Seven non-feeding-related things about Alex.

[rivka]

1. For the past couple of weeks, she's been visually tracking things like crazy. She doesn't just gaze around with newborn unfocusedness anymore - her eyes lock onto mine intensely. She cranes her neck to see outside of her immediate visual field. The rotating teddy bear mobile over her changing table fascinates her. Sometimes she gets absorbed enough in watching the moving bears that I leave her on the changing table for a minute or two after we're done. This is a minor miracle, considering how much she hates to be changed or put down.

2. Social smiles are now pretty common. I've been able to elicit one by asking (in a sufficiently animated and smiley tone of voice; it's not like she understands English), but usually they're a sweet surprise. The other night I came upstairs after pumping to find that she had woken up. Michael had curled one arm around her in his sleep, and she was just lying there quietly awake. As soon as I moved into eyesight she broke out into an enormous "Hey! Look who just joined the slumber party!" grin.

3. She's discovered mirrors. It's not at all clear that she understands that she's seeing herself. I've been able to calm her fussiness by holding her in front of the big bathroom mirror and talking about what we see. There's also a small mirror suspended over her swing, and yesterday it got the most enormously wide-mouthed smiles I've ever seen. She kept her eyes locked on the mirror for five minutes, which is a century in baby time.

4. She loves movement. Even being carried in her carseat can calm her down, and she loves to walk or dance or sway in her sling. We go for walks around the neighborhood and, even if she's been fussy, she calms and stares quietly out at the trees and buildings. Sadly, the positive effects of movement seem to be limited to human-powered activity - she's not yet crazy about her swing or her bouncy seat.

5. I begin to suspect that she's temperamentally neophobic. The first few times we put her in the bouncy seat she started yelling almost immediately. But then Michael put her in the other day and sat with her, gently bouncing it, and she loved it. Big open-mouthed smiles and happy noises. Also, the first few times she had her medicine she wrinkled up her face in the most tragically betrayed way - but now she doesn't mind it at all. (It's sweet and minty.) So I'm introducing her to new things slowly and not being too quick to decide that she doesn't like them. We try out new things, like the swing, for a few minutes a day.

6. She's making more vocalizations. Most of them are variations on grunting, but we have hopes of a sweet baby coo or gurgle eventually.

7. A few new pictures are here. I notice two things: (a) Most of the pictures are of a sleeping Alex, probably because her waking hours got a little bit rough there for a while, with the reflux. Must get more waking action shots. (b) Daddy needs to take more pictures, because Mama only appears here once - as a disembodied chest.

Comments

[therealjae.livejournal.com]

That is a marvelous shot of her and curiousangel.

It is sooooo nice to see you talking about good things!

-J

[rivka.livejournal.com]

That is a marvelous shot of her and curiousangel.

Sometimes they're so beautiful together that it hurts my heart.

It is sooooo nice to see you talking about good things!

I've been posting about the trauma because I've needed the support so badly, but it occurred to me yesterday how sad it would be to have that as the only record of her first month. The good stuff is so intensely good.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Sometimes they're so beautiful together that it hurts my heart.

Watching him with her, and watching you with her, it's all just beautifully tender and sweet.

[elisem.livejournal.com]

I've been posting about the trauma because I've needed the support so badly, but it occurred to me yesterday how sad it would be to have that as the only record of her first month. The good stuff is so intensely good.

You are very smart.

Also, awww! Endearing baby photos! Endearing baby-and-papa photos!

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. Save that picture forever. Someday she'll thank you for that.

[samtosha.livejournal.com]

Beautiful. Yes, the good stuff is intensely good. It is good to see you talking about the good stuff too. As a new parent, sometimes the good stuff is what keeps you from feeling completely overwhelmed. Thanks for sharing, she is beautiful.

[eeyorerin]

Oh Lord, the "woe is me" pose cracked me up! It reminds me of when my dad used to sing the "Life's so tough when you're [N] months old" to my brothers. (Does every parent have a song like that, I wonder?)

Action Alex sounds like a good superhero name. Action Alex: Now with Smile!

[rivka.livejournal.com]

The amusing thing is that she is totally content in that photo. When she's actually upset, there's a lot more arm flailing.

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

Oh, she has the Queen of England wave down pat!

[ckd]

The movement thing sounds familiar. When I was visiting my sister-in-law and niece last year, I made it easier for SiL to shop by taking the stroller and doing slow ovals around that end of the store. Instant calm.

[tammylc.livejournal.com]

Beautiful! And reading this made me smile thinking about my own sweet memories of Liam's early days.

Re. 7b - this seems to be quite a common problem among all the moms I know - there are still only a handful of pictures of me and Liam, and usually I have to *ask* Eric to take one. ("Gee honey - don't you think me and Liam decorating the Christmas tree together would make a good photo opportunity?")

[iamjw.livejournal.com]

Awwwwwwwwwww! So cute!!!!!

[windsea.livejournal.com]

Lovely and marvellous and wonderful. I don't miss my kids babyhood -- the memories are far too clear, and they were far too like Alex -- but I do miss sweet snuggly babies with beautiful waking up to the world smiles :-)

yay!

