Billy's First Shots...

On the 22nd, Billy hit two months old which meant that the highlight of this week was his first doctor visit in about six weeks. This was no ordinary visit. Instead it promised to be equally stressful on both Mom and baby as Billy was getting his first vaccinations. The vaccinations would consist of four shots and an oral vaccine. First up was the oral vaccine for Rotavirus. Rotavirus causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, and fever in children. It is one of the most serious causes of these symptoms in kids under the age of 5. Fever is never good, but the other two can also lead to dehydration, which is bad news for babies.

The oral went down pretty smooth, so they proceeded to the shots. The nurse lined them up and he was going to get two per leg, right in the pudgy little thighs. Well, turns out Billy's a screamer. They didn't even make it to the second shot before he was already screaming his head off. First time feeling a stinging sensation, I guess. He pretty much screamed his lungs out through the remaining three shots after the first and took about 3 minutes to calm down afterward. Antoinette tried to play it off so that he would calm down sooner and it worked for the most part.

Of the shots to the legs, the first was a Polio vaccine. Polio is caused by a virus and until this vaccine was developed, it was responsible for 20,000 cases a year. In 1916 alone, Polio was responsible for 6,000 deaths and 27,000 additional cases of paralysis. The vaccine began to be administered in 1955 and by 1979, there were just 10 cases in the US. There has not been a case in the US in 20 years. Billy will have three more shots of this vaccine culminating with his final shot at age 5.

The second shot was for Pneumococcal Disease. This disease causes blood infections, pneumonia, and bacterial meningitis in small children. Pneumococcal Meningitis kills 30% of people who contract it and for those that don't die, deafness and brain damage can result. Prior to this vaccine, there were 700 cases of meningitis, 13 thousand blood infections, 5 million ear infections, and 200 deaths per year in the US in children under the age of 5. Children under the age of 2 are at the greatest risk. The PCV vaccine guards against 7 of the 91 most severe strains of this disease. Since its inception, cases in children under 5 have dropped by 80%. Billy is due for four doses of this, as well, with his final shot coming at one year.

The third shot is for Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib). Another disease that typically targets children under the age of 5. This disease often gets into the lungs of bloodstream and can cause major problems. This was the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children in the US prior to this vaccine coming out. It can cause deafness, brain damage, pneumonia, severe throat swelling, infections of the blood, joints, bones, and the covering of the heart, and can also lead to death. Prior to the vaccination, there were 20,000 cases of Hib per year and 1,000 deaths. Like the others, there are four shots with the final coming at 12 months or 1 year.

The final shot was a three for one shot addressing Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis. Diphtheria causes a thick covering at the back of the throat that can lead to breathing problems, paralysis, heart failure, and death. Tetanus (lockjaw) causes a painful tightening of the muscles, typically all over the body. It can lead to locking of the jaw so the person cannot open their mouth or swallow and leads to death in 20% of cases. Pertussis (Whooping Cough) causes coughing spells that make eating, drinking, and breathing difficult for infants. The spells can last for weeks at a time and can be accompanied by pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, and death. The vaccine DTaP prevents or sharply reduces these diseases. There are 5 shots of DTaP, culminating with a final shot at 5 years old.

There were plenty of other notes from the doctor visit. For instance, Billy's target weight based on his birth weight was 11 to 11.5 lbs. for this visit. He weighed in at a robust 12.5 lbs., keeping him firmly in the 75th percentile of the nation. The doctor says that this accelerated growth could certainly continue. He's also growing longer (taller) at a similar rate, measuring out at 24 inches, which puts him in the 75th percentile in that department, as well. Antoinette asked about some milk coming out of his nose when he coughs and his belly button's slow healing and the doctor said both are normal. The belly button is healing at a slower, but still healthy rate with no cause for alarm or concern (basically no sign of infection). All of his growth signs, such as eating habits, diaper wetting, etc. are all healthy and fine. Heart and lungs sound great and his ears and mouth are also doing great. He was a bit too fussy to check his eyes, but we haven't noticed anything unusual and he seems to be able to track everything you put in front of him, so that should be good, too. We'll check again on the next visit which is in two months.

