First Doctor's Appointment

Jackson is now six-and-a-half weeks old and he weighs 11 pounds 14 ounces and is 58.5 cm long (23 inches).  The health visitor determined that Jackson is in the 75th percentile for weight and the 91st percentile for height.  His head size also went up to 39.1 cm which she said was on track.

Last week, we heard his first laughs!  Jackson laughed three times in the span of about fifteen minutes while looking at his favourite toy and listening to Lee and I make funny noises.  Also, he has developed a bit of a routine and eats and naps at relatively the same times during the day.

We took Jackson to Cheshire Oaks (an outlet mall) to look for some baby outfits and to get out in the fresh air on Saturday.  He's grown sizeably in the past week and needed more clothes in the 0-3 month range that were on the longer size (since it seems every brand makes their 0-3 month clothes variably different).  The mall is beautifully decorated for Christmas now so we took some photos by the Christmas tree and Jackson loved staring at the twinkling lights.

After the mall, we travelled to see Lee's grandpa in Buckeley, Cheshire so Jackson could meet his Great-Grandpa McRae for the first time.  He was very well-behaved all day, sleeping soundly in the car and entertaining happily when it was time to visit.

That night, he discovered his fist and thumb could be used for sucking, and has started that habit when he sees fit, but it is a very seldom occasion so far.

Yesterday was the first time we met our doctor for a check-up.  (That's right:  I've been registered at the same doctor's office for three years and up until now, I've only spoken to nurses or midwives.)  The appointment was scheduled from 9:40 until 10:20 and I was under the impression that Jackson would be receiving his first round of shots (jabs, in the UK) at this meeting which had me particularly distraught.  When he woke up, I fed him, changed him, and dressed him.  Luckily, he went back to sleep which allowed me enough time to get myself ready, pack the diaper bag, and set-up the stroller.  We made it out of the house by 8:40 to get the bus and having just missed the 8:47 bus, we had to wait until 9:10 until we saw another one.  (There went twenty minutes of a peacefully sleeping Jackson!)

After we checked-in at the doctor's reception and sat down, it was 9:25 and Jackson was still sound asleep.  The doctor actually met us promptly at 9:40 which I was happy about; however, Jackson was just starting to wake-up again and I knew that he would be hungry.  He really only cries desperately when he's hungry and can come out of a deep sleep with screams of starvation as if he's never eaten before, so I knew this was going to have to be a quick meeting before disaster would strike.

Of course, the crying began right when we sat down and I told the doctor that he was hungry, but he asked a succession of questions such as, "Does he cry often?"  "He sounds hoarse; do you leave him to cry for long periods of time?"  "He's a squaller."  "What a loud cry."  All of these statements made me feel incredibly at ease...not really.  I felt like I had to defend myself as a parent when I knew there was nothing wrong and Jackson has never cried for more than two minutes in his life.  When he was born, the nurses commented on his "three-month-old cry" so he just has strong vocal chords, I guess.  While he was crying, Jackson had to have his head measured, body examined, and heart and eyes checked-out.  The doctor also has a very quiet speaking voice, so I had to have him repeat his sentences two or three times each because I couldn't hear anything over Jackson's howls of hunger.

While undressing Jackson for his check-up, I figured he would have a full diaper and he didn't disappoint.  The doctor asked if I had a plastic bag.  This particular practice makes parents put their stroller in a "Pram Park" outside because there is not a lot of room to manoeuvre strollers inside since the office is in an old house.  So, I had to run outside to get a plastic bag and then after it was bagged, the doctor said, "There's a nice present for you to take home."  I thought, "Seriously?  I have to take this thing home on the bus?  That isn't happening."

The forty-minute appointment only lasted fifteen minutes and Jackson's shots are now scheduled for December 14th since apparently, they were never planned for yesterday anyway, I just assumed that was part of the first check-up.

Jackson happily ate in the waiting room before we ventured out and I tossed that 'present' into the nearest trashcan on our way to the bus stop.  We ended our outing with a trip to Formby to buy a few more baby outfits and Jackson took a two-and-a-half hour nap which began when we stepped out of the doctor's office door.  That's my boy!

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.