Week of November 13, 2006

This week Neil goes in for his second month well-baby visit. He's due to get 4 immunization shots! Ouch! He was a good sport last time but this time makes me nervous! Hopefully, we'll both brave through it.

Wonder of wonders! Neil was a brave soul this time as well! He cried bloody murder for a minute but he calmed down pretty quick. Getting a dose of cherry flavored Tylenol seemed to help (he has a sweet tooth for sure!). The side effect of the shots was a slight rise in temperature (99 degrees) but nothing that bothered Neil.

Doc advised me to let him cry and put himself back to sleep at night and not feed him every 2-3 hours like a newborn! "He has to learn to sleep through the night", was his thought. Three nights after coming back from the doc, I did exactly that and Neil did sleep for a stretch of 4 hours before waking up and I thought, "wow! this is working!". But come the fourth night, Neil was back on his 2-3 hour schedule... I was not feeding him as often now but he woke up nonetheless! Ah, well...!!

Week of November 6, 2006

Neil completed 8 weeks today. He still continues to wake up at night and makes me question my decision to return to work full-time. Its incredibly hard as the exhaustion takes over my work day towards late afternoon! On Nov 11, we celebrated Neil's second month birthday! Some days he's such a charmer! He smiles and makes these adorable coo-ing sounds! Other days he's simply frustrating - simply because I cant understand whats bothering him and whats behind the cries and irritation. He does tend to have a gassy belly and that bothers him quite a bit. Gripe water and mylicon seem to work but only to a certain extent... then its exhaustion from crying that finally calms him down! :-(

Week of October 30, 2006

I saw Neil smile! And he looks so adorable! ok, so I am the mother and my opinion is bound to be biased but still, he looks so charming when he smiles! He continues to be cranky in the evenings and gave my parents a whole day of grief but the occassional smile seems to sweep us all away! He dressed up as a bat for his first Halloween! See his Halloween pics at the link below:

First Halloween

Neil still does not sleep through the night. The last few days of this week, he has been waking every hour after midnight. A nice long stretch of sleep seems like a dream..a sweet dream!

Week of October 23, 2006

This week I return to work full time. I am full of apprehension on how I will manage work while continuing to ensure that Neil gets my undivided attention while I am at home. Neil is still not sleeping through the night, so its a challenge. Day 1 is energizing and goes by in a breeze but Neil stays up almost all night on Monday and Tuesday goes by in a blur for me at work. By Friday, I am a walking zombie, extremely tired and almost nodding off to sleep! But I am getting the hang of being a working mother even though its an extremely exhausted working mother. And this inspite of having my parents here helping me full-time! How do other working moms do it with absolutely no help???

Oh! and mom tells me Neil has started smiling! Now thats nice but I have yet to see a full blown smile directed at me!

Week of October 16, 2006

This week its just Neil, me and Sri - the grandparents are out of town. Its been one long week of really sleepless nights as Neil decides to be extremely cranky at night and cries in the evenings. I have taken him for walks in the baby sling (which he loves) but managing regular household chores while he is cranky is challenging. Sri is a huge help but I realize how lucky I am to have my parents around to help us! Neil celebrated his first Diwali this week. He was a charm the morning of Diwali but continued to be cranky in the evening. He also appeared to have congestion and the sniffles. We debated calling the doc but then eventually let him battle out the congestion and cold by himself with no aid of Tylenol and the like. Elevating his bassinet to keep his head and chest above the rest of his body helped a little.

Week of October 9, 2006

This week Neil visited Dr. S. Rebenstein - his one month visit. He was a one brave soul when he withstood the pain of his immunization shot. There was one piercing cry and then he quieted down immediately! He weighed in at 8 lbs 15 1/2 oz and measured 21 1/4 in. He's growing but apparently falls in the 25th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height. He continues to lift his head during tummy time and loves his oil-massage and bath!

Week of October 2, 2006

Neil's Aunt, Uncle and Cousin are in town. Having family over is a joy - Neil is loving every moment of being held by everyone! This week, we took Neil to more restaurants - a mexican one in Old town, Brockton Villa, Soup Plantation! He's living life in the fast lane! ;-)

Week of September 25, 2006

Life continues - getting adjusted to being a mom! Its certainly not easy - sleepless nights make the days go by in a blur. The pain from the delivery is starting to ease up and that makes taking care of Neil easier. He continues to be a joy - making play time with him a pleasure. I keep wondering if he is turning into a high-need child as we continue to hold him and rock him to sleep - he throws a fit when he is laid down! Neil ventured out for his first restaurant 'khana' this week to 'Taste of Thai'.

Week of September 18, 2006

Bringing Neil home was a joy. He continued his cycle of eat, sleep, poop, cry. Week was spent in settling into a routine at home - well, as much of a routine that a little baby allows one to have. We introduced Neil to tummy-time - he loved it. He even lifts his head for a few seconds while on his tummy.

Neil visited Dr. Cohen again on Sep 22, 2006. He weighed 7 lbs 8 oz - woohoo! He gained his birth weight back - which makes me feel good about breastfeeding him!

Week of September 11, 2006

As much as we didnt want this to happen on 9/11, Neil decided to enter this world on this special day. Oh, well, I suppose most of the people we know will never forget to wish him on his birthday!

An epidural influenced delivery, following a textbook labor lasting 48 hours brought Neil into our lives. He was delivered by Dr. Kevin McNeely. The two days at Scripps Memorial were uneventful but will remain memorable for all the help we got from the nurses there (thanks, Jamie, Lan, Arlinda, Melinda, Nicole!). The first week of Neil's life was simply what all babies do - eat, sleep and poop, interrupted by occassional cries. I felt blessed seeing his sleep patterns - he didnt seem as cranky and cry-babyish as me in my childhood!

Neil weighed 7lbs 7oz at birth and measured 20 in. He visited Dr. Eddie Cohen on Sep 15, 2006 where he weighed 7lbs - the typical 10% weight loss that babies experience in their first week.