Three and a Half Weeks (and counting)
As of today (3/6/2010), Tyler is three and a half weeks old, and is noticeably bigger and chunkier. A couple of nights ago when Mike went to pick him up for a late-night diaper change, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Whoa, he's getting heavy!" And to us, he is. He's even starting to be able to support his own head a bit, which is amazing as well. All in all, our little guy is growing up nicely. We're especially thankful that, for the most part, he seems to have gotten his days and nights switched back around in the RIGHT order! Of course he still wakes up 2-3 times a night to feed, but we can handle that. Viva sleep!!!
Tyler wearing a cute little onsie expressing his current state of mind
Even though it's not yet been a month since he arrived, it's already getting hard to imagine life without our little guy. We already have lots of nicknakes for him; Mike loves to call him "Bud," "Buddy," "Budster," and "Mr Grumps" if he's in a bad mood. Jen likes to call him "Sunny" or "Baby," and both of us like to call him "Teeny Little Super Guy," after the old Sesame Street animated specials. And occasionally, we'll even call him "Tyler." :-) When he yawns, we both say "Yawners!" (or "Yawnies!"), and when he hiccups (which happens multiple times a day) we both say, "Hiccups!" Yes, our life is becoming full of these kinds of cute little rituals, so if you come over to our place, expect to be overcome by cuteness!!!
Mr. Sleepy all sprawled out and doing his thing.
Unless he's grumpy, gassy, hungry, or throwing a fit, almost everything he does is cute. He sneezes, he hiccups, he stretches, he stares off into space, he makes incredibly strange and funny facial expressions (most of which are too hilarious to post online), and, occcasionally, he even smiles! Now we know that the scientists tell us that his smiles at this stage are just random tics caused by gas and that kind of stuff, but we like to imagine that at least SOME of his smiles are because he's just plain happy sometimes! We can't wait for the stage in which he begins to smile based on social cues (like other people smiling at him). If you think we're taking lots of pictures now, just you wait! :-)
A precious close-up of our Teeny Little Super Guy :-)
Flyin' Solo (A Tribute To Our Moms)
One of the biggest reasons our transition into parenthood has been so smooth is that, for the first two and a half weeks, we had our Moms stay with us. Mike's Mom (who came a day before Jen's Mom had to leave) brought all kinds of stuff with her, first and foremost was herself and her naturally spunky, easy-going, fun-loving personality. She also brought some family heirlooms (like a hand-made blanket from Mike's great grandmother) and some stuff from Mike's infancy (outfits, blankets, etc.) that he had never seen before. She even threw a two-week birthday party for Tyler, complete with decorations and favors! Not to mention all of the incredible FOOD that we got to eat each day...
Mike's mom holding Tyler for the first time
It was such a blessing to have our Moms here. Both Moms had stories to share that we had never heard before, in part because we have never been parents before and thus would not have been able to understand them. It's both amazing and weird to hear your own Mom talk about caring for you when you were an infant, and to find that it is so similar to your own experience of raising your own new child. Both Jen and I feel like this time has helped us to grow closer to our Moms than ever before. Thanks, Moms, for all that you have given to us, from day one until now! And thanks for helping us to gain enough confidence to begin flying solo with our little one! We love you!!!
The whole crew together for a special one-day-only appearance
As always, stay tuned for more pics and stories, right here at mikejencostanzo.com!