Churchill Look-alike?

My dad said that Jonah looks like Winston Churchill in one of the pictures we posted yesterday. What do you think?

Smiley

We get a lot of people asking us if Jonah has begun smiling at us yet. Well, the answer is a very grateful, yes!! Amid the sometimes frustrating tendencies that Jonah has, we are now getting more and more "perks." He began doing little smiles between 3 and 4 weeks but we were never sure if he meant to do them or not. (Gas? Facial muscles going haywire?) Between 4 and 5 weeks they seemed to get more intentional, and now at 6 weeks they are definitely purposeful and more frequent. I just can't stay frustrated with him when he looks at me and smiles with his gummy little mouth and slits for eyes.


Below are a few of the other pictures from his photo shoot. Hopefully these pictures will brighten your day!

First Shots

Today we went to the doctors office and got Jonah his first round of shots. Andrew "took the day off" of work (not really, he never gets a day off, he'll just do work at home) to go to the appointment with us. I did not want to be alone when they punctured my baby boy. At the beginning of the exam Jonah did not like having his head measured and proceeded to scream from there on out. The good part was that he was already crying when they administered the shots so it eased us into the piercing scream that came with the poke. Jonah cried a lot, I cried a little, and Andrew didn't cry at all. He is the rock of the family!

At the appointment we also found out Jonah's newest weight and length. This man is on a roll! It has only been 2 weeks since his last weigh in and he is already up another pound! At 6 weeks and 1 day old he is tipping the scale at 13 pounds 1 ounce and measures 24 inches. We have switched almost totally over to 3-6 month clothes. These are a new pair of big boy jammies that are oh so cool because they look like an old school Atari game. Too fun!

Tummy Time

During most mornings, Jonah and I work on some "tummy time." At first, he really didn't like spending time on his stomach. Now, however, he has grown to enjoy it. I usually put Jonah on a blanket, but sometimes he spends tummy time on his Boppy. When he is on his Boppy, it is easy to see when he is tired. Basically, he starts to slip down and relaxes his head (as you can see in the picture below). He hasn't fallen asleep in this position yet, but I'm guessing it is only a matter of time before he does.


As one would expect, Jonah is getting bigger and bigger each day. Already I have to hold him in a different way than when he was first born. Somewhat more troubling is that Jonah has almost grown out of his 0-3 month clothes. Being that he is not even 6 weeks old, Vanessa and I thought he would be able to wear his newborn clothes a bit longer. While we are happy to see Jonah growing at a healthy rate, we are also a bit sad that he's growing up so quickly.

Flying Solo

Today Jonah and I went on our first outing alone. No Gramma. No Daddy. Just us. I must say, it was a little daunting to head out without any accompaniment but it was something that I knew must be done sometime. Andrew went to work and Jonah and I headed to the mall. We were looking for something to wear in family pictures that will be taking place when we get out to California. I made sure to feed him before we left, as being hungry is his biggest complaint in life. All in all he did really well. Though he didn't sleep at all he was great in the car and even held it together while Mommy stayed a little too long at Gymboree. After a little snack (for him, not me) we headed home. Today gave me hope for all of the times in the future when Daddy will be at work and it will be just us, trying to find ways to occupy our days. Baby steps I suppose.

Jonah's New Stats

We went to the doctor yesterday for an evaluation after Jonah had 2 particularly bad days back to back. He had been having "meltdowns" that were darn near inconsolable and just didn't feel like himself. All in all the doctors said he looked very healthy and this may just be an increase in crying activity as he is developing. Yeah! There is also the thought that he could be getting reflux, so the doctors suggested that we give him Mylanta just in case. We are determined to try everything before we just write his fits off as being his personality. The great thing about the appointment was that we got an update on Jonah's growth. He is now weighing in at 11 pounds 14 ounces and is 23 inches long. We knew he felt and looked bigger, but it's nice to have some confirmation! Yesterday he was a peach all day, which was a nice contrast to the two previous days and gave us the opportunity to enjoy our boy. Today, however, he seems to be back to his fussy self. Bummer.

