Finnegan Wakes

After another sleepless day and night with little Henry, we paid a visit to Dr. S. this morning to see what is going on. I was unable to tell if it was gas, or the antibiotic, or reflux, or something I was eating that was bothering his intestines and tummy after nursing. All I knew is that pretty much like clockwork, about 20 minutes after nursing, Henry would start screaming and writhing, and was unable to stay asleep for any length of time.

I guess not surprisingly, the doc checked Henry out and diagnosed him with reflux, just like Finny had as an infant. She said his throat is just raw and red and it was no wonder he was screaming and not sleeping. So...the good news is we know what to do and the condition is treatable with the infamous "veg pillow" and Zantac. The bad news is that it'll take a few days for the meds to kick in and his throat to heal, and then we're on the Zantac wagon for the next 6 months, 3 times a day. As Finny would say, "poorguy!".

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Finn has been having all sorts of fun this week with his Liggett grandparents. Yesterday he was treated to a dramatic reading of "Three Billy Goats Gruff" by grandma, a chicken taco lunch with grandpa, and lots of time outdoors touring the neighborhood and playing in the sprinklers. He busy was making big strides in feeding himself with a spoon and actually getting the food into his mouth (as opposed to unintentionally dumping it into his lap on the way up). Both grandpa and I were thrilled to see Finny predominantly using his left hand, only sometimes switching to right to see if he could make it work any better (answer: no).

Henry is going through his 3-week growth spurt and is eating all the time, which is great for him but not so fun for me. He has been having bouts of gas and tummy aches and has been quite fussy and not very sleepy for a couple nights in a row. We broke the cycle last night--slept for a 4-hour stretch, then a couple of 3-hour stretches, and did not have any intermittent spit ups or howling due to gas pains. Whew. We both needed the rest!

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Tonight Margot and I gave Henry (aka Goonie, aka the G-Man) a bath, and while it wasn't his first, this time I was able to grab my camera. Check out the photos (HTML) of our littlest guy doing the backstroke.

For a fun comparison, here's Finny's first bath (and, what the heck, a later one, too). Seeing those pics & realizing they were taken less than 18 months ago (!) really drives home the truth in all those cliches about "they grow up so fast."

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• In 2001: A Space Odyssey, primitive man discovers how to use bones as tools.
• In 2009, young Finn discovers how to use Dad's toes as levers for operating Henry's little swingy chair.

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We're having a great time introducing Henry to his Liggett grandparents (GP's--hence "Jeeps"), so we've been a bit lighter on the blogging. Finn delights in showing grandpa around our usual haunts--e.g. dragging him to the "antenna truck," jumping to him from our neighbor's porch, and playing around in the pool. While I've got a moment before he gets up, here's a gallery (HTML) of the proceedings.

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Dad and Finn like to recap the events of the day, or even the events of many days ago. One of Finn's favorite conversations, from about 2 weeks ago, follows. "The ladies" are the housecleaners, who remain guilty as charged for throwing away Finn's favorite paper towel tube:


F: "La-dees!"
J: "Oh yeah, did the ladies throw away our tube?"
F: "Darn-eet!"
J: "But then did someone bring us a new one?"
F: "CoCo!"
J: "And now what do we do?"
F: "I like to moo-bat moo-bat... Keeck it now, keeds!"

...and subtle variations on that theme. :-)

The paper tubes we rescued from our neighbor Long's garbage cans are a favorite topic ("Broken! Cut! No Pat No!"), as is the shopping cart that fell off the park maintenance truck ("Dump!!"), the cherry-picker baskets on the cable trucks parked outside on the street ("Up up!"), and Hoot and pickles for lunch ("Hoot! Peecoles! Monday!").

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It's week two with Henry on the scene, and we're all settling in to our groove as a foursome. Henry and I spend a lot of time on the couch, or in the rocking chair while he nurses or naps. We've set up the playpen/bassinet in the living room so we have a drop-off spot for him that is both Finn-proof and centrally located so we can hear him from the kitchen or other rooms.

John and Finn have a really good routine going these days. They spend a lot of time outdoors exploring, going for Cozy Coupe rides, or Bob-ing their way up the street to the park. Finn has really taken a shine to the various slides, as well as the swings. There is a public pool at the park, too, which is open every afternoon, so the boys have been swimming a few times in the past week. Finn loves it, and John mentioned something about how great it is to be a dad when it comes to playtime and pool time with Finno. We also found out that the big carousel at the Guadalupe River Park is free one Tuesday a month, so John and Finn took a spin on the various animals last week--I think a wolf, zebra, and giraffe were involved--see for yourself (HTML)*!

John and I get some quiet time together in the evenings after Finn goes to bed, and Henry settles into his nighttime sleeping pattern. He conks out after a couple of closely-spaced evening feedings, enabling us to enjoy the quiet and the descending darkness.

