The So-Called Life of Desmond Riley

One Month Old

Rockin' the monkey socks he got from Mary and Michael

Looking adorable in the bath towel

First bottle

Looking maniacal while getting burped

We had taken a Bradley method birth class, and on Nov. 10th all the folks from the class got together to show off their babies. It was a weird feeling - last time we saw all these people, they were pregnant! Now we are all parents to small adorable creatures.

The couch of babies. Desmond is smack in the middle, wearing his kick-ass Oakland shirt. Don't mess with him!

Baby fight! Des wakes up long enough to administer a karate chop to Brendan.

He promptly falls back asleep, and Brendan is man enough to forgive him. He's probably thinking, how bad-ass can someone with pants pulled up that high really be?

These photos were taken from Brendan's blog.

Doctor Appointment

On November 7th Desmond had his 1 month checkup. The Doctor seemed very pleased with his weight gain, and declared him perfectly healthy. At birth he was only in the 25th percentile for weight and height, but at one month he's moved into the 75th percentile. What a grower! Desmond's stats:

Weight
Birth: 7 lbs. 0 oz.
Oct. 10: 6 lbs. 12 oz.
Oct. 16: 7 lbs. 10 oz.
Oct. 18: 7 lbs. 14 oz.
Nov. 07: 10 lbs. 9 oz.

Height
Birth: 19 3/4 inches
Oct. 18: 21 inches
Nov. 07: 22 3/8 inches

Baby Containers

Once you have a baby you realize you need an assortment of items to put them in. You need to experiment, because babies will be fond of certain containers and will hate others. For example, we tried getting Des a "bouncer" (a vibrating seat) on the advice of other parents, but he hated it. Here are some of the things he manages to put up with, though if he had his way, he would be held 24/7.

Swaddled and strapped into his swing (thanks Aunt Jana!)

Asleep in the car seat (This is rare -- generally he screams in his car seat until it's in the car and we've been driving for a few minutes)

Asleep in his crib, cozy under Aunt Elaine's blanket (also rare -- he much prefers to sleep on Dad's chest)

Grandparents

Thank God for Grandparents! Grandma Lynne stayed with us for the first week after Des was born, Grandpa Gene and Grandma Kathleen stayed weeks 3 and 4. We couldn't have done without their advice and assistance, and Des got more than his daily quota of cuddles, hugs and kisses.

Grandma Lynne

Grandma Kathleen

Grandpa

Halloween

For Halloween, Desmond wore an outfit that we had given Scout (Kendra's daughter) right after she was born. Who knew, 4 years ago, that it would be one day be perfect on our own October baby?

This is his spoooky look!

Daddy was actually hoping that Des would be born on Halloween, but if it had come even close to that Mom would have been murderous. October 6th was long enough.

Bath Time!

In the beginning, Desmond took sponge baths. They were not his favorite thing. He would look very concerned for a few minutes, and then the screeching would begin.

So we switched to bathtub baths with Mom. Mom sits in the tub and holds his head up, allowing his body to float. He seems to like this better, most of the time.