Alex G's Galaxy: Finally, An Update

Alex will be 5 weeks old tomorrow. So much has happened since I last updated the world. I aplogize for the delay! It is amazing how all-consuming taking care of a baby is. It seems like there is always something to do: feeding, changing, cuddling, just sitting and staring...plus there are the normal things to do: laundry, dishes, sleeping... It seems like I am constantly busy, yet at the end of the day, it seems like I haven't gotten anything done! Crazy!

So, an update: The wonderful Grandmas have come and gone. They did a great job of keeping us fed, in clean laundry, and keeping the new parents on the right track. Yes, Alex is still in one piece after 5 weeks with his novice Mommy and Daddy! We are both having so much fun with him. He is spending more time awake and alert, and we are starting to understand some of his moods and signals so that we can actually respond to his needs, not just stare dumbfounded at this crying baby, not knowing what to do next! There is the obvious I-want-to-eat face, with the tounge sticking out and the lips smaking, and he has this particular cry that Dan calls the "dirty diaper whine." And, Dan usually calls it correctly (although, at this stage, he has so many wet or dirty diapers throughout the day, that it's a pretty good guess he needs a change!).

Last week's big news was that Alex and I spent two and a half days in the hospital. Alex had a fever on Tuesday evening, and the protocol for babies this young is to go to the ER, get a huge battery of tests, and then spend a couple of days in the hospital, getting steady doses of antibiotics and being monitored by doctors. The results were that Alex had a urinary tract infection. Aparently it is not too uncommon in babies, as diapers make it easy to transfer bacteria around. So, a bunch of antibiotics later, and he is as good as new!

I guess that's enough for now. I'll add a couple of pictures and promise to keep you all updated a little better.

-Laura

OK, I think it's only fair to post these pictures, after posting the one where Alex squirted Dan. It is a three-part series. Dan happened to have the camera ready. This is after a bath, and Alex decided not to wait for a diaper to go ahead and poop. The pictures are really more about me, but Alex is in them, so they are still cute :-)