Two Month Check In (+ Baby Favorites)

Our little boy is two months old!

Time is flying by and so many of the precious reflexes and characteristics that marked the newborn stage of his life – the adorable chin quiver, the splaying of his tiny hands whenever he was startled – have already come and gone. During the second month of Chase’s life, he “woke up” and gone are days filled with simply sleeping and eating. Our days are now filled with a very alert and awake little man!

Like his mom and dad, Chase seems to love mornings most. It’s rare that he doesn’t wake up happy and in the mood to play. Almost all of our days begin between 5 and 6:30 a.m. when I unswaddle him, bring him into our bed and pull him close to me as he stretches for a solid five minutes, arching his back, clenching his fists and raising his arms above his head as he wakes up. He then starts in with kicking, cooing and staring at the ceiling fan in our bedroom. He smiles away and it’s easily my favorite time of the day with him. I truly find myself wishing I could stop time as I watch him wiggle and kick and give him kisses on his chubby cheeks and soft baby belly.

Sleep around here is still unpredictable and constantly changing. If we get a four hour stretch of sleep at night it feels like a small victory, although last night Chase slept for FIVE hours in a row for the first time and I found myself staring at him at 2 a.m. just waiting for the inevitable need to feed to kick in! (Um, go back to sleep, Mama!) I’m hoping more five hour stretches are in our future.

(Can we talk about how babies smile in their sleep? My heart might explode.)

I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on what Chase needs now and can usually make him stop crying, but getting him to fall asleep when I know he’s tired at night is a whole other beast. When his tiny lips start to turn down in a frown, Ryan and I often cannot help but laugh before the meltdown begins because his furrowed brow and scowls are so dramatic and expressive.

(My heart melts.)

As far as how Ryan and I are handling the sleep deprivation that inevitably comes along with a little one, I’d say we’re doing pretty well… Until we’re not. It’s almost like we’ll be plowing through life, feeling good and energetic for five days in a row or so and then we both feel like we’ve been hit by a truck and hoping for a 7 p.m. bedtime.

Swaddling is key for relaxing Chase and getting him into the sleep zone. We save our swaddles for nighttime (we’re using the Ollie Swaddle and Halo SleepSack) and will simply swaddle him in a lightweight blanket during the day. He’s still sleeping in the bassinet beside our bed at night and his daytime naps usually take place downstairs in his Rock ‘n’ Play. Thankfully Chase is pretty good about taking decent naps during the day. Nap time is “go time” in our house and while Chase naps, I do my best to quickly eat, throw in a load of laundry (or complete another random household chore), maybe sneak in a short workout and work from the computer. I scramble to type up the next day’s blog post, respond to emails, etc. It takes me about 5,000 times longer to write a single blog post these days since I’m often interrupted by my favorite little dude and feel like my brain is operating at half-speed.

A little after Chase turned four weeks old, we introduced pacifiers and bottles (we waited for a while based on the advice from our pediatrician since Chase had an issue with his frenulum in the beginning) and oh my gosh, pacifiers are a lifesaver. I’m convinced Chase was using my boob as a pacifier for a few weeks there, so having something else available for him to suck on when he needs soothing has been very helpful.

Chase has a few favorite things that engage him and make him smile his gummy little smile these days. Ceiling fans and lights are just about the best thing ever to him and we’ve taken to calling our salt lamp “The Claw” after the vending machine toy grabber in Toy Story that seems to entrance the little alien toys whenever it starts moving. Chase is mesmerized by it!

As far as toys are concerned, we have an Infantino turtle hanging from the handle of his car seat and he loves looking at it move whenever we drive anywhere or put him in his stroller. (I’m convinced that the colorful little turtle has prevented a meltdown or two based on distraction alone!) He also loves spending time on his activity mat and is seriously determined to look around and move a lot whenever we flip him onto his belly for tummy time. (My mom bought Chase two high-contrast books that we’ll put on either side of him during tummy time and it’s fun to watch him stare at the shapes and pictures.) Everyone who meets him comments on how wiggly and active he is and he definitely keeps us on our toes! I have a feeling I’ll be running all over the place after this little man once he has the ability to crawl and walk.

If there’s one thing Chase loves more than bouncing up and down with us and looking at lights and fans, it’s being outside. We spend a good amount of time outside every day, whether it’s swinging on the swing in our backyard, hanging out on the large water-resistant blanket at the park or walking around the neighborhood with Sadie. Chase loves looking at everything outside and something about the outdoors seems to simultaneously calm and excite him.

Chase is also one noisy little dude and whether he’s awake or asleep, he always seems to be grunting, squealing and cooing. His happy squeals are my favorite!

Sadie seems to have come to the realization that Chase isn’t going anywhere and is slowly embracing him a little more each day. I feel guilty for the lack of attention she gets when Chase needs cuddling during the day, but she seems okay hanging out next to us on the couch for the most part. Any playtime we spend on the floor is a little more difficult for Sadie to handle since floor time used to be playtime for her, but she’s learning! Chase also seems to enjoy watching Sadie and surprised all of us when he didn’t seem to mind her licking his face non-stop!

I think that catches us up on how things have been going around here over the past two months. I love my sweet boy so much and am having the best time being his mom. Watching him grow and change every day is so incredible and joyful for me, even when I am looking at Chase through eyes that are burning from sleepless nights.

I love you, Chase. You are my sunshine.

***

Two Month Baby Favorites

I’ve had a few expectant moms and new moms ask me to share some of our “must have” baby-related items and I tried to link to most above, but since some were inevitably left out, you will find a more complete list below. (Please see my Newborn Baby Favorites post for more details and favorites!)

Play

• Infantino Turtle Toy
• Infantino Spiral Activity Toy
• Tuffo Water-Resistant Outdoor Blanket
• Activity Mat
• High Contrast Books
• Baby K’Tan

Sleep

• Bassinet (we use this co-sleeper as a bassinet)
• Rock ‘n’ Play (used during naptime)
• Aden + Anis swaddle blankets (they get softer with each wash!)
• Ollie Swaddle (expensive so we only have one, but our newborn photographer recommended it and it’s my new favorite swaddle!)
• Halo SleepSack
• Salt Lamp
• Cloud B Bubbly Bunny (great for white noise)