Elliot Alvarez Tran
November 5, 2015
The Beginning
Our passion was marching band, so we continued through Drum Corps International; this time, together. It was around the time to get our physicals, making it another year of DCI. However, Jonathan wasn't going to join me in DCI this year...she was pregnant. I was about to be a dad!
Time passed, and it was around the last days of her pregnancy. It was when we were watching our old marching shows together when her water broke. It took about 8 hours for the baby to come. It was 5 pm on November 5, 2015, and everybody was tired. While my wife rested, I held Elliot Alvarez Tran in my arms. He was perfect, just like his mother's conducting skills. I would do it all again; after all, I wasn't the one giving birth.
The First Day
When it was time for everyone to sleep, my wife wanted to sleep with the baby. However, I told her that we shouldn't, and it led to an argument. She was so determined, and we argued for a couple of minutes until I told her about SIDS. She was able to come to her senses as we only wanted the best for Elliot. We let him sleep separately and throughout the night he cried because he needed to be changed. We changed him and his mother sang to him to put him back to sleep. All was resolved.
The Scare
When we went to Elliot's appointment, we found out that he was diagnosed with reflux. He only brought up small amounts of milk and hiccuped a little bit. It was a good thing that was his only symptoms because he could have vomited after eating. We decided to treat him with antacids to neutralize the production of stomach acids. We also decided to hold Elliot upright after his feeding.
It turns out that reflux is normal in babies. Babies never seem to outgrow reflux, but they tend to spit up less as they mature. At first, I was scared for Elliot, but I'm relieved that it wasn't a more serious issue.
Formula or breastmilk?
First playoff game
Hallomas Party
First girlfriend
Our family
The Band hall is our home
The Experience
I liked how carrying a baby around helped me bond with others. People would help me babysit Elliot, making me less stressed. However, I didn't enjoy people that would try to take Elliot from me. They need to learn that babies don't enjoy strangers. The hardest part with Elliot was to make sure he was happy and healthy. Even though he got a little sickness a while ago, his immunity got stronger, and now, he's the happiest baby!