Blaine is starting to show some interest in his treetop playmat, particularly in one dangling birdie with a wooden teething ring.  He seems to be really focusing on batting at the ring, and has even managed to grab onto it a few times (potentially by accident, but still…)

On 12/3 we put him really close and he was finally able to get a taste:

Blaine’s warming up to his vibrating chair.  He happily sat in it for almost 40 minutes while we had dinner.  (Also, doesn’t he look so much bigger than the previous picture with the chair?)

On Saturday we got together with the other couples from our birth class to meet all the newborns and share our birth stories.  At the end we got all the little ones lined up for a photo.  Blaine showed off his stretching skills:

Which may have upset the little girl sitting next to him:

A swap was made so Blaine was sitting next to a girl who was less easily intimidated… 🙂

Believe it or not Blaine was the youngest baby there!

We had our first PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support) meeting on Wednesday night and got to meet all the other parents and babies that we’ll be meeting with weekly for 12 weeks! Blaine had such a good time he slept for 7 hours straight that night. It has not yet been repeated, but we’re hopeful.

Uncle Fran dropped in on Saturday to meet Blaine on his way back from the Mahoney Thanksgiving in Wynnewood.  Blaine was asleep in his carrier when Fran arrived, but woke up to meet his uncle (and to eat, of course).  It was a brief visit, but Blaine will get to see Fran again at Christmas!

The Westbrooks gathered in Great Falls to celebrate Thanksgiving.  We flew in from Seattle, Aunt Jody came from San Francisco, and Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Michael had a shorter trip from Baltimore.  Blaine also got to meet his great grandparents Dorothy and Fritz Wright, who took the train from Charlottesville.  The meal was delicious and Blaine thoughtfully slept through most of it in his carrier.  Special thanks to Robin and Reeves for thinking of everything Blaine could need for his first stay away from home! 

Blaine’s first flight was a red-eye direct from Seattle to Dulles on 11/21.  He couldn’t wait for takeoff and wanted to eat as soon as we sat down while everyone else was boarding.  Luckily he continued to eat all the way through takeoff (the swallowing is supposed to help with ear discomfort from pressure changes).  Blaine was a pro and slept for pretty much the entire red-eye, only waking up briefly to eat some more before passing out again.  One of the other passengers commented on his excellent behavior when we arrived in DC.

Poor baby had his two month pediatrician visit two weeks early for Thanksgiving.  That means he got three shots today (for hep B, polio, pneumococcal disease, dTap, hib) and an oral vaccine for Rotavirus.  He’s been needing a lot of loving this afternoon:

In other news he weighed in at 11 lb 11.5 oz and Blaine wowed them with his tummy time skills (see other post).