Bucket List: CAMPING!

I'd love to make it to the Sierra's Graveyard again.

But I'd be happy with something similar, mom says she has a lead in the New Mexico mountains.

I want to put up a hammock for memories sake.
And play Clue, the original style.

Uh OH!

Today Michael copied me each time I said uh oh in a sing song voice.

I didn't know that 2 month old babies could copy sounds like that.

I think he's learning to smack his lips for nurse time too. I'll try to enhance that.

Kindergarten: Media

Turns out there are some things on YouTube that I cannot add to a playlist.

So I'm going to start collecting links to children's enrichment content here.

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968) Disneyland Book and Record

https://youtu.be/MZoKJqvylqA

Sleep Routine

Putting Evelyn to sleep was always such a mystery to me.

But with Mikey I feel I have a rhythm for it.

We sit and rock in the rocking chair and he starts to drift off. Sometimes I sing, or read something to myself.

Then when he is sleepy I lay him in his bed and wrap him in his blanket and his eyes open and I kiss him and walk away. And he sleeps.

This can easily evolve to rocking in the chair and reading him a bedtime story before tucking him into bed and walking away.

I hope that's how things progress. I love this routine above all the ones I've ever read.

Big Sister Pains

Evie has been so obsessed with her baby brother. I think that she likes her brother, and I think she will grow to love him. But I think there is also a lot of frustration.

She wants to be next to him all the time. While nursing this results in jiggling so a I tell her not to. She wants to hold him, but on her schedule so there is to much jostling there so I tell her not right now. She wants him to be a sister, but he is a brother.

Then there is her rigidness in the face of change. She had to change quickly for a baby. Then Covid19 hit and everything changed more than it should have. So she cried when we rearranged her room. And she will NOT trade beds to have the bunk bed in her room, which I thought was something she would want. I imagine it's just too much change too quickly.

She is also so loud. Her voice is loud, and everything she does is loud. Banging and clanging. So I tell her not to. But she still makes noise, sometimes it looks like it's compulsive, not even thought out.

And she gets bored. and then she has to turn up his swing, pinch his cheeks, poke his soft spot. It's constant monitoring. He better to learn to run as fast as he can.

2 Mo doc visit and vaccines

We took Michael to his 2 month appointment today and had the vaccines.

Michael is so fussy today. I touch his legs on the vaccine site and he screams. He is definitely sore. It's so strange because I don't remember Evie having any change in her fussiness after vaccines. And I didn't write anything about it either. She was just always hard.

But Michael went from being a super chill, happy, quiet all day baby to crying. Alot. I sure hope he goes back to normal soon... We are still only on day one, so it could just be today.

He weighs 18 pounds. Over the 100% percentile. He is 24.4 inches long.
His length and head circumference are 95th to 97th so he is proportionate and there fore healthy.

Evelyn was 13 pounds at her 2 month and I thought she was a big baby. Wow.

SLEEPING:
He will just fall asleep wherever he is if he is tired. So unlike his sister. I am anxious that the vaccines will change this. But they shouldn't.

Planning Evelyn's 5th Brithday

What am I to do? During Covid-19 re-openings I still don't know if it is polite or right thing to do to invite little friends over. In a normal world I'd invite Leona, Evelyn, and Carter. But nothing is normal! and I'm still anxious about Michael getting sick at 3 months old, even just the common cold.

Either way, I'm going to do a Ice Cream Theme party.

So far every year I've had a different theme.

1st: Nature Theme. Went outside to the forested area of the park and spread out a blanket, a home made cake, and let her smash it in the woods. Presents were back at the house in a pile that she needed help to open.

2nd: Rainbow colors Theme. Hung streamers of ribbons from the fan on the ceiling. She loved chasing them and pulling them down. Presents were grouped together in a statement on the table under the ribbons. Wooden rainbow toy was the inspiration.

3rd: Mermaid under the sea theme. Hung fishes from the fan, hung paper ribbons from the doorway so she had to walk through into the undersea room. Sea horse table cloth, and those brilliant plastic place mats that become fun for so many other activities. She got her mermaid tail, dress, and doll this year. I had a live mint plant on the table this year as well to add to the scene. That was subtle but I loved it and she won't remember when she got it, but that mint plant is still in the front yard and she eats the leaves all summer.

