Two months
My little mister has turned 2 months. Hooray!
And my dad turned 68!
This second month has been wonderful. Let's face it, the first few weeks and month of a child's life is hard. For everyone. Getting used to having a baby around, learning how to care for him, figuring out what he likes/dislikes, and essentially setting aside your own life to keep the little guy alive. But this second month? It feels more normal. I'm still grappling with inconsistent and inadequate sleep, but overall feeling more human. Yes, we often spend our days in our pjs on the couch, nursing, burping (him, not me), smiling, watching tv (me, not him), and sleeping. Not exactly real life, as one day soon I'll be going to work and he'll be going to daycare. But that aside, our new normal is in full force. And we are loving it.
Unfortunately, Carter contracted RSV and has been sick the past 5 days with Bronchiolitis, so his 2-month appointment was postponed and I don't know all of his stats. But he is 13 pounds of baby, which is no surprise given his double chin, the tight 3 months clothing, and my sore arms and back.
But yeah RSV. I hate seeing him sick. He is being such a champ though, offering up smiles and cooes after coughing hard 8 times straight and puking. It seems to be bothering me more than him, thankfully! I took him in to the clinic because he wasn't keeping down very much milk (carpet cleaner and loads of laundry in full force around here) and he was diagnosed. I am relieved it is not pneumonia, or his ears, and that I know the danger signs to watch for that would make this thing real serious. We've had a rough few days, but we are powering through, and I'm grateful that I'm on leave right now and not worrying about work. Jon had to travel for work yesterday and today, which worried me at the thought of 36 hours on my own...but then my mother texted and said she and my dad would be coming over and staying the night. I could've cried. I don't doubt that I couldn't manage on my own, but the sickness and sleepless nights make it a lot harder. And let's face it, if I can get some help, and some adult company, I'll take it.
Ok, back to Carter and all his growing!
Around 5 weeks, Carter gave us his first legitimate real smile. We were hanging out on the couch, our usual spot, and I was in the middle of some ridiculously detailed review of our plans for the day when he started to smile. My heart raced, I gave him a big smile back, and off he went with a series of smiles bigger than his face! It was miraculous. I was on cloud nine. Perhaps one of the greatest moments of motherhood so far. Parenting can be such a thankless job, especially with a newborn that is fairly oblivious to everything except eating and sleeping. So to receive that response and interact with him in that way was profoundly rewarding.
Ever since, he's been a smiling machine. Definitely in the mornings, and especially for Daddy. And often it's very easy to squeeze out some smiles when he's in his infant carrier. I've said it before, but I'm sooo grateful he doesn't hate his carrier, or car rides.
Along with smiles, Carter started cooing around this same time. He loooooves to talk to us. He will watch our lips, quiver his like he's winding up, and then "oooooh." Lately he's also saying "uh-gah." We find him staring intently at us while we are talking to each other or someone else, and often he tries to join in. Last week I read him his first book. He stared up at me as I read and periodically interjected with his own "stuff to say." Gosh it was sweet. Now I feel guilty I hadn't read to him until then, but gosh darn it we haven't let another night go without reading to him. Of course, he hasn't had quite that reaction since.
Bath time is now fairly enjoyable for us all, much to our relief. Carter used to scream his head off like we were murdering him. Then one day around 5 weeks, he just liked it. I wouldn't say he looooves it, but he does seem quite content, and there are no tears. We started using an actual baby tub after the night picture here, as the sink became way too small very quickly.
Carter has also developed a love for his activity mat. Most mornings, he will happily lay there, kicking, swinging his arms, smiling, and looking around for a good 15-20 minutes. That's an eternity in baby attention! I've caught him cooing and smiling at the animals hanging above him several times. He is making contact with the lowest hanging one, though I haven't figured out yet if it is intentional or just amazingly coincidental.
Sleeping has been fairly consistent this last month. Poor daytime naps requiring the swing, bouncer, or mama's arms, but pretty decent nighttime sleeping in 2.5-3 hour chunks in his bassinet. He is outgrowing his bassinet, however, and getting to the point where he should probably be sleeping in his own room anyways. His grunting wakes me all the time.
Last week, I tried putting him down for a nap in his crib. I nursed him and rocked him to sleep, turned on some music (DMB, of course...the only music on our iPod), and laid him oh so delicately down. He slept for approximately 5 minutes, then woke up, looked around, and screamed bloody murder. I tried 2 more times, each lasting fewer and fewer minutes until we gave up for the day. BUT, last night, he slept in the crib the entire night! Yes, he woke to nurse a couple times, and yes he cried because his pacifier fell out a few times, but I'd call the first night a success.
His personality is coming out more and more each day. He is definitely a smiley guy, as I've mentioned. Last night, middle of the night, he started fussing, so I turned on a light and bent over the bassinet...he was grinning back at me. I laughed and told him he sure knows how to butter up Mama. When he's not smiling, he is constantly looking around and checking out his surroundings. He is obsessed with a collage of photos on our wall from our engagement (I think the dark frame and geometric shape interest him more than the actual subjects of the photos). He prefers to be upright, and having access to turn his head in all directions. He's also making a lot of other facial expressions, like furrowing his brow when we are making absurd noises to get him to smile, raised eyebrows when he hears one of our voices enter the room, pouty faces when he wants to be picked up...I could watch his precious little face for hours.
I'm sure I could go on and on about the kid, but I think that is all I wanted to capture at this point. I can't believe I have to go back to work in 3 weeks. Wah, wah, wah.
