11/18/06 Gabriel's ears

It's true, Gabriel really is having trouble hearing. He still had a temp this morning, so Dave took him to the pediatrician. By the time the doctor got into the room to see him, he'd fallen asleep and she measured his temperature at 104.8! It lowered down to 101 just an hour later.

The ped. found congestion in his ears, which might or might not be related to his fever, and could take weeks to go away, and that's probably causing the hearing loss. It could also lead to another ear infection, of which he's had two in the last two months, plus pain once that didn't develop into a full-blown infection. Gabriel was definitely out of sorts today, with many lethargic moments. Though he stilll found plenty of energy to play and bug Julian.

Katrina has been the model baby lately: predictable, easy to deal with (though still not that soothable when she really wants to fuss), and lots of adorable cooing smiley moments. She beamed a gorgeous smile at Julian today, delighting him.

Nighttimes have become pretty consistent too, with her waking up sometime around 11pm, then 3am-4am, then 7am or so, and going right back to sleep afterward. Daytime naps have also gotten easier. Not every time, but quite often now, if I'm certain she's tired, I can swaddle her, put her down, and give her the pacifier -- and even the pacifier isn't always essential. I always try to comfort her before putting her down, but she stays rigid and agitated until I put her down. Of course, babies are unpredictable and things could turn around, but she's in a good place right now.

Time to get full-body shot. This one I took before her nightly bath. It's a little easier to keep baby-in-the-buff shots "clean" with a girl! She has such a strong, active, healthy body, and is so full of energy and activity for a 6-week-old baby, with lots of calm moments now too. I'll always remember 6 weeks as a good Katrina age.

11/18/06