9 weeks: mobiles are cool

Even though he looks about the same to us this week, Owen packed on another half pound and is now 13lbs 2oz.  The kid can grow, that's for sure. 

Just for comparison, here are two pictures of Owen wearing two different onsies from the same package--they are the exact same size.  Above was taken yesterday; below was taken 4 weeks ago. Look how loose the sleeves and shoulders were!  And the sleeves were rolled up. 

 This week's most fun new activity is watching the mobiles.  We received a really fancy mobile as a gift--it spins around and lights up and plays music and even has a remote control.  Its main features are a series of four colorful creatures that spin slowly around in one direction, and some stars that spin around in the other direction.  Since we don't have a crib, it took a little creative thinking to get it mounted above Owen's bed.  I figured it out early this week.  The moment I turned the mobile on, Owen was completely enchanted.  It has a 10-minute cycle and he will smile and coo and delightedly kick his legs for a full 10 minutes and sometimes for another 10 minutes after that.

This afternoon he woke up from a nap, grumpy as usual, and started to throw a little fit.  He had his full-face pout on and was beginning to cry a little.  Noah went in and turned on the mobile and he instantly transformed, smiling and I swear even giggling.  It is amazing.


After the great success of this mobile, we attached his other mobile to a chair in the living room above his favorite spot on the couch.  Although this one is much more simple--just some graphics on little plastic cards that dangle down--he is almost as enchanted with it.  It's really great fun.  Plans are in the works for a solar system mobile. 

This week we had a little reprise of the colicky Owen, probably related to a nap strike that lasted about 3 days.  Refusing to nap leads to major tiredness and that is a recipe for fussiness.  Yesterday and today were a lot better, so I think we're beyond this little bump in the road.  We have been walking a lot in the new stroller.  And, I think we finally found a pacifier that sort of works for Owen (after buying just about every single one on the market).  Although it won't help with a major throwdown, it does seem to help him calm down when he's just a little too worked up.   

Owen's sleep has become more consistent, although no easier for Mama and Papa.  He goes to sleep at about 7, wakes up hungry around 11 (or is willing to wake up if I wake him to feed him), sleeps again until 3 and wakes up hungry, sleeps again until 5 or 6, and at that point is ready to roll for the day.  No matter how we explain it to him, he does not seem to  understand or care that we don't like to get up before dawn.  Sometimes we can convince him to sleep a couple more hours, sometimes not.  We are still swaddling him tightly but he's getting increasingly good at getting out of his mummy outfit.  Now that he can suck on his hand, he's very motivated to work his arms out.