4 (and a half) months!

I was waiting for Caleb's 4 month appointment to post for this month but now that it has come and gone, it is time to update my little guy's growth.

Stats:
Height: 26.5 inches (89th percentile)
Weight:  16 lbs. 3 oz (68th percentile)
Head Circumference: 17.5 inches (92nd percentile)
Clothing size: 6-9 months
Diapers: a combo of bumgenius 4.0, rumparoos, and fuzzibunz...now that Ben is POTTY TRAINED (HOORAY!) we have our choice of diapers.  He does wear disposables at night most of he time.
Teeth:  none--but he is drooling and chewing on his fingers like crazy.

In case you are curious to compare him to Ben at the same age he is an inch and half longer and 3 oz. lighter.

Sleeping:  I think my babies just aren't great night sleepers and I am okay with that.  Certainly I am tired and I wish they did better at night but getting them to do so is beyond me.  There were a couple of days in a row in this past month where I saw every single hour on the clock.  We did recently move him into his crib and that seems to be helping some but he ends up in our room when he starts the waking every hour trend--a trend which is starting later and later.  

He likes to go to bed between 7 and 7:30 and will give a nice long stretch of 4-5 hours to start off his evening.  After that it is anyone's guess.  He thankfully isn't up for very long when he does wake up--15 minutes tops so that helps.  

During the day he naps twice in the morning and once in the afternoon.  There are a lot of days when it is one morning nap and one afternoon nap but that is if he sleeps in.  Our little guy (who is currently punching himself in the face while I am typing) is an early riser and when the clock hits 6 a.m. his eyes pop open.  His morning nap is his travelling nap which means it is typically in his stroller or baby carrier because the morning is prime playground time for his big brother.

He does fall asleep on his side totally on his own 95% of the time with a pacifier and for his afternoon nap and at night swaddled loosely.

Eating:  If he could talk he would tell you he is ready for solids.  He lunges for our plates, spoons, the table, etc.  The second we sit down to eat, he is also ready to partake.  He is still exclusively nursing for at least the next month and a half.  He is an efficient eater and does his job in about 5 minutes.  He is more interactive now when he eats and gives me big grins as he is chowing down.  

Skills:  He rolled over for the first time belly to back on May 16th.  I guess he decided it was time.  He found his feet and loves playing with his hands.  He can almost get back to belly but gets stuck so maybe in another month or so.  He can kick himself in a circle and do a tripod sit with his hands braced in front of him.  He grabs toys with determination and purpose and is figuring out that certain toys make music.  He can pull his pacifier out of his mouth and almost get it back in much to his great delight!

Communication:  He coos, chatters, laughs and occasionally screeches and rarely cries.  His smile is infectious and he smiles all the time.

Loves:  Pretty much everything.  He adores his big brother, his dogs and anyone that talks to him.  He likes to listen to books, music and his Ben singing to him.  He likes to snuggle soft objects like his taggy blanket from his Aunt Jo or his snuggly bear from his Great Aunt Amy.  He is fascinated by the wind blowing through the trees when we are outside.  He loves to go for walks and seems to tolerate runs with the stroller just fine.

Highlights from the Month:

We didn't really go anywhere but had a month of just hanging out at home.  We've taken a lot of walks and trips to the playground as a result of nice weather.  The biggest highlight of this month was watching Ben take a more active "big brother" role.  He will sing to Caleb, pretend to pick him up and is very concerned whenever we leave that I take Caleb with us.  Being a mom of two adorable little boys is a huge blessing and I look forward to watching these two grow up together.

Three Months

Three months in and already late with my blog post!  Oh well, having two kids has made me late for more than just blogging!  Caleb's third month of life was busy.  Andrew had a lot going on at work, we enjoyed visiting family in Dayton and celebrating my birthday.

Stats:
Weight:  14lbs. 4 oz.
Height:  (When he wakes up I'll let you know)
Clothing:  all 3-6 months with a couple of 0-3 pants--his legs seems a little short
Diapers:  fuzzibunz during the day and disposables at night
Cradle Cap: UGH!  It showed up and is out in full force....yes, I have tried coconut oil, olive oil, dandruff shampoo and brushing it...nothing works.

