First Outing

My mom turned 60 a few weeks after Josh was born and my sister and step-father arranged her birthday dinner to be close to us so we could go.  We had been concerned about going further when Josh was only a few weeks old and we didn't know how long he would make it before getting cranky.

Turns out our concerns were for nothing.  Josh spent the entire time sleeping in his carseat.  We didn't take him out because the pediatrician told us to not expose him too much in crowded areas during flu season.

Dinner was great and everyone was happy to see Josh even though he just sat there.

The next morning we went to my moms house for brunch.  Again Josh spent the time sleeping in his carseat.  Unlike with us Josh never made a noise and was perfectly quiet the entire time even when he got hungry.

Our first outing not to the doctors was a great success!

Click here for more pictures of Josh from his first month.

Who does Josh look like??

Julian and I have been trying to figure out who Josh looks like. At the hospital I would have told you Julian for sure...however, my parents brought over some baby pictures of me and now I'm not so sure. Check out these pictures and let us know what you think :-)

Josh 1 month

Margaret 4 months

Julian 5 months

Margaret 4 days

Whole foods!

After being cooped up in the house for four days, Josh and I decided to venture out for the first time just the two of us. Josh had been cranky for most of the day, and was screaming in his car seat while I loaded the diaper bag into the car. I was concerned that we might end up just driving around, but Josh calmed down as soon as we got in the car. He was still awake when we arrived at Whole foods, but fell asleep when I put him in the cart. I ended up with one of those horribly wiggly broken wheel carts, but it didn't seem to bother Josh (just me). Josh not only slept the whole time at the store, but he stayed asleep an hour after we got home!

The fourth trimester

Our lactation consultant mentioned a book that talks about a fourth trimester for babies. Even though they are no longer inside their mother, they still crave the warmth and comfort being with their mother provides. Basically, babies aren't really ready to live outside the womb yet and it takes them an extra "trimester" to adjust to the difficulty of living on their own. They have to adjust to finding food, digesting, keeping warm, comforting themselves and much more. I am definitely starting to agree with this theory. There are times when the only thing that will comfort Josh are breast feeding or snuggling with me in bed. I had thought that this adjustment period would only take a few weeks, but if a trimester is 12-13 weeks, maybe it takes that long.

Lately I have been thinking that there is a fourth trimester for me too....recovery. I spent a lot of time in my third trimester looking forward to how awesome it was going to be to not be pregnant. I knew that it would take some time to recover, but I underestimated that process. I went skating for the first time last week and was disappointed by my lack of core strength and stamina. My body just felt so strange in ways I never expected. I had hoped that by staying active throughout pregnancy I would recover better...but I guess who knows how bad it would be if I hadn't stayed active! I was reading an article yesterday which said that it takes nine months for you change and grow a baby and that you should give your body that much time to recover too. I guess I'll just have to be patient.  

I think that there is a fourth trimester for new parents too. You can plan all you want for a baby, but I don't think the experience is ever what you expect. Figuring out how to balance everything we want to do and take care of Josh is not something that will be perfect overnight. But I think we are starting to figure things out.  

Bris

When we found out we were having a boy we decided we wanted to have a bris.  This led to the search for a Mohel to perform the bris and it kept me thinking about the Seinfeld episode where Elaine has to find the Mohel.  We hoped we would do a little better.

One of Margaret's friends had a boy last year and she had a bris and recommended the Mohel she used, Dr. Steven Adashek.  She said he did a very good job, didn't mind that she isn't Jewish, and is a doctor which seemed like a good bonus.  We contacted him in November and he seemed like what we were looking for.

We decided to have the bris at our house. When the mohel arrived, he spoke with us a bit and got Josh ready for the ceremony with a local anesthetic.  Margaret was really nervous for Josh, and the mohel did a nice job of reassuring us that everything would be ok. The ceremony started and we brought Josh down from his room.  The Mohel explained the history and significance of the bris and performed the procedure. Josh was really well behaved for the whole ceremony. Perhaps because he got to have some wine :-)

We then explained Josh's names, mostly talking about his middle name and his Hebrew name.  Josh's middle name is Omar after our family friend who died last year.  Omar was a very kind and warm person who was always willing to help everyone around him.  We knew that Omar was an unusual choice of a name for a jewish kid, but we felt strongly that Omar was always welcoming to people of any faith, and that we wanted our child to be the same way. Omar was very important to both of us, and we miss him dearly. Josh's Hebrew name is Israel after my mother's father.  He died when I was seven so I don't remember much about him but I remember him being quiet and friendly.  My mom and dad have always spoken highly of him in particular his curiosity and sense of humor.  Our hope is that Josh will have these qualities as he grows up.

The ceremony concluded and we had dinner which was delivered from Maggianos.  The entire evening went very smoothly and we appreciate everyone who helped bring things for the ceremony and dinner and for the help in setup and cleanup.  We were very happy with the ceremony performed by the Mohel with his explanation of the reasons for what he was doing.  We appreciated the Mohel's emphasis on interpreting the spirit of the ceremony rather than a more strict interpretation of the "rules". We would recommend him to anyone that needs a mohel!

A week later we took Josh back to the Mohel where he checked Josh out to ensure he healed properly. Which he did :-)

Click here for all of the other pictures taken during the Bris

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...baby style

Josh has spent this week alternating between screaming all day...and being cute and well behaved the next day. On Monday, he had a rough night and it unfolded into a rough day with lots of being cranky. He finally calmed down in the late afternoon. On Tuesday he was really good after his doctors appointment and the rest of the day. Then on weds he woke up at 4am and basically spent the rest of the day (anytime he wasn't eating) screaming. It was a very rough day, and by 7pm we called my parents to bring us some cake. At least good cake can improve the situation right? :-P We dumped cranky Josh with my parents and were able to start some laundry and dishes, since I couldn't get anything done all day. Fortunately, all that screaming and not napping helped him sleep well. He slept for 5 hours in a row!! And then another 2.5 after some food. I had already asked my parents to come over today because we were having a freezer delivered--and I didn't want to be feeding him when it arrived. Grandma Ruth stayed for the rest if the day, and Josh was on his best behavior. He has slept or sat and looked around happily most of the day!

The major shifts in personality have been making it hard to figure out why he is so cranky sometimes. I've been worried I'm having a foremilk/hindmilk problem from my over supply or that Josh might have a dairy sensitivity. But when he has days where he isn't cranky at all it is hard to figure out if there is a problem or if he is just moody.

Josh has been good today so we might be due for a bad day tomorrow... wish us luck!

One month checkup!

Josh had his one month checkup today. He is doing great! He was up 18oz from the last appointment (2 weeks ago). So his weight gain is good enough that we don't have to wake him for feeding at night :-) He is in the 80th percentile for height and the 10th percentile for weight. That certainly explains why his outfits are too short for him with tons of room on the sides!

Josh was also making good eye contact with the doctor, which shows that he is developing well. He should start smiling soon, which we are looking forward to.

Josh had to get a shot today, but was super well behaved for it. Actually he was really good for the whole appointment, and the doctor mentioned how calm and chill he seems. I told the doctor that Josh got his screaming out of the way yesterday when he was cranky and upset all day (and I mean all day). Josh certainly is sneaky about being well behaved for everyone else!