Wednesday, January 1, 2014

LUCAS | 2 MONTHS

Here we go... Our first post of 2014. And it's already been 2 months since our little Luke came into this world. I will certainly be doing my best to soak up every last little bit of this newborn goodness. I just don't know how I'm going to cope once it's gone for good. I mean, unless there is some sort of divine intervention... This is it. The last one. Don't get me wrong, I know there is so much fun to look forward to in the coming months and years, but there's certainly a pit in my stomach just thinking about leaving this stage behind... Cue momma's ugly cry.

Now it's time to dish about all of the good that this month has brought for us...


Lucas' 2 Month Update:

Height and Weight: Boy, can this boy GROW. I know you may sometimes see a difference overnight, or even occasionally after a nap, but I feel like I am constantly saying to myself.... "Wasn't he shorter last time I picked him up out of his crib?" - "Wow, he definitely feels heavier today..." - "I swear his cheeks look even chubbier than they did this morning." He can already break out of a swaddle like he's Superman, and he is moving all over his crib like crazy!
His appointment is on Friday, so I will definitely do official height and weight updates later this week. I think I also forgot to mention that he was diagnosed with a heart murmur at his last appointment, just like Big Sis was at 1 month... However, Dr. Hauser told us she couldn't be sure that L's was benign, so we will be checking on it, possibly via echo-- which will cause a mild mental breakdown for this former PICU-working momma. For many reasons, I will always prepare myself for the worst-case scenario...

**UPDATE: Lucas was 12.94lbs (78%) and 23.5inches (71%). Dr. Hauser said that she could no longer hear his murmur (whew. thank goodness!), but we are having some new belly issues that are probably a result of his reflux. If it gets much worse, then we may start a little Zantac. He received all of his 2 month vaccinations, and after a few hours of fussiness, and a dose of Tylenol and Mylicon, he is finally resting in his crib. Poor baby boy. Belly hurts and boo boos are a bummer.. :(

Sleep: I hate to say this because I feel like I'm just going to jinx us, but this little man is a pretty darn good sleeper. He goes down for naps like a champ, and he is not afraid to let us know when he is tired. He sleeps from 9pm - 3am almost every night, and hardly ever cries. He's more of a "grunter" when he wakes up and is ready to eat. Due to the warm Florida weather, have to be very careful not to dress him too warmly, otherwise it causes his eczema to flare up... Yes, my poor baby boy has eczema. :( So sad. Also, he moved out of the bassinet and into his crib just before he turned a month old... We took off the bumpers at the beginning of this week because he is getting more mobile (i.e. rolling onto his sides while swaddled, breaking his swaddle, and moving all over the place!) Brynn wasn't in her crib until she was 3 months-old, so this was quite the achievement by our standards.




Diet: Momma is still exclusively nursing him... He is eating every 3 hours during the day, and he is usually sleeps from 9pm to 3am before waking to eat again.When he takes a full bottle, he usually goes for a full 5-6 ounces... 4 ounces just isn't enough to curb his appetite.

Clothes: He's making his way to the tighter side of his 0-3 months clothes, and he's been in size 2 diapers for weeks. Big Sis didn't hit size 2 until she was almost 6 months old! The Florida winter is similar to the weather of Indiana's transition from summer to fall. The temps can't decide if they want to be HOT or chilly. I am still looking forward to taking the kids to the beach on a cool, wintry day. :)




Lucas' Likes: From his first bath, L has been quite a water baby. He absolutely loves bath time... and I can't even wait to get him into the waves when it warms up! He also loves to smile and coo right now. And he absolutely adores it when his big sister decides to grace him with her presence... He thinks she is just wonderful! I wish I could get their interactions on video, but it always happens so quickly-- she is there and gone in an instant! To describe a little bit, though... She usually gets right in his face and says something like, "Hi, Wukey! Whatchu doin' Wukey?"... His eyes get sooo big, and he just smiles up at her, which absolutely makes her day! She always yells, "Look, Mommy! He's happy! He's happy! He's smi-wing at me!" -- Melts my heart.

