Cameron, Two Month (3/14/2014)

Two Month (3/14/2014)

Dear Cameron,

You are 1/6^th of the way through your first year.  Admittedly, you still don’t do very much, but it is exciting to watch you grow and change.  I think having a better preview of the developmental steps before us allows me to better savor your current self, not wishing so hard for the next steps.  For now I am enjoying the baby snuggles and calm before the storm, so to speak.

Weight - 13 lbs, 5 oz

Length - 24.5"

Daily Activities and Playing

Your “routine” is very predictable and continues as before (wake, eat, play, sleep).  Wake time tends to be limited to 30-45 minutes after you finish eating, so you don’t have much time to do very much during each play session.  Your neck and back strength is improving and you enjoy limited tummy time on a blanket or in your crib.  Tummy time is considerably more enjoyable for you when you are on someone’s chest.  Since your first smile at 5 weeks, you use tummy time to also practice smiling, making eye contact, and “talking” to either me or Daddy.

Sibling

Ian and Ellen still love you, of course.  Ian has even told me that he misses you while he is at school during the week.  They are both very proud and want to bring pictures of you to school so that they can show their friends.  Both are getting more helpful.  I am so grateful to have Ian sitting in the back seat right next to you.  He helps adjust your blanket or sun shade, gives you toys, talks to you, and makes sure you have your pacifier when you need it.  There are two new stuffed animals that have been specifically determined to be yours and Ellen is constantly making sure that you have them.

Eating

You are consistently nursing 5 times per day, every 4 hours, skipping one late night feeding each day.  You tend to get very fussy if you have a bubble in your tummy but calm down significantly once you burp.  You are also spitting up somewhat at each feeding.  Overall nursing is going very well!  We don’t give you very many bottles but try to feed you one occasionally so that you get used to it.

Sleeping

Your night time sleep has slowly stretched from 4-5 hours at 4 weeks to 6.5-7 hours at 6 weeks.  You are currently going to sleep between 7 and 8 pm each night and then waking around 3 AM. I have had mixed success with a “dream feed” in which I wake you up to eat around 11 PM in an attempt to change your wake up time from 3 am to 6 or 7 am.  I will likely continue the dream feed for some time and see if I can get consistent success.  You have started sleeping in your crib at night since you don’t wake up as often before.  We don’t use a baby monitor because with both of our doors open we can hear you just fine at night.  Naps are still in a variety of places – your crib, the pack and play set up in the living room, the bouncer, the swing, or the car seat/stroller when we are out and about!  You usually nap around 2 to 2.5 hours at a time.  You are increasingly better at getting to sleep on your own when I put you down while still awake.  I still spend some time rocking/holding you, but not as much as before.  I swaddle you for both naps and night time sleep, and it seems to help cue you to sleep.

Special Events

We were using some little cloth diapers on loan and finally got our own stash!  Our diaper drawer includes a combination of pre-folds with covers (Rumparooz), Blueberry Simplex (all in one), and BumGenius Freestyle (all in one).  Everything is one size so we can use them on both you and big sister (for now).  I am loving them so far and experience far fewer “blowouts” and leaks than we did with disposables on the first two children.

Cameron @ 8 weeks

Cameron @ 8 weeks

Cameron @ 8 weeks

Cameron @ 8 weeks

Cameron @ 9 weeks

Cameron @ 9 weeks

Cameron @ 9 weeks

Cameron, One Month (2/14/2014)

Dear Cameron,

Happy Valentine’s Day and One Monthiversary!  It has been a fun month with our new family of five.  The transition of adding you to our family has been surprisingly smooth.  Daddy has been back at work for two weeks and your older siblings are at school three days a week, so it is just you and me during those hours.  Ellen never got this luxury as a baby so I am trying to make the most of my alone time with you.  Their time at school gives me a much needed break from noise (newborns are shockingly quiet) and an opportunity to get a few things done around the house while you are taking one of your many and long naps. 

Eating
From birth, you have nursed about every 3 to 4 hours.  I have never had to put you on any kind of schedule as you have worked yourself into a very regular routine.  Occasionally I would let you sleep a little longer and stretch the time between feedings to about 5 hours.  By one month you were eating 6-7 times per day, closer to 4 hours apart.  You are exclusively breastfed, but I wanted you to be able to take a bottle in case I needed to be apart from you for some reason.  You took your first bottle of breast milk with no problems at one month.

Sleeping
Your routine is very predictable – you wake up, get a diaper change, stay awake for a bit, get another diaper change if you need it, then go back to sleep for 2 to 4 hours.  There are some feedings where you don’t even really wake up – you go right back to sleep when done nursing.  Your naps are not always uninterrupted… you don’t like being wet or dirty, especially if a diaper leaks and your clothes or blankets get wet.  However, once you get a diaper change you get back to sleep.  When you were first born, it seemed like you had your days and nights mixed up, but it was hard to tell because you were sleeping close to 20 hours per day!  By one month you started having longer stretches of night time sleep, going to sleep between 12 and 1 and waking around 4:30.  Sometimes it takes quite a bit of time and holding to get you to sleep and you will wake up when put down (whether in the bouncer, swing, or crib), so we end up holding you during the entire nap.  It has made for some awkward nights’ sleep (crick in my neck!) and not very productive days (time to watch another movie on my kindle).  By one month, it is getting easier to put you to sleep and keep you asleep for a full nap.

Daily Activities and Playing
You sleep all of the time!  Your wake/play time comes after every feeding, but thus far you haven’t stayed awake long enough to do much.  For the most part, I am content to hold and look at you during your brief awake times.  You don’t love the swing when awake, but you do like the bouncer.  I have tried putting you on your tummy occasionally, but your neck and back strength isn’t developed enough for it to be enjoyable.

Sibling
Both Ian and Ellen have so much love for you.  They are helpful (or at least they try to be) – fetching pacifiers, diapers, burp cloths, teddy bears, blankets, etc.  You name it, they have brought it to you.  You are kissed and hugged at every opportunity.  They love watching you and get very excited when you are awake.  Once you gave a little cough/sneeze when Ellen was walking by and she very politely said, “God Bless you Cameron!”  They also make funny comments about your expressions and noises:  “Why is he worried?  Why is he nervous?  Oh, he is surprised!  He sounds like a little dog!  He meowed like a little cat!” 

Special Events
I’ve been taking regular weekly photos but haven’t been very good at getting out my “big camera” for more candid shots at other times.  However, I do use the phone on my camera to capture many shareable moments with family and friends via Instagram, so your first month certainly hasn’t gone undocumented.  Your first Valentine’s day was very uneventful… we were miraculously able to trace your hand for a card for Daddy.

Cameron @ 4 weeks

Cameron @ 4 weeks

Cameron @ 4 weeks

Cameron @ 4 weeks