2 Month Update - Baby Vegas!

At his two-month checkup last Friday, Baby Vegas was 12 lbs 7oz.  I knew he had filled out quite a bit since his one month visit, so that wasn't much of a surprise.  He hasn't increased at all in length, still at 23 inches and holding - so that weight is all baby fat!

Vegas at his 2 Month Checkup!  Pre-shots which made him angry!
 

1-2 months is so different than "newborn"... he is finally more interesting and interactive.  Call me a terrible mom (try it and watch me laugh), but newborns are fairly boring.  They lay there and sleep (or worse, lay there and DON'T sleep) and eat and poop.  They show little appreciation for the effort you are making to keep them happy and alive.  But by 2 months old... they start to show you the love.  The first smiles just melted my icy cold and sleep deprived little heart.

Daddy snuggles before bed.  That is a canvas of our awesome maternity photo in the background!

Baby Vegas is a serious looking little guy.  Most of his pictures have him staring at you intently with his great big eyes.  I love it.  He saves up all his gummy grins for Mommy and Daddy.  Although now at the end of his 2nd month, he is starting to be a little more of a ham for the camera.

Hanging with my Uncle B

So serious.

He is still eating like a champ - 4 oz every three hours or so.   Just last night we were talking about upping it to see if he would eat more.  He always finishes every drop of formula and doesn't fuss for more, but he needs to eat so often we wonder if he might be not quite full at the end. 

He still sleeps pretty poorly, especially during the day.  He rarely settles down for a long nap unless we've tuckered him out with a bath or we're out running around. He sleeps best very tightly swaddled, and he needs absolute quiet to stay asleep or he'll be up in no time at all.  Right now he is napping but my typing keeps waking him up!  This makes it really hard at night with Daddy snoring or Mommy tossing and turning, so we're all very ready to transition into the nursery instead of the bassinet.  Except emotionally, I guess, because when Mommy mentioned that maybe Vegas would do better sleeping down the hall, Daddy vetoed the idea because he thinks he is still too little.  Awww...

Right now he does a last feed before we all settle down for bed around 10, then he usually wakes up hungry again around 2-3, and is up for the day at 7.  Every third day or so he'll sleep solidly from 10-6 or 7, but I have no idea why or how to make it happen again.  Hahaha!

3 loves of my life.  Hubs is such a fantastic Daddy.

Baby Vegas is a champ with errands though.  He barely makes a peep and usually sleeps the entire time.  I have changed my grocery shopping over to Target now because I use the Cartwheel app to save a ton of money, and because they have the handy baby carriers attached to their shopping carts.  He is still pretty slouchy in them, but with receiving blankets tucked all around him he is very comfy and safer than if I put our own carrier on top of a cart.  I tried wearing him in a wrap or carrier a couple times while shopping, but he is still so little that when I need to bend over to pick up big bags of dog food or something on a low shelf I feel like his head doesn't have enough support.  Whether that is true or just my paranoid mom-brain I can't tell ya, but for now it isn't my favorite way to shop.

I still love my baby carriers - my Moby and my new Ergo are my favorite baby "toys"... they settle him down easily and are great for walking out to the bus stop and waiting for Little Man.  As for Vegas, his favorite "toys" right now are his play gym, swing, and his Boppy pillow (not to be confused with a boppy nursing pillow, this one is more of a baby lounger).  I am not really a fan of bathtime right now because I can't find a way to be comfortable while I bathe him in his tub chair, and he is very slippery for "on-the-counter in the sink" bathing.  I am looking forward to him being a little more stable with his head so baths are easier.

Shopping for groceries with Momma!

I really want to start taking pictures with a camera instead of my phone.  As much as I love having the convenience of a "camera" at my fingertips, I love a good quality photo and these just don't cut it.  On the other hand, I love having the ability to just capture a quick moment in my day with the kids and not having to work too hard to do it. 

And now we're off to run our errands - meal planning is going well and this month's goal is to buy no meat at all and use up some of our frozen stockpile.  We will hopefully save a bit of money that can then go towards Christmas shopping!   Don't forget that once Halloween is over, the crazy holiday busy-ness begins...

2 Months old - what a difference a month makes!

 

My Little Hero

Little Man has been in school now for a month - and it has been pretty much the best thing ever.  I spend lots of quality time with Baby Vegas during the day, and Little Man is loving school.  I think.  He comes home every day exhausted but calm - and eager to get back in front of his tv with an afternoon snack.  But no tears or tantrums at school or on the bus, so that counts as a win in my book!