On the sleep issue, Billy has drifted back from the 6 hour initial window to a 4 hour window, which the doctor also said is normal. We anticipated a regression in his sleep cycle, but didn't think we'd see it until he was about 3 months old or so. He's then on a 2.5 hour cycle after that initial 4 hour window. He's also transitioned to a new bath seat given to us by some friends (seen here in the picture this week). The new seat means that Billy has officially grown out of bathing in the sink now. It sits in the tub and actually looks pretty comfortable. He seems to like the tub for bathing and doesn't seem to mind the water at all. While he's not typically smiling while being washed, he's also not crying. More of a content balance in the middle where he just kind of stares and enjoys himself. The other neat little change in his development is a new found ability to reach for objects with his right hand when his arm is touched by that object. He'll try and lift his arm to "reach" for it, but hasn't figured out that he won't be able to grab it until he masters the art of moving those fingers around.

And now for the real shocker of the week. Antoinette was changing Billy's diaper a couple weeks ago and noticed a bluish spot on his rear. Not thinking anything of it, she let it slip her mind. A couple days ago, she was changing his diaper again (a messy one that required his legs to be lifted relatively high) and she noticed this bluish tint was actually covering the top of his little butt and the small of his lower back. The tint was slight, but definitely there. She immediately freaked out a bit thinking that his time in the swing was causing him to bruise. I had concern as well, so I decided to research this a bit. Turns out that Billy's dark skin is the likely culprit. The tint is something called Mongolian Spots, which can come in all sorts of shades, severity, etc. Billy's case is pretty mild, but certainly noticeable. The spots are actually the result of melanocytes, or melanin (pigment) containing skin cells, that are deep under the skin. They come in the form of one large patch or multiple spots and are typically found on the lower back, butt, flanks, or shoulder areas. Billy's appear confined to his rump and lower back. What happens is that the melanocytes get trapped in the dermis when migrating to the epidermal layer of the skin during embryonic development. The condition has little to do with gender as boys and girls are equally affected. The spots are harmless and they typically disappear by the age of two, with 99% gone by the age of five. In some rare, but severe cases, the spots can last until puberty, but Billy's are nothing more than a barely tinted blue backside.

One final note on my baby's blue butt. The spots are called Mongolian Spots because they generally affect babies with darker skin, like babies of Asian decent. In Asian children, the spots occur in 90% of children. In East African children, they can occur 80-90% of the time. Hispanic and Native American populations see nearly 70% of their children born with this. For general European/Caucasian children, the incidence is much lower. More like 10%. That being said, the darker skin tone of your child, the higher your probability of having this condition. Billy has a set of olive skinned parents and has quite a bit of Italian in his blood. Consequently, he has a pretty dark skin tone, as well, which is the primary driver for his particular case. Mystery solved.

Learn something new every day. Now enjoy Billy's new video...

Hello Feet!!!

Billy seems to have realized that his feet are attached to his body this week. He's begun lifting them off the ground and can now get them about half way up to his mouth, which we have heard is where they are ultimately destined to wind up. He gets in these moods where all he wants to do is talk (oohs and aahs with some giggling mixed in) while yanking his feet up in the air and then rocking them back and forth. We're not quite sure if this is the beginning step to rolling over from back to front, but it sure looks like it. The weight of his legs has carried him over almost entirely to his side a couple times, but he's never quite finished the roll.

Piggy backing on that thought, the little guy's hand coordination continues to improve. If it involves his mouth, he has little problem pushing things up to it or getting those hands and fingers in there. He still is yet to actually get a thumb in there, but maybe that's yet to come. He still grasps in a four-fingers-at-once manner, which is normal at this point.

From a vocalization standpoint, his oohs and aahs are now flavored with the occasional high pitched squeal. It seems to be another weapon in his little communication arsenal. He's full of oohs, aahs, squeals, giggles, and laughs. Oh, and of course he still cries, which amounts to about 30-40% of all communication with us at this point. This is pretty normal since crying or whining is his only way of relaying a need to us. The rest just seem to be varying forms of contentment and development. As for the vowel sounds we talked about last week, we're not seeing any of those just yet.

