Henry's Two Months!

Dear Henry,

You are 2 months old now! We had your 2 month checkup last week, and you weighed 11 lbs 14.5 oz and were 23.5 inches long. Dr. Cross was pleased with your growth and says you are growing right on track! You also had to get a few shots and after about 15 seconds of the worst cry I have ever heard from you, you were just fine. The best moment of the past month was when you finally smiled back at me! You have done it quite a few times since then, but for some reason, you still won't smile back at dad. We are working hard to get one out of you, but by the end of the day when he comes home, you are usually pretty stubborn. You have also started "talking," you will coo and ahh alot. You love your playmat so oftentimes I will just lay you on that and let you talk to the farm animals. It is so cute! You also like to look at lights or look out the windows.


Your sleep habits have improved dramatically since the first month. The longest stretch you have gone is 7 hours, which by baby standards is considered sleeping through the night. Most nights though, you have a good 5-6 hour stretch, then wake up to nurse and go back down for another 2 hours. During the day however, you still love to nurse every 2 hours. I started putting you on a schedule at 6 weeks and it has worked great for both of us. We "eat, play, sleep" every 2 hours during the day. It's nice to know the next time I will get a break (when you sleep) and nice to know that when you start to get cranky, it's because you are either tired or hungry, whichever comes next in the schedule. Hopefully we can lengthen the time between feedings next month because every 2 hours (from the beginning of the feeding) still does not leave me much time!

Love,
Mom

Yawns..

Dear Henry,

I love the progression of your facial expressions when you yawn... Melts my heart. Now if only I could capture your smile the same way..

Love,
Mom

Grandma Visits!

Dear Henry,

We got spoiled again!  Your Grandma Teri came to visit us last week and spent time helping me with you, working in the yard, working on your toy chest and fixing us delicious meals.  She is a really good cook and I know you will enjoy her food when you are old enough to eat :)

 For the first time, you actually enjoyed your bath.. or at least you did not scream the WHOLE time.

Practicing tummy time on the quilt Grandma made for you! 

Love,
Mom

Mother's Day

Dear Henry,

Thanks for making me a mom and giving me my first Mother's Day!  We started the day with breakfast from Amelie's, our favorite French bakery, and then picked up some sandwiches from Common Market and headed to Freedom Park to spend the afternoon walking around and picniking.  Afterwords, we went to Yoforia, my latest obsession, for some fro yo.  It was such a beautiful day and I really enjoyed spending it with you!

Love,
Mom

Henry's One Month!

Dear Henry,

You are one month old now! At your checkup, you weighed 9 lbs, 15 oz, were 22 in long, and your head circumference was 15 in.  You are in the 50th percentile for both head and weight, and 75th for length.  Dr. Cross was quite pleased with your progress! It's amazing how much we have learned about you in just this short time.  It has been a learning experience for both dad and I, and every day it seems like we uncover something new about you. You are also changing so quickly!  Right now, the most exciting development is that you are holding your head up for longer periods of time, and you are starting to follow objects with your eyes.  You love to lay in your crib and look at the letters and objects on your bumper, and we recently started practicing tummy time with you.  You are a great eater, but it sure is hard to get a burp out of you!  You love to be swaddled, as long as your arms are free, and your favorite thing by far right now is being wrapped up in the sleepy wrap and carried around by dad or me.  I read so much about the benefits of "babywearing" while I was pregnant, and so far, it seems to be true- you are so happy as long as you are being held and you also don't cry much- except when you are gassy or need to burp- and then you really let it out. 

When we got home from the hospital, your Nana was here to help us out for the first 2 weeks, and I don't know what we would have done without her!  She cooked, cleaned and got up with us at night after I fed you to burp and soothe you so I could get some sleep.  The first few weeks were really hard and a big adjustment, so I'm so happy she was here to help out!  The first weekend we were home, your Grandpa Paul and Grandma Retta also came to visit.  While they were here, we went on our first picnic and your dad and I went on our first outing alone- a big trip to Babies R Us to pick up some more diapers for you.

 

I started taking you out everyday since coming home from the hospital- it may just be a walk, or a quick trip to the farmer's market, but we go somewhere everyday.  I am also proud to say I have showered every day too- this is no small task, especially after Nana left, but I feel much better if I get dressed and showered and have somewhere to go everyday.  We have also met dad for lunch, gone to Barnes and Noble to read books, and gone to SouthPark for some mall walking.  You are really good- of course, I always put you in the magic wrap, so most of the time you are sleeping.

Miss Morgan is getting used to having you around also and she often is the first one to come to check on you when you cry- she is very curious.  She knows you are part of the pack now, and we are working on making sure she knows she is in 4th place.  I think you and Morgan will hopefully be best buds someday when you are older. 

Here is a picture of your first bath- this is the only picture that you are not screaming- you did not like the bath much.  Since then, your umbilical cord has come out, so we can give you a full bath now.  I hope you will like bathtime someday!  Right now, it's still a torture for you, but seems to be getting better each time.



You snuggling with dad and Morgan...

Us on one of our first walks in your sleepy wrap...

Your hair has come in thick in the back, and your dad jokes that you have a mullet.  He always says "business in the front, party in the back" and this picture kind of shows it: We think it's adorable of course.  Speaking of your hair- its tri-color right now.  Sometimes it looks red, sometimes blonde and sometimes light brown! 

This picture was taken right before we left you alone for a second time.  We were going to Sam's surprise birthday party and Nana was still here, so we decided to take advantage of the free babysitting while we could.  I'm pretty sure you were held the whole time we were gone :)

Dad has become a pro at changing diapers.  We have both been sprayed, and you have sprayed the wall too, but we are learning...

One other thing I love is that you are so expressive!  Right after I nurse you, you usually go into something I call "faces."  I can tell you are in a light sleep and you will start smiling, frowning, pouting, pursing your lips, etc., one right after the other.  It is so adorable.  You have also started grabbing onto my hair- I can see why lots of mom's cut thier hair short or wear a pony tail because your grib is strong! 

Mike and Lindsey got you this Tigers outfit, and everytime your dad dresses you, this is what you end up wearing!  You have several other sports clothes, but this is the one thing you can fit into now.  You will start fitting into some of the MSU gear soon, and then I know you will be sporting alot of green and white when dad dresses you.

It has been so fun having you this first month and I can't wait to see what the second month will bring!  You are growing and developing so fast- sometimes I swear that I put you down for a nap and when I pick you up again, you have gotten bigger in that short time!

Love,

Mom