Benjamin - Two Months Old

Benjamin's second month was even more exciting than his first. He is waking up and is much more alert and active than last month. We have been taking him with us pretty much everywhere because this kid loves to be on the move.  It is more challenging but I feel like the challenges accelerate at the same pace as the rewards so it's easier to manage.

The most important thing this month is that Benjamin learned how to smile!  He now smiles and coos frequently.  Sometimes it sounds like he is trying to talk.  For some strange reason he likes to coo and smile and strangers more than his poor mother but oh well, he's a baby.

Benjamin has also discovered his hands. He is content, at times, to just sit and look at them flapping in the air.  Then he coos and I imagine he is saying "did you know I had hands?!"

Weight and other stats: As of last week (eight weeks exactly) Benjamin weighed ten pounds, seven ounces. He is still in the thirteenth percentile so he's staying on his curve from last month which is a relief. He is twenty two inches tall.  This lands him in the fifteenth percentile.  His head circumference is thirty nine and a half centimeters (sixty eighth percentile).  It is sort of crazy that his next regular doctor's appointment isn't until he is four months old.  They really trust us with him for two more months?  Okay then!

Size: I swear he grows overnight.  We moved up to the Size One Pampers Swaddlers and now I'm not sure I like them as much.  B's hips are a little wide for them.  But seeing as my coupon clipper husband bought us a thousand of them, I will see how it goes for the next few weeks. In clothes he's still fits in Newborn the best.

Eating: Benjamin loves to eat.  He still drinks about 24 ounces a day, but I stopped keeping track of every single ounce lately and just feed him when he's hungry.  Our lactation consultant sort of made fun of me and said to stop tracking it.  I resisted and kept at it for a while but when we were out of town this week and other people were feeding him I just gave up.  I do know that he is still drinking mostly breast milk (about 16 ounces a day that I'm able to pump) and for that I am grateful. He recently had a procedure to correct a lip tie and a tongue tie so we are still hopeful that he will be able to feed directly from the breast but we are taking it one day at a time.

Sleeping: He sleeps ::whispers:: a good six hour stretch almost every night and has since he was five weeks old.  Sometimes seven and once he slept eight and a half hours.  Of course there are the (thankfully rare) nights that he only sleeps four hours in the longest stretch but those are almost always attributed to a bad swaddle or dirty diaper.  From reading other new mom experiences I know that we are insanely lucky to have a good sleeper.  The daytime sleep is less predictable.  We can usually get a good three hour nap in the early afternoon but sometimes I have to work for it and take him on a really long walk.  He seems asleep but then his eyes pop open as soon as I stop walking.  At least I'm burning calories!

Likes: Warm bottles (we started warming them up after someone gave us a bottle warmer and it's helped a lot with his craziness at feeding time). The stroller and going on walks where he can look at the trees and their shadows.  Taking a bath with me (no screams!).

Dislikes: Being changed.  Waiting for a bottle.  Gas. The Ergo (sigh, we'll keep trying).

I am enjoying my maternity leave and can't believe it's half over already.  My husband just got offered a new job (woot woot) so we've had an awesome month in many ways.