Merry Christmas!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.

"Maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more!"

- Dr. Suess, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

An Early Christmas Gift: Gratuitous Cuteness!

Merry Christmas!

Cousins

Most of you probably know that Mac has four cousins, but one is very special. His cousin Avery was born one week after him. We are all excited to watch them grow up together. It will be such a unique experience for them to have a cousin so close in age!

At a Christmas Party on Saturday, they got to spend some time together. They are just starting to enjoy staring at other babies, so that was plenty of fun for them. We also sat them together to take a cute picture!

Unfortunately for Avery, we didn't take her bib off. But I think they're both pretty adorable.

I'm looking forward to many years of photos of these two together!

3 Months Old!

What a cutie-pants, if I do say so myself! Mac is three months old today. No doctor's appointment, so we have no idea how much he weighs, but it's probably more than 11 pounds (what he weighed a month ago).

Here's what he's been doing over the past month:

• Discovering his hands. He doesn't stare at them that much, but he's definitely learning to control and use them. He will swat at toys that are hanging in front of him, and if you hold an object up to his hands, he will usually grab it and hold it. And inspect it.  He also frequently puts his hands together (kind of like he's folding them in his lap). Supposedly that's a milestone.
• He's starting to use his mouth more. Those objects he holds? They often end up in his mouth. He also likes to suck on his hand or his arm if it's readily available. Yours will work, too, if it's within the vicinity.
• He's holding his head up really well. He's not always a huge fan of tummy time on the floor, but if you pick him up and hold him against you or sit him up on your lap, he has great posture and wants to look all around the room. He especially likes to stare at the Christmas tree!
• He's not talking as much as I expected, but he's very interested in it. He likes to watch people talk. A lot. He likes to stare at my while I say "ooooooh," and "ho, ho, ho!"  Rarely, he'll even say, "oooh" back. Once he said "ho!"
• He loves to smile at people. He smiles at anyone, now. You can make funny noises at him, talk to him, or even just smile at him, and he'll probably smile at you. 
• His vision is getting great. When I approach him in the swing, he'll smile when he sees me from about 6-8 feet away!
• Best yet, he is sleeping through the night! He's definitely a night person, and doesn't like to go to bed before 11. (He's like his mom, too. If he doesn't want to do something, it just doesn't happen.) But then he'll sleep until 8 or 9 in the morning. A couple of times, he has even slept until 9:30!

There are probably other milestones he's hit that I haven't even recognized yet. And soon, those of you in Houston will get to see for yourself! Only a few days until we get there!  I know he'll love to meet everyone. He's kind of a social butterfly.

Another First

Today is a day I've been anticipating, but not in a good way. Today is the first time that I travel overnight, for work, without Mac.

I'm not at all worried about him. I know the MacDaddy will take very good care of him. After all, he's been doing just that 3 days a week while I'm working. And we've gone over swaddling 101 for night time.

I'm just worried about me. Today is the first day in almost 3 months that I don't get to hold Mac. He'll still be sleeping when I leave, and I don't want to disturb him.

Hopefully, it'll get easier. Leaving at 5:30 am (barely conscious) helps, a little. And I'll be looking forward to seeing him when I get home tomorrow.

You Know You've Become a Mom When...

You think your baby smells like spit-up (a faint smell almost like sour milk), so you give him a bath and put him in clean clothes . . . only to smell the same smell, and realize it's YOU!

He's Got Hands...

And he knows how to use them!  Mac has been swatting at toys that are hanging above him for a few weeks now. But for the last week or so, he's been grabbing toys during tummy time.

As you can see, Freddie the Firefly requires some inspection! [You may have noticed that we modified tummy time. The boppy prevents him from rolling over.]

Ho Ho Ho!

Mac has been a very good boy this year!

Wordless Wednesday

The MacMommy: The Greatest Show on Earth!

 I took these while I was chatting with Mac one day while we were getting ready to go somewhere. As you can see, I was HI-larious!

Yes, he's in his carseat. What can I say? I work best with a captive audience!

