Our Sweet Pea

One of Daniel's Halloween costumes, this bunting was absolutely precious on him! He got quiet cosy in the warm flannel and napped most of the night.

Love From His Auntie Rachie

The following photos were taken when Daniel was 3 weeks old.  His Aunt Rachel was 23 years old, and had just returned from a vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC.  She brought back stories and a sun hat for Daniel.

It had been two weeks since she had last seen him, and she remarked at how much he had grown and changed.

They were able to interact more. 

He could hold on to her finger and look at her face.

She loved him so much that she didn't even mind changing his diapers!  In fact, she changed a messy diaper within the first ten minutes of her visit.

Daniel showed Rachel that he had learned how to cry since his first days in the hospital.

She cuddled him and rocked him to sleep.

Daniel's aunt and mommy enjoyed cuddling at him and remarking at his cuteness.

What a happy day!

A Soybean Goes to a Halloween Carnival

On Friday, October 30, Daniel attended Grace Bible Church's children's carnival. We took many movies of the bright lights, kids playing games, and happy commotion.

Here is a photo of Daniel and his parents and his guest, Minnie Mouse, who attended the carnival with us as a special treat.

Daniel spent most of the time dressed in his costume. People called him a Sweat Pea, Veggie Tale, Pea Pod, Green Bean, Soybean, and Edamame. If I had been moer clever, We could have dressed up together as Eda Mommy, with the baby carried in a carrier and me dressed in green. Maybe next year!

How Daniel and His Mother Spent All of August and Most of September...

Snuggling and nursing in the large, lovely lounge chair in her bedroom.

Posing for photo opportunities.

Eating frequently, usually less than 2 hours between meals for both of us!

Examining his tiny features.

Being surprised and entertained by the expressions he made while sleeping.

Learning the best way to feed, burp, and comfort him.

Holding hands.

Memorizing all his features and marveling as they changed.

In love.

Not included in the fuzzy-charming-haze of memories pictures, but definitely happend in the first six weeks...  freqent burp ups with corresponding clothing changes for both mom and baby, doing an absurd amount of laundry, missing the company and extra help of Daniel's grandmas after they left in week 3, missing the companionship and love of Dan while he was at work, drinking lots of Pepsi and eating fresh fruit salad for nearly every meal (Bethany, obviously!), struggling to find a normal pattern of events for the day and nights, wondering if Daniel's sleeping and eating habits and personal appearance were normal and healthy and age appropriate, super frequent nursings that were more of a snack and proved to be a difficult habit to break, changing diapers and studying them to make sure he was getting enough nutrition and had passed all the meconium, learning the curve of cloth diapering, changing clothes for no other reason that we had many newborn outfits and wanted to see them all, and toting the baby around on errands that took easily three times longer with a newborn!

Teeny Tiny Baby In His Special Chair

In these photos, Daniel was about 15 days old.  He weighed about 7 pounds, just down from his birth weight, and newborn sized clothing tented his small frame.  His car seat looked enormous around him, so we added two of the cozy-baby-head-protector-pads.  His head didn't even reach the inner one!

When Daniel was this small, he didn't mind being in his infant safety seat.  In fact, we called it his special chair.  "Daniel, its time for your special chair!", we'd say.  We had heard many children had a negative impression of their carseat, and we wanted to avoid that.  We hoped that talking about his chair with enthusiasm would give him a good attitude about his seat.  He did not seem to mind being strapped into his special chair and often fell alseep while in it.  He could also continue a nap he began in the car when moved into the house. 

We took away the black cozy-baby-head-protector-pad when he was about one month old.  We took away the blue cozy-baby-head-protector pad when he was about 9 weeks old.  He is currently 13 weeks old, and does not need the extra head support because his head doesn't wobble that much when he is awake and installed into his chair.  However, if he falls asleep in the carseat, his head folds over to the side and he cuddles next to one of the edges. I often place his jacket or a blanket as a pillow above one shoulder to prop up his unstead head.  We often refer to the seat as special chair; however, he does stay asleep for naps in it and he often squirms when we fasten him into it.

Playing at Nanna and Grandpa Douglas's House... Swing!

Although it looks as if Daniel is serious in these photos, it is actually him having a wonderful experience in the swing.  This is a small swing, intended to be a travel swing, but it has been a much more useful swing than the full size version we have at our house. 

Daniel has gotten enjoyment from this swing from 4 weeks old until the present, 13 weeks.  He has been able to look up at the lights that blink as music plays and notice the fish details that are on the swing.  All of the swing's feature are within ten inches from Daniel's face. 

The swing we bought for him at our house is a rainforest themed swing.  It is a full size swing that rocks and swings in two different directions.  It also has music, but does not have lights.  It has a moving mobile that can be put about the seat.  Daniel had no interest in that swing until he was 6 weeks old.  At that point, he became aware of the jungle animal prints on the swing. He would stare at a blue cartoon elephant for quite some time!  At about 9 weeks, he became interested in the mobile.  I think his vision imporved to the point he could see that far and his neck muscles would allow him to look upward.  He seems to enjoy the swinging motion, but I cannot tell if he enjoys it more than just sitting on his bouncer chair or laying on the floor.

Couch Potato!

Our little Daniel loves to watch television.  I know its only the colorful, moving images and noises and not the plot lines or actors, so I am not worried he will turn into a couch potato!  Once he gets his leg muscles coordinated enough to crawl around, he'll not stay parked in front of the television for long! 

