Just a Little Haircut…

As I mentioned in a previous post, Saylen’s loss of hair has made him look a bit like an old man! Today we decided that a haircut was necessary to help the little guy look closer to his age – 12 weeks today! I also wanted to get a piece of hair for his scrapbook before it was all gone! Spencer filmed part of the process – check it out…

Overall, this was a pretty successful event. Saylen is quite possibly one of the easiest babies so far. He NEVER cries, unless he wants food, a new diaper, or he is tired! He was super happy when we set him in his chair, but I don’t think he was a big fan of losing the little hair he had left. I was able to get it pretty even, so we decided to cut the guy a break and be done.

 

Oh, but no… Mommy is a bit of a perfectionist. Saylen fell asleep in grandma’s arms, and I used this opportunity to do a little fine tuning. I am no professional, but it definitely looks better than it did! I hope to leave his hair alone until he needs a real haircut, but it was kinda fun, and I can’t promise I won’t play “dress-up” with my little boy again.

I Should Be Blogging But…

I just don’t have much to say today, or for the past few days for that matter! Life has just been cruising along… no complaints.

OK, well just one complaint. The calendar on my phone is worthless! When I realized my purse was going to be replaced with a diaper bag, I decided to condense a little bit. I bought a fancy phone, with fancy features, including a fancy calendar. However, after forgetting to pay a bill, double booking myself, and then not being home when I said I would be, I have decided that I am just an old fashioned paper girl, and I am OK with that!! I even saved myself 30% on my new planner for waiting 2 months into the year to buy it :)

All About Saylen…

So the main reason I started this blog was to keep everyone up to date on what is new with the little guy. I have been thinking a lot about how much he has changed in just 10 short weeks!

From day one he has been incredibly strong. He is always rolling on his side, and can now pretty much hold his head up on his own 100% of the time. I am sure all this strength comes from the workouts he does with daddy :) I am not kidding about the workout part – Spencer has his baby version of sit-ups, pull-ups, jumping jacks and more! I think someone is hoping there is an athlete in our future!

We have been sleeping a lot more lately, but still not a consistent routine. The doctor says we should be aiming for a seven o’clock bedtime, but that is just not realistic in our house. Both Spencer and I work jobs that start a little later in the day, therefor we just aren’t on the “wake-up at 6am” program! I can usually count on Saylen sleeping from about 10pm to 3 or 4am – not bad!! Naps during the day are pretty rare as well. He nods off for 30-45 minutes here and there, but none of these 2-3 hours naps I read about!!

My poor little baby is going bald! I am greatly saddened by his hair loss, mostly because I was a baby with lots of hair and didn’t  lose any of it. I was hoping Saylen would be the same! It started to go on top first – giving him the nickname of Benjamin Button by a few. He has now started to lose the  ring around the back of his head where it rubs when he sleeps. I will soon be cutting a piece off for his baby book, and then secretly crying about the natural disappearance of the rest.

“The Book” says that most babies will smile in response to a smile at 6-7 weeks. This was not true in our case. We were waiting  and watching every moment, but it just wasn’t happening. Around 7-8 weeks he was smiling all the time, but never in response to anything in particular. Recently this has all changed, and it is so much fun! He loves it when Spencer sings to him, and he will often give a big open mouthed smile when you smile and laugh at him.

I never thought I would want my kid to suck their thumb, but I am so ready for Saylen to master this skill. He has absolutely no interest in a pacifier (we have tried all the different sizes and styles), but he often shows the urge to suck. He is constantly trying to get his fingers in his mouth, but he can’t quite figure it out. This has definitely been the hardest thing for me to watch. I don’t know how I will deal with all the failures he will go through in life when I can’t stand to see him not be able to suck his thumb!! I was a champion thumb-sucker so I have no fear he won’t be able to figure it out eventually, but I just want to help out and hold it in place for him. I remember reading at 3 weeks that he would figure this out by week 7 (again, according to “The Book”), and here we are, almost at week 11, and he hasn’t mastered it yet. This picture isn’t an actual attempt at thumb sucking, but this is pretty much how mad he gets trying.

