Shower (and other stuff)!

Spencer, as you may or may not be aware of, LOVES his bath time. He could be the fussiest baby I know (okay, that's a lie, he's never reached that point), and you draw him a bath and stick him in his tub, and he's full of joy and happiness. It's amazing how a bath relaxes this little guy.

We found out a few weeks ago that he also enjoys a shower, too. He had pooped a nice big one while Jake was holding him, so Jake showered with him. Now, granted, at first, he screamed and wailed, but we figure that was the shock of the water smacking him in the face, and not long after, he was happy.

Last week, I decided to shower with SJ. I hadn't yet, and I really wanted to see how he reacted.

He LOVED it.

I laughed so hard, he was in my arms, smiling and talking, and trying his hardest to lick the stream of water coming from the shower head. Needless to say, he totally reminded me of a puppy. He was happy as could be throughout the entire shower, too, and loved being wrapped in a big towel on the bathroom floor- hence the photo from my cell phone.

This past weekend, Spencer had his first outing to the Empire Mall! Grandma Mindy and Travis brought SJ a stroller a few weeks ago, and we decided that it was a good time to break that out and go shopping.

He looked so tiny in the stroller! The stroller is pretty big, and, well, he's not. He slept for quite a while in it, until he was hungry. Later, when we were walking through the mall, he was all wide-eyed and smiles at the various stores and people. SO cute.

When we were in JCPenny for what felt like 234.3428397 days, one of the sales representatives said how cute he was, how alert, and well behaved.

I can't wait until spring (or when it's not -16 like it is today), when I can take him on walks around outside, even with Wendell! I'm sure he'll quite enjoy those.

Speaking of Wendell... Spencer is starting to really take notice in him. The other day, he was lying on my lap, and Wendell beside me, and he snuggled right up against Wendell and was rubbing his head on Wendell's fur. He was smiling and talking and laughing. It was so dang cute!! Now, if only Wendell would refrain from peeing on Spencer's things. He's now peed on his bouncy chair, and his play mat!

Well Baby - 2 Month

SJ had his 2 month Well Baby doctor's visit this morning.

He is a fraction over 24 inches tall. Two feet tall sounds so short, and 24 inches somehow sounds tall. Go figure. That puts him in the 75th percentile for his age. I was a little surprised because he seems so tall to me. Not complaining, of course!

He is 13 pounds exactly. Though, of course, that changes with ever feeding and digestion, seeing as how babies are so small that 4 ounces of fluid fluctuates their actual weight. But anyway, he is in the 75th percentile for that, too! Yay! I was afraid he would be considered "big" for his age, because he seems to be getting so big so fast!

His head is 16 inches circumference. It's in the 50th percentile. The doctor laughed when I told him he had a small head.

Developmentally, she said he's right on track. She was very delighted with the amount of movement he was exhibiting, all of his talking noises, his smiles at her, and his few laughs! He was a jolly good sport, I tell you.

She even said she LOVED his diaper. Hadn't seen a cloth diaper before, and said it was the coolest diaper she has ever seen. That made me smile. She asked how it works and everything, so I gave her a mini lecture. Thought that was fun! He was wearing his kelly green with lime green snaps Mud Butt diaper that he got in the mail on Monday!

He had three shots this morning, and an oral vaccination. He did very well and guzzled the oral one right down. I had to sit down and not watch when they gave him the three in his thighs though, so Jake held his hand. Poor baby! I didn't like that. I didn't cry, I was strong, but he wailed and of course turned bright red. It took a few minutes to calm him down, but now he's sleeping soundly. He was a good boy. :)

Interesting fact for those out there who will deal with infant vaccinations: our doctor informed us that studies are being performed that are pointing to the fact that giving an infant Tylenol before they get their shots may in fact hamper the effectiveness of the vaccination. They recommend only giving Tylenol if a fever occurs after the injections, and you should let it get to 101 degrees before you administer the Tylenol anyway.

The Joy in SJ's days.

Spencer has been laughing a lot lately! It hasn't really become a "rolling giggle" like older babies, but we definitely get laughs on a daily basis, usually with specific activites. He's been smiling since the end of November, consistently, so this addition of daily laughter is pretty wonderful.

Here are some things that SJ smiles and laughs about...

BATH TIME! He loves his bath tub! He has started splashing in it, recently.

He also usually loves being wrapped in his towel after his bath.

He loves playing under his toy gym, and is lately, purposeful about hitting his toys.

He loves playing with daddy!

He loves being talked to, and apparently wearing his Christmas pajamas. Haha.

He loves playing peek-a-boo and snuggling up with blankets.

And, of COURSE, he loves spending time with his mommy!

There are a few things he really doesn't like, though, too.....

Snow, for instance. We figured that out today.

Can't blame us for trying, though, right?

I look forward, daily, to finding things that make him smile and laugh!

Safe.

Someone was watching over our little guy yesterday.

