100 Days of Damien

Damien on his 100th Day

Each morning over the monitor, I hear Damien contentedly sucking his hand, waiting patiently in his room.

“Good morning, Damien!” I say while leaning over his crib. His face lights up with a heart-melting, one-dimpled grin as he squeezes up his shoulders in a joyful wiggle.

Is there any better way to start a day?

And yesterday marked a special one: 100 days of life for my second son, our first hundred days as a family of four.

I can’t believe he’s reached this milestone already, and yet I feel as though his (usually) calm, sweet presence has been with us forever. He watches his “threenager” older brother’s very loud ups and downs, ready to flash that dimple at us when we speak to him and ready to giggle that belly laugh when I fly him like a baby airplane.

Damien with a baby girlfriend--same age but he's much larger!

And he is one heavy baby airplane. So far he measures in the 98th percentile—he’s topped 16 pounds already, by my estimate.

He loves sleep and attention, and he also loves his own time and space. When he’s had too much attention, Damien enjoys watching the teddy bears on his mobile go around and around while Luca and I play blocks nearby. (I never knew babies could have too much attention.)

Damien enjoying alone time

Here’s the kicker, and what’s made these 100 days so different from Luca’s first few months: To our utter, utter astonishment, Damien prefers to fall asleep lying alone in his crib, watching his Baby Einstein ocean soother and sucking his thumb or pacifier. He sleeps like a champ both day and night.

It’s unbelievable.

I don’t write these things to brag—this dreamy newborn phase is not due to anything we’ve done—I write them in grateful disbelief. Is this Damien’s personality? Will he be sweet and easygoing?

Damien on his 100th Day

Of course he’s had his fussy hours and he gets gassy, and some evenings he needs active help to fall asleep. Many afternoons, he only catnaps.

But the only real cloud in our sunny sky is my worry: Will Damien have food allergies, like his brother? I’ve tried to calm the alarmist within me, who vividly remembers Luca’s itchy, suffering infancy. I’ve tried to dismiss symptoms as normal for newborns.

But.

He was getting rashes and his poop was abnormal. His gas seemed particularly painful and he spit up like there was no tomorrow.

So I did what I wish I’d known to do when Luca’s condition began: I cut out all common allergens and began to eat like my firstborn. It is easy since we already plan our meals with Luca in mind, and yet, it is torture because all I want to do is chow a spoonful of peanut butter or snack on those dark chocolate almonds in our cupboard. I can’t stave off my nursing-mom cravings with a handful of Kirkland trail mix—you know the kind, with the M&Ms.

Damien’s rash cleared up within a couple days. His poop improved and his gas lessened over the next few weeks. His spit up is still over-the-top excessive. And projectile. That's just Damien, apparently.

Yes, all these can be attributed to other factors: Perhaps it was heat rash that would’ve cleared up anyway; perhaps his digestive system hit a developmental milestone.

But I’d rather waste my time and suffer inconvenience now than repeat the anguish with a second baby.

I’ve reintroduced wheat (do you know how amazing baguettes are?), and I’m watching. I’m suspicious, but I’m holding out judgment until enough time passes to make an educated enough guess.

Is that dry, bumpy patch on his temple because of the wheat? Is his painful gas from the wheat? What about the rash beneath his diaper? Honestly, I don’t know.

I’m praying for clear answers. For wisdom.

I’m hoping his tranquil demeanor means he’s not hurting internally or itching horribly. His calm feeds my calm: Maybe he’s ok.

So as we trek forward to meet whatever joys and challenges lie ahead for our family, I’m happy to bask in this unexpectedly peaceful time.

And in that dimple.