Two Months

Our Little Dude turned two months old this Tuesday and we're amazed at the changes we've noticed in him lately.

* Physically, he has grown quite a bit, as we expected. He is well on his way to becoming a Hawkeye Linebacker. Here are the current stats:

Weight: 12 lbs. 12 oz. (75th %)

Height: 23.75 in. (75th %)

* Justin is quite the eater. He is eating 3-4 ounces every 2-3 hours during the day. We had issues with a forceful letdown that made breastfeeding very frustrating for both Justin and I. I read over and over how breastfeeding was supposed to be a major bonding time between mom and baby, and had this idea that breastfeeding would make me more of a mom. After trying a few things to ease the letdown, and many sessions ended in tears or Baby Daddy intervening, we decided to try bottlefeeding. Justin no longer cries during feedings, and this has enabled Mitchell to feed him as well. Justin still gets breastmilk, which is important to me, and gets some formula as well since I am unable to pump as much as I would need to at work to keep up with his appetite. Our family has been happier since the switch, though our pockets are a little lighter.

* Within the past week, Justin has begun sleeping 6 hours at night. I had no idea I would ever be so excited to see 5:00 on the clock as I was the morning I realized the last time I looked at the clock was at 11:00.

* Justin is now starting to wear his 3-6 month clothes. I am looking forward to bringing them all out this weekend. He is also moving into size 2 diapers.

* He has the most handsome smile, and will coo when you coo back at him. He loves to lay on his Baby Einstein Playmat and stare at himself in the mirror. He loves to just 'kick it out' and flail his limbs lying on his back. He has also begun to notice the lights and toys on his bouncy and mobile.

* Justin likes bathtime. Actually, he has only cried during one bath since he was born. This is really the only time he tries to pee on us.

* He has a bit of colic some nights due to gas and stomach cramping. It is horrible to hear him cry when there isn't much we can do to help him. Justin's pediatrician has said that the formula we give him is what they recommend for gassiness, and I have tried cutting out irritating foods from my diet, but it hasn't seemed to help much. Unfortunately, his doctor attributes it to an immature digestive system that he just needs to grow out of.

* Justin still looks like his Daddy, as everyone reminds us of. Fortunately, I happen to find them to be both very handsome - I am a lucky girl :)

* He is almost finished with his first two weeks at daycare. I still hate to leave him in the mornings.

* Justin has watched every Hawkeye game this season.

Happy two month birthday Justin! We're looking forward to our third month with you and have some wonderful things planned - your baptism and Halloween (with an adorable little costume) among others. Thank you for bringing so much joy into our lives :)

8 Weeks

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, a faux-hawk. That was all BabyDaddy (I think he is living vicariously through Justin, who may have more hair than him).

Justin is eight weeks old and due for his first round of big bad shots on Thursday. He hasn't been to his pediatrician since his two-week appointment, and we're very interested to see how he has grown. We can tell that he has gotten bigger (hence the name Chubbers and constant reference to his chins), but do not know by how much. We will see on Thursday if Izzers regains her position as the smallest Hunt, weighing in at a substantial 12 pounds, 3 ounces.

Justin visited Grandma and Grandpa H's for the first time today and I hear he did well (I was bridal dress shopping for a lovely friend). He loved his bouncy chair and even batted at the toys on the bar. I wanted to see, so we tried with our bouncy chair at home, and sure enough he actually looked at the toy and swung up his hand like he knew entirely what he was doing. I don't want to start bragging, but, come'on - he's a genius :) (Okay, I may be a little ahead of myself here).

We'll have a bigger update after his appointment.

The LumberDude and the Big D

Justin is eight weeks old tomorrow and checking out more of the world everyday. We spend lots of our time doing this:

. . . and lots of time doing this:

(Note to self: Get different pillows already)

This week was a big week in our house as I returned to work (boooooooo) and The LumberDude has been going to the Big D - Daycare. Let's get this out there - I hated the idea of daycare. If I could, I would stay home with him, at least for a year or two. I don't like the idea of not being with him for long periods of time, or possibly missing his first rollover, or his first crawl. I cried on the way to daycare Monday, while there, and the entire way to work. I called to check in once, and sped home after work to find him sleeping in his swing, with a full tummy and fresh diaper, taken care of. Each day we get a note detailing his day and each day, for me, gets a little easier, though I do miss the LittleDude like crazy while at work. He, on the otherhand, seems perfectly happy and spends his days with lots of people ready to change, burp, or feed him, or put him down for a nap. Oh, what a life . . .

