One Month Check Up

On June 19th we took Gabriel for his one-month check up with the pediatrician.  In addition to receiving a clean bill of health, Gabriel was much admired for his early efforts to hold his head upright.  Matthew and I were informed that we likely would need to child-proof the house earlier than anticipated, as Gabriel is already able to prop himself up while on his belly (see below).

We also learned that - since birth - he has gained over 3 pounds and grown nearly 3 inches!  That puts him in the 95th percentile for height and weight.  Who knows how much more he's grown since last week...

Gabriel was doing this solo (honest!), but I wasn't quick enough with the photo so got the shot right as he was being transitioned to a seated position by Dr. Bradley.

The Calm Before the Storm

When Gabriel is sleeping (which is most of the time), he's a very peaceful guy. Both mom and dad are usually lucky enough to get at least one nap a day in which the Goose falls asleep, tummy down, on our chest. It's about the best feeling one can ever imagine having. 

Professional Help

Amy and Antti Makinen, friends from our grad school days in Rochester, are just about the more experienced folks we know in kid-related matters; their eldest, Lucas, is now about 10 years old, and their twins are (I think) 6 years old. All three of them are wonderful and beautiful kids, and their parents have always seemed remarkably well-adjusted to us. So I think we'll be relying heavily on Amy and Antti for tips on how to do things right. 

At left are some of the contents of a care package that appeared in the mail from them last week: a pound of french roast and 500 ibuprofen. 

Best. Care package. Ever. 

A Visit from Uncle Joe

Here is Joe Braverman, paralyzed with fear. 

Joe is an old friend from Alison's consulting days at Covance. We're counting on Uncle Joe to be Gabriel's tutor on all things volleyball and NASCAR when he's ready.

We are not (yet) counting on him as a babysitter, since he froze in the exact position at left for half an hour after being given Gabriel during his visit.

On Grandpop's Lap

Gabriel likes to be held, but has a special affinity for lap time with his "grandpop" Rein; perhaps it's the Tin Tin T-shirt...

Uncle Ken

Uncle Ken stopped by to visit the other day, and was nice enough to feed (and burp) Gabriel. Goose was happy as a clam. We are stoked that Ken will be moving into our neighborhood later this summer-- more friends for Gabriel and more beer for dad. 

Wendy and Gabriel

One of the greatest privileges of parenthood is dozing off with a child on your lap. But it's also a nice thing when family and friends take over this "task" for a bit. As in so many other ways, Wendy was invaluable on this score during her week here.

Nurture or Nurture?

One thing we've both struggled with over the past couple of weeks is fitting in meals. When your child is making like a sack of potatoes on your lap, the last thing you want to do is to disturb his peaceful rest so you can have a snack. But it's pretty vital of course, especially for Alison. So you figure out ways. For me tonight, this meant my entire dinner was consumed flat on my back. With a kid on my chest. Using one delicately perched plate and a fork.

Alison's task was more hazardous: don't spill ice cream on Gabriel. As shown here, she succeeded.

Someday Gabriel will forgive us.

A "curious" Wilbur

Both dogs are somewhat put out by the shift in our attentions, but seem reconciled to their fate.  Wilbur especially may require a bit more time to fully adjust.  In the interim, we anticipate many more sniffs of the newest member of our pack.  Thankfully - as seen here - Gabriel has many grandparents and other admirers who have got his back.

A Portable Kid

Gabriel has a pretty chill disposition (lucky for his parents), but is never more content than when taking a ride in the car or stroller.  Good thing too, as we have plans for ice cream walks almost every night...

Uncle Fred

Cuddling Alison's laptop. I was too late to capture a picture of a very happy Gabriel napping in Freddy's lap, so this was the best we could do to commemorate the occasion. 

Benefits of Maternity Leave

Benefit #1 of maternity/paternity leave: it's always nap time. After two and a half weeks, Alison and I both find that we're reasonably caught up with sleep, and are both delighting in our ability to just nod off on the couch with a kid in our lap on a warm June afternoon.

Gabriel Visits Grandma

And turns on the charm...
After two weeks of life on the planet, this is about as close to smiling as he gets. His two apparent emotions are impassivity and agony. Pictured at left is impassivity.
But even his stonefaced impassive look is very, very cute.

Happy Two Weeks, Gabriel!

To celebrate Sprout's two-week birthday, I took him out to visit Grandma Gardner tonight while Alison was tutoring at Project Northstar (for those keeping track, her pregnancy hiatus from tutoring was a grand total of two weeks!). He wore his crab suit.

A Sad Day

After taking care of us for a full week, sister Wendy flew back to San Francisco this morning. As shown at left, she cooked for us pretty much the entire time she was here, and gave Alison and I time off from baby duty. If we ate and slept well in our first week back from the hospital, we have her to thank-- and her cheerful disposition helped keep us on an even keel. I forecast sandwiches and leftovers for dinner tonight.

It's a sad day. But our loss is Rawdance's gain. Thank you Wendy!!!

Feet

He's got 'em. They're incredibly smooth on the bottom. Like his dad's, they seem fairly wide-- what Grandma Gardner has always referred to as duck feet.