The Cruz Man is Three Months!

This month marked lots of new changes for Cruz, as well as for us as a family.  With Cruz's two-month appointment beginning the month, and going back to work at the end of this month, I said hello and waved goodbye to his second month in tears!  Luckily, sandwiched between the tears were lots of happy moments and even more smiles from the Cruz Dude...he's grown from a frail, poker faced little infant, to a smiley, charming little baby boy.  It seems he gets happier every day, which definitely made it harder to go to work.

 
The Cruz Man at THREE Months...

My most favorite milestone this month is definitely the constant smiles.  A month ago, we had to really work to get a smile from our little man; now, he smiles at everything.  When I go to get him out of his crib in the morning, I am greeted by a smile.  When I change his diaper, fill his tub, or suck baby boogers out of his nose, I get smiles.  He loves when sweet voices talk to him and the more excited he gets, the faster his legs kick and the louder his squeals get.  I'm telling you...this child never stops moving his legs!

Another thing that makes Cruz smile A LOT are books.  He's proving to be a part of this family...with a mom as an English teacher, a grandma as a librarian, an uncle with a passion for children's literature, and a dad that reads faster than anyone I know, Cruz has acquired a love of books at a pretty early age.  Every morning, after his breakfast bottle, we will read two or three books to Cruz.  It's adorable.  He sits on our lap so contently, his eyes light up as soon as the pages turn, and he squeals in delight as the narrative is read.  It started with Dr. Seuss and Green Eggs and Ham; however, his love of books has already broadened to the likes of Eric Carle, Sandra Boynton, and Duck and Goose.  

Cruz has made a lot of discoveries this month, especially thanks to Christmas.  He loved the brightly colored packages, the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree, and the sounds of us tearing into his many gifts.  He received a lot of fun light-up sound machine toys, and didn't waste any time showing his excitement and enthusiasm.  His favorite toys include his laptop, music machine, and plastic camera.  If I have the patience to sit and push the buttons over and over AND OVER again, Cruz could sit enthralled for hours.  Usually I wear out before he does!

In addition to his toys, it seems Cruz really became interested in all of his cool baby contraptions.  He finally located the mirror hanging above his head on his farm mat, enjoys taking naps in his swing and lambie chair, and likes the little stuffed turtle hanging from his carseat.

Most of all, Cruz has really seemed to identify our faces, his fist, and even our cat.  He is absolutely fascinated with his fist and will stare at it for long periods of time, as if trying to figure out how he can control it.  It's a big score when he can get his fist in his mouth...this will occupy him for a long time, and the sound effects of the slurping and sucking is great.  We're starting to think he's showing some early signs of teething.  The last couple of nights, he's actually started reaching for our faces, touching our mouths, our noses, and scratching out our eyelids.  Gaining confidence in clipping his fingernails is a milestone I've yet to achieved this month!

Earlier this month, Beau and I poked fun at Cruz for his lack of motivation during tummy time.  Cruz used to be a stud when it came to lifting his head; however, this month, he digressed.  We think his head got too big to lift, so, while he attempted to pick his head up, but settled for digging his face in his blanket and chewing on his fist, we would laugh at him.  Well, he showed us.  He's been a champ at tummy time this week, just in time for his three month pictures.  He had to make sure to impress Darcy, his photographer, with his mad skills.  

Cruz decided to start 2011 off with a bang...On January 1, he slept all night WITHOUT his sleep sack!  I was seriously worried he'd be the only kid in his kindergarten class that needed to be swaddled during naptime!  He's been sleeping through the night so well that Beau nor I have wanted to even mess with a good thing.  Then, Saturday night, without telling me, Beau put him to bed without swaddling him first.  Sunday morning, when I went to check on him, I was shocked to see a sleeping baby with NO swaddle blanket.  My first thought was, 'how the heck did he work his way out of that thing?!'  I haven't been that proud of my baby (or my husband) since he started sleeping through the night at five weeks!  Cruz definitely takes after his mama in the fact that he loves (and needs) his sleep!  I just wonder how long this will last...

I've not only packed all of Cruz's newborn clothes away, but have started the transition from 0-3 sizes to 3-6.  Cruz wore his first 'big boy' clothes this month, which makes him look lots older.  Some nights, we'll hang out in his room and I'll just play with all his clothes.  Every outfit brings me back to the days he wore it...his clothes mark memories and milestones, making it extremely tough to pack them away.  Maybe Cruz will someday have a little brother to wear his hardly-hand-me-downs...  

Another new thing Cruz has recently developed is the 'pouty' face.  When something scares him or catches him off guard, his mouth turns into a perfect frown and he lets out an adorably pathetic cry.  It usually only lasts a second or two, and Beau and I feel bad that it often makes us laugh.  If he does this at day care, however, I might just quit my job!

Overall, Cruz is becoming quite the little charmer.  He loves being part of things, whether it's lying in between us while we watch TV, hanging out in the kitchen while we cook, or shopping at the mall.  He still likes his independent time on a blanket, and has found an interest in watching TV, especially sports.  He was a tropper running here and there for the holidays, and rang in the new year with his Grandma and Grandpa Jorgensen.     

Lessons from Green Eggs & Ham

The more you read, the more you'll know.  The more you learn, the more places you'll go.

I am an English teacher and by nature, I read.  I read literature by the greats...Hemingway, Salinger, and Tolstoy, and teach my students to delve in and uncover the layers of their words like a piece of chocolate cake.  I love to read and often long for more hours in a day that I could waste away with a good book.  

