Confessions of a New Dad, Part 1: Daddy goes solo (almost)

I had been thinking for the past couple of days that April had been pushing too hard, going above the necessities of keeping house and making milk for Lena. Then, yesterday, it all "exploded" literally and figuratively. She called me late-afternoon at work saying she was nauseated and was ON THE WAY to Target with Lena to get a few things. I ask her how long she's been feeling nauseated, and she says for a couple of hours. I mentioned that she could consider going home, and she said "No, I'm already at Target. I'll just quickly get a few things". I said, "Well, ok, I'd suggest getting and taking some Tums, and call me if you need me." It might have been 10 minutes later that she called back, from the food court, saying she couldn't walk with Lena around the store, and that she had been unable to throw up in the bathroom. I said, "I'm coming your way." Now, mind you that this call is about 4:50 PM, and this Target is 10 miles or so straight up I-35 (at rush hour). Traffic wasn't that bad, but it was about 5:30 before I made it. It's a good thing that most of the UT students have gone home already.

We are by the way forever indebted to the mom with toddler that brought April ice water and kept her company until I arrived. I loaded everyone into her car and brought them home, a much easier trip. (The other car is still at Target.) Then came the fun part. Lena had been a perfect little angel, but it was past time to feed and she had soiled her diaper pretty well. April was making a trip to the bathroom about every 10 minutes, with little success at relieving her nausea. After getting Lena changed, I brought her to mom for a feeding. This cycle repeated a couple of times, with me taking care of Lena (except for the feeding part of course) until April was finally able to get rid of whatever was causing the distress. For those with strong stomach, I'll include the "gory" details in a comment below. Basically, I relearned something about newborns that I had forgotten, since it's been 21 years since I've been around one for any period of time.

Mom is doing somewhat better this morning, resting now, but feeling weak. She has her Ensure and lots of Gatorade to help with the fluids, and we'll try solid food again in a little bit. Once again, Lena has been a little angel for the most part. She didn't want to go to sleep at bedtime, and would fuss at me when rocking her. She wouldn't take a paci, but was content with me as long as I wasn't doing anything to suggest sleepy time. I'm told this somewhat mimics experiences with walking one of the other granddaughters around at night to keep her happy. So, anyway, I sat with her in our lounger and gently talked to her, shaking a foot to cause enough vibration to soothe her. 10 minutes later she dropped off to sleep. I'll have to work on this situation in a few weeks if it continues. Who knew she'd have this much personality at under 2 weeks! She shook her head no in the hospital, the first trip, when she didn't want the paci. She weighed 10 pounds at the 2-wk appointment yesterday, meaning she gained over an ounce a day in the last week, and she's a half-pound over her birth weight! The pediatrician said it was ok if she wanted to try to sleep through the night, which we tried for April's sake, and almost made it. We had to feed her about 4:15, and then again at 8:15 this morning. She's quite a doll, and I'm excited to show her off when we arrive.

So that's my first confession as a new dad, that I have a little angel, that I have a lot to remember (and learn) about babies, and that I am blessed to have such a well-trained mom to help out and coach.