Yes, it was his six months visit. Yes, he’s a few days shy of seven months. Anyway, the appointment was yesterday morning. Gavin was alright until we had to put him down on the table and the scale. He didn’t like that at all. He weighed 17 lbs. 6 oz. and is 26 and 1/4 inches long. He got three more shots and is now enjoying some cherry flavored tylenol. Sometimes he gets the tylenol on his lips and it looks like he’s wearing lipstick. The doctor thought he’s doing well. As usual, we came home with copies of pages from some book the doctor has.

Chris and I are considering looking for another pediatrician. The doc we’ve been going to is good with kids, and very nice and I really value the former! He also doesn’t listen to what we say. I know it’s very easy to respond to questions that alot of people ask you with memorized responses, and that would be okay if he answered the questions I actually asked. It’s like he listens for keywords, and then answers the most routine question he gets on that specific keyword. (And after that he gives us copies of pages in his books on the subject, which are always really general.)

This time it was “problems sleeping”. I explained that Gavin has been having trouble getting enough sleep. He still sleeps at night, just not for as long of a stretch. He naps during the day but is still tired and unhappy from lack of sleep often. So the doctor explains how to deal with not sleeping through the night. I think that he’s a good guy, he’s just not someone I can fully trust to answer questions, since it’s obvious that he doesn’t always hear all of what I say to him. Right now it’s not a big deal…Gavin hasn’t been sick or injured so all of my questions are about things that I can figure out otherwise if need be, and aren’t immediate, scary concerns. But, if that came up, and at some point it will, I would really like to have a pediatrician who will understand what I tell them and then come up with a response that is specific to Gavin’s situation. It would also be nice to have a doc who could tell me things that I haven’t already thought of, tried or read about. That might be asking alot though, since they have so many different patients of so many ages and can’t be an expert on everything. It’s not that this doctor is bad, I just think we could find a better fit for us.

Gavin tried some avocado today…and hated it. He much prefers apple or yogurt. I guess he’s got a sweet tooth already.

My mom brought over a “jumper” yesterday (not the kind you wear, the kind you sit in and jump up and down in) and after several failed attempts, Chris got it set up today. Gavin seemed pleased to be in it. He looked like he was the captain of a very small plastic ship that was rocking around on the water, until you saw his legs waving around underneath.

The things he can do now compared with a few months ago are pretty amazing. He’s got very good arm and hand control, passing toys between hands easily. He holds onto things longer now too, so often when I pick him up to take him somewhere, a few steps later I realize we are also taking a toy or a blanket, a magazine or my water bottle with us. He can easily turn both front to back and back to front and has been sleeping on his tummy pretty exclusively. He can sit by himself, a bit wobbly. He can also stand for a few seconds when holding onto something. He moves five feet or so across the floor from where he starts, and scoots backward quite well. Forward is more of a problem but he usually gets where he wants to go.

He giggles alot at certain games like when his mama munches on his knees (“mmm, delicious knees” ) and peek-a-boo and rocket launch into the air. He is still having some schedule/teething/sleep issues, but I feel very lucky to have such a happy and easy-going baby. I do think that some of that is because of how Chris and I respond to him, but I certainly think Gavin deserves a great deal of the credit too.

I was talking with Chris about all the horrible and scary things that happen in this world and how I’m terrified that someday Gavin will have to deal with painful and angering and awful things that people do. Sometimes I wish he could grow up and live in a different world from the one I have come to know. But today I was thinking about that again and realized that I’m very happy that Gavin is here in this world, and he seems happy to be here, and Chris is happy he’s here, so I think that all in all it’s probably a good thing he’s here in this world, to bring some much needed joy to all of us.

erin found a survey on iViliage — a forum she trolls by moms who had their babies around the time we did — that was about how many non-well child visits to the doctor your baby has had to go to, and it made me consider the following:

with all the horrible things that can happen to babies and children, from an eyeball growing on their ankle, to fatal food allergies, to leukemia, cancer, downs, sids, and on and on and on, it’s sort of amazing when something actually goes right. it makes one consider, if one doesn’t already, the existance of a higher power or at least some ruling order by which the universe runs. erin’s said it before, and i’ll reiterate…gavin is perfect. not just the two eyes and two feet and a nose and a distinct lack of a third arm, but also in terms of his health, and, for that matter, his disposition. even when considered in conjunction with the corruption of the governemt, the dismal outlook on our relations with other countries and how we fit into the world, pollution and the depleating ozone, it’s still like this amazing, perfect little cosmic being living under our roof that shines a light and adds so much to our lives.

as our camera is still out of commision, here’s some old pics meara took when gavin was still at the hospital. i think all of these are like when gavin was 1 or 2 days old.

~c

so for the last few months gavin has been having mild fevers, chewing on his hands and generally more fussy than his usual self. i have been waiting for his teeth to come in. there’s one that i could see right below the surface but still underneath the surface of his gums since Christmas. in the last week he’s been having trouble sleeping even when he’s tired and has been biting stuff fairly hard. this afternoon i put my finger in his mouth and thought i felt something very tiny and hard and upon further inspection i believe that the tooth i could see has now broken through. well, at least a part of that tooth about the size of a pin head. so, hopefully gavin will start sleeping better again soon.