9 weeks old!

Oh my goodness, it's so hard to believe that Devin is already 9 weeks old! It seems like it was just yesterday that we were praying for a baby, wondering when the Lord would bless us with one, and feeling like maybe adoption was the road He wanted us to take. In fact, it was just 8 months ago that we officially started the adoption process, and now we have a 2 month old son! It makes me get all teary-eyed to look at the pictures from when he was born up until now, and to watch the DVD/video of him that we started making when he was still in the hospital and we just finished this week. He has changed so much in so many ways!

Devin has probably changed the most dramatically in regards to his physical development; he was 8 lbs. 2 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long at birth and is now 13 lbs. and 23 inches long! He has also lost most of his hair and what he has left is a reddish light brown. NaCole's hair is reddish brown, though, so we won't be surprised if Devin's turns out that way, too, at least for a while! His eyes are still blue, but they are a lot darker and almost grayish blue. Russell and NaCole both have brown eyes so we're expecting Devin's to change (but he might surprise us and keep the blue--who knows?!). His fingers and hands are still pretty big for a baby, and his head is still just as perfectly round as it could be.

His body has really filled out well, and he now has 4 rolls on each of his thighs--they are SO cute! His belly button is an innie-outie...it is not sunken way in but doesn't really pop out, either. It's kind of just flush with his tummy! His facial features are more pronounced now, too, and he has also grown super-long, beautiful eyelashes! We know we are a little biased, but we think he is absolutely the most adorable baby we've ever seen!













It's apparent that Devin can see much better now than he could at birth or even for the first month; now he notices everything from tiny polka dots to giant paintings, and he visually tracks objects very well...although people are his favorite thing to watch! He has become fascinated with his mobile above his crib and his tummy-time activity mat (even though he doesn't enjoy tummy time--we just use it for play time on the floor!). He obviously doesn't play with his toys yet, but he really enjoys looking at them and watching Mommy and Daddy show him what each one can do and different ways to play with them. We can't wait until he can reach for his toys and play with them, and Mommy is really excited for him to start using imaginary play (although we know that's several years away). :)

In general, though, Devin has already started enjoying things like his bouncer seat and car rides more. We think it's because he notices so many new things each day, and they are just amazing to him! He looks all around all the time whether we're driving down the road, changing his diaper, shopping, or visiting a new place (like a friend or family member's house). He is also able to entertain himself for short periods of time now. We can put him on a blanket on the floor, on his Boppy pillow, or even the high chair and he will talk to himself and just stare at everything he can see! The downside is that he fights sleep so bad now because he doesn't want to miss anything! :)

The change that we probably enjoy the most is that Devin now smiles, squeals, and "talks" intentionally and in response to us! He absolutely loves to have "conversations" with anyone who is willing to participate. He uses his whole body to "talk", all the way down to his toes! It's amazing that a 9-week old baby is already learning the foundations of language and communication. I knew that babies did that, because I've spent years in child development, education, and child psychology classes, but to watch your own child work on mastering these skills is just breathtaking!

Some random tidbits of information...

--Devin has actually started laughing and squealing during his baths, but less than a month ago he screamed through them!

--His new favorite pasttime is sucking on his fingers, hands, and/or arm...or sucking on the roof of his mouth which is just about the funniest thing I've ever seen! It causes this suction/clicking sound and he just keeps himself busy doing that for a while! You can see in the picture how close he is to getting his thumb in his mouth. We're figuring it will just be a few short days or weeks until he starts sucking it, but there's nothing we can do about it!

--Devin goes for his 2-month shots tomorrow, and I'm sure we'll both cry a lot. He also goes to the doctor in 2 more weeks for a well-baby checkup and to adjust his Zantac (it's weight sensitive so it has to be adjusted frequently). He's still doing very well with the reflux, all things considered.

--He is sleeping in his crib all the time now and only gets up once a night to eat. We are working on adjusting his bedtime and waking time for when I go back to work in 2 1/2 weeks...he will have to start getting up a little earlier than he's used to, so he is going to start going to bed a little earlier to compensate! I am also trying to get used to getting up with an alarm clock again...YUCK!

--His first Halloween is in just 2 weeks...we are excited, even though he will probably just be annoyed with the costume!


I'll give more updates and pics soon...