1 week

Today Sadie is one week old, and we've already been overly-worried about something that was probably nothing. We figure there will be at least 50 more of these situations in the next year.

Sadie was born with a tiny bruise in the little spot between her eye and her nose. It seemed to go away, but then reappeared and then got very puffy on Wednesday. She couldn't open her right eye and it looked like she'd gotten into a fight with another baby that had better reach than she does. But after taking her to a pediatric opthamologist we learned that her tear duct was clogged and they were able to remove the blockage and clear out the fluid. Apparently it's a fairly common issue for newborns and we're just so happy to see her getting back to normal. Her eye is still a bit red, but she's able to open it more now and it's getting better each day. Both of Sadie's grandfathers had (correctly) suggested that it might be a blocked tear duct. When we told the opthamologist that, he said "oh, do you have doctors in your family?" "No, but we have a lot of opinions."

Getting past this first tiny scare is a bit of a relief. It's kind of like having a new car (or for us a two-year-old car with low miles) and getting that first ding. It's emotionally tough, but you're better prepared for all those other dings that will eventually come your way. And yes, I know a car is not the same thing as a baby girl. The car came with instructions.