Two Months and Counting

My baby is two months old already! I can't believe it! I took him to the doctor the other day for his checkup and here are the new measurements:

Weight:12.15 lbs. (63rd percentile--up from 6% last appointment)
Length: 23 in. (55th percentile--up from 46%)
Head Circumference: 15 in (13th percentile--up from 5%)

So, my little guy has gained a ton of weight, but still has a fairly small head. I hope his head catches up a little or else he may start to look out of proportion or something. The doctor also noticed that his eyes do not move completely together, but he said not to worry because it will likely correct itself over time. Another new development is that he has developed reflux. Although he is quite happy and content, he has started throwing up a lot after every meal and the doctor had us switch formulas again. I hope this is the last time, because it is very hard to buy formula in advance when we keep switching!

Braxton’s Blessing & First Trip to Idaho

Braxton and I have been in Idaho for the last week and so much has changed. We blessed Braxton on June 14th and had so many of our family come to Orem to share his important day with us—some as far as California. We even had all 4 great-grandmas there. Braxton didn’t like his outfit very much so we still need to put it back on him for some pictures of just him, but he made it through the whole blessing without crying—hallelujah!

The next day Braxton and I drove to Idaho with my mom so we could visit family all week while Brian took his finals and hopefully got some good sleep. We visited lots of family including my Grandpa Foster in the assisted living center and Braxton got to hang out with his adorable cousin Sienna. She was so sweet with him and kept giving him kisses.

When we went to Idaho, Braxton was still very fussy in the evenings and was generally unhappy. But, I seriously have come back to Utah with a new baby. He is so happy and is starting to smile. We hope his digestive problems are behind us—knock on wood! And, most importantly, he is starting to sleep through the night. We are getting between 5 and 7 hour stretches at night, which has made a big difference in our sleep—Yeah!

Newborn Pictures

We just got Braxton's newborn pictures back tonight and I have to share our favorites. Thanks Ashlie for recommending Michele Reyes. She did an awesome job considering he was already 4 weeks old and did not cooperate very well. I actually wondered whether we got any good shots at all he was so fussy!

Say What?

We are doing much better since my last post. We switched formulas and Braxton’s stomach woes seem to be gone. However, because the new formula is easier on his stomach, it digests faster and for a few days we were back to feeding him every 2 hours. So, now we have had to start babywise all over again and get him on schedule—kind of frustrating. But, every day seems to get better.

I have become a picture crazied mom, so I thought I would post some of my favorite poses with what I think he is trying to tell me.

“Mom, stop taking pictures, huh?”

“Um, I have a question”

“Excellent” (in the Mr. Burns way)

“Ahhh, Snore, Snore. Me like my carseat”

“Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake your Booty”

“Say What?

Also, here is my attempt at being artistic with my little old camera. My future little leaguer:

Memorial Day Weekend & Braxton’s First Unscheduled Doctor Visit

Over Memorial Day weekend we went to a little BBQ with our neighbors at the clubhouse on Saturday night and then went to meet my parents in Park City on Monday. We shopped for hours at the outlet mall and Braxton just slept the whole time with a little break for a feeding and diaper change in the middle. He was so good. He loves the car seat/stroller.

It was so fun to see my parents and go to dinner. I wish Brian didn’t have class so we could have stayed with them for a night or two in the condo. Also that weekend Braxton started showing signs of serious discomfort. We thought he was just having a hard time having a bowel movement and it has progressively gotten worse over the week. He has become very fussy—even after eating—and won’t take naps during the day because he is so uncomfortable. Then he cries all evening because he is so tired from missing his morning naps.

Finally on Friday we decided to call the doctor and ended up at the doctor’s office. He had us give him a suppository and he is now having regular bowel movements, but the discomfort and fussiness is getting worse every day. I am reading On Becoming Babywise and yesterday I got to the part that outlines colic and reflux and Braxton is showing all the signs of colic—bummer! I am calling the doctor again tomorrow to talk to him about it because I want to make sure it isn’t something more than colic. He just acts like he is in so much pain. It is heartbreaking! Here are some pictures I took during his few calm moments today:

Oh the Things She Does For Attention!

Tasia has adjusted to Braxton’s presence so much better than we thought she would. For the most part, she doesn’t want much to do with him—especially when he is crying. But, every now and then we will catch her ‘babysitting’ him like this:

As much as we have tried to make sure she still feels loved, she has dropped down the totem pole when it comes to mommy and daddy’s attention. So, she has started climbing to new heights to claim our attention like the top of our closet on my cowboy hat, the top of the mirrored dresser, and the worst—above the cabinets in the kitchen. We noticed the greenery starting to fall down one day and after fixing it only to have it fall down again the next day, we realized that it was her. It makes me so mad because to get up there she has to break the rules by walking on the countertops. But in order to stop her from doing it, we had to catch her (and take a picture first for proof) and then teach her that it is wrong. Here are some pictures:

As for Braxton, he is starting to put on a little weight, but is still probably only 7 lbs something. Here are some new pictures. Oh, and can someone help us figure out how to do ‘tummy time’? He falls asleep every time we put him on his stomach!

First Bath

I know, I know. Technically Braxton's 'first bath' was in the hospital, but I wasn't there to witness it and although we have been doing 'baths' with a washcloth, I don't count those either. This morning we gave Braxton his first official bath in his little bathtub and he was so good! He fussed a little, but didn't cry. I think he is going to love bath time. Here are some pictures:

What I love the most is that 1 hour after bath time he had completely wet himself and the swing. Brian's mom is going to Babies R Us today to get us some 'piddle pads' because washing the swing cover or the bouncer cover every day is getting ridiculous. We now think that the newborn diapers are just not absorbent enough for how much Braxton puts out.

My cousin Amy and her two girls, Annalyce and Erica, came to visit and were there for the first bath. They were so sweet with him. Thanks Amy for coming to visit! Here are some pictures of the girls with Braxton: