10 weeks sure sounds like a long time. Baby is now a part of
our regular routine and life. It’s honestly hard to remember our schedule
without him. He is a pretty chill baby so we are able to go out to eat or
shopping like before. He really isn’t a hindrance to our “freedom” like some
parents feel. Of course, we have zero desire to go anywhere without him yet.
Our wedding anniversary is later this week and we thought about having a friend
babysit, but decided neither of us wanted an evening away from our little guy!
Finally was able to get a smile for his weekly picture. We
get lots of smiling pictures now on random days but hopefully last week was the
last time his weekly picture was so serious faced.
Dr. Appt: Last week on Tuesday (so unfortunately after the
weekly post) Jack had his 2 month Dr. appointment. He weighed a whopping 12
lbs. 2 oz., which I hear is actually not that big for a baby boy. Other friends
I know who have had boys recently have boys who are heavier than Jack! He is
such a little chunk so I don’t know if I’m just comparing him to himself as a
newborn or if he actually is small! He was 22 and ¾ inches long and his head
circumference was 15 ¼ cm. He was in the 50th percentile across the
board. So just about average.
Unfortunately, at the 2 month appt. baby needs his shots. We
had discussed the benefits and risks of shots with friends and family but never
really seriously considered not getting them. We figure we’d rather be safe
than sorry. Plus, both of us (and all the other babies we know) have gotten
their shots with zero problems. Jack had one oral shot and three in his thighs.
He was such a happy baby at first. He flirted with the nurse and gave her some
of his champion smiles. She turned him so he was looking at me and when that first
prick happened he let out a little shriek. It wasn’t one of his super loud
cries but his face did get all red and he didn’t breathe (you know, that
panicked hyperventilating moment babies have) for a second, but it was done so
quickly and as soon as I picked him up he settled right down and fell asleep.
When we got to the car and I was strapping him into his seat he gave me some
smiles, so I wasn’t too worried about him being traumatized by the shots.
We got home and he took a long nap. He then fussed when he
woke up. He wasn’t acting like himself and he was warm (which is not unusual
for him) so we gave him his first baby Tylenol. That seemed to help his
discomfort and he fell back asleep. We gave him two doses of baby Tylenol on
Tuesday and then two more on Wednesday. By Thursday morning he woke up his
normal happy self!
Hygiene: Baby has been getting baths every other day. I know
babies his age normally get baths every 3 days or longer, but he gets so warm
and sweaty that he breaks out! He gets little rashes so I give him baths more
often. This seems to help heal the rashes so I’m not too worried about it. I
think he also broke out from the Night time lotion. Unfortunate since it really
did seem to help him calm down for bedtime. Due to his constant rashes I
ordered him a hazel wood necklace. That should arrive later this week. I am
excited to see if it works for this issue and when he teethes. I have heard
from friends who have used them for themselves as adults and for their infants
that they work wonders.
Jack continues to be a very drooly baby. I wonder what it
will be like when he teethes! He often drools when he is sucking on something:
his hands, his shirt, the burp cloth, mommy’s shirt, mommy’s arm, toys… He
hasn’t soaked an outfit enough to warrant a change yet, but I’m sure we’ll get
there. I have been pretty good about wiping his drool away before it reaches
his shirt. We also have begun putting bibs on him throughout the day when he
seems to be particularly drooly.
Schedule: I have been going into the office for a couple hours
at a time on a couple days. This helps me get used to being away and the boys
to truly being alone without the aid of Mommy. I am not looking forward to
being at the office for 8-9 hours out of the day, but that will make my
evenings with baby something to look forward to. Daddy and Mommy have been good
about giving baby lots of different exercises to strengthen his neck, arms,
upper body, and vocal cords. It has been so much fun to watch him learn and
develop. He can move him head from side to side now while on his tummy, hold up
his head completely while being held, and has started to work his way up onto
his arms from his belly. We try to do tummy time and floor time every day,
usually in 10 minute increments. We talk to him a lot by making different
sounds or facial expressions. It is so fun watching him focus on our faces and
mimic the different shapes our mouths make. He is a very vocal baby and loves
to have conversations. He’s very good about waiting his turn to talk!
