Sounds and action

Johan laughed last week! His laugh is a bit of an odd sound, but he throws his smiling mouth open and lets out some chuckles every now and then, which is quite exciting. I can't wait to hear a real giggle. He makes some other, new and interesting noises now too -- soft growls and shrieking squawks that appear to communicate happiness.

Johan is also getting more able with his hands. This week, when he and I were hanging out with Granny, he succesfully reached for and picked up (albeit quite awkwardly) each of the little toys I placed on the table in front of him.

He has also figured out how to make a lovely pouting face. I will try my best to get a picture of it. He sticks his bottom lip out and gazes sadly up at strangers, and sometimes at us. I'm not sure if he really realizes he's doing it.

Other news: for the first time last weekend, Johan slept through the night: from 9:45 to 5:45. Unfortunately, I was so surprised that I woke up every hour and a half to check and see if he was all right. The following night, lest I take the hours of rest for granted, Johan of course had a really bad night, getting up to feed at one and three and then at five-thirty getting up for good.

Nonetheless, Johan has now repeated the feat a few times, falling asleep at about 9:30 then feeding only once at night, around 4:30. I just wish he would then go on to sleep past 7:00, which he seems unable to do.

That's all for now!

Outings galore!

Johan has been growing steadily -- in the past two weeks he went from 10 pounds, 10 oz to 11 pounds 12 oz. He is an amazingly strong little man who loves to practice standing up on our laps and can hold his head up very steadily, much to the amazement of our friends.

He is starting to be a bit more talkative, mostly in the mornings when Mummy wants to sleep a little bit longer! And twice in the past week he has "slept through the night" -- requiring only one feeding, and sleeping for a solid 5 to 6 hours in a row. Mummy is very appreciative of this, although it means the boobs are bursting with milk and starting to leak by the time he does finally wake up!

Johan's smiles are very infectious. They can really melt your heart. Sometimes when he smiles at me, he also does a little wiggle with his body that seems to say, "I'm so happy to see you -- I love you so!" It makes my day when he smiles like that.

Last week, Papa Sven went away on an outdoor ed canoe trip for 4 days, which was a bit of a trial for Mum. Johan did fine, but Mummy got a bit tired and lonely, and finally went to Granny's house for the final night, as much for the air conditioning as for the company!

Some exciting milestones for Johan, Mum and Papa:

• 1st orienteering race (Johan and Papa): 7th place, intermediate course, Kingsmere, May 6th. From what I hear, it was Johan who kept Papa on the right track!
• 1st outing to a restaurant: May 29th. We were celebrating Steve Jacobsen's b-day, but Johan was the real star -- he was much sought after for chats and kisses, as he was such a smiling and well-mannered dinner guest.
• 1st mountain biking race for Mummy: May 30th. Johan and Papa cheered Mummy on (and she needed all the help she could get)!
• 1st evening without Johan for Mummy: Papa and Johan went to cheer on the students at the Relay for Life on June 1st, so Mummy went out to a movie with a friend. (Of course, as I'm in full baby mode anyway, I went to see Knocked up, which is absolutely hilarious).

Until today, Johan has happily taken a bottle from his Dad and Granny. However, today, when Mummy went out to Claire's baby shower, Johan apparently refused the bottle and wailed all morning. Papa was tired, frustrated and relieved when Mummy finally came home three hours later. Let's hope that it was an anomaly and the result of an overly busy week. We're keeping our fingers crossed!

Be sure to check out the latest pictures :)

Andrea