Two Months!

Well your favorite blogger is back folks. J-Had here, coming to report about my second month of living in the Pughplex. Man has it been a full one! I'm really beginning to enjoy myself on this planet they call earth.

Speaking of enjoyment, I'm smiling now. That's right! As if I wasn't already cute enough, I'm beginning to woo everyone with my sweet looks and open-mouthed grin. Eat your heart out ladies.

I started showing off in this manner around week 7 for T and Big Daddy [Mom and Dad were really jealous]. I did a few for Nana as well. Hey—I've got to show some special love to the grandparents, they're going to spoil me a lot in the future so I might as well start storing up credit now.

Now that I've got the hang of it. I'm smiling for Mom and Dad a lot, too. They're impressed every time...



They also like it when I make other noises besides crying. I'm starting to do that, you know. Throw in a few oohs and aahs and flash a smile and they're putty in my hands.

Mom and Dad are also appreciating my ability to focus on things, especially their faces. I now look at them as opposed to around them or through them. It's the little things...

I guess we might as well talk about my sleep schedule, though it might make Mom a little sad. I don't know if you remember, but in my one month update I mentioned that I was beginning to sleep through the night. Mom would feed me around 9:30, I'd fall asleep around 11, and I wouldn't wake up until around 7—one time even 8! I did that for about 3 weeks and Mom and Dad thought they were living the dream—a cute newborn and one that slept through the night. Well, then I decided to mix it up a bit. They just had it way too easy. So now I like to get hungry again around 4 or 5. Don't be upset, Mom. You're milk's just that good. Oh and she's also letting my arms free at night. I used to get the swaddle treatment so my arms wouldn't wake me up, but I fought it so much that I'd end up in crazy positions in my crib. Seriously, I could wiggle my way anywhere. This is why Mom tends to call me her little "Wiggle Worm." That lady has a nickname for everything I do. And a song...

How can you get upset at this sweet sleeping face?

Speaking of sleeping, I'm a pretty awesome nap buddy. I've definitely made the rounds. I even napped with a complete stranger when I went to Lakeview's nursery for the first time. Is that weird?

Not sure why I look like a grown man in this picture...

Other things I like to do include taking baths, swinging, and going on walks. I was finally able to take baths in the tub [and not my parents' arms] once that crazy thing on my belly button fell off. That was actually around week 2 or 3, and I've been enjoying baths ever since. I always seem to forget that I enjoy them though when I'm initially placed in the tub. I always get a really concerned and questionable look on my face, but then I warm up to it. Get it? Warm up to it? Okay, so maybe I'm still working on the concept of jokes...

I also mentioned how I like to swing. Mom and Dad have this really great swing in their room that I actually wasn't a fan of early on. Now, it's magical. Once you put me in there, I'm either quiet or asleep in less than 2 minutes.

I also took my first ride in the stroller a couple of weeks ago. I've always been a fan of being outside. It has a very calming effect on me. Up until this point, our walks had consisted of down the driveway to the mailbox or the occasional ride in the carrier around the block [you know, the papoose thing that Mom straps to herself and carries me in]. Now we've moved on to the heavy duty equipment and I am officially rockin' the stroller. [Thanks Papa Bob!] Walks have definitely been a hit [even though I've only stayed awake for maybe one of them] and Mom and I are both very thankful for the change in scenery.

In other news, I am now wearing cloth diapers. [I know, how trendy of me...] They're not too bad. Much more stylish than my previous ones. Mom's been a champ for all the washing she's done since I've started. I think I'll be getting some more for Christmas because of that. Because of this new addition to my bum, I'm now wearing 0-3 months clothes as opposed to newborn. [Cue Sir Mix-A-Lot's early 90's hit, Baby Got Back] Let's face it everyone, I'm a growing boy.

bumGenius baby

In month two, Mom and Dad also tried to introduce this evil thing called a bottle [cringe]. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? I played along for about 2 ounces, but then rebelled. Meaning I screamed my head off until they stopped trying. As if that wasn't bad enough, Mom tried it again the next day. Something about not wanting to let this "liquid gold" go to waste. Again, I humored her for about an ounce, but then lost it. I then decided to be extremely inconsistent in my feeding habits for the next few days after the "bottle incident." It made Mom cry... a lot— which isn't always a hard thing to do, but I think this time she really was hurt. I'm sorry, Mom. We are still learning each other... 

Wipe that smile off your face, Dad— this is not a happy matter.

On to happier "firsts"— I went on my first road trip this past month. Mom and Dad took me to Tuscaloosa to visit Big Daddy and T. I was quiet the whole way there! A full 3 hours, people. Again, the parentals were wildly impressed. I didn't want them to get too confident, so I cried intermittently on the way back to Auburn.

During our time in Tuscaloosa, I got to meet two of my cousins! Ella and James are really great. I can't wait to get bigger so I can play with them. They seem to have a lot of fun.

Aunt Lynn took more pictures of me while we were there. She's so talented!

I also got to meet the famous "J-Stow" for the first time. She stopped by because she's a Bammer now :) I better get more time with her in the future...

She's so pretty...

The next weekend I got some more family time with Nana, Papa, Aunt V, and cousin Emma. Apparently Aunt V is going to bring me another cousin in April. That's pretty exciting.

She's going to be a great big sister.

I don't know if you know this, but Emma likes ears. A lot. I told her I'd let her touch my ear as much as she wanted during her visit—as long as she slipped me some goldfish crackers every now and then. She was happy to oblige. [Do not be alarmed, that was a joke. No solid foods for me until 6 months. So they say...]

Speaking of crazy cousins, another one escaped the womb on October 4th. Man I have a lot of cousins... Hey Karis, I'm glad you decided to join me out here. It's not too bad, I promise. I'm looking forward to telling you all my survival secrets over Christmas. [I feel this new sense of responsibility now that I'm not longer the youngest of the bunch!]

Another new face I got to see was Evelyn Rowe Jones. My mom gave you a little background on her and her family in a previous post. All this talk about an arranged marriage made me a little nervous, but I know Mom and Dad are just playing around. There's a lot of pressure to continue the Marannook legacy, though. Who knows what the future will bring...

She tried to hold my hand...

So I punched her in the face...

Vintage babies

I've also been hanging out with another little friend every now and then, Naaman East. His family goes to Lakeview and we actually had the same due date. We both decided to come early, but he beat me by 11 days. We haven't gotten much play time together yet, but I feel that will definitely be in our future. You know, once we can actually hold our head up and stuff.

buddies

Well, I think that pretty much covers the highlights. I had another photoshoot with Mom to document my growth at two months. You can see all 76 of those pictures here, if you're a facebooker. Yes, 76. But if you're laughing at her absurdity, please know that she didn't even post them all. She discovered this new little "blast" feature on her camera that takes 3 pictures at a time, so she doesn't miss a thing. All that to say, she spared you from at least 3 times that many pictures, narrowing it down to a mere 76. Oh Mom... Good thing I'm cute, right?

Until next month!
Love,
Haddon