Tag Archives: growing up

I’m Three Months Old!

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I had my three-month checkup yesterday:

  • I am 5220 grams (gained 830 grams in one month; 10th percentile)
  • I am 59.5 cm long (25th percentile)
  • I have a 40.5 cm head circumference (25th percentile)

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!

I’m Two!

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I am two months old today. I’ve decided to still be a cute, smiley boy. I just had a bad day the other day.

Here are some pictures of me from the past few weeks.

Cute Me in Late November

Here are some cute pictures of me from the end of November.

 

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Cute Me in Early December

Here are some cute pictures of me from early December. I smiled at Cowboy Joe for the first time. I’m learning how to push up on my arms and look around.
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I went to the nurse. She weighed me and measured me. Here are my measurements:

  • Weight: 4390 grams (10th percentile)
  • Length: 57 cm (35th percentile)
  • Head circumference: 38 cm (10th percentile)

I’m long and skinny, but you already knew that.

No More Smiles

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Mommy took my on an outing this morning. I thought it was going to be fun when I saw all the other little babies. Some were crawling around. I should learn how to do that. I smiled at Mommy and impressed the other mommies with how much I looked around. I was so alert! This was new type of outing. I wanted to pay attention.

Then Mommy held me in her arms really tightly and smiled at me. I smiled back at her.

A lady gave me a sweet thing to drink from a dropper. It was fine, but I couldn’t tell what was going on. I don’t remember eating like that before. Mommy kept smiling at me. Then all of the sudden, the lady poked me in the leg with this sharp thing. It hurt! I screamed as loud as I could. I thought that was it, but no! She poked me again. I wished I could talk so I could tell Mommy that the lady was being mean. I tried to wiggle away but Mommy let her poke me again! Three pokes! I was so mad. And Mommy didn’t stop her.

Mommy held me close again and I thought maybe I could be happy again, but then I started feeling all achy. It’s a few hours later and I still feel awful. I want to just keep crying and screaming. Mommy holds me but that doesn’t make the icky feeling go away. Mommy feeds me and I still feel all icky. I try to sleep but I wake up feeling achy. I am not happy.

What is this new feeling? Why did Mommy let that lady poke me? It was not any fun. I thought Mommy was nicer than that.

I’m really sad. I don’t think I’ll smile today.

Week 4 Checkup

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On Wednesday, 7 November, Paul went in for his four-week checkup. He was also one month old!

Here are the stats:

Weight: 3525 g (10th percentile)
Height: 53.5 cm (25th percentile)
Head circumference: 36 cm (10th percentile)

He also successfully did the other things one-month-old babies should do, such as

  • He holds his head up momentarily when pulled upright.
  • He momentarily lift his chin off the table when on his belly.
  • When on his back, he regards dangling objects brought into his line of vision “but not otherwise when in midline.” He follows them “at less than 90 degrees.”
  • He is quiet when a bell is rung.
  • He is interested in faces.
  • He is social—he regards the examiner and reduces his activity.

Overall, he is well. Because he is measuring small for his age, we’ll be back in on November 20 for another weighing. Then, I’ll go in at the beginning of December for his two-month checkup. I’ll also take him to his first round of immunizations in early December. Poor guy! I don’t think he’ll like his shots.

Smiles

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Incipe, parve puer, risu cognoscere matrem.
Begin, baby boy, to recognize your mother with a smile.
—-Virgil, Eclogues: Book 4, Line 60

I went shopping without the family on Saturday. Shortly after I came home, I went to change Paul’s diaper. As I put him on the change table, he looked up at me and smiled! It was delightful.

There is chance it was still a reflexive smile and he didn’t recognize me or intend to smile. But it was delightful all the same. I look forward to more!

Week 3 Update

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Paul is now more than 3 weeks old. Here are some updates about him.

