week 3

We celebrate Aiden's 3rd week in the world!

We're so conscious of how brief Aiden will remain a small bundle - he's already filled out the photo op All Blacks onesie from Paul and Kim (thanks again guys!) and we think it will only be another week or so before Aiden has to graduate to larger clothes.

And he's grown out of being swaddled this week (*sniff*), his umbilical cord dropped off 2 days ago, his eyes are starting to focus and his cheeks are filling out (not unlike Marlon Brando's jowls in The Godfather). Our baby is growing up! Next thing we know, he'll be off to college...

That means that Andy & I are loving every minute of being new parents and lapping up every facial expression (from a Dr. Evil-esque arched eyebrow to a grumpy sucking of his lower lip), every gurgle, every stinky diaper change (it's shocking what toxic fumes can emit from that tiny bottom), and yes, even every ear-piercing scream. We know that all of these moments are so fleeting, so we appreciate every single second of it.

I confess: it also helps that Aiden is oh-so-cute :)

sleep

Mae and Aiden sleeping like angels.

poetry in motion

Is Aiden...

1) Practicing the wushu "Crane flies from the reeds" technique
2) Playing air guitar
3) Signing semaphore for: "Get me outta here... who are these people?"

new all black

(click photo above for close-up)

I think the All Blacks victory in the tri-nations series was due to their latest supporter - pictured above. He wore the jersey for all of about 5 minutes before the nappy leaked, and it had to be changed.

Both Aiden and Mae are doing well, starting to settle into a routine. He was having snacking feeds during the day yesterday, but slept good 3-4 hour stretches at night, which Mae and I appreciated. My panda-like eyes in the photo above appreciate it too.

We had a few guests yesterday and today, so he's having a lot of practice at being sociable.

Oh, by the way, we have decided on the Aiden spelling of his name. :)

day 2 grumps

Aiden had a rough day today, after lulling us into a false sense of security on the first day. Most babies don't develop an appetite for a few days - to coincide with milk coming in. We think Aiden is a little keen to get on with things and wants a full tummy NOW! Tomorrow will be interesting - if he still shows no signs of jaundice, he'll be able to come home, otherwise it will be another day in hospital. Mae and I are practicing handling, burping him and swaddling, but achieving the same level of expertise as the nurses will take a great deal of practice indeed.