Our baby in review: His Second Month

Vital stats: Baby Boy weighed 13 lbs, 2 oz. when he was exactly seven weeks old, and 13 lbs., 13 oz. when he was nine weeks old. His weight isn’t climbing nearly as quickly as it did in the first month, and he seems to have settled into a nice, even chunkening-up. At his two-month needle appointment, the doctor say him and couldn’t believe his size. He said he was nearly the size of his own 11-month-old! That’s my big boy 🙂

Milestones: SO many new developments in his second month! He started smiling on purpose, and is now a smiling machine. He started taking a soother for comfort (hallelujah!). He started getting really good at holding his head up. He became a champ at “walking” when we held onto his upper body, and would even scale me like a mountain climber. He learned to hold and shake a rattle, bat at toys, and his “talking” was incredible. Lots of “C-Coo”s and “Ah-boo”s.

How I felt physically: A million times better than the first month. Seriously a million. During his second month, he was good about sleeping one four-hour stretch each night, which made a huge difference to my sanity. I started using his bouncy chair more, so I could plop him down and make myself something to eat, which really improved my energy. I also got out a lot more in the second month — walks, Mommy/Baby movies, trips to the mall — and that helped me feel more like a human being, and less like the walking dead.

How my body looked: My stomach is still soft and poochy, it’s definitely smaller than last month. The evil stretch marks seem to be fading, too, thank God. I haven’t attempted any actual working out yet, and it’s been too hot to do much walking outside, but I hope with the cooler weather starting to hit, I can do some power-stroller-walking. I fit into all of my regular shirts and dresses — although I don’t wear most of them, due to breastfeeding lack-of-access — but bottoms are an issue. I am still wearing my maternity shorts practically every day. I tried on my shorts from last summer, and, uh, they did not fit. I got so tired of these maternity shorts that I wore maternity jeans one day, but that was a big mistake: waaaaay too loose and uncomfortable. I’m hoping I slim down enough to fit into my regular jeans in the next few weeks or so, or it’s going to be a chilly autumn in those shorts!

How I felt emotionally: Much, much, much stronger than I did last month. I just felt like I know Baby Boy more, if that makes any sense. I had a much better understanding of what he needed and wanted, and that gave me confidence that I was doing a good job — as opposed to the first month, when I would sob to Darling Husband, “Tell me I’m doing a good job! I need to hear it!” Because I was more confident (and less exhausted), I felt so much more relaxed and go-with-the-flow, and able to enjoy every second with this magical little baby.

What he’s been eating: Still all breast milk, all the time. That’s another thing that just keeps getting easier and easier with time. When I think back to that first awful week, and the pain and the cracked nipples and the PAIN, I feel very, very, very grateful to have gotten past that.

Breastfeeding in public: During his second month, I nursed him at the mall and the movie theatre — always with a cover. I made a new one that is more lightweight, and that made it a bit easier. He just gets so warm under there, and it’s hard for me to see what he’s doing. But using a cover and nursing him out in the open is much more preferable than hiding somewhere alone sans cover. I know it’s my right to whip it out anywhere, and I certainly don’t have any modesty left, but … yeesh, you know? The judging! The looks! I am really still an insecure 13-year-old, in many ways.

Pumping/bottle-feeding: I was a little pump-happy at first, and probably overdid it because I was so excited to be filling up those little bags. Once I had a good supply in the freezer, I stopped for a few weeks, and just recently started doing it again (just on a less-obsessive scale). Darling Husband gives Baby Boy a bottle once a week or so, and he takes it with no problem, so I don’t bother to give him bottles any more often than that. Honestly, I find it too much of a pain to sterilize them and get them all ready — I can’t imagine how much work it would be to do that every day!

What Daddy and I have been eating: Still a lot of pre-made foods (stuff my mom made and froze, stuff from M&M Meat Shops), but I started cooking “from scratch” again, and it felt really good. Baby Boy was great about sitting in a bouncer chair watching me, and although it took me way longer to get anything finished — stopping often to change him, comfort him, feed him, etc. — I managed to make eggs, bacon, toast, wraps, muffins, roast, mashed potatoes, etc. Success!

What he’s been wearing: Clothes, finally! Woohoo! We bought an air conditioner two days after Baby Boy turned one month, and it made a huge difference. Now he wears at least a onesie, but more often he wears an actual little outfit, and actual pyjamas at night! I have been having a BLAST dressing him, and I admit that I change his clothes several times a day (even when they aren’t dirty), just because I’m so excited to get to dress him. He’s been my little doll this month, posing for photos in outfit after outfit. SO. MUCH. FUN.

How we’ve been sleeping: Pretty well! I love that I can count on getting a good four or five hours of sleep (once it was SEVEN!) when I first put him down for the night, and then another two or three hours (sometimes broken up) for the rest of the night. I get up alone with Baby Boy about 99% of the time, because Darling Husband works so much and needs his sleep. But if he’s off the next day, he’ll get up with me, change Baby Boy’s diaper, and keep me company during the feeding.

Where we’ve been going: Lots of places! I started driving at the five-week postpartum mark, and would drive Darling Husband to work so Baby Boy and I could have the car. We met up with friends, went on a picnic, went to the movies, went to the malls (a lot, because they are air-conditioned and stroller-friendly). Sometimes we’d be out all day, and it was great — he had some of his best, longest sleeps after those days!

Diapering: We’re still using the BumGenius one-size all-in-ones and the BumGenius one-size pocket diapers, and this month we also started using the Kushies diapers we had. I also bought three more pocket diapers — knock-off BumGenius ones, because I loved the colours (two bright red, and one bright yellow). Now we have enough that I only wash diapers every second day, which is great. We’re still 100% happy with cloth-diapering, and I’m proud of all of the “non-believers” we’ve converted to believing in them, too (my mom and Darling Husband’s mom, most notably).

State of the house: Very good. Again, hooray for the bouncy seats — we actually have two, one borrowed from lovely friend E, because ours was utter crap too steep for Baby Boy to use at first. He sits in one of them, and I run around putting on the dishes, laundry, etc. I am Superwife!

Best discovery: Pacifiers. I know, I know — nothing novel, right? I was sort of against them when Baby Boy was first born. I didn’t want him to be addicted, I was afraid because the breastfeeding natzis were so against them (and I was terrified of “defying” them and having breastfeeding fail). Up until Baby Boy was about six weeks old, he only took one very occasionally — and really only from my mom.

But …

But he was also spitting up a lot — like, large amounts — once or twice a day, and it seemed like it was caused from over-eating. The breastfeeding natzis assured me it was “impossible” for him to overeat, but he just was. I knew it. He would be full of milk, but keep sucking frantically and then crying when milk came out. He just wanted to suck! We got him to start taking the pacifier consistently at six weeks old, and it changed our lives, people. He now takes one when he’s full but still wants to suck, and you can see his face instantly calm down. He has no more huge spit-ups — just teeny mouthfuls here and there, no biggie. I HEART PACIFIERS, so there!

Things that surprised me: How natural is feels to have Baby Boy in our lives. The first month was so emotionally and physically taxing that it was almost all I could do to get through each day, keep him fed, keep myself fed, get sleep, etc. The second month has been so much easier, and that allowed me to get into a routine and “find a new normal,” as I’m fond of saying these days. Our new normal is Baby Boy, and it just feels really right. I love being a mom, and it just seems so normal to have him here, and be with him everyday.

Things that have made me melt: When he smiles at me. When he grips my fingers like we’re “holding hands.” The smell of his hair. When we “talk” back and forth. When he stands on my lap and buries his face in my neck.

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