Little man, little man

My little man is already 5 months old.

January 15, 2016

I have so much fun watching him grow and learn and develop. He's become such a big boy. Not as roly poly as he once was, but just solid. He's grown so tall in the last month or so. We're getting into the 9-12 month clothes now.

These are some of the fun things he's doing or enjoying lately:

Drinking water from my cup. He's always grabbing at my cup when he's sitting on my lap, so I'll drain it all except a couple of teaspoons and help him drink it. He's pretty good at it, considering.

Hanging out upside down. Nothing seems to please him more than arching his back so that he's looking at the world upside down. He'll hang out like that for a while, then I pull him up, and then he arches his back again and there he goes.

January 15, 2016

Laughing. Oh my goodness he's a laughy boy now, but it's not your normal baby gigle. It's very gutteral, almost like a cough. If I were going to write his laugh out, it would be "gak gak gak".

Dogs. He loves dogs. Loves to watch them and enjoys feeling their fur. He loves when they bark or make noise. He has also met a cat, but didn't have much reaction to him. Apparently he's a dog person. Good thing Kara has Dexter, and the Smiths have two dogs, so he'll have plenty of doggy time growing up.

Sitting up. He's getting pretty good at this skill. He'll still wobble a bit and often falls over sideways, but he's learned not to throw himself backwards (which was always my worry with him before). This is an excellent skill of which I fully approve, as it makes my life easier (unlike the forthcoming skills of mobility).

January 19, 2016

Still loves trying to eat the mirror. January 19, 2016. 

Animal sounds. Old McDonald is his favorite song, and it will make him stop fussing for a good 10 minutes if I keep singing the whole time. Let's just say that Mr. McDonald has a very extensive farm with some very interesting animals on it. And a truck. Myles also likes when I read any of the books that have animal sounds in them.

Jumping! This video says it all!

PS. I also made bread this past week from Grandma Lola's whole wheat bread recipe. It was AWESOME! It was my first experience working with yeast, so it was a bit intimidating, but it turned out well and I can't wait to make more!  Like, this week.

They Weren't Kidding

When Myles was brand new, before he was born even, people kept telling me "you'll be amazed how fast he grows" or "he'll fit into that 6 mo outfit before you know it."

I thought they were being metaphorical. As in, "oh my, you're already a year old. It seems like just yesterday...!"

No. No, they were speaking literally. Physically. My little man may be all of two months and twelve days old, but we are far out of 0-3Mo and 3Mo clothes. 3-6 Mo clothes are even looking rather tight. 6 Mo clothes are fitting quite nicely. We barely even touched the size 2 diapers. We're on our fourth diaper size (newborn, 1, 2, and now 3). I'm going to buy a box of size 4, just to see if they fit better. His thighs are just so chunky.

We borrowed a play mat from a friend in our old ward.
 He definitely enjoys staring at the orange butterfly hanging from the arch.

We've been growing like a weed, if I knew of a weed that grew more in girth than height. He has been growing two inches of length and three pounds of weight each month! Much more of this and I don't think I'll be able to hold him!

Love my boys!

He still loves the game of sticking his tongue out. This week he has been working on rolling over from his tummy to his back. He always looks vaguely surprised when he accomplishes this. He likes to be held standing up, especially if it's in front of a mirror.

Chunky, tongue out with a smile, 6M clothes...that's my boy!

My new favorite thing is that we have a (relatively) night time schedule. It is about 8pm-8am, with one feeding in the middle.

I love my boy so much!

Walking on a cold morning, we have to bundle him up!

Tried out the jogging stroller this week. Myles was not a fan.
Maybe next month.

Myles is now too big to use the bath tub sling, so he just gets to sit in the tub like a  big boy.

Boy, that boy is growing!

Happy two month birthday, Myles!  (I love that he was born on the 15 - the middle of the month seems so easy to remember!)

Oct 14.

I forgot to mention this in the last post, but Myles has a new cousin! Annalise Kennedy Smith was born on October 4. She looks a lot like her mama. It's amazing to see the size difference for just one and a half months age difference!

