I've helpfully put together a FAQ (frequently answered questions) from all the questions I've been asked so far, both silly and well, less silly. :)
1. Vital Statistics: 3.2 kg, 50 cm long. (That's average weight, and slightly
long.)
1a. Born on 20/11/02 (a Wednesday night), 8:30pm.
1ai. So sorry that he couldn't have popped out 28 minutes earlier and been born
20:02 on 20/11/02. But one can't have everything. (Thanks Karsoe for pointing
that one out!)
1b. Dark hair, steel blue eyes. (His dad reckons they're turning hazel, but
only he can see that.)
1bi. The eyes are definitely changeable, but seem to be grey with hazel around
the iris on cloudy days, blue on sunny days and green when near green stuff.
His dad had grey eyes as a baby, and we're still expecting the eyes to go brown
when he's older (although I wouldn't mind if they stayed grey!).
1c. At last measurement, he was over 5kg and 57.5cm. He's outgrown the newborn
nappies! Nooooo, he's still a newborn!!
1ci. At 3 months: weight 6.125kg, length 61.5cm and head circumference 40.5cm.
(Still average in size, but special in everything else.)
1cii. At 4 months: weight 6.95kg, length 64 cm (all I can remember after the
Post-It Note with the measurements written on it went through the wash!). Still
mostly average, still special in everything else.
1ciii. At 5 months: weight 7.5kg!
1civ. At 5.5 months: weight 8.125kg, length 66cm! And if you look at the charts,
he's getting heavier, but not enormously taller. Looks like we've got a chubby
baby on our hands! :)
1cv. At 7 months: weight 9kg, length 69cm! [That's actually up .850kg in a week! We got him measured once at the Early Childhood Centre and then a week later at the doctor's. Now I can worry that I feed him too much, instead of worrying that I wasn't feeding him enough.]
1cvi. At 8 months: weight 10kg, length 70cm!
2. If it was a girl, she would have been Ruth Duffield-Close.
3. The labor. Put simply, one of those If Things Can Go Wrong, They Will experiences.
Much praise to all the medical staff at King George V Hospital, and many fervant
thanks to modern medicine.
3a. The anaesthetist is my friend, although I really shouldn't have thrown up
on him.
3b. The Caesarian is why Young Max is rather lacking in the usual bumps, bruises
and coneheadedness. Lucky him... ;)
4. Hang on, why aren't *I* the focus of everyone's attention?? Oh right, Max...
5. Yes, it's a lot of work. But it's also far more fun than I would have thought. (Okay, remind me of that one next time the little fellow won't settle at 4am.)
6. Yes, he is perfection. :)
7. He's got:
7a. Don's ears, but my nose.
7b. A hairy back and shoulders (will disappear). I'm blaming Don's family for
that one!
7c. He yawns and stretches like his dad, but snores like his mum.
8. The name is Max Xavier Duffield-Close.
8a. We pronounce "Xavier" as "Zavier", not "ex-Zavier"
or "Havier" or any other variations. We will correct people who pronounce
it differently to us.
8b. The "Max" isn't after any Max in particular, but we do have a
fondness for Maxwell Smart and Max Power (aka Homer Simpson).
8bi. Thanks to Daniel & Lydia for giving us a teddy bear called "Hymie"
in reference to Get Smart.
8bii. Much kudos to Ian who came up with "missed it by that much!"
when told of the Caesarian. (For those of you not in the know, another Get
Smart reference.)
8biii. Oh, and Ian also came up with "would you believe, a boy scout, a
grandma and a postal service worker?"
8biv. We should have realised it was going to be a boy when the Simpsons repeat
the night before I went into hospital was the Max Power episode. Life imitates
tv, after all.
8bv. And Fiona got him a copy of Where the Wild Things Are, which has an excellent
Max in it. :)
8c. Someone (can't remember who!) pointed out that all the initials are roman
numerals, MXDC. Unfortunately, not in correct order, but they add up to:
1000 (M) + 10 (X) + 500 (D) + 100 (C) = 1610.
8ci. No, I have no idea if anything of import happened in 1610 to a Max. Or
a Xavier. :)