TWO MONTHS - Jack

Jack -

You are two months old!  We can't believe that two whole months have passed and the amount that you have grown and changed is just amazing.  You are definitely no longer a newborn!

This month was filled with fun fall activities.  We went apple picking, had an apple cider pressing party with family, went to an Octoberfest at a local farm, went on a hayride, enjoyed a Storybook trick or treat and much more.  Fall is so wonderful and it has been so much fun for your brother to "introduce" you to these activities.

You had a tough month as well.  You spent the majority of your days crying and don't sleep very well.  At the end of the month, we finally realized that you have reflux as well as a milk protein intolerance.  Mama is eating very healthy now (no dairy, soy, nuts, eggs) in order to help make you better and Dr. Claire gave you some medicine for the reflux.  Hopefully month 3 will have you being happier!

We saw your first smiles this month and boy do they melt our hearts!  You have also begun the very beginnings of babbling and making noises.  You still LOVE your big brother.  When he is near, you will calm down and he really tries to take care of you.

You have changed so much this month and you are definitely not a newborn anymore.  You have chubby cheeks and thighs, and everything else.  It is so cute!  You have been more alert as well and it is so much fun to interact with you.

You wore 0 - 3 month clothes and Size 1 diapers for a little bit of the month and then for anything one piece we had to switch you to 3-6 month and you definitely needed the size 2 diapers!.  At your two month pediatricians appointment, you weighed 12 pounds 15 ounces and were 24 inches long. You are in the 85th percentile for height and the 79th percentile for weight.

We love you, Peanut, with all of our hearts!

Love,
Mom and Mama

Fall Foto Friday

The leaves here have been spectacular this fall.....these were just a few snaps while out playing in the yard...

We are just about at peak color where we live and there has been a lot of red and orange this year - driving around there are some breathtaking colors to be seen.

There really is nothing better than fall in New England!

{this moment}

 

  {this moment} – A Friday ritual inspired by SouleMama.
A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Announcement and Thank You Cards

Just wanted to take a moment to share the Thank You Card and Birth announcements we whipped up for Peanut's arrival:

Fall Things....

We are having such a gorgeous fall here in New England!  Some things to say on this Fall Day....

**We had a great time at a local apple orchard yesterday.  We went on tractor rides, painted faces, painted pumpkins, picked apples and danced with Nana and Opa.  We also finally got a family picture of the 4 of us.  Hence the changed blog pic!

**I only have 2 weeks and 5 days left of Maternity Leave - entirely too short of a time.  Though it has been a bit of a challenge, I have loved being home with the boys.

**We are so happy today is a bonus day with MJ - it is so nice to have all 4 of us home and Drew has really enjoyed some extra time with Mom!

**Drew continues to be amazing - he is so patient and understanding when it comes to having an infant in the house.

**Jack is a bit of a tough baby - he spends a lot of time crying and doesn't like to be put down without creating a screaming fit.  He IS getting better, but it definitely consumes you!

**Then we think about the fact that even though Jack is tough, we probably notice it more because there is a toddler in the house that needs attention as well.  When it is just you and a baby, there isn't anything better to do than tend to their needs.

**How in the world are our boys growing so quickly - in just a few short weeks Jack will already be 2 months old and Drew will be 3 - time needs to slow down!

**Even with an infant, we have managed to put up a dozen jars of applesauce and a dozen of salsa for the winter - not bad if I do say so myself!

Life is good as a family of 4!

Fall Foto Friday

Our Little Pumpkin....

Big Brother

Since all of the attention has been on the new baby as of late, I want to take a moment and give the Big Brother his own blog post!  Drew has adjusted amazingly well to having a baby in the house.  Other than the fact that he has decided that it is time to boycott napping, the transition really has gone incredibly smoothly.  He absolutely loves his role as big brother and is already VERY protective of HIS baby.  It is amazing to see the bond that Drew has with Jack already and I can only hope that it continues to be strong as they grow up.

Some snippets of some of the fun things Drew has said and done in his new big brother role:

**When Jack was first born he saw the umbilical cord and asked about it - I reminded him that it was how babies are "hooked" to their Mamas so that they can live inside their tummy.  For days, Drew kept asking if Jacks hook had fallen off yet.  It was too cute!

**Drew was quite upset that we didn't choose Namey for the baby's name.  He still brings it up now and again that Peanut should be called Namey.

**He still calls him Peanut and it is the cutest thing ever.

**Whenever Jack is crying he immediately goes over and tries to soothe him.  He will pat him and say "There, there" which is interesting because that isn't anything that MJ and I do to soothe him.  Drew will also sing to Jack and even gives him one of his own prized blankies to try to make him stop crying.

**The other night, Drew decided it would be a good idea to sing Jack a lullaby to calm him down.  When Jack continued to cry Drew said to me, "He is not being a very good listener."  Can you tell this is something we have been working on with Drew?  He then proceeded to sing VERY loud so that maybe Jack would be a better listener.

I could go on and on with stories, but suffice it to say that we are thrilled with our two boys and we are so excited to see how their relationship will grow and strengthen as they get older.

Wheels on the Bus

When Drew was infant, MJ would take him every night while I pumped and put him to bed.  She would sit on the edge of our cedar chest with our swaddled little baby, rock him and sing Wheels on the Bus to him.  Why she picked that song is a mystery, but it stuck and she (we) sang it to him every night for the longest time.  We even made up our own verses such as "The Opas on the bus say let's ride the tractor; The Grandmas on the bus say see you at Christmas, etc."

Wheels on the Bus became THE song that would put him to sleep and calm him almost instantly.  I remember taking him to daycare at 4 months old when my leave was over and telling the babysitter that a rousing rendition of Wheels on the Bus would calm him almost instantly.  It has worked through tantrums, toddler meltdowns, just to be silly, and everything in between.  Many times mid tearful meltdown, Drew would stop crying long enough to request a certain verse that he wanted sung to him!  Like magic, singing that darn song has worked to solve many problems.

I can't tell you the last time we have actually needed to use it to calm Drew and lately we only seem to sing it for the fun of it.  Well, we have a sick little man on our hands and last night he was just miserable.  Couldn't fall asleep because he couldn't breathe, choked/coughed when he took some cold medicine (cue meltdown), sore throat, just plain miserable.  It seemed like every time he just fell asleep, he would wake back up and just sob.

I had finished nursing Jack, so the rocking chair was free.  I asked Drew if he would like to go into Jack's room and rock (I can't tell you the last time we rocked in that chair).  He quickly agreed so in we went.  We sat down and he snuggled in and looked up at me and said, "I need you to sing me a song."  When I asked what song he would like me to sing, he quickly replied, "Wheels on the Bus."  Wouldn't you know that within minutes I had a snoring boy laying on my chest (or my whole body cause he is so big! - how in the world did that happen?)

The song is MAGIC I tell ya!

{this moment}

  {this moment} – A Friday ritual inspired by SouleMama.
A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wordless Wednesday