A New Kind of Torture

I may have been pregnant and exhausted at the time, but I remember when President Obama took office he promised to end the use of torture while interrogating suspected terrorists. Obviously, torture is inhumane and a violation of human rights, but I have watched enough episodes of 24 to know there are some Jack Bauer types out there using torture tactics whether Obama likes it or not. And for those counter-terrorism agents, I have a suggestion for you: ear wax removal. Water boarding and sensory deprivation don't hold a candle to this ball of wax (the wax puns are just too easy...). Why am I so up on forms of torture? Sadly, I witnessed Caitlin experience this tactic at her four month check-up yesterday.
I was nervous going into this appointment because Caitlin was scheduled for another round of immunizations. I didn't see the ear wax thing coming. As Dr. P. was performing her routine checks, she peeked into Caitlin's ears and said, "Hmmmm...she has a bit of wax build up in her right ear. I'm just going to get that out, o.k.?" Sure. When I remove wax from my ear, I use a Q-Tip and the sensation is somewhat pleasant. Instead of pulling out a Q-Tip, Dr. P. busted out a long, metal device resembling the instrument dentists use to scrape plaque away. I was not liking the looks of this, but then it got worse. Dr. P. asked me to hold Caitlin's hands. Now I knew we were in trouble, given that I had to restrain my baby daughter. As Dr. P. inserted the ear wax remover into Caitlin's ear I tried not to look, but it was sort of like driving past a car accident. You just can't help but stare. I watched Dr. P. dig into Caitlin's ear over and over again, each time removing a clump of orange ear wax. While it doesn't sound too traumatizing, trust me, it was brutal. Caitlin's screams must have scared off the majority of patients in the waiting room. As this was happening, Dr. P told me ear wax build up is hereditary and she asked, "Who is the waxy one in the family?" "My husband," I answered immediately, mostly because he wasn't there witnessing this trauma, therefore he gets the blame. Being an optimist, the positive spin on this experience is the shots did not bother Caitlin nearly as much as the ear digging. So, CIA, CTU, take notice: if you want answers and you want them now, call up your local pediatrician and ask to borrow their ear wax remover. Trust me, the bad guys will tell you anything you want to know.

Post Script:
On a lighter note (or heavier, depending on your view of things), Caitlin continues to thrive. As her ear wax grows in abundance, so does the rest of her body. She currently weights 17 lbs, 7 oz, which places her at the 98.13%tile. She measures 27.63 inches long, placing her at the 99.95%tile. She is meeting all developmental milestones, including rolling over, laughing, "talking," and lifting up her head and chest while on her tummy. She found her feet and loves trying to put them into her mouth. Lastly, Caitlin's two bottom teeth are coming in. Teething is bothering her and she has become a little fussy, but we will survive. Dr. P. gave us the go-ahead for solid foods in one month. We got a video camera for Christmas, so stay tuned for some cutting edge footage of Caitlin's adventures in eating!

Caitlin's First Christmas

Merry Christmas! Our family had a wonderful time celebrating Caitlin's first Christmas. Because she was such a good girl, Santa brought Caitlin lots of toys, books, and new clothes (in size 6-12 months!). Matt and I were really excited to celebrate Christmas with Caitlin. She was mostly excited about eating wrapping paper and playing with trash. Oh well, maybe she'll be more enthused next year. Here are some pictures from the holiday. Enjoy!







Caitlin visited Grammy and Uncle Chris on Christmas Day. Grammy bought the beautiful Christmas dress that somehow remained stain-free all day long!

Santa brought Caitlin a Kick and Play Piano, which she loved playing with on Christmas morning.

The happy family celebrating Christmas Eve at Nana and Papa's house. Notice the adorable reindeer feet? Love it!

Caitlin loved meeting Santa. Can't you just feel the excitement? I think she asked him for milk and wrapping paper and she got her wish!

Blessings

Last Sunday, we celebrated Caitlin's baptism at St. Mary's in Dedham. Caitlin looked like a little doll in mommy's Christening dress that hadn't seen the light of day in almost thirty two years. The dress fit her perfectly and the spit up stain on the collar was barely noticeable, thanks to some thorough washing by Grammy.

Prior to Caitlin's, I have only attended a handful of Christenings and I must have spent more time staring at the stained glass windows than watching the ceremony. I couldn't tell you for the life of me what happens at a baptism, except for the water over the head part. This speaks to the fact that I have become a huge church slacker in my old age. Both Matt and I grew up attending church every Sunday, or even worse, every Saturday afternoon at 4:00. We both attended C.C.D. and received every sacrament the Catholic church has to offer (except I was never confirmed, but don't tell my in-laws!) Despite our upbringings, Matt and I now only attend church on Christmas, Easter, and the occasional 11:30 Sunday mass. Since Caitlin was born, we haven't been to church at all.

So, being the church slacker that I am, I did not know what to expect at Caitlin's Christening. I knew I could not get away with staring at the stained glass windows for too long because this time I was required to participate. Before the ceremony, the deacon (if you want to know what a deacon is, please ask my sis-in-law, Meaghan-she was asked to stand up during the baptism and define deacon to the entire audience), explained what to expect, how to answer his questions, and reminded us to speak and sing-yes, sing-loudly. Because St. Mary's holds group Christenings, Matt and I had the benefit of watching two other families baptize their babies before our turn on the altar. Really, the Christening was simple. There was some speaking, some singing, and lots of standing and sitting, which is the trademark of a Catholic ceremony. The actual time on the altar was very brief. The deacon said a blessing, gave Caitlin a holy shower, and slathered her head and chest in very pungent oil, somewhat reminiscent of patchouli. Done.

During the baptism, the deacon spoke to those gathered about the significance of the sacrament and the blessings bestowed upon each new baby. This gave me some time to look at the stained glass windows after all, but it also gave me a moment to pause, reflect, and get my church on. I looked back at our families, smiling and snapping pictures. I looked down at Caitlin in my arms, trying to somehow wiggle out of the three layers of Christening dress. During that moment, I really did count my blessings. Matt and I truly are blessed to have a healthy, beautiful, and sweet baby girl. I think it is time I start thanking somebody, besides my O-B and my epidural, for bringing this little bundle into our lives. Maybe it is time Matt and I return to our churchy roots. Not only do I like the tradition of the family attending church on Sundays, I also like the tradition that follows mass (at least it did in my family)....doughnuts and the funny pages! A good Boston Cream, now that's a true blessing!