12 Weeks

He likes the car windows open when we're driving.  That seems to help calm him down when if he's screaming--sometimes.


The car rides have actually been better now that he can accurately place things in his mouth.  I stick a toy in both hands when we get in the car and it seems to keep him happy more of the time.


He's starting to get some bald spots on the sides of his head.

He's got some eczema.  It started on his thighs and now he has some on his back as well.  I'm treating it with coconut oil once every day or two.


There are a couple of days here where he's really having trouble staying asleep at nap time and bed time unless held.  He is also nursing more which may mean another growth spurt.



I don't know how much he weighs right now but he's suddenly HUGE again! I'm thinking he's at 14.5 or 15 pounds now.  That would be my guess anyway.


I decided to take off the teething bracelet halfway through the week--at least temporarily.  He's so fussy that I'm not convinced that it's working.  Then I put it back on because he was so fussy I figured that it couldn't hurt.  Then, we lost it and he seems to have gone a night and half a day without it and he wasn't able to sleep on his own that day.  Coincidence?  Maybe, but after diligent searching of the church, calling the restaurant where we'd eaten, and turning the house upside down, I found it when I stopped looking.

He purposely grabbed a toy on his own for the first time.  We were sitting to dinner--Noelle, he, and I--and he was on my lap when he grabbed the plastic links he always likes to play with when he's in the high chair.


Naptime in his crib.


Now he's capable of putting things into his mouth and mostly keeping them there which is good since his teething behavior seems to warrant it, though he still has no tooth buds yet.

I laid him on the grass for a moment and where his bare skin touched it he had tiny little scratches.  I'm sure it's not the case, but it makes me wonder if he is allergic. I hope  not.  I wouldn't know how to deal with a child with allergies.

Sometimes, babywearing is the only thing (or the quickest thing) that will calm him down.

Have I mentioned how excited he is to be naked???  Especially on the changing table??? Yeah, it's his favorite thing ever.

Bunny adores him.

He made a little visit to my school with Bunny and I

Rocking, sucking, and being held tightly are currently the successful methods for getting him to sleep for naptime or bedtime.  Also, nursing helps if he is both truly tired and hungry.

He's catching up to Buddy!

11 weeks

 
He seems to get hot easily.

He got his second half of his two month vaccines.  He was slightly warm and definitely a bit irritable and needy after them.  The one on his right leg swelled a bit like a mosquito bite.

He had a couple of real giggles for the first time this week.  His giggles usually happen with social interaction.  In the morning when he's happy and no one is paying attention to him, he just squeals.


He had some awful screaming at night on Thursday and Friday night.  We think it's due to the vaccines since it happened after the first round last week as well.


He is really trying to grab things and put them in his mouth.  He can't grab things with accuracy and he's so-so at getting what we place into his hand into his mouth.  The only time he can really keep something in his mouth is when he's in the baby carrier.


 
He puts his arm and fingers in his mouth all the time.

He seems to be teething but I feel no teeth.


 A shot of Bunny and Bear at the same age.

He recognizes "How Deep the Father's Love" which is a song I sang and played a lot when he was in the womb.  He smiles and/or giggles when I play it more so than he does with any other song that I play for him.


He doesn't seem as affected by music as his sister was.  I could calm her right down with a song but that doesn't always work for him.  He does like shushing, though.  That almost always calms him when nothing else will.

He's been spitting up more and smells like spit up.  I don't like to bathe my babies/kids often because I don't want to deplete their skin of its natural oils, but I've had to bathe him 3 or 4 times this week just because of the smell of it.

We had a family breakfast together because Daddy had an early morning meeting and then some time to kill before his shift and Baby Bear needed to be held the entire time.  I paced the restaurant until our food came and then held him when it was time to eat.  When I got home, I found bits of dried up egg in his hair.  Poor baby! I tried my best! (Wait, that might have happened when we were in CT and ate at Cracker Barrel...)

I teach preschool lessons to his sister while he nurses and sleeps. 

Aaaah! The breast! When he's tired, it's a sure fire way to put him to sleep.  If it's time for his reflux medicine, it will make it worse until he's been burped, he's spit up, or he's taken his Zantac.

 

Not such a fan of tummy time but we try a couple times a week anyway.  He doesn't really need it as much as other babies since he naps on his tummy anyway.  

Believe it or not, he started perpendicular to this and then pivoted.  He did it every time I moved him back. 

Peek-a-boo! This was my attempt at replicating a shot we took of your sister at the same age.  I believe you're capable of "sitting up" better than she was.  She just flopped over when we took this shot of her.

He was SO amused by the balloons we bought for his sister's birthday party!

This shot of him with his Daddy is priceless.  He may look like me but he is Daddy's little boy!

His hand in mine.

He met a little friend 6 weeks younger than him.

Your Aunt Julie got to hold you at your sister's party.

The shots above are all comparison shots of him now versus him at 1-2 weeks old.  He has changed so much already!

Me during his naptime.  I may not always get lots done or get much time to myself, but I cherish these snuggles because one day I won't get them anymore and once I go back to work in November I won't get nearly as many.

These two pictures are of him and his sister interacting.  When he's in a good mood, he thinks she's a hoot!

It's hard to get his giggles on camera because he does this little, jerky dance every time he smiles and squeals which makes the photos blurry.  I usually just take a whole bunch and then go through and delete the blurry ones later--but sometimes, they're all blurry!

Mommy had a little too much fun playing dress up.

Well hello there, Handsome! Done sleeping?

We got a nice visit from Nonno.  Your sister hogged him most of the time.  She doesn't quite realize yet that he is your Nonno too.

The pacifier is a very necessary accessory in the evenings these days.

Morning snuggles with my amazing children!

You behaved very well for the first women's bible study of the fall.