Five Months Old

 

I apologize for the delay in writing this latest blog; the first week since Nathan turned five months has been busy! In the interest of getting this posted, I will upload the pictures at a later time (so you'll have to come back again). *Pictures added!*

Since about the middle of October, Nathan has reached milestones that remind us how quickly he is growing. First, we moved him from our bedroom to his own room we so lovingly decorated. We knew it was becoming time to move him, and the pediatrician confirmed that he (and we) may sleep better if we made this change. The first night, I sat on my side of the bed and looked at the empty Pack N Play stationed there, missing the fact that I could no longer just look over and see our sleeping angel. Jeff laughed with me and then confirmed it was, "time to reclaim our bedroom". We have the monitor plugged in so I feel assured I can listen to him anytime I like. In the time since moving, Nathan sleeps pretty regularly, waking twice between 9pm and 6am, the hours I want to sleep. All in all, a great decision.

Second, Nathan has started to try some new foods! As is customary, we started with rice cereal, then mashed bananas and most recently applesauce. After some initial hesitation, he seems enthusiastic about the spoon and opens his mouth wide at times. Once the food is in his mouth, he doesn't quite seem to know what to do with it and it generally comes drooling back out.

Unfortunately, the arrival of November brought Nathan's first illness. He had been congested for several weeks and a few days before Halloween, developed a small cough. Given that he was eating, sleeping and behaving normally, the two ailments were no cause for concern. Last Tuesday, however, I picked Nathan up from school and discovered he had a fever of 101.4! Obviously the school asked he stay home at least a day. Jeff made plans to stay home while I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Chrissie. She diagnosed him with something akin to Bronchitis, explaining that his condition would be considered a cold in most adults, but the condition is worse in his little body. Fluids, rest, the vaporizer and Tylenol as needed were all she could recommend. Jeff said Nate wanted to be held more than usual which makes sense as he was sick. Who wouldn't want more cuddles when sick? Jeff stayed home a second day and I stayed home with him the third. By this time, Nate had generously shared his germs with me and we both felt pretty bad. We spent most of Friday cuddling in bed, with the vaporizer quietly puffing nearby. By the fourth day, Nate was showing signs of improvement: smiles, movements, etc. I, however, could not say the same and had to miss the last game in Husky stadium, tickets we had purchased several months ago. A week later, he still has a little cough, but appears otherwise to have returned to good health. We are thankful! It is hard to watch such a little guy endure the uncomfortable feelings of being sick. I am also on the mend, though a cough and congestion seem to wax and wane. Jeff seems also to be picking up some of the symptoms that Nathan and I have endured.

November will continue as a busy one for the Davolt household as we travel to Boise for the long Veteran's Day weekend and then Nate's first Thanksgiving will be here not long after. We are still trying to decide what our plans for this first major holiday will be.