GROWTH
- WEIGHT: I'd guess around 11lbs. Doctor visit is later this week so I'll update when we know! He's still really small, Beau was about 15lbs at this time!
- CLOTHING SIZE: 0-3 months
- DIAPER SIZE: size 1
LOVES
- eating
- being held up so he can look around
- watching beau
- having his hands by his face
- being held 100% of the time
- shadows
- his travel sound machine
- the mamaroo
- the rockaroo
- our bouncer with the sheep activity bar (he LOVES!)
- the boppy lounger
- smiling at faces
- kicking in his bouncers
FIRSTS
- smile - 6 weeks
- trip to the store with Beau and mommy - Kroger, 8 weeks old
- slept 8 hours straight from 8pm-4am. I'm hoping he can do that more while I'm asleep and we can officially count it as sleeping through the night!
EATING
- Officially on formula once his allergies showed they were stubborn enough not to quit (TMI - blood in his diaper at 7.5 weeks). Basically it was either I eliminate everything from my diet and start over with the very basic ingredients and build up over several months, or he goes on a hypoallergenic formula. My mind, body, and emotional state couldn't take it any more so we made the best choice for us and he's on Nutramigen. Now, all the formula mamas speak up! It's a foreign world to me and I don't know the best way to travel, feed him, get him to go 4 hours between feeds, how much to give him, etc. etc. It's a definite learning curve. Right now he eats between 2-4 ounces every 2-4 hours. If we're at home he seems to want to eat more but if we are out and about he can easily go 5 hours just snoozing in his car seat with no worries. Also, what bottles should I be using and why? Beau had just ONE bottle the munchkin latch so we now have a few of those. I also picked up some tommee tippee so we have 4 of those, plus one Avent. I can't really tell which ones are best. Also, how many should we have? Help!
SLEEP
- immediately slept 3 and 4 hour stretches in his rock and play the day we put him on formula (he had slept in bed, latched on, the two nights before)
- swaddled in a swaddleme sack with his arms down. I don't think he likes it as much as Beau liked being swaddled but he tolerates it and has his little fingers breaking out by about 5am.
- we got a Hatch Baby Rest from Amazon and I'm really liking it, so that means he is too!
- he naps on and off throughout the day and is usually woken up by Beau screaming (insert eye roll here)
HEALTH
- ENT says to wait on the lip tie situation, it's an in-depth surgery that requires anesthesia so he wants to see him back in 6 months. He says its a minor tie and might not need revising.
- OMT seems a little like a waste at this point (the whole idea was to make it more comfortable for me when nursing and help him be more efficient - all pointless now!)
- his spitting up seemed to increase on days 1-3 on formula but has since died down. He hasn't had a big spit up in a couple of days!
- definitely happier and a different baby on the formula compared to before.
SOCIAL/PLAYING
- He loves being held, still, and likes to look at people's faces and give big smiles. Loves when you talk to him and he will coo back at you.
PARENTING
- Things have definitely changed in this section compared to my post about his first month. I still feel like we have a hangover from all of the craziness with his allergy and nursing issues, but it's so much better now. I feel like the last 9 weeks were an emotional roller coaster and we are still a bit on pins and needles hoping that we've fixed the issue by switching to formula. It was all a mess of emotions; seeing the blood in the diaper, feeling hopeless (and hungry, to be honest!) after eliminating dairy for 6 weeks with no results, standing in the store cluelessly staring at the formula on the shelf, thinking "well, maybe I'll wait...", and then finally giving him that first bottle. I had such an easy time breastfeeding Beau and always assumed I'd do the same with Davis. I felt like with my previous experience, we could get through all of the latching issues and tongue tie and all that but I just couldn't go up against allergies. It's hard to not have control in that situation. I still think that breastfeeding is wonderful and easy and free and the best nutrition for your baby, but formula is coming in pretty dang handy right now. It means my baby can sleep, breathe, doesn't have a constant stomach ache, isn't doing damage to his intestines...and it also means that I can enjoy my baby without the emotional distress I was facing. Now, I'm tasked with the daunting chore of appealing to our insurance company to cover the cost of a hypoallergenic and medically necessary formula. Any tips?
And in case you're thinking he looks like Beau, here's Beau's two month update for comparison.
Here's what we've been up to over the past month:
