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April 25, 2008
One Month
It's hard to believe that it has been a month since that long, surprising day when Alden showed up and changed things all at once. To commemorate her first month of life, we took her to see the doctor and his colorful waiting room.
While the nurse was weighing her (and to be weighed, a baby must be wearing nothing), Alden peed extravagantly all over everything. The nurse was good-natured and soldiered on. While the nurse was measuring her from head to toe, Alden upped the ante, making a prolific mess all over everything. The nurse was stoic, unflappable. We were torn between mortification and amusement.
We moved to "the purple room" for the exam proper. Since the doctor was going to need to see Alden in her natural state, we opted not to put her clothes back on. Dressed only in a diaper, she quickly got cold, so spent some time hiding under my shirt.
I get the sense she liked it in there.
The time came for the exam.
Apparently, she has gained two pounds since our last appointment, two weeks ago. Apparently, this is a sign that she is getting enough to eat. Given the volume of what she produces, this came as no great surprise.
The doctor's appointment was just the beginning of the celebration. In Japanese culture, the one-month birthday is a fairly big deal. The baby and its parents and other family members go to a shrine to celebrate the first month of life. Lacking a nearby shrine, we all convened at Bob and Seiko's house for a gyoza (fried dumpling) feast.
Seiko cooked.
I ate.
And Alden slept through her party.
Seiko made a strawberry pizza for dessert.
And Alden wasn't even interested. She had a terrible attitude about the party and threw a major hissy fit when presented with her card. Apparently, she had been hoping for a pony.
Kids today...
Later on, when things quieted down, Alden enjoyed a little down time with Iggy, who consented to share her dog couch for the occasion.
And thus ended a month of life. If Alden continues growing at her current pace, she will weigh 277 pounds by age ten. With any luck, the breast feeding will be over by then.
Posted by bogenamp at April 25, 2008 11:32 PM