In the past week, James has had all kinds of milestones. Not only has he marked physical milestones such as making prolonged eye contact, lifting his head from a prone position and stopping crying when food is presented. He’s celebrated his first Christmas, worn his first 0-3 month outfit, met several relatives for the first time, and in a few hours he’ll be a month old. He’s also had his first cold, an unfortunate milestone, but luckily one that has not thus far developed into anything threatening.
Fearing the worst because of his tender gestational age (he’s still got nearly a week to go before his actual due date), I took him to the ER last Friday after his first symptoms appeared, and in to the pediatrician today for an emergency visit when his breathing worsened, but while his nose is stuffy, James’ chest is clear and he is feeding OK. Despite being sick most of the week, our son still managed to pack on 14 oz., putting him at 8 lb. 4 oz. this afternoon after emptying his bowels with great gusto on the exam table.
Despite his sniffles and sneezes, James was able to make the trip to Nana’s for Christmas dinner and presents — albeit shrouded in a blanket-covered carrier and with strict rules about who could hold him and how much sanitizer they had to apply first. He unwrapped (with much help from his parents and sister) quite a haul of nice baby things. Some, like the blankets, clothing and wrist rattles, he can enjoy now; other things, such as the Little People playsets addressed to both of our tots, he will share with Maddi later. All in all, our New Year’s baby did pretty well for a little guy who came on such short notice and hasn’t let Mommy out of the house in a month! (Thank goodness he has a daddy who knows how to shop!)
Since premie outfits are hard to come by, and even more so premie Christmas attire, Chris and Nana assembled an outfit last month in hopes that James would grow into it. When we first looked at it, we figured we’d be lucky if James fit the clothing by March. But lo and behold, when we tried it on James on Christmas Day, it was only a little roomy. Our little boy has been eating his Wheaties!
However wonderful it was to celebrate my darling baby’s very first holiday, I’m relieved it’s over. You see, between being a newborn and having a cold, James hasn’t been sleeping well at night and therefore, neither do I. I count on his “sleepy time” between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and his and Maddi’s big nap between 1 and 3 to get a decent rest, and holiday fun doesn’t exactly fit into that schedule. Now that the hectic holiday frenzy has passed, I intend to sleep (as much as James and Maddi let me) for the next month or two.
And now for the very most important part of James’ blog: the pictures! Below are his Christmas Day photo (complete with his first-ever 0-3 month outfit!) and his four-week snap.