To sleep.....or not to sleep

Kane has settled into somewhat of a sleeping routine these days. He is usually up around midnight, four and then is ready to rise and shine around seven. I told him that we could sleep in on the weekends but he isn't having it. One of my favorite things is watching Kane at night, waiting in his boppy lounger for his bottle with bright and excited eyes because he knows what is coming. I would prefer it happen only one time a night though! I am waiting for the day when he sleeps a little bit longer periods of time. I really can't complain too much though because he is the best baby in the world....in my opinion.

7 weeks old

Kane is becoming more alert and interactive each day. We love our time in the morning where we sit and talk about all sorts of things. He blows spit bubbles and works so hard to get little sounds to come out. Kane has great facial expressions and wide eyes that tell exactly how he is feeling at any given point in time. Every day he spends time on his colorful play mat looking at the different animals and colors hanging above his head. When it comes to "tummy time" Kane gets a little upset. He doesn't like being stuck face down! He is able to lift his head and has twice been so furious that he rolled from his stomach to his back. He is very advanced you know!
Kane loves to eat and is growing like a weed. He is around 12 pounds right now and has grown out of most of his newborn clothes. It is sad to have to put clothes in storage that he has only worn a couple of times. He is wearing a lot of his 3 month old clothes and has grown into bigger diapers. Kane will be 8 weeks old on Saturday and I'm glad we are to this point because things seem to get easier every day. I will probably regret saying that....

Smiles

Kane has recently started smiling at us. He has always smiled in his sleep, but these days he is interacting and engaging with us. It is the most amazing thing to watch his face light up when you talk to him. He is definitely able to see and track objects and faces better every day. He is very interested in lights and bright colored objects. We can't wait to see what the next couple weeks will bring as far as connecting with our little guy.

Future best buddies

This week Kane and I went to visit the Flowers' for the first time in a while. Its kind of cool to see how much these little guys change in just a week. It is nice to have friends that are going through the same experiences and be able to compare notes. Mack is 3 weeks older than Kane which is quite a bit at this point in their lives, but soon enough they will be causing trouble together. I don't know if the Wenatchee valley is prepared for another generation of Hoglunds(Duncans) and Flowers, but here they come!

First road trip

We took our first road trip to Seattle on Saturday. It was quite the experience. We woke up nice and early (4:30 a.m.) so we would have time to get all three of us ready to head over the pass by 6:00 a.m. Of course we were out of the house by 6:30! The passes were snowy and needless to say we were stressed the whole way over. It is amazing how things change when you have precious cargo in the car. Kane slept the entire drive over, which was very convenient.
It was a great day in Seattle. We went to the Audi dealership and got my car serviced and went and looked at pianos for Brandon. We tested out the stroller in the mall and the Baby Bjorn at REI. My how things have changed. Shopping and spending the day in Seattle is not the same with a new baby. Navigating the mall, feeding him bottles, and finding bathrooms to change diapers were the highlights of our trip. We are such rookies! Kane did great spending most of his time sleeping and checking out the sights. We have the best baby!!!
We had planned on driving home that day but things did not go accordingly. The mountain passes were snowy and we didn't want to drive over late at night so we got a hotel room. We were very unprepared to stay overnight. Brandon and I had no clothes to change into or anything for that matter. Kane on the other hand had three different outfits, blankets, socks, hats, diapers, wipes, bottles, etc. The night actually went fairly well and the passes were clear on the way back home. It was a memorable first road trip and next time we will be sure and plan for the unexpected.

Bath time

Kane loves to take a bath! The instant he hears the water running he quiets down and becomes very alert, even if he is upset. We have found that laying a wet washcloth over him helps him feel warm and secure. He splashes and tries to put his wet hands in his mouth to suck his fingers or thumb when we pour the water over him. I think he feels like he is back in the womb! I hope that his bathing experiences are always this pleasant.

Lazy boy

Kane and I went on our first walk yesterday with Grandma Duncan (Ha that sounds funny!) in our fancy stroller! It was a beautiful day but Kane missed it because he slept the entire time. I can't wait for him to get a little bigger and stronger so we can go running with the jogging stroller and eventually ride behind my new bike. Maybe by then he will enjoy being out and active as much as I do.
This week Kane has been sleeping a little better. Last week we broke down and started giving him a bottle of breast milk to settle him down before bed and he enjoys this because he doesn't have to work to get a full tummy. No offense but he is a LAZY feeder and falls asleep less than 5 minutes into breastfeeding. It has been quite a struggle to breastfeed our little guy and make sure he is getting enough. I have tried everything to keep him alert while nursing! We undress him down to his diaper, tickle his feet and neck, rub him with a wet washcloth, and constantly talk to him. If it was up to Kane he would permanently be attached to me for comfort whether he was eating or not. This just doesn't work if we want to get anything done and may be a little awkward later on in life! Every day I love him a little more if that is possible and I can't wait to watch him grow up.