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

Elena has a mobile in her crib - she's watching it and listening to the accompanying music right now. I got a great picture of the way she cranes her neck to see it go all the way around, and the picture cracks me up every time.

We had her at Mom's the other day, and I turned on the ceiling fan and she was obsessed. Just stared at it....

Re: yay!

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, ceiling fans are another one of her greatest pleasures. And the black and white checkerboard floor in the local cafe.

Re: yay!

[richtermom.livejournal.com]

CEILING FANS ARE COOL!

I did the description booklet for a homes tour last summer, and Squeaky came with for the walk-throughs. I introduced her as my Ceiling Fan Inspector.

Unfortunately, this year she's subscribed to the idea that adults should only talk to her or about how cute she is an any attempt to discuss home dec is Right Out.

[kip-w.livejournal.com]

Baby time, yes indeed. My theory is that we experience any interval of time as a fraction of how much time we've been alive. Time really dragged when I was in grade school. Now I routinely lose it behind the couch and never realize it.

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

i know this will be a shock to you, but she's still beautiful. :)

[ailbhe]

Oh, she is just so beautiful. And so much hair!

It's wonderful that you feel able to take time to write about the good things, now. That's lovely.

Rob isn't awfully good about taking photos either - he needs a fair amount of prompting.

[writingortyping.livejournal.com]

Lovely.

[sashajwolf.livejournal.com]

You're doing great to be able to pick out patterns and adjust to her personality already, like you mention in 5. You're doing a phenomenal job as a mom.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! Of course, discovering patterns in human behavior is what I do for a living. ;-)

[barbarakitten-t.livejournal.com]

what an absolutely precious picture...

[richtermom.livejournal.com]

Alex is amazing and sweet, and she must be a delightfully social child to be smiling already! And she's very lucky to have both of her parents be so totally enthralled to her -- but that's not hard since she's so cute! :^)

I'm looking forward to more good happy updates!

[puppytown.livejournal.com]

She's amazing. She looks like herself, and not an amorphous baby-lump. Thanks for sharing the photos and the stories.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

My little sister (who is the middle child in a strange sort of way) used to settle down when she was in the car.

On the other hand, those occasions she wasn't happy in the car, were horrid, because we couldn't just pick her up and cuddle her.

TK

[rivka.livejournal.com]

If there were no red lights on this earth, Alex would always love the car. As the world really is, she becomes furious if we have to stop too often. Highway driving is great, though.

Re: Seven non-feeding-related things about Alex.

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

you along with ailbhe reporting on your babies is really interesting to read because you're both such good observers.

that picture with her father is so very beautiful.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

Ooh, am I the first one to mention how handsome Michael looks?

[lcohen]

well you wouldn't have been if i weren't so far behind *g*.

[saoba.livejournal.com]

What an adorable baby! What adorable pictures! Wouldnt it be nice if someone took pictures of the adorable baby and the adorable mama for us?

It's possible that Alex is not neophobic but over-stimulated. She's dealing with a lot right now with the reflux and the medicine and the feeding issues. Since everything is so new right now, sometimes one more new thing is just too much to process quickly. My middle child resisted all things new for her first two months or so then *bingo* somewhere a switch got thrown and she figured out new! was not the same as bad!. Of my three kids, she is the adult most likely to try something new.

[lizardling.livejournal.com]

AWWWWW! BAYBEE! Ooochie wooochie coo coo!

(okay, now that I've completely shattered my Cute=teh evol image... :D )

*continues baby-induced gooshiness*

And thank you for continuing to share the OMGcuteness with us -- I love hearing about the latest and greatest of Alex!

[edschweppe.livejournal.com]

Alex continues to look beautiful, and there is much yayness in the Universe!

(b) Daddy needs to take more pictures, because Mama only appears here once - as a disembodied chest.
Somebody (other than Mama) needs to take the Mama-and-Alex pictures, that's for sure. In point of fact, the ideal universe would include many Mama-Papa-and-Alex pictures.

I'd volunteer myself as duty photographer, except for being several hundred miles too far away.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Let's see if I can do something about this on Thursday, while I'm over there.

[edschweppe.livejournal.com]

Let's see if I can do something about this on Thursday, while I'm over there.
Presumably, the "this" about which you're considering doing something has to do with the lack of Mama-and-Alex pictures, and not my being hundreds of miles out of range :-)

Besides, I'm fighting off a nasty cold. Even if I could get to Bawlamer any time soon, I need to stay well clear of insanely cute babies (and their equally though differently insanely cute mothers). For their sake, that is.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

Aw, such lovely pictures. I'm glad you're able to see the happy, and to share it with us. It's bringing back memories of when Weegirl was that little. It seems so long ago!

[jerusha.livejournal.com]

I'm glad she's doing well with the medicine. I'm a little surprised; I'd been told (in the pharmaceutical compounding course that I'm the TA for) that mint is a flavor that infants Just Don't Like. If she's happy with it, wonderful! (and so much for absolutes...)
If the flavor becomes a problem, a compounding pharmacy could make Zantac in a more Alex-friendly flavor. (Fruit flavors and sweet flavors tend to be good for babies.)