Loves:  Caleb loves his bouncy seat, swing, bumbo, brother, dogs, ceiling fans, baths, nursing, sleeping...basically everything.  He adores his big brother and watches him like a hawk.  He is an incredibly easy going and happy child.  He smiles whenever anyone looks at him or if he sees something he finds amusing.  He loves to listen to books and doesn't mind when he is read to while we are reading to Ben.

Skills:  He is starting to hit things intentionally and grab at things around him.  He isn't a roller yet but I think that is because he is very content in whatever position he is in.    He looks when you call his name and he recognizes his parents.  He is a chatterbox and over the past couple of weeks he has added to the noise level in our house with cheerful squeals and giggles.

Nursing:  Caleb eats on demand which is typically every 2 1/2 hours.  He has days where he still cluster feeds in the afternoon and late evening but those are starting to fade.  He is an incredibly fast eater and nurses in less than five minutes most of the time.

Sleeping:  Part of me hoped that our second child would enjoy nighttime sleep more than Ben but as of yet, it is not the case.  I will continue to rest in the comfort of knowing that it will happen eventually and now Ben is an awesome sleeper.

During the day Caleb takes a 45ish minute morning nap two hours after he wakes up which is between 6:30 and 7:00.  He takes either two 45 minute afternoon naps or one long stretch of two hours which starts around 1-1:30--this is really nice for me because it is around Ben's nap time and I have a bit of quiet in the house.  He takes an early evening nap for 30 minutes around 6:30-7:00--although I feel like that one is starting fade.  He likes to be in bed by 8:00 and we try our best to get him there.

His morning nap I let him take downstairs around all of the noise but in the afternoon I swaddle him and put him in his cradle.  He falls asleep on his own with a pacifier in his mouth 90% of the time.  Occasionally he likes a snuggle before bed.  At night he wakes up three times (and sometimes  more, sometimes less).  Even though he is up a lot, his fast nursing makes it bearable as I am rarely awake for more than 10 minutes.

Week by week our month went like this:
March 6-12th--Caleb survived a family round of the stomach flu.  I felt bad for the little guy as I was sick and Andrew and I experienced our first stomach bug as a family.

March 13-19th--We enjoyed a wonderful evening at my mother-in-law's house as she made me a delicious birthday dinner and invited a few friends over.  Andrew made a scrumptious cheesecake.  Caleb spent an afternoon away from me as Andrew gave me some "mommy time" and told me to go shopping.

March 20-26th--I spent six days as a single mom while Andrew went to Ithaca for a trial academy. The boys and I managed but it isn't something any of us want to do very often.

March 27-April 6th--Caleb's first Easter egg hung, first Easter celebration, and first car trip to Dayton to visit Dan and Hilary.  He did an amazing job in the car and didn't cry hardly at all.  He slept through our visit to the Airforce Museum but enjoyed hanging out with his cousin on the floor.

 Cousins!

We feel so blessed to have two wonderful boys and are enjoying our life with two littles.  Perhaps next month Caleb will roll...

Two Months

It seems pretty incredible that we have a two year old and a two month old.  March 6th crept up on me and it took me until lunchtime to remember that Caleb is already two months old!

Stats:
Height/Weight TBA on March 15th--at his 1 month appointment he was 12 lbs. 2 oz. so I expect his weight to be in the 13-14 lb. range.

Clothing:  3-6 months with a couple 0-3 mixed in if he is wearing disposable diapers

Hair: reddish brown

Skills:  The skills department is still rather limited, unless you count being incredibly cute.  Caleb can roll onto his side but has made it from tummy to back or back to tummy.  He doesn't love his tummy time yet although he can hold his head right up and push up onto his elbows.  He started to smile and is becoming more and more interested in things around him.  He loves to watch his big brother.

