Look at Rudy on his birth day - puffy eyes and puckered lips. He looks so cute in the hospital clothes. The hat is covering his cone shaped head. The conehead that I never saw. I was so happy when Rudy popped out all I saw was his face. (The nurses wipe him down and bundle him up pretty fast.) Daddy said Rudy had a good conehead. His head explains why the pediatrician asked me if it was a tough labor. I said no, but it wasn't like I had previous labor experience for comparison.
The blanket is covering up his flaky skin. According to a nurse, Rudy was "over baked", meaning a bun that had been in the oven a little too long, thus his skin was a little dry and flaky. The doctor said he should finish shedding in a couple of weeks. Trust me, he has been shedding. When I unswaddle him or burp him there some noticeable sheddage (my made-up word) going on.
Rudy really likes to be swaddled and placed in the middle of the bobby. I think it reminds him of his home for the last 9 1/2 months, pre-birth.
I like this swaddler because it has step-by-step directions on an inside tag. All of the flaps and velcro can be a lot to deal with so directions are good.
The hospital nurses show you how to swaddle your baby with a basic burp cloth. They all have their own technique so you have to figure out what works best for your baby.
I picked up the double blanket roll trick from the nursery. Rudy likes it. To be on the safe side, I asked his doctor about this method. The doc. said you have to make sure the baby is at the bottom of the crib/bassinet so he won't slide down and be suffocated by the blankets and don't put the rolls next to his face.
When we swaddle Rudy with his arms free we place them above the blankets. When he moves, his arms are always between the blanket and his face.
I like the double blanket roll because we can use two of Rudy's custom made blankets at one time. Rudy has 4 custom made blankets and one bought but crocheted (by grandma).
This is Rudy's slide sleeping pose. He only does this when he's sleeping on my chest. Otherwise he's on his back. I let him stay in this pose as long as my body will allow me to lay in one position. I can feel the life running through his body, and by life I mean his breathing, digesting, and farting.
I love this picture. Rudy looks so peaceful and relaxed. It's hard to believe this is the same person who keeps me up for hours on end.
Rudy was really active when I took this shot. His fists were pumping and is feet peddling.
As I was taking the picture Rudy surprised me by spitting up his lunch. I guess he didn't want it to show up in the picture because when I checked the shot I noticed that he sucked the spit-up back in. That was a first. This picture also reminds me that Rudy doesn't like pants. It took us about 30 minutes to realize that the matching pants were causing him to bring such a ruckus.
Rudy's Grandma made this blanket. I was really surprised by the design because I've seen her crochet work through the years (decades) and this was a new pattern. I knew she had the talent because she used to make clothes for me. Grandma always makes things for other people's grandchildren but she really stretched her crochet needles for Rudy.
Rudy seems to like the blanket. We use it to wrap him up and as a shade over the car seat during his rare public appearances.
The blanket came with a handmade toy - a block with a bell in the middle. I'll give Rudy the toy when he's of the throwing age, which if you've felt his death grip, may be next week!