  • He hasn’t been weighed since he was a week and half old. Then, he was 3050 grams. His birth weight was 3116 grams, so he hadn’t yet gained back to his birth weight. However, since then, I suspect he has gained much more than those lacking 66 grams. To us, it looks like his face and chest are filling out. His thighs and legs are still skinny but that doesn’t stop Daddy from nicknaming Paul “Porkchop.” (I think it’s a bit premature since he is still so tiny!) He’ll be weighed next on 7 November, his first month birthday.
  • Mommy suspects Paul went through a growth spurt over the weekend. He wanted to eat every hour on Friday afternoon and evening and then he kept wanting to eat every two hours all night! (He had been sleeping 4 hours plus each night, but that phase ended this weekend unfortunately!)
  • Paul has stronger lungs than he used to have. His cry is louder and he is much more determined to get attention when he’s unhappy.
  • His eyes are no longer blue-ish gray. They are darkening and already look more gray than anything else. I suspect they aren’t done changing color. We could end up with brown eyes yet!

Weeks 2 and 3

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Here are some pictures of me from the past two weeks.

Week 2

I slept a lot this week. Here are some pictures to prove it!

 

Week 3

Here are more pictures of me. Do I look older?

 

Week 3 with Cowboy Joe

Here I am with Cowboy Joe. He is my friend.

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Do I look older than I was in the pictures posted last week?

My Tuesday

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I awoke at quarter to five. I don’t tell time, so I didn’t know it had only been an hour and a quarter since Mommy had finally gotten me to sleep after a very long feeding. But I’m glad I woke up, because then Daddy came and got me! We cuddled while Daddy answered work emails.

Finally Mommy got up. I ate my early breakfast. I like to eat. But sometimes I get so hungry I get mad about eating and won’t stop crying. I guess I need more practice. Anyway, this morning I was happy and I didn’t feel like falling asleep again yet, so Mommy held me while she ate breakfast and Daddy got ready for work. Then Daddy cuddled me for a few minutes while Mommy took a shower. Then Daddy had to go to work. I cried.

Mommy probably wanted to get something done, like take pictures of me to send to her family or pay some bills or make some phone calls to figure out how to get a passport for me, but I decided to be all fussy and demand her attention. And then I ate my breakfast. (Mommy got some of my breakfast on her shirt. Hey, that was mine!) I was feeling pretty happy by this time, so I fell asleep. I didn’t eat very much at my breakfast, so Mommy cuddled me, hoping I’d wake up and eat more. Instead, she fell asleep too.

Sometimes Mommy gets something done in the morning. Today Mommy just slept.

The phone rang and Mommy woke up and talked to Grandma Sorenson. Then I woke up and I was hungry! I ate a lot. When I was done, Mommy got to eat something. I decided to spit up most of what I ate on Mommy’s shirt. (It’s not my fault she didn’t have a big enough burp cloth!) I wanted to be awake now, so Mommy decided to give me a bath. I enjoyed it and didn’t cry very much at all, even though the air was very cold!

I perfected the messy diaper this afternoon. Some of the mess got on Mommy’s shirt. Mommy’s so sloppy! Mommy decided it was finally time to change the shirt.

I ate my afternoon meal and then I settled to sleep. I even slept in my crib. Mommy was so excited! She vacuumed the carpet and swept the floor and folded laundry.

Of course, by the time she did all that, I was awake and hungry again! After I ate, I was sleepy again. Mommy looked at the clock. She had time to either make a fancy dinner for Daddy or do something else. She did something else.

Then Daddy came home! I was so excited. I woke up and ate some dinner while Daddy made a sandwich for Mommy. Then I got to play with Daddy while Mommy folded some more laundry. What fun I had with Daddy! We played “Squirm Across Daddy’s Chest” and “Leap Into the Air.” Then Daddy congratulated me for peeing on Mommy’s side of the bed. I’m getting pretty good at peeing all the way through and around that diaper they put on me. And it’s not my fault they only have one set of sheets.

Then Daddy fell asleep (I don’t blame him! I hear he can’t take naps at that office he goes to!) and I started fussing for attention again, so Mommy fed me. I want to be like my Daddy, so I fell asleep too. I think it will be for a long while. I had a good day. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.