They Called Her Mellow Yellow

Like many newborn babies, Abbey developed a case of jaundice. Jaundice refers to the yellow discoloration of the skin and the sclera (the whites of the eyes). The yellow color of the skin and eyes is a result of the breakdown of red blood cells. One of the waste products of red blood cells is a substance called bilirubin (not to be confused with Billy Reuben, the boy in my second grade class who, when showing off, shoved an entire birthday cupcake into his mouth and threw up all over his desk and the surrounding students around him. He subsequently did the same thing at Senior Prom, but instead of cupcake he used vodka. But I digress...). Normally bilirubin is broken down by the liver, but babies' livers are usually not mature enough to handle this much activity. Such was the case with Abbey. But, with frequent feedings her weight has gone up and her bilirubin level has gone down, thus making her yellow appearance diminish.




Before


After

Playlist For Happiness

This baby is unhappy.


















This baby is content.











How did we get from point A to point B? Well, I held this frantic little peanut in my arms after changing her, and I started humming a high to low pitch siren and *snap*, she instantly calmed down. It's like I had discovered the Rosetta stone of composing my daughter's temper. But why stop at the siren noises? This could be my chance to subconsciously instill some early musical appreciation. So here is a list of tunes we've hummed to calm her down:

"Fight Mass" - the UMass fight song
"Twilight Shadows" - the UMass alma mater
"How Do You Mend a Broken Heart?" - The Bee Gees
"The A-Team" theme
"Greatest American Hero" theme
"Try and Love Again" - Eagles

The list is far from complete. Check in often to see what gets added, or even suggest some of your own ideas.

Moby Wrap

At the recommendation of the lactation specialist, we bought a Moby Wrap. That's wrap, not to be confused with Moby rap, the electronica/house/club artist from the late 90's/early 00's.
It's a single strip of cloth that can be twisted and contorted around one's body to create a carrying vessel. Extremely comfortable for both carrier and passenger, as you can see.
And it's hands-free!

Meet Abbey

Her name is Abendroth Carol Sexauer. But you can call her Abbey. She was born on February 7, 2009 at 6:15 AM in Concord, MA. She was 19 inches long and weighed 6 lbs 9 oz. And her mom, Kate delivered her completely naturally, to the wonder and amazement of her father, Matt, and the doctors and support staff.




Here is a list of frequently given responses to some of the most popular questions asked about Abbey so far in her thus short, short lifetime.

1. "AH-ben-droth". It is a german surname on Matt's side that literally translates to "Evening Red", a poetic way to describe a sunset.

2. "Carol" is in loving memory of Kate's aunt Carol.

3. She is the first grandchild on either side of the family.

4. Blue.

5. In mom's arms, in dad's arms, in Nana Jeanne's arms, on the big blue chair, and last night in the bassinet.

6. Cloth diapers, once she's big enough.

7 Technically Trey Anastasio at the Orpheum Theater in Boston back on October 23.

8. Uncle Jeff

9. Aunt E

10. Woofie

We here at the Sexauer house hope that these answers help with your questions. Keep checking in for more Ab-ventures, pictures, bad puns, and general trivia about the smallest, loudest, and hungriest member of our family.