Myles Digs Current Events

Here's Myles digging into the New York times on a weekday morning. What can we say? He's advanced. Today I took the morning off work and went to Shoji spa for the soak and massage that Seth gave me for my birthday. Wow...it was a long overdue opportunity to thank my body for all it did in labor and delivery, not to mention the daily tasks of holding, carrying, and nursing Myles. Myles has been doing this really sweet thing for the last two days...communicating with Juniper. He looks in her directions, gets this big grin on his face, then starts shrieking and babbling to get her attention. We love it! We tried to get it on video, but the minute we brought out the camera he was mesmerized by it and maybe had some performance anxiety. Juniper is getting some mixed messages, because we want her to respond to Myles when he "talks" to her, but we don't welcome more than one or two licks before we say "that's enough Juniper." Poor thing. I think Myles is definitely beginning to teeth...I have no idea when the little things will pop up through his gums but he's wanting to chew chew chew on things. We are looking forward to July 14-21 when we hit the SC beach with family. I can't wait to introduce Myles to the ocean!

Beautiful Myles

I've decided Seth has a definite edge when it comes to creative blog titles...nevertheless, I will persevere. Here is Myles in a really cute onesie from my parents' friend Barbie. He's so adorable in his crib, especially when he's hugging Geoffrey the giraffe (no relation to the Toys R US giraffe). What can we say? We wake up each morning to a cuter kid not knowing how that's even possible. Myles went with us to see the Montford players' "Romeo and Juliet" last night. Throughout the summer there are Shakespeare plays put on at the outdoor ampitheater just a hop, skip and a jump from our front door. So last night we went with friends, one of whom is 28 weeks pregnant (oh how I remember those uncomfortable days of trying to sit through a movie or show of any kind). With vigorous rocking, Myles lasted about 45 minutes before dissolving into shrieks. Seth scooped him up and carried him off, but he refused to fall asleep so about a half hour later I left, just as Romeo and Juliet were preparing to say their vows. It was a really fun night, even though we had to leave early. And who knows, maybe Myles will be quoting Shakespeare next week..."swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon..."

Baby Massage

Here are a few more photos for our adoring public. One of Myles emerging from a morning bath, and the other of Juniper interacting with Myles in his exersaucer. We are still working with Juniper on the difference between Myles' toys and hers. Occasionally she gets the two mixed up. Yesterday she licked one of the tubes on the exersaucer and the beads inside it went around and around and it was arguable that she was as pleased by that accomplishment as Myles, who makes it spin with his hands. Myles always gets a few kisses on the face from Juniper when he's first in the saucer, but I let Juniper know when enough is enough...otherwise it's possible he'd have a chapped face. On the other hand, Myles does giggle and occasionally squeal at Juniper, so I think the feelings are mutual.

Last Saturday, we had a woman come into our home to teach us about baby massage for 2 and a half hours, courtesy of my wonderful sister! We learned lots of massage techniques, which are all very helpful. But we also learned more about the cycle of babies...from light sleep to deep sleep to light sleep to drowsy to quiet/calm to active to fussy and back to light sleep. This little cycle, though we understood it somewhat intuitively, has been very helpful in realizing when it's a good time to interact, when it's a good time to let Myles do his own thing in his "office" (the exersaucer), and when it's time to help him go to sleep. You'd think that if a baby's tired, they'll fall asleep, right? Nope. You have to help them most of the time, and we learned that if it gets to the crying/screaming stage, you've already missed your window of opportunity. The best time to try to create an environment in which Myles will get to sleep is when he's entering his fussy stage, beginning to show signs of, as we affectionately call it, "losing it." So I think we are being a little more deliberate this week about watching out for signs from Myles and trying to respond appropriately. This can help us avoid a full fledged, all out screaming fit, and that is a key secret to happiness in the Hendler-Voss household these days. Thank you Brenna! And oh, it's absolutely heavenly to massage those chubby little arms and legs...

Buzzed Hair

This is an emergency blog update. Here are some pictures to hold you over until we can write a decent update.

Mylestones

Myles learned to read this week...just kidding! He really is learning how to turn the pages though. His favorite book at the moment is "Opposites" which he got from Grandma Gail. A good friend gave Seth and I some wisdom while I was pregnant. She said "never say never." Well, this week we bought Myles the most gaudy plastified thing I have ever seen in my life. They call it an exersaucer. And he digs it. We did buy it used, which made us feel a bit better about the purchase. Myles is trying out his legs in it with a few bounces here and there. He also has started playing some cute games, like looking at you, then looking away, then looking back and laughing. He is still insisting on getting a good cry in every night before bedtime. We're not sure exactly what it's about but just try to be there to cuddle him and let him know we're there while he cries. He's also giggling at Juniper a lot more. I'm wondering whether his first word will be "Jun-ie." Seth goes to Raleigh on Monday to take the final section of his Landscape Architecture exam. Please keep him in your thoughts! We're gearing up for father's day next Sunday....also, my folks celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary on Friday. Good stuff.

No News, Just Photos

Just a few photos to brighten your day. Tonight we will be babysitting for the Burnets. Myles has started rolling from his back to his stomach. Here he's grabbing his toes. Okay, back to work.

Dedication Sunday

On Sunday, Myles was dedicated at church. (Translation: we did not do infant baptism, he can choose to be baptized when he's old enough to make that decision for himself. Dedication is a cross between a naming ceremony and a welcoming into the community of faith)

Seth's folks came for the weekend and stayed with us. My folks came on Sunday for the service. Our good friends Colleen and Tom became godparents. We asked their daughters, Claire and Lydia, to be Myles' godsisters, and even though Lydia said "no!" we think she will eventually agree to it. They definitely can't get enough of Myles and are looking forward to Thursday, when we come to babysit.

We took Myles in for his 4 month wellness check up today. He weighed 16 lbs (90%) and was 26 and 1/4 inches long (96%). He's still breastfed only and seems to be getting what he needs!

On Sunday night Myles and I were scheduled to go to Boston for a WAND staff retreat, returning Monday night. We got all packed up, went to the airport, and discovered that the flight was cancelled. There was no other flight that would put me into Charlotte in time to catch my connecting flight, and the morning flights didn't put us there until noon, so we cancelled the trip. Myles will have to wait on his first airplane trip! It was an exhausting week last week with Myles being sick, fussy, and needing care around the clock, planning for his dedication, having family in town, and preparing for the Boston trip. We are looking forward to some down time this weekend. But we loved seeing the Hendler and Voss grandparents! Here's a photo of Susan reading to Myles.