His sleeping is dramatically improving now. Three days ago he broke his single night record by going five hours and forty five minutes straight between his last feeding before bed and his first nighttime feeding. We were pretty excited about that and I was all ready to report it on this blog, but before I could, he smashed that record last night, going six hours and twenty minutes between feedings. Again, the general rule of thumb is to take the baby's age in weeks and divide it by two to determine how many hours is good to be sleeping straight. At 8 weeks old, four to five hours should be solid, so we'll take nearly six and a half for sure. Sleeping through the night, defined traditionally by 7-9 hours straight between feedings during the night, are a Baby Wise target at 8-10 weeks of age. Billy's not quite there yet, but I have hope he'll hit that 7 hour mark by next week.

Some other odds and ends this week include his weight gain. Billy tips the scales at about 12 lbs. on the scale at home. According to that measurement, he's still hovering in the 75th percentile range for body weight (slightly under). He's clearly rocking a double chin these days and his little pudgy thighs and expanding waist line are good indications of a healthy diet. On the belly button front, there is still some drainage, which is not what you like to see, but on the outside, his belly button looks perfectly normal with no signs of redness or infection. I'm guessing that on the next doctor visit, Billy's probably looking at a dab of silver nitrate here or there to seal that sucker up for good. That being said, there are still no signs of infection or any other reason for concern, so we continue to clean it and wait for that appointment.

So when is the next appointment? Monday morning. Billy will get to see the doctor on Monday and will get a formal weigh in, body length measurement, and head circumference measurement. He's also due for his first round of vaccinations which are important for him if he's going anywhere that he could be handled frequently by multiple people. They also make me feel better about taking him out of the house. Since the temps today are about 110 degrees, I don't think he'll be going outside anytime soon other than a late night walk when we're a bit more dialed in to the low 80's or so.

This week, Antoinette added a Boppy pillow into Billy's life. While it helps with feeding time quite a bit, it also has other unique applications. For one, you can place this thing on the floor and lay the baby in it. Instead of laying flat, he's now sitting on a 30-45 degree angle, which he's not particularly used to. In a content mood, he enjoys looking around and interacting with objects from a new vantage point. When he's flipped over, its even better. Tummy Time on the Boppy is much better because its easier for you, as a parent, to get down there with him and for him to see you. His excitement level seems to increase quite a bit when its Tummy Time now.

Billy's officially two months old on Monday, and this upcoming week should be filled with some good stuff to be on the lookout for. By next Saturday, I think he has a 50/50 shot at being able to go 7 hours straight through the night at least one day. His ability to track objects should continue to improve. He already does a great job tracking visually and audibly. He should also continue to improve his ability to bear weight on his little legs as they continue to straighten out. He's already capable of supporting his own weight for about 3-4 seconds at a time. Also, he could begin to show the first signs of being able to hold his head and shoulders off the ground for a significant period of time. A lot of exciting stuff.

I'm going to try and hook a video of his development from birth until today to this blog site today, so if its not up when you check this, be sure to check back tomorrow and maybe by then, I'll have figured it out.

Smile for the Camera...

This week has been marked by an overwhelming increase in Billy's sense of awareness regarding his surroundings. His improvement in general motor function is apparent, as well as his vision. He now clearly locks onto you across the room and will follow you and the sound of your voice anywhere using both his head and his eyes. You'll catch him staring at the dog now, only to momentarily break into a smile when Hunter moves. He's grasping quite well with his hands, too. They're open about 50% of the time, but he still grabs with all four fingers at once, like a mitten. Put something in his hands, like a plastic key ring with teething keys on it and he'll fling that sucker across the room after shaking it around a bit. Still a bit out of control, but definitely clear development in this area. He's also firing those legs constantly. Looks like he's peddling a bike most of the time he's awake after he's eaten. His length has reached 23.5 inches, which keeps him in the 75th percentile. He is now in the 75th percentile for both length and weight.

