Sponge Bath

Sam has not really enjoyed his sponge baths.  Nor should he because it's probably pretty cold and scary.  But, at the end of the day, he's still willing to cuddle up in his doggy towel.

Tried to recreate this cute pic of Jack (below) that I love but it's the wrong pose and apparently there is a large quality difference between iphone photos and real camera photos in low light.  :-)  Nonetheless, there are my two boys around 2 or 3 weeks old!

Bathtime Giggles

Just a little video of our latest bath. Someone got a case of the giggles. And decided that bath water tastes amazing.

Back to the bath

Well, I am happy to say that Jack is back to enjoying the bath. (Although that picture doesn't quite capture his exuberance.) He splashes around and kicks and seems surprised every time the water splashes up in his face. I'm so happy that he bounced back and is enjoying it again. My only problem is that now that he's sitting up like a big boy in the tub, I can't figure out how exactly to wash his hair. My method so far has just been to do it sitting up and he starts crying because the water drips down into his eyes. When I try to lean him back he cries some more. Any good advice? If not, I'll just continue my current method and endure the crying.

Today Jack is...32 weeks old.

Another fun week with the little guy. My back hurts from bending over and helping him walk all week because that is certainly his favorite activity. He can practically pull himself up in the crib, though, he still needs a tiny bit of help from mom. He's so proud of himself though. He just lights up.

This week we went back to Travel Town to ride the miniature train (and kill some time in the afternoon). Plus we wanted to show Aunt Leslie how cool it was.

He really is having more fun that it appears in that picture. I think the problem was that it was just so darn hot. And because of the heat, we spent a lot of time in the pool. Although, sometimes not intentionally. Generally I like to dip his legs in the pool for a little while in the middle of the day. But lately he's taken to trying to jump in. He'll lean forward until his head is practically in the water and then make me let him stand on the top shelf. He'll also sit on the edge, turn at the waist and put his hands on the edge of the pool, and sort of slip in and turn around so he ends up standing facing me. It's quite ingenious. Of course, it means his clothes get all wet but I don't care. He likes it.

In other news, Jack is still napping on me. What's that you say? Try to put him down? Well, I do. But he either a) wakes up immediately or b) only sleeps for 25 minutes. And the little guy on only 25 minutes of sleep is not a happy kid. So I hold him and he'll sleep for 2 hours. Or at least he will if I periodically shush him or nurse him when he stirs. Anyways, it's silly, but, at the same time, I know he won't nap on me forever. And he's so cute. And now I get to see this face looking up at me every time he wakes up.

And now, more pics from the week!

Riding his dinosaur rocker




Trying out sitting in the bathtub for the first time






Experiencing the full blast of air conditioning in the car for the first time


He loved it




Amazed by a loud plane up in the sky

Best Bath Ever

This picture might not lead you to believe it, but Jack has been loving his baths recently. I think it has to do with the fact that he recently graduated to a big boy tub. Or, rather, we took out the newborn net and he gets to just hang in the tub.

The other day we captured what we SWEAR is laughter. It was the greatest sound we had ever heard. Of course, he hasn't really done it again, but I'm hoping he will soon. Here's the video...blurred private parts brought to you by the professional editor in the family.

Today Jack is...8 weeks old.

Eight weeks old today which apparently isn't two months old. That won't come until the 19th. I may have to reconsider these birthday posts...we'll see. But at eight weeks Jack is getting cuter every day. Good thing because he is also getting more difficult in some ways. He hates, and I mean HATES, going on car rides. With very few exceptions, he'll scream bloody murder and sweat through his clothes and start to choke. It's not the most fun. He also still won't allow me to sit still. If he's in my arms and awake, he's got to be bouncing on a ball, walking around, or doing step aerobics outside (that's John's job mostly).

But, on the plus side, he is getting more adorable every day. His face is so expressive and sometimes he has such laughing and smiling fits. He is becoming more interested in toys and their sounds, though he still won't hold them or grab them.

He's still enthralled by mirrors and is warming up to the bath with each consecutive day. Or I assume he's warming up to it because now he's relaxed enough to pee in the bath most nights. Hey, as long as I don't get hit with it.

And now, more pictures from this week!

Today Jack is...6 weeks old.

Six weeks old and it really hit us this week how much he's grown. He's feeling markedly heavier as I carry him around all day and he's much longer. Of course, that means more exercise I guess which is great because today I put on a pair of my old jeans. Woohoo! They're tight but it's an accomplishment. We can now hold Jack over our shoulder like a real kid and not a tiny newborn. His head control is decent. It would probably be better but Mommy can't stand tummy time because all the little guy does is scream. So tummy time lasts about 60 seconds and then it's over. But while the pediatrician and every website insists that you do it for a long time each day, I maintain that I'm sure babies in Africa aren't getting their mandatory "tummy time" and guess what? They'll still learn how to lift their heads. As will Jack. Sort of a human inevitability. I hope...

The lil' one kicked off the week with the cutest day ever and it was all downhill from there. I've read that 6 weeks is the peak of fussiness and I really hope that's true. He's only sleeping a couple hours a night and now, when he wakes for a feeding, he is so alert and it is very hard to get him back to sleep. Last night at his 1am feeding it took an hour and 45 minutes to get him down again. Mom and Dad were not happy. Myself more so and thank god John is there to teach me a little something called "patience". It's eluded me these 32 years but I guess I have to embrace it.

