Two Months Old!

Weight: 12 pounds, 3 ounces 

Height: 23 inches

 

Clothing size: IT HAPPENED...Liam grew out of newborn clothes. Indeed, my boy is a quick, quick grower. I have tried to 'stretch' his newborn clothes as long as I could...and by 'stretch'...I mean, literally, I would stretch them out and put them on him. Thankfully, he got to wear alll of his newborn clothes at least once, (my favorites he wore much more than once!) He's been in size 0-3m for a while, but now most 3 month clothing fits him as well.

Diaper size: Size 1, and we have a lot to finish of that size, but he can also fit a 2.

Feeding: Still on a 100% mama's milk diet, and I plan on keeping it that way! We've gotten into a routine of him feeding every three hours for 20-30 minutes at a time. Breastfeeding was a bit of a challenge at first, but I'm a firm believer that is the absolute best thing you can do for your baby, so we stuck with it. Now I'm so glad...I can't imagine having to actually pack bottles when we go out, and go through the process of making them, warming them, washing them...bleck! I just pop out the boob, and into the mouth it goes. Also..IT IS FREE! The amount of money we spend per month on food for Liam is 0$. And I just love love love the bonding time that we get while he is feeding. There is nothing like it. 

Ok. Off my Breastfeeding soapbox now.

Sleep: Liam started sleeping 5-6 hour stretches at 2 weeks or so. I started on sleep training when he turned 5 weeks.  We stuck with a pretty regular routine for 3 weeks, and right before be turned 8 weeks, he had his first 8 hour stretch. BEST. FEELING. EVER!!!!

Now he goes down at about 8-9 every night, and normally sleeps til 5 or so. He wakes up for maybe a 10 minute feed, then goes back to sleep til 7. (Soon we are going to visit family for Christmas, and are changing timezones by five hours, so I have a feeling our nice little schedule is going to become obsolete for a while. Oh well, we'll just start over!)

Milestones: Though he's been smiling for quite some time, we've been getting lots and lots more 'social' smiles--smiles in response to us. He'll often get a huge grin on his face when someone comes up to talk to him after he's been playing alone for a few minutes. He definitely smiles a lot when he gets good interaction/playtime with us, and HUGE grins when we sing to him. 

He's holding that head up all the time. He'll push himself up and look around when we do tummy time, and is starting to try and look around toward sounds. 

Adventures: We've both met a few new friends this month! Hopefully once we get home from our holiday trip and things settle down after the new year, we can start having more playdates for Liam (And adult dates for mommy!)

 

 Mommy and Daddy could not get through the first two months without:

See my Two Month Fave post!

 Also:

HELP! During the first two months of Liam's life, my mom came to visit, and then Keith's parents came to visit. It was such a nice breath of fresh air both times. It was wonderful to have them here to help with Liam, and help with things around the house. You really don't realize how hard it is to do dishes and laundry and change the 18th diaper of the day and...dinner? What's that?! 

So THANK YOU to our parents for coming to help!

Two Month Favorites for Baby

GAHH! HOLY TWO MONTHS!

Time is whizzing by.

I feel like I don't even want to blink or I'll miss something!!

Here are some things that have helped us through life with a newborn this month.

1. Ahhh. The white noise. Have you read Happiest Baby on the Block?
 If not, you should! (Or watch the DVD! Yes...there's a DVD. They must have realized that new moms have pretty much zero time to read.) I actually 'picked' through the book...I read the first few chapters, and then skimmed here and there. Anywho, he talks about different ways to calm a crying baby through the '5 S's', one of which is 'Shushing'...or white noise.

IT WORKS WONDERS!! Of course, we have our giraffe that Liam still sleeps with every nap, at night, and we pretty much take everywhere, but sometimes Mr. G. just isn't loud enough! So we both got a 'White Noise' app on our phones. If Liam is ever upset about anything, we just turn on some white noise and put it near his head (not too loud, and not too close to the ears. Remember, a baby's hearing is much better than ours). He calms right down.

 There are tons of free white noise apps in the app store.
 

2. We got this Fisher Price 'Infant to Toddler Rocker' as a gift from some friends. (They got it at Target). It's come in very handy! It's super lightweight, so I can take it into any room of the house and carry it up my stairs pretty easily. I've taken it into the kitchen several times when he's been fussy and just let him watch me cook. He loves the little dangle toys, and one of them even plays music. The vibrations are a big help with fussiness, too. All-in-all this handy little chair will keep him temporarity entertained, while allowing mama to get things done as well! Win/Win!
 

3. Ok. Last month I did my soapbox speech on my favorite wipes. Now it's time for diapers. 

Let me point out...we have tried nearly every brand of diaper there is. Not only did I start buying diapers when I was 16 weeks pregnant, but we had a 'diaper raffle' at our shower. (BEST. IDEA. EVER.) We haven't purchased a single diaper since Liam's birth, and have at least 5 months worth stocked up still. My favorite diapers, by far, are Pampers Swaddlers. (Thankfully, that's what I started buying from the beginning, and that's what we have the most of)

If you know me, you know I love a good bargain! I shop the clearance section, coupon, and will usually opt for the cheaper option of almost anything. Not diapers. Do not cheap out on diapers. Your wardrobe...and your baby's wardrobe...will thank you for it.

