Category: Xander

In his twenty-second week, Xander is: having a blast rolling around on the floor from back to belly and from belly to back; eating two tablespoons of organic rice cereal in the mornings and in the evenings and loving it (this is probably THE most excited he gets during the day to the exception of bath time); tracking with a few new signs (eat, more, book, music, bath, and massage); enjoying his musical mobile; starting to wake every 5 to 6 hours at night (instead of every 3 to 4 hours)…yay!!!!; and discovering his first favorite toy (his orange and blue teething blanket)

At twenty-one weeks, Xander is: rolling over from his back to his belly (go, Xan-Man!); getting his knees up underneath him during tummy time (he’s actually been doing this for months now); rocking his bouncy seat with his fast and furious kicks; and (maybe) starting a return to sleeping for longer stretches during the day and at night.

In his twentieth week, Xander is: trying his darnedest to pull up to a sitting position and to roll over from his back to his belly; FINALLY learning how to fall asleep in the car (yay!!!); enjoying walks in the stroller; continuing to take a keen interest in Petra and all of her goings on; and laughing out loud at Jonas playing the harmonica.

At nineteen weeks, Xander is: launching headlong into teething; trying solid foods with a little bit of organic rice cereal (although he’s very enthusiastic about it, he’s not quite ready yet…so we’ll give it another go in a few more weeks); rocking his bouncy seat with his hearty kicks; really working on his attempts to roll over from his back to his belly; smiling every time MaMa lowers him into the bathtub for his bath; and playing games (it’s amazing…he puts his hand in MaMa’s mouth so she’ll play like she’s eating it, laughs out loud, pauses and smiles, and then does it again).

In his eighteenth week, Xander is: playing with his hands and feet: blowing raspberries; and reaching for and successfully grabbing toys (he regularly pulls the musical toy on his bouncy seat arch).

At seventeen weeks, Xander is: holding on to his pacifier and his bottle; starting to develop a little bit of separation anxiety; waking up at the most inopportune times (i.e. three o’clock in the morning) to socialize; and cooing/talking himself to sleep while he’s being rocked.

In his sixteenth week, Xander is: really coming into himself personality-wise; easing off of his growth spurt a little bit now that he’s figured out how to roll over (thankfully…phew, that was a long one!!!); starting to scratch and feel different textures; and chatting it up in his crib when he wakes up in the morning and pretty much anytime he’s awake.

In his fifteenth week, Xander is: tanking back his milk; continuing to layer on the personality with exuberant kicks, conversation, and smiles; laughing out loud; enjoying the view, facing out in the Baby Bjorn; and rolling over (from his belly to his back).

In his fourteenth week, Xander is: loving sleeping in his crib in his nursery; laughing out loud to Pat-A-Cake; and cooing and talking with such a sweet tone that it truly sounds musical.

At thirteen weeks, Xander is: adorably crooking his arm around his bottle, while holding onto it with one hand and holding onto my hand with the other; responding well to MaMa’s new dairy free diet; taking his first road trip (to Virginia to visit Grandma and Grandpa and to be baptized); lengthening his awake time during the day; giving us an eight hour night’s sleep; being introduced to his first three signs (milk, change, and sleep) and taking a keen interest in them; rocking his bouncy seat with his hearty kicks; and almost laughing out loud at Sandra Boynton’s Barnyard Dance.

In his twelfth week, Xander is: smiling and talking all the time; working through a possible dairy allergy; and giving us a seven hour night’s sleep.

In his eleventh week, Xander is: starting to nurse a little bit again (yay!!!); hitting another growth spurt; and champing out with tummy time (holding his head up at a surprising angle, doing a mini push up, and even getting a knee up underneath himself every now and then).

In his tenth week, Xander is: giving us a six hour night; moving his bedtime a bit earlier and enjoying his bedtime routine; and starting to carry on conversations with an adorable little “guh”, a sideways smile, and an eyebrow raise.

At nine weeks, Xander is: growing like a weed (we cracked up when we discovered that he already had size 2 feet, when we were consignment sale shopping a few weeks ago); passing his hearing screen (yay!!!); strengthening his suction every day with his bottles of breastmilk (we meet with lactation next week and are hopeful he’ll be able to nurse again soon); and emerging as quite the little clock when it comes to his daily routine of eating and sleeping.

At eight weeks, Xander is: smiling every time you look at him, talk to him, or smile at him; enjoying naps in the Bjorn on our evening neighborhood walks, especially now that the weather is cooling off a bit; and starting to move his arms and legs with much gusto (I always wonder where he’s going) in his wakeful moments.

At seven weeks, Xander is: really becoming quite the little clock with his wakeful times, eating habits, and sleeping patterns; continuing to work on his nursing skills (thanks to Betty, the dear lactation consultant at Vanderbilt, who is graciously walking with us through the process); and stealing my heart when he smiles at me behind his bottle.

In his sixth week, Xander is: continuing to eat and sleep like a champ; holding his head up with surprising strength; and smiling whenever he hears Jonas’ voice.

At five weeks, Xander is: sleeping through the night more times than not (the five hour kind…and we are totally thankful and AMAZED); enjoying his bottles of breastmilk while we work through our nursing issues; smiling and cooing quite a bit; and emerging as quite the “soul searcher”.

At four weeks, Xander is: starting to coo; tracking really well with his eyes; hitting a bit of a snag with nursing (but we’re working on it); and taking several good naps a day in his pack-n-play.

In his third week, Xander is: passing his birth weight; hitting a bit of a growth spurt; and enjoying his bouncy seat and hanging out with MaMa in the Baby Bjorn for toodling around the house, running errands, and taking walks.