Jonah at the gym

As Jonah gets older, he is becoming more and more active. One of his favorite activities is to play at his "gym" (thanks to the Hulstrom's for giving it to Jonah). The video below shows Jonah working out. There are a few things I should note about the video. First, I haven't learned the fine art of narrating, so there's no sound. Second, the video is fairly boring. I'm sure Jonah's grandparents will probably watch it over and over, but it might be a little slow for some people. Third, sorry about the shaky video--my camera work still needs improvement. And fourth, Addyson makes a brief cameo in the video.

Jonah's gym time works out well for us, because it gives us an opportunity to put him down and get some things done around the house. During the day, Jonah doesn't like to take naps in his crib. When we do, he usually only sleeps for a few minutes and then starts to fuss. On the other hand, when we hold him he will sleep for a couple hours. This habit leaves us in a little bit of a predicament. If we put him down during the day, he doesn't sleep well. This means he won't sleep well at night. If we hold him so he sleeps well during the day, he will also sleep well at night. The problem is that we don't get much done because we are holding a 10-pound baby.

So far, we tend to side with holding Jonah so we can get as much sleep as possible at night. However, Vanessa and I have decided to start trying to get Jonah comfortable with taking naps in his crib during the day. This means we'll have a cranky baby for a little while, but hopefully it will pay off in the long run. Wish us luck!

One Month Old

Since I am one month old today, I thought it was about time that I start blogging too. Now I can fill you in on some of my favorite activities. I don't really sleep a lot because there's so much to see and do. I've been spending a lot of time working out at the gym so I can grow big like my dad.


My favorite thing to do is to ambush mom and dad with my pooping! Last night, in honor of my 1 month birthday, I went through three sleepers and had my first extreme blowout. I begged my parents to take pictures because I was so proud of it, but since it was 4 am, they refused. I don't really know how big I am right now, but I eat so often that I must be gaining weight. Dad took a picture of me hanging out with my friend Green Monkey. I can tell I'm getting bigger because I'm catching up to him.

Comic Relief

What a blessing it is when Jonah does something, or lets us do something to him, that makes us laugh. It breaks up the monotony of the day and lessens the blows of his crying fits. Thank the Lord for a little comic relief.


(We think he resembles Shrek a little in this shot. No matter how many times I look at it, I always laugh out loud!)

Sweet Moment

It's so easy to focus on how difficult and trying things are at this point in the baby game. Nights are still a little sleepless for my taste, Jonah has really upped the ante on the crying with fits 3 nights in a row this week, and we are now alone with no grandparents to pass him to. That being said, Andrew's pictures of our little man always highlight the more serene times. I like to look at them because it reminds me that in each day filled with its share of frustrations, there are always little pockets of sweetness. As Jonah gets older and can interact with us more I know that the fun and not so fun will strike a better balance, but until then I will have to stare at these pictures and remember the little gems that are popping up even now. I love this picture because while I get nothing done holding him for hours on end, I am reminded that he is only going to be this tiny for so long. I want to soak up the times that he still fits on my chest, curled up like the little pill bug that he is.

Happy 4th of July!

Jonah's Ups and Downs

Jonah is 17 days old today and is doing well. Vanessa and I think his sleep patterns are changing for the better because he only woke us up three times last night. His feedings were quite a bit longer than normal which meant he slept for almost three hours between them. Hopefully he continues to improve, but if there's one thing we've learned about him it is that he has his ups and downs. Two days ago Jonah decided to have a marathon crying fit; he was inconsolable for about 4 hours straight.


Vanessa and I are getting more and more comfortable with his marathon fussy periods. We now realize that he isn't in pain and there's nothing wrong with him; he simply needs to be fussy for a while. We would certainly prefer that he wasn't crying, but it seems much more manageable now as compared to a week ago. Fortunately for us, Jonah spends most of his time sleeping soundly.


Jonah has started to become more active during his wakeful periods. We call him our little "wiggle worm" because he loves to move around and flail his arms. He is also likes to make all sorts of funny faces. He is certainly more entertaining that anything on TV!


Every once in a while Jonah tries out his smile. It is amazing how happy seeing something as simple as a smile can make me feel. Vanessa and I feel overwhelmed at times, but Jonah's smile always calms us down.