Do we have the happiest baby on the block?!

Our little man is over 7 weeks old now and is sure developing his own personality. He's definitely a morning person like his Mommy and Daddy and between 6-9 pm gets more fussy. We borrowed the "Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD from the library per many good comments on thebump.com (don't judge!) and we're attempting to use some of those techniques to help calm the little guy at night. The idea is that he was so used to being in the womb that months 0-3 are the 4th trimester (which would technically be a quadmester, but we don't go there...) so he is calmed by things that mimic the womb--1) swaddle 2) shhh (white noise) 3) sidelying 4) swinging/moving 5) sucking. My favorite is the "shh" as in the video the doctor very LOUDLY "shhhs" the baby right into his ear and it seems like he's completely frustrated. Caleb and I agree there is NO way you could do that in public without getting some weird looks, but Carter does seem to like it, so we do it in the privacy of our home. So far these techniques are actually working (we're on day #2!) and Carter is definitely a happier baby at night, so we shall see!  My cousin also came in town last weekend and brought so many fun toys and hand me downs for Carter, but by far the most used is the big swing. He loves it, so we love it!

We've attempted putting him in the crib a couple of times and he wants nothing to do with the crib. Not sure what it is--we swaddle him up the same way, give him his paci, but as soon as that paci falls out of his mouth--boom, it's all over. Friday night I fought this for 3 different attempts and Carter won--he's still in our room in the pack and play :).  We're going to Austin in a couple of weeks and maybe when we return it will be time for the crib?! I'm going to attempt more naps in the crib (I've been lazy and just let him sleep wherever during the day) and hopefully he'll get more used to it!

I feel like I'm giving the negatives, but let me tell you---we are loving his little smiles, grunts, coos, movements, and sweet cuddles.  Here are some of my favorite things he does at 7 weeks:

1) He always sleeps in a swaddler, but as soon as you unwrap it his arms go straight above his head and stay there in "superman" position. LOVE it.
2) We put him on his changing table (the adapter on the pack and play) and he immediately smiles, not sure what it is, but he LOVES the changing table and will smile the whole time. Sometimes when he's fussy and we can't calm him holding him, we'll stick him on his changing table and he calms.
3) He sticks his bottom lip out so pouty just before he cries--the most pitiful, but adorable, little face
4) I put him on my chest and he lifts his head up, looks right at my face, and ten stays there bobbing away. Sweetness. Part of me wants him to get full head control as I know it's good developmentally, but the head bobs are oh so cute.
5) Sometimes I think he's sleeping, I'll walk by the pack and play, and there he is--all swaddled up (in white at night, green during day!) with wide eyes just looking around.
6) He doesn't love tummy time, but the therapist Mom in me makes him stay on his tummy a minimum of 5 minutes 2x/day and by the end he's almost always crying--I pick him up, and all is right with the world--instant calming.
7) The boy LOVES movement. For the first 5 minutes or so in the car he will cry anytime we get to a complete stop. Stopsign? Yes. Stoplight? Yes. Drive thru window--you betcha. As soon as we start going again, he's happy! He just likes to let us know that he wants us to GO. NOW. Does this mean sometimes we'll see the red light and start rolling to a stop 100 yards away? Of course. It's make the Mercedes behind you mad (we're in Dallas here :)) or make Carter mad. I choose the Mercedes any time I can :).
8) Even though it breaks my heart to hear him wail, I love that he still has what Caleb and I call the "pitiful cry". It only happens when he's really worked up, but it's this very quivery cry that just tugs at those heart strings. Speaking of, I need to get that on video before it goes away---videoing his crying is about the last thing I think about at that time (hello? get on the 5 's''s!) but will do that!
9) The way Caleb interacts with him--he is currently teaching him how to bat at the toys on the playmat,  do "morning stretches" that end with "head, shoulders, knees, and toes", and he attempts the "shh" when he's fussy that just cracks me up. I knew Caleb would love him, but it's so fun to watch him as a Daddy and just love on Carter. He comes home and can't wait to see him. He calls multiple times during the day to see what he's doing and requests a minimum of 3 pictures be sent via email daily. Carter also loves his Daddy and it's so fun to watch him just smile and interact with Caleb.
10) When he is awake he is in constant motion. It's amazing he stays so chunky with all that calorie burning he does! Anyway, his movements are still pretty uncoordinated so sometimes he will hit himself in the face pretty hard (he's strong!) and do the whiniest.cry.ever. I laugh every time :).

I uploaded some recent photos but for some reason can't access them through picasa right now, so will leave my faithful followers with some of our newborn photos that I don't think are posted anywhere else :).

Yup, that's his stocking.