Dislikes: The pacifier... he despises his paci! He will very rarely take it, and his biggest "soother" is to suck. So, Momma gets to play pacifier most of the time. I swore I would never allow that, but he gives me one of his sweet little looks, and I just can't resist... He already knows how to convince his Momma to do anything. He's also not the biggest fan of taking bottles... He is a picky man! Brynn didn't care whether the milk was cool or warm, or in a bottle or not... But not our Luke-- he will take his grande latte warm, and preferably from the tap. When he must take a bottle, it is certainly a partially unwilling experience on his part... He reminds me a little of his Daddy, the chef, in some ways. They like to eat, but it has to be prepared their way...
 

Comparison: Well, Brynn weighed 8lbs, 12 oz at her 2-month check... Ha! Lucas passed that up before his 1-month. Granted, he outweighed her by a pound at birth, but I don't think anyone can deny that he is on an entirely different growth scale than she will ever be.

Brynn at 2 months. | SEE POST HERE.

Everything is certainly very different this time around... including Oz dog. Yes, this is the dog that had to be placed on psych medications in the months before and after Brynn's arrival.

Now? He walks up and lays next to Lucas all of the time. He gives him kisses... A lot. And he actually guards him when the doorbell rings, etc. I guess boys have to stick together...

 just a boy and his "guard" dog... 
Oz has also gradually warmed up to Brynn... Hey, she has peanut butter. That is Oz's kryptonite.


What we've learned this month: Now that L's personality is starting to really shine, it's pretty evident that he is a lot more laid back than his sister. I can certainly see our future, with one little socialite and her shy and quiet baby brother... Brynn has also finally made a positive turnaround with her behavior. It's quite obvious now, looking back, that she had a pretty bad case of Big Sister Syndrome. She was doing any and everything to get attention... Which usually resulted in WW3 - Mommy vs Brynn. To the death. Ugggghhhh... That girl has got some major fiest in her! But we have made changes and they have had some positive results... So glad to have my sweet and happy girl back!

What we're enjoying right now: Being able to get out of the house more often. We took a trip to Tarpon Springs a few weeks ago, and I'm no longer paranoid when I take him to the store... Of course, I will feel much better after his immunizations. L is also getting used to stroller walks, and he's not sure if he likes them or not. Hopefully, we can find a little groove and start doing this more often... I mean, we've got lots of beautiful weather to enjoy!

What our biggest struggles are: Trying to get L to take a bottle consistently, and also finding an alternative source of "soothing" in case Mommy isn't there when he needs it... He's very attached to Momma, which a part of me just adores and relishes in, but I would prefer to be able to leave the house on my own without feeling extremely guilty for leaving him without me. I know Daddy will take excellent care of him, though.

L's most exciting milestones: He is starting to roll onto his sides, and he's also trying to scoot himself toward things that he wants to pay closer attention to... He is interacting with all of us so much more, and also holding up his head much better!

What we're looking forward to: The days of mobility are getting closer and closer... I keep daydreaming about the day that I will be breaking up cute little tiffs between the two of them, listening to Brynn complain that Lucas is getting into all of her toys (after which I will remind her how many times she stole his toys), and hearing the sounds of Lucas' sweet voice and jibberish echoing through the house... It will all be here before I even realize it.

thanks for the awesome blankie, Aunt Man Man & Uncle Andrew!


 happy 2 months, my sweet and handsome little man!
we love you so very much.




3 comments:

Natalie said...

I can't believe he is two months old! And hooray for laid back 2nd babies :)

Kristen said...

Aw, such a sweet guy! That's great he's such a great sleeper!

And I love that Oz adores him! So precious! I hope it's like that with our dogs! ;) So you had to put him on meds though with Brynn? Is there a story to that, or is it on the blog? I'm interested IN CASE we have to do the same in the future.

Jessah @ Dreaming of Dimples said...

Congrats on your little boy! He's beautiful. I love your precious blog and looking forward to following along.