October 2011

Well, a week into October I realized that Bruce's grumpiness wasn't going to go away at the "magical" six weeks mark.  So I decided to come up with a list of the top 10 things I enjoy about him during this phase of life to help keep things in perspective:

1.  I love the way his tiny hands clench and unclench along my side while he's eating.
2.  I love the way his body fits perfectly wrapped around me when he's eating.
3.  I love the way his face feels against my cheek.
4.  I love the way he snuggles my shoulder and tucks his legs when I'm burping him.
5.  I love the way his head bobbles around when he's trying to hold it up to look around.
6.  I love how bright his eyes can be, especially when he stares at the ceiling fan.
7.  I love the nice little squeals and squawks we hear from time to time.
8.  I love when he smiles.
9.  I love the way he flops over in his crib when he's sleeping contentedly.
10.  I love and appreciate the way he sleeps at night.

I gave up caffeine halfway through the month to see if that would help Bruce with his tummy troubles and help him sleep better during the day.  He seems to be happier when awake for longer periods, but he still only naps for about a half hour at a time, if that.  I think that will get better as his body matures a bit.  He's regularly sleeping 5-7 hours at night though, so I'm counting my blessings!  Speaking of sleep, in addition to the "pinwheel" sleep maneuver, he is also now scooching to the bottom corner of the crib, along with getting his legs stuck in the slats almost on a nightly basis!  I finally made him a net that ties along the crib wall to keep his appendages inside at all times.  So far, so good.

Bruce is flipping over from side to side these days, and isn't favoring his left side too much anymore.  He still isn't rolling over completely yet, but I'm sure that will come soon enough!  What we're getting a lot of these days though are smiles, and smiles in response to our smiles!  Sometimes after a diaper change Bruce loves to just hang out on the changing table staring at the picture frames on the wall (I think he likes the contrast between the black frames with white mats against the green wall) and will smile and squirm and smile some more.  I guess he really appreciates the simple things in life!  He also has started to follow me with his eyes sometimes when I walk by him.  We're really loving these beginnings of social interaction and can't wait for more to come!

We've added a nightly bath to our routine this month and Bruce absolutely loves it!  He's not splashing around too much yet, but he's all smiles (until the water starts to get cool...)!

Towards the end of the month we made a trip to Springfield, Missouri to visit Pop again at Ann and Howard's house.  It was a short adventure, but we had a really great time.  We warned Ann and Howard ahead of time that Bruce liked to fuss a lot, but they said not to worry - their grandbaby was the same way!  That relieved a little of the stress, and overall Bruce did really well.  In the car there was very minimal screaming and mostly sleeping, and he was a pretty good trooper the days we were there.  Best of all, he slept like a champ at night in his playpen.  He spent a lot of time staring at Pop from his changing pad, and we even made a trip to a farm park and pumpkin patch with the cousins while we were there!

Bruce had his two month check-up when we got back from our trip.  The nurse was pleased with all of Bruce's developments and didn't have any concerns.  He now weighs 11 pounds, 10 ounces and is nearly 25 inches long.  That puts him in the 35th percentile for weight and the 98th percentile for height. I guess he's just like his parents - long and lean.  Baby's still got a big head, too - but it's growing proportionally, which I guess is what matters.  They finished off the visit with three whopping shots in his thighs which sent his first big alligator tear streaming down his beet red face.  Poor baby.  He survived though and didn't seem to have any side affect reactions from the vaccinations.

Charlie spent some time this month working on Bruce's Halloween costume - furry cowboy chaps that match his, complete with a hand-tooled leather hip band - they make quite a pair!  Then I made a Mexican poncho out of a placemat to finish out the costume.  I had every intention of making some felt cowboy boots, but needless to say, never found the time - oh well - I think he's still pretty darn cute!  We carved pumpkins with friends and took Bruce trick-or-treating to our old neighbors and friends - Tim and Loretta's house.  It's been a Halloween tradition since we moved away and we were happy to have Bruce with us this year to join the fun.

October came and went in a blink of an eye!  We're looking forward to the upcoming holiday season filled with lots of time together with family!