2 months

2 months. Holy crap.

Ok, so I am a little late on this one. Like, over a week late.

I think I can safely say that we "survived" the first month- but we are actually beginning to enjoy parenting now that we hit 2 months. 

As an added bonus: for the first time in almost a year, my body feels "normal" again….minus the leaking boobs. 

Nothing is living in me.

Nothing hurts (even nursing)- FINALLY

No organs are being displaced.

No hormones are taking me over.

Don't get me wrong- I LOVED being pregnant, but I was starting to wonder if I would ever just feel "normal" in my body again. It's hard to describe.

The biggest game changer this month: Eli SMILES and COOS and "TALKS"

Hallelujah.

Enjoy this little snippet…he goes from grumpy to chatty and happy pretty quickly

He reaches out for objects and can grasp them for just a few seconds- meaning I can pretend that he is purposefully shaking his rattle.

He is (super awkwardly, but adorably) finding his thumb.

He loves to stare at us and smiiiiiile in the mornings. 

How in the WORLD did I get a morning child?!

He especially likes to hear "I love you" (who doesn't).

We sing 3 songs EVERY morning. All three are about the days of the week- I'm not sure when this started, but it just kind of did. 

We've discussed our need to diversify- maybe bring in some ABC's or nursery rhymes. 

He does NOT like reading books. 

We have tried to read him this cute little book called "I Love You Stinky Face" 4 times now.

4 times.

Every time he cries before we get to the end.

How will I ever know if she will love his stinky face?!…oh wait.

He also started sleeping a bit longer during the night. He goes 3-4 hours at a time between feedings at night. Oh my what 1 more hour of sleep in a row can do for a person!

He moved to size 2 diapers and out of newborn clothes…I did manage to barely button this shirt on him though…it was too cute to only wear once!

According to his 2 month pediatrician visit:

He is just shy of 14 pounds…unless he just ate, in which case he is 14 even.

He is 24 inches long

So, basically he is just a little bit bigger than average- but just a tiny bit.

EXCEPT

His Head.

Dude-man has a GIANT head.

99th percentile.

A lady at the grocery store (one of those strangers who sticks their head INTO the car seat) told me that he had a "cantaloupe head"

She meant this as a compliment- or at least a I assume she did since she said it with a smile.

It was so awkwardly funny to me that I have taken to calling him "my little cantaloupe head" all the time. 

It's also flat on the back…dang that "back to sleep"

It's also flat on the side. 

He doesn't like to look left, so his neck is weaker on that side.

Yes, I have a Zoolander baby.

We're working on it.

He also has a NASTY bellybutton. 

His bellybutton never quite healed right. 

Like pink, and oozy.

He had to have it cauterized.

Twice.

It's not cute. 

Hopefully this one does the trick, because his onsies are tired of getting oozie crusties on them (I hope you aren't trying to eat)

He also loves to FLY. You'll notice that quite a few of my photos recently have involved him doing this- because sometimes that is the only way to make him happy.

He is also MUCH easier to get to sleep. Rico has pretty much turned it into a science. He has a perfect bounce-tip-toe walk that is hysterical to watch, but magical for getting Eli asleep.

I do NOT have this touch.

Sometimes Rico even has to instruct me.

I DO have boobs. 

Boobs with food.

It is the only "trick" I really have to sooth him- but it is a pretty darn good trick.

It's only not worked once- and that was after he got his vaccinations.

I didn't cry when he got them, but I DID sit out in the hall crouched on the floor while it went down.

When I walked back in to feed him (seriously, it is my ONLY trick) Rico told me it was the "saddest thing he has ever seen"

He's been sleepy and grumpy ever since. 

Max has taken to alerting us if Eli is crying and we don't seem to be responding quickly enough…AND sleeping as close as he can to him.

Made worse by an evil plan that I think babies get together and plot out: he was SOOOOO happy the morning before his shots. 

I mean beyond normal.

Hours of happy.

We were in the waiting room and he was just smiling and cooing and "talking" away.

During a play date last week, my friend told me that her baby did the SAME thing at his appointment. 

"Look mom, aren't I cute and perfect and wonderful? Don't you want to keep anything from ever hurting me or making me sad ever? Can't you see in my eyes how much I love you? You would NEVER let anyone hurt me, right?!"

Let the mom-guilt begin.

Seriously, every time I leave an appointment for him I get overwhelmed with mom guilt.

Here's 10 seconds in my mind as we were walking out:

"I'm not giving him enough tummy time. He's going to have torticollis. I am going to have to hire a physical therapist. I'm going to have to torture him with exercises. he's going to have to wear a helmet.

He's too short. He's going to be so short. What if he can't date girls because they are taller than him. Like Jessi Spannow.

He's too fat. I said I wanted him fat, I love the little rolls he's getting, but he is 63rd percentile- I wouldn't be happy if IIII were 63rd percentile. Oh wait, he's a baby.

I should have made his appointment closer to his birthday. A whole week later?! I mean, he is basically 3 months old already.

He hurts and he doesn't know why. I can't fix it. How can I fix it? Tylenol? But I don't want to. But I may have to. But I don't want to. Doesn't he have enough weird crap in his body right now?!

I should have looked into even more delayed immunization schedules. 

I wonder if the doctor would have even let me. I didn't even ask. 

I should have interviewed pediatricians- that's what a good mom would do.

I'm asking too many questions. I'm forgetting to ask more questions. I know that dude- why are you telling me that? If I didn't know that, I would be an idiot. Should I be writing this down?"

The guilt goes on and on. 

In reality, I know it is all normal. I know every mom questions herself. There are no right answers. That's tough for a girl who wants to ace everything.

Really, really hard.

Rico took my quietness (when all this was buzzing around my head) as me being mad at HIM…nope, just mom-guilt. Crazy, I couldn't explain it if I tried (and if I try I'll cry) mom guilt.