Pool Party

Last week, during the brunt of the heat wave, a friend invited us over for a pool party. Our answer to the invitation was an enthusiastic yes! We shopped around for some "little swimmers" for Dylan to wear in the pool, but apparently the smallest size they make is for 16-25 pounds. Since Dylan's probably around 8.5, those were going to be just a wee bit too big. So, it was going to be a diaper swim for him.

We went over last Friday afternoon - Mike, Dylan and myself. There were other babies and parents there also so it was a new party dynamic for us to experience. It was a little strange to be one of the parents in a crowd, but it was a great crowd and we had a great time. And, of course, it was SO awesome to be able to cool off in the pool. This was Dylan's first time going for a swim, outside of the uterus, so we had to catch it on film!

First, we dipped his feet in for a test run:

He didn't start screaming so we took that as a good sign to put him all the way in. I'm still not sure whether he liked it or not because he made the following face the entire time I bobbed him around in the water:

However, he did not cry, so I think he was more confused as to what was going on more than anything....and maybe a bit cold! All in all, it was a pretty successful first swim.

Oh, and it was absolutely amazing at how big and heavy that diaper got in the pool! That thing must have quadrupled in the size and weighed about 5 pounds. You'd think with that capacity to expand and absorb we shouldn't be having any of these poo accidents we've been having. What's up with that?

Oh What A Beautiful Mornin'!

Wow! I just got 6.5 hours of sleep all at the same time! That hasn't happened since, well, probably pre-pregnancy. The medical definition of a baby sleeping through the night is 5 hours so we passed a HUGE milestone last night!

Since the night Dylan came home, he regularly gave us 3.5 to 4 hour stretches of sleep. Not bad for a newborn. However, that amount of time hadn't increased in the last 7 and a half weeks. In fact, earlier this week, Dylan had a growth spurt and we had two nights in a row where he was eating every 2 hours. That meant only 1.5 hours of sleep at a time for me. I know I'm spoiled with a good baby, because those 2 nights in a row of that kind of sleep were pretty rough!

So, imagine my shock when, after putting him to bed around 10:30 last night, I woke to a clock that said 5 o'clock this morning. I had no idea this sleeping through the night thing was going to happen so quickly. What was most surprising to me is that my initial reaction wasn't elation that I had gotten to sleep that long but pride that he had passed such a huge baby milestone. Perhaps that mothering instinct has truly kicked in full force.

Now, we just have to see if he'll do it again!

Some Like It Hot..

...but I'm not one of them. Mike's not a big fan, the cats don't seem to enjoy it and apparently Dylan's not into it either. Poor little guy. He just want to be snuggled and is too miserable being snuggled in the heat.

This heat wave that Boston has been having can go! Now, I know my Texan peeps will think me silly for having a hard time with a few days in the 90s, but let's just get the full picture here. I don't have central air conditioning in my house. The only rooms in my house that are being cooled are the lounge downstairs and our bedroom upstairs. The rest of it is not. The thermostat in my dining room, which is the next coolest room in the house since it's next to the lounge and the door to that A\C'd room always has to be cracked for the cats to get in and out, reads 85 degrees. That's 85 (minimum) in my house! Yuck!

So, all of us and the critters are doing are best to be as still as possible to stay as cool as possible. We do a lot of migrating back and forth from the two cool rooms but I'm really ready to be able to have free reign in the house again. I'm looking forward to the next front to come through and cool this town down!

First Play Date

Today, Dylan had his first "play date." Yeah, I realize that he's too young to do anything but sit in a stroller or in my lap, but this was our first time meeting up with friends at the park. So, I think it counts as a play date.

My good friend, Kari, and her son, Luke, live in our neighborhood. Due to circumstances and timing, Dylan and his "new best friend" (as I hope they are to become) had not yet met. Today was the big day. Dylan and I met them at the park and we hung out and talked for a bit. Luke seemed very interested in Dylan and wanted to "get" his little feet and hands. Very sweet, but Luke hasn't yet learned how to be gentle just yet so we had to be a little cautious with letting him get too close.

It was a hot day and we can't be out of the house too long between feedings, so it was a quick rendezvous, but I hope it's the first of many.

Welcome to the Club

Initiation.

I am now an official member of the mother club.

I got pooped on.

Gross.

The Furry Siblings

Well, Dylan's been home over a month now. He's still unaware of the furry siblings that surround him, but they are well aware of his presence. They are, shall we say, slowly adjusting to the new family member.

Oliver has made progress. Even though his usual night time spot is snuggling next to my head, he's been avoiding the room with the screaming baby. However, in the last week, he has thought about rejoining us in the night time hours. A couple of nights, he has ventured onto the bed, but not in his usual spot...that's far too close to the bassinet at my bedside where the screaming thing sleeps. He has slept on the bed right smack dab in the middle of Mike and me. Good progress. I think there was one quiet morning that he slipped into his usual snuggle spot next to me for about 5 minutes. I'll happily take any progress, though I do miss him being at my side. I also witnessed him sniffing Dylan's toes while he was in his bouncy chair sleeping yesterday!

As for Luci, well, she's working on accepting the baby. Before bringing Dylan home, she fled upstairs and hid under a bed whenever a child was in the house. Now, she will be in the same room with Dylan, even when he's crying! She won't go near him, but being in any kind of proximity is a big step up. Also, when Mike's nephews were over for dinner last weekend, she even let the youngest one pet her (while being bribed with treats). I was so proud of my little Luci!

Smokey, the chinchilla, has accepted the baby completely. She has no problem bouncing around the room with him in there. Normally, she bounds off of anything in her way but she's avoided jumping on baby...well, I think she jumped on his head once, but for her, that's behaving extremely well!

Oh, and a side note on chinchillas. Apparently the pads on their feet can work an iPhone. I was on the phone in the room with her jumping around one night and she jumped on the phone, which was sitting on the couch (I was using the headphones), and she hung up my call! Really weird.

I Get Lost In Your Eyes

I'm not sure I ever understood Debbie Gibson's song as much as I do now! When Dylan's awake, I stare into his beautiful eyes as much as possible. Who wouldn't get lost in these baby blues?

I wonder if this is the color I'll be staring at for many years to come or if they'll morph into some other beautiful hue? Only time will tell.