5 weeks Old

Joseph is now nearly 6 weeks old. Here are some stats from his one month appointment, though the measurements were taken when he was 5 weeks old.

Weight: 11lbs 4.5 oz, 90%
Height: 22 1/4 ", 75%
Head Circ: 15, 50%

Joseph has gained 3 lbs in just 3 weeks, and has grown an inch and a half since birth! It is fun to see his cheeks fill out, and now that he feels sturdier, I worry less about what Ian can do to him.

While Ian is working on being "gentle" and "soft" when he touches Joseph, these sentiments usually surface after he has flung a block at Joseph, or pretended --oops-- actually, stepped on Joseph's back during 'tummy time'. I love that after Ian is scolded for his treatment toward Joseph, Ian always gets a sympathetic look and then makes a motion like he is tousling Joseph's hair. Which is really funny, because Joseph is completely bald, except for a fringe of dark hair that hangs around the back of his head.

Here, Joseph was snuggled up on Scott's lap, when Ian come over and rearranged things to make room for himself.

Ian looks comfy, and Joseph looks like he doesn't care that he isn't.

But actually, I think Ian likes Joseph these days, and is always quick to notify me when he hears Joseph over the baby monitor: "Baby Joseph sad. Joseph cry." Followed by "Go get him. Right back. Hurry Hurry." It is fun to see Ian taking on what seems like a watchful big brother's role. He even offers Joseph his binkie, a privilege rarely granted to anyone else.

These days, Joseph is developing a more regular eating and sleeping schedule. It emerged on it's own, but I like it, so I have been careful to enforce it. He usually wakes up just before 7 am, and begins a cycle of eat, 'play' for 1 hour, sleep for 2, then do it again. He does this until around 7 pm, at which point he eats every 3.5 to 6 (!) hours and then goes immediately back to sleep. And thank goodness for it-- I have learned that I am quite tied to the regularity and dependability of schedules, and the whole irregularity of newborness had been hard for me. Without a schedule how on earth do you know what they are crying for?! And when you can sneak away to use the restroom? Or take a nap? So now that we near the 6 week mark, we are all feeling a little more normal. Finally! Phew! I think we can do this two-kid thing after all!

Here is Ian enjoying his favorite pastime; building "big, big, bunny house". Notice his favorite rabbit lounging inside.

Halloween 2008

Ian was delighted to start the day by putting on his beloved "Boo Shirt", given to him by our good friend Susan. The ghost on it lights up with orange lights when the shirt moves. I have heard almost daily request for the shirt since he received it, and every time we opened Ian's closet in the last month, Ian has shrieked with excitement for his "Boo Shirt".

Our good friend's Sarah and Ryan gave Joseph this "Baby's First" shirt. Their little boy Andrew, who is a month older than Joseph, has a matching one.
Here is our puppy. Remember our puppy from last year?
We took the boys to our ward Trunk or Treat, where families backed their cars into spaces at the church parking lot, and the kids Trick or Treated to all the decorated car trunks. It was so fun to see Ian Trick or Treating for the first time. He was a little too shy to say "Trick or Treat" like we had practiced, but he did enjoy himself.

Here are Joseph and Andrew. It was fun to get out and see some of our friends and introduce them to Joseph.

What a Cool Kid

I want to brag about my little Ian. Several nights ago, Scott asked Ian to pray at dinner time. And he did! Scott helped Ian with what to say (with Ian giggling every few sentences) and then Ian completed the prayer with "Jesus Christ, Amen!" all by himself. He has since done it two more times, with help. I am so proud!

Ian has been clasping his hands for prayers for a while now, but kneeling down for a prayer before bedtime is a newer skill. Several nights ago, I heard Ian get up and roam around the room during his bedtime prayer, but I peaked to see him drop to his knees and fold his arms just as Scott finished the prayer. What a little sneak! Several weeks ago, I went to get Ian up in the morning and he was kneeling in his crib with his little hands clasped and he kept saying "Pear! Pear!" Wearing his blue stripped footy PJs, it was adorable.

Last night we noticed Ian had quickly learned many of the words to some new children's songs. So we decided to test him and see if he had already learned the words to some of the songs we have been singing since his infancy. Sure enough, when we sang the first part of a line from "I am a Child of God," and then paused, Ian would smile and then complete the last few words of the line! He knows almost the entire first verse of that and several other primary songs. All those days singing the same songs over and over and over and over again... it wasn't in vain!

Family of Four

Joseph is 3 weeks old today. It seems like much longer, and simultaneously, I can't grasp how 3 whole weeks have passed so quickly. It must have something to do with all that sleeping I did while my mom was here to help out, followed by the lack of sleep Scott and I have experienced in the last several nights. As a side note, I often catch a quick snooze on the couch while Ian plays on the floor, and because of this, Ian tells on me when Scott gets home, saying "Mommy seeps", as if he is exposing a big secret.

Both boys are sleeping right now, so before I go catch a nap, here are some pictures of what we have been up to.

Joseph is a sweet baby. He loves to be held, and when he gets upset, just picking him up is usually all it takes to comfort him. Unfortunately, an extra pair of arms is hard to come by. He has lost most of the hair on the middle top of his head, but still has some nice patches on the sides and back. Joseph only likes to be held upright on your shoulder. He loves to be swaddled. He has a very strong little neck and does great with tummy time. He nearly always poops while I change his diaper.

Joseph sleeps in some strange positions, often with his neck arched.

Ian asks to hold Joseph about once a day. Usually he chickens out when Joseph gets close to him.

The whole family went for a walk about 2.5 weeks after Joseph was born. It was so nice for me to get out of the house, even if I was too sore to walk very far. It was actually quite cold that evening, so we tried out Joseph's car seat cover.

Awwww. I love watching Scott with our boys. Ian likes to come lay near Joseph during diaper changes and tummy time. Doesn't it look like they are elbowing each other?

Joseph doing "dummy dime", as Ian puts it.

Scott had his 28th birthday on Saturday! He counted it as a good birthday because he played flag football with some guys in our ward, and then watched a BYU game that night.

When I served up the cake, Ian climbed on the table and started to devour the largest piece. We were amazed at how much he ate.
Ian loves playing with cars. He likes driving them down this box.
Joseph lost his umbilical cord on Sunday, so last night we gave him his first bath.