My first halloween

Just a short update on my first Halloween. Mama and Papa decided to have a scary face contest. Papa won.

BabyBjörn happiness

This is a view of me riding in the BabyBjörn. It's a baby carrier that straps onto the front of my parent's chest to allow for close contact and hands free operation. Since I can't really hold my head steady yet, I am facing inward. Someday when I am able to hold my head up, I'll face outward to see the World. Mama and Papa have taken me on some pretty neat coastal hikes with the BabyBjörn, the first hike was so long that my forehead was rubbed raw. Because of that incident, I now have a green burp cloth in front of me for forehead protection. Thank goodness. Nobody likes babies with "owies" on their foreheads.

The age I am

As much as I love being the age I am - seven weeks old, I think Papa wants me to be a little older. He's been trying to put me in a chair that doesn't quite fit. In this sequence you can see that the rocking chair is too big; I can perch upright for a few seconds, but my posture degenerates quickly into a reclining position. I think I'm going to wail if I am left this way for much longer. I've heard Papa talk about how he wants me to remain forever young, but then he does things like this. Watch it Papa - I can't be both small and big at the same time. I am the age I am, which is just fine.

Tummy time

Although it is suggested young babies not sleep on their stomachs due to a higher incidence of SIDS, short periods of tummy time are encouraged for muscle development. I am playing in my activity center here, on a green patchwork pickle. Suspended above my head is a strangely colored chicken which I like to swat because it activates motion-sensitive blinky lights and classical music. When the music stops, I swat the bird again - more lights and more music. It's fun for about 15 minutes, after which I let my parents know it is time to do something else. To this end, they have set up a circuit gym in the living room. A swing (also with lights and music), a vibrating chair, and the playmat complete the circuit. It's enough to make a baby exhausted. Hey, do you think it's intentional?

Splish, splash...

Bath time is an either-or event. Either I enjoy it and lie contentedly in my sinktop bath hammock, or I wail continuously for the ten-minute duration. Admittedly I am not even sure why I do it. Sometimes it really is a pleasant experience, others not so. The bath water always feels the same - it is warm, but not too warm. Mama and Papa use J&J baby wash so even if they get some in my eyes there are no tears. They gently wash my face, cleanse my hands and feet, even scrub my head with a special brush to reduce the onset of cradle cap. I like the routine but sometimes I just have to wail. Out loud. As LOUD as I can. WaaaaaAAAAAH! I guess I do it because I can and it's what we babies do.

Let's stay up late

Sometimes when Mama goes to sleep, Papa stays up with me. We are supposed to have a big bottle of milk, a nice burp, a clean diaper, and then it's back to bed. Sometimes we stay up just a little longer, catch the eleven o'clock news and maybe even Jay Leno. Papa is back at work this week, which is sad because we used to spend every day, all day together. Now he gets up in the morning and I don't see him until he comes home - at least 5 feedings later. That's a long time for a newborn baby. Don't get me wrong, Mama is handling her role as sole caregiver with astonishing and admirable ease. It's just the family feels a bit fractured when everyone isn't home. That's why I stay up late with Papa - to let him know I miss him.

Happy one-month birthday

Well here I am at 1 month old. Mama thinks that she isn't producing enough milk, but my weight suggests otherwise. In the picture, Papa has placed me in a bread basket and put the basket on a kitchen scale. 10lbs 4oz. Almost a three pound gain since I started, which isn't too shabby considering my initial losses. I haven't been measured for length, but my first set of onesies are feeling a bit snug. Mama and Papa will be needing a bigger bread basket and heavier duty kitchen scale soon.

Bear, oh my!

Tomorrow is my one-month birthday. I am swaddled in my Miracle Blanket® so I am not so easily startled while sleeping. Young newborns can exhibit a Moro reflex whereby they will startle or "jump" for no apparent reason. If the arms are held in place by swaddling, this response is virtually eliminated. Studies have shown swaddled babies tend to sleep better, longer, and safer.

Where did this white polar bear come from? He is awfully closeby and awfully big. How startling.

Fall weather on the coast

We have been blessed recently with some fantastic weather. This photograph was taken while hanging out at the Ebb Tide Cafe in Miramar, just south of Pillar Point Harbor. It is a cute cafe that sits directly across the street from the beach and has cozy couches for lounging and myriad books for reading. You can tell by the strong sunlight and blue skies that we were having a great day weather-wise. This is, by far and away, the best time of year to be living along the San Francisco Coast. We had just taken a three mile hike along the path that parallels the beach and were re-energizing ourselves with milk for me, a large chocolate brownie for Mama (no nuts), and spice-pumpkin bread for Papa. Yummy.

Mama Ali

Tonight is the first time that Mama Ali has gone out without baby Zeke. Our friends Anna and Edward are celebrating their wedding engagement in Berkeley. Being a three-week old baby makes it hard to stay up for dinner. Besides, Mama deserves a night out, she spends so many nights up with me. I'll stay home with Papa, eat whatever I want, watch TV, and wear poopy diapers - just don't tell Mama. Maybe I'll take a bath so she doesn't suspect anything.

Yesterday, I visited the pediatrician for my two-week check up (actually three weeks old). Since I visited her last time, I have made strong gains in my weight. I was almost 9lbs, up 1lb 9oz despite losing some weight the first week. The nurse practitioner called me a "chunk." Ha!