Carter's First Weeks at Home

Friday, April 9th, 2010: Two excited parents head north on Lake Shore Drive with their three day old son strapped safely into his infant car seat. Their destination - home to Roscoe Village.

Since his homecoming, Carter and his parents have enjoyed many of the ups and downs of life with baby (and beagle!) Speaking of the beagle, Killa has wowed all of us with her ability to adjust. While she doesn't enjoy Carter's full volume howls and retreats to her crate more frequently than in the pre-baby days, she's still enjoying snuggles with Mom and Dad and her new baby brother, as evidenced by the included picture...

Grandparents Mimi and Pa Pa Chris and grandma Nana all shared precious moments with their first grandson over the past week. Mimi has been holding photography sessions with Carter on an almost daily basis, capturing the ephemeral curled fetal state which, amazingly, is already a thing of the past; Carter has started stretching his legs out straight, whereas the first few days, they were constantly pulled up into a frog position. Perhaps the most astounding accomplishment is that our little guy, since day three, has been holding his head up on his own. At first it was for very short periods of time, but today, during a tummy time photo session, he hunched up on his elbows and lifted his head and turned it from side to side. Our pediatrician saw him accomplish a similar feat last Wednesday at his first pediatric appointment and recommended we baby proof our house early!

Although he has the tendency to squawk and squirm through diaper changes (and often merits "costume changes" when he surprises us with a strong geyser of pee), Carter is a snuggly, affectionate, happy little guy who sleeps most soundly when cradled into the crook of his Daddy's arm. He recognizes his Mommy's voice and follows her with his eyes when she moves around a room. His favorite phrase seems to be "Whoa, Nelly!" which is Kathleen's constant exclamation when changing his diaper or calming him down; this simple expression works every time. After a few days of frustrating feeding sessions, Carter and Kathleen have become old pros at nursing, and you could set your watch by how precisely he wakes up to eat - every two hours.

We've enjoyed so many special moments this week - taking a short walk with beagle, grandparents, and baby boy in his Snap 'n Go around our neighborhood, watching a couple of Cubs games on tv with Carter napping in our arms, and even the occasional highlight of sleep! Carter officially enters his third week of life on Wednesday, and we can't wait to see how he'll delight us next.