What's Up, G? (Part 2)

Ok. So, here's the deal. It's time for the second installment of this series of posts. I wrote the first one  when Grayson was almost two weeks old.  Now he is rapidly approaching three months old, and he is changing  constantly. We still have a lot to learn about the little guy, but these are some of the things we know about him:

(1) The child has crazy hair. I mean seriously. Pure insanity. This stuff cannot be tamed.  He had quite a bit of hair when he was born, but he's getting more and more all the time. To make matters worse (or better, depending on how you view the whole crazy hair thing), the hair he does have is growing quickly, and apparently the craziness grows in direct proportion to the length.  For the record, Jenny and I love it.

(2) People always ask how well Grayson is sleeping.  It's easily the most common question I get about him.  Fortunately, I am able to answer that he is a pretty good sleeper.  He has had some rough nights, and he has had some horrible nights, but for the most part he sleeps very well.  At this point he usually has  about six to eight hours of continuous sleep every night. A few weeks ago, his nights were still very inconsistent, and his sleep was restless.  He would grunt and twitch throughout the night.  Jenny was smart enough to think that it might be a reflux problem.  She discussed the possibility with our pediatrician, and sure enough. Apparently, it's a very common issue with infants.  Of course, like always, I had no clue. Ever since he's been on his reflux medication, he sleeps longer and much more soundly, which is a good thing for everyone.

(3)  The boy likes to eat.  Sometimes he likes it a little too much. On occasion he slips into a semi-awake/semi-asleep state that we, his loving and affectionate parents, refer to as "milk drunk." There's really no other way to describe it. See for yourself: 

(4) Grayson has become quite active.  I guess it has been a progression since he was born, but it seems as if all of the sudden he is doing all kinds of things.  Every morning after his breakfast, he is very energized. He reaches and grasps at things, he makes all kinds of noises, and he even rolls himself over.  It's amazing to me how over the course of two months he has gone from basically doing nothing but sleeping and eating to being so interactive.  Next month he'll be doing Algebra.

Rubber Ducky

Ok. So, here's the deal.  Contrary to popular belief, I have not given up on the blog, and I want to apologize for the delay since the last post.  My initial plan had been to update the blog on a weekly basis, but that now seems to be a somewhat ambitious goal.  It has been difficult to find the time to sit down and write with my work schedule picking up and the weekends being consumed by road trips and/or errand-running. 

However, the main reason behind this particular delay is that Grayson is currently in somewhat of a transition stage.  Despite the fact that he is growing, becoming much more alert, and starting to figure things out, it's difficult to articulate the specific things he does in a way that doesn't cause them to lose significance. I guess it's just not easy to put into words the little things he does that make Jenny and I laugh or get us overly excited. I do think we are on the verge of him doing so many noteworthy things that I will have trouble writing them all down, but for now his achievements and accomplishments are a bit more subtle. That being said, there have been a couple of things of late that I have wanted to write about, and this is one that I thought I should share.

I have mentioned in an earlier post that my child really does not enjoy having his diaper changed. Well, the other thing he severely dislikes is taking a bath . . . hold on. Scratch that.  It WAS the other thing he disliked.  Now, it's not quite so bad, and its all because of a major change we have made.

That first night home from the hospital, we gave Grayson a bath. We had the bathroom heater on full blast to make sure the little guy didn't get cold. We had everything ready, including a little rubber duck for the bath. Now, you are probably saying the same thing I said. Why on Earth does a newborn need bath toys?   Well, my wife quickly pointed out that this was not just any rubber duck.  No. No. No.  This duck serves a purpose.  The bottom side of the duck, the part that sits in the water, indicates in big white letters the word 'HOT' if the bathwater is too warm for a baby. Absolute genius. I loved it.  

We couldn't wait to put the duck to use.  So we ran the water in his tiny tub and we used the duck to check the temperature.  Too HOT!  

Seriously? I mean I had stuck my hand in the water and it seemed nice and comfortably warm to me. Jenny was quick to inform me that a baby's skin is much more sensitive than an adult's, and the fact that I thought the water was a nice temperature, didn't mean it was suitable for the G Man. That made perfect sense to me. Not to mention Jenny is a great mom, and she knows her stuff.  What she says, goes.

So, we tried cooler water.  Time for the duck. . .  Too HOT! 

No way.  The water at this point was luke warm at best.  Jenny and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and decided to keep trying cooler water until the duck approved. We finally got it to a duck-worthy temperature, which I don't think could be considered "warm" by any stretch of the imagination, and Grayson got placed in the tub.  He threw a colossal fit.  I'm talking the sad lip, loud crying, squirming, the works.  It continued throughout the entirety of his bath.  It was not fun. We kept telling ourselves that he would eventually get used to it, but every night was the same. Everyone dreaded bath time.

Then, one day on a whim, Jenny bought a new bathwater thermometer for the boy.  This one was a turtle, AND it was digital.  Well, we have since had a much better and less stressful experience with bath time.  Turns out, Grayson was freezing in his chilly bath water.  

Stupid duck.  

 

Time Flies

Ok.  So, here's the deal.  There have been a couple of noteworthy items since the last post. The first of which being that I have gone back to work.  I am lucky enough to have a job that  allowed me to have a full two weeks off. Once the holidays were factored in,  I got to spend almost the entire month of December at home with Jenny and baby Gray.  I couldn't be more thankful for that time and experience.  It gave me a chance to really get to know him and to figure out what he's all about.  It also provided an opportunity to learn all the baby stuff that a new dad needs to know, and trust me, there's a lot.  I'm finally starting to get the hang of it . . . or at least most of it. 

My time off raced by and, like I said, I am now back at work. Luckily, I truly enjoy my job so going back to to the office wasn't really much of an issue, but leaving my family behind every morning has proven to be pretty difficult. Granted, Jenny has managed to make it easier by keeping me updated with texts and pictures throughout the workday.

The other noteworthy event completely snuck up on us.  Grayson turned a month old.  Seriously?  How is that possible?  It feels like he just got here a few days ago.  Time really does fly.  I guess I always knew that was true, but ever since Grayson's birth, time has moved at an unbelievable pace. It's crazy, and it's sad, and according to every parent I've ever talked to, it's just the way of things.  I'll just have to learn to deal with it. 

Before I call it quits for this post, I want to thank everyone for all the positive feedback I've received about the blog.  When I started, I figured it would be entertaining for Jenny and I and maybe a couple of family members, but apparently there are a few other people out there following along.  That's very encouraging, and it's exciting  to know that people are interested in Grayson and want to keep up with his life. So thank you all, and please continue to let me know what you think. (Feel free to post your comments to the blog).