Cuter and Cuter with Each Day

I can't believe how much Canon has grown within that last few weeks. I was excited that he was hitting what I thought was the "cute stage" when we left for Utah. He was just old enough to smile and coo. I was very happy that when family would be meeting him that they would probably be able to see those adorable smiles.

Now, however, I see that he is even cuter than before... and I must say that family in Utah are definitely missing out! :) Just last week I heard Canon laugh for the first time...and I mean a real laugh, and of course it was Mark who got him to laugh. (It was Mark who got the first smile too, I'd have you all know! Not the mother who spends all day and all night with the guy. No sir-ree!) Just a couple days ago I got Canon to laugh though, so I'm not jealous anymore. In fact, this morning I got him to laugh three times in a row. (I had him laying on his back. I was holding his arms up and tickling his armpit with my nose. I had done it a few times over the past week, but usually with no reaction at all.) I was so excited to know that something that I was doing to get him to laugh actually worked!!

Other adorable milestones, Canon is starting to grasp for things and entertain himself now. I've been putting him down to play in the baby gym, and before he would just stare at all the colors and toys. Now he's starting to talk to the little baby inside the fishy mirror a lot more, and he's actually grabbing the toys he can reach. I saw it with my own eyes! He grabbed the octopus's fishy ring and pulled on it a few times. Canon's also starting to amuse himself for longer periods of time. VERY EXCITING! Yesterday he actually played by himself in the gym for long enough for me to clean the stove...well, almost that long. It was a pretty dirty stove, and I was cleaning all the burners and underneath and everything. He entertained himself for at least a half hour. I was very impressed.

Now that I've officially quit my job, I feel so much freedom to get things done around the house. I don't feel the need to sleep every time the baby does because I'm starting to feel mostly rested in the mornings. As long as I get to bed at a reasonable hour, I feel like I can get through my day without a nap. This morning was pretty awful, but I didn't really fall asleep until about 1am! I was not really functioning much until 11:30am today, but that's not normal. Canon is getting more and more predictable in when he needs to eat and go back down for a nap. I'm learning to read him a little better, and all I can think about is how glad I am that I am not working full-time anymore. Being at home allows me to really get to know my son. IT'S WONDERFUL!

A few things to describe my precious boy:

1. He wakes up around 6:30 or 7:00am, and wants to play. Within an hour, he's ready to go back to sleep. In fact, he's usually only up for just over an hour before he's ready for a nap. Sometimes that's difficult because he will often take only short catnaps, but others he sleeps for up to 2 1/2 hours.
2. If he's just eaten and is well rested, he absolutely loves to have his diaper changed. Most of the time he doesn't complain about his diaper, but if I can't figure out what could possibly be making him upset, I'll change the diaper...even if it's not that wet he's excited for the little bit of "air time." He used to hate getting his diaper changed, but now he coos, smiles, and kicks his legs for it.
3. I think he's going to be a morning person because his cutest smiles are when he first wakes up at 6:45am. (see video below! He gets distracted when I have a camera)
4. He's definitely a daddy's boy!! He gets so excited when Mark picks him up to play. (It's so dang cute to see Mark with Canon!! He makes a very adorable daddy!!)
5. He still has lots of dark hair. A few friends keep telling me that I should make Canon a baby model because he's so handsome, but I can never seem to get any pictures that really do his cuteness justice. I need someone else to manage the camera while I work out the cute faces. Oh well! :)
6. It might be a coincidence, but every time Canon has seen figure skating on the TV, he won't take his eyes off the screen. I don't have him watching a lot of TV or movies, but when he does, he's glued!
7. When he's awake, he's always so alert. He always wants to be with someone and looking at everything all around him. It's only when he's nursing or about to fall asleep that he doesn't have his eyes wide open.

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