies, but Murray was a little overdue and Zeke was a little early and they met in between. They are practically the same age and same size. Here are photos of their first encounter and of Murray with his mom Betsy and his dad Robert. Don't they look like they could be in a Baby Bjorn ad?

More Photos from the Wedding (15 Weeks, 1 Day)

Gabrielle's wedding two weeks ago was a lot of fun (despite any worrying or whining I might have done about the car ride). To start, there was the wedding. Lovely, lovely. I really like going to weddings, but I love going to weddings when everything from the clothes to the vows to the food really suits the couple. By this, I mean a wedding where you get a distinct sense of the couple's combined style and of their relationship. I'm going to have to wait awhile, but I bet having that sort of wedding is a good sign of a good marriage. Here is a photo of Gabrielle and Steven as they say their "I do's". I can't imagine a better wedding for them.

Aside from the celebration, though, it was a great time to introduce Zeke to Aaron's family. Aaron enjoyed showing him off greatly. More than a couple of Aaron's family pulled me to the side to say that they thought they had never seen Aaron happier and that he seemed to just be such a natural with Zeke. Aaron's family was also very responsive to Zeke's name and I got teary eyed at least a few times when family told me what it meant to them.

Zeke was pretty cute -- who am I kidding?? -- he was very cute. This despite his being a little out of sorts about the cute outfit we put him in. It was a lightweight outfit with blue overalls that we really invested some time in picking out. However, it stayed on for as long as the ceremony and then it was right off.

Zeke's cousin Murray also had the same issue and they both ended up stripped of their supercute overalls and in their white onesies. I don't think it mattered to their great grandparents who seemed over the moon to have both of their brand new great grandsons together and with them. Here is a photo of that moment.

The First 100 Days (14 Weeks, 3 Days)

This week we reached a new milestone of sorts. Yesterday, Zeke was 100 days old. Again I ask: Has it been that long of a time? Has it been that short of a time? Yes and yes. I guess this will always be the paradox that will Zeke will always be my baby, but he will be growing up, too.

My good friend wrote me to ask me if I had found Zeke's mom yet, a question I posed just after Zeke was born. For better or worse, I think I have. Let me introduce myself: I'm tired, I don't keep the house neat and I forget everything. (I even spent a half hour the other day trying to remember the name of an acquaintance that I had spoken to that day!) That about covers it. And, aside from the small worry here or there about tummy time, whether I sing enough or whether Zeke is eating enough, I feel pretty confident about how we are doing. I think we are doing pretty darn well. Zeke is still sleeping six and even seven hours at a time, he hasn't been sick and he seems to be hitting all the right developmental milestones. As you can tell, we also think that he is pretty photogenic!

These are more photos from the weekend of Gabrielle's wedding. In this photo, he is being held by his Great Uncle Bob and he is being doted on by his grandmother.

We finally went back to the pediatrician today after having had to reschedule the appointment a couple of times. Zeke was so good! He hardly cried at all even though he got three immunization shots, and as I mentioned in a previous post, in the past Zeke has really let the good doctor know his lungs worked. Zeke officially weighed in at 13 and a half pounds. We forgot to ask how tall he was and the doctor forgot to write it down for us. I forgot because I now forget everything and the doctor was a little under the weather. I enjoyed the visit because it is just nice to hear that Zeke is in perfectly healthy condition -- it's not that I thought he was sick, but I sometimes worry that I might just be missing something. I need professional validation!

Have I mentioned I really love our pediatrician's manner? He is just so calm and non-plussed by everything. For most questions, he'll say "That's what some babies do" or "The baby will do something different when he's ready" or "The baby will let you know." Almost every question we have asked can be answered as such: when will the baby start having more than 2 bowel movements a week? When he's ready. Should the baby be getting more than 4 ounces of milk? The baby will let you know. Is it normal for Zeke to gasp and hold his breath when he gets excited? That's what some babies do. The good doctor just removes the worry from any question, but always follows up by letting us know that we can call him or that we can keep any eye on something.

Here are some of the interesting things he told us. We can start Zeke on solids in the next month. He recommends rice cereal followed by fruits and then oatmeal. Really? I don't think that I am ready for Zeke to start eating solids, even if it is more convenient for me as I wouldn't have to nurse or pump as much. I think we'll revisit the issue in a month. Guess it is time to find a high chair.

Also, he said that we can add an ounce of water to Zeke's bottle. After nursing or getting a bottle, Zeke fusses for a few seconds until we put a pacifier in his mouth and then he is fine. We figured that he wasn't hungry, but just enjoyed it. The doctor says a little water would be fine and then I don't have to worry about pumping more milk than I am now.

