Baby Gabe

Lest you think this was a fluke, he got 3 prior attempts right before we recorded this one.

Baby Gabe is back to his playful self.  Turns out he didn’t have herpes after all.  It was another case of the coxsackie virus that caused his herpangina a few months ago.  This case was much worse, though.  Unfortunately, his doctor said kids in day care/school are the most vulnerable to this virus b/c it’s easily passed through saliva.  Kids share stuff all the time.  There really isn’t much parents or day care providers can do to prevent the spread of this virus short of keeping kids in separate bubbles.  It’s just a consequence of growing up.  We’re just glad he’s back to normal.

Baby Gabe *finally* has started teething.  It’s a bit blurry, but the picture on the left shows a thin white line emerging from his bottom gum.  He’s handled it all very well.  He’s back to getting up about twice a night for some comfort, but we feel he’ll get back to his usual sleep pattern soon.

His parents, on the other hand, have been knocked about by an unrelenting cough and massive congestion.  Mom is finally on the mend after having been sick the past 12 days, but dad has a doctor’s appointment today to rule out pneumonia.  Our friend, Rose, has two daughters, and she said, “You won’t believe the type of diseases you’ll have to deal with.  Prepare to be sicker than you’ve ever been in your life.”  Oy vey.

Baby Gabe’s cold is over, and he’s all better now.  He’s back to his usual eating and napping routine.   Unfortunately, his days of sitting contentedly in his bouncer while his parents ate are over.  He always wants to be up at the table with us.    We got him a space-saver high chair so he could sit with us during meals.  We usually feed him his dinner before we eat.  So far it’s been a success, but we sometimes put him to bed before we have dinner in case we want a more leisurely meal.

Baby Gabe is growing up fast.  We introduced rice cereal and oatmeal to his diet this week.  It was a struggle the first couple of days, but now he barely even needs a bib.  He opens his mouth wide and really seems like he’s enjoying eating like a grown-up.