And my dad turned 68!
This second month has been wonderful. Let's face it, the first few weeks and month of a child's life is hard. For everyone. Getting used to having a baby around, learning how to care for him, figuring out what he likes/dislikes, and essentially setting aside your own life to keep the little guy alive. But this second month? It feels more normal. I'm still grappling with inconsistent and inadequate sleep, but overall feeling more human. Yes, we often spend our days in our pjs on the couch, nursing, burping (him, not me), smiling, watching tv (me, not him), and sleeping. Not exactly real life, as one day soon I'll be going to work and he'll be going to daycare. But that aside, our new normal is in full force. And we are loving it.
Unfortunately, Carter contracted RSV and has been sick the past 5 days with Bronchiolitis, so his 2-month appointment was postponed and I don't know all of his stats. But he is 13 pounds of baby, which is no surprise given his double chin, the tight 3 months clothing, and my sore arms and back.
But yeah RSV. I hate seeing him sick. He is being such a champ though, offering up smiles and cooes after coughing hard 8 times straight and puking. It seems to be bothering me more than him, thankfully! I took him in to the clinic because he wasn't keeping down very much milk (carpet cleaner and loads of laundry in full force around here) and he was diagnosed. I am relieved it is not pneumonia, or his ears, and that I know the danger signs to watch for that would make this thing real serious. We've had a rough few days, but we are powering through, and I'm grateful that I'm on leave right now and not worrying about work. Jon had to travel for work yesterday and today, which worried me at the thought of 36 hours on my own...but then my mother texted and said she and my dad would be coming over and staying the night. I could've cried. I don't doubt that I couldn't manage on my own, but the sickness and sleepless nights make it a lot harder. And let's face it, if I can get some help, and some adult company, I'll take it.
Ok, back to Carter and all his growing!
Around 5 weeks, Carter gave us his first legitimate real smile. We were hanging out on the couch, our usual spot, and I was in the middle of some ridiculously detailed review of our plans for the day when he started to smile. My heart raced, I gave him a big smile back, and off he went with a series of smiles bigger than his face! It was miraculous. I was on cloud nine. Perhaps one of the greatest moments of motherhood so far. Parenting can be such a thankless job, especially with a newborn that is fairly oblivious to everything except eating and sleeping. So to receive that response and interact with him in that way was profoundly rewarding.
Ever since, he's been a smiling machine. Definitely in the mornings, and especially for Daddy. And often it's very easy to squeeze out some smiles when he's in his infant carrier. I've said it before, but I'm sooo grateful he doesn't hate his carrier, or car rides.
Along with smiles, Carter started cooing around this same time. He loooooves to talk to us. He will watch our lips, quiver his like he's winding up, and then "oooooh." Lately he's also saying "uh-gah." We find him staring intently at us while we are talking to each other or someone else, and often he tries to join in. Last week I read him his first book. He stared up at me as I read and periodically interjected with his own "stuff to say." Gosh it was sweet. Now I feel guilty I hadn't read to him until then, but gosh darn it we haven't let another night go without reading to him. Of course, he hasn't had quite that reaction since.
Bath time is now fairly enjoyable for us all, much to our relief. Carter used to scream his head off like we were murdering him. Then one day around 5 weeks, he just liked it. I wouldn't say he looooves it, but he does seem quite content, and there are no tears. We started using an actual baby tub after the night picture here, as the sink became way too small very quickly.
Carter has also developed a love for his activity mat. Most mornings, he will happily lay there, kicking, swinging his arms, smiling, and looking around for a good 15-20 minutes. That's an eternity in baby attention! I've caught him cooing and smiling at the animals hanging above him several times. He is making contact with the lowest hanging one, though I haven't figured out yet if it is intentional or just amazingly coincidental.
Sleeping has been fairly consistent this last month. Poor daytime naps requiring the swing, bouncer, or mama's arms, but pretty decent nighttime sleeping in 2.5-3 hour chunks in his bassinet. He is outgrowing his bassinet, however, and getting to the point where he should probably be sleeping in his own room anyways. His grunting wakes me all the time.
Last week, I tried putting him down for a nap in his crib. I nursed him and rocked him to sleep, turned on some music (DMB, of course...the only music on our iPod), and laid him oh so delicately down. He slept for approximately 5 minutes, then woke up, looked around, and screamed bloody murder. I tried 2 more times, each lasting fewer and fewer minutes until we gave up for the day. BUT, last night, he slept in the crib the entire night! Yes, he woke to nurse a couple times, and yes he cried because his pacifier fell out a few times, but I'd call the first night a success.
His personality is coming out more and more each day. He is definitely a smiley guy, as I've mentioned. Last night, middle of the night, he started fussing, so I turned on a light and bent over the bassinet...he was grinning back at me. I laughed and told him he sure knows how to butter up Mama. When he's not smiling, he is constantly looking around and checking out his surroundings. He is obsessed with a collage of photos on our wall from our engagement (I think the dark frame and geometric shape interest him more than the actual subjects of the photos). He prefers to be upright, and having access to turn his head in all directions. He's also making a lot of other facial expressions, like furrowing his brow when we are making absurd noises to get him to smile, raised eyebrows when he hears one of our voices enter the room, pouty faces when he wants to be picked up...I could watch his precious little face for hours.
I'm sure I could go on and on about the kid, but I think that is all I wanted to capture at this point. I can't believe I have to go back to work in 3 weeks. Wah, wah, wah.
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