Firsts

We've done some fun things this week too. We gave Simon his first bath, and we took him out for his first walk around the neighborhood, which quickly became a regular outing. We went out for our first post-Simon date, eating sushi for the first time in a year. We were only gone for an hour and a half, but it felt like we both got a massage. Thank you Teta for babysitting!

nasoalveolar molding device (NAM)

Here's a closer look at his "retainer." The little ball on the end of the wire lifts and shapes his nostril while the plate brings his palate and gumline closer together.

The Damn NAM

Yesterday was not a lot of fun. We headed over to Rush in the morning to pick up Simon's NAM. It's much bigger and bulkier than we thought it was going to be. And needless to say, Simon did not appreciate having it stuffed in his face. Once it was installed, it was time to try to feed him. That didn't go well...Simon basically choked and gagged the whole time, seemingly unable to open his little mouth wide enough to allow the bottle to get through. Even their pro cleft baby-feeding nurse, dubbed the "Baby Whisperer," couldn't get him to take in and swallow anything. Instead, he just let the milk dribble all over his nice little outfit.

For the next couple of feedings after getting the NAM, we basically had to pull the thing out, feed him, and then put the NAM back in, with Simon screaming his little head off the entire time. It's an incredibly messy process because it's held in with denture cream. So he gets this goop all over his mouth which is really hard to clean. Yuck. And of course they make this denture cream pink so that you can't even really tell where it is until you finally mop up a big gooey gob from somewhere in the back of his mouth with a q-tip.

Miraculously, and thankfully, he finally "figured it out" yesterday evening, at the exact moment when Aunt Birdie walked in the door. Something about her presence made him relax and just start eating. Since then, he's been feeding pretty well, and much more quickly. He was boring us to tears the last few days, spending 40 minutes to suck down a couple ounces of milk. He's cute and all, but watching him suck on a bottle for 40 minutes every 2.5 hours gets old pretty quick, especially in the wee hours of the morning. But with the NAM, he's sucking down 2-3 ounces in 15 minutes. So that's ONE good thing about the NAM.

Anyway, Simon got through the day. The nurses made a point of mentioning several times that he's incredibly strong and willing to fight. Betsy and I were well aware that he's a powerful little guy, but didn't really have a good frame of reference. The nurses confirmed for us that he's particularly punchy and loud. The first little signs of his personality are starting to come through...

And so it begins...

Simon had a busy day today. Yesterday, the little tooth at the site of the cleft in his gumline was getting really irritated, so we called the cleft team and they moved up his next appointment to this morning. We headed over to Rush first thing in the morning. The orthodontist pulled his little tooth, which was a big relief both for us and for Simon. I don't think it was very painful for him...it's not like pulling an adult tooth. This one was just hanging by a thread and had to go. They were nice enough to give us his tooth after they pulled it, presenting it in a surprisingly cute little treasure box. We'll put it under a pillow tonight and see what happens.

While we were there, they also took an impression of his mouth for the NAM device. The NAM is basically a retainer with a little ball on the end that goes into his right nostril, helping to reshape the nose before his lip is repaired. We're supposed to head back in on Friday to pick up the NAM, learn how to install it, clean it, feed with it, etc., and then he'll wear it until the lip surgery later this year.

The whole process of pulling the tooth and taking the impression lasted only a few minutes, and although the Little Dude cried through the whole thing, he was surprisingly calm afterwards. I like to think he was relieved to have that irritated tooth out of his mouth.

So the process of fixing up his little face really got started today. On the one hand, it's a relief to get the process going, but on the other hand, it's a little sad to see all the poking and prodding underway. For his first couple of weeks, Simon was pretty content to just hang out and be himself, cleft and all, without any tape on his face or any weird dental devices in his mouth. But we trust that one day he'll be glad we put him through all this.

Got your nose!

Another game that Simon doesn't quite get yet.

Snoozer

Simon takes after his mom and dad. We put him on his tummy for "Tummy Time" where he's supposed to exercise his head and neck, and he just takes it as an opportunity for a nap. Luckily he lifts his head a lot when he's laying on one of us, when he's in the Moby carrier, and when we're burping him.

A new look

We took Simon to see the plastic surgeon and orthodontist today. The first step in his cleft treatment is to tape his upper lip to begin closing the gap a little. In two weeks he'll be fitted for his NAM (nasoalveolar molding device) which is like a retainer that goes in his mouth and covers the palate, while also shaping the cartilage of his nose in advance of the first surgery. He'll wear the NAM all day every day (except for cleaning) until the first surgery, which will close his lip and his soft palate (in the back of his mouth). This will probably be around 3 months of age, but we won't know exactly when until we see what kind of progress he's making with the NAM.

