Samuel is now 10 weeks old and thriving. His cooing takes on much more facial expression which is hilarious. I just wish we could catch his cute faces with the camera. He "talks" much more loudly now too. Sometimes we have to take a second look at him to see if he's just exercising or screaming because something's wrong. He holds his head up pretty well. We have to catch him at just the right time to put him on his tummy because he gets frustrated with not being able to see much. He's starting to grab his blanket or burp cloth but doesn't do so well with toys yet. He loves to be talked to and sung to. He also likes us to make funny noises and faces. It seems to me that he notices our mouths more than anything. He will even start sticking out his tongue if he sees us do it! He likes to hold his right arm up when he lies on his back and look at his fist. He tries to suck on his fists and sometimes finds his thumb. He sleeps 5-6 hours usually at night. When he wakes up, I change him and feed him and put him right back down to sleep. He is really a good baby. I don't think I could ask for a better one!
Uncle Chris came down from New York Thursday, August 2. He stayed until the next Monday. He oohed and aahed over Samuel as if he was his own baby. It did my heart good to see him so enthusiastic about his nephew. And Samuel took to him too. They made silly faces at each other. Chris was even christened with spit up, and I feel the experience was good for him.
Monday, August 6, I took Samuel for his 2-month appointment. That meant vaccinations. His checkup was very good. He weighed 12 lbs 3 oz and was 23 1/2 inches long. Dr. Shirley talks well of Samuel and that always makes a mommy feel good. I asked her about a little lump at the base of his skull on the left side. She said this was a lymph node and nothing to be alarmed about. Samuel's eye was a little watery that morning, and the doctor said it looked to her like a plugged tear duct. We are still massaging his eye every day and wiping it with a warm cloth. It gets a little crusty sometimes (as he sleeps), but it doesn't seem to bother him. Then there were the shots. The nurse came to administer them so the doctor was not associated with pain. (I think that's a great idea.) Samuel handled it as well as could be expected I suppose. He calmed down relatively quickly after I picked him up. He slept the majority of the day. He had a bit of fever that night but Tylenol helped.
And now... the biggie. I am back at work. I started back Wednesday, August 15. I really prayed that the Lord would help me and make the transition easy. And He has! I do miss my baby, but being at work is not as bad as I thought it would be. For now, I am able to stay busy and that is the biggest help. I have routine breaks to express milk for the next day. That also gives me a chance to rest a little.
Where is Samuel you ask? With his Granna (my mother) in West Point. Papa is there too while he looks for another job. So, both grandparents are loving their grandson all day long! I love that Samuel is with them rather than a day care. It made my going back to work much easier. Kris gets up in the mornings and gets ready for work. I get up, feed Samuel, and get his bags packed. Then my men go to West Point and I get ready for work. We're still working out the schedule, but it's going pretty well so far. I am looking forward to the weekend, though, so that I can be home all day with my baby!
Here's a picture from July 31. Samuel was 8 weeks old that day.
