Weeks 7-8: Oscar starts getting awesome

Right about now is when Oscar has started becoming interactive.  Folks had said "babies start getting great right around 2 months old" - yet another piece of advice that I heard over and over, believed to be true, but didn't really truly appreciate until it happened.

I too have a laundry list of things I don't want to forget about Oscar's early days... and there's a lot of overlap with Jason's list.  But here goes mine:

• how Oscar always sneezes in pairs (like mom!) and the absolutely adorable little "ooh!" noise he makes after sneezing
• all the friends who have visited and said, unprompted, that Oscar is cute or handsome
• the dark downy fur on the back edge of his ears, like a little hobbit
• the intensity of his eyes when he's in a staring, alert phase - I've tried so many times to capture it with the camera, but it's just not the same. You can feel Oscar making all these new connections in his brain and body.
• how his arms flail about like the "danger Will Robinson!!" robot, out straight with clenched fists, it's like Oscar wants to hug you and punch you at the same time.  And the shaking arms are just super cute
• how the changing table is his favorite place in the entire house to hang out. Oscar will just lay there and look at the pictures on the wall and flail his arms
  
• Mr Fan.  Nothing quite like the contrast between dark brown ceiling fan and white ceiling to capture a newborn's attention.
• the strength in his little neck, even with that gigantic heavy outsized head; you really appreciate the strength when he's upset and you're trying to hold the little Oscar but he keeps banging his head against your collarbone in frustration
• the first social smiles. We knew for sure that his smiles were real (and not just a reflex or muscle spasm) watching him interact with Jessica, hot damn does he love that lady.  
  
• how he smiles after "dream feeding", it's totally genuine and extra beautiful because he is still asleep
• finding the equivalent of belly button lint between his thumb and index finger - Oscar clearly doesn't open that part of his fist very often
• realizing that he associates orientation with sounds he hears - whipping his head towards me when I speak from across the room, and looking at the speaker on the iPad when we talk to relatives on Skype, yep he looks at the location of the sound, not the people's faces (around 6 weeks old)
• taking a bath with Oscar and realizing he absolutely loves water - when can we start swim lessons?

gettin' a little help from my friends and neighbors

In September and October, Jason was out of town a lot - more Caribbean trips, Washington DC, and generally getting back into the swing of full-time work. Without Jason around, it would often be difficult to do simple things like buy groceries, take a shower, go to the doctor, or get any sort of exercise. Neighbors and friends to the rescue! Lots of people stepped up with visits, food, and assistance, but I've got to give the biggest props to neighbors Lisa and Amy. Anytime I needed a break, I could call them up and ask for baby holding duty. Lifesavers.

trip to Breckenridge

One of the (many) reasons I held off on having kids is because I wanted to wait until we had a lot of friends with kids. It takes a village, and I really wanted fellow parents with whom we could raise little outdoor shredders and spend time together doing the things we love. And it's worked out awesomely! By becoming parents, we've made new friends, turned some acquaintances into good buddies, and solidified old friendships.

We got one of our first (of many!) trips with friends in late September, when Ivete and Chris invited us up to their condo in Breckenridge for the weekend. Ivete and Chris had baby Reid only 5 days before Oscar was born, so we were set to share childcare duties and mutually early bedtimes while also enjoying the outdoors. The guys would babysit while the chicks went for a mountain bike ride, and vice versa. We also got some fall aspen colors, and took our little boys out on the town to a lovely dive bar. Great weekend!

Skype-tastic

Since most of our family are several states away, Skype has played a big role in Oscar getting to know his family and vice versa.  We typically set up the iPad in the living room and move it around as needed to show off Oscar's most cute activities.  What's super cool is that Oscar clearly recognizes faces on the iPad's screen, and watches them intently as people talk and coo at him.

Oscar's 2 month birthday

The little man doesn't stay up late enough to celebrate in style, so we had a cake on his behalf.