Smiles

Sept 24.

I've been thinking about smiles lately. Why do we take smiles for granted so much?
They can convey so much, change a person's whole face, and change other peoples' moods.
But smiles are so expected in our society - we do it on command, "Smile for the camera", and we do it for politeness and because people would think we're odd or depressed or grumpy if we don't.

I have never valued smiles more in my life than right now. Every little smile from Myles is like a gift. Other babies, too. I love to see them smile. It's pure happiness. There's no politeness or societal pressure involved here. And I love how it transforms their countenances. I love my smiling Myles. S'Myles!

Almost a smile - in the first days of S'Myles it was impossible
to capture it on the camera. Sept 13. 

Definitely a smile! and a double chin. Sept 14.

Changing time is now (usually) a happy time! Sept 14.

Smiling like a pro. Briefly.
Sept 18.

Sept 23. 

A month old already?!

I can't believe our little bug is a month old already! It doesn't seem like it's been that long, but it's also kind of been forever. Probably because it's been a month since I've slept more than 4 hours in a row.

We love our Myles so much. It's fun to hold him and realize, "Whoa. He is WAAYYY bigger than when we brought him home!"

He also spends a lot more time awake. He likes to lie on the ground or in his bouncer (but not the swing - he does not like the swing) and just kick his little legs and wave his arms around and make sounds. The smiles are brief but real. He's getting really good at focusing on faces and following movement with his eyes (as long as it's not too fast). He's getting a double chin and putting some meat on his bones! His legs aren't chunky yet, but give us another couple of months - we'll get there for sure!

Just look at him dancing, and that big round belly!

It's funny realizing the hundreds of ways that having a baby changes your life. There's the big things, like waking up during the night and having to plan around the baby's eating schedule, but there are so many little things. Packing a diaper bag with me everywhere instead of a purse. Trips to the grocery store now include a walk down the baby isle. We are now people who take the elevator, rather than stairs or an escalator (at least with the stroller). Congratulations are given out when body functions occur - "Wow that was a big burp!' "Oh what a big messy diaper you have - good job!" etc.

First going-to-church outfit

His 4-week doctors appointment was on Tuesday, and they were so impressed with him. He weighed in just short of 11 pounds (10lbs 15oz). He's gained three pounds over his birth weight in just four weeks, and is now in the 76th percentile for his age (last visit he was at 49%). He's now measuring 22 inches long. Can you imagine growing 2.25 inches in four weeks?!

Our goals for the next couple of weeks are: get him sleeping longer during the night. Introduce the bottle. More tummy-time (at least 15 min a day!). Putting himself to sleep rather than holding him until he's out. Going on daily walks - even if it's just a half mile.

First hike!

I need to get some official "one month old" pictures. Until then, enjoy these!

He SMILES! So fun

A Fun Weekend

We've had such a fun weekend! Mindy and Jeran and Allison came down to visit us and to celebrate my birthday (and take advantage of the three-day weekend). We spent a lot of time hanging out, playing with our cute babies, and playing Sporcle quizzes.
"We're really good at useless trivia!"
"That sounds like the Briscoe family motto."

She's been showing off the Briscoe tongue all weekend.

It was so crazy seeing how big and chunky and interactive six-month Allison is compared to our three-week Myles. Their lengths are not that dissimilar, but the girth of the thighs is an impressive difference. It was like a peak into the future. She can keep her head up (and arms and legs, like Superman or a boat) when on her stomach. She laughs and smiles in response to playing and specific songs. It will be so fun watching for those developments in Myles' future.

Other weekend highlights included walking on a nice trail not too far from our house - I've been wanting to check it out, and we finally had a good opportunity. Lots of wildlife there, too. Two deer, tons of butterflies, squirrels, and oh yeah, the copperhead snake Chase almost ran over with the stroller. That was fun.
We went to Kara's house for dinner on my birthday. The vegetable risotto was delicious! Kara got me a rocking camp chair for my birthday gift. Yay! I can't wait to sit on the deck and relax in my rocking chair. And cheesecake for my cake - could anything be better?
Kara also purchased a gigantic teddy bear for baby pictures - continual size comparison through the years kind of thing. We had lots of fun with that photo session!

Three weeks old!

So done with this. 

It was a super fun weekend, and I'm so glad to live near enough to one of my siblings to allow for these weekend visits. Thanks, Mindy and Jeran!

Oh, and we took lots of pictures of our babies. :)

There are two ways to love books - through reading or through eating!