His Parent/Teacher conference was this Monday, and his teacher had nothing but positive things to say about his transition into school.  He loves books and has a couple favorite reading spots in the room where he goes to stim and "read" with them - similar to what he does at home.  His therapists say that when he grabs a book it usually means he is done with sitting still and needs to unwind from the lesson.  He is getting better with doing tasks (putting blocks in a container, taking them out) for longer bursts of time too.  There is a smartboard in his class that he really likes, so they are thinking that they want to work with him on the iPad as his communication tool in the classroom. 

His private therapy lessons have continued at home too - he gets PT and OT once a week before school.  It makes Wednesday and Thursday mornings very intense for me, because I am trying to juggle getting the therapist anything she needs, taking care of Vegas, and getting Little Man's school bag ready.  Sometimes I have to drag Little Man out of bed if he's been up all morning and fallen back to sleep.  Or I have to rush him into a quick shower if he peed through his diaper or (ughhh) took it off during the night.  Then later I usually have to remind the therapist that we need to book it out of the door for him to catch the bus.  Today was the first day we were nearly late - as we walked out the door with the therapist to our "bus stop" (the end of the driveway) I saw the bus making its way down our road.  Despite the hectic mornings though I think his private therapy is too valuable for him to stop, and with him not getting home until 4:30 in the afternoon it has to be mornings.

Getting ready to leave for school!  Shoes off for the car ride (this was pre-bus)

 

His private OT and PT are using the mornings to work on basic tasks like getting into his car-seat on his own, walking up and down the hill and bus stairs, or dressing and feeding himself breakfast.  OT is also pushing to start a therapeutic listening program because the noise getting on the bus is still very overwhelming to him.  At $900 to start that though, we aren't sure when or if that will happen.  Not to mention the very basic problem that with his sensory issues Little Man refuses to wear headphones unless you are holding onto both of his hands.  That would make for a painful 30 minutes for Momma.

Hubs and Little Man walking home from the "bus stop"
 



If I am being totally honest though, my favorite part of Little Man starting school is seeing him mature into a "big boy".  I thought that would be the hardest part for me, with his special needs he has always been my baby, even as I watched him mature physically.  But now every morning instead of staying in his special jammies, I get to pick out a "big kid" outfit.  He takes his Ninja Turtle backpack to the end of the driveway where he waits like a big kid for the bus.  And then he climbs the stairs holding the rails and his para's hand, and walks confidently onto the bus - he doesn't even look back anymore. 

Alright.  It might be my favorite part, but writing that made me tear up a little.  My baby is in there somewhere you know...

Coffee, Cuddles, and a Rant about a Bus

Today is the first day in three weeks that I haven't had to rush around the house, stuff the newborn into his carseat after a hurried bottle, and drag a reluctant kindergartner into the car and off to school.  We finally got transportation worked out and he's taking the school bus like a big boy, which makes Mommy a little misty-eyed.

Of course, nothing ever works out perfectly for Little Man.  Some administrator didn't check off the box on his transportation forms that says he qualifies for a pickup at his front door - so instead we had to walk ten minutes (the kid walks slow) down the road to a "bus stop" in our neighborhood.  Where he is the only one being picked up.  Did I mention the bus passes our house on the way to this bus stop?  And as I'm walking away from the bus stop with my infant in the stroller, the bus whizzes away past our house a full five minutes (I walk faster without the kid) before I drag our sorry butts back there?

Oy.  Hopefully everything works out in the next couple of days.  His afternoon bus driver called and said she realized the stupidity of the bus stop situation and would be dropping him off at our driveway.  But that he wouldn't be dropped off til 4:45, even though school ends at 3:30.  Whaaaaat?!?!   School is 15 minutes from my house if I drive slowly.  That seems insane to me.  I gather that getting 6 or 7 special needs kids onto a bus and off a bus is a feat - but wow.  Hopefully he will be able to make it through such a long day (8:35 - 4:45) without melting down either at school or at home.  We shall see.  Worst case scenario is that I might end up picking him up at the end of the day to prevent the crazy long ride.

But for now, I am enjoying a pumpkin spice coffee and cuddles with my littlest.  I am going to enjoy the less stressful mornings and extra time alone with him while Little Man gets his learning on.