Two Months Old

Our little newborn is already two months old. Where does the time go? Wow!

Max is a pretty good little baby. He gives us big smiles, goes to sleep easily for naps & bedtime, and is often willing to lie contentedly when he wakes in the morning. He has his fussy times, mostly in the evening or during church on Sunday morning, but no baby is perfect!

Max has been sleeping pretty well lately. Most nights, he gives us a stretch of 5 or 6 hours - from 11 until 5ish. I'm enjoying that immensely! Now that I've said something, he'll probably sleep in 3 hour stretches tonight, ha ha! :)

The past few nights, I've nursed him, cuddled him until he's drowsy, and put him in bed awake. He is drifting off to sleep independently, which I think is a pretty important thing. That way, if he wakes in the night, he can get himself back to sleep. Good for you, Max!

He's starting to "talk" to us, which is one of my favorite things about babies at this age - looking right into our eyes and telling us those little baby stories. Wouldn't you love to know what babies are saying?

Max has bright, alert eyes. He loves to look around & take it all in. He often sits in my arms & watches Alex play. He will smile at Alex, and Alex just LOVES it!

Alex absolutely LOVES to hold Max. He will clap his hands and then hold out his arms, which I've learned means, "Mom, I want to hold the baby!" I'll ask Alex to go sit down, and he'll run over to climb onto the couch. He is so proud to be holding his little brother. Max doesn't always like it, as Alex doesn't really hold him securely, but Alex thinks it's the best thing!

Max isn't spending as much time in the swing, as we're working on more structured naps. He's taking a 2 - 3 hour nap every afternoon. It often coincides with Alex's nap, and I certainly won't complain about that! I'm kind of tailoring his mornings so that he will be sleepy at around the time I put Alex down for a nap...which means I usually wake him from his morning nap after about an hour of sleep. Then he'll stay awake while we play, eat lunch & read stories, and I'll put him in the bassinet either right before or after I put Alex to bed. There are days when it doesn't work out, but it sure is nice when it does!

Since he's in the bassinet, and I'm nearby, I let him take his daytime naps on his tummy. I'll swaddle him for his naps once in a while, but he is just so content to sleep on his tummy. At night, he sleeps swaddled & either on his side or his back.

Max will sit in a bouncer seat for 10 - 15 minutes...IF there's enough activity to keep him from getting bored! It's so nice having two bouncers this time around! We keep the "boring" bouncer in the living room, and we keep the Rainforest bouncer in our bedroom. He'll sit in the Rainforest bouncer & watch the lights while I take a shower or put away laundry. As soon as the lights/music stops, he'll start to fuss!

Max has pretty good control of his neck muscles. He loves to hold up his head & look all around. It won't be long, and he'll be ready to sit in his pretty, purple Bumbo seat. (Thanks, Aunt Leanne! Our boys are secure enough in their "boyhood" to handle a purple seat!) We tried out the Bumbo the other day, and it held Max very nicely, but I'm just afraid that he'd have a hard time keeping his head up on his own for any length of time. (After Max tried it, Alex thought it was great, climbed in, and got his little tushy stuck in the chair. Too bad I didn't get a picture!)

Max is still nursing quickly. I don't think it ever takes him more than 10 minutes to nurse fully. That boy likes his milk! I like the snuggle time, but it sure is convenient to have a little one who nurses so quickly.

Bottles? Well, he'll take them, but only when he's good & ready. He has to be REALLY hungry to willingly take it. Last night, he sucked it down just as fast as he nurses. Keith & I were shocked! Most nights, he grudgingly and slowly takes about 2 ounces and then stops. Usually, I'll let him nurse often in the evenings. I guess, for the sake of taking a bottle nicely, I'll have to make sure we wait 2 - 3 hours from the last feeding & make sure he's truly hungry - not just looking for a snack.

He's fitting 0 - 3 month clothes very nicely now. Everything seems to fit him just right...no more "drowning" in his clothing! I love to see him in some of the outfits that were so cute on Alex. I often keep him in sleepers at home, but love to see him looking so "grown-up" in his nicer clothes, especially little polo shirts. Too cute!

I have to confess that I don't give him as much "tummy time" as I should. I'm sure the pediatrician will ask at his 2 month appointment on Friday. It's hard! If I put him on his tummy on the floor, Alex wants to sit on him! I try to give him tummy time on the Boppy pillow in Max's room when I put away clothes so I can keep a close eye on Alex, but then Alex drives his trucks up & down poor Max. I'm sure he'll still grow just fine without a ton of tummy time! :)

Like I said, Max's pediatrician appointment is this week Friday, so we'll have to see what he weighs at a little over 2 months. I'll make a guess of 11 lbs...and I'm sure to be wrong! So...check back on Friday for the real weight...and in the meantime, pray that Mommy & Max both handle Max's 2 month vaccinations just fine :)