Soft Serve

I was changing his diaper, which was already loaded with meconium poopy, and the little guy makes a grimace as I have his feet in the air. The tarry goodness starts spilling out of his bum soft serve style and all over his new diaper. We had barely saved the blanket from a nearly horrific soiling.

Awesome.

Our friend Sheila was there assisting with the diaper change while Jacqui lied in the bed recovering from the 24 hour labor and 150 minute pushing session the night before. She was actually coaching me through it, me being a man and and my first child and all. I had mentioned how it looked like soft serve ice cream as it spilled out quite neatly onto the diaper. Sheila says that she'll never have soft serve again.

Jacqui's and my advice: Soft serve is just alright. Stick with vanilla.

Donating Cord Blood

Just a few moments into his life, Merrick started out by helping someone else. He did this through a cord blood donation, which will be used to preserve his lifesaving stem cells for transplants in people who really need it.

We figured that we'd get him a head start on earning some good Karma.

Donating your baby's cord blood - BabyCenter

Hangin' Out

Scared Poopless

Our baby boy was not pooping regularly since leaving the hospital and his black tarry merconium poops behind. We were worried. He didn't seem to be the happy little guy we were accustomed to, but being first time parents, we had no experience but plenty of advice from books and doctors and family and friends, some of it helpful and some of it not so much.

Luckily, we discovered that he was a lazy feeder and that we were finishing his meals too soon. So we let him graze at his leisure and then came the gas grimaces and the sounds of baby tootings, worrying that something was wrong with his gastrointestinal system. And then finally, after a crying night of sleeplessness and his griping tummy and grimacing face, he pooped. All over himself. And we were very relieved and happy, so much so that we broke into tears and laughter.

Now, Merrick is a pooping machine.

He's Here!