Sleeping Through the Night

This week was a big week for Louis and his parents because he slept for more than six hours without waking up to eat. One day he was waking up about every three hours and then next he slept more than six, and that was that. He hasn't looked back.  I didn't realize the change would be so sudden.

Boppy

Turns out, there is more than one way to use a "boppy". This donut shaped pillow makes tummy time a little less frustrating. And it also makes a nice headrest.

Rattle

In the past week or two we have observed Louis reaching out to touch a specific toy. Along with this new skill he is getting much better at grabbing and holding on to things like fingers, necklaces, and clothes.

In this video Matt helps Louis grab onto a rattle. He's very good at holding on to it, which is actually a bad thing in this case because it looks like what he wants to do is suck his hand and the rattle just gets in the way.

New Crib

Louis got a new crib last weekend. He's been sleeping in it all week and everything seems to be going smoothly. These photos show Louis taking it for a test run.

Good Morning

Louis loves his changing table. This video was taken in the morning after he just woke up, when he is especially excited to have his diaper changed (although he gets pretty excited at other times of day too). I'm not sure what's so fun about the changing table but I think part of it has to do with the stuffed animals we've hung directly above him. Maybe it's also the softness of the pad, the height of the table, and the attention he gets. He's not wearing any clothes in this video because he just peed on his clothes (and the wall, and the changing table, and the flannel cloth that was previously underneath). It could be that having no clothes on also adds to the fun. As you can imagine, energetic kicking does not expedite diaper changing or getting dressed. And Louis consistently moves his legs in the opposite direction of what we request (he thinks "legs up" means legs straight down and "legs down" means legs bent up towards him.)

Oxford and Pittsburgh

On our way home from Dayton we visited Oxford, Ohio, where Miami University of Ohio is located – Matt’s alma mater. We had a lovely stay at the Miami Inn and had breakfast at the Morning Sun Café.

These pictures are from the part of campus where the Western program was located.

We bought a Miami sweatshirt for Louis that will fit him in about a year. (Louis was unavailable for photos due to his napping schedule.)

We spent New Years Eve in Pittsburgh, PA.  We walked to the First Night party and saw some live music in the street, in an art museum and in a loft owned by a radio station (pictured below).  We discovered from these night time photos that the rain cover for our stroller has nice reflectivity.

Visiting Friends and Family

Aunt Natalie came to visit for a couple days before Christmas. She got to spend some time with Louis and also meet baby Alice.

On Christmas Eve we drove to Cleveland to attend the Russell family Christmas party. Louis had a great time and let all his relatives hold him. In the pictures below Louis is in the arms of his great grandma Mary, his great aunt Sandy, and his second cousin Morgan. Also pictured are Cameron, Scott, Grant, and Elise (left to right).

While in Cleveland Louis got to meet many of his parents’ friends. In the pictures below Louis is hanging out with (left to right, top to bottom) Eamonn, Julie, Brian, Brandon, and Adam.

After Christmas we traveled to Dayton to visit Mike, Emily, and Evelyn. Evelyn was very excited to see baby Louis again. She talked about him a lot and wanted to hold him and be near him.

Alice's Blessing

On Friday, December 23rd, we traveled to the Hicks' home in Virginia to attend Alice's blessing.

Here Norah is asking Matt if she can hold her baby sister.

Norah got to visit with Louis for the third time in a week.