My friends, Jillian, Marybeth, and I were shopping yesterday for ugly sweaters for our holiday party. We had Grayson and Spencer with us in Jillian's van. Before we went to pick up Marybeth, we were going to put Spencer's car seat in the very, very back of the van, so that Marybeth could enter through the sliding side door and we could just try to finagle his car seat in and out through the back hatch. Half as a joke, we decided to let Marybeth sit back there and crawl in and out, and also, for practical purposes, to make it easier to get Spencer in and out.

On our way back from shopping, Jillian's far back passenger window imploded. For no reason at all, that we have been able to tell. We didn't hear or see anyone throw anything. We figure it was a heat/pressure difference, from the warm interior to the super-cold exterior, but we just don't know.

It makes me feel sad to say that I think God was watching out for Spencer, keeping him safe from the imploding and flying shards of glass, because Marybeth was back in the spot where he should have been. Obviously, God was watching over her too, because she was facing away from the window when it happened, and the glass that fell upon her body did not harm her. I don't want this to be read as "I'm glad Marybeth had to go through that instead," because that's not at all what I mean. I hope you realize that.

We were all freaked out, completely, and baffled, but everyone was safe. Thank Heavens. Unfortunately, Jillian and Robert will need to replace their window. But, it could have been worse, too.

But, I can't help but wonder, would Spencer have been safe, had he been back there? In his rear facing car seat, with his face exposed, and his mouth wide open (because he has a cold and has a hard time breathing through his nose), would those flying shards of glass hurt him? I imagine they would have flown right into his face, scared him, landed in his mouth, where he may have swallowed them. Would he really be okay? I just don't know. I get chills and tears thinking about it.

But, as I said, we're blessed. I think God was watching out for both Spencer and Marybeth. Well, all of us, really, I suppose.

Sometimes it's just too much to face the day.

(Here he is, in my arms, trying to cover his face for a nap.)

SJ is a pretty funny little guy, in my opinion. He smiles and laughs at random things (as do all babies), and has pretty unintentional comedic timing (like when we were in a church meeting and pastor Lance was talking about the nursery, and as soon as he said the word "babies," SJ belched one of his loudest belches to date).

(He covered himself while at Jillian's, with his burp rags. I was at the doctor.)

He's a quirky little guy. He stretches just like his dad and I do, grunts all the time, and sleeps like... my siblings and I do, sometimes, where he just can't seem to handle his face being exposed.

(I guess it was too bright in our bedroom, since he wedged himself under his daddy's pillow.)

Now, I know this puts him at a higher risk for SIDS when his face is covered, so as soon as I notice it, I'm stalking him like a hawk to make sure he's breathing, and g

enerally uncover his face quickly if the blanket or whatever is heavy. But, sometimes, I just have to take a picture of him, first.

(Apparently, he didn't feel like watching the surroundings in his swing this morning, either.)

A First New Year.

Spencer has officially lived in 2 calendar years, already, and he's only 9 weeks and one day old! Crazy!

For New Year's Eve this year, Jake, Spencer, Samantha, Allison, and I were invited to spend the evening at Pastor Lance's house (from Falls Church), playing games and having fellowship. It was a random call that Thursday from Lance, asking me what our plans were, to which I responded we had none, because Jake was scheduled to work on his overnight route.

Well, there was a blizzard, so we were able to go visit Lance and his family.

It was a good time. His wife's parents were there, as well as two of his daughters, and some of one of his daughter's friends. Spencer was passed around quite a bit, which was totally fine, as we played Outburst Remix. Spencer was very proud of his mommy and pastor Lance, as their team (comprised also of Samantha, Lance's father-in-law, and eventually his daughter) won all three games! Woohoo!

At midnight, the noise-makers were blown, and Spencer didn't even care. He was very happy and content the entire time! And, he was awake, which was fun. He got New Year's kisses from both his mom and dad. :-)

Following that evening, Saturday, we spent the day at home, Spencer, Samantha, Allison, and I. Spencer had multiple story-times with his Auntie Allie. He either really loves Dr. Seuss, or he REALLY REALLY loves listening to Allison read. He was flailing, and laughing, and kicking, and smiling, almost non-stop every time she would read.

Sadly, on Sunday, his aunts had to go back home to Papa Web's house in Minnesota. Spencer got to play with Papa Web for a while, as well as their dog, Adelynn, so that was kind of fun, too.

Now, it's just back to SJ and Mom at home. It's really quiet. I thought Spencer would be a little hard to adjust to not having his aunts around, but he did pretty well yesterday when we went to play with his friend Grayson, so I could help make posters for daycare.

Oh, and starting soon (hopefully) Spencer will be going to daycare! However, if he goes to daycare, so am I, as I'll be working at my friends Jillian & Robert's house, and Spencer can play with Grayson almost every day! That will be fun for all of us, I think. Keep your fingers crossed we find families!