Our Little Kicker

Jace loves to kick his legs... he'd been kicking for quite a while before I got this video, and then kept on kicking after I was done. No wonder I thought he'd be a tap dancer when he was in me!

Smiley Baby

I got out the camera to video some of Jace moving like crazy. But as soon as it was in front of him, he started smiling, completely unprompted! Too cute! (I should also add that Jace now completely recognizes us. Every time Nolan comes into his sight he breaks into huge grins. Most of the time when I come into view, he does the same for me. But it's just not always as exciting when you see Mommy all day long.)

Jace Smiling from Nolan Nelson on Vimeo.

A Few of Jace's Favorite Things...

...which also makes them Mommy's favorite things!

Laying on the boppy pillow and waving his arms (this can last for close to an hour sometimes!), or actually laying anywhere and waving his arms.
His blanket. When he's tired, all it takes is wrapping him in it, putting his binki in his mouth, and holding him close. Within minutes he's sound asleep.

His swing and his binki. Jace is happy here asleep or awake.

His car seat, and more specifically going for car rides or walks in his car seat. Sometimes he's happy to keep sitting in it for a while after we get home.

Sleeping.

His ladybug and the mirror that came with it. One of the hanging toys jingles when he hits it. While he doesn't have very good arm control, he does manage to hit it quite a bit. He also loves staring at the mirror.

Toby (who Jace just became aware of today!). This morning Jace noticed Toby on our bed and smiled at him. Jace is one of Toby's favorite things too (especially when he spits up).

Watch Jace stare at Toby, and follow him every time Toby moved.

Jace Watching Toby from Nolan Nelson on Vimeo.

Jace continued to stare at the spot where Toby was sitting for 10 minutes after Toby moved out of sight. He kept making little talking noises, like he was hoping Toby would come back.

First Smile!

Tonight Nolan was holding Jace in his lap, and every time he shook his head, Jace smiled! We've seen tons of unintentional smiles from our baby boy, but this was the first time it was as a reaction to something we did. I was able to grab the camera and capture part of one--I say part because the smiles he kept giving his daddy were much bigger than what you see here.

One Month Old Today!

Hard to believe that one month (also 4 weeks) ago today Jace was born! He's growing so quickly! He loves waving his hands around (Grandma Steiner thinks it looks like he's conducting music), will contently lay on his boppy pillow for up to 45 minutes, loves his swing (if put in it when already happy), and is still the alert, happy baby we brought home from the hospital. The best part, for me, is that he sleeps so well at night! We generally get a six hour stretch followed by a four hour stretch of sleep.
He wasn't thrilled by being put in the chair, but at least gave me a moment to take pictures before demanding I pick him up.

His hands are always flying! This is why we have to swaddle him at night--otherwise he'll wake himself up.

Enjoying some time before a bath on his boppy.
(See Grandma--he is gaining weight in his arms!)

It took a month, but we were finally able to give him a real bath! Here he is in his bouncer seat, a little concerned by what I was doing to get his bath ready.

Jace discovered he LOVES baths! He almost fell asleep while I was washing his hair. He's covered in a cool bath blanket my mom got for him. You first get it wet then put it on the baby to keep them warm. I'd say it's effective!

All done and getting dried off!

In his swing the other day. This is the look he always has on his face while in the swing, that is until he falls asleep.

Time with Grandma and Grandpa Nelson

Nolan's parents had to get going pretty quickly at the hospital, so they only were able to briefly see Jace. They came down this weekend to finally be able to hold him and spend some time with him. He was content and sleepy and did a great job of cuddling with them.

Becky holding him. She commented that he wasn't anything like what she'd pictured him to look like. I'd say he surprised us all! Nolan and I have decided that he's a combo--a little of both of us since we're pretty sure he doesn't really look like either the Nelson or Steiner sides.

Then Grandpa got to hold him.

Jace fell asleep and stayed asleep as soon as Jack positioned him like this. Jace later took a long nap with Becky as well. It was great having them spend some quality time with him!

This and That with Jace

Jace will be three weeks old tomorrow! It seems like he's growing so quickly and I'm not sure I'm ready for it! He's wearing mostly 0-3 month clothes now and only a few newborn size items still fit him. He does have a tiny little waist, though, so newborn diapers are still the right size. We're figuring out his cries and are getting pretty good at determining when he's hungry, needs a diaper change or just tired and needs to sleep. He is still an amazingly content baby! He loves laying on his boppy pillow and looking at the window, or sitting in his bouncer and looking around. His hands are always moving and he's not so fond of when he hits himself in the face. He's sleeping in his room in his bassinet every night now (we would have kept the bassinet in our room except the cats think it's theirs) and usually has a 4 hour and then 3 hour stretch of sleep, with it only taking 30-45 minutes to feed and put him back to bed. We LOVE watching all the funny faces he makes. His most common looks are a very serious scowl and a grin that shows his dimples.

He's had a busy three weeks meeting lot of people! He loves a crowd and is great at showing off how alert he is.

Meeting everyone at the church office... here we are with Jo, Pattie and Chris.

Cami pointing to where his mouth is.

Micah wanted to hold him.

Me, Anna and our kids (how fun to be able to say "our").

My mom's friend, Vicki, threw a baby shower for us before my mom returned to Maryland. It was a sweet time with my mom's friends from Corvallis who all watched me grow up. It was great having Anna and Cami there as well!

Jace decided he was hungry right as it was time to open gifts, so Cami was a great helper.

I baby sat Natalie Smith and her brothers since they were all babies (although I did go away to college when Natalie was still little), and then Natalie was a flower girl in my wedding. It was great to have her and her mom there, and to have her hold my baby.

Vicki holding Jace. She came over the week after we came home from the hospital to hang out and have my mom highlight her hair. She also got some snuggle time with Jace.

Our good friends, Natalie and Jesse Sutter stopped by to meet Jace.

My dear friend Megan and her husband Mike came by to meet our little guy. She's lived in Kansas since going to college there, but after marrying Mike, they moved to the Portland area. It's great having her be near by and be able to see Jace in person!

Jace looking super cute in his bathrobe after a bath.