Rockin' the Tummy Time

Using his small whale pillow, Daniel is able to sustain his own head weight during tummy time!

Car Seat Naps

Daniel used to be able to fall asleep the second the car was in motion. Now, he has a love/hate relationship with his infant safety seat.

He hates the way the straps restrict his movement.
He loves the places the car seat will allow him to go.
He hates that he faces away from his parents.
He loves that he can see out the windows and notice light and colors.

Its a rare occasion that he falls asleep in his car seat these days, especially for a quick-across-town trip. However, he did fall asleep after moaning and crying a bit yesterday. We've got a few long car rides ahead of us, so hopefully he will find some rest (or amusement) in his safety seat.

More Morning Play Time

Daniel loves DWTS

Every Monday and Tuesday night, I tune into Dancing with the Stars.  Daniel usually is awake for the first half an hour or so.  He usually sits in the living room and watches the TV screen or me.  This week he was really vocal, especially during the judges comments!

Last season, he also participated in DWTS when he was just a fetus.  He danced and danced in utero!

"You are such a wiggly baby!".

Video taken on Wednesday, October 21.  He's just started rolling from side to side and talking in a loud voice!

Big Boy

He's growing.
He's growing into his fashionable jeans and tennis shoes.
He's growing in posture into his Bumbo chair.
He's growing in love in our hearts, too.

Laughing!

Though its not his first laugh exactly, I think its safe to say its his first week of laughing on command.  All we have to do is sing a little, tickle his chin, or laugh ourselves, and we get a giggle or a full out belly laugh!

Sometimes he is alone in a corner of a room or in his crib playing and I hear him laughing.  What a wonderful sound! 

Dear 10 Week Old Baby Dan,

You've become a delight, son. This week your father asked if you were the apple of my eye, a phrase which I found extremely funny at the time, and his question has stuck in my mind.

Your frequent smiles are delightful. I delight in the passersby who comment on my sweet baby with perfect features and a lovely complexion. Hearing your silly laugh and coos are daily delights.

The love and affection I feel towards you makes me keenly aware of God's love for me. I didn't quite realize this before you were in my life. I know that you aren't technically mine; that you have a life of your own and that life was created and given by God. But, I did play a large role in your development in the last year, so I can understand a bit what the wonder of our Creator God feels around His children. The love I feel for you, the good will I wish for your future, and the desire to keep you protected and happy is so intense, but it pales in comparison to the love God has for me (and you, too!).

In your tenth week of life, you have fully explored your fists and fingers. You nosily suck on them when you are hungry or bored. You do not actually put them into your mouth. Instead, you suck on your knuckles. Sometimes you have both hands up by your mouth at once and it looks as if you are trying to wedge both hands into your mouth.

The weather in mid-Missouri has been chilly and has prevented us from enjoying much time outdoors. You shiver and shudder in cold wind and snuggle deeper into the baby carrier or blanket. I've dressed you in one piece outfits as a way to keep you warm, so your torso to your legs are cozy in fleece. Its fun to watch you kick and play in these clothes. You seem much cuter this way, much more animated. Animated in both senses of the word... you are lively and you actually are as unbelievably cute as a cartoon baby.


In this week, I spent the longest time away from you to date. I left to spend time with a good friend from 9:45 am until 4:00 pm. I had planned to stay away until 6 pm, but I missed you too much. I knew you were safe and well loved with your father and his parents, but it just didn't feel right or normal to be so far away from you. Luckily, your auntie Amy understood and was eager to get back to you as well.


Your sleeping patterns still leave much to be desired through the night. I cannot seem to give you enough calories through the day to help you sleep longer than 3.5 hours at a time. Your naps have been quite short, too; often they are less than an hour. All the baby care books indicated that there is a range of normal and to expect rapid changes in a baby's schedule during growing times. So, this might mean you will not be a small baby for long! You'll probably be a medium sized baby within a month!

I estimate you are 13 pounds now, but you seem to get taller and stronger each day. You push up onto your feet when you sit on our laps, and with our help, you can stand somewhat balanced. You look so happy to view the world in a new way.

Your favorite toys are the mobile on your swing and your infant gym. You kick and reach for the toys and enjoy when the music plays. You have also started to notice your own face in mirrors, which is sweet. You gaze into your face, but you don't smile like you do when you look at our face. This must be somewhat confusing for you!


I have more love for you this week and more anticipation for your future in our home than ever before.

From, your mom.

Fingers Are Found...

And Possibly Tasty!

A Vocal and Pleasant Baby H

Video taken on Monday, October 12, 2009. 

Two Movies of Baby H's Current Physical Ability

I hope these videos show you how much he has grown and how well he can move about in his world!

Trusting Relationship

We have been together for nearly three months as a new family. We are starting to function more as a unit. As parents, we trust each other to keep our baby safe and comfortable in everything from baths to carseat rides to diaper changes. Our son is trusting us to take care of his basic needs and to hear him when he communicates hunger, boredom, or discomfort. We trust him to fall asleep on his own for most of his naps, communicate when he is hungry or needy, and to show us if he enjoys his life.

More and more, our son is becoming more cuddly. He makes eye contact with us. In a room full of other people, he looks for us. He visibly brightens at the sound of our voice. He is comfortable in our arms. We know how to soothe him and how to enterain him.

We have a trusting, familial relationship.