Two Months Old!

Two months old!  That's right, Manu is now two months old!  I had the startling realization that October starts this weekend.  My brain has been stuck in July this whole time, and for some reason I expected the rest of the world to stay there with me until I was ready to move on.  But you didn't.

The good news is I'm catching up.  Manu and I are getting into a routine of sorts and out of the apartment.    So, I have a few photo posts in the works to show you what Manu and I (and Nate too!) have been up to lately.  But since yesterday marked two whole months since my dear Manu was born, this post is for him.

 

Remember this tiny little bundle?

Now he looks like this!  

To celebrate, Manu and I went on a walk at Ala Moana Beach Park.  As you can see, Manu was really impressed with the ocean view.

Manu and me at the beach.  

 Manu's #2 favorite place to sleep.

Manu's #1 favorite place to sleep.  (Nate was dressed up for a costume/ice cream eating contest at school)

I just realized that Manu is sleeping in the majority of these photos, it's definitely his favorite hobby, which makes for a very happy mommy.  He still sleeps really well at night; the last two nights he's gone 9 straight hours!

Here's the stats from today's dr. visit:

Length: 23 1/2 in.

Weight: 11lbs 12 oz

He also got a bajillion vaccines today in two shots and a little drink and after some initial crying, has taken it like a champ and is doing what Manu does best - sleeping it off.

Free Teachers' E-Books

Nate and I heard about this from a friend and thought we'd share.  It's a coupon for $10 worth of free e-books from Scholastic, and they're having a sale until Tuesday where many are only $1!  That's 10 free e-books!  They're all about teaching, so I hope all you teaching friends enjoy!  Neither of us are teachers by training, but we definitely found some neat things to get when we looked through the site this weekend!

p.s. The website is swamped and super slow, so you'll need to do this when you have a bit of time to wait for loading pages.

Here's where I got the coupon:

http://www.motherhoodonadime.com/10-worth-of-ebooks-from-scholastic-for-free/

Ick!

Let me preface the story of this post by saying that I hate cockroaches.  I think they're absolutely disgusting.  We have them in our apartment occasionally, rather more often than I would prefer.  We're usually quite good at changing our roach baits every three months, so it's not usually too big of a deal.  But, we've been a little distracted lately (something about having a baby), and haven't yet changed our overdue baits.

Usually if I see a roach that is mid-size or larger it is accompanied by a small shriek of disgust and a call for Nate to come with a shoe and get it.  At times I've even exchanged unfriendly words with the critters and made it very clear that they were not welcome in my home.

Last night I was putting away the dishes.  I opened up our utensils drawer (not the silverware drawer, thankfully, though they're all connected, so it only really makes a difference in my mind) and what did I see?   Yes, a mid-size roach scurrying toward the back all over my spatulas, ladle, and beaters.  Sick.

However, I was pretty tired by this point in the day and Nate wasn't home.  So, what did I do?  I closed my eyes, gave a shudder, and closed the drawer.

We need to get some new roach baits, post-haste.  And now, if you'll excuse me, I need to scrub out the drawers in my kitchen.


But, before you all decide to stop reading my blog because I post gross things about bugs, here's a picture of Manu to keep you coming back.  Some of you have seen this one before, but it's so cute I'm going to post it here as well:

Manu in his church duds.  He's wearing a tiny ie faitaga (basically a formal Samoan man-skirt.  Kind of like what Feki wears in Other Side of Heaven) that my mom made for him.

A Diapering Confession

During my pregnancy Nate and I stocked up on several different kinds of cloth diapers.  They were cute and would save the earth, but above all they were much cheaper for the long haul.  We were pretty gung-ho about it.

Then, I received a Costco-size box of diapers as a gift and I thought, "oh, that'll be nice to have around in emergencies or when I forget to do the laundry."  Then I started saying, "oh, I'll just use these until his piko (bellybutton) is all healed up."  Before I knew it we'd gone through the whole stinkin' box!  There were 216 diapers in there!