I am always amazed at how much change we can see from day to day. Usually you notice change when you don’t see someone for a while, but I can see something new almost everyday with Saylen! Hopefully those of you that are reading from a distance can see these changes too!!

 

2nd Annual Super Bowl Party… For Real This Time…

The Saints vs. Colts Super Bowl wasn’t exactly the match up this family was hoping for, but we had our annual party anyway. I say this is the 2nd annual party, but really we are on year 4. Our first party was the year the Seahawks were in it, then the following year Spencer was happy celebrate the Bears being in the big game – both of us came out losers. We took a year off when we lived in our Issaquah apartment, and then started again last year when the Steelers beat the Cardinals.

We tend to go all out when it comes to entertaining, but this year I was sick the week leading up to the game. Somehow we managed to have a variety of posters for the different betting games, color coordinated cupcakes, and the biggest hit – Saylen’s special “jersey.” Spencer and I decided that we would make a tradition out of Saylen having an out fit for game day decorated for the team of choice. He is 1-0 with his first pick of the Saints. After much debate, we decided the number on the back would be for the year the game took place (we talked about his age or the Super Bowl number).

Game day was a success. The right team won, the weather turned out to be pretty decent (thanks to El Nino), and Spencer was the big winner at poker – sorry Ben! Thanks to everyone that joined us for another great day of football, see you next year.

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2nd Annual Super Bowl Party… Or Not…

Well I am very disappointed to say that I will not be writing about Super Bowl tonight! I went to load all the pictures onto the computer and a message came up saying that my memory card is not formatted. When it is in the camera it is full of pictures, so I am not sure what the problem is. I actually have time to write, as Saylen is sleeping right now, but I don’t have a back up topic prepared – so bummed!

I will spend the rest of my evening finishing thank you notes and trying to figure out this silly digital camera!!

Oh So Many Visitors…

Saylen’s arrival was a much anticipated event. The love and support from family and friends has been amazing. We have had quite a few out of town guests so far, and it has been so great to see them all!

First we had Spencer’s family here for Christmas. Grandpa Greg, Aunt Nicole (and boyfriend Chris), Uncle Christian, and cousins Hollie and Lou were here to celebrate with us! We had Christmas Eve and Saylen’s first Christmas morning at our house. Then we went to Grammy Shirley’s for the traditional exchange with my family. Later that day Spencer’s family joined us for a huge dinner with my family. Saylen was of course the star of the party, and loved every minute of it! I was still recovering from my infected c-section, so it was a pretty big production getting out of the house! The rest of the gang was able to venture out downtown and make the necessary stop at Pike Place, while Saylen and I stayed home.

In early January, Grandma Eileen and Uncle Jarrod came up for a visit. Spencer’s mom and her husband are looking into moving up to Washington, so this was a great chance for us to show her around. Saylen went for his first major car ride, and almost made it without a total meltdown. We were almost home when he decided sucking on mom’s finger was not getting the result he was looking for!!  I know Saylen won’t be able to remember these times, but we are so happy that he has had the opportunity to meet all his grandparents and aunts/uncles before he turned 2 months old!

We have tried to take at least one picture with everyone that has been to see Saylen. Here are a few….

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Something New…

I have talked about starting a blog for over a year now, and I guess the newest addition to our family has been my final motivation. In an effort to not be a crazy Facebook mom (you know, the ones that post pictures everyday, and tell you all about dirty diapers in their status updates!), I will keep a blog for those that might actually be curious about our latest adventures.

Saylen Chaz Noren was welcomed to our world early in the morning on December 6, 2009. He was 21.75” and 7lbs. 11oz. After losing the expected few ounces in his first few days of life, he struggled to put the weight back on. After some crazy feeding schedules, and finally supplementing with formula, he is gaining weight rapidly! Yesterday was his 2 month check up and he is 23.5” and 10lbs 14oz – yay for the long skinny type!

Since our little guy is over 2 months old now, I have a lot of catching up to do. We had Spencer’s family here for Christmas, and then more family here in January. Saylen had his first portrait session and we had our annual Super Bowl Party. I have also gone back to work, and Saylen has 3 days a week home with dad! I can’t wait to fill you in on all these exciting events, along with everything that is about to happen! Enjoy following along as the Norens x 3 share in the adventures of being a family!!!