The fleeting smile...

I've been trying to catch Dashiell's charming little smile on film, with very little luck! Even when he's at his most active and happy, as soon as I get out the camera he freezes. The closest I've gotten is with these two little videos I took with my phone. I'm hoping they show up ok since I've never posted a video before! Sorry the second one is so dark, and given the fact that these are from my phone the quality isn't the best, but they're still cute, IMHO. Enjoy!

Mother's Day

First off, Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers, mothers-to-be, and mother-wanna-be's (especially to you--I've been there and know this can be a rough day to get through...).

So far my mother's day has been fantastic--the fact that Dashiell is here to celebrate with us is the best gift I could ever ask for (as was the good night's sleep we got last night, and the tasty breakfast Rick made for me...). Last year's mother's day was a sad reminder of the baby we lost just a few months earlier. I couldn't imagine that just a year later I'd have this awesome little guy snoozing in a sling on me. Needless to say, I feel pretty blessed this year.

Update on Dash's fussiness: we've discovered a few more tricks that have made him a much happier baby: I mentioned the vacuum last post--we found an hour-long recording on itunes of a vacuum! Woo-hoo! And the sling helps immensely, he's so content when he's all snuggled up like that! Shh-shh-shh-ing (stuttered like a heartbeat) works too, though it works best while bouncing and sucking on a pacifier (he's the one sucking the paci, not me...). So the past few days have been much more pleasant, now that we feel like we can effectively calm Dashiell when he starts to freak out. Whew!

Hope you all are having a wonderful day--

-Suzi

Just for my Minnesota peeps...

Since the last picture was of Dashiell in a Red Sox onesie, I thought it only fair to post a photo of him in a Twins onesie as well. It's funny how many sports-related items of clothing Dashiell has, considering how un-sportsy Rick and I are. :-) But now he at least has a fighting chance of fitting in around here! Well, if we keep him out of the Twins gear, that is...

Dash is starting to get more fussy in the afternoons and evenings, which is not so fun. I'm beginning to wonder if he's a bit colicky. But we're using our "Happiest Baby on the Block" tips (swaddling, white noise, swaying, etc) and bringing him outside almost constantly, which all seems to help somewhat.

Speaking of being fussy, our little man is working himself up as I write! I suppose I need to be a good mother and at least try to calm him down! Later--

-Suzi

Time Management, or lack thereof

So throughout my adult life I've always considered myself a pretty well organized person who has managed her time fairly well. NO MORE!! Throw an infant into the mix and suddenly I just can't get anything done! Ok that's not totally correct--obviously what I've been doing is taking care of Dashiell, which is a fine way to spend my time, but all the things I used to do have fallen to the wayside. Take this blog, for instance! It's been two weeks since I've even looked at it! But now that Dash is a month old, I feel like I should at least post a new picture! I've also fallen completely behind on my email as well (sorry all of you who are waiting for me to write back!).

Stuff we've discovered lately: Dashiell loves the vacuum cleaner! Turn it on when he's fussy and within seconds he's calm. It's a good trick! Same with riding in the car or going for walks. We're still working on the swing and the baby carrier, but he's slowly warming up to them.

fyi, according to our pediatrician he's growing like a weed! He's currently 10 lbs 4.8 oz and 23" long--wow!!

Speaking of our little guy, it sounds like he's ready for his bedtime snack! I'll try to post a few more pictures soon, I promise!

-Suzi