Tricks and Travels

Simon has started his repertoire of tricks. He can do head lifts on his belly now and he can track objects with his eyes...sometimes. He also has all kinds of new noises and he is at his most vocal early in the morning. All grandparents have visited since Thursday, and Simon will venture out into the wide world many times this coming week.

Sun, Jan 28: First trip to church with mom and dad
Wed, Jan 31: Trip to mom's office at WKU
Fri, Feb 2: Second Annual Super-Frabjous Groundhog Day Spectacular in Glasgow with Grandaddy, Nana B, Uncle David, Uncle Jason, Aunt Mandy, and Cousin Henry.
Sat, Feb 3: First trip to Dad's homeland in Hudson at PaPa and YaYa's house with Great-Grandma and Grandpa Basham, Uncle Dooney, Aunt Nikki and other assorted guests.

It will be interesting to see how he (and we) endure the trips!

Simon is getting better with belly time. He can lift his head pretty far up already.

















Hangin' with Granddaddy, Nana, Dad, and Mom (the photog).
















Nappin' on Nana.

















Do I have mama's eyes? Eye believe eye do!

First Hilltopper Game

No, we did not take Simon to Diddle Arena just yet. But, dad held Simon as they watched the Hilltoppers take on New Orleans on TV last Sunday.

Uncle David and Kelly stopped by with pizza, and Uncle David got in some good nephew time before the game. For future reference, visitors with pizza get "first hold" with Simon. Keep that in mind.
















Simon sports his WKU gear courtesy of Jimmy and Nanette Vance. I'm sure it played a role in the Toppers 73-70 triumph over New Orleans. Simon was so nervous that he had his eyes closed for nearly the entire game.

















He likes his ocean play mat while on his back (although, I'm not sure how much he can see yet)...

















But he has not enjoyed his "belly time" to this point. He can already lift his head pretty well, though. I think screaming must help develop neck muscles. He has also shown the ability to track objects with his eyes this week.

















YaYa made a visit today. She and dad watched Simon in the afternoon while mom went into town and actually interacted with other humans in faraway places like Target, Kroger, and Greenwood Mall.

















Also, Simon is 4 weeks old today! His one month milestone comes on Saturday.

More head-lifting and object-tracking updates to come.

A Variety of Arms

Simon has had lots of visitors this week. We have already chronicled The Aunts' visit on Monday. Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Nanette came by earlier this week, too. So did Aunt Brenda and cousin Ashley; Uncle David and Kelly; Granddaddy and Nana B; Gerald and Karen Wood; Brandon and Sarah Miles; and Derek Price. Amazingly, he was in a very good mood during most if not all of these visits. I think he enjoys the variety of arms. Mom and dad are probably getting stale at this point.

Here's more pics from recent entertaining:

Cousin Ashley and Aunt Brenda .

















A WONDERFUL safari animal quilt to match Simon's room courtesy of Nana B. and Aunt Mandy. We love it! Thanks!

















Nana B. and the Woods'.

















Grandaddy.

I've Been Busy

Visiting with YaYa and my aunts on Monday...


















Going on my first outing to mama's workplace for her boss's birthday party on Tuesday...
















And practicing my "big eye" on daddy.

















I also am three weeks old today!

But, maybe the biggest news is that I'm getting another cousin...and IT'S A GIRL! Check out the Bird Attack gang and their news.

2-week Doc Visit

Yesterday, Simon ventured out for his 2-week checkup. All news was good news. He had gained about 3 oz. since last week ( 6 lb, 12 1/2 oz.) and had grown 1/2 inch. His body length and head size were normal for his age and he was a little underweight, but safely on the chart. The doc said he was doing great.

He goes back in six weeks for...(gulp)...shots.

To give you an update on what he likes and does not like:

LIKES: to chirp while he sleeps, sleeping on mom/dad's chest, his bouncy seat, car rides, stretching, kicking anything near him

DISLIKES: baths, diaper changes, changing clothes

He also likes the bed in the spare room with a big blanket under him.

Sleepy Time

Simon does not prefer one time of day or night to sleep over any other. He had two great nights in a row on Sunday and Monday (sleeping in blocks of 3.5 and 4 hours, respectively), but opted for an all-night party last night. Actually, he just slept off and on in 1.5 hour intervals most of the night.

Uncle Dooney (Neal) and Aunt Nikki lull Simon to sleep.

















Simon dreams of playing football and scoring touchdowns.

















Simon enjoying the vibrations in his bouncy seat at 5.30 am this morning. He REALLY liked this when he was fussy this morning.

















Mama and Simon catch a nap while I type this blog entry.

One Week Old

Simon was one week old on Wednesday afternoon. He celebrated by sleeping from 12 midnight to 10 am with only some short interruptions for feeding. He did the same last night. We have found out that he likes a rolled up receiving blanket under one side. He is a bit of a thrasher while he sleeps, so having one side slightly raised keeps him from rolling his head around so much. We noticed that they did this in the hospital so we thought we'd try it and it has worked pretty well.

He was visited by Great-Grandma Preston and YaYa yesterday. His Uncle Neal (aka Uncle Dooney) and Aunt Nikki are coming tonight.

Here are some more pics.

Great-Grandma Preston holding Simon with YaYa.


















Sleepy one-week old Simon.

















Four generations of Basham Boys (from left): Great-Grandpa Basham, Daddy, PaPa Monte, Simon.

Simon Says: Weight Check

Simon had his first outing today. Mom, Dad, YaYa, and Simon went for a weight check and a quick meeting with Dr. Fraser. His weight is holding steady at 6 lbs., 10 oz., which is pretty normal for a 5-day old baby. They said he would likely be back at his birth weight of 6-15 when we go back to the doc on Jan 11.

Other than the cold scales, he liked the trip just fine. He conked out in his car seat right away and never fussed while waiting at the office. Of course, this could be because he was awake most of the night again. He simply wants to be held at night right now. We are going to keep him stimulated today to see if he (and we, especially mom) can rest a little better tonight. He is eating well and seems to be really happy most of the time.

Simon all dressed up in his green outfit.

















Ready to head to the doc.

Simon's New Year's Rockin' Eve

Dick Clark has nothing on Simon Basham. Mama and Daddy were up with him pretty much all night last night. He seems to like the night life, as he was wide awake and wanting to be held and rocked from 11 pm-4 am this morning. Mom and Dad double-teamed him until 2 am, but decided to work in shifts at that point. He and mom are both snoozing away right now. For 20 hours of the day, he hardly cries at all. He is only fussy during the late night/early morning hours right now. Hopefully he is just adjusting.

In other news, Simon got his first home bath yesterday from mom, dad, and Nana B. He cried some, but handled it pretty well. Here are some pics from yesterday.


Mom holding little Simon.

















Simon working on his "big eye" look that he got from his mom.

















Simon LOVING his bath.

















Toweling off with daddy.