Jonah Laughs

Things that make Jonah laugh:

• Silly noises
• Other people laughing
• "Flying" above Mom's head and then "falling" (like an autumn leaf)
• Irony
• Tickles
• Belly kisses

Okay, well, I'm not 100% sure about that fourth one yet, but I can prove the fifth and sixth...

Jonah "Talks"

Jonah's an undeniably loquacious little boy, and yesterday in particular he was talking up a storm (though today he already seems to be going for a new record!).   Anyway, here's a sampling:

12 Weeks

I can't believe Jonah is already twelve weeks old.  He's almost a teen-week-ager.  Crazy.

You know what else is crazy?  For his age, Jonah seems to be crazy-strong.  Just watch him as he practices standing.

Standing is probably Jonah's favorite way to be these days (though he still requires some support, obviously).  I wonder if he'll be an early walker.  Remember that time I first realized we might have a troublemaker on our hands?

Sleep! (Part 2)

Since I wrote the first "Sleep!" post ten days ago, I'm happy to report that Jonah continues to sleep through the night. The hours have changed a bit, but they still include that fabulous overnight stretch--something we could only dream of less than two weeks ago (and then only in the rare instance that we slept long enough to dream!).

Last night, for instance, J took regular naps through the day then slept from about midnight until 8 a.m., waking only twice to nurse. Didn't even need a diaper change until morning. Oh, sweet, sweet rest!

But don't worry. We realize that our good luck could literally change overnight. In the meantime, for what it's worth, I'm attributing at least some of our fortune to this article by Dr. Sears. I read it shortly after Jonah's first full night, and, if it didn't give me a whole heck of a lot of new ideas, I think it did at least help boost my confidence regarding a few things we're already doing.

The Verdict on Cloth

Since Jonah was born, more than a few people have asked us how things are going with our plan to cloth diaper, so I thought I'd dedicate this latest blog entry to that subject.  (And fair is fair.  As often as the conversation at home turns to all-things-infant-poop-related, we might as well spend some time on the blog talking about it!)

The short of it is that it's going really well.  We've been following our plan pretty much exactly as we described it before Jonah's birth, and so far so good.  The infant-size Kissaluvs (though they won't fit much longer!) have been really convenient to use, not to mention excellent insofar as protecting against blowouts is concerned.  I'll be sorry when they finally become genuinely too small because they've been our faithful workhorses so far.  The prefolds, which we currently use if we run short on Kissaluvs but which will become our primary diapers once the Kissaluvs are outgrown, actually might be superior in terms of keeping our babe's clothes clean and dry throughout the day.  They did involve a slightly longer learning curve (it took me a little under a week to figure out how to fold them snugly enough to avoid leaks), but, after we worked out a few kinks, I've found myself really happy--and comfortable--with them.  Finally, the Bum Genius diapers we included in our stash--our only daycare-approved variety of diaper--have also been perfectly easy to use (though a bit bulkier than the other varieties, which took some getting used to).  Lately, we've started using them as our primary overnight diapers since we've been given the impression that they wick moisture away from Baby's bum (whereas the Kissaluvs and prefolds do not), ostensibly leading to longer breaks between changes.  I'll admit, though, that I rather suspect our success with that tactic is at least in part due to the decreasing frequency of overnight wettings as Jonah gets a bit older.

Many of the concerns we've bandied over cloth diapering focus on the inconvenience of having to wash all those diapers with such frequency, but so far for us this just hasn't been a major issue.  For the time being we're washing diapers on a daily basis (though as Jonah gets bigger we might be able to cut back to every other day).  That's one wash a day, every day, but it's no big deal--the machines and a laundry line do most of the work.  And the diapers clean up really well.  (A tip for interested parties:  to help ensure that our cloth stays stain-free, we're using an Aquaus diaper sprayer on an as-needed basis after each changing.  It makes changes just a trifle more time-consuming, but it seems to be doing its job well.  And it will really come in handy once Baby starts solids and his waste is no longer water soluble.)  We even used cloth successfully over our recent car trip up into Central and Western New York and were able to maintain our daily wash schedule with the help of a few sets of friends and family.

All in all, we're very happy with cloth, and we'd like to encourage any readers out there considering cloth:  don't let the negative rumors discourage you.  In our experience, cloth has been easy and more than convenient enough to be worthwhile.  We send our appreciation to our friends and family who encouraged us and helped us to feel confident that this was a choice in which we wanted to invest!

