August 3, 2009

• Four Weeks

  If you can believe it, Derek is already four weeks old today. I continue to be amazed by the human body and how quickly it heals (in my case) and grows (in Derek's case). Derek and I have both come a long way in four short weeks!

  We've been keeping busy here, as you might imagine. This past Tuesday, Johnny's parents came into town. We moved Jack temporarily into the den (there's a twin bed there) so that they could stay in Jack's room, since his bed is a full-sized one. It was so novel to actually have enough space to accommodate five adults and two children! We had a great time with them. For the first time, Jack really interacted with his Nana and Papa. When we were in Michigan over Christmas, Jack was still in his stranger-danger phase, plus he wasn't as verbal then. This time, he had a blast playing with Nana and Papa and milking their attention for all it was worth. One afternoon, they took him to an indoor play place and then for ice cream ... lucky boy!

  Reading with Papa
  

  Snuggle time
  

  Of course, Jack didn't forget that he has his Ah-Ma here as well. Saturday morning, he enlisted her aid in stuffing many toys up his shirt. I'm pretty sure Jack was pretending to be pregnant again, since he kept touching his swollen belly and saying, "Mommy! Mommy!" He also kept trying to bend down, with one hand on the small of his back, and pretend-groaning. Then, he had my mom fashion a makeshift cape. More patting of the belly and "Mommy! Mommy!" ensued.

  I guess I looked like this while pregnant? I'm just glad I wasn't gestating as many babies.
  

  Posing with my mom
  

  While we're on the topic of Jack's silliness, check out how he loves to ham it up every time he sees the camera these days.

  He is his father's child, all right
  

  OK, well, I'm not sure how I got so sidetracked! I meant to write about Derek, and look what happened. Anyway, Nana and Papa loved meeting their newest grandson.

  

  Derek is growing more by the day. When he was first born, he looked like a clone of Jack, but as the days pass, it's clear that he has a completely different face. His nose seems a little taller, his chin is definitely more pronounced, and his face is a bit narrower. This is all a bit clearer in person. We've now heard several people say that whereas Jack is cute, Derek will be handsome (not that Jack won't be handsome, but I do think Derek will be a little edgier than Jack). I can't wait to see Derek's personality emerge. I'm thinking (hoping??) that he'll be quieter than Jack.

  Yes, I am quite dashing!
  

  We also had a lovely visit from our friends Tracy and Nick this week. Tracy and I were in graduate school together. She and Nick were in town from Michigan for a graduation and made a long drive just to see our new house and Derek. Sadly (for me), they left their year-old son William at home with grandparents. I met William last summer, when he was only six weeks old, and would have loved to see him as a toddler! Oh, well, next time.

  Tracy, me and Derek
  

  Derek has been a (knock on wood) really good baby so far. We don't hear from him much -- probably because we know better what we're doing this time and can anticipate his needs before he has to cry. At night, Derek's been going down around 6:30 or 7 p.m., nursing around midnight, then again at around 3 a.m., and waking up for the day at 7 a.m. I think that's pretty good for a four-week-old! Of course, "going to bed" is a loose term, since he still naps most of the day away. If Derek were my only child, life would be pretty easy ... however, throw a rambunctious, attention-demanding toddler into the mix of nursing-diapering-soothing, and things get really hectic! Thank goodness my mom is here. It was also SO helpful to have Johnny's parents here to wrangle Jack. In the evenings and on weekends, Johnny and I pretty much divide and conquer: He's on Jack duty, I'm on Derek duty. Luckily, both kids are usually down by 8 p.m., so then we get our own time again.

  Johnny's got one on each arm
  

  One attempt at a family picture
  

  Attempt number two ... would have been nice if Derek weren't crying!
  

  Yesterday, Derek finally had his first bath at home. His umbilical cord stump didn't fall off until he was three weeks old, and then we had to wait for his circumcision to heal (since he was in the NICU for a couple of days, they wouldn't do it at the hospital. So, I took Derek to a pediatric urologist last week). Finally, he was ready for the big moment!
  
  First, we assembled the baby tub. Jack found it pretty amusing to see Derek in the newborn sling
  

  Then, I undressed Derek, bundled him in a towel and carried him to the bathroom
  

  As with Jack's first bath, my mom did the honors.

  Not sure about this!
  

  Looking like a turkey!
  

  That's about it for now. Coming up this week: Derek turns one month old on Wednesday! We head to the pediatrician Thursday morning for his one-month weight check. I'll post after that!

  • 12:45 am
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