One Month of Mal! (As of Saturday, but goodness knows if I'll get a chance to post again, so here goes...)

And now for what everyone really wants to know: How's Mal doing?

Malcolm is great. He's a generally easy-going baby. He seems to have some issue we don't understand with feeding fussiness certain times of the day, but he's starting to eat more at one time and less frequently (as in, I don't have to have a mammary in his face every moment he's awake; only about 40% of the time). He is gaining weight and has normal digestive processes, so that's not a worry.

Mal seems to think that the day is over around 8 PM, and so if we're out at that time, he makes us come home... which is putting a kink in our small group relationships. However, everything gets incrementally easier every day, so I have high hopes for this to resolve in the near future.

The boy is still sleeping with James and me; as long as he's noshing half a dozen times during the night, it's just the easiest thing. We plan to bring his bed into our room this weekend, because now that he's sleeping longer stretches at a time, it should be easier to transition him to sleeping on his own. I need him in his own space because I managed to roll over facing away from him in the middle of one night, and fortunately at that time he was between James and me. When he's on the outside, I feel safer with my arm around him so he doesn't roll away. Maybe a cat would catch him, anyway.

Mal is starting to smile a lot, but it's often right before he cries, so I'm not sure he understands what a smile is supposed to be. Still super cute. He's also trying to vocalize in ways that aren't crying. Sometimes, he brays or bleats, sounding vaguely like a goat, and other times, it's clear that he's just testing out what sounds he can make. He's approached something sounding like a halting "coo" a couple of times, and it's precious.

Today, we went to Trader Joe's for the first time, and Mal was great most of the way. He was awake, looking around, and only decided he was finished after about half an hour. I still couldn't go to the store, but it beat the visit to Target when he screamed the whole time, even though I was holding him. At TJ's, I left him in his car seat, then my sister carried him while we checked out. He fell asleep and waited to wake up until I put the groceries away. What a good boy.

Yes, Daphne has held him and helps me out a lot. No, she's not head over heels in love. But I think she has the makings of a great big sister, and I'm glad she's at home during the day to give me someone else to talk to (when she's not listening to music). She doesn't mind that I pack it up around 9 PM every day; she enjoys having her late nights to herself, and draws a lot at that time.

James... James is a great dad. Although Mal is getting increasingly okay with being put in the bouncy seat (which he can't use right now because the cover is in the wash due to the boy's Houdiniesque elimination) and the swing (thank goodness; it cost a small fortune and I'd hate to have wasted it), at first, James and I were constantly having to hand him off. We still do this a lot at night and in the mornings. It gives James time with Mal, and it gives me a chance to get dressed in the morning and get breakfast and lunch together, or to shower. Luxury, no? 

Now, if it's pictures that you want, you can check out my September and October Picasa albums. Links below. Special thanks to my sister Sarah and friend Jana for all of the awesome pictures that I didn't take. :)