Month Two

10.15.2015


Well that went fast. R is two months old now! Excuse me while I go sob in the corner.

I remember staring at her sleeping in the crib after she was born crying because I didn't want her to get older, but clearly I had no idea what I was talking about because this month was so. much. fun. R used to give us the occasional flash of dimples when she smiled in her sleep, but this month she started smiling for real and I die every time. My baby is the cutest of all babies ever, and you can't convince me that she's not. I know other mothers have said this, but I am actually right!

Okay anyway. This month R started pooping through her diapers like a champ, and I finally understand what people mean when they talk about babies wearing a cute outfit for .098 seconds before a blow-out. Because seriously. We've tried Pampers and Huggies, and neither can hold in the juicy goodness that are R's bowels. She's slowly pooping her way through the family. Over the weekend my brother got a handful of the stuff. Literally. He had a hand full of poop. She's going to love that I'm writing about this on the internet.

She looooves her bath. It's one of our favorite things to plop her in there and let her air it out, which is handy because see: above. 

She takes a pacifier and a bottle really well! We've started feeding her with a bottle once a day, usually at the 6:30 feeding, and she does great. I finally started pumping, and it's not at all as intimidating as I thought it would be, so add that to the List of Things It Was Unnecessary to Stress About. 

R has now taken three trips to Texas (3 hours each way), and she did amazing! Basically as soon as she gets in the car she passes out, and we don't hear a peep from her the whole time. I have no idea what we did to encourage such stress-free travel, but I'm not complaining.

She is sleeping really well, all things considered. There were a few rough nights where Jordan and I almost turned on each other because it was 2 a.m. and she just would not go back to sleep, but otherwise we put her down around 8:30 and she sleeps through until 2:00, sometimes 3! Then she goes back down (after an hour or so) and wakes up around 6:30. Those times vary a bit depending on the night, but in general if I go to sleep around 9/9:30, I can get a solid 5 hours a night! I am exhausted by the end of the day every single day, but it definitely could be worse.
I've been increasingly amazed by how low key my baby is. Considering how high-anxiety I am, she must take after her daddy. This girl can sleep basically anywhere and only cries when something is actually wrong like she's hungry or needs to be changed. Otherwise, she's such a sweet, lovable baby, and I can't get over how blessed we are to have her. Jordan and I still look at each other sometimes and say, "We have a baby." It's kind of crazy.

I honestly didn't think I'd be that mom who's attached to her baby, but when I leave her with my MIL for a few hours sometimes to run errands or get some serious work done at home, I miss R so much! When she got her tw0-month shots, I cried. Like, actual tears. I'm that mom. Whenever someone said they cried when their baby got shots, I was like, "Suck it up! Seriously, people. Get a hold of yourself." I am currently eating my words, and they taste like the salty bitterness of my baby's tears.

This month I've had the realization that this is actually my life now, and as much as I love R, it's bummed me out a bit. I can no longer just jump in the car to go to the store or head out for a run at my leisure. Now it's a whole process of figuring out when she'll need to eat vs. how long my outing is and whether or not Jordan is home and that dang hierarchy of going running over having a stocked fridge so we can eat normal food. Needless to say, I'm still trying to find our new normal, and I really hope it involves running on a regular basis.

And so, month 3 begins. This little bean is the absolute love of my life, and as much as I adore her being little, I am so, so excited to watch her grow and learn! What will her voice sound like? Will her hair really be red like her dad's? What's her first word going to be? We'll see!

shelleystirs said...

I cannot stand the cuteness! I'm so excited for you about the sleep progress!
I hope the blowouts stop soon (have you tried changing the diaper size?)

Jenn @ Optimization Actually said...

LOL! "The salty bitterness of my baby's tears." I'll sum up my reactions to this post in sound effects, because that's what people do when there's babies around: "Awwww" "Ha... ewwwwww" "Bahahaha!" "OMG I NEED ONE!"

Beka @ Sunshine to the Square Inch said...

How have two months gone by? I really feel like you were just e-mailing me saying "I'm pregnant!"

It's neat to see that God gave you an overall relaxed baby. She is cute and I'm glad you are getting some normal rest and getting a better grasp on every day life. I know you still have things to figure out to be your new norm but I'm sure you will get there with time.

Allison said...

She's adorable! And baby shots are the worst. I'm not looking forward to Aiden's 1 year appointment because I hear it's a tough one. Boo. So glad you are enjoying motherhood and if you figure out a good way to balance life with a baby, let me know. Haha.

Amy @ A Desert Girl said...

She is so precious!!! Love the month 2 update. R has been a busy girl!

Miriam said...

What an adorable baby! I love her red hair. Pooping through diapers is something I have never seen (I have lived a sheltered life), it seems impossible to me. Babies are way more powerful than they look!

