2 months under my belt.

Although it’s belated, I’m finally getting around to writing Joseph’s two month post.  It’s not my fault that I’m almost a week behind.  It’s my camera’s fault.  You see, my nearly brand new camera had some issues, so I had to send it to Canon for repair.  $250 and nearly 3 weeks later, I finally got my camera back and could take Joseph’s 2 month photos.  I’m not exactly pleased that I had to spend that much to repair a camera that was a few months shy of being under warranty, but that’s neither here nor there.  The part that makes me most mad is that I missed out on three weeks worth of photos of my kids.  They grow so darn fast, so that’s like a lifetime of photos. 

Here are a few cell phone photos in no particular order from the past month.  They’re horrible quality (thanks Droid), but at least it’s something.

(May 13, 2012)
Joe decided to cover up his baldness with his cousin Jocelyn’s fancy hat.


(May 17, 2012)
Anna wanted to share her doll, Rose Nylund, with her baby brother. 


(May 17, 2012)
I was finally able to catch a smile on camera.


(May 18, 2012)
It’s like a daycare up in this place!  Joseph and his cousin Jocelyn.


(May 15, 2012)
My poor baby was sick this past month.  She had a 104.3 fever that day.  When I took her to the Dr. they said she tested positive for some viral infection (the name escapes me) that only causes high fevers and nothing else. 


(May 8, 2012)
This photo OWNS me.  Joe’s facial expression is hilarious, and Jocelyn’s is even funnier.


(June 7, 2012)
Just spending some quality time together under the mobile.


(June 5, 2012)
More QT together.


(May 30, 2012)
A huge smile for the camera!


(May 16, 2012)
Watching the tele together.

Here are Joseph’s 2 month photos:

And since I love comparison shots, here are his 1 month/2 month shots together:

Anna/Joseph 1 and 2 month comparison shots.  They look pretty much identical!



Temperament:
Joseph is the calmest, sweetest, most easy going baby I’ve ever been around.  I know I keep saying this with each post, but I still can’t believe how wonderful this little baby is.  I’m kind of amazed by him.  Had he been my first-born, I would’ve probably had an entire litter of children Duggar style.  Anna was a very easy going baby, too, but Joe is even more so.  I think he definitely takes after his easy going dad. 

He rarely cries.  In fact, the only time I’ve ever heard him truly cry was when he just got his shots at the Dr.  That was heart breaking.  When he’s upset, he just kind of squeaks and squeals and flails around, but it’s not that ear piercing infant cry that I was expecting (and dreading). 

He goes through growth spurts every few weeks where he’s a bit fussier/more agitated than usual, but he’s still pretty easy going even at the worst of it, so I can’t complain. 

He loves to smile which makes me so happy.  Anna, God love her, was a very hard baby to get to smile.  Short of standing on your head and making monkey sounds, it was nearly impossible to get her to crack a smile.  She’s full of personality now, but as an infant she refused to smile for us.  As soon as Joe hears my voice or sees me, he lights up.  I love it!

Feeding:
Joseph is still doing great with nursing.  He averages about every 3 hours for a feeding, sometimes more, sometimes less.  He actually went 7 hours two nights in a row, and I thought we finally crossed over into the sleeping through the night territory, but that pretty much stopped, and he went back to every 2 – 3 hours.  If he’s in his swing, he seems to sleep for longer stretches throughout the day.  I’m not sure if he’s outgrowing his Rock-N-Play sleeper because he’s so long, but it seems like he’s not as comfortable in it for long periods of time. 

I’ve had to supplement with formula a few times when I’ve been out and about without him (if he’s at home being watched) because I just haven’t built up a freezer stash at all.  I’m pretty lazy with pumping this time around.  I hate it so much, so I avoid it at all costs. 

Sleeping:
As I said above, we hit a 7 hour span two nights in a row, but that stopped.  He’s still waking every 2 – 3 hours.  He starts out sleeping the longest stretch right after his 9/10 p.m. feeding.  He sleeps for about four or five hours at that point.  Then each time he wakes up to feed, it’s less and less of a span.  5 hours to 3 hours to 2 hours to 1.5 hours and then he’s up. 

I’ve gotten used to the sleep interruption although it seems like I just close my eyes and am up again even though it’s been three hours.  I must fall back asleep very quickly. 

Health/milestones:
He hasn’t been spitting up hardly at all.  I’m glad since he was projectile vomiting for a few days.  It’s pretty alarming to see that! 

I did notice that he has diastasis recti – his stomach bulges when he’s straining or grunting.  It’s pretty alarming to see a huge lump like this, but his pediatrician (and Dr. Google) says it’s pretty common and typically resolves on its own without causing any issues.

Here’s what it looks like:


You can kind of see it in this photo although in real life it’s definitely more pronounced:



I had total mom brain and spaced and missed his 2 month appointment, so I had to re-schedule it for this past Friday.  Here are his stats:

Weight: 11 lbs. 10 oz. (50th%)
Height: 23 3/4” (75th – 90th%)
Head: 16” (may not be exact, she didn’t write it down, but I recall her measuring the head around 16” or so)

He had to get 3 shots (Hep B, Polio, DTP combo, Hib, Pneumococcal Disease) and an oral vaccination for Rotavirus.  It was pitiful when he got his shots – he’s never cried so loud.  Anna was such a trooper and held his hand the entire time.  She was so comforting and caring.  She’s a true nurturer.  She’s also very protective.  She said this to the nurse:

”Please be careful with him.  His head is soft.” 

They got a kick out of that.  She was really putting on a show the entire appointment.  I think she was relieved she wasn’t the one getting the shots for once. 

Size:
He’s out growing size 3 and quickly approaching 3 – 6 months.  In fact, he skipped the 0 – 3 month size completely.  I had an entire drawer full of 0 – 3 that he never even wore.  Bummer!  He’s just so darn tall that most 0-3 and 3 months clothes are too short for him.  He has the Urkel effect in mostly everything he wears. 

He’s in size 1 diapers.  They fit him well but probably will be outgrown in the very near future.  We have huge boxes of them, so I’m hoping he’ll stay in them a bit longer. 

Activities:
Not much to report on this front.  He’s in his swing for most of the day.  He loves it!  He’s still great when we take him places.  Most of the time he just sleeps or he quietly looks around.  Every once in a while he’ll take a paci when he’s fussy, but he still hasn’t quite mastered keeping them in his mouth. 

We took him to Chuckie Cheese the other day, and he slept for most of the time we were there.  He woke up halfway through and was a bit fussy, so I had to take him out of his car seat and hold him for a while. 

Siblings:
Anna is a lot calmer with him now.  She’s very protective and loving with him.  She still wants to hold him quite a bit and gets really upset when I tell her no sometimes, but she’s toned it down a lot.  It was pretty overwhelming those first few weeks because she thought he was her baby. 

She’s very gentle with him, and it’s to the point where I feel comfortable leaving her around him without constantly being by her side.  She will attend to him if he needs a blanket, and she’s even changed his diaper (and did a great job) a few times without my help.  Well, I was a silent observer. 

It’s really cute to see them interact, and I’m looking forward to watching them play together in the near future.  I’m sure she will get sick of him stealing her toys!