funny faces

I think (or, rather, hope) one of Peter's favorite games is "photo shoot." (I also hope it's one of his Grandparents' favorites, since the photos really are for their benefit!)

Lately, he's been showing us so many hilarious faces. Like today:

Seriously, how can you not love this face?

yay for...

...milestones...
Peter has been rolling over like a champ in the past few days, all from stomach to back. His past few flips have been particularly cute; he will flip over in one controlled motion right after being put on his stomach for "tummy time."

Post-flip. It was so fast, I couldn't work the camera.

He's also been furiously at work on what we've called The Hand Project. Yep, he's looking for fingers in earnest. He has two main approaches. In one, he uses one hand to stabilize and guide the other into his mouth area. In the other, he will suck on a pacifier for a minute, then spit it out, stick out a finger, and plop it in (the general area) of his mouth. Alas, his grasping reflex lingers just sightly, so he's unable to keep anything in his mouth for long, but it's days away from happening.

Success! for a minute...

Peter's also able to entertain himself for what must been an eternity for a newborn; today, he spent a happy half-hour just babbling away in his new crib.

He's also made the transition to out-facing baby in the Bjorn, which he LOVES. Peter really enjoys looking around and being part of the action, so we weren't surprised by how much he likes his new Bjorn position.

Peter's just beside himself checking out the world.

AND, he really has been sleeping through the night for the past week! It's glorious. So, not only is he an awesome sleeper (going down without any problem at all), but he stays asleep for hours upon hours.

...adventures...
Peter really enjoyed his trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He particularly enjoyed looking at the jellyfish. They're like nature's television. He didn't really like the crowds or the noise, and after a few hours it was a bit overstimulating, but he was such a good baby during our trip there.

Eyes on the prize.

Transfixed.

Peter also really enjoyed his first boat ride, a ferry to and from Alcatraz Island. It was a little windy for the baby while we were walking around the island, and there weren't many places to breastfeed or change diapers while on the tour, but he happily went along for the ride. He did NOT like the drive home, however...

Cruising.

Island living.

Peter was NOT such a fan of our trip to Big Sur, however; it was just a little too windy for his tastes.

Peter'd already visited the McWay Waterfall...

...family and friends...
Peter's loved getting to know his Grandma and Grandpa Davis and aunt Kimberly this past week.

Two true-blue Carolina fans

And, he really enjoyed meeting his new friends Maverick and Mariella.

Born on 7-7-07, the 6th and 7th members of the Underwood family

...new homes...
After a ridiculously protracted and arduous ordeal, Peter has a crib that isn't broken. And he LOVES it. Even if it does look like baby prison.


...babies!
Peter changes so much everysingleday it's amazing. Some of my favorites, today:
- he's such a charmer! With those gorgeous where-did-he-get-them eyes, how could he not be?
- he's such a good baby. Really. We could handle a rougher baby, but it's so nice that we don't have to.
- he loves us so much. (But, too much?)
- the cute startled-curious look he gets when you blow on his feet.
- how, when he's done with his pacifier, he will spit it out.
- his fake pout.
- how big he is. (According to our week-by-week, he's roughly the size of a 14-week-old baby.)
- his growing vocabulary. We've started having little conversations with him.
- how he folds his hands like a little old man, or C. Montgomery Burns.
- how strangers will come up to stroke his cheek, comment on how well behaved he is, or otherwise lavish love and adoration on our baby. Bring it on!

videoland

A few videos of our favorite baby:

"Hickies"

We found a strange red mark on Peter's arm the other day, and weren't sure how it got there...until we realized he was giving himself some serious hickies. The kid's a lover, all right. In these videos, you can see how seriously he's sucking his arm.





"Fishy Kisses" - or, "how Peter might already be a bit of a Drama King"

Here, Peter's making out with his fish, Monterey. Note how he freaks out whenever we take the fish away...although, it's what we're learning is his "fake freak-out,"* especially evidenced in his second freak-out. (Note how he flashes a smile at the end, like he knows he's just playing his parents for suckers.)

*"Fake freak-out" is characterized by an adorable pouty-frown, and a few dissatisfied grunts. I'm pretty sure it's totally fake, because if we ignore it, it usually goes away. Lately, Peter's been giving Kevin his fake freak-out pretty regularly...like, whenever Kevin looks at him, or whenever Kevin comes over to play with the two of us. It's sad. But funny.



