Dear Jack: Two Months

Dear Jack,

It's hard to believe that you are already two months old.  I'm sure I will say that every month (and have with your brother too), but time goes by so quickly.

Your appearance seems to change between almost every photo I take.  Your eyes are still blue and seem like they are getting lighter, so maybe they will stay.  Your hair looks thinner in photos, but you are not actually losing hair.  Instead, your hair is growing lighter, like a light brown, and you have light blond hairs growing in too.  Your eye lashes are long, like your brother's, and they are light as well.  At your two-month appointment, you weighed 11 pounds and 12 ounces (five pounds put on since birth!) and were 23 and a half inches long (making you 75th percentile for height).  This week, I officially packed up all of your newborn clothes and many of your 0-3 month clothes.  You are wearing 3 month outfits and some lingering 0-3 month onesies.  That went by so fast!

You are our little guy, but you are on the move!  You kick your legs and move your arms so much that you can scoot on your back a bit more than one would expect of a newborn.  You can move about a foot in around ten minutes or so.  You also rotate in a circle.  You are almost rolling over.  Almost.  You also love to bounce on someone's knee.  You can hold your head up on your own and look around.  The doctor was very impressed with your head support and by how alert you were at your well visit.

Since last month, you have changed in your schedule--in some ways for the better.  You still eat about every hour or hour and a half.  Then in the mornings, you spit up about half a dozen times, but seem to be doing better throughout the day and evening.  At night, you begin cluster feeding around 7:30 pm; however, I don't mind too much because then you generally sleep from 10:00 pm until around 2:00 am.  From there, you wake up every two hours until around 9:00 am.  You take a nap during the day at some point, usually mid-afternoon, but you don't mind napping in the car or while being carried in the sling if we are out and about.  You are pretty easy-going unless you are hungry.

One of my favorite tricks of yours is your ability to soothe yourself to sleep.  Magic, I say!  I can get you to sleep in my arms, but if I move you or lay you down, you wake up.  If I leave you in your bed, though, you put yourself back to sleep.

You are most happy in the mornings.  After your tummy feels better, you smile and talk to us.  You make so many funny faces full of character and expression.

Sometimes I just don't know what to do with you because I feel so guilty.  You love cuddling when we nurse, but you usually prefer laying on the floor and kicking your legs.  You love looking around and batting at your toys.  You stare up at lights or windows.  I feel bad that you aren't being held, so I pick you up.  And you cry!  You want to play!  So instead of disturbing you, I sit next to you and talk to you.  Your brother loves to lay with you on the ground too.  Your new-found ability to hold your head up has helped too, though, because you love to look around while we hold you in our laps.

Lately, you've showed that you enjoy baths.  You smile and open your mouth when I bathe you.  You kick your legs and swat your hands at the water, almost like you are trying to splash.  That's a relief because giving a newborn a bath can be kind of hard.

This month, you had your first visit to the beach.  We went once before for a short trip to see two rehabilitated sea turtles being released, but this time we just went to have a relaxing time at the beach.  We only stayed for about an hour and you mostly slept, but you seemed to have a fine enough time.  It was super windy and our umbrella broke, so I tried to protect you with my shadow.  Fortunately, I think you tan instead of burn.

 
I am so thankful that you and Eliot seem to have a special connection.  You "talk" for him more than anyone else.  When he cuddles with you and talks to you, you watch him in fascination.  He shares his cars with you.  He draws pictures for you.  Watching the two of you together is my favorite thing, something that I dreamed of all throughout my pregnancy and even before we learned of you.  I had hoped Eliot could someday have a little brother, and I prayed for another little boy to have Eliot as a big brother.  I am thankful that you have each other, even if you don't always get along as you grow older (and can start stealing one another's toys).

Jack, I love what you have brought to our family.  I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have you with us, but now I can't imagine us without you.  You bring so much joy (and cuteness).  When I bounced you on my knee while waiting for the doctor today, I felt a little sad that you were going to keep growing and changing, but I know it will keep getting more and more fun.  I am so thankful for you and I'm enjoying every minute of this special time with you as a newborn.