A first step on a long road...

Sumo

We made the switch from the newborn disposable diapers to prefold cloth diapers, and were surprised and delighted to find that the leaks and puddles have stopped! It makes him look pretty bottom-heavy, but that's okay by me if I don't have to change my pants three times a day along with his.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Amazing. It's 3am. Simon had a late night meal, put on some clean pants (with my help), and went right back to sleep. Typically, it's been taking him about an hour and a half after each late night meal to stop shrieking and settle down, but tonight he just went right back to sleep. Exactly the way you imagine peaceful little babies would behave, not like the werewolf we've been taking care of for the past couple of weeks. I'm not sure what I did right this time; probably just good luck. I almost want to wake up Betsy just so I can tell her what a great job I/Simon did, but that would be so wrong. This is all I care about right now. The Little Dude is not freaking out. I'm not really sure if they ever plugged up that oil pipe in the Gulf, but what I do know is that right here and right now, Simon is not freaking out.

Geddo and Teta are here!

Michael's parents arrived yesterday. Simon spent some happy hours dozing in Teta's arms.

meet and greet

Baby Sy has been entertaining visitors, luckily not the same way he's been entertaining Mom and Dad in the middle of the night. He's been very well behaved with company. After midnight he turns into a werewolf for a few hours, either awake and cranky or sleeping while panting and gasping like he's being chased by a monster. What goes on in that tiny brain?

Likes and Dislikes

Good news, Simon gained several ounces by the end of his first week! It seems to be pretty much all that counts at the pediatrician.

We're getting to know Simon better every day.

He likes:
riding in the car
being fed by dad
the noise of the clothes dryer, dishwasher, and bathtub faucet


He dislikes:
freedom of movement in his arms
cold milk
peek-a-boo
being weighed

One week

Thank God for mechanical swings. Simon seems to really enjoy it, and it's definitely keeping him quiet for now. Although I think that if I was in one of these things, I would probably throw up after a couple of minutes.

We're very excited that Geddo and Teta (my parents) will be coming to town after all. It's going to take more than a fractured kneecap to keep them away. There's no substitute for having family around when a new one arrives. Betsy's family has been amazing, especially with their help in the kitchen. We've kind of been eating like kings the past few days - lasagna, tostadas, butternut squash enchiladas, steel cut oats and pancakes and bacon in the morning, and the most unbelievable beef brisket which Uncle Jordan picked up at the airport on his way back from Austin on Sunday. Really...quite possibly the best brisket I've ever had....from the Austin airport.

Not much else to report right now. I'm kind of running out of pants because yesterday Simon peed on two of them and I spilled a cold glass of water down the back of another pair while sitting on the couch. So that's what it's come down to for now - feeding and cleaning up bodily waste spills. But it's fun.

Precious Moments

After an exhausting few days, the three of us finally found some time today to just chill out. Nothing to do for at least a couple hours. So we crawled onto the bed for an afternoon nap, with the Little Dude safely swaddled in the middle of the bed. So there we napped for almost two hours, peacefully and quietly. We awoke refreshed, just enjoying the moment. But only to find all three of us lying in an enormous puddle of Simon's pee and poo. Precious. Thanks, Simon.

Happy Birthday, Simon.

Betsy and I are excited to report that Simon Seff Girgis was born on Thursday night, May 6, at 7:40pm. He clocked in at 7lbs 13oz, 21 inches in length, and came complete with a full head of hair. Labor was grueling at times, but Betsy was truly amazing and is recovering well. Simon, who may still be referred to occasionally as the Little Dude, is doing very well and passed all his tests with flying colors.

As many of you know, we've been waiting for the delivery to learn about the extent of his cleft since we first discovered the cleft lip at his 20 week ultrasound. Simon was born with a complete, unilateral cleft (meaning all the way up to the nose) on the right side, as well as a cleft gum line and what appears to be a bilateral cleft palate (gaps on both sides of the roof of his mouth). But despite the significant clefting, Simon has been feeding like a champ. The cleft does not cause him any pain or discomfort. We'll be off to the cleft team at Rush in just under two weeks to take a closer look and start scheduling his first round of treatments.

But for now, we're just going to spend the next few days getting to know our new friend, and figuring out what this parenting stuff is all about.

More to come.