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.
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.
I just finished feeding Gavin his twentieth of my 6 oz. raspberry yogurt. We do this while he’s lying on his back, and therefore, it’s not too messy. He gets very excited when he sees me holding the yogurt container. I think food is his new favorite thing.
I was talking with Chris the other day about having a son versus a daughter and was remembering how I felt before we knew which gender Gavin was. I always had this feeling he was a boy, since early early pregnancy, but had no idea if that was accurate. I was somewhat apprehensive about a son, because I had no experience with young boys, having none around when I was growing up. I hoped I wouldn’t be disappointed if the baby was a boy. Then he came. I didn’t even remember to ask if it was a boy or girl for a minute (and didn’t hear the nurse announce the news as he came out.) And I was thrilled, and it really didn’t matter in the slightest that he was a boy. I do still think it would be fun to shop for tiny dresses, but that’s about the only thing I would prefer about having a girl. Not to say I’d rather have a boy. I’m just happy with who Gavin turned out to be. I think that Gavin is likely to learn how to plant things in the garden, how to vacuum, how to cook, as well as how to play ball and get covered in mud, and those are all good things to know.
A day or two ago Gavin was holding his hands out in front of his face, turning them and looking at them in amazement as if to say: I know Mom and Dad can do really cool things with their hands, and I know I have hands, but I never knew I could make them do things like that too! I thought mine just waved around of their own accord.