Billy has also started shoving his entire fist and/or forearm into his mouth. He's still either not figured out how to suck his thumb or has no desire to start. Either way, this fist-in-mouth thing seems to be a way for him to calm himself. He doesn't seem hungry when he does it, but it does seem to relax him. When he's doing this, if he can get near one of your knuckles, he'll use that instead. He's really not that picky. His interaction with us has improved quite a bit, as well. We're actually going to send the video this week of the baby laughing and giggling as he just hangs out. His vocalization has continued to develop quite well.

On the sleeping through the night subject, Billy has broken through another critical milestone. He's now sleeping five to five and a half hours right when you first put him down. Then he'll eat and get changed and go back to sleep, at which point he's out for two to two and a half hours. Which means he can go seven to eight hours with just getting up once now. The issue seemed to be that Antoinette was afraid his crying would wake me at night, so at the first sign of fuss, being the light sleeper that she is, she would immediately get him and take him to eat. Well, a couple nights ago, she was pretty tired and decided to let him fuss a bit until he really started to cry. Well, he fussed for a couple minutes and fell right back to sleep for another two hours. Turns out that this middle of the night mini-fuss session can be a sign of a baby transitioning himself into deep sleep. When we were getting him to eat, we were actually preventing this deep sleep state from occurring. Lesson learned.

Antoinette had her post delivery doctor visit and the doctor said that she was giving Antoinette no restrictions. She said she could hardly tell Antoinette had a baby at all 6 weeks ago and that both her and the baby looked great. Antoinette can start lifting weights and running/walking again. She can also paint, which Antoinette has been dying to do, but did say that we should wait a minimum of 6 months before trying for #2, primarily because the best case scenario is for the uterus to have a chance to shrink all the way back to its original size and basically rest and repair itself. She also said that her guess was that Billy is going to be tall based solely on the length of his hands and the size of his feet. Looks like he got Dad's feet and Mom's hands, but its still early.

We finally finished Billy's room. He's not using it as strictly his bedroom just yet, which we hope we can transition him at three months, but we still wanted to get it done. Antoinette decided to order these giant wall print animals and make the room a jungle/zoo theme. Now we have huge giraffes, elephants, monkeys, palm trees, and stuffed animals all over his room. It actually looks very nice. We'll get a picture of it out soon enough.

For week eight, we should start to hear some vowel sounds in his oohs and aahs that could be repetitive in nature. At first, these are very difficult to distinguish, but they will be his first attempts at assembling anything that remotely sounds like a word. The Baby Wise book suggests this as the earliest time that he could be sleeping through the night. I don't anticipate that happening for at least another month though, but who knows. I am targeting sometime between week 10-12 for that. He will continue to take control over his smile and his motor skills will continue their development. Tummy time can get bumped to 4 minutes a session, but we're already doing 5-10 minutes at a time now. His head control should continue to get steadier and steadier, which again is my biggest hope. While I'm content to see him grow at his own pace, I do wish he had control of his neck. I know we've only got another month or so before he's got it down, so I can wait.

Lauren to Visit at 6 Weeks...

Billy turned 6 weeks old on Wednesday and this week, he got a whole lot better at many of the key skills he's been working on for weeks. A little stronger neck that can now easily hold itself up in every direction except backward. Still need a good solid month or so of work before we're comfortable on that one. His vocalization continues to grow week by week. He's now attempting to occasionally interact with you and almost waiting for you to stop speaking before he attempts to respond. His smiling has improved and we find him smiling when he gets dried off after bath time and when something other than a face makes him happy. He had another major milestone in the body weight department as he now appears to top out at about 11.5 lbs. on our home scale. While this is not very scientific, we do get on the scale (both of us) and weigh ourselves and then get on with him to see the difference and determine his weight. At 11.5 lbs., he's on pace to have doubled his birth weight within two weeks and is now in the 75th percentile of body weight. We'll wait for his doctor visit to confirm, but if accurate, that's a nice move up from his weight at birth when he was in the 30th percentile.