What We've Been Up To (or, Random Photos)

I decided to try propping Mac up in a sitting position on the sofa. He looked so cute, I had to grab the camera. As soon as I pulled it out, he flashed this smile!

The great thing about babies is that you can pretty much put them wherever.

It's been really cold lately (no, seriously, in the 30's-40's at night).  So we bundled Mac up to go for a walk.

Last week, Mac started taking naps in his crib. And he's been napping better than he was over the past month!

He still sleeps really well at night. He's been sleeping about 8 hours the past several days.

Thanksgiving Photos

Mac enjoying his Thanksgiving Dinner -- He ate 6 ounces for the first time!

Our Thanksgiving Family Photo -- Mac didn't want to stop eating for the picture.

Both Mac and the MacDaddy enjoying the traditional Thanksgiving food coma.

I'm Thankful for All the Little Moments

I'm thankful for all the little moments we get to enjoy these days. Moments like these:

Like Father, Like Son

Just so you know that he doesn't always smile for the camera!

Stay tuned! I am off work through Monday, and I have every intention of posting more cutie-patootie photos. Check back Friday or Saturday...

And to our family far away: We love you and miss you all, and wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

You Know You've Become a Mom When...

You're making dessert and nibbling on the raw cookie dough . . .  And then you think, Oh noooo! I will have to eat raw cookie dough in secret when Mac gets older so that he doesn't think it's okay to have raw cookie dough! Because it's NOT okay for HIM to have raw cookie dough! 

Even at this very moment, I firmly believe that I can eat raw cookie dough because, hey, on the off-chance that I get salmonella, I can handle it. I'll be miserable, and the MacDaddy will have to work pretty hard to take care of all of us, but I'll live. But the risk of Mac getting salmonella? UNACCEPTABLE.

Yup. I'm a mom.

And now, how 'bout some gratuitous cuteness? You know, to thank you for reading.

Who doesn't love baby-hugs?!

2 Months Old!

Mac is 2 months old today! His stats from the doctor's office:

Weight: 11 pounds, 0 ounces
Length: 22 inches
IQ:  Baby Genius

He's outgrown his "Newborn" sized clothes, and a few of the 0-3 month sizes are getting tight. He's wearing the 6-month size of Carter's. He's graduated from Newborn to Size 1 in diapers. We've moved his car seat straps up another notch this week (for a total of 3 notches since he was born).

Now, I can't even pretend that he's a newborn...  But he's so much more fun.  He's awake so much more, and that's a good thing.  He rolls over all the time when you put him on his belly. He smiles at me all the time.  His neck is getting really strong. He is starting to love his toys -- he likes to smile and coo at the ones that have faces. He makes funny expressions of surprise when I make a new sound.  He's following objects when you wave them in front of him.  He's just getting to be so interactive.

And, of course, he's such a good sleeper.  He can go from 11 or 11:30 pm to 5:30 or 6 am, which is fabulous! (Just the other day, he went from 11:30 to 6:30, and I can't wait until that's the norm!) Not as much during the day (unless he's in his carrier and we're moving), but that's fine. He's happy to hang out in his swing or in the pack 'n play sometimes, particularly if I have the mobile on. Other times, I'm happy to cuddle with him, while he still lets me.

I've discovered that he loves it when I sing to him. It's even better when I have back-up -- if the same song is playing on tv or the radio. That's just awesome to him. And if he's upset, nothing soothes him like me holding him while I sing and dance. It's great exercise for me, too.  As for his favorite songs: he likes the ones where I know the words. Or where I can do a good "dum-dee-dee-dum" to the music.

What I'm looking forward to over the next month: Will he discover his hands and begin reaching for things? Will he coo at me (and not just his toys)? Will he sleep even longer at night? 

The MacDaddy and I are so fortunate to have such a fun baby. The best part: watching him grow.  Oh, and his smile. I just love his smile.

Update - And So Cute I Can't Stand It!

