Christmas Snippets: "I Want to Hold the Baby!"

So... Was it as fun as you thought it would be, Avery? ;-)

Christmas Snippets: Take Two...Or Three

Do you ever have trouble summing up an entire experience - an event, a milestone, a holiday - in one definitive post?

This year, Miles experienced his very first Christmas, and we all experienced our first Christmas as a family of four. Although I'd like to say something profound about the whole thing, I'm at a loss. So instead, I've decided to take the pressure off and simply put together a bunch of posts about Christmas moments that I found funny, moving or otherwise worth mentioning.

Here goes...

I spent much of my time at our various holiday gatherings attempting to capture Miles' first Christmas on camera. Before the age of digital cameras, I suppose I would've snapped a bunch of pics, called it good, and hoped that something turned out. Those days must have been less stressful. After all, no one expected to get a perfect picture.

So if you got your film back, and grandpa looked a little tipsy while holding your baby, you'd just laugh and put that photo right on into an album. And if you took a second pic...

...and your BABY looked a little tipsy while being held by grandpa, you'd laugh even harder. It, too, would go into the album. After all, you paid to have that film developed and you're not about to throw away a picture simply because your baby looks cross-eyed and big-nosed.

Today, though, we keep snapping and checking until we get a picture that's just right...or at least good enough. And then we delete all the bad ones.

But I think I'm going to start keeping some of the bad pictures.

After all, if my parents weren't forced to keep the bad pictures, would I have this one? With me looking like a crazed lunatic, my sister looking like an overexcited nut and neither of us in focus, I'm guessing not.

Or would I have this one? It's hard to say, but my guess is that, today, someone would have seen this pic and forced us to stand there even longer until my cousin Katie figured out how to keep that Cabbage Patch doll in her arms.

But "bad" pictures are funny, often touching and very real. So keep a few around. Your kids will thank you.

My Boys at Seven Weeks

Rowan, Seven Weeks

Miles, Almost Seven Weeks

Six Weeks Old

Week six brought more smiling and even a little cooing! And according to most of the baby sites I've visited, it also marked the end of Miles' newborn phase. He is now officially an infant.

Although I have no other babies to compare him to (and haven't had him officially weighed), my guess is that he's quite a bit bigger than your average infant. I now buy size 2 diapers and - as I reported last week - he wears 3-6 month clothes. I think I need to invest in a two-shoulder baby carrier that works well for infants. Although I love the fleece kangaroo korner pouch that I'm borrowing from my sister, it's starting to hurt my back!

But I am becoming stronger from carrying this guy around. He's getting stronger, too - holding his head up higher and higher every day!

Hmmm... Let's see.... What else happened during Miles' sixth week?

Oh, yeah! We endured the state's fifth largest snow storm and were stranded in our home for three days while we waited for the city to plow our street! (In case you're wondering: YES, I am still upset about it.)

The first two days were actually kind of nice. Cozy, even. We made Christmas cookies, watched movies and lazed around the house. By Monday, though, I was suffering from some serious cabin fever. School was cancelled, our street was stilled unplowed, and I was stuck at home all day with a stir crazy 5-year-old and a fussy baby.

When school was cancelled again on Tuesday, I contemplated promising the city that I would personally pick up any kids still stranded due to unplowed streets...on snow shoes, if necessary. But then I ventured out to Target with the kids and realized that the roads really were still too bad to have school buses driving around.

Thankfully, school resumed on Wednesday, the temps rose a bit and our road conditions improved (ever so slightly). Now we just have to hope for no more snow until the end of March. It could happen, right?

Five Weeks Old

Mr. Miles' fifth week brought a huge reward - his first real smiles! So adorable. This kid is becoming more babylicious each and every day.

I'd love to know how much he weighs right now, but it's not worth bringing him to the clinic during cold and flu season to find out. A very unscientific measurement on our home scale (I weighed myself alone, then holding him) suggested that he could be in the neighborhood of 13-14 pounds!

He is solidly in 3-6 month clothing now, although he can still squeeze into a few of his larger 0-3 month outfits. If he keeps growing at this pace, I will completely lose the advantage of having two boys born in the same season. Rowan's summer clothing simply might not fit his big little brother. We shall see...

We started introducing a daily bottle of expressed breastmilk to miles this week. Rowan wouldn't take a bottle, and we were determined not to have that happen again, if at all possible. (I'm going back to work part-time when Miles is 3 months old.) So far, so good!

Even Rowan got a chance to feed his little brother. (Is it just me, or does seeing them together only serve to highlight Miles' hugeness?)

Speaking of Rowan... we had a hard week last week. I don't know if it was cabin fever, sibling rivalry or impending Christmas craziness (or all of the above), but the whining reached a whole new level. Ugh.

I'm trying to cut him some slack, since we've experienced a lot of changes over the past month. Still, there's nothing more frustrating than attempting to eat dinner while bouncing a fussy baby and listening to your preschooler complain about everything under the sun. Here's hoping this week is better. Rowan's Christmas break is coming up, and I'd really like to enter that time with some good days under our belts! Pretty please?

Game-Changer (His First Real Smiles!)

Just like his big brother did, Miles began flashing his first real smiles just after 4 weeks!

With Rowan, I remember feeling that this milestone was such a huge game-changer. After weeks of fussiness and "what do you want?!" moments, there was suddenly a light of joy and recognition in his eyes.

I now feel the same way with Miles. Seeing his face light up at the sound of our voices is such a reward after these demanding (and delightful) first weeks. It's as if he's saying, "Here I am, mama! I know it's been a lot of work to take care of me, but we're going to have so much fun now. Just you wait and see!"

Four Weeks Old

It's actually quite ironic that this is the picture I snapped yesterday, because today Miles gave me what I'm counting as his first real smile! I hope to catch one of his happier moments on camera soon.

But of course, life can't be all smiles for a newborn. Sometimes, things are pretty darn rough. Your mom is always taking care of your every need...feeding you, holding you, and making sure that you're clean. You have to nap all day. People keep telling you how cute you are. Oh, and everyone thinks it's fabulous when you eat all the time and gain lots of weight. Sometimes you just need a good cry to deal with it all, you know?

One thing we're not crying about this week is my nursing oversupply problem. Things have calmed down a bit, thanks to some tips I learned on kellymom. The most effective strategy for me has been to keep feeding him on the same side for at least four hours. (Sometimes more!) I was doubtful that it would work, but it seems to be doing the trick. Apparently, it helps your baby get more fat-rich hindmilk (reducing fussines and gas) and signals your body to slow down production. Miles does seem less fussy now, and feedings have been much less stressful.

And now, let's devote a little time to this kid's hair. Can you believe it? I do not fluff if up like this, I swear! After I give him a bath, I comb his hair into a respectable executive style, but it sticks straight up when it dries. There simply is no calming down these unruly locks! (A sign of his personality, perhaps? Uh oh.)

His wild hair is pretty adorable (and distinctive), in my opinion. I do hope it calms down by the time he's an adult, though. I can't even imagine what a grown man might look like with hair like this...

...or can I?