A Busy Past Two Weeks: Daniel Now 10 Weeks Old!

We've had an eventful past couple of weeks. The same night my mother and step-father returned to Portugal (and after a very teary good-bye - we miss you so much!) Peter and Jennifer arrived from France and spent 8 memorable days with us! We had so much fun with them, visited several places, talked loads; it was great. It was the most time we have ever spent together as a couple and it was very special and we just love Jennifer - well chosen Peter :-)!! Thank you for coming all this way to get to know your nephew! Here are some photos of the airport goodbye with "vozinha teteti e vozinho fofinho" and our time with P & J.

Saying good-bye to Daniel at the airport...We miss you!

Celebrating Peter and Jennifer's trip to the U.S.!

Enjoying Maryland crab cakes!

Daniel loved his uncle P!

Proud auntie!

Happy couple: Daniel can't wait for cousins!

We also finally took Daniel to Jonny's lab and about 15 plus of his colleagues came to see him! Daniel slept most of the time so it wasn't overwhelming for him. He also wore a very cute jean dungaree that day courtesy of our neighbor Tacumi:

With some of Jonny's colleagues:

Mother's day this past Sunday was very special. We spent most of the day with the Staggers, after attending Mikey's baby dedication at their church. We remembered that day all that God has done in our lives this past year, since mother's day last year. I wrote a blog about last year's mother's day and it was very difficult and I wasn't even pregnant yet. But here we are, one year later, much stronger and blessed with another baby boy, Daniel Peter! Thank you Lord!

First mother's day with Daniel:

With my dear friend Kristen

Daniel is truly blossoming now and we're having so much fun with his cooing and smiling - he's just adorable! Also, he slept 8 hours for the first time last night, from 8 PM to 4 AM - and then another 2 hours after feeding!! We kept waking up every couple of hours wondering, "is he still asleep?" Amazing, our little boy is growing up and we are feeling so much more rested! What a difference it makes!

Daniel cooing away!

Tomorrow though is going to be a difficult day for us since Daniel will be getting his 2 months shots! Oh, I hope they don't hurt too much and that he doesn't have a bad reaction to it... Being a parent brings many concerns, even when it's for his own good...you were right maezinha!

Some notes for us to remember about his development:

- He started cooing and smiling a lot at 9-10 weeks. He loves it when we talk back to him and coos even more! I have a feeling he's going to be quite a talker. Has he taken after his mother? :-) Still too soon to tell!

- Bedtime is now at 8 PM since Daniel was starting to have his deep night sleep much earlier and this new routine has been great - bath time is about 7 PM. We get a couple of hours together before going to bed (and get to watch American Idol!) or we have the option of going to bed when he does - which is most nights!

- Napping right now is a challenge. He sleeps for about 30 minutes and then cannot sleep again for another 30 minutes or so. We have to hold him until he sleeps again or else he is too tired and will be fussy. He naps generally better in the car or in the stroller since the motion lulls him back to sleep after he wakes up. But he needs to learn to nap well in his crib! Any advice from anyone? Please let us know!

- He still can only stay awake for about an hour at a time but can stay awake the longest mostly in the afternoons (about 1 hour and a half), before his last nap (total of 4 naps per day, before bedtime). Tummy time works best now in the afternoon and helps him use up his energy!