Well, Peanut turned three months old almost a whole week ago, and I'm just now finding time to write this post. #secondchildproblems I had intended to write this Monday night after both kids were asleep, but it turns out SOMEBODY decided that sleep is for the weak and the past several nights, there hasn't really been an "after both kids are asleep". But I finally have time to sit down to a computer, so let me get you up to speed on how the little guy is doing!
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| 1 week old, at his baptism |
Growing so fast, but that kind of slowed down the past few weeks. By the time he had his two month check-up, he'd sized up to 3-6 month clothes. That check-up had him weighing in at 14lbs 3oz and I can only imagine he's several pounds heavier now. The past week, he's had trouble sleeping and has been doing a lot of cluster feeding, so I think I feel a growth spurt coming on... With Chief, we were always weighing in right at average- she wore size 3-6 month clothes from the time she was 3 months until the time she was 6 months- and I felt a constant pressure to put weight on her. I struggled with my milk supply from the moment I headed back to work, and lived in constant fear that it wouldn't be enough and I wouldn't be able to keep her healthy. This little dude has been huge since birth- which also had me worried about my supply, because I thought that surely I wouldn't live up to his voracious appetite. The human body is a rather awe-inspiring thing, however, and just like the lactation consultants say, supply follows demand- since little dude ate almost non-stop in the beginning, the milk kept flowing and he kept growing.
Eating exclusively breast milk which, like I said, has been such a relief. In the beginning he had a terrible latch- I just could not convince him to open his mouth any wider, even though I tried every technique in the (literal) book. I just grimaced through the painful feedings- made even worse by the fact that when he would fall asleep, his mouth would clamp shut rather than go slack- and he got bigger and bigger and eventually that little mouth grew big enough to not be painful even though he still doesn't open it all the way. I started pumping at random times when he hit one month old and built up the beginnings of a freezer supply. I went back to work when he turned 9 weeks, instead of 12 weeks like his sister, but I had enough of a stash already built up. With Chief, my pumping experience was a disaster from pretty much the very beginning, and I went to work with only enough milk for that first day, only producing enough each day to send to day care the next. Peanut's appetite has kept my supply way up, and most days I actually produce more than I need to send the next day. I drink a cup of Mother's Milk tea every morning and take fenugreek every night and while I have no idea if it's actually helping, I'd like to think that it is. We caught The Daycare Cold, also known as The Black Plague, and for my own sanity I needed to take some sinus medicine, which affected my supply slightly, but I've stopped taking the medicine and things are trending upward again. God willing, we'll make it 18 months like I did with Chief!
Talking pretty much in complete sentences- at least he thinks he is. He'll be real quiet and observant, listening to what his goofy sister has to say, and then, when there's a break in the conversation, he'll launch into a long soliloquy, gesticulating with his hands and emphasizing his "words" with raised eyebrows. At daycare, they told me that he'll lie on a mat and "talk" to a teacher while they hold another baby, perfectly content to not necessarily be the center of attention, but if that teacher walks away before he's done talking, he'll get upset- as if he's offended that they're cutting off the conversation. I had worried that Chief would talk enough for the both of them, and that he'd be quiet- they say boys take longer to talk than girls do- but if he keeps this up, he'll be just as gabby as his sister. I love listening to what he has to say!
Making facial expressions that just about crack me up! We practically fall over ourselves to try and get him to laugh, but most of the time he just sort of raises his eyebrows as if to say "y'all are so weird." He is a little flirt- he will make eye contact with you (especially if you're a pretty girl) and then smile real big, which of course makes
you smile, and he'll bring his hand to his mouth and turn his head...the boy's gonna break some hearts. He looks just like his daddy, but every now and then he gets this twinkle in his eye that reminds me of my Papaw, and it catches me off guard. My Papaw would have loved this little boy; I wish he could have met him.
Listening to his big sister make goofy noises and sing silly songs to make him smile. For whatever reason, she seems to think that he likes it when she moos at him, like a cow- so if he starts to fuss, she'll launch into a loud "MOOOO! MOOOOOOOOO!" in the hopes that it will cheer him up. I've found that I don't sing to him as often as I did to Chief, and at first I felt bad about that, but then I realized that
she sings to him plenty often. She'll sing sweet songs to him like Twinkle Twinkle, or sometimes, if she's desperate to cheer him up, she'll resort to the
Paw Patrol theme song. He loves to watch her and he just lights up when she starts talking to him. (In his one month and two month pictures, he's looking at her instead of me.) I love their relationship and I hope they're always this close.
Sleeping rather well, all things considered. Chief started sleeping through the night at around 6 weeks or so and almost never woke up in the middle of the night. Peanut...not so much. Ever since he started daycare he's been sleeping more soundly- mostly because he doesn't nap very well at school. But honestly, even when he does wake up in the middle of the night or has problems falling asleep...that's actually normal! We got lucky with Chief, and so we have to constantly remind ourselves that Peanut isn't...defective, he's a normal baby. She wasn't so normal. (She's still not so normal, but that's another story.)
Loving his sister, more than anyone else in the world (well, except maybe me- but only because I feed him); his tasty little fist; his little bouncy chair (that he inherited from his sister); tickles; having his hair washed or brushed; long, deep conversations; and yes, he loves when his sister moos at him like a cow.
Hating getting in the bath; getting out of the bath; having the snot sucked out of his nose; having lotion applied to his face; being moved after he falls asleep; having to wait to eat once he decides he's hungry.
And that's the past three months! How has your little one been lately?
Much love,
The Geeks