Gameday at the Hunt House

. . . looks a little something like this:

The Story of the Chai Latte

So, I love chai lattes and I have had very little of them in the past 11 months due to the caffeine in them. Monday morning, I had to run a few errands with the Little Dude and found myself close to a Panera, which in my opinion makes the most wonderful chai lattes. As it was morning, and thus the caffeine wouldn't affect Justin in the middle of the night, I decided to get one. Of course, when I got it, it was too hot to drink. Then, half way to the last stop, Little Dude wakes up and starts screaming in his carseat (NOTE: this is the first time he has made a peep in his carseat while in the car - it usually puts him to sleep). When I got to the last stop - the vet to pick up Izzers' heartworm prevention medicine - Little Dude had calmed down. As it was an in/out stop, I grabbed the carseat and took him inside. Inside, he promptly started wailing again. So I pay for the Sentinel, take Little Dude outside, grab the pacifier and Little Dude is calm. I quickly checked that he wasn't too hot or in pain, and we headed for home. The chai latte was still too hot to drink, and I made it about two blocks before Little Dude was screaming (often he just needs to work out some gas that is uncomfortable for him and he is pretty vocal about it), and he cried the whole way home. Though it was less than 10 minutes, it felt like an eternity.

As soon as we got home, I took Little Dude out of the car, leaving everything else, sans Diaper bag. I brought him inside, fed him, changed his diaper, and put him in his swing long enough to take Izzers outside to relieve herself, grab the stuff in the car (including the chai latte), and brought everything inside. By then Little Dude was unhappy again, so I picked him up, rocked him and walked with him. I figured out that he was still hungry so I fed him again. After he finished, I burped him and he fell asleep in my arms (awwwwww!). After a few minutes, I figured it was safe to put him down to sleep, and he fell asleep easily. I quickly went to the kitchen and unpacked the groceries. I finally grabbed the chai latte, took a drink, and it was hardly luke warm. Down the drain it went. Boooooo.

The Many Faces of Justin

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a smile!! Justin has started 'cooing' and last night we got our first smile. Well, technically Baby Daddy was the recipient, but I got one just minutes later so I don't feel too bad. Here are a few other expressions we've seen in the past day:

NU-uh!

OMG - That is the funniest thing I have heard so far.

Alright Mom, I'm getting bored . . .

Just Plain Handsome

6 weeks later . . .

I know I sound like a broken record, but time is flying by. Granted, the late night/early morning hours when Justin (aka fussy britches) decides he wants to be WIDE awake seem long, but otherwise it's hard to believe he has been with us for six weeks already. Let's do a mini-update, shall we?

* To start with, we have a little Chubbers on our hands. Justin had a mini stomach virus this weekend and visited the doctor. He was weighed and came in at 10 lbs. 13 oz. Yes, that means from the time he left the hospital, he has put on four pounds in five weeks!! See pic for evidence. . . (the virus did not seem to bother Justin too much and is doing very well now)

* Justin has definitely had his fussy days lately, which means that we have been creative in finding ways to calm him down. My favorite: Bouncy seat + noise of a hairdryer + Izzers (she comes running when Justin squawks) = calm baby, at least for a few minutes.

* Justin seems to be instantly calmed by his Grandmas - they have the touch, let me tell you. They are free to take night shifts whenever ;)

* Justin has become quite squirmy. One second he's laying on my chest, the next his head is over my shoulder, or he has scooted down out of a hold. I think he's going to be quite the mover.

* Justin typically gives us two 3-4 hour stretches of sleep a night, waking up to eat once and easily going back to sleep.

Here he is, turning away from the ugly Hawkeye game last weekend.

I know, Little Dude, I know . . .

I went to my postpartum checkup today and everything looks good. I have been cleared to return to work (sad sad sad face). I just have a lot of baby fat to lose (umm . . . I thought breastfeeding was supposed to just melt those pounds away . . . no? not in my case anyway).