Visitors, Reflux, and the Contents of a Baby by Percent

 The cousins hang out

Leah comes to visit

Dear Ellie,

Today was a busy day.  We went ahead and broke doctor's orders and had your cousin Divya and honorary big sis' Leah visit.  You and Divya look very similar in the face.  In some photos, when your eyes are open, it can be easy to get you two confused.  However, when compared directly side by side, you couldn't look more different.  And its not just because you are both 6 months apart developmentally.  Divya's head is 5th percentile and her body length is 75th percentile for her age.  Your head, on the other hand, is 50th percentile but your body is 3rd percentile for babies your age.  In other words, you are polar opposites when it comes to body length and head size.  When the two of you are together, you look like an Umpa Lumpa sitting next to a basketball player.  And let's not forget that your head appears as though it was attacked by a rogue razor blade. 

When Leah showed up, you impolitely passed out.  Poor girl still hasn't seen your eyes open.  Leah didn't bring her Ellie doll with her, but became well aware that it probably needed an upgrade since you've tripled your weight since the last time she saw you. 

Sadly, you weren't terribly sociable for either set of visitors.  As a matter of fact, you've had a rough time these last few days.  The reflux and gas are back with a vengeance.  During and after feeds, you gurgle and gasp as all the milk tries to make its way back up your throat.  Doing damage control after being the target of a major up-chuck is an interesting balancing act.  Do I prioritize cleaning myself, you, prevent drippage, or make sure your nose and mouth are clear?  My usual impulse is to just grab you and run to the bathtub where I can come up with a plan.  

As soon as you've digested and the reflux is settled, the gas arrives and doesn't stop tormenting you until the next feed.  Sometimes, the farts are so loud that the windows shake, your butt recoils, and you shriek in pain.  To make matters even better, the constipation hasn't subsided either, but not so bad that I had to give you a suppository more than once.  It was a rather messy affair but it taught me an interesting scientific fact that I hadn't known before: at any given time, babies are 90 percent poop by body weight.

Over the past few weeks, you've also taught me an important lesson about parenthood: as soon as you think you've got your kid figured out, they change things on you.  Originally, you would only sleep on top of another sitting (attempting, but failing to sleep) person.  Then a bit later, you'd only sleep in a manually powered Rock and Play or Swing.  Then after that, you'd only sleep in a Moby Sling.  But now?  You'll only sleep on top of another walking (wishing they could attempt to fail to sleep) person.  But that's only in sleepy mode.  In wakey mode, you'll fuss and squirm and throw a fit unless someone is sitting with you.  I'm sure a week from now you'll only sleep if someone is dangling you upside down by one foot.