i'm in love with a blanket

First, I have breaking news: G showed me his first real smile today! I was looking at him and rubbing his belly, playing with his hands and arms, etc... and I started talking to him and he smiled with his whole face! At first I thought maybe it was a reflex smile and I just really wanted it to be a real smile (I thought they didn't really smile responsively for a couple more weeks?). So I kept talking and playing with him and he did it again, his eyes and everything! SO cute. I thought my heart was going to explode.

And this next thing is mostly for my prego readers...

From february 09

I didn't know I could love a non-human thing so much. But any blanket that helps G sleep for four (yes, four!) hours at a time definitely wins my heart. I loved this blanket before but mostly because it was cute, it was one of the first things we received for Grayson (from Brittany) and there are coordinating burp cloths haha! And now I am in love with it because of its extreme swaddling function! We've been trying a few different things with Grayson at night to get him to sleep a little harder and longer and so far we've been only mildly successful (yes, I know he is only four weeks old). Last night and the night before we used the Swaddle Designs blanket to put him to sleep and he slept like a champ! Or at least for such a wee baby. Last night he slept for two four-hour stretches back-to-back! Seriously... it is all about the blanket. Not even one arm wiggled its way out. Pregos, I would go ahead and look at investing in a good swaddling blanket as an investment in the future length and quality of your sleep. (I've also heard that the Miracle Blanket is the bomb.com if you're looking for another or still can't swaddle tightly enough with a square.)

And just because I'm so excited that he really smiled today, here are a few for you visual peeps:

Just hanging out yesterday...

From february 09

And a poladroid-ed picture of Paul and G (I am blaming Ashley for this latest obsession):

From february 09

I hope next time I will have a smile picture to post! For now, we are about to get out of the house for a short outing. My eyes will bleed if I have to watch any more soap operas today.