In Development

Liam has been more alert for more hours of the day lately and so we decided that perhaps it was time for an activity gym.

At first he seemed a little dubious.  

And then he discovered the mirror at the top.  That was a game changer.

It seems we have a budding narcissist on our hands!  Ah well, whatever makes him happy.  Although maybe we'd better start stocking up on "product" now...

Look-alikes

One of the first things people comment on is whom Liam takes after.  Most people have said that he looks more like me (Siobhan), but I wonder...

So we went looking for pictures of our younger selves to see who he really looks like.

 Liam

Mikey

Siobhan

And Liam once again.

What do you think?

The "Cuddle" Cure

Our doctor informed us that Liam is colicky.  Sigh.  It apparently peaks around six weeks of age and then disappears after three or four months.  Well, he's six weeks old and there has been a noticeable increase in baby irritability.  We've been trying all of the things that the doctor suggested--taking him outside, jiggling his bottom, giving him a finger to suck on.  These things work...sometimes.

We've also tried the "Cuddle" Cure, espoused by Dr. Harvey Karp in his book The Happiest Baby on the Block (thanks Cathy!).  This involves the five "S"s--swaddling, stomach or side lying, shhing, swinging, and sucking.  Apparently, doing these things correctly activates the "calming" reflex and should calm the baby long enough to get him to sleep (because half the time he's so wound up, he doesn't sleep which makes him overtired and therefore more irritable!).

So as for the swaddling, it's supposed to be tight so that it keeps the baby's arms by his side and mostly immobile.

We've tried and tried...

...but Liam refuses to be contained.

So we'll keep trying.  Or at the very least, we'll learn to love the screams...

Out and About

We took Liam to his first event this past Saturday--our friends' Rich and Danielle's wedding.  We were a little unsure of how he would handle things, but aside from a little bit of fussing, he was wonderful and well-behaved.  Meaning he didn't really cry.  That was a relief.

We picked out a special "fancy" outfit for Liam.  This was the first time he's been in something other than a onesie or our favorite white kimono-style t-shirt.  (Seriously?  Why do they not make these shirts bigger than 0-3 months?  They're so much easier than clothes you have to pull on over the head!  Note that this blue number buttons up the front.)

My two boys ready to set out on our wedding adventure.  

Being that we had the youngest person at the table, we "won" one of the centerpieces.  And it made me embarrassingly sappy and fuzzy inside to see our escort cards together--the first time we did something together as a family.  I suppose this is one of many sappy moments I have to look forward to.  

First Two Weeks Video

Here's a video of Liam's first two weeks in the world! Music courtesy of Bruddah Iz.




You can watch it in HD if you like also.

One Month!

Today is Liam's one month birthday!  I am happy to report that he is much less floppy and in fact, at his last weighing, came in at a good 8 pounds, 9 ounces.  Of course, he's also getting quite a bit longer, which is proving to be a bit of a challenge with my short torso and none too long forearms, but we manage.

To celebrate, we gave him a bath and finished it off with the duckie bath robe from Aunty Alicia.

The rest of the day was unusually quiet.  Liam slept a lot more than he normally does and I was beginning to worry.  He must of sensed this, because he woke up with a vengeance.  To quell what has quickly become his standard nighttime fussiness, we decided to take a walk to Long's to pick up a few things.  We put him in the Ergo Baby and away we went.  

As the doctor predicted, the fresh air and the gentle jouncing knocked the little guy out.

Your Face!

One of the things that helps keep us sane in the midst of the round-the-clock feedings and marathon crying sessions is watching for all the cute facial expressions Liam makes.  Of course, they are most likely the result of gas or a still-twitchy nervous system, but they're fun to look for nonetheless.

This is his burping face.  Whoa!  What's that?!

Do I smell something funny?

Bleh!

Finally at peace...for the moment, anyway.