Ashley Brooks said...

Isn't it funny how motherhood turns out exactly the opposite of what you expected? I thought I'd be the attached parent, but it turns out I'm pretty good about leaving Hadley with whoever wants to hang out with her while I enjoy luxuries like using the bathroom by myself. Someone told me once that you're uniquely built to mother in exactly the way your baby needs, and I kind of believe it. Hadley can be very clingy and slow to warm up to people, so if I was overly attached, she might have trouble socializing when she's older. It's crazy how it all works out!

P.S. People can praise cloth diapers for all the reasons they want (financial, envioronmental, etc.) but the only one that matters, IMO, is that we have only had one blowout in Hadley's 14 months of life. Those things are made of stern stuff!

Erin LFF said...

She's such a little doll! I'm glad she is such a good sleeper and traveler for you guys! :)

Tiffani P said...

Good idea on diaper size! She may be ready to move up a size (check the weight range, they overlap a little but the next size up is always way bigger)!

Tiffani P said...

We used to say "God only gives you what you can handle.... so He gave us an easy baby." LOL - Looks like you were in the same boat. Its a good thing because otherwise I would never have had #2.

The Lady Okie said...

She is in size 1, but they are still too big. But NB are too small! It's not a blowout like they're too big but more leaking out the sides... The diapers are on tight, but she's she squirmy! :) hopefully she'll grow into the diaper size soon!

Anna said...

Yes yes yes too pretty much everything you said. Except that I'm heartless and every time Parker cries at his shots I just tell him it's better than polio.

That really stinks (get it?) about the poop blowouts but I'm guessing it's worth it to talk about handfuls of baby poop, especially when it's not your handful. I guess the bright side is that she's getting to the age where she'll poop less often and then it really well go everywhere. Or so I'm told. Parker still poops multiple times a day.

From here on out is the best of times. Two months and up are so, so fun. Enjoy!

Anna said...

Yes yes yes too pretty much everything you said. Except that I'm heartless and every time Parker cries at his shots I just tell him it's better than polio.

That really stinks (get it?) about the poop blowouts but I'm guessing it's worth it to talk about handfuls of baby poop, especially when it's not your handful. I guess the bright side is that she's getting to the age where she'll poop less often and then it really well go everywhere. Or so I'm told. Parker still poops multiple times a day.

From here on out is the best of times. Two months and up are so, so fun. Enjoy!

Caroline @ In Due Time said...

The cuteness is TOO much! So glad it's getting more fun (and rewarding)! I love her cute little bow!

Jamie said...

have you thought of getting a running stroller so she can come with you? I'm sure it's not so easy a just "take her with you" but if she likes the car maybe she'd be into it. as a not-yet-mom I think the loss of freedom is one of my biggest fears, so I appreciate your honesty about the difficulties of figuring it all out. and despite the poop situation [hilarious] it sounds like you've got a great little girl! I won't tell my sister how much sleep you're getting though ;)

Torrie said...

The only diapers that our daughter doesn't blow out of are Luvs--she blows out of pretty much everything else regularly, and she's blown out of fewer than five Luvs diapers in six months now (which is much better than Huggies, which she blew out of three times IN ONE DAY).

It's worth a shot, anyway :)

Charlotte | The Midnight Blog said...

She's so cute on those pictures! That SMILE! :)

Also: "I am currently eating my words, and they taste like the salty bitterness of my baby's tears."
GREAT WRITING (aka LOL).

Laura Darling said...

She is so cute! That is awesome that she is such a great traveler! You lucked out!

Kristen @ See You In A Porridge said...

ummmm i know i'm not a mother, but if none of the diapers work, try cloth? unless that is completely ridiculous, grossing you out, tell me to shut up totally understand.
but seriously. she is adorable. i love your honesty as usual, and i hope you find your new normal soon!

Leslie Lukens Martin said...

Love reading through this and knowing exactly what you mean in nearly every single sentence. Pretty cool that our littles are so close in age. You're doing a great job, Momma...she looks so sweet & happy!

Erica Ashley said...

She is SO adorable!! LOL at the pooping! Life of a mother :)

Rach said...

Oh man... pooping through diapers... that is serious stuff. It's good your family is all being properly christened. ;)

And I love how much you love her. This whole post is just precious. Clearly is is the most beautiful baby there ever was. And I love that you're still honest about it hitting you sometimes that this is your new reality. No more running about and doing everything on your own schedule. You have to consider her as well. As always, I appreciate that honesty. :)

Sarah @ Sometimes Photojenik said...

Ahhhh this is the best post! "Pooping through her diapers like a champ" and "juicy goodness" just got me! You've got such a cute one on your hands and I just love reading how you're THAT mom (crying with shots and missing her when you're out running errands)... so so heartwarming!

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