Loves/Hates:  Like most newborns, Caleb enjoys being snuggled.  He is a pro at sleeping on someone's chest during the day.  He likes to be swaddled to fall asleep although I often find him with at least one arm free when he wakes up in the night.  I don't swaddle him for nap which he takes in various places in the house.  I want him to associate swaddling with nighttime sleep.  He enjoys his swing, bouncy seat, sling and Moby wrap. He tolerates taking a bath pretty well. He still does not enjoy his car seat but will fall asleep in it if we go for a long enough drive.  He does not like to have a dirty diaper at all.

Sleeping:  During the day Caleb wakes up around 7:30 and will stay awake for about 2 hours.  He takes a short morning nap of about 45 minutes and will stay awake for about an hour.  After that he it out for a long time.  Most days he naps from around 12-4:30.  I know that this seems incredibly long but I have stopped trying to get him to stay awake during this time.  I typically wake him halfway through to eat and he sacks out after his snack.  After his long nap he is awake again for another 2sih hours, takes a 30 minute siesta and then goes to bed between 8:30-9:30.  At night he has given me 5 hours in a row to start off his evening on numerous occasions but he still has nights where he is up every 3 hours.  He is all business in the middle of the night however, which is really nice because I am rarely awake for more than 20 minutes at a time.

Eating:  Caleb, like Ben is an enthusiastic nurser.  He noisily gobbles his milk and is often finished eating in less than 10 minutes.  At first I was worried he wasn't getting enough but as his rolls have multiplied I became convinced that he is just a fast eater.  Ben liked to spend at least 45 minutes nursing so this change is one that has taken some adjustment.  He still gulps fast when he is hungry which at times leads to a lot of air in his stomach and some enormous burps but he is getting better at slowing down.  He greedy gulping is part of the reason I wake him during his long day nap because when he goes for too long his stomach seems a bit upset.

What we are learning:    While both of our boys are incredibly happy babies, Caleb seems to be a little more independent than Ben was at this age.  Ben LOVED to nurse to sleep and snuggle all day long.  Caleb loves to snuggle but he also has moments where he simply wants to be left alone to sleep.  At night he goes to sleep with a plastic pacifier instead of a mommy pacifier.  He follows a eat, wake, sleep pattern a lot better than his brother did which I find funny since we haven't done anything differently with the two of them.  If I am going anywhere it takes me twice as long--at least-- to get out of the house.  I am learning how to manipulate the grocery cart with one kid in a wrap and the other int he cart and I am figuring out that I need  to plan out trips well in advance if I hope to get anywhere.

What we've been up to:  This month was pretty quiet as we continued to adjust to our new normal.  We went to Mom's group a couple of times, made it to church every Sunday and went for a couple of walks.  The weather is still pretty gross outside so our walks have been short.  I am hoping that Spring will come quickly so we can get out a lot more.  Highlights from the month included a visit from Joanna and a visit from Hilary and Lauren this month.  Caleb has enjoyed snuggles from his grandparents who live up the road as well as other friends who have stopped in to meet him.  All in all, Caleb's second month was pretty uneventful.  We love his chubby little face  and are excited to see how he grows and changes in the month to come.

Getting Older...(25 months)

Last month Ben turned two and we all enjoyed looking at his icy blue eyes as they looked happily at his train birthday cake.  He is getting so big and grown up.  As he continues in the journey through his second year of life, Ben's blog posts will focus more on the fun things he is doing each month.

Health:  Ben had his two year check up on February 15th.  At that check-up his growth stats are as follows:  weight--26 pounds and height 35.5 inches.  He is tall, skinny and very healthy.  He made it through two years of life without ever being on an antibiotic or going to the doctor for anything but well checks.  Hopefully he won't visit the doctor again until he turns 3.  

The Not-so-fun:  The last month or so Ben has started to test his boundaries.  It is true that our angelic little boy will do things that he is told not to do--shocking, I know.  It is probably a combination of him getting older along with the arrival of his little brother.  Two prime examples of this are mealtimes when he spits food out on the floor or when he dumps water out of the tub during his bath.  Andrew and I are both learning how to navigate this stage and a friend of ours with a toddler told us it, "is about time," that Ben is displaying some less than perfect behavior.  

