Showing posts with label swing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swing. Show all posts

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Week 16- Spring Break

By Dad

I got to be home this week because it is Spring Break , so I spent the whole week hanging out with the Cannonball. It was pretty nice. His mom gets up with him for the early morning feeding and changing, and by the time I roll out of bed he's been awake for a while and is ready to eat again.
I like being home in the morning, because that is when he's the most awake and happy. Little boy is full on smiles and wiggles before lunch time. It was cool to be able to play with him a whole bunch. I read to him just about every day, a lot of Where the Sidewalk Ends (thanks Mike and Terra) this week.
Roland is rolling over nearly every time we put him on his back now. He goes right over. Then he hangs out on his stomach for a while. He's even gotten good at getting his arms out from underneath him so he can prop himself up. I think, as a proud dad, that he's already getting really strong. It's impressive. He can hang out on his tummy for a while now, too. I've seen him wiggle his way forward a few inches, and he dances all over the place when he's lying down so he never ends up oriented the same way after a few minutes. It's really gotten to the point where we put him down, turn around, and he's moved. I'm sure this will only get worse. The only problem with the rolling is he's not so keen on coming back from his tummy to his back quite yet. He'll do it, but not as often. So a lot of the time he gets over, then gets tired, then gets stuck, so we let him struggle for a few minutes (because how else will he learn and get strong), and then help him back on to his back. At which point he flips himself right back over, this time hitting frustrated and tired much quicker. It is our new game.
He's very chatty, talking all the time to his mom and I. And to his stuffed bear. And the elephant on his play mat. And his reflection. And the air. We talk back when we hear him, so sometimes there is a little conversation going on. He already knows an awful lot about things. He's not sure if The Daily Show or Top Gear is his favorite show right now. But he's only seen the Christmas episode of Doctor Who, so who knows when that will change.
It was Angela and my three year anniversary this Wednesday. I asked Tracy to watch him for a few hours so we could go out to dinner. Angela didn't want to do dinner and a movie, that was too long for her right now, so we just did dinner. Tracy was more than happy to help out, and volunteered to do it again any time. Which is great, considering the second we handed him off to her he started crying. They say he stopped about fifteen minutes before we got back. He's a little punker sometimes.
I think tomorrow I'm going to take him to his first baseball game. It'll be UH, and I really want his first game to be a Dodger game, but I also want to go see some baseball. So expect baseball pictures unless something happens and he's a grumper. *EDIT* Nope, weather sucks. maybe next weekend we'll get some baseball.
He loves his swing and his blanket. Right now I don't think it is a specific blanket so much as it is blankets. He sits down in the swing and I hand him the blanket and he gets very kicky and excited with big toothless smiles. Then the blanket goes straight into his mouth. So we are there too, with the into the mouth phase. He also likes his B.O.B. stroller. We've taken him out for a few walks now around the area and the only time he fusses is when I stop for too long. Other than that he's a champ. I don't know what he's thinking about while we're walking, but he's thinking hard.

By Mom
This week was fun, having Doug around to play with Roland too.  With two parents at home the kid barely had any time to himself.  But we have started some experimenting with him.  When he wakes up and he's talking to himself but happy and content, we give him a few minutes to himself before rushing to pick him up.  I've also started lying him down when he's tired but still awake.  Sometimes it works - he'll take his pacifier, hug his blanket to his face, roll on his side, and fall asleep.  Other times it doesn't work at all, and we have an angry baby hollering from the bedroom.  Past experience has taught us he can holler for a long time, so we try to get it to stop after just a few minutes.  If he's fussy and tired while being held then into the swing he goes.  He used to HATE the swing, but now he loves it.  He can be screaming at us that he's tired, but as soon as he's in the swing with a blanket he can chew on he quiets down and falls asleep.  When he wakes up again he is all smiles, and starts kicking and cooing once someone comes into his line of sight, and stares expectantly until he's picked up.

Watching him improve his rolling skills has be fun and impressive.  He's also figuring out how to spin around and how to move in a line.  While on his back he's found if he arches his back and kicks at the same time he'll scoot a couple of inches.  And a couple of times this week we saw him low crawl - he rolled onto his belly, pulled his arms in front of himself, and then pulled his body to be on top of his arms again.  Fascinating and worrisome.  Is he even big/old enough to start becoming mobile?!  If he keeps it up I'll have to start packing our household goods for the mainland early.

Now- PITCHURES!!!
Boppy time!

The Robertson Gaze- learn it boy

Not sure about this

Cute smiles from the tiny human

What's with all the green?

Hello computer

Rock n roll!!!

Yeah!

Hair is growing back-ish

Hey, now! Are you taking pictures of me?




Dad is a matress

Look to the sky, er, ceiling

Fading...

Wasgoinon?

Weeeeee!!!!

Love how it looks like he's holding on

Achievement Unlocked- Baby puke on the face

She had to take a dozen pictures and how with laughter before she would help

See?
Hangin' with dad


Out to dinner sans baby

Why hello there

This is my chair now.

