Six Months Old Today!

I can't believe it's already been six months. What a joy this baby is. Still very much like Kiddle at this age: really good natured, LOVES people, cheerful and happy. Biggest difference is that this one SLEEPS. It's true that he's driving me a bit batty right now with his multi-night wakings (more on that another day), but he's so damn easy to put to bed.

Developmentally he's right on schedule: he can roll over both ways, creep around a bit commando-style, lift up his whole body off the ground and even push up onto his knees. He's working on sitting up by himself, but of course I'm horribly nervous about him hitting his head so I haven't practiced this with him as much as I should. I've offered him some cereal and mashed bananas, but he really isn't getting the concept of swallowing yet. We just keep inserting the same bite, over and over and over again.

My one, tiny concern is that he isn't truly babbling. Very vocal and expressive, but not really experimenting with sound yet. Of course, I'm super sensitive to this area this time around. And I really can't remember if Kiddle had a "goo" or "dah" at this exact moment. But, my pediatrician assures me, his skills can change very quickly, so no worries yet.

I'll just be over here, holding my breath, waiting for that first "GAH!"

This kid just might be from Oklahoma after all

Business in the front ...

... and a party in the back.

Two-Month Checkup

We had Bigga's checkup at the pediatrician today and he's still truckin' along in the weight gain. But he remains longer than he is wide, as I say, so he's good and healthy. But, boy, what a noggin!

Weight: 13 lb 1 oz (63rd percentile)
Length: 25 1/4 inches (95th)
Head: 41.5 cm (greater than 97th!!)

Compared to Kiddle at two months:

Weight: 12 lb 9 oz (52nd percentile — or 60th? did I use fractions or ounces in my notes? argh!)
Height: 23 inches (31st percentile)

Great report from the doctor. He's doing everything he's supposed to do and then some. She pulled him by the arms toward sitting to check his head control and said, "Oh! He thinks he's a three-month old!" I'll tell you, there might have been some disadvantages to (kind of) popping out a nine-pound-plus baby, but right now there just aren't any. I love that he's strong and easy to handle. No delicate flowers around here, no sirree.

Aside from the fact that she's really involved with and knowledgeable about the kids, I'm loving our new pediatrician for another reason ... she automatically vaccinates on an alternate schedule. Such a relief because, while I'm not anti-vaccine, I do worry about how much their new little systems are stressed with so many vaccinations at once. It means more trips to the doctor for us, but that's ok. I'm much more comfortable with this schedule than the regular one we followed with Kiddle.

Bigga G is in da house!

Extra Little no more. He's now Bigga Bit. An homage to Kiddle's original (and sometimes current) nickname of Little Bit. One day, when he's an infamous white rapper, he's gonna be so embarrassed when it comes out he's been known as Bigga G since he was a WEE LITTLE BABY.

Not so gangsta now, are you Bigga?

Please, sir, may I have some more?

I have a sneaking suspicion it might be time to move him into his 3-to-6 month wardrobe.

I can't imagine why I think that, though. Hmmm.

Two months old today

Lots of great progress in the last couple of weeks:

• His hair continues to fall out but is also starting to grow back in. No definitive colour direction yet, but I still think he'll be blond. Kiddle's blondness wasn't really apparent until after he hit six months.
• Eyebrows! So weird to notice one day that they were suddenly there.
• Great eye contact. He can hear my voice and then find my face. What a joy to see that big grin as he focuses in. Lots of cooing and chortling too.
• I finally dug out a couple of toys for him (curse of the second child ... oh, you want something to play with? hmmm ... ) and he's really gotten into batting at the duck chime on his playmat. I've been pretty impressed with his aim.
• Still eating and sleeping really well. He consistently does a seven-hour stretch and one night we even got 10 hours out of him.

Now, Kiddle was a good, good baby. Not the best sleeper (I think I was jiggling him to sleep already at this point), but didn't cry a lot, very smiley and happy, a good eater — once we got past our first two months of breastfeeding hell. But this kid? He's just so damn EASY, we're amazed. He's made our transition to a two-kid family really pretty stress-free. I'm almost holding my breath, waiting for something to change.

Keep your fingers crossed for me. I'm trying not to screw him up.

Can it be true?

Are we really moving out of the dreaded newborn stage into real babyhood? I think we're so close I can almost taste it. Extra Little has added hints of cooing and laughing to his smiling, happy periods. He's definitely much more connected to the world around him and responds to voices (mine in particular, of course) and movement. Today he really got a kick out of Mr. P chasing Kiddle around the living room.

I'm sure this emerging personality has had a boost by my dad being here right now. He's been fantastic about hanging out with XL while I shuttle Kiddle around and get things done. He's even changed some diapers (non-poop only!) and attempted a bottle feeding. Extra Little is going to be very spoiled to having an adult doting over him at all times. Unfortunately it's back to life as a second child and lots of time in the Neglect-o-matic once my dad leaves on Friday.

Welcome to the world, little one! It's lovely to see your personality peeking through the squishy newborn facade.

Six Weeks Old Today

Oh, my lovely Extra Little! You've already been around for six whole weeks as of today. What a good, sweet baby you've been so far. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that you still spend most of your time sleeping and that we get good five-or-six-hour stretches of sleep most every night.

Your hair has already started falling out. Right now you and your daddy are competing for the title of Best Receding Hairline. Of course, your hair colour is still a big mystery. Is it going to grow back in blond like your brother? Or will you keep your current dark-brown-with-copper-undertones colour? Only time will tell (but we're all betting on blond).

I'm afraid you'll have to move on to three-to-six month clothes very soon. You're just too damn long for your current wardrobe. Especially since most of it was Kiddle's and has been washed and dried one zillion times.

The biggest change in the last two weeks? Your sweet smile has appeared ... and you're practically laughing (or so we tell ourselves, at least). But no change to your monkey toes. They're as long as ever!

Out here on my own...

We had Extra Little's two-weeks-and-change check-up at the pediatrician today. I could tell he'd filled out quite a bit over the last week or so, but I wasn't sure just how much weight he'd gained. I was simply hoping he'd gotten back to his birth weight of 9 pounds 4 ounces.

No worries. He's grown half an inch already and weighs 9 pounds 10 ounces. That's a big boy, huh? As my neighbor said, "He just doesn't look like a newborn at all. More like he's at least six weeks old." So true.

And on a side note, we went back to the doctor in the afternoon for Kiddle. I thought (or maybe hoped) he just had really bad allergies and that we needed to try him on a different medication. But, alas, no. He has a ear infection and mostly likely a sinus infection. So much for keeping the ugly germs away from Extra Little.

***

I've tried to be good about letting my body heal. Really, I have. But it's so much different this time because life with a 30 pound three-year-old just doesn't stop.

It was my second day on my own with both kids and it just about did me in: preschool to drop off Kiddle, the doctor for Extra Little's check-up, grocery store to replenish our milk and fruit supply, home to feed XL, preschool to pick up Kiddle, home for lunch, a second trip to the doctor for Kiddle, back home so I could change clothes (don't ask), Target (just as a massive downpour was starting, of course) to fill Kiddle's prescription, home to feed XL again, then over to my neighbor's backyard so Kiddle could jump on the trampoline and play with his friends. My house is a total disaster and I'm just too tired to care.

It's true what they say ... my mom doesn't live here. Too bad I'm the mom now and she's back in Oklahoma. This place was much neater when she was around!

Men in Trees

Kiddle and I have an understanding. I let him climb this tree whenever he wants and he promises he won't break his arm until he's four.

Oh yeah. That new kid? He's two weeks old today.