14 Weeks

Well, today I am a mom to a 3 1/2 month old! I know I say this every week, but I can't believe it has been 3 1/2 months! It is probably also time to start the back-to-work countdown, as I am over halfway done with my maternity leave. 12 weeks and 6 days left until the fun is over and I return to the workforce. Boo! I know you must wonder how the heck I'm going to manage doing blog updates with pictures if I'm away from him 9+ hours a day and I wonder the same thing. Picture taking and blogging are quite time consuming.

Today we made the dreaded trek into work, so that my coworkers could meet him. It actually went pretty well, and Bennett was his typical charming self. He didn't mind being passed around and even threw out a few coos and smiles. We fielded the usual questions:
- Does he sleep through the night?
     - Yes, usually.
- Is he a good baby?
     - I think so, but I don't really have anyone to compare him to, so...
- What do the dogs think?
     - They don't mind him. Sometimes I find them sleeping in bed next to him when he's sleeping in our bed. The first few weeks he was home from the hospital, they'd check to make sure he was with us when we'd get home from somewhere.
- Was it easy becoming a mommy?
     - Uh. Yes.
A few people commented on how he looks just like Joel and others said he has my face. Also, one person noted his gray eyes, so who really knows what color they are.

We also made a trip in to see the doctor today. In the past few weeks, Bennett has been spitting up more and getting fussy when he eats, so we went in to chat about it. The doctor suggested we put him on another antacid and see how it goes. I also mentioned he gets fussy when he has a lot of gas and when he is pooping. She gave me a sample of probiotic for him to try, so a lot more stuff to give him. This is all stuff he should grow out of, so I guess we just need to give him a bit more time. The doctor was a lady we hadn't seen before, but she was great. We chatted quite a bit about overproduction of milk, and whether he is getting enough hind milk versus foremilk. It's all a guessing game, so she suggested a few things to try and we'll see how it goes. Oh, and it is worth noting that we had to do a naked weight today, and he was only 15#7.1oz.

Today is Uncle Kevin's birthday, so he came over for dinner. Bennett is a huge fan of his uncle and chatted with him a few times. Even when Kevin was sitting behind him, he'd turn his head, so that he could catch Kevin's eye and shoot him a smile. We were even able to convince Kevin to snap a few pictures with Bennett. Actually, we needed photographic evidence that Kevin has in fact held his nephew... this might mark the third time this has happened.

The irony in this photo is their expressions are the exact opposite of how they're feeling.

Like usual, Bennett took some photos to mark his birthday. He was actually super happy to take them. No joke! He was sitting in the Bumbo as I was setting up, and the second he saw the camera he started smiling. I wasn't ready for him but I always feel the need to capture all his smiles and luckily I was able to get a few shots:

I thought I'd make things a little interesting with Bennett's pictures today and used a clicker so that the dogs and I could take part. W.C. Fields once said, “Never work with animals or children.” I'm pretty sure he said this whilst trying to take a self portrait with a baby and two dogs.

Sometimes the outtakes are better than one perfect shot. The girls had fun hijacking his photo shoot and I am glad I got some good shots of the three of them together. Every day feels like Bennett progresses a lot, but at the same time, it feels like not too much is happening. He likes going to baby yoga and loves being massaged. He is still really good about going to bed by himself in the evenings and still talks to his mobile. Every day I notice he tries to chat more and more. He likes to catch our eyes when we aren't paying attention to him, just so he can smile and coo at us. He likes to sleep on his side and is working his way towards sleeping on his stomach. He'll actually get stuck in awkward positions while he is trying to roll onto his stomach, which makes him cry. We're not too sure how we feel about him sleeping on his stomach though, so if we catch him doing it, we'll roll him back onto his back. The most important thing is we have one happy chatty baby!



Isla wanted to take a whiff of his cologne Eau de Spit Up Milk

Seeing this picture was the first time I thought, "Oh my gosh, he looks JUST LIKE JOEL." They look the same when they wear hats! Plus, I've seen pictures of Joel when he was a kid and he had the same gleam in his eyes and little smile.

Sun!

Finally a nice sunny day so that we can take a walk. 

The Girls

People often ask us what the girls think of Bennett. They don't seem to mind him. Isla never knows what is going on so she doesn't pay much attention to him. Luca is a bit more sensitive (and smarter) so she will look for the carseat when we get home, to make sure he's around, and gets concerned when he is crying a lot. 

This morning Bennett and the girls were sleeping in bed so I went downstairs to make myself some coffee. Then Bennett started to wake up and when I got upstairs I saw this:

She wasn't laying there when I left, so I guess she does like him... Or perhaps she likes the warm spot I vacated. 

Here is a picture Joel took yesterday:

So much love!

Weigh In

Ever wonder how much weight Bennett can put on in a week? Well, we went to baby yoga again today and then did the weigh in afterwards. The answer is 4 ounces!

Auntie Sara Comes to Town

This weekend, Bennett finally got to meet his Auntie Sara. Sara came to town for four days and got Bennett a super awesome onesie:

The only things on Sara's agenda were to hold and snuggle Bennett. Mission accomplished! After a fun weekend of eating, going on walks, watching tv, shopping and eating some more, we were able to take a few pictures to remember the weekend:

"How many more pictures?" Bennett wonders.

Auntie Sara!

13 Weeks

Bennett's first week as a three month old boy went well! He's been putting on weight (clearly), is happy, and becoming more aware of the world around him.  This week he discovered he has feet (or maybe he thinks his socks are super cute). 

