Friday, March 07, 2003
Brief Update.
Dale: Mommy and baby came home on February 26. Thank God for Mom, who came down to help out all week. Maddie loves her, and calls her "Neemie," which delights Mom to no end. She kept the house running during the transition to a "children" household. Thanks, Mom!
As far as my boy goes, he is much different from his sister--quieter, more laid back. I got the sense of this from the moment he was given to Heather, and quickly stopped crying. Then he was placed in the baby warmer, which he found to be just fine. He stretched out his arms and almost immediately went to sleep. Maddie didn't stop crying until she was handed back to Heather for the second time and started nursing.
I think what accounts for it is the difference in the way the two were born. Maddie was an induced birth--evicted--and was ticked about it. The lad was born the old-fashioned way--when he was good and ready, right after a mad dash to the hospital. In contrast to his sister, he almost never cries, and never without reason--the diaper is soaked, he's really hungry and so forth. Maddie wanted the world to know her generic displeasure at random intervals.
Heather's nursing him, which means a transition through jaundice for the first two weeks or so. His jaundice is almost gone--just a hint of yellow in the whites of his eyes, fading fast. This, coupled with his easygoing demeanor, earned him his first nickname from me:
"Mellow Yellow."
Heather said it was awful. But she was laughing as she said it....
How does Maddie like her brother? She spent a day or so wondering about it. Once, she literally turned a corner, saw the Cube in the bouncy seat, and stopped dead in her tracks. She had the oddest, most tentative look on her face. It was not a happy look, to be sure. Plus, Heather would carry the baby around, and whenever she came close to Madeleine, Maddie would say "Away!" and wave Heather and D3 off.
Good news/bad news: A big part of the problem seems to have been caused by Maddie's illness. Care to guess?
Ear Infection Number Seven. We are going to the ENT later this month. I've seen my daughter boil with fever and have the related coughing fits for the last time.
Ever since Maddie started to recover, her attitude has changed. She likes the "bay-bee," and has held him, even gesturing to Heather to give him back. She gently touches him, and has given him three kisses. The corner has been turned. Until he tries to share "her" toys, that is.
There's more to tell, but that will have to wait for more free time.
Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Yeah, right...
Dale: Mommy and baby came home on February 26. Thank God for Mom, who came down to help out all week. Maddie loves her, and calls her "Neemie," which delights Mom to no end. She kept the house running during the transition to a "children" household. Thanks, Mom!
As far as my boy goes, he is much different from his sister--quieter, more laid back. I got the sense of this from the moment he was given to Heather, and quickly stopped crying. Then he was placed in the baby warmer, which he found to be just fine. He stretched out his arms and almost immediately went to sleep. Maddie didn't stop crying until she was handed back to Heather for the second time and started nursing.
I think what accounts for it is the difference in the way the two were born. Maddie was an induced birth--evicted--and was ticked about it. The lad was born the old-fashioned way--when he was good and ready, right after a mad dash to the hospital. In contrast to his sister, he almost never cries, and never without reason--the diaper is soaked, he's really hungry and so forth. Maddie wanted the world to know her generic displeasure at random intervals.
Heather's nursing him, which means a transition through jaundice for the first two weeks or so. His jaundice is almost gone--just a hint of yellow in the whites of his eyes, fading fast. This, coupled with his easygoing demeanor, earned him his first nickname from me:
"Mellow Yellow."
Heather said it was awful. But she was laughing as she said it....
How does Maddie like her brother? She spent a day or so wondering about it. Once, she literally turned a corner, saw the Cube in the bouncy seat, and stopped dead in her tracks. She had the oddest, most tentative look on her face. It was not a happy look, to be sure. Plus, Heather would carry the baby around, and whenever she came close to Madeleine, Maddie would say "Away!" and wave Heather and D3 off.
Good news/bad news: A big part of the problem seems to have been caused by Maddie's illness. Care to guess?
Ear Infection Number Seven. We are going to the ENT later this month. I've seen my daughter boil with fever and have the related coughing fits for the last time.
Ever since Maddie started to recover, her attitude has changed. She likes the "bay-bee," and has held him, even gesturing to Heather to give him back. She gently touches him, and has given him three kisses. The corner has been turned. Until he tries to share "her" toys, that is.
There's more to tell, but that will have to wait for more free time.
Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Yeah, right...
