5 Months

On November 15th, Junah turned 5 months old.  Here's what's new:

• He is now able to grab both feet and get them to his mouth successfully.  It's so cute as you'll see in the photos below.
• He loves the bath.  He's having more fun in the water and starting to splash around but still not thrilled with the resulting water in his face.
• He has transitioned from just smiling to laughing and it just makes my heart sing.
• He is beginning to sit up on his own when you put him down that way but topples over regularly.

Here are a couple pictures from his 5 month photo shoot:

Catch up - Cousins Meet

Junah has a cousin Maeve who is almost 4 months older than him.  She was born February 22 and he was born on June 15.  They live in New York so we haven't had a chance to get them together until now.  But they finally met and here are a couple pictures from their first encounter on November 12th.

Catch up - Halloween

Junah was a skunk for Halloween.  We dressed him up and took a walk around the neighborhood with his friend Maia (who was dressed as a ladybug) and her parents.  The costume was bulky so he looks huge.  Don't get me wrong, he was about 18 lbs at this point but he looks even bigger.  Feast your eyes on this edible little stinker.
 

One, Two, Three, Four

Here are four months worth of milestone photos, documenting Junah's birthday and his one, two, three and four month milestones.  One of these days I will get around to posting the birth story.  Man, how he has changed so much over these four short months!  When we brought him home he seemed so fragile, he had jaundice and his arms and legs were skinny.  For the first month, he would sleep on us with his legs bent up under him like a little frog.  He was a mimic from the start, he would stick out his tongue if we did so first.  He hated getting dressed, especially when it involved anything going over his head.

In month two he started babbling a ton, and started spitting or blowing raspberries and smiling about it.  It was much cuter than it sounds, I promise.  In month three he started to scream, the squeal I mentioned in a prior post, like a little piggy.  He does this randomly but much more so on the changing table.  He also started getting "shy", when Ram arrived home, he would speak to Junah who would promptly bury his head in my chest and then look back for more.  He also started to grab things with more intention and using his hands better.  He continued to work on his manual dexterity in month four.  I caught him looking at his outstretched left hand and then looking at his right hand as if willing his right hand to grab his left hand.  He also began grabbing his left toes with his left hand.  He has become super engaging and is a very happy baby boy. 

While a lot has changed, the one constant is that he still doesn't like any clothes going on over his head.  I have to post a video of that soon because it's very funny.  Until then, below are some photos.   

Two Hours Old

Two Hours Old

One Month Old

Two Months Old

Three Months Old

Four Months Old

Remember When ...

Often, there are moments I want to remember but I know that if I don't go over them in my head again and again, I will most certainly forget them.  That's one of the reasons I started this blog; there are so many things about this kid I fear I will forget.  Here are a couple:

• Yesterday we were skyping with Ram who is in Tokyo.  The baby was on my lap over the arm of the chair, facing the computer.  He started screaming, this thing he does where he is not crying, more like squealing.  Then he pulls back and heaves his body forward toward something (in this case his hand or the arm of the chair) and bites it.  I imagine it's similar to how a snake would attack a live mouse.  And it's hysterical.  

• He has been squealing on the changing table now for some time.  When I put his sleeves over his hands or fasten the buttons on his shoulder, he squeals so loudly.  Sometimes it's so funny, I have to put my hand on his tummy to secure him on the changing table and just laugh.

• Sometimes I walk around the house with him cradled in my left arm.  This is often the case because he prefers to be held.  He used to fall asleep that way all the time but now that he has more trunk control he is very alert and looks around.  He is now using that time to squeal and bite or suck on my shoulder (which is sopping wet afterward), attacking it like the aforementioned live mouse.  These days, he ever so rarely puts his head on my shoulder and falls asleep.

• He just started grabbing his toes while I'm changing him.  He grabs his left foot with his left hand but hasn't quite mastered the right foot/right hand combo yet.  He's trying hard to accomplish both at the same time. 

• Since he sleeps with us and I lay with him to put him down for naps, I have a ton of time to study him.  His little wrists are so chubby, the fold in the flesh from his arm just misses the fold in the flesh from his hand.  His velvety black eyelashes are so long and his skin is so soft.  He often pets my hand or arm with his soft little hand.  It's so sweet, even when it's sopping wet because he's been sucking or chewing on it.  I sometimes massage his feet and legs or stroke his soft hair/head to relax him until he falls asleep.  

I am thoroughly enjoying my time at home with Junah.  I just wish his dad could stay home with us.  Talk about having your cake and eating it too!

Home

Over the past couple years, some of the bands or singer/songwriters I've grown to love are those I've learned about listening to All Songs Considered.  The one that stands out most is Bon Iver.  I'm a little backed up on the podcast but the last one I caught on top listener picks for 2009 introduced me Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.  



The podcast is great, the music recommendations are always reliable and who knows, you might discover a new artist or two to add to your collection like I did.

Also, check out the highest rated comments on YouTube below.  I wonder what this says about me...

4 Months (minus one day)

Today we went in for our 4 month check up, one day shy of Junah's 4 month birthday.  Here are our stats:

Height - 26.5 inches (94%)
Weight - 18 pounds 8 ounces (97%)
Head Circumference - 45 centimeters (98%)

The doctor says we're doing a great job.  I say, child, you got your father's head.

We spoke about when to introduce solid foods which I am not at all in a hurry to do.  The doctor said that as the baby grows, his needs will increase and so will milk production.  However, milk production growth is not indefinite so once his needs exceed production, his weight will start to taper or he will begin to act in a way that shows us he needs more food, and then we'll get to solids.  Sounds good to me.

The Beginning

I've been putting off starting this blog for a while for many reasons including a lack of some or all of the following: a real "focus", a perfect name or the time to dedicate to it.  But I now realize that getting started is half the battle so this is the beginning.  It's also the beginning of our life with our new baby boy and while my "focus" is fuzzy, I hope to document some memories and share some highlights of our life with our little boy.

Junah is going to be 4 months old on Friday and though it is so cliche, it seems like he's been with us forever.  He entered this world a very serious newborn with a furrowed brow and has blossomed into a sweet, happy baby boy.  When he's on the changing table, he squeals like a happy little piggy and wraps his legs around my arms.  Contrary to what I might have thought about how I would handle having a baby, I'm enjoying every last second of it.

Welcome to our Post-Baby Post.