Gabriel's 4 Month Well Baby Appointment

On Wednesday afternoon, Michael and I took Gabriel to his pediatrician office for his 4 month well baby appointment and immunizations. Gabriel was 16 weeks and 2 days old. He weighed 13 lbs and 14 ounces, which is still the 50th percentile for his age. And he was in the 75th percentile for his head circumference and height. The nurse practitioner reports he is growing consistently and right on schedule. Gabriel has had a cough for a week now, which came either from Daddy or the little 12 month old girl in day care. And he seems to be developing a cold on top of the cough since his nose and eyes are runny and goopy now too. I've been told that this is par for starting day care and being exposed to all of the new bugs. The good news is that his double ear infections seem to have resolved. Gabriel again took his shots like a trooper. He calmed down quickly. He goes for his 6 month appointment and shots at the end of June.

After the appointment, Gabriel and Mommy hung out at the hospital for a while. We filled a prescription at the pharmacy, visited the Human Resources staff, and checked out the lactation room. We stayed on the campus because there was a reunion for babies recently born at The Family Place. It was nice to see other babies and their Mommies and Daddies. We saw some babies from the Baby Steps classes we use to be able to attend before Mommy's return to work. And most exciting was we finally got to meet Jaxson and his mom, Alison. Alison and I took prenatal pool exercise classes together before we had the boys. We plan to set some play dates for the future.

Karen's Green Message on Earth Day

My friend Karen Rix had a lovely letter to the Concord Monitor published on Earth Day all about the original green group- The Girl Scouts. Check out the article here.

Happy Easter!!

Gabriel makes one cute, fuzzy bunny! The dogs are quite happy that Mommy has taken to dressing up the boy rather than them these days.

The Easter Bunny brought a huge pile of loot for the whole family. I think the Easter Bunny forgot that Gabriel doesn't eat anything but breast milk right now. So Mommy is working hard at eating the supply of sugar and chocolate that The Bunny left off. Hope the Easter Bunny came to your house too!

Mommy, Daddy and Gabriel went to the Egg Shell Restaurant in Loudon to have Easter breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa Abberton, and Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Norm. And then we went and hung out at Grandma and Grandpa Abberton's house for a leisurely visit to allow our breakfasts to digest. It was Gabriel's first visit to Grandma and Grampa Abberton's house.

And if that wasn't enough Easter excitement, we went to Lowe's where Mommy and Daddy bought a new fridge while Gabriel napped in his car seat in the shopping carriage. We will get delivery of the new fridge as early as next Sunday.

Over The Mountain And Through The Woods...

... to Grandmother's house we go! Gabriel made his first trek to Nana and Papa's house on Saturday. Gabriel slept the whole way to Vermont. When we got to Nana and Papa's, he stayed up for 3 and a half hours. He spent the time smiling at Nana and Papa, playing with his Easter balloon, sucking on the ears of his new bunny, and learning how to run the remote. He tried not to, but he did eventually pass out. And Mommy and Daddy loaded him back in the car at that point and drove home. The round trip makes for a long day, but we hadn't been to Vermont since November.

Gabriel's First Fundraiser

Gabriel will be joining me for this year's Rock 'n Race in Concord on May 20th. We will walk 5 kilometers with thousands of other people in order to raise money for The Payson Center for Cancer Care at Concord Hospital. I have participated in this 5K for many years- as a volunteer, a runner and a walker. Well, minus the one year is was raining and I chickened out. Human Resources puts a team together and I plan to push Gabriel in his stroller. It's my favorite 5K ever since there is music and food along the pathway. If you'd like to sponsor Gabriel and I for the Rock 'n Race, please visit our fundraising web page. This year, donations can be made directly on-line. Or, we will be happy to accept donations the old-fashioned way too. Gabriel and I are happy that it's getting warm enough to start our walking training program.

double ear infections

Gabriel had his first non-routine appointment with Concord Pediatrics on Wednesday. He had a fever over the weekend that Tylenol took care of, once we figured out he had a fever. By Monday, he started rubbing his ear against his car seat and bouncy seat. By Tuesday night, it was clear that Gabriel was having discomfort trying to nurse. So on Wednesday morning, I took Gabriel to the pediatrician. The diagnosis was double ear infections. Poor boy! We were instructed to give him Tylenol and Ibuprofen alternately. The two medicines seemed to keep him comfortable enough to sleep and keep him from being grumpy thankfully.