Milestones for Baby

Paxton rolled over for the first time today! He's been trying to do it for a few days now, but I thought he was arching in discomfort and planned to talk to his massage therapist about it on Wednesday. Today, though, I didn't swoop in to comfort him when he arched. I was too tired. I just lay there, wondering why he was being so fussy. He rolled from his back to his side and then, after a moment, swung his legs around so they were face down on the bed. He was hung up on one arm, so I gave him a little nudge and he went right over to his tummy. Almost as impressive, he hung out on his tummy for a few minutes, perfectly content. Tummy time is not Paxton's favorite activity, but he's getting used to it. His pediatrician told me it was okay that Pax isn't getting regular tummy time, because I often hold him against my chest where he demonstrates his perfectly strong chest, shoulder and back muscles. He's had a strong neck from day one. Amazingly, when the nurses handed him to me in the hospital for the first time, he lifted his head and looked up at me.

Paxton has been learning so much, so quickly. He only a little over a week ago learned to reach out and touch things with his hands purposefully. Now he can reach right up to something and manipulate it with his fingers. We read Pat the Bunny for the first time today and he was able to not only pat that bunny, but rub daddy's scratchy face, play peek-a-boo with Paul, and look at the baby in the mirror. Of course, as is usual for Paxton, he became overstimulated pretty quickly. Sheera, his massage therapist, says we can work on his problem with overstimulation. For now, we just get as much playtime in as we can before he becomes too fussy to continue.

Last weekend, Paxton learned how to pull himself up into a sitting position, using our fingers. He is not satisfied with just sitting, though, and every single time pushes his pudgy little legs to stand. He loves to stand! He smiles a big, lopsided, toothless grin of pride every time he does it. My heart is melting just thinking about it.

It really is incredible how much babies learn in such a short time. It is surely an exciting, but exhausting process. I feel so honored to be a part of it. I see what people mean when they say that having a child means seeing the world through new, innocent eyes. Paxton finds fascination in so many seemingly inane things that it causes me to take a second glance, as well. I look up at the ceiling fan and start to see a starfish. I recognize the power of a smile and the magic of silent communication with my baby. And I see how his innocence breaks down the walls between strangers. It's really a beautiful thing to experience. Being a mom is more than I ever imagined, and I had awfully high hopes to begin with.

We're taking Paxton to Sarah's mom's birthday party tonight. Of course, he'll be rocking a new outfit for the outing. And, of course, I have absolutely no idea what I'll wear. I should go scrounge something up. Luckily, with a looker like Paxton in our midst, Chris and I don't have to worry so much about looking sharp ourselves. Thank God.