You think you can sit here? Oh no, you foolish grown-up

You are not match for the adorable

No match at all

Now go sit on the couch

Bwahahahahahaha

This is my orange ball. I love it




Monday, January 14, 2013

Week 6- School, Smiles, Suckers


By Dad
Roland turned six weeks old Saturday and boy was week 6 busy. I have the feeling I'll be saying that a lot. Every week is full of growth and changes like I don't even believe. I knew, intellectually, that tiny humans do a lot of growing very quickly in their first year, but to see it right in front of my face is still amazing to watch.
The biggest change is smiles. He smiles now and it looks like he's smiling on purpose. I don't know if he's smiling at me or not, but it looks like there is control of facial muscles happening. Angela saw the smiles a few days before I did, but I'm back at work so she is spending more time with him than I am. By the time I get home from work it's time to battle a mid-day nap and he's not always the happiest little boy for a while. But over the weekend I got some good smiles too. That was very good, to be lying in bed next to him and have him look over, then to see a huge smile split his face in half. I haven't been around enough babies to know if they are all prone to big expressions, but if they aren't then Roland is definitely mine. All his faces are bigger than life and over-exaggerated. The Tragic Face that comes mid-cry, which has not yet been successfully photographed, now includes a pouty lip. This elicited an excited call from the other room the first time he did it. "Honey! Come look! He's got a lip now too! It's so cute!" I'm not sure he knows his parents laugh at him while he's crying right now, but he'll probably pick up on it by the time he's two.
This was Grammy and Papa's (my mom and Skip) first full week here too and I can't overstate how helpful they have been. I knew it would be nice to have some family over but I didn't expect how great it would be to not have all the pressure all the time split between just Angela and I. Someone else helping out with cooking, cleaning, or just holding the crying tiny person for a little while is fantastic. Because they are here we've felt more free to do more with him.
For example, Roland went to Waikiki for the first time Friday. They went down a little early and I met them after school and the five of us strolled the main drag, shopping and taking in the first non-rainy day in a while. Roland loves his Ergo and was a good baby the whole time. Everyone who has tiny people- Get a Baby Carrying Device! Cereal, you guys, it's super Al Gore Important. 1000x better than a mobile carseat and easier to move around than a stroller. I'm sure we'll get to stroller use, but the Ergo and Moby wraps are kick ass. He's still not a huge fan of the car, however.
The way we've started combating the fight against the car is by introducing a pacifier. Angela and I were both not sure about pacifiers and we were going to try to avoid using one if we could. Grammy talked us into giving it a shot and it's been great. Sucking seems to calm him down much faster than he can do on his own. He's probably got an oral fixation like his dad, who always has a toothpick in his mouth. We don't go straight to it, we try other things before going to the pacifier, but if he's really upset or just won't relax enough to feed or sleep it's a good tool to have in our utility belt.
The swing also works better now. As he gets bigger the swing become less of an Evil Thing Which Must Be Hated. He's still a slumpy little ball of dough sometimes though. Angela put him in, buckled him down, took a quick shower, and by the time she was done he was curled over into a small ball of I'm Going To Make You Scared I'm Falling Out Even Though The Buckle Has Me Secure With My Arms and Legs Inside At All Times. 
The little cannonball visited his daddy at school last week, and that was pretty cool. I have the best student teacher ever so she took my class over after lunch and allowed me to wander the campus showing him off to all my fellow teachers. Grammy took a bijillion pictures and I posted most of them on this blog here. I look forward to bringing him back every few weeks so everybody can see how he's grown. Also, once Fantastic Student Teacher starts soloing I'm going to get very bored very quickly so Mama needs to visit me for lunch regularly.
According to Mama he's sleeping less and less during the day. He's been a good boy, not very fussy at all, but he needs to sleep more. A few times we've hit Overtired Baby DefCon One (note: everyone does Defcon wrong. Defcon One is the most serious. The higher the Defcon, the less threat there is. At Defcon 12 everyone owns a unicorn).
The biggest thing he did in his sixth week was take Six Week pictures at Sears. These came out great and they will get their own blog later. But he was fantastic during the session and didn't fuss or cry or anything the entire time. Baby loves the camera. Again, just like his father.
Before we get to pictures we must all laugh at the truth of Doghouse Diaries:
Burp

Old school diaper pinning

Damnit. Better me than him.

I shall slumpscape!

Baby wearing at the mall

'Allo

'Allo again

I will not make eye contact with Horton

Passed out with Grammy

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Papa holds me backwards

We have slumpage!

Hello, tiny human!

Genetics Rule!

Dawww!

Grammy in heaven

Are you the cutest boy ever (since your daddy)?

YES!

Test trip to the park in the B.O.B.

We are unsure if we are displeased

Woah!
You are naked! Shocking!

I. Am. The Coolest. Baby. Ever.