8 Weeks Old

8 weeks old tomorrow! I was just telling Jonas yesterday that I can't believe two months of my maternity leave have already gone by. Time does fly by quickly, even though there are days when I feel like I don't accomplish anything.

I am in awe everyday of how big Griffin is getting, and how his boyish looks are coming in. I can sit and stare at his face for an undetermined length of time. His many facial expressions make me laugh so much. He is such an expressive little guy, both physically and verbally. He is not shy about letting you know when he is happy about something......or when he is not. Jonas and I think he is very dramatic......not sure where he gets that from :) Generally, he is a very laid back baby. He is quite content and peaceful most of the time. The only thing that really agitates him is when he is hungry. Or if he has gas. Besides being laid back, he can also be a bit demanding where if he wants something, he wants it NOW. We're hoping he will outgrow that demanding stage at some point in his life.

In general, I think Jonas and I got super lucky with him. He still wakes up for his night feedings, but we finally, finally have him on somewhat of a schedule. I almost don't dare to write about it, just in case I jinx it. We start to wind him down by early evening. By this, I mean we try not to take him out of the house past 6 pm. This gives us just enough time to eat/cook dinner, spend some more time with him (which usually includes more feedings before bed, and usually another nap in the early evening). He will usually have one more big feeding and then falls asleep somewhere between 10-11. It is quite the process, the hours between 6-10, but establishing a schedule and pattern for Griffin seems to be working. Some people may call me anal and ridiculous for doing this, but when you are sleep-deprived, I think you will try anything to have some consistency in your life. Then he will do two feedings in the middle of the night, where Jonas and I take turns, and he will wake up for his day anywhere between 5-8 am. It has finally gotten to a point where Jonas and I do not feel so much like zombies during the day anymore. But by dinner time or early evening, both of us are done. Unfortunately, this also meeans that we have no social life after 6 pm. But I can willingly sacrifice it for any amount of sleep I can get right now.

Some of his 8 week old milestones are:
- he has discovered that his neck muscles work, and can hold his head up on his own. Of course, it is still a bit wobbly, but I feel so proud everytime I see him trying to hold his head up on his own. The first time I saw him do this, he was on Jonas' shoulder and his head was not resting on Jonas. I applauded him, and from that point on, he keeps trying to do it on his own.
- his smiles have increased. At the start of every day, I say 'Good morning!' I am greeted by a big, toothless smile every single morning that includes his eyes too. So I keep saying it, 'Good morning! Good morning! Good morning!' Just so I can see those smiles. Sometimes he will smile at me randomly too. The other day while he was lying on my lap, I looked down at him and he gave me a big smile. Those smiles make my day, and no matter how crappy you feel, nothing in the world compares to it.
- I caught him sucking on his thumb yesterday. Of course, he puts all of his fingers in his mouth, but I saw him go right for the thumbs first.
- he has discovered shapes, colors etc. Unfortunately, this means he is mesmerized by the tv. Yes, I know that a lot of parents would highly disapprove of this. I do too, to a certain degree. But at this age, I don't think it is particularly harmful. And I don't think he even realizes what he is looking at. He can sit and watch tv for about 1/2 an hour, and not even budge. He also has a fascination with our wall. I am not sure why, but he can also sit and stare at it for a very long time.

We are so in love with our little guy, and all of his hugs and cuddles. My only regret is that 8 weeks have gone by, and it feels like I have hardly taken any pictures or videos. I don't even know if I have an updated 8 week picture to attach to this post. This is something that I will need to work on, before time slips by.