Six Weeks

Dear Simon,

You are six weeks old.  I took some pictures on your one month birthday - you're getting so big.  Someday soon I will get them from the camera to the computer.  Taking care of you is a full time job.  I may never get pictures and posts synchronized again.  You're first week home was full of family visits and help with you and the apartment while I recovered.  You slept a lot and there was lots of time spent on your bean bag pillow snuggled against my side.  Week two it was just you and me.  We had friends drop in every day for lunch and to cuddle with you.  You also started to spend more time awake.  Your daddy and I didn't know what to do with you since you were still so little.  Sleeping time was easy, we slept or worked.  Awake time was a learning curve.

 Weeks 3 and 4 you really started to chunk up and put on some babyfat rolls.  These are the best.  You rolled over from your belly to your back twice one night.  You were really mad.  The first time you started propped on a pillow, but the second was all you.  When you are awake you hate to be lying on your back.  You prefer to be upright, either carried or standing.  You are so strong and love to move.  We are going to have our hands full when you start moving for real.  We borrowed a bumbo seat for you.  You're not quite big enough for it, you need to get a little better at head control, but your first night in you loved it.

You've change so much in six weeks.  And not just how you've grown.  We visited your doctor on your one month birthday.  She said you were growing great. At your appointment you weren’t yet focusing on our faces when we talked to you.  But at 5 weeks you looked right at us.  What a difference a week makes!  At 5 weeks you also gave us your first big smile!  You have two dimples, just like your Dad.  This makes us all happy.  We’ve spent a lot of the last two weeks trying to get you to smile again.  And you don’t give them up for just anything.  Every time we see a smile it’s like a celebration.  I’m sure this will change, but it is your best “trick” to date.  Your other trick is when we blow on your face you will stick out your tongue like you are tasting the air.  When you were first born you looked just like me.  But now you are staring to look more like your dad.  You still have my nose and lips.  Your hair has gotten lighter, but I'm so happy it didn't fall out.  It makes me smile how it sticks up all over the place.

Sleep has been pretty consistent.  You give us one long stretch of about 5 hours most nights.  To maximize our rest we start this between 9 and 11pm.  Your pretty good about eating and going right back to sleep around 3.  Technically you are only getting up once at night.  When you wake up around 6 you are so happy for the first hour you are up before you nap again.  This is when you play with Daddy, while I shower and get ready.  Your newest thing, which we would love for you to grow out of is a super fussy period from around 7 until 9.  Nothing makes you feel better.  These are your evening fussies.  You fuss yourself to sleep then wake up an hour later ready to party – but really it’s bed time.

To let all of your adoring fans (the fam, far away) keep up with you we try to send a photo or video a day out in an email.  They love it.  And we love when they come and visit.  They are always sending or bringing your presents, like the outfit in the pictures.  And you have a bin full of toys, now you just need to get big enough to play with them.

Your Uncle Josh is the lucky one.  He lives close by so can see you in person whenever he wants.  You two are going to be good buddies.  He was your first baby sitter and has kept you twice already while we've gone out to dinner.

Baby boy.  You are a lot of hard work.  24/7 didn't have real meaning until now.  You keep us on our toes.  But, as you grow and now notice us, you are getting more and more fun to have around.  I think we’ll keep you :)