3 months and growing strong!

Isaiah is 3 months old! It's so amazing to think that so much time has gone by! And Isaiah is growing at an amazing rate! He was so skinny when he was born, all skin and bones, and now he is chubby!! Its awesome! On top of that he is growing a ton developmentally. Here are some milestones that he has reached so far!

- he has a social smile, and uses it all the time!

- he can track objects and people really well

- he can rollover from his back to his stomach with a quickness!

- he can hold his head at a 90 degree angle for about 1-2 minutes at a time

- he is able to reach and grasp for objects (although his accuracy is a little off)

- he's sleeping through the nights (for about 8 hours at a time! - SWEET!)

- he has discovered his hands and mouth, and is chewing on his fist 24/7

Here is a video of his rolling over feat! So exciting!

7 weeks and new milestones!

So the past few weeks haven't been particularly exciting except for the fact that Isaiah is learning to roll over! He can roll partially over. So he can roll from him chest to his side, or his back to his side. So this means a number of things have to change, like I can't leave him on the couch on the Boppy, and walk away, and I can't leave him on the changing table even for one instant!

He can also see you! It's really clear that he sees people, follows them, and tracks people and objects A LOT!

Additionally, he laughs and giggles! (see video below!) He definitely smiled a lot, and laughs occasionally, but I guess I haven't found the right thing to crack him up again!

Something that cracked us up was that we discovered that the food processor calms him down! I'd heard that white noise calms babies (see: The Happiest Baby on the Block), but it was still a surprise. Here's how it happened. I was making hummus in the kitchen, and Tyler was hanging out with Isaiah, who was not feeling life at the moment. He came into the kitchen with the baby to show me something or tell me something, and then after we talked for a moment, I turned on the food processor, not really thinking anything of it. After a few seconds, Isaiah chilled!! Tyler and I laughed and then I grabbed my camera, (read: Iphone)...check it out for yourself!

Other milstones are that Isaiah finally used his crib for the first time! He didn't sleep in it, but instead just played in it for a while and enjoyed the mobile. You can definitely see him follow the objects, and when it stopped moving and playing music, he definitely noticed!

He is changing so much! It's incredible that he is 7 weeks old! That seems very fast and yet very slow at the same time. We are enjoying him so much. It is still very hard at times, but overall, it is going really well. We love him so much...and so far it seems he thinks we are okay too.

We're doing okay!!

So today, Isaiah is 17 days old today - that's so incredible to me!! He is totally over his jaundice, which is great, and he's changing so much! His face is different, fuller I think. And he is so strong!! he has a fierce grip, and also has a surprising amount of neck strength! He will push himself up on your chest, and hold his head up. Granted its pretty wobbly, but still, its pretty good, i think for a 17 day old! This morning, Tyler put him on his stomach, for some tummy time, and he picked up his head, and turned it! (I'm sure all of these things are pretty boring to you readers, but to me, its VERY exciting!) AND HE SMILES! He smiles so much!! (And I don't want to hear "it's just gas!" I believe its real smiles!) He smiles about 1x a day, generally after he's finished a good feeding, and is about to fall asleep. He also smiles in his sleep. I think those smiles get me through the day (or night) sometimes. Because how can you be frustrated when you see that precious smile?!

We are making it through the days. We are slowly but surely adjusting to life here in Philadelphia, and as parents. Last night was AWESOME because Isaiah slept for two 4 hour stints! When I woke up for his first feeding, I thought I had missed one, because it couldn't POSSIBLY have been 4 hours since he last ate! But it was - thank God! Tyler and I are figuring out also how to juggle the nighttime schedule, we're still getting the hang of it. I try to get up with Isaiah a lot, because Tyler has to go to work, but I'm realizing that I also need to get some sleep for longer than 2 or 3 hours at a time. Tyler is GREAT and is totally willing to help out, so as long as I have milk pumped, and let him, he's will help out, all I have to do is ask. And he is

awesome with Isaiah.

I'm pretty sure there are few things better than seeing your spouse with your kids. Tyler is SO obsessed with Isaiah (who wouldn't be!?) and its totally adorable. Not that I didn't expect it, but having never had kids before, and never having really seen Tyler with kids, I wasn't really sure what to expect. But he's SO good with Isaiah! So patient, and helpful. Tyler's eyes light up when he comes home, and holds Isaiah. I LOVE IT! I do not know how people do it alone, I can barely do it, and I have a loving husband, and family nearby, and there are still moments, (at least once a day), when I think "I cannot do this!" But, everyday, I get through it.

It was definitely overwhelming the first few days that Tyler went back to work, and when breastfeeding was going horribly. I wanted to give up, and just formula feed, (and get the kind that makes them sleep longer at night). I wasn't sure that I could actually do it, and would cry, but it's getting better! I'm pretty sure there's no worse feeling then not being able to meet the needs of your child. He would cry because he was hungry, and I couldn't pacify him. Now, things are better, breastfeeding is going better, and I'm able to pump and nurse, so that Tyler, (or someone else) can help me with feeding. I think that my mood still is dependent on how much sleep I get, but hey - who isn't crankier when they haven't sleep? So I think that is normal.

It's a little weird still, being home 24/7, not working, not going to church, sleeping at random times. Its okay, but I definitely want to get out soon, or else the cabin fever is going to get to me. I'm really looking forward to being able to see more family, go to church, and hopefully meet some other young families.

Here are some more pictures... I haven't gotten the hang of how to import pictures to the blog in an organized fashion (HELP!) but at least you can see my peanut!!

Pictures of Isaiah!