One Month Check-Up

So we took Carson for her one-month doctor appointment on Monday, and it was great.  A few things surprised me about the visit:

1. I was, like, first-day-of-school excited before we went. 

Back when you used to get excited about going to school, of course. 


2. There was practically no wait AND we didn't feel rushed with the doctor.  Usually, when there's no wait, it's because the doctor doesn't take time with their patients.  You end up feeling rushed, I forget to ask all my questions, and leave there feeling very unsatisfied.  Not the case here.  Excellent!


3.  They stopped just short of calling Carson a fat-ass.  She has gained about 2 1/2 pounds since birth and now weighs almost 9 pounds!  What a champ! 
Unfortunately, this is one of the very few times in a girl's life when the whole world thinks her gaining weight is wonderful and exciting--so we plan to let her enjoy it! 

Especially since it will be at least 40 years until the next time people are this excited about her gaining weight--pregnancy.  


4. This one did not surprise me--Carson has acid reflux.  That explains all the grunting and squeaking we have found to be so cute about her.  And also all the puking.


5. The sense of accomplishment Brandon and I had when we left the office hit me out of left field.  We felt so proud! 

I think this is why:  we've been working our asses off for a month now on this precious little angel who suddenly lives with us.  About a thousand times a day, we second-guess our decisions or wonder what the "right" thing to do in any given situation is.... 

....She's crying--do we pick her up, let her fuss--for how long?  Are her clothes warm enough? too warm?  It has been 3 hours since she ate--do we wake her up? let her sleep?  Should we use diaper cream every time we change her? only when she's red?  She's awake--is it okay to leave her in her crib with something fun to look at or should we be talking to her?  Cloth or disposable?  Formula or breast?  Nanny or day care?  Boxers or briefs?....

That covers about 5 minutes of the day.

And then of course, there's the whole not sleeping, not showering, trying to find time to eat thing.

And then there's all the picture-sharing and update-giving we're expected to do with friends and family.  Which--don't get me wrong--is part of the job of a parent, and we love to show her off.  But it can take up a pretty good chunk of the day if we actually respond to all requests and try to make sure everyone has the latest info.  (which is kind of the purpose of this blog--do it once, tell everyone where it is, and we're done)

So anyway, we've done all this hard work--which of course we do because we love her, but let's not pretend it's easy.  And then we go to the doctor--to this guru who, in our minds, is the one person who can tell us if we're doing it "right."  She knows it all.  She can accurately evaluate our child's status, development, health, growth, etc.

And she basically gave us a gold star. 

Hallelujah!  It hasn't all been pointless or wrong.  At least a few of those thousand decisions a day have been correct enough to get a doctor to say she's doing great.

Hence the feeling of accomplishment, the self-directed pat on the back, and the pride we feel in our daughter too--because it has been a big month for her as well.


Lastly, here's a picture of her getting ready to see the doctor--caught her in a smile!