For a few days, Liam was having diaper blowouts...I'm talking, shit-up-the back, complete outfit change blowouts. And it was weird, because he never had before...at first I thought that maybe he was sick or something...then I realized. The caca was only coming out when we were using Luvs. We got one pack of Luvs at our shower, and once that pack ran out, I've not seen another blowout. Pampers swaddlers are nice and tight, and GEEZ what on earth would I do without that little blue wetness indicator?! (Insert choir singing in the background here). Then I'd actually have to check his diaper to see if it was wet, kind of like a caveman. 

Who wants that?!
 

4. Another thing I got a ton of at my shower was bath product. Lotions, washes, etc., and Johnson's Bedtime Bath was what I got the most of. This stuff is amazing! It's meant to calm your baby and help him sleep better. Liam is always very, very calm in the bath and calm and happy right after, as well. 

It also smells superbulously yummy, and makes you want to cuddle your babe even more than you already did! It comes in lotion, moisture wash, baby oil,...pretty much every 'bath' product you can get for baby comes in this scent.
 

5. Ok, Ok. I know I already used Babywise in my post last month, but at that point. I hadn't really started implementing the suggestions. YOU GUYS. If you haven't at least skimmed through this book, get it now and do so!

I mean it.

In the book it says that 90% of babies that follow the sleep training they suggest are sleeping through the night by 8 weeks. 

Two days before he turned 8 weeks, Liam slept 8 straight hours, and has slept about that long every night since!
Well BUTTER MY BUTT AND CALL ME A BISCUIT....

Sleep training actually works!!

Does it take dedication on your part? Yes! Definitely! And you may have a fussy, resistant baby at first...but trust me. Your body, and the bags under your eyes, and your husband will thank you for it!
 

6. Liam really isn't a super-huge fan of paci's, and we've tried almost every brand. Nuk is the only one that he'll really keep in, even if it's for a short amount of time. He still doesn't love taking one, and lots of times he won't. I'm kind of glad, because it means I won't have to wean him later. Every once in a while, though, a pacifier comes in very very handy & has the potential to be your best friend...so it's good to know which one your baby likes the best!
 

7. We use an activity gym like this almost every day. Liam loves to lay on it and just look up at the toys, plus it's great for tummy time! The one we have (Fisher-Price brand) also has a little toy that plays music. The good thing about most play gyms is that you can add other little dangle toys onto the loops (or even take some off if you like). 

Coming soon...

My favorite 'mommy' beauty products!

8 weeks of Liam

My Little Liam:

MAN! I feel like I blinked and nearly two months passed by! I just looked at pictures from the day you were born and your first month...and zoiks, you've changed so much. I don't see the day to day changes as much as everyone else because, well, I see you every day. But looking back at those pictures, it's like you're a whole new boy!

You're smiling so much now. You've been smiling for several weeks, (geez, we even got small smiles out of you when you were brand new!) but these days, your smiles are so much bigger! When we engage you, you often respond with a big smile and a coo, like you're trying to have a conversation with us. 

You are eating like a champ and sleeping like a champ...you've really made this whole transition such an easy one for me!!

You don't cry a whole lot, but when you're unhappy about something, you are SURE to let us know! You especially don't like to be put down when you're hungry and about to eat, nor do you want any delay in being fed!

This week you went to get your first picture with Santa! Even though we plan on telling you that Santa isn't real from the very beginning, I still feel like it's part of the magic and tradition of Christmas...not to mention, you looked pretty cute in your own Santa hat!

 Cutest santa there ever was, I'm quite sure of it!

P.S. Today you had your two month check-up and MAN was I nervous about the SHOTS! When we walked into the immunization room, my heart started beating a mile a minute... you got three pokes. Your face got as red as Santa's suit and you screamed your head off for about 30 seconds...and that was it! No real tears even! ...I shed more of those than you did! Daddy cuddled you for a minute, and then you nursed and went to sleep. 

Such a big, strong boy. 

My Liam. 

xoxox

Have you ordered your Christmas cards?

If not, then you're in luck! You can get them from my Etsy shop! I just listed several fun designs, all customizable, obviously.
I'd hoped to list more, but you know. I've got a baby who, for some strange reason, takes up my time during the day!

All the photos here are of Liam (of course, like, duh, that's why they're so cute) and are credit of Simply Blissful Photography!

Coming soon...

I just finished designing Liam's Birth Announcements and I'll be listing them in the next few days!

7 Weeks of Liam

Little L:

I am sitting here watching you nap sweetly in your swing across the room. 

FINALLY you're taking a substantial nap! These past few days, you've been fighting daytime sleep. You just want to be looking around at everything...it's like if you close your eyes you'll miss something. You're going to be a curious one!

We are doing pretty good at nailing down a schedule. You've been going to bed at nearly the same time (about 9) and waking up at around 7 am every day. 

Except yesterday...you didn't want to go to sleep, and stayed up with mama burning the midnight oil, (and my midnight, I mean 10 pm) You kept smiling away...and spitting out your paci ten thousand times. Just a few cute things that guarantee you'll be smothered in more kisses than you can stand. 

Speaking of smiling...you're smiling SO MUCH lately! Daddy gets the best smiles right now,  but I've gotten some really sweet smiles late at night when it's just me and you. 

I love to see you happy! If I could wave a magic wand and make you happy every second of every day, I'd do it!

You are doing really good at holding up that head. You can only go a few seconds, but you never give up! You want so badly to see what's going on around you.

Soon we are going to transition into your crib. Right now you don't want a thing to do with it, but hopefully that will change.
As much as I'd like to keep you close,  I know that you can't sleep within arm's reach forever.

However, even though you'll be farther away from me physically, you'll always be the treasure of my heart!!

xoxox

mama