2 Weeks Old Today

"Has it really been two weeks already?!"

Today, 09/08/09 was Noah's original due date... and on this date, he is exactly 2 weeks old... which means, I had to bring him in to the pediatrician for his 2 week check-up this morning. It was a daunting task, as I am technically not supposed to be driving yet on account of my stitches, nor am I supposed to be going up and down the stairs, let alone doing so while carrying Noah in his car seat! Today, I did all of these things without too much difficulty, albeit a fair amount of pain. A mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do! Noah was none to happy about it and cried from the moment we got into the exam room until the moment we left. Fortunately, they did not give him any shots or take any blood from his tiny feet. I was very nervous bringing him all by myself given that these were real possibilities... Just stripping him down to his diaper proved difficult as he threw an absolute fit the moment the first snap on his onesie came undone... He was not a happy boy... :(

To back up a bit, this past weekend, Michael and I did get around to doing a lot of what we planned to do. We put Noah in his swing for the first time and assembled a few other items he'll hopefully soon enjoy. He really seemed to like the swing. In fact, he is in it right now with his little slate eyes fixed on the window in front of him. As the days go by, Noah has more and more periods of being alert. Usually his mouth is in a perfect little "O" the entire time, as in the photo above.

Aside from introducing Noah to his swing, this weekend, we also introduced him to his stroller. On Sunday, Michael and I decided to take Noah for a little walk in our old neighborhood (South Riding). Though we're keeping Noah out of public places and restricting his contact with children until he reaches the 6-8 week mark, as recommended by our doctors, we figured that a little fresh air would be good for all of us. While we were on our way to South Riding, we got the call back from the pediatrician about Noah's worsening rash. (We had called on the advice of my sister, who is a pediatric nurse.) The pediatrician on call instructed us to take Noah to the Emergency Room immediately, as the rash might have been an infection. We were on our way to Fairfax's Pediatric ER when the doctor called back and asked us to send a picture to her. Once she saw it, she told us that we did not need to take him since I had an appointment scheduled for today and gave us instructions for how to care for him in the meantime. By the time we made it to South Riding, we were all so exhausted that we only walked halfway up the block and back before we headed home. My stitches, which seem to inexplicably get tighter and tighter without much notice, would not permit much more.

So today, I brought Noah in. The doctor told me that he thinks Noah's rash is the beginnings of cradle cap, but that otherwise he is doing great. He has gained some weight and now weighs in at 7lbs 12oz. He also grew a quarter of an inch. I'm very glad that he is growing but there is a small part of me that wishes I could keep him tiny forever. He is just the most precious thing I have ever seen!

All in all, the last two weeks have been very hectic. I find that I am just losing my days just trying to stay on schedule with changings and feedings and tidying up and doing Noah's laundry, which there has been an increasing abundance of since Noah recently decided that he'd pee everytime I am about to put a clean diaper on him. (I am still getting the hang of all this!) It seems that I get nothing else done apart from caring for him, but hopefully it will get easier and soon I can start working on my school projects... Time seems to be flying, while at the same time the nights seem to drag on forever, as I try to get in what little sleep Noah will allow me to get. "It really does get easier." That is what I'm told. I really hope so... In the meantime, I just focus on what a little blessing our baby is and that sustains me... I love him so much!