Last time I posted was the day before I started back to work (part time). It all went well. Aside from the fact that I thought about Mac as much as I thought about work. I managed to accomplish some work, and then I came home to this:

 

Clearly, everyone survived. (I won't mention the phone call when the MacDaddy didn't know what to do about the crying, until I suggested feeding him. Honest mistake. Could have happened to anyone.)

And now, Gratuitous Cuteness!

First, can you believe how blond he is?

 Or how happy he is?

Or how strong he is?

 Can you believe how stinkin' cute he is?

Hey, we're having lows in the 40's. That's "dead of winter" here in Arizona. Besides, the clothes fit now, so he has to wear them now!

Last Day of Full-Time Maternity Leave

Today was my last day of full-time maternity leave. Tomorrow, I start back at work. I'll be working Tuesdays and Fridays through November; in December I'll work Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Then in January, I'll work full time, but I'll telecommute on Mondays and Wednesdays. So today was by no means my last day at home with Mac.

Still, it was bittersweet.  I tried to do laundry and get ready for work tomorrow, but I also wanted to enjoy my last day of a long vacation. Mac was perfect. He slept all morning long, which allowed me to get through the most important laundry. Then, all afternoon and evening, he insisted that we do this:

Cuddle!

While it was a little frustrating that he even got upset when I put him in the swing to use the restroom, I appreciated it, because it's what I really wanted to do, myself.

So tomorrow begins the MacDaddy's stint as "Mr. Mom."  I have a feeling it'll be a smoother transition for him than it was for Michael Keaton. He already has plenty of experience taking care of Mac, and he's really good at it.

As for me, I bet I'll spend most of the day Tuesday looking forward to Wednesday at home with my baby boy! (Well, when I'm not bragging about him, of course!)

The Wanderer

Given how much Mac traveled in the womb, no one should be surprised that Mac started traveling before he was 7 weeks old. Yesterday we got back from Mac's first road trip! We headed to Tucson for a relaxing stay at our favorite resort. (I think it was more relaxing for Mac than it was for the MacMommy and the MacDaddy.)

Usually, the MacDaddy and I pack one duffel bag (for him) a tiny overnight roller bag (for me) and the MacDaddy's backpack. Sometimes we also bring the small camera case.  This time, here was our trunk:

In the back seat, we also had Mac's diaper bag, the MacDaddy's backpack, and the big camera case (a backpack with the camera equipment).  Mac, of course, had plenty of room to stretch out in the car and sleep the whole way there:

After we got there, Mac really enjoyed it. He liked getting dressed up for dinner:

He also enjoyed relaxing in the room and took full advantage of the room service:

[He thought the room service at the resort was every bit as efficient and pleasant as the room service at home.]


We also took a nice walk to see a waterfall:

And he learned that at the end of a trip, there's nothing like sleeping in your own bed:

All in all, the trip was a success. Although his schedule was disrupted by the travel, he got right back in sync as soon as we got home. Last night he slept from 11:30 pm to 5:00 am. The MacDaddy and I learned a few things about travel with Mac, but we did pretty well this trip.

Mac's next trip will be even bigger: He'll be flying to Houston for Christmas.  Let's hope that trip goes as smoothly as this one did.

Happy Trails!

Smiles for the MacDaddy!

Finally, Mac smiled at the MacDaddy -- which gave me the opportunity to grab the camera!

So it's not just me, and it's not just gas, huh?  As I've mentioned in an earlier post, Mac's been smiling for about a week now, but only at me, and only in the morning. Until this evening. He had a nice, long afternoon nap and was particularly alert and (obviously) in a good mood when the MacDaddy started talking to him... and BAM! He gives MacDaddy a smile. And then some.

This is why people have babies. It's what I've been waiting for. I always told myself that even if the sleepless nights were really bad (though they haven't been), it would all be worth it when he smiled at me. But I haven't just been waiting for the past month-and-a-half; I've been waiting since January, when I first found out I was pregnant. Or maybe ever since the MacDaddy and I even talked about having a baby.

There's nothing better than seeing your baby smile at you. It's how you know, beyond any doubt, that you've done something right.

Chillin' in the boppy afterward.