from newborn to baby

here's a couple more pictures to give you an idea of Jack in action.

DOH!

Okay, so I'm sorry it's been a while. A couple weeks ago the family went to Mendocino with our friends Jen, Matt and Henry. Jack was an absolute champ during the long car ride. However, the huge DELICIOUS cup of coffee I decided to get in Healdsburg had Jack doing backflips all night long. I won't be making that mistake again. After we got home there was all the usual catching up to do and I had to keep my nose down getting some last minute paperwork in for my thesis.

Then I accidentally deleted this post THREE TIMES on different occasions! ARGH!

Anyway, enough of all that-on to Jack!

Jack is clearly turning from a newborn into a baby. He really likes to engage with us when he's well-fed and well-rested. I don't know how to describe the way he talks exactly---lots of "goo's" and "ah's". According to the books, he's learning that in conversation one person talks, then they stop and a different person talks. Hence, he blurts out his "words" as a way to participate in the conversation. It is nothing short of delightful.

Watching Jack's hands is still fascinating. He's discovered that if he waves them around long enough, eventually he'll catch something. He loves getting ahold of my hair, and since it doesn't really hurt yet, I let him. Sometimes he'll manage to land his fist in his mouth and he keeps himself entertained chewing on his fingers, hands or fist. Even when he's falling asleep, he's usually stroking his blanket, or fluttering his fingers slowly in the air. 

The other day I spent about 20 minutes watching him wake up in the morning. First his eyes crack open, he looks one way, then the other, then closes them again. Then he stretches his arms above his head and arches his back and sighs and yawns and then usually bonks himself in the head as his hands come back down. Then his eyes open a little again and he tries to focus...

and on and on it goes, probably only something a mother could be so riveted by?

Jack has some pretty rough problems with gas, but we're figuring it out and otherwise, he remains a mellow, serious little guy. He hollars when something's not right, and he bobs his head like a chicken or tries to position himself to nurse if he's hungry. But in between the feeding and rocking to sleep and burping and diaper changes we find a lot of time to read stories and practice lifting his head (tummy time), and talking and taking walks in the park.

Jack's neck is pretty strong, but he can't really lift his head if he's lying flat on his belly. He gets pretty upset trying, so we do it in little spurts and sometimes cheat by letting him lay on a rolled up towel or his boppy.

I was thinking the other day that maybe when he stares at the ceiling, it might not be ghosts he's looking at. It might be just a way of resting his eyes after a lot of stimulation. Jack is very vigilant and loves to look around wherever we go.

On Sunday Jack turned 10 weeks. I remain the super-protective mama bear.

7 weeks

A few days ago I watched a National Geographic video my mom recommended called "In the Womb". It was amazing to think about how much Jack has changed since he was a newborn, things I had completely forgotten---like how he used to move in slow motion and just what a tiny, unfinished thing he used to look like. Jack's definitely looking less like an unfinished product every day, and he's starting to discover his voice. He makes all kind of funny noises, it's a hoot (I pretend I can understand him and we have conversations), and he smiles pretty regularly. 

We've also taken to reading stories before he goes to sleep at night, and even though I don't understand how, he seems to tell the difference between reading and random talk. He settles down and listens while you read and gets antsy when you stop.

Uncle Mark was here over the weekend, and showed me how to bake bread. The loaf turned out magnificently and Jack insisted on getting his picture taken with it.