"I Dream of Moro"

Here, Peter demonstrates why swaddling is so helpful - it's a Moro reflex in the middle of otherewise peaceful sleep. In this example, he falls back to sleep. Usually, he wakes up screaming.

personality

Peter's developing more and more of a personality, as evidenced by these latest funny faces:

the moro reflex

The most entertaining newborn reflex is the Moro, or startle, reflex. Whenever an infant feels like it's falling, or is startled, it will throw up its hands as if it's saying, "Whoa!"

The reflex is a holdover from our more ape-like days, in which baby apes would need to reach out to grab hold of mother's fur if falling while swinging through trees or eating bananas, or whatever it is that apes do all day.

startled asleep?

An unswaddled Peter often will fall asleep half-Moro, as if:
(1) he's anticipating some future startle and wants to be extra ready;
(2) he's actually in a perpetual state of half-startle;
or, my personal bet
(3) he's fallen asleep half-way through his reflex, as if he couldn't be bothered to finish.

an open letter to Gram Cracker

Dear Gram,

As you can see, I'm going shirtless until I can rock out in style.

Your grandson,

Peter Ramone

Welcome to the world

Introducing: Hermione Juliette Davis-Ross
born: 12:01am, Sunday, April 1, 2007
weight: 9 pounds 3 ounces
height: 21 3/4 inches
fingers: 10
toes: 10

Somewhat unsurprisingly, given that she probably inherited her mother's complete lack of patience, our baby arrived this morning a little earlier than expected.

According to the nurse, it seemed like Amy was having a relatively easy labor. But this didn't stop her from weaving a thick tapestry of profanity to cover the delivery room. I've never heard so many utterances of the f word, the d word, the e word, or the y word.

But Amy made it through, and now Mommy and baby are doing well. Daddy, not so much. I definitely needed a few (stiff) drinks after the whole experience. Good thing the bars were still open at 1am.

It's probably just our imagination, but it sure sounded like HJ mumbled "Mmmm... colostrum" in the middle of chowing down on her first meal.

I'll post a video of the last hour or so of labor, including HJ's entry into the world, as soon as I figure out how to beep out the swears. Until then, here's a picture.

By the way, Happy April Fool's Day!

it *would* be cool if I were having a wolverine...

Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. All so-true-they're-kind-of-scary comments are from second graders:

Second Grader #1: Are you having a girl or a boy baby?
Me: I don't know. It's a surprise!
Second Grader #2: But it is a baby, right?
Second Grader #1: Not an animal or something?
Me: Yeah. It's a baby. Human baby.

Second Grader #3: Is the baby a year old yet?
Me: I'm sorry?
Second Grader #3: How old is the baby? Is she a year old yet?
Me: Oh, God no. Just seven months.

I also was advised by two little boys, one of whom was dripping in blood from a non-injury related bloody nose, that I needed to be "taking better care of myself and that baby."

everyone's Ann Landers

Little kids are fascinated by pregnancy. It's a fact. And, really, I think little boys might be even more fascinated than little girls. (The jury's still out, but it's a theory I'm working on.)

Today, I was offered some advice that kind of broke my heart, from a little girl named Ana Sofia. Our conversation:

Ana Sofia: Can I give you some advice?

Amy: Sure.

Ana Sofia: You should remember to breathe. Once when my mom was pregnant she didn't breath and she fainted.

*** at this point, I'm thinking, "wow, this actually is some good advice, and from a 5 year old!"***

Ana Sofia: And then when she had her baby, the baby wasn't breathing, and my little sister died.

Amy: (moment of shocked pause) Oh, wow Ana Sofia, I'm really sorry to hear that, but thank you for sharing, and that is really good advice.

Wow. That was pretty tough, and really unexpected.

well-wishes

From a well-intentioned 8 year old: "I hope your baby comes out."

Feel free to read it two ways.

Either, "I hope your baby sometimes escapes the confines of your abdomen, as it is clear you are increasingly uncomfortable and heavy of breathing."

Or, "I hope your baby turns out well, like a nicely risen and baked loaf of bread."