A note from Truman

Being the dog of the house isn't easy these days. When the "visitor" first arrived, he just stayed in Mom or Dad's lap. He'd make noise, then would go to sleep.

He seemed sweet enough. We would all lay on the couch - my couch - like one big happy pack. And as long as I didn't try to give him a bath, we were all cool.

Then the little guy started getting grabby. He grabs my ears. My face and tries to grab my really short hair and pull. For a little guy he has quite a grip!

Now, he's moving around. He bugs me when I'm napping on the couch. He bugs me when I'm napping on the floor. All the time! He tries to smack me with his toys. And what's worse, he even tries to steal my bone. Mom and Dad are so strict with me when it comes to his toys, but they let him grab my bone all the time! How's that fair? At least they take it away from him when I want it or when he tries to chew on it.

The video below shows how he pesters me. I just want to sleep and he's trying to smack me with one of his toys. Mom tells him to "be nice." I wonder if she thought it was nice when he got her with that toy, too?

I've even had my collar taken away. I've been naked for the past 4 months! Yesterday, Mom put it on me to go for a walk around the neighborhood. We haven't done that in a long time. Mom and Dad said something about it being too cold. I don't know what cold means, but it's been terrible outside. There are huge piles of cold, white stuff blocking all of my favorite pee spots. Plus, I shake like crazy out there. I can barely feel my paws when I come in. Anyway, yesterday on the walk, the white stuff was everywhere. Mom kept griping about having to pick up the rolling thing the little person was in and carry it over all the white stuff.

When we got home, I was tired and Mom left my collar on me... until the little person started grabbing it and pulling it. I was good. I didn't knock him over like I wanted to. I tried to pull away, but his grip is SO STRONG! So, Mom pulled my collar off and put it away. Who knows when I'll get to wear it again?

He bugs my buddy, Frankie, too. He grabs his tail, pulls pawfulls of fur and even grabbed his whiskers once! Mom and Dad are pretty quick to make him stop, but I can't believe Frankie hasn't swatted him with his sharp claws. He's the biggest grump in the whole pack and even he gives him a free pass. If I try to play with him, he smacks me. Again, I don't know why this little person gets special treatment, but he seems to be pretty cute. And, when he isn't bugging me, or stealing my stuff, he's not so bad. I guess he isn't a visitor, but the newest member of our pack. That means, I'm going to have to put up with him.

Observations on Baby Poop

Based on our own experience, as well as the inputs of several friends and family, new parents are hyper aware of everything. When Evan came home from the hospital, he came with a chart to record the number of times he peed and pooped. We diligently filled out this chart for the first few weeks, and have been keeping tabs ever since.

Perhaps one of the nicest things Mother Nature does for new parents is easing us into the messy diaper process. Newborn "stools" don't really smell and really aren't anything significant. But as you ease your baby into new foods, you start seeing first-hand the results. And, as your baby progresses into more complex foods, their diapers equally go up the hazardous waste charts.

You go from, "Oh, this isn't a bad one," to "Note-to-self-NEVER-feed-THAT-to-him-again." (See Brian's post "Prunes = YUCK!")

You also learn what to expect for the day based on what you uncover in that first morning diaper. Today, for instance, Evan had what Brian and I call "the pancake poop" in his diaper this morning when I got him up. This is a very easy diaper to clean up, but usually a warning sign of what is to come later.

Sure enough, later this morning, after E took his morning bottle, I smelled something pretty funky. I scooped him up and took him into his room and it was the dreaded "diaper-full-thank-God-in-Heaven-this-didn't-leak-out" poop. And I knew it was going to be like that when I picked him up.

The Worrisome Father

Those who know me, and as I've written before in past blog entries, know that I worry constantly. I can't help it. It's just part of the fiber that is my being. It's almost a disease in and of itself. I promised myself when Evan was born that I wouldn't unnecessarily worry about the things Evan does. Nor would I call the doctor at every little cough or sneeze. And, for the most part, I think I've done good at sticking to my promise. In the back of my mind, I always have these fears and thoughts that I try to keep at bay...things like cancer, autism, Asperger's, SIDS, etc. I try to not let it consume my thoughts, but sometimes I will observe certain things that Evan does that makes those worries surface.

For instance, last night, Evan did something he's never done before...an unusual behavior for him that he's never done before. Something so innocent and probably means nothing, but I couldn't help but worry about it. I recorded this video this morning... See for yourself:

He paced back and forth, from the carpet in the dining room, to the coffee table in the living room... He did the same exact thing last night. Did about 20 laps, then got pissed off when I picked him up and tried to direct his attention elsewhere. While to most veteran parents this may be nothing to worry about...I couldn't help myself. I mentioned it to Linda last night after Evan had gone to bed. She didn't seem too concerned by it, and explained that it was probably some new game he had discovered and a way to keep himself awake. This morning, when he did this again, I almost instantly Googled autism. Then OCD. While this certain behavior doesn't necessarily fit into those symptoms, I texted Linda this video. She responded back, "Call the doctor." Using her reaction as a basis of whether or not I should panic, I asked her if she was concerned too. She responded back, "Just call and ask." So I did.

Evan's pediatrician's nurse then called back a few minutes later...and I explained it. She reassured me that Evan was probably just exploring more and found something that kept him entertained. I explained to her that I worry, sometimes for no good reason, and the thought of autism popped in my head. She asked me if Evan makes eye contact? Yes. Does Evan snuggle? Yes, if he's in the right mood. Questions I found online also do not mirror an autism diagnosis - Does Evan know his name and responds? Yes, for the most part. Does he smile and laugh? Yes. Does Evan express his emotions (happiness, joy, wonder, frustration, anger)? Yes. Does Evan reach out to be picked up? Yes. Evan had his 9 month well-check appointment a few weeks ago, and his pediatrician was pleased with his development (as he has always been), and Evan seems to be reaching all the milestones on time. In fact, Evan is standing on his own now and probably will be walking soon.

I know I'm weird to worry about this, but this behavior seemed to be a bit neurotic to me. Is it normal? While I felt a bit better after talking to the nurse, the thoughts still linger in the back of my mind. It's just I want Evan to have the best chance at life...and I can't help but watch over him like a hawk. However, I'm not the type to sneak into his room at night and check to make sure he's breathing, or jump at every peep he makes when he's sleeping. But it doesn't help that I'm suffering a bit from cabin-fever (it's been another brutally cold, crappy and snowy winter here in Kansas City...) I don't want to be that parent that hovers over their child, I just want to be sure to protect him. I know there's nothing I can do if he were to develop any of these horrible afflictions kids sometimes get. I just pray we don't have to deal with these things.