Beach Bum

While we had the chance, we bravely went where parents of 6 week olds rarely go (and maybe shouldn't go), on a road trip. We decided to take advantage of the long weekend and the time before I go back to work to visit Javi's grandma in McAllen. While Christian used to fall asleep easily in his car seat, we learned that that is no longer the case. He and, thus, Javier and I had a long day, so for our visit with Great Abuela, Christian wasn't a happy camper. Like most Grandma's, she saw the positive in her great grandson and complemented his strong vocal cords.

When we finally made it to South Padre, though, Christian enjoyed the beach.

Here is Christian and Daddy enjoying the ocean breeze. Daddy could have used a cool hat like Christian.

We weren't too sure if the water would be too cold, but we decided to let Christian dip his toes into ocean. To our surprise he loved the water...we have a future beach bum on our hands!

Like any true beach bum, Christian enjoyed morning walks on the beach. The strong wind and crashing waves put him to sleep.

Abuelo and Abuela also came to South Padre to hangout with their future beach bum grandson

Getting to Know Christian

Christian is already going to be 6 weeks today! Time flies. We've learned a lot about each other over the last 6 weeks. He are ten things we know about Christian.

1. We've discovered that patience isn't one of Christian's greatest virtues. When he's hungry, he lets the world know, and he will not stop till he gets fed.

2. Our most important lesson so far, if nothing else works, turn on the vacuum cleaner! It will instantly quiet him and put him to sleep.

3. If you saw the video, he's learned to smile over the last 6 weeks. Just now, he was sitting by himself in his swing, and woke up. When I came over to him and talked to him, he gave me a big smile. He was happy to see me!!

4. We've also seen traces of laughter. Twice, while he's sleeping, I've noticed him let out a little giggle. What he's dreaming about we will never know.

5. He can makes "ewwww" and "awwww" noises and big tired sighs when he yawns.

6. Christian does not like waking up in strange places, which makes getting out with him a little difficult. If he goes to sleep in the car in his car seat but wakes up, say, eating breakfast in a bakery with his parents (this happened yesterday morning) he will scream bloody murder and take quite a while to be soothed back to sleep. The same thing happened when he woke up during worship at church. Here he is asleep, but it didn't last long.

7. Apparently, the pouty face comes innately in babies. Here's Christian's best:

8. Christian takes a bottle like a champ. He might have missed mommy a little, but he definitely likes daddy a lot more now.

9. Javier and I both like being outside. We go hiking and try to go camping alot. Luckily, Christian is also a fan of the outdoors. He's usually much happier when he's outside.

10. And last but not least, Christian really enjoys bathtime. He just sits in the tub real relaxed and kicks his legs around. He isn't quite laughing and playing, but it's fun to give him a bath. We won't embarrass him too bad with the naked picture, but here he is after.

Good Morning Christian!

Christian has a wide variety of moods and faces that can change in a second. In this video Christian has just woken up and he goes from a frown to a smile instantly. Enjoy!

Family

Christian has great grandparents. They've been a HUGE help to us as we're getting used to taking care of the little guy. When we took him home from the hospital, Javier and I were exhausted from our stay and also a little shell shocked as to how to take care of Christian. My mom came and stayed with us for several days when we got back from the hospital, and she did so much. She made us big dinners everyday and froze the leftovers. She made me breakfast and lunch and snacks while I was feeding Christian. She even cleaned the oven and the kitty litter boxes! My stepdad, Fred, swept the patio, put up a shelf that we had been meaning to put up, and rinsed out our trash can! Here's mom with Christian:
Christian's abuela (Javi's mom), comes by when she has a few hours here and there to give me a break or even to let Javier and I get out of the house and have some time to ourselves. She's been a big help and always does the dishes or cleans the house. Here she is given Christian a bath:

Here is Christian meeting his Oma and Opa (my stepmom and dad).

Christian was a little fussy at first when he met his great Oma, but soon calmed down and gave her a smile. Grandma's all have the touch!

Four generations of the Arlitt family.

Christian enjoys making a bed out of anyone who is willing. Here he is with his Uncle Travis. He stopped by and was Christian's bed for a couple of hours.

My other brother Daniel stopped by this morning with Brook, Troy, Mattie, and Mayson. They were excited to meet their new nephew and cousin.