He's also begun to laugh rarely, but occasionally. They are little giggles that he puts together, almost as a byproduct of his smiling + vocalizing combination. They began early in the week and haven't increased much, but maybe next week we'll see a little jump there. Another big developmental change for him is improved control of his hands. Not so much his feet yet, but his hands are capable of moving his blanket up to his mouth. You can see him actually attempting, sometimes in a frustrating fashion, to get a decent grip underneath the blanket so he can get it up that way. If there's no blanket present, we often catch him shoving what seems like his entire fist into his mouth. While I've never seen him suck his thumb, he does seem to enjoy the hand as a whole. He also started tugging on his ear when he gets tired.

We had visitors this weekend as my cousin Lauren and her fiance Chris came to town. Quite a drive from Chicago, they made the trip straight through in about 15 hours. Since we're considering driving home next time we go, it was nice to get a decent time frame on what that trip entails. They arrived on Friday afternoon and took off for Tampa this morning. In the meantime, they both got to meet little Billy while here and his picture this week is in the arms of his first cousin, once removed. As a soon to be newlywed couple, it was a chance for them to spend a little time around a newborn baby. And for her fiance, Chris, it was a chance to hold a baby for the very first time. He looked concerned he might break him. It was kind of funny actually. Things you hide that start with the letter "F": Anne Frank. Inside joke, but they'll find it funny. This was a very special visit because my cousin is the one who introduced me to Antoinette, so in a way, this little guy owes his very existence to her. Lauren brought Billy a gift which included his very first swim trunks, a sun hat, and a little shirt.

Today, we finally got around to ordering up the final pieces of the baby room decor. While he is still sleeping in his cradle in Mom and Dad's room at night, it won't be long before he begins to transition to his own room. Realizing that we're at 6 weeks and we'd like him to make that transition no later than 3 months, if possible, we figured its time to get a move on and wrap up the decorating. So today, Antoinette went online and she ordered up some giant wall animals that stick to the wall without tearing off the paint. Billy has a new elephant, giraffe, lizards, palm tree, and monkeys on their way to the house in the next couple days. They should go nice with the giant stuffed lion (of course) that he already has in his room. When his room is complete, which should hopefully be sometime this week, we'll probably take a picture and use it as the next baby blog photo. We'll have to figure out how to get him in that shot so nobody has to go more than a week without seeing him.

As we enter week 7, we should start seeing some more significant changes. He should get better control of his hands and be able to interact with them more and more. Also, his vision should continue improving. He's fully capable of tracking you as you move across the room, but his depth of vision should continue to get better and better as we work with his eyesight. His tummy time should be up to about 2 minutes at a time, but Billy is up to 5+ minutes now. He's doing quite well and with the early rolling, he's more than willing to tell you when he's finished by just flipping onto his back. Billy's ability to reach out and bat at objects should begin to develop about this time, so we'll keep practicing with him on his play mat.

Things should get more exciting as his little brain is going through a growth spurt of its own now. He has begun to exhibit longer periods of calmness and contentment, which are usually signs of optimal learning periods where interaction is key. These are prime opportunities for exploring new textures and practicing grasping or tracking with his eyes.

Finally, Antoinette has her first doctor visit this week since the delivery. All signs are great as she has no major issues to alert the doctor to. More or less, this is the "what can I get back to doing and when" discussion. I'm guessing with Antoinette feeling great and pretty much being back to her routine, the doctor will give her little to no restrictions, but we'll see. On next week's blog, I'll update you on that. Billy's first wave of vaccinations are coming up and will probably happen in the next two weeks.

Hopefully all of you have gotten the message about not coming next weekend. We tried to call or leave messages with everyone we can think of that received an invitation. We're still hoping to get home in August, but since we need to come home in November for my cousin's wedding, we may wait until then. We'll see how it goes. We'll try and send out a mass email this week to everyone as a reminder that the party is off. The next trip home, we'll probably be driving so that should be an adventure.