The FUN!  Ben fills our days with laughter.  He talks all of the time and is using sentences with more than three words.  He uses adjectives to describe things and is trying to figure out how to use pronouns.  When we walk down stairs he will often say, "Carry you Ben?"  His language explosion is so much fun to witness and it reinforces our decision to keep TV watching limited to the occasional Youtube viewing of a garbage truck or train.  He loves books and picks up so many words/ideas from what he is reading.    Every few days I do send a few books on vacation (under the couch) because 200 pages of Curious George or 100 Nursery Rhymes get a little exhausting.  Yesterday we were looking for a toy and we found a few vacationing books and Ben exclaimed, "Books vacation all done!"  (as you can imagine the curious little monkey was back in the rotation).

Hanging out with Ben everyday is a joy as his laughter fills our house and his actions make his parents laugh.  One of my favorite Ben things is whenever he walks backwards it is accompanied by a, "beep, beep, beep," like a truck.  He loves to get dizzy to Bodypump music while I am learning new releases, he likes to crawl under things such as the dogs or our legs and calls them dog tunnels and leg tunnels.  He hangs out in the swing or bouncy seat occasionally which makes everyone laugh.  

With Caleb as a part of our lives and gross winter weather hanging on, we have been stuck in the house more than usual.  The result of this is a love of running errands or going on mommy or daddy dates.  He discovered the car carts at the grocery store and he happily makes car noises while we shop and if we bump the cart he appropriately accompanies the crash with a "BANG!"  He loves special treats from local bakeries.  He is anxious for the weather to clear up so he can go for runs with either Andrew and I and will climb in and out of the "hingle Bob" (single Bob stroller) in anticipation.  We are both waiting for Caleb to get bigger so we can try out the double.  

He is adjusting to having Caleb in the house and tries to be a big helper.  He says hi to Caleb when he sees him and is accepting the fact that Caleb gets to hang out in my lap--the minute my lap is free however, it is quickly filled with a toddler and a book.  We have tried hard to keep his routine as consistent as possible which has helped with the transition.  I treasure the quiet moments I have with him before bed or nap where he and I hang out, read books and sing songs.  He loves to be sung to and often makes requests such as, "Jesus loves Me,"  "Noah boat," "Splish Splash" and "Jesus Go."  (A few of those are Deerfoot songs that I've had to learn.)

 

We are loving life as a family of four and it is exciting to see Ben take on his role of the big brother. 

One month!

I thought time flew by when we had Ben but now with two little ones filling our lives it is ridiculous how quickly things pass.  Caleb turned one month yesterday.  In the last month we have learned our new normal.  Ben is adjusting, the dogs are adjusting and we are squeezing in sleep whenever we can!

Some stats...
Height:  TBA on February 15th.
Weight

Clothing size:  0-3 months with some 3-6 months.  Newborn clothes never even touched his chubby body.

Diapers:  size 1 disposables and cloth--although I will admit we aren't in cloth full-time as I am still adjusting to all of the laundry

Eyes:  Blue

Hair: dirty blond fuzz all over his head

Chub: rolls all over, including the back of his head

Sleeping:  Caleb likes to sleep...a lot!  He has settled into a schedule of waking up around 7 until about 9, taking a 45 minute nap, waking up and settling into a 4 hour marathon nap around 11.  I wake him us halfway through the marathon  nap and feed him.  He takes another evening nap and settles down for the night around 9.  Night time is still a bit of an adjustment but he "typically" gives us 4 hours straight before needing a snack.  He falls asleep on his own with a pacifier and is starting to enjoy swaddling.  Having a little one who is a good sleeper is pretty awesome!  He will fall asleep while being snuggled but there are times when he just wants to be put down with his pacifier to sleep.

Skills:  He can hold his head up and roll onto his side.  He likes to hang out in his bouncy seat and his swing.  (which I consider skills at this stage in our lives.) He tolerates time on his tummy.  He is starting to be more awake during the day.

