The Harvey Family: Blake

I can't believe there is only one week left until I go back to work. It is sad that I won't be there for a lot of the new things Blake will be doing from here on out. It will be tough to get used to a new schedule where I spend so many hours out of the day either on my way to, at, or way home from work. I hate thinking that someone else might know my baby better than I do... I know it will be for the best and it is something I knew was coming but will never be fully ready to face.

On a random note, I was finally able to get my wedding band back on this week, woohoo! It is super tight and making a mark in my finger but I'm totally ok with that. =)

This week, Blake:

has started exploring things with his mouth. When I burp him he likes to bounce his head on the burp cloth with his mouth open. He also does this on my shirt which used to mean he was still hungry so it's hard to know which one he's doing.
had his first official blow-out diaper which got the back of his onesie nice and soiled.
seems to enjoy his walks in the stroller even more, but he typically just falls asleep. I think he likes the jiggling motion that the stroller on the sidewalk provides. He tried opening his eyes a few times but it is too bright outside unless it's late in the evening. We got him some baby sunglasses to protect his eyes during bright daylight hours but they're still a little too big.
decided that the swing is acceptable again... thank goodness! It allows us to eat dinner in the evenings and sometimes gives me a few minutes break during the day.
still hates tummy time but practices his neck strength when I burp him. He can hold his head up on his own for a long time now unless he lets it fall to far to the side, then it's too much for him to hold.
can hold his body weight with his legs (I'm convinced, but have no way to test this theory). If we had some way to hold his head up (I'm picturing the head brace from the guy at the end of the movie Office Space... the Jump to Conclusion Mat guy) I bet he'd do well in the jumperoo. =)
has needed to be swaddled in the evenings this week. He's started to be super fussy after being fed and his diaper changed and the swaddle has helped along with a couple other tactics from The Happiest Baby on the Block. Swaddle, side, and shake (jiggle) seem to work for him... sometimes he needs his paci to suck as well. We recommend this DVD to any new parents out there!
has started grabbing things with his hands a lot more. He will hold onto our fingers for a while and likes to open and close his hands repeatedly to feel what he's holding on to. He also grabs the burp cloth and pulls it off our shoulders when we feed him a bottle.
has been shedding his hair and has a newer full head of hair coming in. It looks like it might be pretty light in color since his eyebrows are blonde as well.
seems to like his baths in the baby tub. It is fun family time as Mommy cleans one body part at a time and Daddy keeps the rest covered up with a warm towel. The warm water seems to relax him which is always a good thing. This boy seems to be wound up pretty tight most nights (hence the need for the swaddle).
got an eye infection this week. We still don't know what caused it but it could have just been Blake scratching his eye lid with his razor nails. We had started using his antibiotic eye drops again, for his yellow eye goop, the day before so we thought maybe he developed a reaction to them. Luckily after stopping the drops and putting mittens on him, the next day it cleared up.

Pics this week:

Getting ready to go out for a walk in the stroller.

The second diaper change of the day seems to be the time when Blake is happiest. He loves being on his changing table and pumps his legs and flaps his arms like he's a bird. He coos and smiles and I tried to get a couple pictures.

We gave Blake his first dose of medicine for his acid reflux when he got super worked up after eating. He settled down pretty quickly and even let me give him a manicure while he was awake and calm! Then he fell asleep for a while. <3