I’m on a video kick right now. Here are three more videos of Paul.
In the first two, he is only wearing a shirt and diaper because it was very hot. I don’t want him to overheat!
Question: When will he get more hair?
Video the first, in which Paul is content.
Video the second, in which Paul plays peekaboo with Mommy (kind of).
Video the third, in which Paul calls his grandmas and eats the telephone instead of talking.
![100_2696[1]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/6857408097_dea7c21f3a_m.jpg)
![100_2694[1]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6857407987_02dfbc9a76_m.jpg)
![100_2691[1]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7066/6857407949_2589537210_m.jpg)
Paul has found his wings! He is going to visit his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins!
We’re flying from Melbourne to Chicago on Friday, February 1 (evening), and flying out again on Sunday, February 17 (morning). We’ll also visit Utah during those weeks. More details to come.
We look forward to seeing all of you (and Paul is eager to meet you)!
Paul has apparently forgotten how to roll over.
He used to roll over from his front to his back every day. He hasn’t done it for almost two weeks. Now he stays happy on his tummy for almost 10 minutes, but then he gets tired and whines. Loudly. But he won’t roll over.
Is this regression normal?
Don’t get excited about these two videos. Here’s why:
Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
I had my three-month checkup yesterday:
Here’s a rundown of my life these days.
I like to suck on my fingers—but I don’t suck my thumb because I don’t know how to get my thumb out of my fist. Sometimes I stick my whole fist in my mouth and I gag myself.
I still spit up a lot, but maybe not as much as before. Now I’m drooling a lot too. I like to eat Mommy’s milk (I’m still too little to eat food), but if I’m too tired, I’d rather sleep. I sleep really well at night, usually falling asleep at 8 p.m. and sleeping until 5 a.m., waking only once to eat. I only sleep that well in my own cot, though. At night I don’t like to sleep in my car seat, even if I’m tired. I sleep well during the day, taking two one-hour morning naps between 8 and 10 and 11 and 1 and a longer afternoon nap between 3 and 6 or so. I don’t catnap as often as I used to. But I don’t follow too much of a schedule yet. I like to do whatever I want. Every day is different. That’s what keeps life exciting!
I like to hold a toy so I can look at it and try to eat it, but I often let go of it and can’t find it again. I try to bring things to my mouth, but I don’t really know how my hands work—sometimes I’m lucky. I like to listen to music and I like to watch the flashing lights on my new rain forest music box from Grandma Peggy.
I really like to go for a horsey ride on Daddy’s knees; I squeal in delight. (But not when Mommy has a camera going! I stare at the camera because somehow I always see it.) When Mommy and Daddy hold me up, I can stand on my own two feet! I make happy noises when I do that—unless I’m tired. Then I whine.
I used to like rolling from my front to my back, but lately I just look around while on my tummy and then I get tired. I think I’ve forgotten how to roll over.
Mommy likes to read to me. Before bed, she feeds me and then reads me Goodnight Moon, which Grandma sent me. It is just the right length—by the end, I’m ready to go to sleep. Other times of the day, when she reads to me, I think she is talking to me. I look in her eyes and talk to her with my coos. She coos back. I really like that time.
I smile most in the morning. At 5 a.m., I really like to see Mommy or Daddy coming to get me. I am extra smiley then. For some reason, Mommy is not as smiley then. But I know she’s trying to be smiley. After my first morning nap, I’m very happy. I smile and giggle as I play.
I’m very content when we run errands. Mommy keeps me in my car seat and I eat my hand. Everyone thinks I’m very cute and tells me so. At church, I spend some time with Daddy and some time with Mommy. But really, they could just give me to the young single adult girls and I’d be fine. They all like me very much. It would be nice if, in 16 years, so many girls thought I was cute!
I’m feeling a lot bigger than I was before. I can’t wear a lot of my favorite outfits anymore—I’m too big. But that’s OK, because Mommy has a drawer full of new favorite outfits to wear!
