Fox is getting a lot more fun and interactive...and I'm not sure that "mellow" really describes him as much anymore. When he's happy, he's usually very happy and when he's sad, he's very very sad. Devastated, even. I'm having more and more difficulty getting him to nap anywhere other than on me. Thank goodness for baby carriers because there's no way that I'd be able to facilitate this otherwise with a toddler. Occasionally I can get him to take a long nap on the swing but 4 out of 5 times he'll wake up within 5-10 minutes of being put in it, which makes for a very sleep deprived baby. I'm pretty sure that this was Bears' main problem when he was tiny and why he was so blasted fussy. He just wasn't getting enough sleep because I was under the mistaken impression that he'd be able to sleep in his crib if he was tired enough. He eventually learned the self-soothing skills to sleep on his own but I'd say he was consistently sleep deprived until about 5 months old. Hopefully I can get Fox sleeping all on his own by the time he's as old as Bears was when he learned.
Speaking of Bears, jealousy is really starting to rear it's ugly head. I think it's because Fox is requiring more interaction and can no longer be seen as a sack of potatoes that I carry around. Luckily he hasn't done anything too terribly serious yet. Mostly just tender hugs/pats that gradually turn into rough squeezes or smacks. Once he was smothering Fox with kisses and suddenly couldn't resist the urge to bite him. It reminded me of when cats or bunnies have licked my hand in a frenzied fashion that almost always resulted in biting if I let it go on long enough. Ah well. Luckily Fox didn't seem to mind. Certainly not ideal though.
My parents took Bears out this morning, giving me some time for a bit of a photoshoot with Fox. He really outdid himself doing the various baby poses:
We'll start with the classic "Blue Steel" (or "cheerio face" to some) that they all know so well when they're tiny. It's so sad that they eventually lose this crucial skill.
The "toothless old man" look that they get when sucking in their lower lip
The "brave-but-tragically-conflicted super hero who's boldly flying off to do battle with evil" look. Okay, so perhaps this isn't a classic baby expression. It just might be though. I'm almost certain that I remember Bears doing it.
Happy silly baby face
And lastly (and by far the most important) we have "Sean Connery face." This is another one that I'm not quite positive is universal...but my heart nearly breaks at the possibility that maybe not every baby makes this face at some point or another. No. I can't believe that, so I won't. They all do this. Yeshshshhhhh.
