Trying to laugh

Graham is now 16 weeks old, and we think we've heard him attempt some laughing. He'll give a big open-mouth smile, and then make a sound that's a combination of a laugh, pant, and squeal. It's very cute. We're not sure if this should be considered a laugh, but it's definitely his version of a happy sound. He's also refining his roll and push-up skills. The only problem is that he usually rolls onto his stomach pretty soon after we put him down on his activity mat, but it doesn't take long for him to cry for us to get him off his stomach. He forgets that he chose that position.

One challenge we thought we'd take on this week is to fight Graham's mild case of cradle cap (scaly scalp). It probably wouldn't be so noticeable if I didn't stare closely at his head all day when I feed him. So I read that we should rub petroleum jelly into his hair and then shampoo it out. WHAT A MESS!! Petroleum jelly does not rinse out well at all!! We thought a triple-shampooing would suffice, but when his hair dried and it was still greasy and slicked to his head, he had to have another couple shampoos the next morning. The cradle cap was probably a little better after all that, but the treatment was not worth it!

As we're wrapping up our 3rd month as parents, I think we're learning how to prioritize a little better. Right after Graham was born, I spent too much time on things that were only semi-important (baby scrapbook, shopping online for baby essentials, etc). Now, our priorities revolve around establishing a loose schedule for Graham -- he eats, has "playtime," and then a nap (usually). He follows this pattern pretty well, and the routine helps us figure out his needs during the day. We still take him out with us to do things, but it's gotten a little more difficult because he doesn't sleep as long as he used to in his car seat. Several times when Graham has started to get vocal in restaurants, Drew's ended up taking him outside while I tried to stuff down the rest of my meal (it takes a lot for me to abandon my food). =) Still, with only a couple exceptions, things are getting much easier and more fun as he's getting older!

Rolling

At 15 weeks, Graham has started to roll over. The first roll scared me because I went to check on him at night and he was on his stomach, swaddled (so no arms available to help fix the situation). Since then he's rolled over repeatedly for us on his activity mat. It makes tummy time a little easier because he's now the one putting himself in the push-up position. He'll hold his head up and smile (if we cheer for him). Then his head plops back on the mat, face down.

Things aren't going as well in the sleep department. Graham has reverted back to waking up every 3ish hours most nights. I was told at my Baby Steps class that I don't necessarily need to feed him when he wakes up; we can just comfort him back to sleep. That works well when we give him a pacifier, but it seemed like we were waking up even more often for pacifier put-backs. Our new goal is to let him cry it out for a little while so that he learns to self soothe. It makes for a noisy, restless night. Another challenge is that we are trying alternatives to his swaddle since he's rolling over now. Last night we just swaddled his lower body so his arms would be out. He did lots of flailing around, but eventually alternated between sleeping on his side and on his back with his arms bent behind his head.

Here's Graham sporting the souvenir onesie his friends Charlene and Erin brought him back from New York. He's eager to meet his long-distance NY friends, Kate and Kendall Anne.

4th of July

Graham has been at the beach with us for our annual 4th of July week, and it has been just what we all needed! On the way to the beach, I read a book about how 3-month olds should be sleeping 10 hours at night, and Drew and I pondered what we were doing wrong. Then we get to the beach and Graham begins sleeping 8 hours straight at night....and even adding a couple bonus hours to that after his morning feeding! We realize this may not last, but we're really enjoying it for now!

We toted the poor baby around for our usual beach activities, and he was such a good sport! He went out on the beach in his stroller, where he was pretty content sleeping in the shade. Occasionally he woke up unhappy, but it just took a quick stroll along the beach to put him back to sleep. Graham even had his first toe-dip in the ocean...he wasn't especially impressed. He went with us to our favorite breakfast spot, where we definitely got more smiles and attention than usual. Our waitress (who usually is all business) told us "there's nothing like it in the world" and little girls walked by and pointed at Graham. He must have been showing off in his 4th of July outfit and fancy shoe-socks. He also went with us to eat at a couple restuarants on the waterfront docks in Southport. Graham "watched" the fireworks with us off the back porch, but since it was late, he just snuggled up to me and slept. He enjoyed all the quality time he had with friends and his aunt and uncle. Hopefully he won't be too bored when we're back to our family of 3 in Apex.