I was woefully inexperienced in the matter of pregnancy and babies.
When G was born, the first thing I said was, "He looks like an alien!" Because he did. He was slimy and had dark almond-shaped eyes with no eyelashes (now he still has dark almond-shaped eyes but with eyelashes that are black, thich, and a half inch long). He looked at me all squinty like and gave the pout that today he still gives. Then he cried and I tired to hold him, which got me all slimy too.
Luckily, I'd read up enough that I kinda knew what to do for breastfeeding and such. I never the basics of baby-rearing. But I hadn't held a baby in oh-so long for more than a few minutes, and I certainly hadn't been around one for 24/7. Alone. (The alone came later, of course, once my mom left and Dave went back to work.)
G's personality has been evident from the beginning. I love to talk about his little personality quirks because they show me that my little baby was his own self right from the start. And that's just awesome.
What He Loves
1. To have you notice him. He'd much rather stare at a face than a toy. And if you return his eye contact, his face lights up, he opens up a giant grin, his arms and legs start to flail, and he'll literally squeal at you with happiness. You noticed me!
2. The boob. He's loved to stay on the boob for long periods of time and he'd probably stay on longer if that pesky milk didn't keep coming out. He's a champion eater. Introducing a paci was pretty much prescribed by our pediatrician to give me a break when he was 2 weeks old. He took to a bottle with ease as well.
3. To stand. We've been letting him stand with assistance since his two-month appointment when the pedi showed us that he could. He loves this more than anything. His face simply glows. Really.
4. To sleep on his stomach, kinda sideways, with his head thrown back across our arm. It looks so uncomfortable but this is how he maneuvers himself for naptime when he sleeps on us. But he'll take long naps this way, so who knows.
5. To chat. When he turned 6 weeks to the day, my babycake woke up, gave me a biiig smile, and started to coo at me on the changing table. He hasn't shut up since. We had a really long conversation today about my lunch.
6. The TV. We have to be careful if it's on while he's in the room because he will stay glued to it if he's turned toward the monster. It doesn't matter what you're watching either. He loves it.
What He Hates
1. Diaper. must. be. changed. He hates having his diaper wet or dirty. He's getting better about this as he gets
older, but for a while we were going through at least 25 diapers a day. As soon as he would pee, he'd scream. Nowadays, he's okay with the pee but not with the poop. I feel awesome if I only change one diaper an hour.
2. To be left alone for too long. He's getting better about this, but I'm much more likely to get to finish eating lunch if I sit next to him while he's on his play mat. He loves to watch me eat.
3. Being strapped into the car seat. But he falls asleep almost every time in less than a minute. Hahaha.
4. Having his clothes changed. Something about the shirt going over his head freaks him out. He can go from a good mood to howling in a matter of seconds. If he's in a really good mood, he might just pout about it. Poor baby.
5. Taking a nap sometimes. Other times he'll settle and go right to sleep in a few minutes. But sometimes he fights it with all he's got, even if it's been four hours since he slept. He did that just now, but the bouncy seat won.
6. Tummy time. It pissed him off so much when he tries to roll and can't. And if he has a bit of a wet diaper, forget about it. No way is he going to lay on top of a soggy diape. He'll raise up his head and give you the unhappiest face ever.
I could go on and on, but maybe I should be a little productive while he's actually passed out on something other than me.
He is so amused by me, yes?
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