Teaching Cruz to love sitting and listening to a book is at the top of my priority tree.  I want him to anticipate the page-turn, to grow excited at the adventures within, and to someday appreciate the crisp feel and wonderful smell of a brand new book.  Books are magical in that way.  They have the ability to take one's mind to faraway places that may or may not exist, to challenge old thinking and shed light on new, to broaden our perspectives and steal our hearts.  I want Cruz to experience the power of books over and over again.  

Everyday, we make it a habit to read to Cruz.  Usually in the mornings, after his breakfast, we'll sit with Cruz on our lap and read two or three of his books.  He listens, gasps and squeals when a page is turned, and stares ever-so-intently as the big pages are turned.  The minute a book is opened, Cruz is all smiles and all eyes on the target.  And Cruz absolutely loves Dr. Seuss.  Especially Green Eggs and Ham.  

I had forgotten how much I loved the clever rhymes of Dr. Seuss.  His silly illustrations, witty alliterations, and wacky characters make him fun to read again and again.  And hidden beneath his off-the-wall stories of Yertains that live in curtains, his stories are full of life lessons I hope to one day instill in Cruz.

Green Eggs & Ham.  It's simple.  You don't know if you are going to like something until you try it yourself.  Trust oneself.  Have an open mind and don't be afraid to try new things.  Whether it's green eggs and ham, a new activity in school, or something that's deemed 'uncool.'  But make sure you think good and hard before deciding whether something's right.  Don't cave too soon and do something because a crazy loon named Sam is telling you to.  Trust your instincts and follow your heart.  After all, 'those who mind, don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.'    

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.  Not everyone or everything is the same.  It's okay to be different.  Embrace your uniqueness, whether it's eleven fingers, a wump with only one bump, or two feet, four, six, or more!

"Not one of them is like the other.  I don't know why, go ask your mother." 

Horton Hears a Who.  We have so much to learn from Horton.  Help those in need, no matter how small, how insignificant they may seem.  Every one counts in this world of ours, even if at times, something seems impossible.  And the days when it seems that our voice has gone mute, that no one is listening, there may be a Horton just waiting to help.  

In all those years of studying Thoreau, searching for meaning in Faulkner, and playing with the words of Shakespeare, I had aimlessly overlooked the power of Seuss.  He's been my 'chocolate cake' since being home on maternity leave, and I'm sure I'll continue to carry his words with me as I head back to work in the weeks to come.       

I think Cruz already has good taste in books!

Christmas ramblings...and a baby in a snowsuit

I love Christmas week.  I just made one of my final trips to the mall to grab those last minute gifts, a couple of bows, and a final roll of tissue paper.  I love the mall this close to Christmas.  I even love trudging through the slush in the parking lot and watching people pile in booths at Old Chicago.  The busyness, the anticipation, and the dwindling of the mittens on the fireplace mantle tell me that Christmas is comin'...

I'm trying my best to slow down time at my house this week.  Christmas comes and goes so fast every year and as soon as it's by us, my days at home with Cruz are numbered.  Yesterday, I took a nap on the couch with him as the snow fell outside, watched a movie, and read Green Eggs and Ham three times in a row.  By the third time, Sam-I-Am had morphed into a British lad with a ridiculous accent.  Cruz loved it nonetheless.  His attention span isn't very long when it comes to his vast library of books quite yet, but there's something about Dr. Seuss.  Maybe Santa will come through on One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.  I should let him know that Barnes and Noble has a 'buy two, get one free' sale going on this week...

Christmas feels different this year.  When it comes to Christmas shopping for Beau, I usually have all kinds of ideas for him.  I start early and try and outdo myself with surprises for him every year.  This year, besides a new big screen and a pair of footed pajamas 'just like Cruz's,' he's given me no help with his Christmas list.  And when it comes to my Christmas list, besides a Beaba` babycook, I am far from creative.  We've finally settled for the idea of taking a trip to the mall sometime, and helping each other pick out a new pair of shoes or a coat or something.  Definitely not creative and definitely not surprising.  

This year, presents and perfectly frosted sugar cookies and an immaculate house just don't measure up to the gift we've been given this year.  This tiny little person that's filled our lives with more love than we've ever known.  This year, it's about the little things... 

...like taking a break from wrapping those gifts to watch a baby and daddy connect during Monday Night football.

...or spending fifteen minutes bundling a baby in a snowsuit to spend five minutes outside in the snow.     

It's about the soft touch of a chamois sheet in Cruz's crib, the popcorn on his tree, and the twinkly lights hanging from his window.  It's about the coziness I feel when I lay him in his crib at night, and the excitement I feel when I pick him up in the morning.

It's about an afternoon of play in front of the Christmas tree.  A cute fleece outfit with matching socks, a first reach for a toy, and a smiley baby.



It's about a single glass of Milk Nog and a Christmas pair of pajamas.  New movies in the theatre, Christmas classics on TV, and a family trip to Famous Daves.  It's about dressing Cruz in red for five days straight, going to our first Christmas Eve service as a family, and watching his little eyes get big as we sing Silent Night by candlelight.  It's about a tiny little baby in a manger born thousands of years ago.

It's about the joy, and love, and peace I feel this Christmas week with my little Cruz.  It will be a Christmas I won't ever forget.