Thanksgiving

My sister, dad, and dad's girlfriend, Katherine, visited us for Javi's first Thanksgiving. Since our hands are literally full most of the time these days, we skipped the cooking and bought dinner from a great local barbeque place. The food was great -- Hector and I have both been converted to smoked turkey -- and the company fantastic. Mainly we just hung out around the house, but we also went on a number of little outings for lunch and walks. It was the most we have gotten out with Javi; the timing of feedings makes going on an outing more of a logistical equation than we are used to. But we made it out to the downtown mall for strolling and, one day, for lunch and out to the countryside for lunch at a local brewery with lovely views of the mountains. We also did a bit of shopping -- my father and Katherine got us a rocking chair to help put Javi to sleep, which is a welcome tool as he has been fighting sleep (at least during the day; he actually sleeps quite well at night). 

In addition to Thanksgiving, we celebrated my father's birthday, which fell just after Thanksgiving this year, with spaghetti and meatballs and apple pie, cooked by my sister who was all around a really great help with Javi and household stuff. 

In all the commotion of heating up dinner and feeding Javi so he would let us eat (which he did, at least for a little while), we forgot to take pictures of us gathered at the table for Thanksgiving dinner. But there was plenty of food and wine and lingering at the table -- and pacing around the table with Javi in arms. But we did get some photos of the visit.

After a (non-Thanksgiving) dinner

Javi, Me, Michelle, and Dad over morning coffee

Michelle with sleeping baby

Dad tickling Javi. I'm pretty sure there are some photos a lot like this of dad and me when I was a baby stored away in a family album somewhere.

Katherine getting to know Javi

Today is Javi's 7 week anniversary.... wow! It feels like yesterday when he was the miracle coming out of Jen.
He is sleeping better and better. Each night this week he gave us two four-hour sleeps. Last night, for the second time in the week, he went five hours between feedings. That is great!
I finished teaching yesterday, which means I will have more time with him and with Jen. I was so looking forward to that. It's been stressing to have so many professional duties when all I want to do is have Javi in my arms. No fair.

Can you believe those cheeks! 

Today, like yesterday, Javi and I went for a walk around 7:30am. It was chilly, around 30 degrees (-1 celsius), but I put on a gift from our friend Caroline, whose beautiful boy Jack grew up in the colder climates of Boston and Spokane. Javi looks so sweet and warm... perfect. He stayed awake for the first half of the walk and slept the second half. Wise decision.

He is ready for the outdoors

This morning, around 7am, Javi and I went for a walk around the neighborhood... it was great. By the end he was sleeping. His nights have been much better, giving us 3 hours between feeds. That allows us to actual go into deep sleep and, again, have dreams. Isn't strange that for weeks one may go without dreams? But dreams require REM sleep, which sometimes is accessed quickly, but most times it requires at least three hours of sleep. Unsurprisingly, our most vivid dreams occur close to the mornings, the ideal time for REM. That is, unless you are a new parent.

Yesterday, Jen went back to the gym for the first time... here she is... getting ready (Isn't she beautiful?)

We are doing two things here: FIRST: Javi is live-performing the famous painting by Edvard Munch "The Scream". We work on the expression for awhile. I think he got it. SECOND: Javi is also expressing his first feminist idea, albeit with an ironic twist (thanks to Denni:). 

Javi is probably 10 pounds at this moment... on his way to 11. That's a guess. After a doctor appointment on his one month, he was given the two-month appointment. So, one full month without seeing the doctor. That is, of course, good news. He is progressing great in every sense. His next appointment is the 18 and we'll keep you posted on his weight and such.

I am posting today, again, trying to catch up. Javi is doing great, gaining weight like a champ, and becoming more clearly alert, intelligent, and curious. Last Friday, on his six week, he smiled. He did it first in the morning to his mom. He smiled at me in the evening... it was fantastic. He smiles when he is happy, when he just fed, or when you are smiling at him. Yes, he still cries, whines, weeps, and whimpers, but at least he also smiles. There is balance in the universe.

Beginning of a smile

terrible picture, but beautiful smile

the blissful end of a smile... more of a grin

It seems forever since the last post. Jen's mom, lita Nancy, left on November 3. We were busy after her departure. I was teaching and Jen was mostly dealing with Javi alone. Everything was fine, but time flew. Work was so busy that I spent nights working... and I was already so tired. This had a snowball effect. Jen was left to deal with a very criey baby, who wanted to feed every five minutes.... wow! talk about unsustainable! For me, the worst ended on November 14, and after that I was able to help Jen as much as possible, but she was exhausted. It takes a village, no question about it and I wasn't there for a few tough, tough, days. It took a couple of days for Jen to regain her strength... by the weekend she was back to her normal and beautiful self. Meanwhile, Javi, well.... he was crying, pooping, sleeping (barely), and vomiting. He was giving the joys of parenthood a bad name:) Yet, he was also gaining weight (yay!), becoming more and more alert to the world (wow!), and beginning to look more and more like a baby, not only Mr. Magoo (Jen's reference... check Mr Magoo in youtube.com.. pretty funny!).

Photo taken on November 20, 2012 (one month and two days). Look at the attentive way in which he looks at the camera. That's the mind. And the photo speaks about the body.... perfection!

Week 2

Week 2 and 3 flew by in a flurry of feedings (mainly Javi's, but also our own attempts to feed ourselves) and doctor appointments. As of the last of these, Javi has surpassed his birth weight; he was 8 lb. 1 oz. and had grown a couple of centimeters. His head is also much bigger, and he already looks quite different from when he was first born, at least to Hector and me.

My mom was here last week, getting to know Javi and helping Hector and me around the house and with baby burping and soothing. She taught us the grandma Dennehy baby hold (over the shoulder), which Javi really likes. We were so busy with doctor visits, feeding Javi, giving him his medicine (for a variety of small things: acid reflux, a couple of superficial infections), and occasionally feeding ourselves and sleeping that we did not take very many photos, but here are a few:

Mom ( or now, 'Lita Nancy) with Javi

The Betty Dennehy baby hold

baby and me

funny faces with papa

 At the end of the week, we did get out for an outing more fun than the doctor's office. We took Javi on his first visit to the farmer's market, a weekly routine for Hector and me. It was sunny, if a bit chilly. Javi bundled up and slept through the visit.

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Mom and me at the farmer's market

Javi enjoying the outing

Jen