Peter's Favourite Things

In case you were wondering, dear reader, the following is the Peanut's must-have list for the season (he's going head-to-head with Oprah, except that he won't give you any free stuff).

The Swing 'n Rocker

We bought this 3-in-1 swing-infant seat-toddler rocker by Fisher Price when Peter had already been home for many weeks, but I wish we'd had it from the get-go. It is a motorized swing, the seat for which is easily removable and is the same as the basic Fisher Price Infant-to-Toddler-Rocker, which, in turn, is a little rocking chair for an older baby that has a kick stand-type thing that converts it to an infant seat for a younger babe. When Peter's feeling full of fun, he sits in the infant seat and makes faces at us, puts his hands in his mouth or watches the world go by. When he's a little more precarious, the swing will calm him down and keep him satisfied while we, say, eat dinner. If I had my life to live over, it is one of a very few baby gear items I would purchase.

Here is Peter chillin' in the swing 'n rocker with all his stuff:

The Playard Bassinet

This is the only place (besides the swing 'n rocker ... or somebody's armpit, naturally) the Peanut deigns to sleep. Or play, as the case may be. Bizarrely, although he is nearly impossible to settle down at any other time of day, in the evening all it takes is the Sleep Sheep (set to ocean waves, our favourite white noise selection and thus Peter's), a lullaby, and a kiss goodnight and Master Peter proceeds to send himself to la la land in this bedside bassinet.

The Mobile

Oh, the mobile. It is Peter's best friend, I think. Mark and I do our very best to make Peter smile and talk with our songs, stories, tickles and kisses, but the truth is that nothing gets a reaction from him like his beloved mobile. The particular mobile is the Infant Stim-Mobile by Manhattan Toy. It is a very basic plastic contraption with little cards with simple pictures ranging from black-and-white (for a newborn) to brightly coloured (there are some transitional pictures that are high-contrast with some colour). The idea is that you switch up the cards as your baby gets older. Put Peter under the mobile, and if he's fed and rested he will amuse himself for a half hour or so by running through a "skills drill" of smiling, cooing, eating his hands and kicking his legs vigorously. It is truly magical.

The Tottenham Hotspurs

Thanks to his Gram and Gramps, Peter has all the gear necessary to cheer on the Spurs with his dear Dad ... if only we would let him watch television ...

Dark, Blurry Photos

Sorry, dear reader, I don't know what's wrong with me ... next time I promise to get some better shots (for the record, the swing 'n rocker pic and the first Spurs photo above were both taken by Mark, who, unlike his adoring wife, can apparently operate a camera).

More Aunties and Uncles!

I am getting closer to completing the collection. Uncle Nick is going to be a tough one, stranded as he is in Calgary, but I will persist.

Auntie Esti

Peter's relaxed pose with his Auntie Esti is part milk drunk, part gratitude for his first formal invitation (to Uncle Joe and Auntie Esti's wedding! So exciting!).

Uncle Chris

Peter has a front-row seat to his favourite show, courtesy of his Uncle Chris.

Auntie G. Meghan L.

This is not how Peter really feels about his Auntie Meghan. Thanks to her, he is the grateful recipient of an adorable piggie quilt that she made, as well as several onesies with dinosaurs (um, or dragons, if you don't believe in that sort of thing).

Turning Tricks

This actually caused me and Mark no end of worry when the Peanut first did it; those of you who have read a stack of books on child development will know that rolling prior to 3 months (Peter's corrected age is about 2 months) is a red flag (specifically, a possible sign of cerebral palsy). However, after consulting Dr. Morty and the follow-up clinic, we are now less concerned - it seems the young lad probably just has strong back muscles from all his out-of-womb exercising (and a rigorous Tummy Time schedule ...). The video isn't the best example of a roll, since it starts with the dear fellow already a bit off-balance. But you get the idea.

Hands!

Today, dear reader, was an eventful one. First, a visit to Dr. Morty confirmed that Peter has quadrupled his birth weight - he now weighs in at a hefty 9 lbs 10 oz. Second, Peter "found" his thumb (turns out it was right where he left it). The below photos were preceded by a good ten minutes of near misses, and Mom and I had a laugh at the Peanut's expense as he jabbed himself in the nose, forehead and eyes. The giggles continued as Master Peter enjoyed a leisurely suck, during which he accidentally gagged himself in his enthusiasm no less than three times.

There's No Place Like Home

As of this morning, Peter has spent more days at home than he did in the NICU. For his part, the Peanut celebrated by drooling, pooping on my hand and trying to put his whole fist in his mouth (lucky you, dear reader - I decided not to include a photo of the pooping part).