Nursing:  He is a champion eater and guzzles his food quickly...so quickly that he sometimes chugs a bit of air which give him Brautigam hiccups.  I let him nurse on-demand which is about every 2 1/2 hours--except for in the early evening where he likes to cluster feed.

Likes/dislikes:  His big  brother discovered he likes his pacifier which is wonderful.  He likes to be snuggled up in his sling and moby wrap.  He tolerates a bath but it isn't a highlight.  He hates his carseat.  We haven't tried out the stroller yet because it has been so cold. He loves to look at the animals over his changing table and seems to enjoy listening to us read to Ben.

Overall we've had a great first month with our new family of four.  Andrew and I wonder what we did before we had children but we are learning to enjoy our evenings of books, baths, and babies. 

TWO Years!

Two years ago Andrew and I were sitting in the hospital with our new little chunk.  Weighing in at 9 pounds our cone headed little guy captured our hearts and changed our lives.  Thinking back over the two years, I can't imagine our lives without Ben.  We've watched him grow from a wiggly newborn to a charming toddler.

Stats:

Height/Weight:  Toddler chubby and perfectly tall (we go to the doctor next week for his two year check up and will get official measurements.)

Teeth:  16 big chompers

Hair:  enough to make a mohawk post bath but not enough for a hair cut...yet

Clothes:  24 months/2t, shoes size 5

Ben's development:  Ben continues to amuse us with his rapidly expanding vocabulary.  He told me the other day he was using his "muscles" when he was working on something hard.  He is responsible and asks us to hang up his coat, turns off Andrew's amp if it is left on, and likes to help clean up and set the table.  He continues to love books and I think we read about a hundred a day.  He loves to play with play dough, take baths, build with blocks, play with his trucks and trains, and play with the dogs.  He loves to sing and is continuing to learn his letters and numbers.  He has started to test some boundaries and is trying to figure out what "no" actually means which has led to a few tears here and there.  He likes to look at the snow outside and stomp around in his boots but he isn't sure how much he likes to play in it as it is so cold!  He enjoys going to his grandparent's house and watching his favorite hockey team.

We've slowly been adjusting to life as a family of four.  Unfortunately for Ben it has been incredibly COLD outside which has limited our time walking around Fredonia.  We took a few trips to the hardware store to look at the trains and have visited the library but haven't had much of an opportunity to ramble around town.  We've found things to keep us busy in the house like reading, playing with water in Ben's learning tower, building elaborate train tracks with tunnels and dancing to silly music.

Fun things from Ben's last month as a child with an age measure in months...

Christmas!  Ben's second Christmas was so much more fun and interactive than his first.  We had to wake him up on Christmas morning for the fun to begin.  He enjoyed opening presents and we quickly learned that if he opened a book he backed into the nearest lap to hear it immediately.  He enthusiastically embraced our Christmas tree and loved hanging out with aunts, uncles, grandparents, and even his cousin Lauren.

Big Brother Time:  On January 6th, Ben met his baby brother for the first time.  He came to the hospital twice to visit us and his immediate reaction was, "uh-oh."  The transition has gone fairly smoothly and Ben goes from wanting to hold his little brother to telling him to go away.  He is learning his new normal and we are all adjusting.  We have tried to make sure he still gets "mommy time" at night and before nap.  He likes to point out Caleb's body parts and makes fun of Caleb when he poops. He was the first to introduce a pacifier to his little brother and if Caleb is crying he likes to tell me that Caleb needs mommy milk.

Party!  We had Ben's second birthday party a few days after his second birthday.  We celebrated with a train cake, pepperoni rolls (to remember his WV birthplace), punch and of course presents!  He enjoyed celebrating with his family and friends.  His grandparents came up from Georgia to join in the fun and he had a blast playing with his Grandma and Grandpa Dooley.

Look Who's Here!

Caleb James Brautigam

9lbs. 4oz. 20.5 inches long