4th: Disco rollerderby. Her roller skates inspired this one. Disco ball, mirrors, and skates. Presents all grouped together into a statement.

5th: Ice cream theme. Ice cream bar. Ice cream balloon cone decorations. It's just a matter of figuring out the surprise logistics on something cold that melts..... This will be the last birthday for a few years that revolves around sugary foods. Next year, Michael will be old enough that I just won't have that stuff in the house anymore.

And of course, we will be doing just the family due to our friend Covid19. No big party, no invitees. I plan to still make it memorable and special.


Inspiration Board collected from Pinterest

2 mos old

So cute. 

And such a good sleeper. 

I have just put him down in his crib awake at 9pm at night and he just falls asleep. He fussed maybe twice. 

It was jaw dropping. 

And it wasn't the first time. 

He sleeps 3 to 4 hours at a time at night. 

It's heavenly. 

Cooing at 2 months

 Cooing at 2 months. 

Sleep

I'm so happy to be getting sleep at night.

Incredibly, Michael lets me sleep in 3 hours blocks of time. 

Amazingly, Michael falls asleep when he is tired even if he is not nursing. I can lay him in his crib and he fussed a little then fell asleep. or rock him in my lap and he falls asleep. I think the rocking in my lap is his favorite, facing forward, and me holding his feet. 

So different form Evelyn. 

And, weirdly, he takes up less time as a baby at 2 months than Evie at 4 years. She is STILL more work than a baby. It's just so... frustrating actually. Of course I've speculated as to the level of her hyperactivity. I've learned things like ADD kids are 2 years behind developmentally. I've seen what Robynn goes through. Is it going to continue this way? Michael will be easy and Evie will be all hard? Just in the space of writing this post she has interrupted and poked at him 8 times. Michael, none. 

She still needs to have constant attention, still needs me to play with her to play, does'nt play by herself. Still gets bored with the same things and needs something new. Still escalates everything isn't happy with teh level it is. and recently she is saying she is afraid of this that and the other thing. to get attention? or will this go like Robynn into obsessive fears....

It's strange because I always felt inadequate as a parent with Evelyn. Nothing I did was ever enough. Now with Michael I'm always enough. I hung a colorful blanket and he was happy looking at it for the whole time he was awake, an hour. He is happy to just be held. He doesn't constantly need more...

I suppose what I'm trying to figure out right now is how to proceed going forward. For a while I just thought that raising children was hell. Now I understand that babies can be joyful. 

I am certain that I am not enough for Evelyn. But now I understand that no one ever can be. That will be her burden to bear and I feel sympathetic towards her. It will be harder for her ultimately. I hope her journey is gentle on her. For my part, I will love her. I will help her as much as I reasonably can. But I am not enough. 

My original plan was just enroll her into activities. Put her in gymnastics classes, put her on the swim team, sign her up for the Don Harrington discovery center summer camp. But then Covid19 struck so I've just had to live with her in the house and a baby for 2 months. We are all feeling a little nutty. 

One day I can get her back out into the world. I hope that is going to help her and me. She is so full of the spice for life. 

On the positive side. I love her heart, her adventure spirit. I think she will make friends quickly, and I think she will be able to experience this world at a speed the rest of us would not attempt.  

Buying products

I think I've wasted more money buying baby stuff that was not what I wanted than anything else in life. Maybe the next category would be clothing that I never wear in the end.

But honestly, mom's have to create a registry for an event that we've never experienced before and hope that we got it all right. Try to anticipate all the choices we will make and the personality of the baby and we will react to whatever un-imaginable event will happen...

If I were going to have a 3rd baby, I think I would contact companies and get more samples of things. There differences between baby wipes alone. and Diapers are not all created equal.

I've tried Pampers unscented, Parent's Choice, and 7th generation, and Mama Bear amazon brand. Pampers was superior, but Mama Bear was the most economical. 7th Gen leaked.

And the wipes, I'd say Honest is the best. But I use Parent's Choice for the economics. once again, 7th gen is ok, but not my pick.

As for the other stuff: I've created a list on Amazon of some of my picks. I dunno if I will still have it 25 years from now when my kids need advice, or I'm buying gifts for them.

