Week 31 - A Monster Week!

Hello everyone! Its been a busy week in my world. Before you get ANY baby brother news from me, you're about to hear about my crazy weekend.

First of all, daddy picked me up from school but he didn't take me straight home. Instead he drove around to a strange area that I've never seen before. We finally stopped in a parking lot, and what did I see?

A monster truck!!!!! Man this thing was cool. I even let the driver take a picture with me.

As we were leaving, daddy asked it I liked the monster truck. Yeah, duh. Is that REALLY a question??? I'm a 3 year old Joiner boy that likes destruction - of COURSE I liked the monster truck! Then he promised that we would see them drive around tomorrow. Sure enough, we rolled into Raymond James Stadium the next day for some monster truck fun! Daddy sprung for club seats, dinner, and some monster truck goodies. And then the show started.

Oh sweet destruction, how I've missed you! Trucks were rolling over, wheels were flying off, it was serious fun! I also had my first taste of some stuff called "cotton candy". It looks like funny colored hair, but man did it taste good! And no, it didn't make me hyper. I'm like my daddy - sugar doesn't faze me!

So that's a cool enough weekend with that alone, but wait there's more! The NEXT day, I got a peek at my baby brother! We went to a place that had a big screen tv, and my baby brother was on! So, I saw him in 3D, and he must have known I was watching because he was covering his face at first. That's okay, you can't hide forever little man! After a few minutes he fell asleep, and his arm moved out of the way. Then we were face to face. Okay I admit it, he's a handsome little guy. Don't get me wrong, I'm WAY cuter, but he'll be okay in the looks department.

So what was he up to? Oh, about 3.5lbs and 16+ inches tall! HAHAHAHAHAHA Get it, what's he "up to"? Ah man, that's comedy gold. That big boost in size is making things a little tight in there. He's getting into the fetal position now out of necessity more than anything. There's more room in there, but not much! He is floating around in there head-down, ready to go! Don't worry, that doesn't mean he's making an early entrance. More often than not, babies end up head down in there just because that's the heaviest part of them.

What else, you ask? His immune system and respiratory systems are improving. He's becoming more self-sufficient as he grows. After all, he won't be able to sponge off of mommy for much longer! His rapidly developing brain has matured to the point that he can process information from all 5 senses now. And while his skeleton is fully formed, his skull is still soft. That is by design, can you believe it? It makes a lot of sense actually, because once he busts outta there he will have a lot of squeezing ahead of him. Its better for everyone involved to let everything be a little more flexible. That's the reason that babies have a "soft spot" for the first year or so after they're born. All of the bones that make up the skull still have to grow and fuse together, and that big junction in the back takes a while to close up.

He's in a regular eat-sleep-pee routine now. Some people would think that eating, sleeping, and peeing in the same location is a gross thing, and I like to call these people…..NOT GUYS. Come on, have you SEEN my dad? If he could do all three things in the same room, he'd call that heaven! You can't really argue with the convenience factor either.

The one major change this week is that baby brother has had a change in his skin color. He has gone from a dark red to a pinkish color. As he packs on the pounds, that dilutes that blood red color. The only question that remains there is - will he have mommy's white skin, or daddy's tan? Only time will tell.

Alright folks, that's it for now. I've gotta grab a snack, then go potty, then maybe take a nap. If I get lucky, maybe I'll be able to do all three in the same room like my baby brother. Quick, daddy! Pull a mattress into the bathroom!!!

Don't forget to vote on the baby names over to the right side of the baby. Until next time!

Andrew Joiner, Big Brother