Bennett and I went to baby yoga a few times this week. He really loves going, or at least seems to enjoy himself. I'm not sure if he likes looking at other people, or if he enjoys the stretching, massaging, and moving around. I am sure it is probably a combination of both, plus I'm sure all the quality time with Mommy doesn't hurt. I am just itching for Joel to get a chance to take him, because we have such a great time together. It is just a joy to see how he reacts to the things we do, what he likes and what he doesn't. He isn't a fan of having his nose beeped like a horn, but LOVES to fly around like an airplane. Bennett is usually really content throughout the whole class, but gets a little tired during the last 5-10 minutes, which falls during his nap time. He is quite a trooper though!

Because of baby yoga, our day gets to be pretty busy. Any time prior to yoga is spent eating, napping or getting ready to leave. Then after yoga I try to squeeze some errands in on the way home. We try to walk the dogs either before or afterwards, and before we know it, Daddy is home. When we do have a free moment, and when Bennett is in the right mood, we manage to get a few rounds of The Little Blue Truck read. (I have the book memorized.) We've been introducing him to a few toys, but he's not too interested. He will look at them, but doesn't make an effort to grab them. If we put them in his hands, he'll hold them for a few seconds, then drop it. He does grab at blankets and his clothing, so maybe those textures just feel better to touch? Either way, it is clear to see he is noticing the world around him. For example, we finally got curtains hung in our bedroom. Every morning, Joel brings him into our room, so that I can feed him in bed. After he finished eating, he looked at the window and saw the curtain hanging there instead. His eyes got huge as he stared at the curtain, then he turned to look at me like, "MOM! THERE IS SOMETHING BLOCKING THE WINDOW! DO YOU SEE THAT?" Then he turned back to look at the curtain some more. It was quite adorable. I find myself explaining things to him quite a bit, since he is so observant, but who knows how much he actually takes in. After we set his nursery up, I showed him around and explained how and why we decorated the way we did. I'm sure somewhere inside, he appreciated the gesture.

Otherwise, he is a pretty happy, mellow baby. When he isn't happy, he doesn't cry, he screeches. He really likes to let you know when he is unhappy... but if he is in a good mood, he will let you know by smiling and chatting a lot. Still loves to eat his hands, and is getting more dependent on the pacifier when he is really sleepy. It is hard not to indulge him, because some times when he naps, I can put him down and walk away without any issues. But the times he wants the pacifier, he wants to suck it and snuggle. I mean, who wouldn't find a good comforting snuggle to be the best way to drift to sleep? Two people this week asked what color his eyes are. I explained that they seem to change daily, some days blue/gray, other days brown. Both people thought they looked blue/gray, so there you go.

Yum!

 

 

 

I have feet!

 

What to do...

It seems I've gotten myself into a little situation here. Now how do I get out of it without disturbing him...

Weight

Today we went to yoga again with Uncle Tony and August. Bennett was pretty happy to be there and loved staring at all the other people. Afterwards they had a lactation consultant there with a scale doing free weigh-ins and answering questions. Guess how much our 12 week old weighs...

Yup. That's right. 15# 7.5oz! No wonder the tendinitis in my wrists is so bad! He wouldn't cooperate with me to take a picture so the lactation consultant had to help out. 

12 Weeks Old

Bennett turned 3 months old today. It is really hard to believe he's only been around for 3 months but also that my maternity leave is half over. I am so grateful I took a long leave, because I could not imagine going back to work already. (Also because our house is still in disarray.)

Our little 3 month old woke up in a horrible mood today. He has been getting up around 5:30 this week, and Daddy has graciously been getting up with him so that I can sleep a bit longer. Even on a grumpy day, he is still pretty smiley for about 30-45 minutes after he eats, but then the fussing begins.  I think his fussiness today had to do with some bad gas. He has learned to pump his legs and do crunches to help work the gas out. I'm not sure he realizes the effect it is having on his GI track, but it has been pretty cool to see how active he is becoming. (However, when he is in his car seat and wants out, he will do a crunch to try to break free of his restraints.) He napped, fussed, and had two huge poops, but by noon he was in a spectacular mood.  So naturally, it was picture taking time.

This is how he often looks: hand to mouth.

Last week I mentioned Bennett found out he had hands that taste good, and this week they are constantly in his mouth. He definitely uses them as a soothing mechanism because when he wakes up in the middle of a nap and wants to go back to sleep, he shoves his hands in his mouth. But that being said, even if he is just sitting in his car seat, his hands are in his mouth. He has been pretty oral since day one, so this really isn't a surprise.

As each day passes, Bennett has more patience for reading and still really loves the book The Little Blue Truck. We read it daily, sometimes a few times through. We also have some books that involve singing, like Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes which he likes as well. It is interesting to see which book's illustrations he takes to, and which don't hold his interest. He still enjoys music. If he is having an extreme crying/screaming spell, I will crank up some music. Half of the the time it will catch his attention and help him relax. This week in yoga, we sang Wheels on the Bus and have been singing it at home also. I bicycle his legs as I sing (because his legs are the wheels, duh) and it makes him squeal with glee.

He still loves foot massages, and all kinds of gentle massagey touches. I can tell he has been gaining weight, because he is HEAVY but I know its hows in his body size too. His hair is filling in! Slowly but surely it is growing! He still loves baths. Every time he goes in the tub, he has a look of fear on his face, but we remind him he loves baths and quickly get his body wet, and then he is happy. We were pretty certain his eyes had turned brown, but this morning as Joel was leaving home, he goes, "Huh. His eyes are blue-gray." I think the lighting can make his eyes appear different colors, so they are whatever color you think they are. Bennett also discovered he has eyebrows this week, or at least muscles in his face. He is constantly raising and lowering his eyebrows, so it makes him seem quite expressive!

Very bored with modeling

Sleeping

You know he's getting some good sleep when the mouth is open. Looks like I'm not going anywhere for a while.