Saturday morning Nate rolled over from his back to his tummy for the first time. He had come close so many times before but just couldn’t get past that arm. He did it while Steph and Sara were here so I think he was inspired to show off.
Usually Nate wakes up in the middle of the night after having been asleep for 4-5 hours. We feed him and he goes back to sleep until about 7am. He must have been plum tuckered out from his adventures at the World of Coca Cola because on Sunday night he slept MUCH longer than usual.
It had been Randy’s turn to take the middle of the night shift. I woke up at 5:03am. Not recalling him getting out of bed at any point, I asked him if he had gotten up with Nate yet. He said No. HOLY SHIT! The Boy slept for 9 HOURS! We both scooted out of bed and into his room where we found him sound asleep. Most parents would be overjoyed at such a long slumber but we were scared that he had gone too long without food. Before you think us paranoid parents…………
When Nate was one week old, we got an unexpected call from the Emory Genetics institute. As part of the newborn metabolic screening tests mandated by the state of GA, Nate tested positive for a Fatty Acid Oxidation Disorder (FAOD), specifically Very Long Chain Acyl-CoA Dyhydrogenase Deficiency or VLCAD. What does THAT mean? Basically, he is unable to break down fatty acids to produce energy during periods of fasting. This is treated with diets low in certain fats and frequent meals but can have serious consequences if not properly managed. So by sleeping 9 hours he had nearly doubled the longest he had gone previously without eating. We tested his blood sugar and were elated when it read 103 as a good fasting blood sugar level is between 80 and 110. At this point we do not plan to make a habit of letting him go that long but it is comforting to know that he can. With VLCAD, however, that may not always be the case.
On a more entertaining note, this morning I experienced Nate’s first unmitigated blowout on the changing table. I will leave the rest to your imagination. But suffice to say that this is not what one hopes for at 3:15am.
