I like this picture

Michael's sisters came by for a little visit the other day, and I caught a few snapshots of them playing with Baby Michael.

This one stood out in a particular way to me.


Something about it really strikes me....it's "dynamic" or something. Maybe because everyone is looking at someone and seems happy about it. I don't know.

Anyways, it was a great visit and they were even so kind as to watch Michael while I ran to the office to get some work done! Thanks!

The rest of the pictures from that visit are on Flickr.

Random Thoughts...The Hungry Hunter

Driving into San Diego from the north on I-15, I always pass this restaurant:

As a steaklover, I like the idea of a steakhouse just as much as the next gal. But something always strikes me as odd in the name of the restaurant.

Do you see it too?

Here's a hint at what I find so amusing: What type of animal does steak come from?

...and how...may I ask does a person hunt a cow? I mean...hunting....there implies some thrill, some challenge...some prowess and perserverance. When I think of hunting, I think of camoflauge so one can sneak up on its prey....catching it off guard, and, even with a rifle, having to face some sort of difficult in getting a shot off, and you only get one chance because if you shoot and miss, that thing will go running and you'll never catch it.

But a cow? Hunting a cow?

Well, that just seems silly to me. But you know, after doing some research I've actually discovered it to be a dangerous sport...even life threatening!

So, I guess I stand corrected. It is possible to hunt a cow. So next time you enjoy a burger, a nice piece of steak or even some ribs, say a little "Thank you" to the brave hunters who got it to your plate!

What happens if we don't swaddle

Last night after the Bible Study, it was a little later than Michael's normal bedtime....not to mention he went on a veritable "Nap Strike" yesterday and didn't take any nap in the morning. He was exhausted!

So I took him out of his car seat and fed him a little and he fell into a very deep sleep. Not wanting to wake him and anxious to experiment and see if he still really needs to be swaddled, we just laid him down without swaddling.

We tiptoed out of the room, thinking it would only last about 5 minutes. It actually lasted about 15! And at that point, we saw the above picture.

Poor kid! He needs his swaddle!

Big Bed, Little Boy

Michael is now using his crib for naps instead of his bassinet...and he looks so little in it!

I was just thinking, while seeing him in his bassinet how big he is getting, but now seeing him in his crib, he looks like a little newborn again!

We are still keeping him in his bassinet at night for us to keep an eye/ear on him while he sleeps, but in order to ease the eventually permenant transition to his crib, I'm starting off with naps during the day. So far (meaning 15 minutes into the attempt :) ) so good!

The transition had a few very cute moments...first, just putting him in the bed and seeing how little he looked.

Second, when he immediately woke up and starting looking around the room, and then kicking his feet and feeling the whole bed bounce. He really really enjoyed that, i think.

Third, when after deciding to put his mobile on his crib to help him feel more at home, I came into the room with his little Dodger mobile, and got a HUGE smile from him, as if to say "Yeah!!! My friends are coming too!!!"

After our second attempt, Michael stayed asleep right after I put him down, so it seems like there is hope that he might actually sleep as long in the crib as he does in the bassinet (which is typically 20-40 minutes max)....but maybe, with a nice comfy mattress, there is hope he'll stay asleep a little longer.

This transition does have me keen on one thing: making that room into more than just a storage room, at least for the part of it that he can see from his crib...he was looking around so much, I don't want him to think we are demoting him from our bedroom to the garage!

So I'll be putting up some pictures and moving some boxes out of view of the crib and trying to make it look a little more comfy for him.

***UPDATE****

Michael slept for an hour and fifteen minutes!!! The longest daytime nap in a crib ever!!! When he woke up, he seemed so cheerful! Yay!!

Michael likes to read

I've always heard it's important to start reading early. So after rummaging through some baby things, I found a book designed specifically for infants, and I thought I would give it a try.

I thought, "He's just a baby! How is going to know what is going on with a book. He just barely learned that he has hands for crying out loud!"

But, as I read the book to him, I stood amazed, surprised and corrected. Michael likes this book!

As soon as I began reading it to him, his attention was fixated on the pages. They are super colorful with characters with big faces that must be appealing to his little brain.

The more I read the pages, the more noises he made, over and over and over again, "talking" to the book. In fact, I've noticed that he has a favorite page: the police dog page. He always reacts the loudest to that page. It's amazing!

Next, we tried sitting up and reading the book to him, and our amazement was even greater still. Michael, for the first time reached out to touch something in front of him.

Michael has been doing well getting his hands to his mouth, and if you put a toy next to him within his grasp, he will eventually clutch on to it, but this is the first time, with this crazy little book, that Michael will fix his attention on something in front of him and put his hand to it. It's no accident...see for yourself!

So it's official. Michael is like his Daddy. He loves to read! And you know, after we were done reading, the first thing I did was get online and order more of these Lamaze books.

Goooood Books!

Good Check-Up!

Today, Michael had his 2 month check up and he is very healthy!

He also got his immunizations today, which was hard to do. It's been so hard deciding to pump our little child full of foreign substances, especially when there is a risk that he might have some side effects from it.

But to not do it and risk his getting exposed to something that would get him very sick...it's so hard!

But we did it, and we are just wanting him to have a nice, easy next couple of days so his little immune system can wrestle with this stuff that will make him stronger.

We know that countless parents immunize their children with no problem...but it's still scary!

Anyways...Michael has grown a little over 2 inches since his last appointment and he is now 14lbs, 6 oz and everyone kept commenting on how cute he is and how healthy he looks. Our little boy!

How Our Son Sleeps

Little Michael is quite the migratory sleeper.

We put him to bed in the center of his crib, however, when we go in to check on him about 20 minutes later, he has already managed to scooch himself to the top corner of his crib so his head is against the bars.

How can that be comfortable?

But he does it, not only every night, but every time he is put back in his bed throughout the night! The above photo was taken at 7 am, but at 5 am, I put him back to bed after his early morning snack. It's not like it took him all night to get there...usually just a few minutes.

One of these nights, I'm going to set up camp in his room and watch the transformation take place....because he obviously must exert a lot of effort to move this far, yet he does so without waking up (or if he wakes up, he goes right back to sleep!)

Maybe this is why he doesn't take naps so well in his crib: at night he wakes up as he moves to the corner, but it's dark so he goes back to sleep. In the day, it's light so he gets distracted and keeps himself up.

Who knows?

Anyway, Michael is awake now...gotta go!