Finally, we thought Zeke had some bruises on his behind. He has had them since birth, but at first figured that they were from how they pulled him out and then maybe how we were holding him, the carseat, etc. They seemed to fade and then come back. But, no, they are not bruises. The doctor said they are temporary birthmarks known as Mongolian spots, and they are more common in certain races like Asians. Huh. I learn something new everyday with this parenting thing.

Traveling Man (14 Weeks, 1 Day)

Here are the first photos I am posting of our roadtrip to North Carolina two weeks ago. This was the first major trip for Zeke (other than those business trips he took with me and the late honeymoon last September, but that's different) and it was our first time traveling with a baby. I admit that I was DREADING it because I knew that we had to travel after a long busy week, that we would be on the road forever, and I thought the trip would mess up Zeke's eating/sleeping schedule and make him supercranky. Look if I had to sit strapped in a five point harness carseat for almost 11 hours, I certainly would be grumpy.

However, Zeke was such a good baby on the way there! He slept a lot, didn't complain or fuss and still slept six or seven hours when we finally got there. It did take us longer than it should have, but that was much more our doing than Zeke's. When we finally got off the road at 11 PM, he was tired but graced the family with his winning charm and chatted a storm up with them. Here he is with his Great Aunt Norma.

I am not eager to repeat the experience, but it is good to know we can all survive it!

Return of the Sprout! (14 Weeks)

Note Zeke's special bib!

(Some kind folks Aaron works with got it for us a few months ago. Now that Zeke has turned into a drool monster, it is super handy, as well as super cute.)

Tummy Time

We are trying to be good parents, I promise. We honestly, truly want to make sure that Zeke has all the advantages and that we provide him with all the experiences that are necessary for him to grow up and have a happy life. Right now, the range of things that we have to do are pretty minimal. You play with the baby, you sing with the baby, you read to the baby, you change the baby, you feed the baby. But even at this age, I worry whether we do enough. For example, do we do enough tummy time?

Here is Zeke demonstrating tummy time. Sometimes we put something underneath him like this stylish Baby Bobby he just literally drools over. Sometimes not. It is to help him develop his neck and upper torso so that he can hold himself up. It affects when he works out rolling over, sitting up and other good important stuff.

He really didn't like tummy time to start off. He still doesn't sometimes. Therefore, I didn't do it much when he first came on the scene though I knew it was important. But, now I get to worrying about whether we are holding back his development! Everyday I tell Aaron, "Make sure we do tummy time today."

Zeke is starting to feel better about tummy time and his pushy parents. Overall, it is a silly thing to worry about it as mankind has managed to survive these many thousands of years without mothers obsessing over tummy time. This is why I haven't been reading any baby books though I must have read a whole library of books, magazines and pamphlets on pregnancy -- it stokes my obsessive compulsive nature.

This is Mouse's version of tummy time. He doesn't get the fuss.

Babies love Bumbos! (13 Weeks, 6 Days)

I have succumbed to baby gear. My living room is well equipped to serve as a daycare. There are at least five pieces of furniture for Zeke to sleep in. The dog doesn't set a paw in the nursery lest she set some gym playmat or toy off. My house virtually moans and sags under the weight of Zeke's Fisher Price toys. I wonder if we will ever again have a room that is free of evidence that we have a baby.


I understand it is a blessing, especially as 90% of it is hand-me-downs (love those!) We have done some shopping of our own, though. That includes the purchase of the must have Bumbo seat. We bought one for Zeke as a 3 month birthday gift this week. It is a basically a foam bucket seat that helps babies sit up as soon as they can hold their head up. Zeke seems to mainly be immune to the joys of sitting upright, but we sure get a kick out of seeing him sit up so early.


Check out the little Thinker! Here he is pondering the difficult questions: "Why are diapers covered with lovable cartoon characters? Is it nice to poo on Pooh?" OR "Why is Noah's Ark a popular motif in children's clothing? Is an apocalytpic story a little dark for a onesie?" OR "Why do my parents have their precious baby perched so close to the edge of the coffee table?"

Have You Missed Us? (13 Weeks, 2 Days)

Wow, my baby is 3 months old as of Tuesday! Time flies and I wonder if anyone is still out there reading About Sprout. I'll post some new pictures this week, but probably in small batches. I feel like I never have time to get here, but rest assured we are all doing well. Zeke even took his first road trip this past weekend to Aaron's cousin's wedding. We have some very cute photos from that.

Zeke is getting a lot bigger -- almost 13 and half pounds. He also drools and babbles non-stop and has a super strong grip. Just look at how he holds that rattle! He is also able to sit up with some assistance.

Look at my pretty baby!