Otes Magotes: Happy 2 Month Birthday!

Yesterday was Samuel's 2 month birthday and to celebrate, we went to the doctor (whom we love) and got shots (which we hate). We have had some ups and downs this month, but the best part has been being able to see the beginnings of his little personality! He has several very alert times every day where we just sit and smile and talk to each other. He recognizes me and David and will smile pretty quickly, and he'll occasionally hand out the smiles to other people as well.

We're getting into more of a routine when it comes to naps and sleeping. Here's how it goes: starting around 7am, he has his first meal of the day. (The 7am time is verrrrry loose at this point and ranges from 6:30 to 8:30 in reality, but I'm trying to stick to it as I think it will really help structure the rest of the day). Then he is basically awake for around 90 minutes, takes a nap, eats, and repeats. Most naps last 45 minutes on the dot, but sometimes he'll stretch them out or I'll be able to get him to go back to sleep in my arms for another 45. He eats pretty much every 2.5 hours, sometimes 3. He eats really quickly, to the point where I wonder if he's getting enough of the good stuff. It usually takes him around 5 or 6 minutes total to eat. I'm starting to pump more and he'll be getting a bottle every night from now on to help make sure he gets enough hindmilk. We have a little bedtime routine that I really think has helped the last couple of days. We turn on the noise machine, change diaper if necessary, turn off the lights, rock and maybe sing a song, then he goes into the crib swaddled up with pacifier and a little hat pulled down on his forehead. At night after his evening feeding around 6, he takes a bath and gets a little lotion massage and we read a book before starting the routine.

I get a little cranky when I don't get my naps, Mama

At night he still wakes up every 3 to 4 hours or less, and seems to think it's morning at 5am... I'm hoping the bottle at 10 or 11 will help his belly to fill full and help him sleep longer stretches!

This routine and very loose "schedule" really seems to help structure the day, but it gets thrown off whenever we go out and about since he hasn't really started to consolidate those naps yet and still gets sleepy every hour to hour and a half. I feel a little guilty about that, but I also know that it makes me feel better and more connected to the world to get out, so I just try to limit the activities we do each day to one or two short outings per day.

Weight: 11lbs, 14 oz (50th percentile)
Height: 23.75 inches (75-85th percentile)
Clothes: Still wearing his newborn gowns, 0-3month clothes, and now some 3-6 months with the cuffs flipped up
Diapers: We are using the cloth diapers during the day, most days! I'll do a separate post about my experiences so far, but overall they have been successful - no leaks or blowouts at all.

That's a big diaper you have there, buddy!

The cloth diapers make his 3-6 month clothes fit rather nicely!

Likes: Diaper/clothes changing time, bath time, his animal friends on the crib mobile, balancing his bobble head (did I mention his head size is in the 90th percentile?!) and trying to stand up in our laps, his giraffe pacifier, being outside and feeling the breeze

Enjoying some sun in the backyard

A little skeptical about the Deacs' performance this year.

Splish splash

Dislikes: Waking up, sun in his face, stoplights, wet cloth diapers, burping, dairy (maybe?), shots

LIFE IS SO HARDDDDDD

Waking up is tough sometimes.

Nicknames: Sam, Fox, Sam Sam the Monkey Man, Mr. Sunshine, Mr. Balloon Hands

First smile that I caught on camera!

Songs: Old McDonald, Row Row Row Your Boat, and made up songs about whatever we happen to be doing at the moment.

Cutie

Favorites: Smiling and talking and trying to make him laugh, having him rub his head into my chest when he's sleepy, and seeing him light up when he sees/hears Daddy

My three favorite boys in the world

Highlights: We had some fun visitors this month! Jessica and Michael were in town for a wedding in Chapel Hill and came over for the afternoon to meet Samuel and see our new home. Then Courtney and Nic came in town for a few days and we had a great time. Finally, Danny and Sarah have been in town because they are moving up here this summer after little Owen is born and they went ahead and moved all of their stuff up to their new house.

This past weekend, we had a little birthday party for David, and Sam got to meet lots of our friends. We had Little Richards BBQ and hung out in the kitchen and on the screened porch. It's been awhile since we have had friends over and it was a lot of fun. I forgot to take a picture of Sam wearing his first smocked outfit, a super cute hand-me-down from cousin Cooper.

We are joining a church here in Winston, Salem Presbyterian, and Sam and I have started going to a weekly home fellowship group which has been awesome. It's at Erin and Austin's house, and they are expecting little Silas in May so Sam will have another little buddy in the group! David is working nights at the hospital so that has been a little tough for all of us, but it has some perks too because for one thing, he actually gets to see the light of day, and he has been able to help out sometimes in the mornings when Samuel wants to get up at 5:30 and I want him to stay asleep a little longer! David gets home most days around 6:15 so he'll take over and rock Sam until it's time to feed him so I can go back to sleep. Niiiice.

Some more photos from the month: