David Wertheimer: September 2008 Archives

Sad but true: Noodle is sick. At music class Tuesday another baby was sneezing, and Nate developed a full-blown cold yesterday: stuffy nose, cough, a bit of stomach churn.

I'd been warned, and can confirm, that few things are sadder than a sick baby. He doesn't understand why he's breathing through his mouth, or why that gets in the way of his feeding. He doesn't know how to sniffle, just that the stuffy nose is frustrating. He woke up once an hour last night, screaming, confused at how his body is feeling. It's just a big old mess.

Before bed yesterday Nathan was sort-of-kind-of crying for a good 90 minutes, desperate for comfort and, I suspect, some sympathy. Use of the nasal aspirator (or, as it will forever be known to me, the booger baster) gave marked but short-lived relief. We spent the night rooting for him to get better quickly, unable to do much else.

Otherwise, Nathan just fusses here and there, and tries his best to find things funny. Which I suppose is not a bad place to be: even when he's down, our baby knows how to crack a smile.

But I don't want to leave, originally uploaded by netwert.

At Yankee Stadium, September 20. See also an essay here and more photos here.

First subway ride, originally uploaded by netwert.

On the 2 train on the way to the last day game at the old Yankee Stadium, September 20

Naked baby is fun!, originally uploaded by netwert.

September 18

Story time, originally uploaded by netwert.

September 12

Liking the new floor mat, originally uploaded by netwert.

September 11

Tummy time, originally uploaded by netwert.

September 11

When one's father is a die-hard fan of a sport and a team, it stands to reason, more often than not, that the child might become a fan too. (Never mind that I'm not a Knicks fan like my own dad; that's mostly because I don't like basketball all that much. My brother does love the Knicks. And I like my father don't have a favorite football team, so that's something.)

And when said father is a die-hard fan of the most storied franchise in American sports, one whose last season in a historic stadium is winding down this very weekend, it might stand to reason that father might feel compelled to show his son a little bit of history, a shared memory, even if the son is, say, 16 weeks old.

So if you find a high-definition television tomorrow, and turn on the Yankee game, and look to the third-base side of home plate, in the back of the lower level under the loge overhang, and you try real hard and squint a bit, you just might see little Nate, in his Yankees onesie and Yankees mocassins, taking in his first baseball game at the last weekend at the old Yankee Stadium, accompanied by his extraordinarily accommodating mother, and, of course, his proud, grinning dad.

Happiness is a portable stroller mobile, originally uploaded by netwert.

September 13

Hi!, originally uploaded by netwert.

Photo by Patricia via iPhone, September 10. Side note to Mom: those are not my shoes

Nathan is now three months old. (Actually, he's 14 and a half weeks! Where does the time go?) I am pleased to note that we've had near-perfect growth and behavior.

Nate is, as of Friday's pediatric visit, 24 1/2 inches tall and just shy of 15 pounds. He's getting control of his motor skills and is a big fan of kicking and pinwheeling when happy.

Like his dad--as a child, at least; Dad's not like this anymore--Nathan has an excellent attention span, particularly for an infant his age. When captivated by a toy, a mobile, or the trees in the park, he can easily spend 45 minutes focused and content. He's cooing and laughing on and off all day, and he's quick to smile for Mom and Dad when he sees them.

Most importantly, Nate is a champ of a sleeper. After a week or so of midnight-to-9 a.m. nights, we eliminated his late-night feeding, and for the past two days he has slept from 8:45 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., give or take. He's officially sleeping through the night, going to bed and waking up happy. (And so are his parents.)

Mom and Dad marvel at his fast early growth: the clothes he's outgrown, the bassinets that are already too small, how different he looks. But mostly we marvel at our good fortune. Nathan is good-natured, easygoing, satisfied; he rarely cries without reason and is relaxed in his stroller and in the car. Lots of smiles for parents and grandparents alike. Every day is a fun day for him and for us.

Pals, originally uploaded by netwert.

September 6

Boy, am I full, originally uploaded by netwert.

September 6