Update on Z's tummy troubles

We're less worried about Z these days, so I thought it would be nice to share that news with all of you who tune in. But first, here's an unrelated picture of Zack in the middle of some naked time. This is from last Saturday; I was holding him on the changing table with one hand while rummaging through drawers for things, and I suddenly needed a picture of how big my hand was on him. Like a hairy-knuckled blanket.

While we are less worried about the possibilities of any serious problems, we did decide to bag on our east coast vacation that would be taking place this week. It was a very tough decision. Here's part of what I wrote to my family on Wednesday:

"The good news is, it doesn't look like he's got pyloric stenosis. Of course we're not 100% sure and don't want to tempt fate by coming off all cocky, but the last few days plus a follow-up conversation I had with Dr. Whang made us feel a lot better (she's the doc who's on the blog, and her name is pronounced "Wong," which is much less awkward).

Here are some of the bullet points:

-- Since we found out the ultrasound results last Thursday, we've slowed down the feedings and Zack's yack factor dropped in a big way. Plus he's pooping good and, although we don't weigh him every day, he seems to be getting larger.

-- Further discussion of the ultrasound revealed that while the pyloris's diameter was on the small side, the muscle thickness was "within normal range." Also, Dr. W said the radiologist errs on the side of caution when diagnosing PS, often saying things like "cannot rule out" and such, and was not so swayed in Zack's case.

-- Dr. Whang did confirm that the small pyloric diameter could just be a feature of an immature digestive system, and sometimes as babies grow the problem can correct itself. We hadn't really heard much on that score, so that was reassuring.

The bad news is, he did still yack twice in the past two days. Yesterday's was pretty easily explained, since Julie didn't have the opportunity to let his meal settle before she had to put him in the car. Right as she clicked the buckle across his chest he decorated the back seat.

This morning, however, he let fly after all the usual precautions were taken. Considering how much jostling might happen during a flight, and considering the X-factor in when this is gonna happen, the chances that he might spew on the airplane are worth considering. And I have to say, one instance of that would repurpose the flight as "nightmare." This morning the front end of the geyser hit the floor a good four feet away, so we're not even just thinking about ourselves, but also people sitting near us. (In all fairness, I should point out that his distance was aided by the fact that Julie was standing up while holding him.)

The other part of the bad news is that all the doctors at the pediatrician's office have been pretty concerned about taking an infant on an airplane before he's had his vaccinations (which don't happen until the lad hits six weeks). And while he's not likely to get polio or meningitis on the airplane, the recirculated air is a well-known medium for all kinds of normal maladies."

Since I wrote that there's only been one more episode of geysering, and while it would be nicer to say there's been none, in a weird way it's satisfying to have our decision validated like that, even a little. Added to that is the fact that today, which would have been our flying day, Zack was all kindsa fussy. It just feels like he's too tiny for this yet. I really wanted to show him off to my family and get him together with his three cousins who were all just born, but they will still be cute little babies come Christmas.

So now I can't wait for Christmas... but that's me every year.

Thanks for all your good wishes everyone. Here's to smoother sailing ahead.