Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Adventures in Sleep Deprivation -- A First Update

As of yesterday, Oliver is 4 weeks old, and boy oh boy has life changed around here! Who knew that something so small could be so in control of an entire household! As exhausting as he is, he is every bit as wonderful.



My mom (Oliver's "Grandma J") came to visit on May 9th, and she was so helpful. She came over every day for a week and a half and hung out with Oliver and I, helping with meals and keeping us company. Oliver absolutely loved her, and I'm sure he misses his Grandma J now that she's gone back home to Canada.



On Sunday, May 13th, Oliver's Uncle Scot and Aunt Lisa came to visit with Oliver's cousin, Tessa. Tessa is 6 months old, but Oliver is nearly as big as she is. We took some pictures of the babies together, but they didn't seem to be too thrilled with the experience:







The rest of my family (Oliver's Grandpa Mikey, Aunt Michele, and Aunt Jasmine) came to join my mom on May 18th. It was great to see them, and we had so much fun together. Pictures from their visit are forthcoming, as soon as my dad sends them. :)

Oliver is somewhat of a fussy baby, much more than I was expecting. My mom always told me what a great baby I was, and that I deserved to have a good baby for my first one, so I just sort of assumed that my little Buddha baby would be just as happy and calm as I was. A lot of his fussiness stems from some digestive and eating issues. I think his tummy hurts a lot, and that's why he wants to be held all the time. He is also a very urgent eater. When he's hungry he'll give us a warning cry, which lets us know that if we don't get food in his head within the next 10 seconds, he is going to start screaming. He doesn't sleep through the night yet, but he only gets up once or twice a night these days, so I can't complain too much. I think sometimes he fusses so much just because he wants to come to bed with mom and dad, rather than go back to his own bed. He's so deceptively cute when he's sleeping...



Oliver is ridiculously developed for his age. He has been holding his own head up since the day he was born, and he is extremely alert and active. He doesn't sleep nearly as much as most new babies (much to his parents' chagrin), and he actually started to roll over when he was 3 weeks old. Rian and I know that we're absolutely in for it with this kid. The other day he was trying to scoot himself up onto his elbows and knees, in a crawling position. I just looked at him and said "Oh that is not even funny!" I keep hoping he'll slow down a bit and be a relaxed baby rather than the hyper and active newborn he's been.

He loves to sit in his swing, which we have nicknamed "third parent":







I just absolutely love his little pair of jeans. I think there is not much cuter than a baby in a little pair of jeans.

Oliver has started to smile often, and nothing melts my heart more than his little grin. It's mischievous, like he's up to something...



Although my little sleepysaurus yawning is another of my favorite expressions...



So...not much else to say. So far so good, I suppose. Rian and I are enjoying our little guy, and can't wait to see what new things every day will bring. Oliver is napping now, so I'll add one final picture and sign off for now. Perhaps I'll relax a bit before he wakes up...

2 comments:

Stacey said...

I seriously am crying right now, I'm so happy for you guys. You both look so great with your giant. He's SO big! I can't even believe it! Andrea, I'm super happy that you posted a pic with your belly, I SO wanted to see that. Rian, I'm sure you're the greatest dad that ever lived, and remember our conversation on the day of your Okotoks reception?? Now the week of Ani's b-day, mother's day, and your aniversary are also all very close to the baby's b-day. Good luck on getting out of debt from that couple of weeks by Christmas!! But now, you get a daddy's day as well. I miss the two of you so much, I'm trying to figure out when I can get down there during this busy summer. I can't wait to see him, even if it has to wait till Christmas. At that rate, he'll be walking by then. Either way, I'm now sending all THREE of you my undying love and support, and I miss you all terribly. Love tons and tons...

Cindy said...

I heard you brought Oliver into eBay yesterday. I'm so JEALOUS! He looks beautiful. Congrats to you and Rian :-)