Week 9 - Shots! Shots! Shots shots! Shots! Shots!

More big changes for baby Jay this week.

Week 9 Picture

On Wednesday, Jay officially turned 2 months old. That meant it was time for his first round of vaccinations. Going to that appointment with the pediatrician was simultaneously really stressful and a total relief. On one hand, you have to deal with the anticipation that comes with the knowledge that this little person that you love is entering a situation where he is guaranteed to experience pain - albeit temporary in nature. Poor Kimbre couldn't even watch as they poked his chubby little legs with the needle. On the other hand, getting his first round of shots means that he is finally getting protection from a multitude of terrifying diseases that can overwhelm a tiny newborn's immune system. Without a doubt, being a parent of a newborn is really stressful and scary. From the hours before he was born up through his first few weeks, Kimbre and I were hyper-sensitive to every possible sign that he might be getting sick. My worst nightmare was a vision of me sitting in a hospital watching my sick baby boy through a glass window fighting an infection his body was simply not prepared to handle. The older he gets, the stronger he gets and the strong he gets, the less likely that nightmare is to become a reality.

Overall, he did a lot better with the shots than I expected. Of course, Jay wasn't pleased when the nurse gave him the shot, but he was pretty easy to calm down immediately afterwords. It was only later that evening when the lingering pain started to sink in that things got tough. It's pretty heartbreaking to have your little boy not feel good and not be able to do anything about it. Baby Jay has really stepped up his fuss game in recent weeks as well. That fat lower lip in the pictures below has become a staple of our day to day life these the last few weeks. That being said, I'm not sure I'll ever find a feeling of accomplishment quite like the one I get when I successfully bring him all the way from a grumpy, inconsolable, red faced scream down to sleeping on my chest

Getting his shots also means that we finally start to feel comfortable bringing him out in public which means we can get a head start on all those cheesy, family-oriented activities that I loved as a kid. We started last Saturday with a trip to the science museum. Sure, he was way too young to appreciate it, but I'm not ashamed to say Kimbre and I had a blast anyway. Jay had a good time as well, though I expect it might be because he got to be carried around in the "dad chair" pretty much all day. I look forward to the days when he is old enough to truly appreciate a good, old-fashioned trip to the science museum. I can't wait to see his eyes light up in wonder as he experiences this new life of his and all the beautiful things in it for the first time. At least until he becomes old enough to realize science (not to mention his cheesy parents) is like, totally lame.

Until then, I'll enjoy the little pleasures that come with him still being a baby. I got my first laugh from baby Jay a few days ago in response to me telling him he was getting less cute as he got older. I got my second laugh when I called him fat. It was pretty great.

This little son of mine has got the rest of his life to grow up. I hope there are a lot more ducky-robe-post-bath-snuggle-time type moments along the way.