Smith cousins - Annalise and Myles. Oct 11.

We had our doctor's visit on Tuesday. Man oh man is he growing! He now weighs 14lbs and 4oz, which puts him in the 94 percentile for his age group. He is also 24" long, puts him at 85%. Technically we're out of 0-3M size clothes (which go up to 12.5lbs) and into the 3-6M size. However, he still fits into several of his 3M clothes, so I'll keep putting them on him.  He also got his 2-month vaccines. He did a great job - only took about 5 minutes to get him calmed down afterward!

My big, big boy! Oct 13.

We are loving the cooler fall weather. Myles and I go for a walk every day, maybe even more than one. (I did promise Mom I would beat her in Fitbit steps this week. It's quite a challenge!)

Out for a walk! He spends more and more time awake and looking around. Oct 13. 

For Chase's birthday last week I got him a piano book of Zelda songs, so I've been trying to teach him to play the piano a little bit. He's getting the hang of it pretty quickly, considering he's never learned to read music before. It made me thankful that I took piano lessons as a kid (even if I didn't practice very well) and renewed my determination that our children will have music lessons.

Myles and I spent some good time at Kara'a on Saturday. He came to the nail salon with us, where he woke up in his car seat after ten minutes, which made me and Kara nervous that he would start screaming and we wouldn't be able to pick him up. But he just sat there, content as could be, and watch all the action. He also got to play with Dexter, who has apparently decided that he does like this little wiggly human. It'll be so fun to watch them grow up together!

Becoming friends. Oct 10.

Dexter really didn't seem to mind being kicked in the face. Oct 10.

Oct 10. 

I love playing with Myles. He's so happy and smiley most of the time. He still loves wiggling and kicking. I caught him sucking his thumb the other day, but it was mostly an accident, I think. He hasn't really learned to separate his thumb from his fist (which he does like to suck and gnaw on).
His new trick is sticking his tongue out. It's adorable.

Playing "stick out your tongue" with Mommy. Oct 15.

Practicing tummy time - we're getting better! Oct 13.  

7 week update

I can't believe it's been 7 weeks since we were in the hospital with our brand new tiny baby. (Will I say that every time? Apparently I'm generally incredulous about the passing of time.) I love seeing how Myles is growing and developing day by day and week by week.

Oct 3

I don't know for sure how much we weigh these days, but if I were to guess, I'd say 13 pounds. That puts us into the 3-6 month clothes range. Crazy!

Here are a few of the things Myles really seems to like:
     Looking at mirrors, lights, and ceiling fans.
     Having his diaper changed. (Seriously, it's some of his happiest times. I get more smiles on the changing table than anywhere else. Also, there's a mirror and a ceiling fan involved.)

Happy changing time! Oct 2.

       Just kicking it. Most of the time that is where he's awake and not eating is spent on the floor just wiggling, kicking, and cooing. But no tummy time. Not a fan of tummy time.
    Reading books with Mom (or having Mom read books when we're lying down on the floor.) The Very Hungry Caterpillar is his favorite.
     The car seat (but mostly only when it's in the air, not just on the ground. What a great workout for Mom and Dad! This is the trick of last resort when he's really fussy.)
     The vacuum. Just don't turn it off if he's sleeping!
     Dancing. When Mommy's trying to put him to bed at night, nothing settles him down faster than singing "Once Upon a December" (from Anastasia) and waltzing around the nursery. Another good workout for Mom.

Sept 29 

Oct 2

We also really enjoyed the swing at the Roos' cabin. We need a porch swing.

And he's decided that he does like bathtime. Sometimes. 

Singing at bath time?

 
Apparently he's learned to eat much more efficiently, because we're doing good if we get 15 minutes in before he's just done. Not asleep, just done. Myles is also learning the concept that his hands can bring things to his mouth.

We still sleep between each feeding, but usually get some decent awake time (30-60 minutes). Most of this awake time is spent "just kicking it". Like this video during Conference. Can you believe his chubbiness?

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!