Oh, and, by the way, if you are interested, in addition to relying on the word of friends and family, we also obtained a lot of information and advice from once of our favorite cloth diaper vendors:  Jillian's Drawers in Ithaca, NY.  You can check out their "New to Cloth Diapers?" guide here.

Sleep!

Jonah's schedule is nothing if not unpredictable, but last night he gave us a particularly big surprise: after (cheerfully) refusing to nap all morning (I was able to get him to take only a cumulative 45 minutes in naps between 7am and 3pm), he slept pretty much straight from 3pm until 5am this morning, waking only 1/2 hour to greet Daddy and occasionally (at reasonable intervals) to nurse.

Apparently, Jonah did not read the manual that says (1) infants should not be awake more than one or two hours at a time and (2) infants should not sleep more than four or five hours in a row.

I'm not complaining, though. In fact, I'm kind of celebrating. And we're already on track for a similar schedule today. Although, in a world where predictability is mere myth, using a term like "on track" might be a bit self-delusory!

Happy Baby, Fussy Baby

Yesterday Jonah was just super-cute and charming all day long, and I can't help but post some evidence:

Look at that smile!

Alas, today is a little different.  He's been fussing all morning--ready for a nap, I think, but extremely resistant to falling asleep.  Fortunately, that swing we bought a few weeks ago comes in handy for moments like this.  Though Jonah doesn't always love it, occasionally it works magic:

Now Mommy can take at least a few minutes to regroup in case the afternoon is no less fussy.  Better go splash some water on my face before my time runs out! :-)

2 Month Checkup

The doc confirmed today that Jonah's growing like a weed!  Our boy weighs in at just over 13 pounds and measures up to just shy of 24 inches!

Jonah also received his first set of vaccinations today (excluding the one he received when we were still at the hospital).  Three shots!  That was a traumatic experience.  What a look of devastated betrayal we received!  (I'm an absolute sucker for a pouty lip from my little boy.)  What abundant tears!  Fortunately, Jonah's quick to forgive:  he's back to sleeping soundly against my shoulder this morning.

Nine Weeks

Today's challenge: write a long overdue blog post with Jonah sleeping on my shoulder, inhibiting the use of my right arm.  Tomorrow's challenge:  get Jonah to fall asleep (and stay asleep) on his own.

Tomorrow's challenge is actually a work in progress, and it's very, very, very slow-going.  Our little boy just loves to cuddle, and, since an independent nap time means an extremely short nap time (and ultimately a very fussy day), cuddle is what we do, more often than not.  It's a rewarding sort of sacrifice, but we realize it's not sustainable--and so we're always on the lookout for signals that Jonah's ready to catch those Zzz's on his own.

Though he's not really willing to sleep by himself yet, there is lots of evidence of Jonah's growing independence more generally.  These days, for instance, our little guy is perfectly happy to babble away in his bouncer while Mom takes a shower or to amuse himself in his crib long enough for Mom to change out the laundry.  That's a significant change from a few weeks ago, when I couldn't even go to the bathroom without hearing him cry--before I'd even reached the door.

Physically, Jonah's continuing to make strides every day.  His legs are so strong, it often seems like he is just so close to standing up on his own.  Hold his little hands with your fingertips, and he'll use the little bit of balance you provide to pump his legs and stand tall in front of you (albeit with a bit of a drunkardly wobble).  He's also recently entered a grabbing phase, in which everything within grabbing distance quickly finds itself trapped in his miniature death grip.  (My glasses have fallen victim multiple times.)  We're working now on increasingly his upper arm strength, hoping to help the process along with a little tummy time each day.  Tummy time is a great photo opportunity, by the way:

Another big development:  laughter.  I'm talking real, hearty little laughs from deep in his chest (not those other sounds that sometimes pass as baby laughs but are more akin to coughs or hisses).  Jonah started producing genuine honest-to-goodness laughs about two weeks ago, but the big news this week is that his mommy has finally figured out how to elicit them purposefully.  A few funny noises and some bangs tickling his forehead, and Jonah cracks right up into big smiles and belly laughs.  It never fails, and it's awesome.  (I just wish I could catch it on camera, but Jonah is remarkably camera shy.  A few fun tummy time shots aside, almost inevitably, as soon as I take the camera out, Jonah's face adopts a dour and skeptical expression which he stubbornly refuses to remove until the camera is well out of sight.)

At nine weeks old (today!) our baby boy is making fast progress toward toddlerhood.  Can't wait to find out (tomorrow--at our next pediatric appointment) how much he has really grown.  I'm guessing he's close to 15 pounds now, which would mean that in two short months he has doubled his birth weight!  Oh my.