Week 6: Cooing, Smiling, Eating (loads!), etc. etc.

James turned 6 weeks old this past Tuesday. He is working on smiling and cooing - not quite mastered but getting there! He is also demanding a lot of mummy and daddy face time (what a clever lad) which is an indication of his little brain developing normally! James eats...and eats...and eats. He is now weighing 12.5 lbs. and is long, lean, and lovely! When he was 4 weeks, we FINALLY moved him into his own room. Wow. What a difference. We also have a video baby monitor that is completely brilliant! What a time we live in to have such amazing baby paraphernalia! James had his first commercial audition this past week. He did a fine job sleeping whilst I pretended to bathe him. No word yet as to whether or not we did a fine job auditioning. Nathan and Nana Jocelyn also auditioned with us - the client wanted to see a real family. :)

Likes:
Mum
Dad
Nana Jocelyn
Papa Reed
Skyping with his English family
Being held
The piano (I need a resident pianist to play...James wants to be held when I play thus rendering any attempts at proper playing useless)
His Tournee du Chat Noir art poster above his crib
Dr. Quinn (mostly through classical conditioning...I watch this whilst he eats. :) I can’t watch any other programs because they are not relaxing enough. I find that “Quinny”, as Nathan has named it, is easy to watch whilst nursing.)
Light from outside
bath time
pooing
sucking his pacifier

Dislikes:
nappy changing

Well, I only have 3 weeks of maternity leave left. Then, life will become more challenging! Up all night (mostly to feed - James really is a great sleeper), work all day! Ahhh!! In addition, I am preparing for a few modeling gigs coming up which requires me to start exercising again (it has been nearly a full year!) Ah, well. This current semester of my master’s program has been a blessing in that my professor is allowing all of our exams to be open book...*sigh*...God certainly has been merciful!

We absolutely adore James more and more everyday. Parenthood is amazing.


This is James at 1 month. He looks like Max from Where The Wild Things Are. :)


We took James to my dear friend Regina's wedding a few weeks ago. He was a champ - slept the whole time! James and I did, however, do one session of breast feeding in the corner of the 9th floor lobby at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building... THAT was exciting.

James' first photoshoot (one of many, I'm sure)

My friend Amy Hess took these lovely pictures of James when he was 2.5 weeks old. He is so gorgeous! Amy did a brilliant job! I will post more when the rest are finished.

Week 3 with the lovely James

James getting ready to visit the doctor. :)


James had his 3 week doctor visit yesterday and we are happy to report that he’s doing a fine job of being a baby. :)

Week 3 stats:

Weight: 9.8 lb. (70%)
Length: 22.4” (91%)

James is developing some definite “likes” and “dislikes.” Here are a few:

Dislikes:
being cold
having his head washed
having his nappy changed (he really does not enjoy this and fights us with strong legs)
floor tummy time

Likes:
being warm
napping
eating
being held
music
interaction
interesting patterns
his pacifier

We finally purchased a baby monitor! This is to allow us to sleep in a different room to James. Although, I still think we’ll be just as paranoid and find ourselves dashing into his room at the slightest sound. *sigh* If only he was a quiet sleeper. We’re considering changing his name to "Grunter" Stevens. :)

Nathan is doing a fine job of being a dad! He is does well changing nappies and can burp James with ease. I’m still trying to figure out how to accurately swaddle James. It’s always obvious who put James to bed based on the neat appearance of the blankets (Nathan) or the jumbled, flailing appearance of the blankets (Britney).

We are continuing to enjoy being parents. It’s quite the adjustment but we are coping with the transition. What a wonderful experience it is to have a child. I HIGHLY recommend children! :)

Can anyone tell me how I will know when to move James to the next size of nappies (diapers)?