5 on 5.5.5

Austen went for his 5-month checkup today. The weight over/under was 21 lbs., with our specific guesses being 20 lbs. 6 oz. (me) and 22 lbs. even (Al). I usually get killed by going under, but this time I won handily. At first the nurse declared that he weighed 17 lbs. 8 oz, but both of us said, "that can't be right!", so she weighed him again (much to his dismay—he screamed loudly and peed all over the place in two great bursts). I don't know what was wrong the first time, but the second time he was clearly over 20 lbs. (20 lbs. 2 oz., when the nurse finally pressed the Hold button).

Al won the height category, but it was close. I'd guessed 26 3/4" and Al guessed 27"; Austen was just a hair under the latter. He jumped from the 75th to the 90th percentile in height, and his weight moved back onto the 95th percentile curve from its previous position in outer space. The doctor mentioned that his weight is likely to drop into the 70-75th percentile by his next visit because he'll be more mobile and will burn more calories during his daily activities. (The exersaucer might even be the reason he's not gaining so quickly anymore.)

We didn't really have any questions for the doctor; instead, we mostly answered hers. Is he blowing bubbles? Yes. Can he grab things and hold onto them? Yes. Does he roll over? He can, but he'd rather not most of the time. (He can also sit up on his own for short periods, and he even stood up from a seated position on my leg this weekend.) Is he eating any solid food yet? No. Are we going to stick with breastmilk only until 6 months? Yes. We mentioned that he's started biting me during feedings, and we discussed teething rings (all the ones we've found are rather heavy, and we've noticed that Austen prefers gnawing on his key ring; the doctor also recommended refrigerating a damp washcloth and letting him chomp on that).

This was another shot visit (five vaccines administered as three shots, same as last time), and Austen handled it about the same way. The only difference was that he was already upset about being left, cold and naked, on the scale—twice!—so he was in no mood to be put down. I ended up nursing him while the nurse stabbed him with the needles, and before and after the squirt of Tylenol (which he cried over, but didn't seem to be as bothered by as last time). He hollered for a couple minutes when I had to pop him off and put his clothes back on, but when I flipped him into the Bjorn, he returned to his usual amiable self. He later slept for two hours in the stroller while I ran errands on foot, and he woke up happy.

At the moment the little guy is in the exersaucer, sucking his thumb, listening to iTunes, watching the photos from the camera get imported into iPhoto (I wonder if he recognizes himself—like, "hey, I know that guy! I've seen him in the mirror!"?), and looking very fashionable in his first pair of Robeez, which I caved and bought for him this weekend. He can now stand almost flat-footed in the exersaucer when it's on its highest setting, believe it or not.

Meanwhile, the babysitter arrangement continues to work well, though I am having some work/life balance issues as a big milestone approaches (er, that would be product development milestone, not baby development milestone). I am feeling alternately exhilarated by the amount of work I can get done, guilty for the amount I am not able to do, and like a horrible person/mother for sometimes giving my computer more attention than I give my child. (This last observation was made by someone who didn't *intend* to hurt me, but it nevertheless wounded me deeply. I very nearly called a halt to the contracting because of it, and it's been in the back of my mind every moment since it was uttered. I'll probably write another post devoted solely to my angst over this issue at some point, but not right now.)

In summary: Austen is "perfect", according to our warm and enthusiastic pediatrician; he's healthy, happy, and huge. I am doing almost as well, although there's this gaping wound in my heart that I have to do something about. And K, our babysitter, is great. She's coming again tomorrow, when I hope to carve out some time to post more photos and write about the weather.

Posted by Lori in parenthood at 3:37 PM on May 5, 2005

Comments (3)

Josie [TypeKey Profile Page]:

For what it's worth...I commend you for finding a way to work at home AND spend a lot of quality time with Austen! Many mothers have to get right back into the rat race and allow day care centers or babysitters to spend that time with their child. You're doing what you need to do to be happy and fulfilled, and, although I haven't yet spoken with him about it, Austen appears to be thriving! Keep your chin up!

Love the Robeez! Alexander has grown out of his first pair, and I guess I'll get him another in the next size up. But what style? There are TOO MANY.

Also, I agree with what Josie said, above.

Lori [TypeKey Profile Page]:

There *are* too many. Monkeys or kitties or bears? Oh my!

Comments

For what it's worth...I commend you for finding a way to work at home AND spend a lot of quality time with Austen! Many mothers have to get right back into the rat race and allow day care centers or babysitters to spend that time with their child. You're doing what you need to do to be happy and fulfilled, and, although I haven't yet spoken with him about it, Austen appears to be thriving! Keep your chin up!

Posted by: Josie [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 6, 2005 10:07 AM

Love the Robeez! Alexander has grown out of his first pair, and I guess I'll get him another in the next size up. But what style? There are TOO MANY.

Also, I agree with what Josie said, above.

Posted by: ratphooey [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 7, 2005 2:49 PM

There *are* too many. Monkeys or kitties or bears? Oh my!

Posted by: Lori [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 9, 2005 11:01 AM

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