But, before we'd quite finished, another set of friends gave us a Costco-size box of diapers as a gift.  (Thanks, friends!)  So I kept using them, and using them, and using them.

Here's the confession:

I've been seduced by disposable diapers: by their ease and convenience, by the lack of laundry they add to my already exploding laundry basket.

When the second box ran low, we went to Costco and bought our own Costco-sized box of diapers.  I felt like I had to smuggle it in to the apartment before anyone saw it.

Here's the other confession:

We've used the cloth diapers for one day.  It was great - no leaks or explosions.  However, Manu was only two weeks old or so at the time and the cloth diapers just looked so huge and bulky I didn't think I'd be able to fit his little onesies over it.  Seriously they made his cute, tiny, little derrière look ginormous!  Oh the vanity!

Conclusion:

Will I ever use the drawer full of diapers I've stockpiled to save the world and save myself a bundle of cash?  Yes.  I really think I will.  Just give me a bit until I settle in to this whole mothering thing.  And until my little dear's derrière fits them better.  Then Manu will be rocking' the cloth diapers.

1 Month Old!

And now the moment you've been waiting for! Pictures of our handsome little Manu!

Manu turned one month old on Saturday! It's gone so fast I can hardly believe it! He's getting cuter every day and starting to smile and coo, which just melts our hearts every time.

We went to the doctor yesterday for his one month checkup:

weight: 10lbs 3oz

length: 22in

The doctor told us he was destined to be a huge Mid-west sized football player because he ranked in the 90th percentile. I was thinking, "I know he's gained a few pounds, but I don't think he's that big!" It turns out the nurses accidentally plotted his size on the girl's growth chart. Sorry, Manu! You're average-sized on the boys' chart.

Manu one day old. (7 lbs 15 oz; 21 in)

Manu one month old. He is such a good sleeper! I'm talking 6 straight hours last night a quick meal and then another 3 hours sleep! This mommy's feeling good today!

I just can't get enough of that smile.

Usually Manu hates tummy time, but this time he figured out a sure-fire way to get out of it altogether. Instead of the usual crying, he immediately fell asleep.

Manu

Deb has graciously asked that I, Nate, give the background for the alias that we've selected for use as we write about our newborn son on our respective blogs.

By way of introduction, you should know that for two years I served a full-time mission in the Sāmoan islands for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My time amongst the Sāmoans profoundly changed, redirected even, my life forever. In their honor then we have selected Manu for our son's alias, and here's the reason why.

As explained by my recent Sāmoan professor, ʻAumua Mataʻitusi Simanu, Sāmoan children are not traditionally "allowed to be in close proximity of the aliʻi (chiefs), particularly when they are meeting" to discuss the affairs of the village.

She continues, "In ancient times, Chief Fānene of Falealili violated this tradition by allowing his grandson to climb about him and make noise while the chiefs were seated in ceremony." Annoyed, Fanene's fellow chiefs demanded that the child be taken away, calling him a manu or animal.

ʻAumua remarks, "Fānene begged for forgiveness and, through his gift of oratory, referred to the child as an 'animal for the chiefs'--'ʻo si manu a aliʻi'"--meaning that in due time, through his association with the chiefs, the child would learn his proper place and act accordingly.

ʻAumua concludes that the "essence of the Faʻasāmoa," or Sāmoan way, is "to learn through serving and through living the culture--in the case of Fānene's grandson, through his future tautua or service" to his family, his village, his country, and his God.

Now, technically we aren't Sāmoans, but that's really only a biological technicality. The lessons that I've learned from the Faʻasāmoa--especially the importance of serving one's family, community, and God--I plan on passing on to my son as if we were Sāmoan. After all, he is, with those of his generation, the future of humanity.

Deb and the Fe'e

Right now I'm enjoying having my sister and her family in town and there will be lovely posts to come from our adventures around the island. But for now, here's a pic from our tri-stake youth conference in late March. Definitely one of the greatest moments of the conference:

Yes, I'm holding an octopus (a fe'e). Yes, it is very slimy and disgusting and my fingers are where are brain ought to be. Eww.