At six weeks he's starting to respond to us more. Meaning he really looks at us, smiles back at us (rather than random smiles), and is maybe starting to imitate our movements (spastic dance moves). He still won't take a pacifier and spits up what seems like most of the milk he drinks, but he's clearly gaining weight. He's still not quite interested in toys or holding anything, but hopefully that changes soon. Nighttime baths are routine now but he's still stuck somewhere between a happy and mad state in the water. Like a bewildered cautious optimism. I don't blame him. The bouncing ball is still the only guaranteed way to soothe him and, sadly, some days I think I spend a good 5 hours on the ball. I'm worried we're training him to only calm down with that bouncing motion but, like most things, I don't really care. When the baby is screaming, I'll do whatever I can to make it stop.

And now, pictures!

These pictures are keeping it real. He isn't always adorable. This was a popular look this week.

He likes to bounce on the ball right next to the big french doors because he's mesmerized by the outside.

My focus is not good. Or this may be a really good RayBan ad.

Love the whispy grandpa hair.

Today Jack is...5 weeks old.

Five weeks old and, to celebrate, the poor guy had his fussiest day ever. I don't know if it's gas or a growth spurt of something else, but he hasn't stopped crying from 6am to now. As I write this daddy is dealing with a screaming infant but, hey, blog posts must be written.

But, overall, 5 weeks old looks good on Jack. He's smiling and laughing more which is great. He still won't nap during the day unless his in my arms or in my lap which makes chores and meals very difficult. (Probably explains my messy house). We've tried to establish a bedtime routine which involves a nice warm bath. He finally has stopped screaming while in the water and now cautiously enjoys it I think. We still don't get giant smiles while in the tub, but I think he's enjoying it, just doesn't want to admit it in case something terrible happens. After debating putting him to bed awake and letting him cry at night (and attempting it one night), we decided to just forget it and we'll readdress sleep training when he's a little older. For now, just doing a nighttime routine has helped him sleep a little longer for his first stretch of the night so that's good.

After his two disastrous car seat rides to the doctor, we promised him we'd drive him to somewhere special. That special place? Target.

You can't tell, but I think he really fell in love with that store. And we got to buy some bigger onesies because he was growing out of his little ones. And some more pictures from this week...

Modesty must prevail

This is one of my favorite pics I've taken of the lil' guy. Unfortunately it was taken with my iPhone in low light but damn if it isn't still adorable. His expression is priceless. And his little long, skinny body. Of course, we have to keep his modesty intact, so I've added the censor bar.

Today Jack is...4 weeks old.

For those of you doing the math, he is one month old! It's amazing how much he's changed in 4 weeks. Physically, his features are more defined and mentally, he's so alert. My favorite times of the day are those 15 minutes or so at a time where he is a) awake, b) not crying, and c) just looking around and smiling. He loves all the bright colors and things on the nursery walls. He can stare at that stuff forever. The little guy really has started smiling more and I think this past week I heard what can only be described as a laugh. He still doesn't love baths but we're working on that. And at night he's certainly not sleeping 3 1/2 or 4 hours at a time like some of his peers, but, hey, at least he seems healthy and I can't help it if breastmilk is so enticing that he wants it every hour.

We're not sure how much he's grown but we'll find out at his one-month doctor's appointment this week. I'm guessing he's done a good amount of growing based on the hours of breastfeeding I've logged. Daddy went back to work this past week but he's done an amazing job of getting up for every feeding at night and doing all the diaper duty. A much appreciated respite for myself. And, luckily, I've been feeling pretty good. Not totally back to normal but I like going on walks with him and am not sore anymore. What the baby books don't tell you is that you don't lose your pregnancy weight from breastfeeding...you lose if from literally not being able to feed yourself much all day. It's a great diet that they should market to the public. Just have an infant or, if not, a doll, that you're not allowed to take your two hands off all day. Then see how much ice cream and brownies and burritos people can eat.

Anyways, happy birthday Jack! You're pretty awesome!

Today Jack is...3 weeks old

Three weeks of age and Jack is getting more and more alert. He enjoys looking at the bright wall decorations in his nursery and he is making eye contact with me and John. The best part of any day is when he's in his light sleep and breaks into a giant smile. Must be having amazing dreams about nursing or getting swaddled. Unfortunately, his title of champion sleeper will have to be revoked as he's only been sleeping about an hour at a time during the night. Makes for some very exhausted parents who aren't sure what they can do to fix it.

Jack still doesn't adore sponge baths but his love of the bouncy ball and lamb swing continues. Mainly he just likes to be held and he's had no shortage of volunteers with grandparents and aunts around. He'll wake up every now and then and stretch and flail his hands about but he can go right back to sleep. His dad is an expert at calming him down, usually by singing indie rock songs. I caught him singing "You Shook Me All Night Long" with a Scottish accent the other day and he defended his choice saying it was the indie rock Arab Strap version. Jack bought it but I'm not sure...

"My right hand is so fast that you'll never be able to capture it on film!"