Bleah!

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Originally uploaded by stacy's plate.

No comment...

Pac Man anyone?

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Originally uploaded by stacy's plate.

Sam is getting so big. He's almost 11 weeks old and weighs in the range of 14-15 lbs. He smiles a lot more and has discovered that he can suck on his hands. He's also not nearly as fussy as he was the first month of his life. Although he doesn't sleep through the night yet, he only wakes up once, usually, for a feeding and then goes back to sleep easily. Most days I don't even need a nap anymore, as long as I go to bed when Sam does, which can be as early as 9:00.

I've started working again, part-time for about a month, and then back full-time. Sam is staying home with his dad, who is adapting fairly well to the tedium and repition of caring for an infant. Matt's days are spent doing the "baby rotation" where you rotate through a handful of activities (feed, diaper, walk around the house, play on floor, play on lap) until the baby finally falls asleep for an hour or so. During the nap, Matt must decide whether to take a shower, brush his teeth, have a bite to eat, do some housework, or tinker with his electronics project, which is currently restoring a rare 1960's turntable.

It's not easy for Matt, nor is it easy for me to leave them. I'll admit that it is nice to get away and do something non-baby related -- even if it is work, but I'm constantly thinking about them and hoping Matt is holding up and that Sam doesn't think I've abandoned him. The commute is tough. I drive now instead of take the train. The traffic is so unpredictable. One day it took me nearly two hours to get to work. The next day it took one hour.

We'll all get used to our new lifestyle soon enough, I'm sure. Soon we'll wonder where the time went and marvel at how small Sam was when he was a baby. I try to think about this and cherish the times now when he falls asleep on my lap after nursing for 1/2 hour, even though I'd rather be puttering around the house or checking my email.

I think I hear Sam starting to stir from his nap...

Sam in his Bumbo Seat

Sam in his Bumbo Seat
Originally uploaded by stacy's plate.

Speaking of shopping, my parents got Sam this Bumbo Seat afer I sent them a link to the website. Several babies in the playgroup I've been going to have these.

It's so funny to watch a baby who normally is too young to sit up, sit straight up in these goofy chairs. The baby only needs to be able to hold his head steady in order to use the seat and Sam is pretty good at that.

Sam seems to like sitting in the Bumbo Seat. He actually smiles quite a bit when he's in it, but wouldn't smile while I was taking his picture.

Great Grandma and Sam

Great Grandma and Sam
Originally uploaded by stacy's plate.

A couple of weeks ago, my parents and 88 year old grandmother came to visit. Sam is named after my grandmother's husband (my grandfather), who passed away when I was 12. It was the first time she met the baby, so it was pretty neat.

Whenever my parents visit, we end up going shopping. I can't think of a visit where we didn't go shopping. I'm not complaining, but it's funny when I think about it. Even when I go to visit them in PA, or my grandmother in NJ, we shop! I'm hoping the next time they visit, we'll take a trip to IKEA and get some furniture for the baby's room.

As always, click on the picture for lots more!

We're moved in!

my closet
Originally uploaded by stacy's plate.

The upstairs is finally complete after about 5 months of messy chaos. We moved in this weekend and absolutely love it. It was *almost* worth the money and headaches -- ALMOST.

In fact, it looks so nice that I want to run out and get real bedroom furniture instead of the crappy second and third hand stuff we've had for years. We also need window treatments and a new comforter for our bed.

Sam's room is also pretty empty except for the beautiful crib on loan from Katie. Do I see a trip to Ikea in our future?

The bathroom is pretty much all set except for some new towels and curtains. The heated floor is SO nice!

We have a lot of things to hang on the walls so we will hopefully get that done in the next few days. I'll post more pictures soon.

Big Smile!

big smile
Originally uploaded by stacy's plate.

Yay! Sam is finally smiling!

He turned 8 weeks old yesterday and had a check-up at the doctor's. He weighs 13 lb, 2 oz! What a porker! He had 4 shots at the doctor's office and wasn't smiling then. He feels a lot better now though.

Lots more pictures if you click on the happy baby!