Always Changing...

No matter how much you think you have it figured out, these little ones will constantly change on you... and it is so cool to see how he develops and grows, but it is also a bittersweet thing. Our little baby is getting more and more like a little man these days. Check it out:I love how he looks in "big boy clothes", and the whale shirt is my latest favorite!

As for other changes, he is sleeping tonight for the first time entirely WITHOUT a swaddle. Since he was teeny, we have taken the advice of The Happiest Baby on the Block and swaddled our boy, and it has been a very effective tool for us. At around 3.5 months old, we began swaddling with one arm out, and it was surprisingly successful. I believe that having one hand to move around was key in getting him to teach himself to self-soothe. After three or so more weeks, we began swaddling with both arms out-- kind of a weaning process. He has done great with this, and it seems like his startle reflex is really and truly gone by now. He uses both arms to play with the "lovey" blanket we have given him recently-- a small green square of satin-edged fleece with a lamb head in the center-- and this lovey is VERY effective for soothing. He'll pull it over his face, move it from one hand to the other, toss it from side to side, suck on it... eventually ending up asleep with it draped across his chest.
As for the swaddling, we had continued wrapping him snugly around his waist and loosely around his legs until tonight. He has gotten really mobile in his crib, kind of doing the Homer Simpson floor-circle thing in his going-to-sleep ritual, so that he ends up completely turned end for end when we go get him. I figured that since he is this mobile, he is fine without the security of that last bit of swaddling, so he is fast asleep in his crib in a yummy warm sleep sack instead... and NO problems whatsoever!

Another official personality trait? He DOES like his thumb. Check it out:

see it drifting to his mouth? Then he tastes it a bit, then... voila!

He is not avid about it, though. He typically does it when he is hungry or tired, but any other time he doesn't really even notice the option. He is also not really dedicated when he does it. He will suck or bite his thumb a bit, then pull it out and do other things like play with his other hand or a blankie or toy, and then take another moment to sample the thumb a bit more. So we'll see if this is truly something he'll do for months/years to come, or if it is just another brief exploration.

And he went to the doctor on Friday for a potential ear infection (which turned out to be nothing), and he has put on a whole pound in three weeks! Our little guy is now 14 lbs. 13 oz.-- officially in 3-6 month clothing, almost a month after the fact!

Ah-- changes... So fun, yet bittersweet: He's so big, so feisty, and so fun... And while I miss the teeny, snuggly, brand-new version of Noah, this version is ridiculously fabulous. I'll end with a video, so you can see for yourselves. We call this, "Tiny Dancer":