Length: 22 inches, ~75th percentile. The error margin on these measurements must be pretty big though, we'd be really surprised if he's already grown half in inch in 11 days!
- First smile. Okay, I'll settle for "unofficial" smile, but it was so true to the real thing, that it's definitely worth mentioning. Marésa brought him in early on the morning of October 1st. As he had just eaten, he had those dreamy, sleepy eye look and was really half awake, half asleep. Marésa put him down next to his dreamy, sleepy eyed dad who said good morning, and he opened his eyes, looked me straight in the eyes and gave the most beautiful smile. It was one of those absolutely perfect ways of starting your day.
- 5 hours of continuous sleep!
- Very attentive with his eyes. He really has been like this since he was born, focusing well from the outset. But now he will gaze at something for long times, and he definitely seems much more alert and aware of his surroundings.
- When lying on his tummy, moving his head from side to side. Once is enough work though to tire him for the rest of tummy-time!
- First live webcam performances for both sets of grandparents!
- First visit to the pediatrician (for his first check-up).
- A great report from the doctor today. He's doing really well, and gaining weight at a healthy pace.
- Duvan's patience! Even when ravishingly hungry, he'll always give you a good amount of time to react to his cries. He's so cute!
- His sleeping really well at night.
What an amazing week we've had! First of all, the one night of good sleep mentioned in our last post was not a fluke. We are so thankful, because this little guy has been sleeping so well at night. Marésa, merciful heart that she has, proposed that Jan only get up if Duvan cries in between feeding times, or if he has a hard time going back to bed after a feeding. Marésa reckons Jan doesn't have much of a breast to offer, and will come wake her up anyway if Duvan's hungry. Duvan is so good though, that Jan's soothing services are rarely required.
Duvan's facial expressions are amazing. It's as he's communicating every sensation and thought with a full flexing of his facial muscles. He has so many unique facial expressions. It's so neat to watch! We captured some of the expressions one afternoon during happy time on Marésa's lap. He wasn't really making any noises, just hanging out...
Jan attempted the same, but tried to capture smiles. They were all too short though, and whenever he clicked the shutter, by the time the camera had focused, the smile was gone :(.
We realized how precious this time is. He already seems bigger to us, (that was confirmed at the doctor's office today). Although this is probably the time in which he interacts the least with us (although a stare straight into your eyes speaks more than a thousand words), we're already sad that this time is running out.
Duvan was dressed for success for his first doctor's appointment!
He was so good in the exam room, not uttering a single cry, and constantly amusing Dr. Walker with his looks. He seemed very perplexed during the examination. :)
Here's Duvan hanging out in his bouncy seat. It's more like a rocking chair though. This was the first time that he seemed to grab something. He looked unaware of it though. :)
Since our honeymoon is over, we're now hard at work at establishing a healthy routine. Please pray God's wisdom for us in being successful at doing this. Our first priority is trying to teach him to fall asleep on his own. Tonight seems to especially challenging. He's either become quite crafty at figuring out when we're about to leave him, or is just upset over something. He will not go down to bed anything! This last picture is from earlier this evening when he was really tired (though would still not go to sleep). Right now we're longing for that moment. :)
You might have noticed that we slowed down a little in updating the website! Our goal is at least once a week, especially now that we're back in the swing of things.
God blessed us with an amazing group of friends, who cooked dinner for us for 7 nights in a row, allowing us all of last week without having to cook. It was such a blessing, and we're so thankful!
Hoe verlang ons nie net om hom ook 'n bietjie vas te hou nie! Geniet hierdie oomblikkies met hom want hulle word so gou, so verskriklik gou groot.
Posted by: Pa & Ma Jacobs | October 7, 2003 01:41 PM
Baie geluk Jan en Marèsa
Die Here het julle voorwaar geseën.Hy is pragtig.
Frans en Amelia
Posted by: AmeliaVorster(de Lange) | October 10, 2003 06:52 AM
Congratulations on the arrival of Duvan Cristoph!
Praise God.....he is absolutely perfect!!!!
We enjoyed reading up on his arrival and happenings during his first 17 days in this world...Lord-willing we look forward to seeing you and meeting Duvan in person next week! Sounds like you too don't need any advice....you are doing a SUPER-GREAT Job!!! Enjoy!
Love, Steve & Frankie
Posted by: Frankie and Steve | October 12, 2003 09:49 PM
