A few days after our last post, we decided it was time to take the stroller out. And with the cold weather, there was only one place that made sense - the mall! So we packed up the baby, and off we went. It was the first time that we needed to NOT have the infant carrier, and it was difficult to figure out the logistics of that. Nate ended up dropping us off at the door, and I ran in with him wrapped in my jacket. But we had a fun afternoon of rolling around showing the baby new things. Once he got overwhelmed, he promptly fell asleep.
It has been amazing the last month to watch his dexterity grow. He is still frustrated because he can't control his hands and arms as much as he would like, but he gets a bit better every day. He has a little crinkly monkey with plastic chewable feet that we called Crinkle Monkey. We would lay Crinkle Money on his chest and he would want it in his mouth, so he would use his arms to try and move it. At first he used straight arms, only moving them at his shoulders, giving the impression that he was hugging the monkey. Now, only a little over a month later, he can grab the monkey with his hands and move it toward his mouth. He's not coordinated enough to put something into his mouth without missing a few times first, but is getting much closer!
Because he is more able to interact with the world, we suddenly have to be aware of what is in the range of his hands all the time! For instance, this was the other morning when we got distracted cleaning up a dirty diaper while a clean diaper sat, tauntingly within reach. Straight into the mouth.
Although he's getting better at grabbing and moving his arms, his fingers are another story. He has sucked his thumb once, mostly on accident. Most of the time, we find him like this:
One thing that makes me laugh is when people ask me how things are going. I was driving with my co-worker a few weeks ago, and we were chatting about her school and an upcoming internship. Then she asked how things were with my life, and all I could think to respond was:
Harrison splashed in the bathtub. On purpose. And smiled.
We are super lucky that many of our friends are going through the same things with us. I feel like less of an idiot texting Becca or Monica about how Harrison is holding his head up like a PRO today. It's crazy the small things that you get excited about, and how excited you get! One good squeal makes the sun shine on a cloudy day.
We had a really great time in Alabama with family. Everyone brings their own unique flavor to Harrison's life, and he loves all of it. Papa (my dad) tells him to Zip It, with a laugh and a big smile. He must like the z sound, because this delights him. Grandpa Tom likes to go to different places in the room and call his name, to see if Harrison can find him and how long it takes. It was really fun to watch this develop in the time that we were there. Grandma Kathy was the queen of cuddles. Nana (my mom) was up for anything. Dangling Mardi Gras beads for him to grab? Tummy time with a PT twist? Walking and humming? She's on it. I think she got him to sleep more often than we did while we were together.
Gah! And now the baby is awake and we must go attend to His Tiny-Highness (now shortened to His Tiness). Sending all of our love to you!
-Justine, Nate and Harrison
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