Week 10 - Growing

Week 10 Picture

Baby Jay is getting so big! What surprises me is how much I can actually see him grow. I spend every day with the little man, yet there are some mornings where I pull him out of his bed and think, "dang, you're bigger than you were yesterday!" It's fun seeing him develop cognitively too. He has been getting more vocal lately, especially when he's on the changing table. I don't know what it is about the changing table, but it's become our go-to when he's feeling grumpy as an instant cheer-up tactic. You get bonus points if you take his clothes off so that he can wave his legs and little balls around in the air while he coos and caws.

Selfie!

Nevertheless, I still wouldn't call him a happy baby. He's very particular about the way he's held, the things he wants to look at, and the amount of movement he requires. Sometimes its frustrating, but for the most part, it's not so bad. We've adapted and the love I feel for him makes me miss him, even when I'm only gone for a few hours to a meeting down on campus. He's also so cute and generally well-behaved when he goes out in public that people take a liking to him pretty quick. Plus, the times that he is fussy makes the moments where is is quiet and relaxed and sleeping on your chest all the better for the contrast.

Other than that, I don't have all that much to report on this week. With Kimbre returning to work next Monday, we're just kind of in the calm before the storm. We're meeting with the realtor on Saturday to officially list the house. My dissertation defense is just about two months away. The move will be shortly after that. Sometimes, you've just got to relax and enjoy the peaceful moments while they last. And do I ever enjoy them.

Week 9 - Shots! Shots! Shots shots! Shots! Shots!

More big changes for baby Jay this week.

Week 9 Picture

On Wednesday, Jay officially turned 2 months old. That meant it was time for his first round of vaccinations. Going to that appointment with the pediatrician was simultaneously really stressful and a total relief. On one hand, you have to deal with the anticipation that comes with the knowledge that this little person that you love is entering a situation where he is guaranteed to experience pain - albeit temporary in nature. Poor Kimbre couldn't even watch as they poked his chubby little legs with the needle. On the other hand, getting his first round of shots means that he is finally getting protection from a multitude of terrifying diseases that can overwhelm a tiny newborn's immune system. Without a doubt, being a parent of a newborn is really stressful and scary. From the hours before he was born up through his first few weeks, Kimbre and I were hyper-sensitive to every possible sign that he might be getting sick. My worst nightmare was a vision of me sitting in a hospital watching my sick baby boy through a glass window fighting an infection his body was simply not prepared to handle. The older he gets, the stronger he gets and the strong he gets, the less likely that nightmare is to become a reality.

Overall, he did a lot better with the shots than I expected. Of course, Jay wasn't pleased when the nurse gave him the shot, but he was pretty easy to calm down immediately afterwords. It was only later that evening when the lingering pain started to sink in that things got tough. It's pretty heartbreaking to have your little boy not feel good and not be able to do anything about it. Baby Jay has really stepped up his fuss game in recent weeks as well. That fat lower lip in the pictures below has become a staple of our day to day life these the last few weeks. That being said, I'm not sure I'll ever find a feeling of accomplishment quite like the one I get when I successfully bring him all the way from a grumpy, inconsolable, red faced scream down to sleeping on my chest

Getting his shots also means that we finally start to feel comfortable bringing him out in public which means we can get a head start on all those cheesy, family-oriented activities that I loved as a kid. We started last Saturday with a trip to the science museum. Sure, he was way too young to appreciate it, but I'm not ashamed to say Kimbre and I had a blast anyway. Jay had a good time as well, though I expect it might be because he got to be carried around in the "dad chair" pretty much all day. I look forward to the days when he is old enough to truly appreciate a good, old-fashioned trip to the science museum. I can't wait to see his eyes light up in wonder as he experiences this new life of his and all the beautiful things in it for the first time. At least until he becomes old enough to realize science (not to mention his cheesy parents) is like, totally lame.

Until then, I'll enjoy the little pleasures that come with him still being a baby. I got my first laugh from baby Jay a few days ago in response to me telling him he was getting less cute as he got older. I got my second laugh when I called him fat. It was pretty great.

