Out and About

We've been busy! For the last week some of my relatives from Pennsylvania have been visiting, and boy, do they like to go, go, go! Fortunately we had Grammy here to house them, feed them, and show them around, but we still managed to do a lot with them. Victor went on some outings! Mostly we took him to the beach or other outdoor venues where there weren't too many people too close by. Thanks to Damian's generous coworker, we have a (used) carseat/stroller travel system, so we've been able to keep Victor safely strapped into a carseat and completely covered from the sun and from strangers while we stroll around. He likes his carseats pretty well--he mostly sleeps through all the excitement! Sometimes, though, we use a little baby carrier. This is Damian's favorite way to carry him around, safely strapped to his chest! We've even had some adventures in feeding and changing. I've discovered that feeding the baby is much easier in Damian's giant truck with tinted windows than it is in my nice little Altima, so for some outings I've been bringing along a little bottle of extra milk, just in case we're not in a convenient place when Victor decides that he's hungry. Diaper changing is also more of an adventure when we're out, but the less said about that the better.

Victor is still doing well, getting chubbier every day! His eyelashes are really long now, and his hair has been growing as well--mostly in the back, so we're keeping an eye on it to make sure he doesn't end up with a mullet! He's also been discovering the joys of spitting up. He'd been doing the occasional little tiny spit up all along, but recently he's gotten a few impressive ones in. It's not all the time, and it's not even always right after feeding, so he's still keeping us on our toes! Thank goodness he's started taking showers with his daddy so everyone can get cleaned up at once (unless he waits until after the shower to start the spitting). Oh and his belly button is almost all cleaned out! Definitely an innie! :)

Two week checkup!

Once again, passed with flying colors! He's already weighing in at 9 lbs., 6 oz., and 22 inches! The nurse and the doctor were both impressed with his weight gain and his strength and muscle control as well as his mellow personality--he didn't cry at all! (And he didn't pee on daddy this time--a distinct improvement from last time!) His color looks very good; he does have a few temporary red birth marks in his nose, around his eyes, and on the back of the head, but they are small and should go away before he's a year old. It turns out that the umbilical stump didn't fall all the way out and that's why it still looked gross inside. The doctor got most of it out, but there was a small gooey lump left behind so she put some silver nitrate mixture on it to dry it out and hopefully it will be gone in the next week. Other than that, he's looking good! If all goes well we don't have to see the doctor again until he's two months old! Yay!

Fun new things!

Last night Victor lost his umbilical stump! He then celebrated by pooping, eating, and falling asleep. I had no idea it was still going to be a little bit gross underneath. Oh well. At least it meant that today he could have a real bath/shower with daddy! Victor was a little bit confused and unnerved, but afterward he was a squeaky clean warm little baby.

Today is going to be an exciting day--Great Grandma, Uncle Joel, and Aunt Debbie are coming in from Pennsylvania, and they are going to want to have fun! I hope Victor is ready for them...

Happy belated pi day!

Little Victor didn't get any pie, but his mommy did! You wouldn't be able to tell, though, as fat as his cheeks are getting! It's good to know that the struggle is worth it. He's such a mellow baby, except for around feeding time--he gets agitated before, during, and after. Right now we're trying a new plan wherein I am not allowed to eat beans or dairy, and so far it seems to be helping calm down his after dinner antics. He still goes to sleep right after, except for in the evenings--that's when he wants to play! He's keeping his eyes open longer and longer each day, but he still sleeps most of the time. His favorite place to sleep is on daddy's belly, but really, anyone's arms will do! We're keeping him in his pack 'n play bassinet at night, and it does a pretty good job, except we usually have to make him fall into a deep enough sleep in our arms first and then put him in. That gets annoying late at night, when I'm more likely to fall asleep on the couch while holding him!

Aunt Laura and Raunaq are visiting right now, and they agree that he is the most adorable baby ever. Victor went to the airport to meet both of them because he falls asleep the instant he gets put into his car seat, it was late at night both times so the traffic wasn't bad, and Damian and I got to take turns traveling vs. sleeping. Good deal! Apparently when Victor met Auntie Laura at the airport he greeted her by burping in her face and then letting rip with a nice juicy fart. When I heard the story later I told her, "Hey, that's the biggest compliment he can give (or at least it better be) because that's how he thanks his mommy every time he eats!" I think he's been hanging out with his daddy too much already... :)

Welcome!

This is a blog for our family and friends to hear about what is going on with our little man. He is a week old today, and already we see so many changes in him! His little cone head is much more rounded, his cheeks are getting nice and fat, and even his eyelashes are growing out! He's had a beautiful complexion from the start--no red splotches or rashes on his skin--and right now his eyes are a dark gray-blue (although we don't expect that to last very long!). His little nose is getting bigger, too. I think he has Damian's nose and my eyes so far, but it's really hard to tell! His hair is very short but very soft and a nice dark color. He even has hair on his shoulders and the tips of his ears, but I think it's starting to fall out already. We visited the pediatrician last Tuesday and she said that he looks great--he'd already grown over an inch in length and had gained back most of the weight he lost in the first few days. No surprise there, as we've had our issues with both of us learning how to breastfeed, but he's always been a hearty eater! He even has a little song he likes to sing while he eats--it only has one note and I'm pretty sure the only lyric is "milk milk milk", but he never gets tired of it.

Well, it appears as though he's finally fallen asleep in my lap (although he has tricked me about this before) so I'm going to try to put him to bed so he can be all nice and refreshed for his first visitor--Auntie Laura is flying in tonight just to see him! He's so excited, but he needs his sleep! I'll try to figure out this blogging stuff and let Damian and Grammy post things too, but right now my schedule is as regular as Victor's, which is to say, not at all! Goodnight!