*The image quality of the last shot here is, as Finn would say of milk being microwaved, "Nottoohot." :-) Still it captures the feel of the scene, and it's not too bad for a $3 souvenir. Finny was kind of freaked out by the ride at first ("Down down down!"), but he became an addict almost immediately. In the end it was woozy Dad who had to call a break to all the riding!

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Hoot! Tom! Milos!--not to mention Alex! Sarah! and Harper!--gathered at our house last Saturday for an impromptu homecoming celebration just after we arrived from the hospital. It was so nice to introduce Henry to our pals, and to have them help us raise a toast to the newest Nack. (Even Finn got in on that action via some sparkling apple juice. Note, however, that carbonated juice + sippy cup = Molotov kiddie cocktail. We learned the hard way!)

Here are some photos (HTML) from the little shindig. Thanks to Tom & Hughes for contributing some great camerawork.

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Finno gets a real kick out of saying "BUCKet!" with regard to little-kid car seats. He's often talking about our little neighbor Maddie and her seat ("Money! Bucket!"), and now he gets to see Henry occupy his old bucket.

We're told that older kids sometimes regress developmentally when a new baby arrives. Finn has done nothing of the sort (in fact, just this week he decided to shift gears & move to one nap per day), but we got a kick out of him trying to stuff himself into Henry's seat ("Goonie! BUCKet!"). As you can see (HTML), he likes to rock out. Maybe he's pining for his lost youth... If this is the worst regression we have to deal with, we'll count ourselves very luck. :-)

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As we may have mentioned, Finn is *way* into hanging around with other guys, and he's particularly fascinated with our friends Tom, Hughes ("Hoot"), and Hughes's 4-month-old son Miles (nicknamed "Milos" & pronounced "Mee-loash"). He periodically likes to go on little riffs, calling out each one's name:

Meanwhile, the corresponding ladies (Bryan's wife Alex, and Tom's wife Sarah & baby daughter Harper) can't even make a blip on Finn's radar screen! That'll all change in time, no doubt, but for now, it's the Guy Show through and through.

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Our visit to Dr. S. on Tuesday resulted in some positive news. All is well with our little guy overall. Dr. S. thinks that the hydronephrosis (fluid on the kidney) issue is mild enough that it will most likely resolve itself in the next several months.

While the pediatrician at the hospital felt that further testing would be necessary (involving catheters and radioactive dye--yeesh!), Dr. S. thinks that is too much to pursue given the small degree of fluid shown in the ultrasound we had at the hospital. Her recommendation is to continue the antibiotic dose as a preventive measure, and do another ultrasound at 6 months to see how he's doing.

We are to be alert for any high fevers, as they might indicate a kidney or urinary tract infection. Knowing that, we'll be super conservative if/when he gets a fever, and get him checked out accordingly. The best news is that we don't have to subject our tiny guy to a bunch of unpleasant procedures that would likely result in no further action from the doctor.

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• Henry, supine (as usual) and going for a first sling-ride with us
• Finny & Mom enjoying some popcorn while watching a Muppet clip on YouTube
• Finn regarding Henry with a touch of skepticism. :-)

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...when you arrange for one of you to call the other on his cell phone--while in the house--in case of needed baby-assistance. :-)

I cannot overstate what an amazing job Margot (let's call her Cool Hand Peanut*) is doing with little Henry. In order to let me save up strength for nonstop daytime Finn patrols, we've agreed to have me sleep downstairs in the TV room, out of earshot of the little guy's nighttime cries. I'm more than happy to pop up and assist if needed, so we've arranged to have Margot call my cellphone as necessary. It's kind of absurd, we know, but as they say, "Whatever gets you through the night/It's alright, it's alright..." :-)

* Incidentally, human parrot Finn overheard me call out to "Peanut" the other day, and now he seems to relish saying, "Mom-O! Peanut!" That's my boy.

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I know I'm supposed to rest when the baby rests, but now is one of those instances where I'm absolutely wide awake, and it's too warm to sleep, so it's just not going to happen. Thankfully Henry afforded me a couple of really decent naps today so I am not as desperately tired as I could be. And John is doing a wonderful job with Finny--they are pretty much keeping their own schedule and Henry and I drop in for a visit as often as we can (when we're not napping, or he's not nursing). Right now John's got Henry snoozing on his lap.

Finn's starting to relax about Dad-o having some Henry time. He's not bursting into instant tears or whining every time he sees Dad holding the baby, and we are trying to explain that Henry gets to spend time with *all* of us, not just Mom-o. He'll get there in time.

We visit Dr. S. tomorrow for our first check-up. We'll also talk to her about the results of Henry's kidney ultrasound, which showed a bit too much fluid on his left kidney. This means we have to take him in for some additional tests, because the risk is urinary or kidney infection if the duct from his kidney is not working properly. There are degrees of seriousness to the condition--it may resolve itself, or it may require surgical intervention to place a stent in the duct. We'll know more in the coming weeks. Right now he is on a preventative dose of antibiotics to fend off any potential infection.

