Still Meeting My Girl
alec vanderboom
This is my girl, Tess.
I'm still trying to figure out her personality.
The NICU put a giant monkey wretch in the typical "Getting to Know You, Getting to All About You" stage of newborn life.
For example, if asked by a reader last week I would have described my youngest daughter as--Intense, Moody, Sensitive, Fussy, One of those demanding babies who wouldn't let you put her down for a second-- a melancholic girl similar her older brother.
Then I went to the doctor. I got my newborn back on the strong anti-reflux meds that she was originally prescribed in the NICU after a NG tube rubbed a bloody hole in her stomach.
72 hours later, I have a different kid.
Baby Tess now sleeps! She smiles! She will let you put her down in a bouncy chair or a stroller!
Who is this smilely, phelgmatic kid we brought into our home?
Will it last? Or is my overly-sensitive, melancholic girl simply catching up on two weeks of lost sleep?