This little son of mine has got the rest of his life to grow up. I hope there are a lot more ducky-robe-post-bath-snuggle-time type moments along the way.

Week 8 - Anticipation and Anxiety

Week 8 Picture

Kimbre and I have been on a bit of an edge this last week. In roughly two weeks, our lives are going to get a good deal more complicated. To start, Kimbre will soon be returning to work, which means our current arrangement of alternating sleep schedules will no be feasible. Because my commitments in the lab, on my dissertation, and at work will not stop during this time, this transition can only mean a good deal of more work and less sleep for both Kimbre and me. On top this, we also started meeting with realtors the other day to start the process of selling our house in Oklahoma. This means that we are going to have to deal with all the stressors of selling a house and preparing to move in addition to an increase in workload and decrease in sleep. Fortunately, the realtor we met with yesterday mentioned that there is a housing shortage in our area and that houses in our price range seem to sell pretty well. The downside of this is that trying to time when we put the house on the market may be tricky, since selling too early would leave us without a home for as long as two months whereas selling too late would prevent us from being able to put a down payment on a new house in Oregon. The good news is that we have supportive family willing to help out during all of these transitions. I'm sure we'll adapt just fine - all you can do is take things one day at a time. It's just a lot to think about...

In other news, Jay turns 2 months old this coming Wednesday, which means that it is finally time for his two month check-up. There is really no reason that I should be worried about this. He's gained a lot of weight recently and seems to be on the cusp of another growth spurt. His personality is developing wonderfully and he has been hitting all of his developmental milestones. He woke up for his 2am feeding last night in a great mood - something extraordinarily rare for a 2am feeding. It was hard to give him the bottle because all he wanted to do was smile at me and coo. The 2 month checkup also  means he will finally be old enough to get his vaccinations, which will make me feel a lot better about times we choose to take him out in public. Still, I get nervous every time a doctor takes a look at him. I'm always worried they are going to tell me something is wrong. I love this boy so much, I'm not sure I could handle losing him.

Since I don't have much more to say and this has been kind of a downer post, I'll leave you with a list of nicknames Kimbre and I have developed for Jay over the course of his last 2 months on this earth. Making up new and crazy nicknames to fit his various personalities is one my favorite parts of being a new parent. We enjoy it so much that Kimbre and I have had to make a concerted effort in recent days to call him by his real name more often so he can eventually learn it. I'm sure I'll enjoy looking back on this list someday and smiling at some of the things we call him. Enjoy:

- Mister man

- Fusserbot

- Monkeybutt

- Chuberella

- Grump

- Sweet pea

- Baby boy

- Little man

- Sqeech

- "Sir"

- Stinkybutt

- Sweetheart

- Fussertron3000

- Baby in the mirror

- The milk drunk (See below)

Week 7 - Personality

Week 7 Picture

It happened! I got my smiles! Baby Jay is finally at the point in his development where I can be confident that these smiles were for real. And let me tell you, that goofy little toothless grin made the long nights of that long first month and a half totally worth it. That smile lets me know that he loves me. That he's happy to see me. It means that we have a relationship now - one that goes both ways.

Along with the smiles have come big changes in his personality. My little boy is slowly becoming a little person, complete with his own preferences, likes, dislikes, opinions, and habits. It's really rewarding. His noises and facial expressions are become more diverse. He responds to me when I play silly games I make up such as "toss the baby" or "racecar driver."

However, it's not all sunshine and roses. Jay is quickly learning that he can fuss until he gets what he wants. Some of those preferences are hilarious. For example, the picture below is from last night when Jay decided the only way he wouldn't fuss is if Kimbre would hold him up and let him to sit on her head and look at the wall.

No other position would do

Others are more frustrating. Such as when he wakes up in the middle of the night and decides he wants to play, not sleep. It may not be all be fun, but the variety is refreshing. Some people talk about how they wish their children would stay small forever. I am not one of those people. Don't get me wrong, I love him at this age am I am certainly going to miss it when he's too big to hold. I'm simply looking forward to what else this little man has in store for me.