We are extremely fortunate to be getting meals delivered every night from the Moms' group I'm in. It is wonderful to have hot, delicious food available with no effort--I would strongly recommend a second pregnancy to any of the moms in the group! So far we're 4 for 4 on getting brownies for dessert :-)

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...And so the late-night blogging returns. :-)

Here we are at H+110--a hundred and ten hours into the life of our new little guy (not that I'm counting!). I just had the honor of holding Henry on my lap for the past four hours as he slept, and now he's enjoying a midnight snack courtesy of Mom-O. We've decided to try having me sleep downstairs, the better to get some rest & thus preserve energy for Finn-management.

We're having a wonderful time so far with the H-man (or G-man, as we & especially Finn alternate with the "Goonie" nomenclature). I have to say, Margot is being a total rock star, holding up marvelously with the return to sleep deprivation. I feel somewhat guilty, not being able to do as much directly with the new guy. For my part I try to provide her with worry-free Squirrel-wrangling, and he and I plan to check out lots of little kid gatherings while I'm on leave.

Finny, meanwhile, regards Henry with passing interest, getting keyed up only when I spend time with the little guy. He's perfectly content to regard mother & brother as one entity ("Mom-O-Goonie").

I find I'm (predictably) running out of steam at the moment, so without further ado here are a few photos (HTML) of the family at home--including our first family dinner where Henry doubles as both guest & table setting. ;-) Lots more is in the queue, including images showing a visit from our pals Tom, Sarah, Bryan, Alex, and their tots.

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Our boys are wasting no time in exploring their fashionable side. First Henry donned some big earphones for a hearing test (passed with flying colors!), after which the Finnster tried on our neighbor Suzanne's big sunglasses. Here's a larger version of the photos.

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He's here, he's here!! :-D

We could have no sweeter fourth-anniversary news to share: announcing the arrival of the wonderful Mr. Henry Seamus Nack, born yesterday afternoon at 2:47pm! Dad-o is typing quickly as he's on Finn-patrol, but we wanted to share a little gallery (HTML) showing our great little fella. What a marvel, what a blessing! :-D

More to come (like you doubted that ;-))...

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Well, we've had no real news from our little amigo-to-be, but Margot went in for acupuncture today, hoping to get the show on the road. Apparently this approach worked for our friend Alex, and Margot reports getting a few good kicks during the goings on. Largely, though, the wait continues.

Meanwhile, Finny and I found some "baby fruit" during a walk through the neighbors' yard. We took home one "little guy" plus one "little bitty guy," both of which you can see us holding (HTML). We look forward to introducing our little guy to our little bitty guy soon enough!

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Well, our nation's birthday came and went without becoming El Segundo's birthday, so we can't report any fireworks on that front. We did have a lovely day with the Finnster, however, including:

• Banging away on our neighbor's truck, dropping a severed antenna repeatedly into a hole ("BOOM!")
• Learning the letter "W" (gleefully pronounced "DoubleYOOOuu!") in the course of inspecting/washing mom's VW
• Discovering hot dogs ("Meat!") and kazoos during a neighborhood toy store's little concert (featuring cascading bubbles)
• Dining with pals at our friend Julieanne's house, where "Hoot" (Hughes) remained a person of great fascination. :-)

Here's our little gallery (HTML) from the day.

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July 2, 2009: Finn turns 16 months old! Hard to believe, and even harder to believe that El Segundo's arrival could be any day now. We keep waiting for "Gundo" and he keeps teasing me with phony contractions, but has made no definitive moves towards his big entrance.

Meanwhile, Finny keeps picking up new words every day. New ones include "handle", "eagle", "hanger", "ice", "antenna", and "Beetle" (re: our neighbor's vintage VW bug). He's decided he likes watermelon, and he tried a dill pickle today and surprisingly, liked it a great deal. He really hammed it up when he made his "pickle face," but kept on asking for more!

Yesterday, Finn went on a bender about "BrokenHam!", careening around saying it over and over, and cracking up in the process. He and Dad would take turns shouting "BrokenHam!" and giggling. Turns out, he was referring to Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham, which he's been enjoying. How it became broken, I do not know, but it's hilarious nonetheless.

The sprinkler and garden hose antics continue. Finn has gone through a couple outfits per day due to his interest in the garden hose and the new spray nozzle we got for it. He basically points it at his face and tries to get a drink from it, so you can imagine how quickly he gets soaked from head to toe. He's also taken to hosing down the Cozy Coupe--gotta keep your ride clean, man!

Here's a little compendium of photos (HTML) from the past week or two--including piggy-back rides, attempts at jumping, visits from friends, and neighborhood expeditions.

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Man, those swim lessons may have deeply affected young Finny, turning him into a true water lover. This morning he started crowing about "Hose, hose!," so I obligingly turned on the tap--with predictable results. I didn't anticipate the sheer volume of water he ingested, but at play group a couple of hours later, it all came back to me, so to speak. ;-)

In any case, here's the aqua-man in action (HTML), including a few weekend sprinkler photos. As you can see, Dad-o wasn't shy about getting in on the action, and Mom-o was a quick pro with the camera.

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