One Month Old!

I cannot believe little Charlie is already one month old--time is going way too fast! This month has been full of excitement, challenges, and lots of love. I cannot believe how much this little guy has captured our hearts in just a few short weeks. He is small, but full of personality. At one month, Charlie spends lots of time on his play mat, moving his head around wildly and trying (unsuccessfully) to push himself around. He likes his swing and still likes to be swaddled, although he does break out of his swaddle every night. He loves our morning walks (ok, "loves" might be a bit strong, but he sleeps through them nicely :), and can always be soothed by music (he especially loves his Beatles lullabies and my singing--I think he might be the only one :). He is also a BIG fan of his pacifier. Charlie is getting more and more alert every day. He loves to "talk" to people--he watches everyone very intently and has a wide range of facial expressions that he entertains us with. We think he's going to be quite the ham. :) Charlie is still a very content, good little baby, but he definitely lets us know when he's unhappy--i.e., when he is hungry (his hunger apparently comes on very quickly--he can go from 0 to 60 in about 2 seconds) or when he is getting his diaper or outfit changed (which happens a bit too frequently for our dirty little guy). Other than that, he is pretty easygoing. Charlie's very favorite thing is to be held. We are afraid he might be getting a bit spoiled in that regard. :)

We had his one-month doctor's appointment today and he was determined to be a strong, healthy little boy. At 4 weeks, 3 days, Charlie's stats are:

Weight: 10 lbs., 2 oz. (55%)
Height: 22 1/4 inches (75%)
Head: 15 1/4 inches (50%)

Keep up the good work Charlie--we love you more than you can imagine!

Sleeping Bear

With his round face and chubby cheeks, we think Charlie bears a striking resemblance to a little bear cub and Clint and I have taken to calling him The Bear. So I thought these pics of The Bear in his bear outfit (check out the tiny embroidered bear on the sleeper) were just too funny. As Clint and I have quickly learned, one should never wake a sleeping bear... :)

Memorial Day Weekend 2010

We had a nice, relaxing Memorial Day weekend this year. Although life with a newborn demands that we stay home a bit more than usual, we still had a great time. My dad had a meeting up in Dallas on Tuesday, so my parents spent the weekend with us. Charlie loved spending time with his grandparents!

Here is Charlie thinking about what he might like to do for the weekend...

He got tired just thinking about all the fun we could have.

After taking some walks around the lake and at the arboretum, grilling outside, and eating out (none of which I got pictures of--ugh!), we were ready for some cooler activities. Since Clint had never been--and since it is air conditioned!--we went to the JFK museum on the 6th floor of the book depository in downtown Dallas. Here I am with Charlie in his favorite mode of transportation--the sling.

My dad (Papa) and Charlie on the grassy knoll. Who knows what propaganda Dad is putting into Charlie's head...

The 3 men relaxing at night. Charlie was entertaining them with exciting stories of his first 2 1/2 weeks of life.

Charlie looks surprised that I burst in on their conversation.

After an exciting weekend, it was nice to just relax with his Papa!

Charlie's First (and Second) Bath

Charlie's umbilical cord fell off when he was about two weeks old, which meant that we could stop doing sponge baths (which he hated) and start real baths (which we were hoping he would like). Our first "real" bath experience--in the exalted Puj tub--was not so fun for little Charlie. He screamed the entire time, even when he was getting his hair washed--which he usually loves. He finally calmed down when we wrapped him up in his elephant towel, but there were more than a few sniffles even then.

We decided we would use a different tub for his second bath and see if that produced a different result. Thanks to my cousin Addie and her kids Jackson, Julia, and Katie, we had a hand-me-down tub on standby. Maybe it's because his big cousins used it or maybe it's because the second tub was more comfortable for him, but Bath #2 was a much happier experience for all of us. Charlie relaxed in the water and had quite a nice time. I think he got much cleaner this time as well, as he wasn't writhing around quite so much. :) Charlie and I both thank Jackson, Julia, and Katie dearly for the use of their tub! We think the Puj tub will be retired for now...

Breech Legs

Even before he was born, Charlie proved that he plans to be quite the individual. Rather than settling into the usual head-down position in my uterus, Charlie steadfastly stayed in a "frank breech" position, meaning that his head and feet were at the top of my uterus, and his little bottom was at the bottom (see the far right picture below). Now that he's here, we've forgiven him for his stubborn breech-ness, but we do have a constant reminder--his stick straight little legs. Charlie doesn't do the typical "fetal" position with his legs curled up in front of him. Rather, when he gets angry, upset, or even when he's just relaxing, his little legs stick straight up in the air. Everyone who examined him in the hospital asked almost immediately whether he was breech as a result of those straight little legs. It cracks us up and continually reminds us what an eccentric, funny little man we have.

Charlie was "frank breech," as seen below:

Angry breech legs pictured here...

And relaxed breech legs here:
Breech legs are great for sleeping...
Except when they knock you over!

Charlie's First Birthday Party

No, Charlie isn't 1 yet--although it does seem like time is flying now that he's here! Charlie attended his first birthday party last Saturday, and enjoyed every minute. The birthday girl, Blythe, was absolutely adorable and Charlie enjoyed meeting her and her sweet friends. He can't wait to get together again!

Sweet Blythe enjoying her birthday cupcake...

And Charlie cuddling with Blythe's mom, Erica:

Charlie's Two-Week Checkup

Charlie had his two-week checkup today and everything looked great! He is gaining weight quickly and is as healthy as can be. He had more than regained his birth weight (he was 8 pounds at birth, and weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces today), which pleased his pediatrician (and his mom :). He was in the 25th percentile for weight, the 50th percentile for height, and the 25th percentile for head circumference. Sounds like Charlie has a bit of growing to do! He also behaved very well, and hardly made a sound when they had to draw blood. Luckily, it's looking like Charlie did not inherit his mother's aversion to needles. :)