Pretty Baby - Bug Series

Well, we did it. We went on our first road trip to Snowbird. Three bags, a baby seat, and a stressed out mom. So much luggage for such a tiny person! No camera. He handled it like a champ, but was very sleepy at altitude and slept a lot. He's also (I think) teething...which means a little cranky, a lot of drool, and a more than usual lot of poop. I trekked him around in the Baby Bjorn and we had a nice time checking out the cookout contest going on for BBQ champs of Utah. Didn't see much of Michael because he was working. But nothing like a cute baby to get lots of attention from all kinds of strangers. And...he got his first dose of "real" TV, which he seemed to enjoy for 5 whole minutes. PBS is just not his thing.

He's looking good with his new bug toy from Auntie Carla and his "Chick Magnet" onesie from Auntie Vikki. I think he's so pretty...most people think he's a girl- until he lets out that loud, hoarse cry! OK family members, isn't it scary how much he looks like his mamma? It's uncanny!

Road Trip

Well, we're going to try driving up to Little Cottonwood Canyon for a change of scenery. Michael's at a conference at Snowbird, and I'm going to take Little G up to see if we can manage a little adventure. Stay tuned!

Video

NFP

Neonatal Follow-up Program
A State program did some assessments of Gerard today. Here are the stats that we can report:
He's looking good for a 3-month old. He hits the 50% in the charts (for a 3 month old).
Weight - 12.79
Length - 24.6"
Head - perfect
His lungs sound great. His heart sounds great.
He's developmentally acting like a 4-month old. All that tummy time is paying off!
His hearing is normal. (I was worried about that one).
Being around lots of other preemies brought back memories. Reminded us how lucky we all are.
Thanks everyone for their prayers.

Happy Father's Day yesterday. Photos to post later.

New numbers

Gerard Weight - 12 lbs. 12 oz.
Head - 16-3/4"
Length - 24-1/4"
As of Monday when the county nurse weighed him
...Ta Da! He's ON THE CHARTS!!!!!!!!!!!
He just loves looking in the mirror now... and smiles at our reflections.

He now smiles when he wakes instead of crying... Happy boy!
This is the "crooked" smile that mommy and daddy just adore. Still has big blue eyes like Gran.
He enjoys hanging out on mom's legs - and has recently started grasping his hands together!

Lots of new photos - Enjoy!

New cool toy

Five Month Mark + 12th Anniversary

Gerard was five months old on Saturday, and Michael and I celebrated our twelfth wedding anniversary on Sunday. We had much to celebrate!
We ended up at our usual favorite spot, Bambara, in Salt Lake for dinner. Here are some of the latest photos.
I'm back at work now and have no time to really write - but the photos speak for themselves. Gerard is becoming more and more like a (big) little boy every day. He has a meltdown around 8 PM every night. I still don't have the heart to video or photograph that! Here are some happy moments.

Gerard Baptism - Sunday, May 18

Gerard's Christening was Sunday, and he did very well. Thanks to our proxy godparents, Sister Stephanie and Matt! Thanks to Margie for taking the photographs. We had a very busy and nice day.
Enjoy all the photos.

Happy Mother's Day! - May 11

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. And thank you to all of you who wished me a first happy mom's day. Still hard to believe I'm a mom. Today is a beautiful day here in Ogden. I went to breakfast with my friend Ruby, and took Gerard. He did really well and slept through most of it. Good boy! Tonight we were invited to dinner at a friend's and we'll see how that goes. I've been assured that he will be well-doted on so that I can eat dinner. Should be fun!

He's sleeping a lot better since I got some steroid cream for his eczema. I think he was probably itchy and irritated. And...the redness and splotchiness is responding to the cream. I feel great relief about this, even though I'm not crazy about the cream being of the steroid variety. Hey, it was necessary. He was starting to crack...which means I was starting to crack. The dermatologist said definitely eczema. Of course, the cradle cap is unsightly, but when it creeps down to his cheeks, it's too much.

I swear he's grown quite a bit this week. His -3 outfits fit almost perfectly, and I'm afraid he'll be out of them next week. He's getting taller a lot faster than wider. And that's OK. His head is finally getting fuller as well. He's starting to tolerate the Baby Bjorn, but not for long stretches. Just to the mailbox and back home. Not his thing.

This will be my last full week off before going back to work, and I can't believe how the time has flown. Right when he's starting to be like a "normal" baby, I have to go back to work. Not fair. The sitter will get all the fun this summer. But I will make the most of my time with him when I'm home. He's really starting to smile and respond to me now. That's so fun. Just take a look at him swinging in his swing. Thanks Auntie Angela!
He just loves sucking on his fingers. Take a look... Enjoy Michael. We can't wait for you to come home!

May 7 - Lots of sleep time

Gerard weight - 10 lbs. 11 oz. - 23-1/2" long
Gerard slept all day yesterday and had very little awake time, so of course he was up much of the night - not fussy, just active. The county nurse came and weighed him and checked him developmentally. He's on target for an 8-week old baby. Since he's off of the oxygen and monitors now, I've taken him downstairs. Perhaps the change in environment has been too much stimulation and that might attribute to his sleepiness.
Today he's super hungry! Must be growing.
Remember the snow pictures? Look what's been trying to spring forward. It's finally here! Rain today.

May 5 - Lots of Awake Time

Today Gerard was awake a lot. Hmmm... I hope that means he sleeps well tonight. It's after 9 PM and I can't get him to sleep. So he entertains himself by watching his mobile (which is stationary at the moment). He did perform nicely for the camera.
Margie was nice enough to come by today and let me get some time to take a shower and go get a sandwich. Thanks Margie!
Here you go, Michael! Enjoy the photos. Tomorrow the county nurse is coming, so we'll have a new weight to log.

May 1 - Snowing again...

It's May 1 and it's snowing outside. Gerard is sleeping soundly and has been sleeping a lot lately. Guess he's as confused as the weather. Here's some footage of tummy time, which shows how he's building strength, even though he hates it.