Post-Immunization Update

As predicted, Noa handled the shots well. She was a tiny bit more fussy, but she didn't have any fever at all, and her sleep and appetite were great. On Tuesday, the day after, she was quite sleepy, so we spent the majority of the day in bed. She would fuss if I tried to move away so eventually, I just made piece with lying with her and made the best of it. I took some pictures of Noa's favorite things to stare at when she is in bed.



She loves staring at the slats on the bed frame. It was one of the first things we noticed that kept her attention......



This painting always brings a smile to her face. Sometimes when I am trying to get her to fall asleep. I have to turn her the other way so that she can't see it, otherwise, she will stay awake to stare at it. I painted it so I take it as a huge compliment.....



The ceiling fan is always a good time killer. We score extra points if we turn it on and then slow it down....



The flowers in the wall vase are a relatively new discovery....

She is teaching me how to really look at things. The colors, contrasts, textures. It just requires slowing down and not thinking that my time would be better spend vacuuming or something else. I remind myself that this phase of her life won't last long, so I am soaking up every minute. When she is older, I won't regret not running errands, but I would regret missing this lounging time with her.

I ran across this poem on another mom's blog. I think it says it all:

"Babies Don't Keep"

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockabye, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

-- Author Unknown

You're No Bunny Until Some Bunny Loves You

Noa and Friends

I mentioned earlier that Noa is a real charmer, quite the social butterfly. I thought I would post some of her recent visits with her friends.

Oh! What a hard day!

Noa got her first set of immunizations today, three shots in all. It was so difficult to turn her precious little limbs over to the nurse with the needles, but as she does with most things, Noa handled it like a pro. She cried, but once it was over, she moved on and wanted to do the next thing, which was eat. When we left the doctor's office, the entire waiting room full of parents had been rooting for her and they smiled at her when she came back out. I tell ya, this kid wins hearts wherever she goes.

I am impressed by her ability to move on and transition to new things, and she is getting better at it every day. Early on, when something hard happened, it seemed like she would play it over and over in her mind, and just when you thought she was settling down, she would remember the incident again and get herself all worked up again, like baby PTSD. Now, we can distract her with a change of scenery or a silly face and she can go from tears to grins in seconds flat.



Now, we are home and she is asleep in her sling on her daddy, one of her favorite places. We are waiting to see what reaction, if any, she may have to the shots. We have been prepared for the possibilty that she will be especially fussy or feverish, but I've got my money on her having a good afternoon. She is a strong girl. Very practical.

She has gained three whole pounds since she was born and she is now just shy of ten pounds and she is 22 inches, an inch and a half longer than when she was born. She continues to adore her pediatrician, and we do too. She is great with Noa and we really like her.

It was hard to know which shots to get her, given that there are so many differing opinions of the topic. A lot of people strongly feel that the shots are riskier than they are helpful and end up foregoing them. A friend whose son is now in his twenties told us that she didn't immunize him at all, and he has been extremely healthy. However, most people we have talked with say that they ended up getting all of them, which is what we did. There is so much to learn and if you look hard enough, you can look on the internet and find compelling arguments for each side. I guess all we can do is do our own research and keep asking lots of questions. The worry can take on a life of its own if you let it. I was talking with a friend this morning and she said that she chose to get all of the shots and after they were done, she went home and vigilantly watched her child for any signs of spontaneous autism. The image of her staring at her son, dissecting every gesture and squeek made me laugh, thinking he was losing IQ points as she watched, but I know that that could easily be me if I don't arm myself with a little information and faith.

That seems to be the trick to this parenting thing, balancing knowledge and faith, but sometimes that can be a tricky balance to strike.