Well, You Know My Name Is Simon ... And I Love to Do Drawrings!

On Sunday morning, Simon had his first big-boy bath. Now that his stump is gone, so are the days of the sponge bath -- thank goodness! He seemed to like this much better -- I think because he stayed warmer while in the water. I must say, though, that he is a slippery little guy. As we are inexperienced in the art of giving baby baths, we needed all hands on deck to get the job done.

He goes on Wednesday morning for his two-month check-up. Since this visit will involve shots, I'm sure it will be a long day for everyone. It's hard to believe he's been here that long!

Below are some pictures.

Simon during his bath. He wasn't sure what to make of this.















Simon after his bath. He's all dressed up and ready for church.

Walkin' and Cheerin'

Simon loved his first walk. He stayed awake and cooed and ahhed for about 15 minutes before sleeping the last 10 mins or so.

He also held up pretty well at his first Western Kentucky University basketball game. We arrived with about 6 mins to go in the first half. He was mesmerized by all of the stimuli. Our entire section of people were smiling at him and talking about him. He was in hog heaven. He remained in good spirits through halftime (which included a visit from Julie and Grace Boyer) and through most of the second half.

Alas, the combo of overstimulation, hunger, fatigue and lack of pacifier (because dad dropped it on the Diddle Arena floor) led to an unprecedented fit in the car ride home...but it only lasted a few minutes before he settled down a bit. Overall, he handled it quite well and really seemed to enjoy the wild environment. I'm sure he was hearing, smelling, and seeing all kinds of new things.

Here are some pics from our excursions.

Simon took his first walk outside earlier this week during our little Spring-like burst of weather.

















The choice for me: STUMP FREE!!!

















Funnin' with mom and dad.

















Simon's view of WKU v. Florida International.

















Simon reacts to a Hilltopper three-point goal!

Separation Success!!

An important NEWS FLASH in the Basham household . . . the stubborn belly button has finally decided to separate from our little guy and pursue a journey on its own!!!

We had called the doctor a couple of weeks ago because it still hadn't fallen off. He wasn't too concerned, and said that it would come off sometime before he went to college. Thank goodness we didn't have to wait that long!

The Baby Swing

Okay, so with me being at home so much and Cortney working, I asked Cort to teach me the basics to "blogging." This is my first go at it, so hopefully all will go well.

During the last week or so, Simon had some visitors -- Nana B and Grandaddy, Uncle David and Kelly, and YaYa. He also experienced his first Valentine's Day and had his first ride in the Snugli carrier. He continues to be playful in the mornings -- we've gotten a smile or two from him during those times. He's also started talking to us. It is so fun to hear him cooing, whether it be during playtime or in the middle of the night!

The most remarkable thing that's happened this past week is that we have discovered the beauty of a baby swing, thanks to our friends Brice, Julie, and Grace Boyer. They have graciously let us borrow their swing to see if Simon would even like it. And like it he does! No matter how fussy he is, once he's in the swing, he is as happy as he can be. Thank you, Boyer family!

Uncle David and Kelly entertaining Simon.















Simon half-smiling during his morning playtime.















Simon in his borrowed swing. I know this one is blurry, but I think it still captures how much fun he's having!















Simon all dressed up and ready for church.















Cortney and Simon in the rocking chair. Cort recently learned the art of rocking Vance-style.

Simon Says: Bottles Are Fun

Simon has started taking a bottle from dad in the evenings. So far, he seems to really enjoy the ease of eating from the bottle. He took it from dad the very first time with no problem and from Nana B. with no resistance. This is getting him ready for mom's return to work in a few more weeks.

He has been very playful most mornings this week. He will smile and smirk and stay happy for a good while. Like most of us, he seems to get crankier as the day goes on. But, for the last few nights, he has slept from 11.30 pm-3.30 am straight through. After feeding, he will sleep until about 6.30 am. We just let him wake us up when he is hungry (but no longer than 4 hour without eating), and his stretches of sleep are definitely getting longer.

If you have never tried to measure a flailing baby, I highly recommend it for comedic value. We think he's about 22 inches long, which would be right on the average for length. Weight is hard to guage because you can step on and off the scales and it will change by a pound. We'll have to wait until the doc visit (Feb 28) for an accurate count.

YaYa caught Simon with a half smile. Nice camera work!

















Nana gives Simon a snack.


















Either asleep or working on his Clint Eastwood impression.

















Wide awake! Simon loves to raise his eyebrows. He does this A LOT.

















Sacked out, mouth agape.

Another Big Week

Sorry for the delay between posts, but being back in the swing of the semester and trying to resume some semblance of "normal" life has dad running to and fro.

In the last week (or so), Simon:

--was visited by friends Mike and Deanna (see below)
--made a visit to Breck Co. last weekend to see the Basham gang and family
--had his first two real snowfalls
--received his Groundhog Day goodies from Granddaddy and Nana B.
--has become more responsive to daddy's "stick out your tongue" cues (see below)
--was watched by YaYa while dad had a meeting and mom had a doc appointment (Laurie got the "all clear" from the doc on resuming normal activities, so that was good news)
--had his first real smile today! It was brief, but it was definitely a real one while mom and dad were playing with him.

He also went to Wednesday Night church for the first time...and LOVED it. Wide awake and very alert during his normal fussy time (4 pm-9 pm), he never made peep from 6.15-8.00. He seemed to like the variety of voices and faces. He also was a perfect angel at a dinner party last night with dad's office mates. He's quite the social butterfly.

We are making a visit to Glasgow later today, too.

PICS!

First snow.


















Mike and Deanna hold our baby before visiting their baby (he's in college) in BG.

















Uncle Dooney with Simon.

















Simon in his Groundhog Day shirt and giving the official Groundhog Day sign (right fist with elbow at 90 degrees).

















Sticking out our tongues. Notice Simon's Dick Vitale hair growth pattern. NICE!

First Travels

Although Simon did not quite keep his original ambitious travel schedule, he did make his first trip to church last Sunday, his trip to campus, and a trip to YaYa and PaPa's in Breck Co. A bug in the Vance household prevented Simon from reveling in the Groundhog Day festivities, but he will make up that trip sometime this week(end).

He also had a play date with fellow church babies Corrie Powell (daughter of Brian and Carrie) and Lewis Shepherd (son of Justin and Shelley) on Tuesday. He slept through playtime.

Here are a few pics, with more coming tomorrow.

The family at church last Sunday. Simon was very quiet and slept through the whole service.

















Simon is learning to pucker and stick out his tongue when prompted (sometimes).
















Simon parties it up with Sue (left) and Betty (it was her birthday).

















Aunt Mandy and Uncle Jason stopped by on Groundhog Day for a visit, too.