December 12, 2013

Jenson update: Two Months Old

It really is amazing at how much he’s changed in the last month – not as much physically, but his behaviors and needs and how much he’s developing.

Monthly Jenson update:

Age: 9 weeks and 1 days, at time of appointment/measurements
Weight: 11 lb, 6 oz. (23rd percentile)
Length: 23 inches, (44th percentile)
Clothing size: He’s starting to grow out of some 0-3 months clothes in length, mostly just the sleepers. We have started to cloth diaper most of the time during the day, and the diapers make some clothes fit a little tighter too.
Hair: Dark brown and getting long in the back. It’s getting thicker on top where the newborn fuzz had fallen out. He’s rubbing out a line on the sides and back, but the hair above the line is long enough that it usually covers it.
Eyes: Still blue for now. My mom’s neighbor swears they’ll stay blue because of the shade they are, but I doubt it.
Teeth: None
Sleeping: He averages between 5-7 hours for the first stretch, and is usually in the crib for that one now. After he wakes to nurse, I put him in the rock-n-play or bassinet and he usually nurses 2 more times, 2-3 hours apart, before he gets up for the day. Until right before Thanksgiving, it was hard to get him down for the night – it wasn’t usually until 12 or 1 a.m. But I started getting him to nap more regularly throughout the day (he was getting overstimulated, I think) and now he usually goes down for the night between 9-10 p.m. We could still move that back some for sure, but right now it’s based around when he nurses for the last time, and he still nurses on demand, versus a schedule. He naps about every 2 hours during the day for 30 minutes – 1 hour, usually in the bouncer, the swing, his crib, or the rock-n-play…depending on what I’m doing. Or his car seat if we are running errands. I need to see how things are once i go back to work to figure out how we need to adjust the schedule.
Eating: All breast milk. Lo (or family or friends) give him one bottle per day. He’s nursing better now and doesn’t usually have to be in a very specific position. I nurse him more laying down now, especially at night. I don’t know why I wasn’t doing that from the beginning – it’s so much easier! He still arches his back a lot and has been spitting up more and getting upset after he eats, so the Dr. gave us a prescription of Zantac to try with him. We are only on day 2 and he absolutely hates it…I don’t blame him because it’s a disgusting peppermint flavor. He did spit up less today, but he was having trouble burping and getting upset because of that. For weeks I was having an oversupply issue, and then went through a day of undersupply that made me really nervous, but now I seem to be at a good point, which is good because I go back to work next week and will have to pump a ton then.
Movement: He loves to be on his playmat and grabs at the animals and rings that hang down and often gets a hold of them (whether on purpose or not). Sometimes he acts like he’s going to try to roll over when he’s on his stomach or back because he shifts his lower body to the side, but he doesn’t realize he’s doing it and it’ll probably be awhile. His neck is really strong and he can hold it up so well on his own, but he doesn’t like to be on his tummy still – which if it often hurts, that makes sense. He’ll hold his head up when he’s laying against our chests or when Lo lifts him in the air or I’m carrying him in the Bjorn, and that counts as tummy time too. He definitely looks at us when he hears our voices, and smiles if he’s in a good mood, which is fairly often until bedtime.
Milestones: Sleeps in the crib regularly for part of the night. Took his first road trips to visit our families around Thanksgiving. He did great and slept the whole way in the car for both trips (1.25 and 3 hours). Smiles at us regularly. He’s very smiley in the morning, and since Lo has gone back to work, I send him a smiley picture when Jenson wakes up every day. Had his two month appointment and shots. He didn’t cry long but was so upset and fussy later that we gave him Tylenol. Had a playdate with Corbett and Claire to make Thanksgiving crafts.

In the morning (I have so many like this):

In the evening (on a particularly rough night). He’s in the Bjorn because it’s the only way he’d settle. I love it when he leaves the pacifier hanging out of his mouth like that. It cracks me up:

Favorite toys/activities: He likes the animals that hang above his playmat and laying down there. He loves the giant picture that hangs above our couch of Amsterdam, and the dining room light fixture – as well as most lights. He still loves the changing table on his pack-n-play. He seems to like riding in the car – or at least sleeps well there. He actually likes laying on his own a lot more than being held, unless he’s sleepy, uncomfortable, or upset. He LOVED looking at himself in the mirror at the Dr.’s office. There is a mirror that runs the whole length of the table and once he spotted himself, he never looked away. He still likes baths, but doesn’t always like to be swaddled now, though it usually calms him down enough to sleep. Now he can see the mobile above the swing well, so he doesn’t mind being in there. Sometimes I put him in the swing to nap so I can get some stuff done in the kitchen. He enjoys it when I sing and dance with him when he’s fussy – it almost always calms him.
Dislikes: Having to poop – he grunts and pushes and gets upset when he has to go. He’s starting to fight sleep sometimes, but it usually only takes about 20 minutes to beat him in that game still. He hates waiting to nurse when he’s ready. He absolutely hates his Zantac, and I don’t blame him. I put it in a bottle with a little breast milk and he sucked it down really well, but once he realized the taste, he got mad about it. It was still easier than using the dropper in his mouth.
Sounds and Words: He still squeaks and grunts while he’s eating, he grunts and whines while he’s trying to poop, and he makes all kinds of noises when he’s sleeping. He’ll also just randomly wake up and screech or scream and then go immediately back to sleep. I’ll get ready to nurse him when I hear him scream like that, and then I look at him and realize he’s sleeping. He’s coos and babbles a lot now – at us, and at his playmat…and I think sometimes at the tv when it’s on and he’s on his playmat. It’s really awesome.
This is him in the morning:

My take the last month:

I’m so lucky that I’ll have 10.5 weeks with him before returning to work – and because of the holidays, won’t have to work a full week until after the new year. But I’m going to miss him so much. After Lo went back to work, sometimes I’d get frustrated that I couldn’t get much done during the day if he wanted to be held a lot or wasn’t napping (because I didn’t know what to do to make him better), but the last couple of weeks I don’t even care. I’m happy to hold him and walk around with him if that’s what he needs. I think it’s because I know that my all-day time is limited with him. I also realize that there isn’t always something that needs “fixed”…sometimes he just needs cuddled. He’s so much more interactive now that it’s so much fun.