7 Weeks Have Already Gone By

Gabriel turned 7 weeks old on Monday. Gabriel and I celebrated by going to a Baby Steps class at the Center for Health Promotion. It is a class that meets weekly for new parents and their babies. Gabriel hung out on his blanket on the floor and for the first time had a chance to look at and listen to a bunch of other babies. He was very attentive and took in all of the new sights and sounds while Mommy listened to a Naturopath guest speaker. I thought that Gabriel looked older than other babies his age, and he was much more aware of his surroundings. I look forward to taking him back to one of these classes again before I go back to work, if we can work it into our schedule. After class, we called Daddy and made a lunch date to meet for pizza at Sal's. And then we got groceries on the way home.

What's little Gabriel doing these days? He will usually sleep 5-6 hours in one episode at night, so Mommy and Daddy aren't as exhausted as some parents might be. He smiles. He has been able to sit up assisted and keep his own head upright in that position for weeks, though sometimes he does get a little wobbly with this event. Gabriel is still not a fan of tummy time. He does grasp objects now, but isn't quite sure what to do with them. His pacifier popped out of his mouth last night, and he caught it with his hand and arm and made an attempt to try to put it back in his own mouth. Gabriel brightens and gets excited when he first hears his Daddy come through the door after work. His newborn outfits are getting tight around the belly and short, though, it's too sad for me to pull them out of the dresser and pack them away. When he is picked up by other people (especially the Grandmothers) he will look at them in the face and smile too. Gabriel will usually fall asleep right away when he gets in the car seat. He is also a master generator of dirty laundry. We believe his hair is lightening, and I am seeing more red highlights. Gabriel really likes to look out the window at the brightness outside.

I wanted to share this photo of Lucas and Gabriel sharing the Boppy on the couch. When Gabriel is quiet, both Elleigh and Lucas are happy to lay close to him.

Childbirth Preparation Class

Michael and I spent the day at the Center for Health Promotion attending the one-day condensed Childbirth Preparation class with 8 or so other expectant couples. We decided the one day intensive class worked better for our schedules rather than trying to juggle doggy duty and attending classes after work for several weeks in a row.

In the class, we had a review of some of the things to expect when we get to The Family Place to have Gabriel. We went over and practiced comfort techniques, and talked about pain control options, c-sections, and post delivery expectations. As always, they can't include every thing we'd possibly want to know but we got some good information. We signed up for a tour of The Family Place for next Tuesday night.

The class finished by 4 pm, so we went to The Longhorn for an early dinner. I told Mike I would drive home so he could enjoy a cider margarita as a treat for sitting through yet another child preparation class. We each got Ribeye steaks, and I am hoping I got a good dose of iron. We were by far the youngest couple in the restaurant. Michael and I figure we might as well get use to eating with all of the "blue-hairs" in restaurants since having a small child soon will mean we might not see prime time dinning again for a few years.

CPR class

Michael drove home on his lunch break on Friday to take care of the pooches so we both could stay in Concord after work and attend our first baby class. We met at a casual restaurant (the Concord Hospital cafeteria) and had a quick bite to eat before going to the Center for Health Promotion for a CPR class. We signed up for infant CPR, but the class was not advertised right and we ended up with a bonus refresher on child and adult CPR too. Our American Heart Association cards will come in a few weeks.

It's been over 15 years since I taught or performed CPR, and some things have changed. Some things have stayed strikingly similar. There's no pulse checking anymore and now they teach people to look for Automated External Defibrillators (AED's) when someone has become unresponsive. I remember participating in a fundraiser just to get a defibrillator for an ambulance way back when and now an automated version is available in many public places.

So, that was our big Friday Date Night!