Parker Baby linen blankets: these blankets are larger than the usual ones I find. And the linen is the best material. I never learnt how to do a proper swaddle, but these are big enough to work for my modified version. and just the right temperature.

Stroller: I had a Britax B-Ready. I loved it's large wheels for all terrain. But I wonder if there are other strollers with more features....

Carseat: I went with the convertible which was larger enough to grow with my 99.9% children. I was always jealous of the detachable carseats in which the newborns could continue to sleep... but my babies just would not fit in them for very long.

Pack N Play Graco: A cheaper crib is a must in case you don't use it. A portable crib is a most in case you need to move it to another room. I made the mistake of getting the travel lite which is a smaller version and of course, Michael was so big so fast.

Cloth Diapers: Not the ones with snaps. Just the flat ones. These things can be laid down as burp cloths, as a liner for changing tables, used to wipe up any mess. Just... useful.

Diaper Clutch: A small portable clutch that can be thrown into any bag. A whole diaper bag is not versatile. A clutch goes anywhere.

Splat mat:

Original boppy pillow:

Moby bath spout cover by skip hop:

Also buying from trustworthy brands really makes a HUGE difference. Carter's, Ikea, Melissa and Doug, Skip Hop,

Predictions

He will take one long 2 to 3 hour nap shortly after lunchtime. He will keep this nap for the longest of all the phases.

He will wake only twice per night. 2am, and 5am. The 5am waking will be the last to ween off of breastfeeding. He will be easy to ween at 2 years old.

He will get tired playing with Evelyn and he will come to me and sit in my lap when he is fussy from being tired.

Evelyn will continue to require more time and effort than Michael throughout their stages.

Michael will enjoy the Waldorf capes and natural toys.

Kindergarten: Study examples, letters, numbers, science

Letter study examples. These are examples only, similar activities were done for all letters. 

Geography: map of the United States puzzle:

Crafting with science:

Number studies up to number 15:

Sleep Strategy

I have trauma from when Evie quit sleeping as a baby. On Jan 1st 2016 she was 5 months old and the next night after the fireworks she started waking and wailing every single hour. I couldn't sleep around it and I'm still PTSD about it.

Here Michael is at 7 weeks old and I'm already borrowing from the future, waiting for him to do the same thing as Evie. Any day I could be screwed for sleep.

Last night he fell asleep at 9pm, woke at 10pm and I panicked. He had napped poorly all day. But then he slept till 2am. Then 5am. My breasts were engorged with milk and I had to pump. Then up for the day at 6am.

I'm going to save the breast milk and freeze it. That way instead of panicking when he wakes up after an hour I can rest assured that I can have RJ take a 3 or 4 hour shift from 9pm to 1am on a night of our choosing. I'll won't have to be as crazy thinking if I have this as a backup plan.

I've yet to see if it will work.

I know that Michael will take the bottle. Last week we used formula and a bottle for the 3 hours I was gone to the postpartum doctors appointment from 9am to noon. And it didn't cause any nipple confusion that one time. So I'm willing to bet it won't cause confusion if we do it here and there at nighttime so I can get some sleep.

Singing Alphabets

 Singing Alphabets

MEDICAL Growth Chart: Michael

Michael is a huge baby. Little Chunk


At his 2 week pediatric checkup he weighed 11 pounds. Alicia, our nurse practitioner, said, "wow, 11 lbs!"

May 1st weighed 11 pounds
June 3rd weighed 16 pounds on the home scale.
June 5th weighed 17 pounds - exactly 7 weeks old. 99.8%.

June 12th weighed 17.5 pounds
June 19th weighed 18 pounds

July 24th weighed 22 pounds

Aug 17th weighed 24.7 pounds 

I used the infantchart.com website and entered his numbers at 6 months of age. If he stays at 99.9% then he will weigh 24.11 pounds at 6 months. His growth should slow down significantly at some point soon.

I'm not sure if I should worry. Is he getting too big too fast? I've scoured the internet message boards and I found 2 posters who said they had 20 pound 2 month old babies. But there were no other concerns there other than my back and arms hurt from carrying and my baby is going to need a new car seat that's expensive.

He sure looks healthy and proportionate. At least when RJ holds him he appears to be a baby. He looks much bigger when I hold him.

He really slowed down growing at the end there.