Gus is 4 months

Gus's new crib:

Gus having his first bite to eat (rice cereal)

He has a crib

Gus got his crib last week! I'll post pictures later. I am still waiting for his nursery bedding to arrive. I really liked the farm animal theme so I got him bedding with cute sheep, cows, horses, and barns. I know it sounds a little redneck, but it is adorable.

Speaking of adorable, Gus is turning into such a good looking boy. He is still bald, but his beautiful smile more than makes up for it. We went for his 4 month check up last week. He is now 14 pounds 14 oz (50%) and 26.5 inches tall (95%). Again, they gave him some vaccinations. This time he cried a lot more than previous times. However, I still think my boy is pretty brave.

After it was okayed with his pediatrician, he was allowed to start solid food. Now, there is one thing that has always been a guarantee about my Gus is that he is a good eater. Less than an hour after his traumatic birth he was eating off the breast. When I had to go back to work and my mom had to give him a bottle, he ate from that too. In fact, he switches back and forth from breast to bottle so easily! I swear, that boy is not picky. It is not unexpected then that he ate his rice cereal off a spoon as if he was doing it his whole life. I wonder if he was one of those sport eaters in a previous life. You know, like those Nathan Hot Dog eaters. Gus is strong like bull.

I am settling into life out here with my parents. Because I moved across the country, I feel like I have to start all over again with friends, hobbies, etc. I now work two nights a week and there are a lot of young people my age at the hospital. They are into mountain biking, white water rafting ("running rivers"), and hiking. I hope to meet up with them and learn some new skills! Also, the hospital has a weekly chat group for nursing mothers. I have gone to that a couple of times and met some really nice girls. With all this networking, hopefully I can find some friends as awesome as the ones in Virginia! Or at least try.

I didn't post any pictures because I am writing my blog here at work. When I get home, I will try to post some good ones.

Due to come next week: the Ergo Baby Carrier. Perhaps this over priced gadget will let me fulfill my hippy-ish dream of carrying my baby.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to me! My first ever as a mom. Gus and I had an excellent day. We woke up (after he slept 12 hours straight) and went out for breakfast. We skyped with Uncle Geoff for awhile. My mom got a digital picture frame so while Gus took a 90 minute nap (I KNOW!) I helped my mom put that together. Later on in the day, Grandma, Gus, and I went to a Mother's Day One Mile run. Actually I ran the mile and barely survived. Grandma and Gus were in the 40+ wave. They walked and beat some old ladies who had to use canes to finish. What at team! Gus got his face painted with a nose and whiskers. This seemed like a good idea at the time, until Gus wiped his face with his hand and stuck it in his mouth. Good thing that stuff they use for kids face painting is non-toxic :)

Earlier this week, I had quite a scare. On my first day of my new job, before I left, Gus had an odd spell. I only say spell for lack of otherwords to describe it. Gus slumped over, turned pale white, and turned limp as a baby doll. I went to give him CPR but before I could start, my dad shook his legs until Gus screamed. The whole time Gus's eyes were wide open and he gazed blankley. Because we could not arouse him from this state, we called 911. By the time they got to our house, Gus was still very lethargic and pale. While the paremedics were there, he did it again. They too were worried and took him to the local hospital where the decided to admit him. He was in the ICU for 24 hours on a cardiac monitor. Poor Gus! We put him in a Graco swing in his room, and it was so pitiful. He was swinging trying to have a good time with all his wires dragging under him.

After talking to a pediatric neurologist (thanks Megan!) I found that he could have had one of two things: a petit mal seizure or a pallid breath holding spell. Babies can have one seizure and never have them again. Even if it was a seizure, waiting to see if it happens again would be more than medically okay. The second option is the pallid breath holding spell. From my google.com readings, I found there are two forms of this. One is when the baby turns blue. Usually, this occurs when the baby is screaming and very agitated. They turn blue and pass out. The second (which Gus must have had) the baby has a traumatic like being hit in the head or in Gus's case choking on some milk. The baby turns pale, passes out and look dead. The good news is while this is horrid for the parents, pallid breath holding spells are never fatal.

Well, Gus is home and doing well. He bounced right back and doesn't remember a thing. And on Mother's Day, I treaure my baby more than ever!

Do up next week: Gus will finally get a crib!