When Dash was a newborn, he often slept with his legs in a crouching position and one of his arms extended. Eric called this the Mega Man pose because it resembled the iconic image of the original Mega Man.
Can you see the resemblance?
We’re going to PAX East in a few weeks, and we want to make a Mega Man costume for Dash to wear while we are there. PAX is the Penny Arcade Expo, a gaming convention organized by the two guys that write the Penny Arcade webcomic.
We went to PAX in Seattle two years ago, and it was fantastic. There were workshops, tournaments, concerts, a huge exhibition hall, and tons of games. The best part was that everybody there was so nice. We made a few new friends while waiting in lines, and there were people of all ages in attendance. I have no reservations about taking our baby this year.
For the costume, I’m using a slightly more modern rendering of Mega Man for inspiration.
A. The helmet will be hand made – by me – with fabric and batting. It’s been a while since I’ve sewn anything, so I’ll probably use an existing hat as a base to build off of. The ears will be shaped like donuts with red fabric in the center.
B. The body of the costume will be a plain blue one-piece outfit with long sleeves and long pants. I’m still shopping for a simple, solid color outfit without graphics on it.
C. For the underwear, I will try to find a dark blue onesie, and I will cut off the top and hem the edge. I will likely stitch these bottoms to the light blue pajamas so that there is only one piece of clothing to remove when changing his diaper.
D. On his left hand, he will wear a dark blue glove or mitten.
E. The arm cannon, like the helmet, will be hand made with fabric and batting. It will be made like a puppet, so Dash can stick his arm in one end and flail it around. The details will be simple and stylized – just a strip of yellow fabric down each side and a circle of red fabric in the business end of the gun.
F. I’ll create the appearance of boots by stitching dark blue socks to the feet of the pajamas.
PAX is in two and a half weeks, so I’ll probably be working on the costume this weekend. I’ll be sure to post an update of the result!
Dash grabs things now – toys, clothes, our fingers, my hair. He flails his arms until his hands intercept something, and then he grasps – hard. He isn’t yet able to connect his hand to an item purposefully, though. But I am impressed with his strength.
Dash has monkey feet, just like his daddy. The gap between his big toe and his second toe is large enough to pinch ankles or grip fingers or climb trees. His legs are strong, too. With a little support from us for balance, he will stand for several seconds before wobbling to the floor.
When Eric’s mom was babysitting Dash two weeks ago, she saw him roll over for the first time! He didn’t do it again for me until last week, but I got it on video. Now, he rolls over every time we put him on his belly. He’s a rolling fool!
Here’s a movie montage that I made of several of the videos that I filmed of him rolling over last week. It’s set to the song Weapon Of Choice by Fatboy Slim. The slow-motion clips at the end are so funny!
Month three began with Dash’s two-month check-up with his pediatrician. He received five immunizations in three injections into his thighs, and this was the first time that we heard him really scream. He must have realized the capacity of his lungs because he has not hesitated to use this new ability on numerous occasions since then.
He still doesn’t cry much, though. In fact, he has started laughing out loud! He smiles almost every time that I look at him, and he laughs when I lift him high in the air and when I bounce him on my leg. Everybody says that they have not seen a happier baby.
We’ve started to notice some repetition in the way that he moves his body – gestures that seem innate to him. For example, he brings his fists up to his mouth when he is especially excited. He takes a deep breath and sighs when he is content. He rubs his eyes when he is tired. He arches his back and stretches his arms above his head when he wakes up. And he sucks on his fist whenever he is laying on his belly.
He is sleeping through the night now, according to all of the baby books. He sleeps for five or six hours, and then he wakes up hungry. We’ve really got the hang of nursing. He latches on instantly, and within a minute, I feel the let-down reflex. There’s no question if he is getting enough milk after learning that he weighed nearly double what he weighed at birth at his two-month check-up. He has also become more efficient at eating, taking half of the time that it took when he was a newborn. But it has never felt like an inconvenience to nurse him, even when it did take thirty minutes every two hours, and I love the obligatory cuddle time.
We have been giving him lots of tummy time, hoping that he will learn how to roll over. Actually, at the time I am writing this in month four, he has just mastered this skill. But I’ll save those details for the next post. In month three, he was holding his head up brilliantly, but he would tire after a few minutes and lay his head down. The exercise was a sure-fire way to get him to go to sleep, though!
Eric and I are still getting out of the house plenty. I’m working nearly 30 hours every week. We go to the rock climbing gym at least twice a week. And we get together with our friends to play games every weekend. Going to the grocery store or to restaurants hasn’t been difficult because Dash is always such a good baby. And now that he’s looking more and more like a little boy and less like an infant, I’m starting to think that I’m ready to have another!
Lauren Newman lives in Richmond, Virginia. She majored in urban planning, married her high school sweetheart, and dreams about moving to Mexico. More »