Well, I’ve got to go spit up, so that’s all for now!
For Christmas this year, Paul and family took a trip to the High Country in rural Victoria. The whole family enjoyed the time we spent together. I think Paul especially enjoyed playing with Daddy all week.
We stayed in Mansfield and Bright, which are down in the valley, and we went up the mountains for photography during the early morning and evening hours. Paul was a good sport with all the driving. When we went on the short 1-2 km hikes, he rode along in Mom’s front carrier. He tended to fall asleep!
Christmas Eve morning we went to Mt. Buller for the sunrise. Paul fell asleep, but it was all foggy, so he didn’t miss anything. That evening, we drove to Craigs Hut, which is a representation of the hut that was used in the movie The Man from Snowy River. It was a long and bumpy drive and Paul was tired of being in the car! He was fussy in the carrier. But by the end of the 2 km hike, he was asleep. It was very cold (nearly freezing) and windy on top of the mountain, but he was wearing a (borrowed) snowsuit, so he didn’t feel the breeze!
On Christmas day, the whole family was too tired to get up for sunrise again. We stayed in the apartment and had a low key morning. Then in the afternoon we headed back up to the top of Mt. Buller for the sunset. It was a perfectly clear evening and we got some great pictures! We took a family picture with a sleepy Paul while on the mountain top.
The family hiked to the top of Mt. Buller for Christmas Day’s sunset.
![reid-familyfinallr[1]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6692815423_cba0b1e435.jpg)
By the time the sun had set on his first Christmas, Paul was sound asleep in the carrier.
On Boxing Day, we headed to Bright and Falls Creek. There, we got some pictures of the high country. It was a lot warmer that evening and Paul didn’t even need to wear the snowsuit to keep warm.
We began the drive home the next day. It was at least five hours of driving, plus we stopped for brunch. By 1:30, Paul had had enough. He wouldn’t stop whining. I didn’t blame him. It was a lot of time in the car! Thankfully, there was only another hour and a half of driving at that point.
All in all, Mom and Dad had a great Christmas this year. We think Paul had a great first Christmas too, but he slept through most of it so I don’t think he will remember much.
(I am working on processing my pictures and will post them on my page when they’re ready.)
Paul’s New Year’s Eve was not very exciting. He went to bed at 9:15 p.m.! This morning, he welcomed the 2008 with a “bang.”
He’s a very good, happy boy!
Merry Christmas, everyone! I love you!
Love,
Paul
Paul was Santa’s helper this year.
I’ve often tried to get Paul to notice his toys. I put all of them on the blanket around him and try to force them into his little hand. He lets go of the toy immediately and then tries to eat his hand.
“Look!” I say excitedly. “It’s a toy to play with! Play with it!”
He laughs at me. Despite the colorful toy I’m shaking right in front of his face, his focus doesn’t shift away from my face.
“Ah, well,” I think. “It’s good my child is not materialistic.”
The other day I peeked into his play pen and this is what I saw.
I didn’t even force it into his hand. He found it himself. He held on to it for a about 10 minutes and then fell asleep, his arm curled around it.
Maybe he imagined he was calling one of his grandmas to say hello.
For Christmas this year, we got Paul a Port-a-cot (aka Port-a-crib) to be used as a portable bed and as a playpen for downstairs. I put the unopened package by the tree, but I finally gave up waiting for Christmas, and I opened it. I bought it for Paul because we need it! I didn’t see the point of waiting. (We were going to open it to take on our trip the week of Christmas anyway…)
I love having a place downstairs to put Paul down!
When he’s awake and I’m cooking dinner, he just watches me and follows me with his eyes. I think it will be a nice safe place for him as he gets older and actually begins playing with his toys.
(Note that Paul has discovered his fingers, at least for sucking on, as evidenced in the second picture above.)
![IMG_6157[1]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6857855489_a0f2e00cea.jpg)