Week of January 29, 2007

Neil has started squealing in delight! His squeals are very amusing and loud! I thought he was a quiet one but oh, no! He is loud... he gets excited by the most mundane stuff - tickles on his belly, moving leaves on a tree, being strapped into the stroller in anticipation of his daily walks! He is a funny one.. every time he squeals, we burst out laughing. The best part about having a baby is being able to share his growing days with my mother (i.e. Neil's Domma). Its such a joy to watch her enjoy every moment with him. He is a riot and entertains us every single day. On superbowl sunday, however, his social element was put to test again. He wasnt happy when I took him to a friends place, although on the ride there he kept me amused with his usual squeals of delight (this time a Garfield stuffed pillow was his source of joy!). As soon as I walked in through my friends house front door his demeanor changed. He cried when friends held him and wasnt happy on the floor or in any ones arms. But of course, once I came back home, he was the king of the domain - happy to be in his familiar surroundings, happy to see people he recognized. Ah, the challenges of being a mommy! Now, I have to figure out how to make him more social.

Week of January 22, 2007

Neil is mastering his own schedule. I gave up on trying to get him to nap in the afternoon. He takes his naps in the mornings and evening. Afternoons seem to be the witching hour - no naps, only playtime. He is determined not to let his grandma sleep in the afternoon either! This weekend (Jan 27) we went to another kid's bday party. It was socializing time for Neil. He was jolly and pretty content so long as he was in his car seat. Neil has always been good in crowds up until this week. It was a revelation for me when someone came to cuddle him and pick him up. He started screaming bloody murder! It seems to me like he was in pain - so I tried calming him down, took off his clothes thinking it was maybe too warm for him and tried nursing him thinking he may be hungry! But uh-huh... nothing seemed to work! He calmed down on his own accord. And when finally he seemed to be smiling, I took him back into the party where he promptly threw a fit again when someone other than me held him! Whew! What a pain but for now he seems to be a complete anti-social animal.