2 Months Grown.

Jack was officially two months old on the 26th. I can't believe how quickly time has flown by. He has grown and changed so much in this brief time, it frightens me a bit. I feel like he is going to be an old man in the blink of an eye! We love this kid so much it's unbelievable. I'm pretty much obsessed with him, and he literally consumes my thoughts every day that I'm at work. Blake and I are both back to work now, and Jack will begin daycare on June 4th. I'm nervous for him, but I know it will be a good experience to have him with other children in a structured environment a couple days each week.

Jack had his two month check-up today. It went really well! He weighs 11 pounds, 1 ounce and is now 22 inches long. I can't believe he is growing so big so fast! It's crazy to think he was nearly half the size he is now just 2 months ago. We also received the good news that his hips are in place and fully developed. To explain, when Jack was born his hips were loose and not quite all the way in their sockets. We have been keeping a close eye on them and are pleased that they have corrected themselves like we thought they would. We were also happy to hear that Jack's development is right on track and he has reached all of his milestones so far.

Jack also had his 2-month immunizations today. It was so traumatic for him, and made me so sad to see the shock and pain overcome his face while he reached out with his little arms for anyone to hold and comfort him. Luckily, the nurse was quick and Jack was in my arms getting lots of kisses in no time at all. It was hard to watch, but I was able to maintain my composure. He has been extremely sore all day and has hardly had an appetite at all. Thanks to children's Tylenol he is finally getting some sleep, and now that it is nearly 10:00 p.m. it seems his appetite is returning. So it goes...we'll be eating all night.

 

Throughout this last month I feel like Blake and I are finally getting the hang of being parents, and I'm finally feeling confident in my abilities to care for Jack. We've been able to establish a flexible but structured schedule for Jack each day, which helps us maintain sanity. I'm sure we'll have to adjust it once he starts daycare, but I'm so happy that we are providing him with the structure that he needs. Because Jack only eats breast milk, I am told that he eats more often (every 2 1/2-3 hours) than a formula fed 2-month old baby. Our day begins between 6:45-7:00 a.m. I "wake" Jack up at this time (although sometimes he is already awake in his crib), feed him, give him a little massage with baby lotion, and get him dressed for the day. Then, we play with his toys until I have to leave for work a bit after 8:00. Daddy takes over at this time and Jack usually goes down for a morning nap around 8:30. He then eats again at 10:00, plays for a bit and goes down for a second morning nap. And so the cycle repeats itself with Jack eating around 1:00 and 4:00. I get home usually around the same time Jack is going down for his early evening nap at 5:30 p.m. Sometimes I'll keep him up so that I can spend some extra time with him. At 7:00, I feed Jack, bath him, give him a second little lotion massage, read him a story, and get him into bed between 8 and 8:30 p.m. It usually takes him about 30 minutes to fall asleep, but thankfully he can do it on his own. Around 10:00 p.m., I wake Jack up strictly to feed before putting him down for the rest of the night. He can usually sleep until 2 or 3:00 a.m. before needing to eat again. Then, he's out like a light until our day begins at 7:00 a.m. A simple little schedule that works. 

Jack has developed quite a few obvious likes and dislikes. His favorite time is bath time. As soon as he hits the water he is consumed with smiles, giggles, and coos. He loves to watch the cartoon Curious George, and his favorite book is, "I Knew You Could." He loves bright colors and big pictures. Jack loves ceiling fans and will be perfectly content lying in the middle of our bed staring at the ceiling. He loves music. He enjoys Ben Folds and Kid Cudi (I blame his father for the latter one). He loves to be swinged, rocked, and bounced (when I say bounced, I'm not talking a soft bounce; I'm talking a full stand up and bounce around the room like a maniac. It makes him so happy).

Jack doesn't like the 7:00 p.m. hour. This is his fussy time of day, and it usually hits us right after his lovely bath time. Thankfully, it passes pretty quickly and he's usually in bed by 8:00, sound asleep by 8:30. Jack hates being swaddled. I think we only got away with swaddling him the first week he was home. He loves having his arms free to put over his head, behind his head, or wherever else he desires. He also takes after me in that he loves to have his feet free. I often find them poking out from the bottom of his blanket. It's pretty adorable. 

This kid is amazing. He has made my life. I have no idea what Blake and I would do without him.

-Jess.