Field Journal: Weeks Nine & Ten

I'm officially getting big. I had my two-month check up and I weigh 10 pounds, up more than four pounds from my birth weight. That's the 10th percentile. I've grown nearly three inches, up to 21 3/4 inches from 19 inches at birth; that's the 15th percentile. My head is still in the 10th percentile, but it's definitely grown, too. So while I'm small, I'm tracking right along my own growth curve and the doctor thinks the Soft Food Source is doing a good job feeding me.

The doctor was really impressed with my strength. I'm small, but mighty! Dr. E. even pointed out my good head control to the student doctor and said how advanced it was. Otherwise, I'm right on target for my age. I can push myself up on my tummy to 45 degrees (90 if I work hard), roll over, smile in response to someone else's smile, and make cooing noises. I can track things 180 degrees with my eyes, too.

Otherwise, I'm healthy. My missing testicle is still missing, but it will hopefully show up soon. I have the opposite of a hernia in my belly button; I forget what it's called, but instead of a bulge, I have a hollow. It's no big deal, though, and doesn't effect my good looks.

I didn't like the shot part of the visit! Mommy and Poppy did a lot of research and decided on a conservative, alternate vaccination schedule. So I got the DTaP shot and the rotavirus oral vaccine. I didn't cry much when I got the shot because I was distracted by eating at the time.

I like eating a lot. In fact, I like it so much I don't care if it comes directly from the SFS or from a bottle. The Hairy Comfortable One feeds me a bottle. He's my primary caregiver now. We get to hang out all day, cool! He takes excellent care of me, although the Mommy tells him he shouldn't let me take all my naps on his chest. But I like it and hey -- I'm so cuddly, who can blame him? And he is comfortable...

One of my favorite things right now is watching my family dance. I really like disco music (particularly the Bee Gees and KC and the Sunshine Band). I move my feet and wave my hands. The Poppy was trying to amuse me one day and started dancing. I smiled and almost laughed! The other night, the Mommy, the Poppy, and my big brother all were dancing around. So fun! I had a great time watching, they're so silly.

My big challenge now is working on sleep at night. I tend to get fussy after 6 pm and sometimes won't fall asleep until 10 or 11. That's way too late for the Mommy, who has to go to work now in the mornings. Poppy is keeping me up more during the day so I'll be tired. I hope this is a stage (so do Mommy and Poppy). Mommy says my big brother had "unhappy hour" when he was little too but eventually grew out of it.

Love and cranky evening kisses,

Charlie

First Holidays

Happy St. Patrick's Day!


Happy Easter!

Field Journal: Week Eight

I have achieved a milestone in baby mobility: I rolled over from front to back!

It happened during the daily exercise session known as "Tummy Time" (silly name for something that's such hard work). The SFS put me on my tummy. I pushed my head and torso off the ground to look around a few times, then decided that I had had enough Tummy Time, thank you very much. So I pushed myself over onto my back and very happily started staring at the toys hanging from my arches of my play mat (something I greatly enjoy). The SFS clapped and made a big deal of it. I'm pretty proud, myself.

I've been a bit fussier at night lately. My tummy just gets upset and I have bad gas -- hey, you try coordinating an entire digestive system in just 8 weeks! I'm often up from 8 - 11 pm, which makes SFS very cranky. She's trying to keep me up more during the day, so I will be more tired at night but so far, it's not working.

In other news, it's getting warmer here in Madison. The Mommy and I went out for a stroll today and we weren't bundled up like Eskimos (whatever those are, but apparently they bundle up a lot). The world is changing from a vast sea of white and grey into other colors....like brown and tan. One day, I'll see green...

Field Journal: Weeks Six & Seven

I couldn't post last week because I went on My First Trip.

In my case, this involved a long car ride to visit my Gran (Poppy's mom) in Tennessee. I had to spend a lot of time in my car seat, which isn't my favorite. I coped by sleeping almost the entire time. Every few hours, I'd get hungry and the Soft Food Source would take me out of my seat, change me, and feed me -- not easy to do in a minivan!

We ran into snow on the way down and the way back, so both times I got to stay in a hotel for the first time. It wasn't that different for me, because I travel with my crib (a Pack 'N Play). So I had my comfy, familiar bed, sheets and wrap. My big brother thought it was cool because he got to sleep with Mommy and Poppy, watch cartoons at midnight, and eat breakfast in bed.

I also got to see my first grass! Apparently, most babies record when they see their first snow, but most babies weren't born in the middle of Wisconsin's snowiest winter ever (90+ inches and counting). I didn't realize that the world isn't white with shades of grey. And not freezing cold all of the time, either!

I also got to meet my other grandmother and her husband, Mr. A.C. Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend much time visiting because Gran got sick with the flu the second day we were there. Too bad, because I had a good time being cuddled and admired. The Soft Food Source and Hairy Comfy One were unhappy because we spent 22 hours in the car and only 28 hours in Tennessee. Everyone was tired and cranky when we got home, except me -- the Soft Food Source kept my routine going, so I wasn't very disturbed.

I'm continuing to gain control over my body. I am starting to reach for toys hanging over me on my play mat, and I can lift my head and shoulders off the ground. I can also hold my head steady when SFS pulls me up, and I like to spend some time every day sitting up in her arms, looking around.

I'm gaining weight and still eat every three hours. I wonder why the SFS seems so tired? I like this schedule, I'm not sure why she doesn't.

I'm also starting to coo a bit and I smile a lot more. I'm still fairly serious -- this growing business is no laughing matter -- but I'm typically in a good mood first thing in the morning and I like to throw the SFS a bone by smiling and cooing at her. She gets so excited and happy, it's sweet.

One weird thing: I'm losing my hair! I guess it's a preview of what I'll look like when I'm older (although Poppy has all his hair and so do Mommy's brothers). Apparently, babies lose their birth hair and then grow more. Seems a silly system to me, sort of like having baby teeth and adult teeth. What, do you need training hair before you get the real thing? Right now, my hair looks kind of wild because it's long in back and on the sides, and it tends to stick up. SFS says I look like the mayor of the Lollypop Guild...