7 weeks old

Hi everyone. Little Row turned 7 weeks old this week and he has already grown so much! He is trying really hard to hold his head up by himself and he loves for me to walk him around so that he can look at his surroundings. He has transitioned out of his swing and into a bouncy seat, which he loves. I like it too because I can easily move it from room to room and watch him. He is sleeping very well these days. He goes to bed at night between 11pm-12am and sleeps a good 6-7 hours. When he wakes he gets a bottle and then he goes back down to sleep for another 3-4 hours. He catnaps some during the day and takes a good 3 hour nap around 2pm. I think he is falling into a good routine and I am happy about that. He really is a wonderful baby. He lies on his back a lot and looks around, kicks his feet, and tries really hard to tell us all about everything he sees. He makes lots of noises and is a very happy baby. He is beginning to smile quite a bit too. Sometimes when I am giving him his bottle, he will pause for a second, look at me in the eyes, and smile really big. It melts my soul! He also still loves for me to give him kisses on his cheeks and he tries to kiss me back. He smiles a lot then too. He usually hears Sam when he gets home from the barn at night or at lunch and looks around towards his Daddy's voice. He is also a very sound sleeper. I vaccuum a lot when he's sleeping and it never bothers him. Swaddling has come in very handy. I usually swaddle him when he sleeps at night and when he takes his 1 long nap in the afternoon. I think it helps him sleep peacefully.

We had a good Thanksgiving. Mom Mc, Celia, Wills, Stephanie, Kevin, Mary Catherine, and Ella all came to visit us from South Carolina. We fried a turkey on Thanksgiving Day and rode horses at the barn. I think the little kids had a lot of fun...they went to Hershey, PA and met Santa Claus and his reindeer, including Rudolph (whose nose only blinks on Christmas Eve). I think they also went to a train museum and saw a lot of the Amish Country.

We have an eventful week coming up. We are going to South Carolina for Christmas and to dedicate/baptize Row at Sam's hometown church. We know for sure that Row is a 5th generation McLaughlin to attend there, but there could be more. On Christmas Day I am going on to Atlanta to spend the week with Mom. Our family celebrates Christmas on New Year's Eve so we'll be down there through New Year's Day.

Row's crib bedding finally came in! Now that it's here I can paint and get everything hung on the walls. I am excited to get it finished!

That's about it for now. I will try to update again after Christmas. Pray for us...it's our 1st long roadtrip together!

Love,

Jenny