Feeding: We began to use Tommee Tippee bottles. These are
supposed to help the transition from breast to bottle, as well as help babies
who feed both ways. I am hoping to continue nursing him in the evenings and
weekends when I return to work so I figured we’d give these bottles a try. Jack
has begun being a silly eater. He will gulp a big mouthful of milk then smile…
leaking out the milk! What a little stinker. But he is still growing strong so
I’m not too worried about him not getting enough nutrition. We are still
feeding him breastmilk exclusively. We received samples of different brands of
formula, but I’m really not interested in giving him those. Since I have a good
quality pump that will work well while I am at work, I don’t think we’ll ever
have use for formula. Hopefully I can find someone to give them too. Jack has
been eating every 2-3 hours during the day and then every 4 hours at night.
Every once in awhile he’ll cluster feed and decide he needs a snack every hour.
That is no longer a regular habit of his though.
Sleep: As he has been eating about every 4 hours at night, that means he's been sleeping in those chunks as well! It has been so nice to get a good solid chunk of sleep. My body is used to not getting a solid 8 hours of sleep at one time (which I don't know how often that happened pre-baby anyways), but I feel a lot more rested with 4 hour chunks than 2 hour chunks. Baby sleeps a lot in his sleeper, but sometimes just wants to sleep on mom... which I don't mind one bit.
Toys: Jack has discovered toys! He loves to smile and talk to
his panda or his light-up mirror. He really notices them now. We got him a
giraffe to attach to his carseat that has different toys on each foot to occupy
him. I attached some rings with a teether set of keys on the end to his carseat
also. He loves to chew on the teethers. They are just gelly teethers now, but
I’ll put them in the fridge when he is actually teething. He has begun to grasp
his toys and has almost figured out his rattle.
Hands: Jack discovered his hands the other day. He has been
sucking on his hands when they happen to be by his face, but now he knows that
he has the ability to move his hands at will. This makes it much easier to
soothe him as he often soothes himself with his hands. It is so cute to see him
stuffing both hands in fists into his mouth! Silly baby!
Mommy Skills: I have been able to successfully paint my
fingernails twice while holding Jack. I was very careful not to spill on him or
to mess up my nails. I didn’t want to have to redo them or try to get polish
out of his clothes! He was very cooperative and we are now pros at the process!
When I have time to do my nails I don’t want to sacrifice time with him. I
seriously cannot get enough of him. He is such a joy each and every moment. I
have gotten over him spitting up or drooling on my clothes. Not a big deal at
all. He hasn’t gotten anything in my hair yet, but he does love to hold on to
it while he’s eating. He hasn’t given it a good tug yet, but I’m sure we’ll get
there soon!
Outtings: Jack went to church with us this Sunday! We had been
listening to the sermons via webcast as Jack has not cooperated thusfar. We all
got ready for church and were out the door right on time. I put Jack in the
Moby wrap and he fell asleep during the worship at the beginning of the
service. He squirmed a little but never fully woke up. We’ll probably keep him
with us for the next few months (if not up until he’s a full year) if he is
content in the Moby. I am so thankful we made it to church because we saw an
announcement in the bulletin for a baby dedication on June 17. We’re going to
sign him up next week. So thankful for this opportunity as we weren’t sure
there would be one before Matt leaves for Basic (fingers crossed).
We also have taken some walks recently with Jack. I love our stroller. We live near a nice park that has a path that is 1.25 miles long from where we start. It dead ends at so we turn around and get a nice long walk in. Good exercise and since it's longer than 2 miles it apparently does the same thing as a short run would for us as far as cardio? I'll take it!
Jack continues to far exceed my expectations. I love being his mommy and wouldn't trade a single moment with him. We were asked this week if we ever wished he would go back inside my tummy just for a little bit, but no. Life seems so normal and complete with him. It has all been a natural transition. I wish all parents had as easy a go of it as we have.
I don't think I could possibly love Jack more!
