Six Weeks!

This is my surprised look! 

Ethan must've known that daddy was out of town and he needed to go easy on his mommy because we had a great week! Now's the time for me to brag on my little man - every night this past week he slept 6-7 hours straight! Friday night, he even slept from 10:30pm-8am! It's so nice (and rewarding!) to see a loose schedule taking place. His eating schedule is every three hours - it's funny how he can be napping and he just knows when to wake up and eat. I've been reading a popular book called "BabyWise" that emphasizes the importance of getting into a routine with your newborn. Most experts say a schedule won't start to form until six weeks of age so I'm really pleased with Ethan's behavior so far. I'm halfway through the book right now and so far the main thing I've learned is the feeding/wake time/nap time routine. Most people think a nap should immediately follow a feeding session. However, the older Ethan gets the more he'll be awake. Now, after he eats we do various activities for wake time - lay him on the play mat, lay in crib and watch the little aquarium toy that plays music, tummy time (which I have a funny story about later), etc. Then, I try and put him down for a nap. The book talks about how you should lay them down awake (and sleepy) - not when they are already asleep. This will be my 'experiment' for the next week because right now I've been holding him until he's sound asleep. Today, we had major success with this new concept though. After he played for awhile, I put him in his car seat in his crib while he was sleepy. Even though he was fussy and cried, he eventually fell asleep and took a great nap. Did the same thing later where I put him in his pack-n-play while he was still awake and then he fell asleep for a nap. Hopefully, this trend continues! It all leads to a happy baby that sleeps through the night - and also happy parents!

Who needs exercise?

Tummy time is highly recommended so babies can strengthen their neck muscles and learn to crawl faster. The first couple times we did tummy time, Ethan hated it - cried and cried until I picked him up (was letting him do it for a couple minutes). Well, starting this week he loves tummy time - as in, I lay him down and he falls ASLEEP! Haha, this is supposed to be a stimulating exercise, but not for this boy! He said, "Mommy, I've been strong from day one. I don't need tummy time exercises!" It's the funniest thing. I rub his back and pat his bottom and it's so soothing to him. Last night, he fell asleep in the middle of the floor and was oblivious to everything going on around him! He takes after his mommy who loves to sleep on her tummy!

Me & My Boys!

Ethan had his first play date with his friend Cooper this week. Cooper was born three days after Ethan and it's really fun to have a friend the same age. His mommy Kelsey and I get to compare notes and see all the similarities between the two. He also got to play with cousin Jayden and friend Ella this weekend as well. Ethan's a popular boy as we have two more play dates set up for this coming week with Landon (8 months) and Elijah (5 1/2 weeks)!

Ethan really does get cuter by the day. I've just started to notice how full his cheeks are now and how big his belly is (finally)! He loves to stare into your eyes, he loves to furrow his brow and look like he's so concerned about something, he loves to eat his hands, and most importantly he loves to be bundled up and snuggle with anyone who will hold him! We love him to pieces!