The Third Month

When you have a baby, everyone tells you that three months is the magical age when it stops being so hard.  They cry less, smile more, sleep better and seem to recognize you as someone who they know and not just a person who keeps them fed, clothed and in dry diapers.  

And you know what?  I think they are all right!  The third month was a great one, and the boys really are making things easier for us.  They are pretty much awesome sleepers right now.  Last night, they slept for almost 8 hours straight!! {although, technically, this is in Month 4, but whatevs.}

They are happy babies, smiling more and more, watching Mark and me and looking at us with a real recognition.  They are doing great at school, and coming home in good moods.  Plus, they stay busy while they are there so we have great late-afternoon naps, and then some super sleep at night!  Everyone feels rested and happy!

{Henry}

The happiest little guy.  Henry is still as snuggly as ever and loves to smile at Mom and Dad.  He also loves him some ceiling fan, which he is looking at in the above photo.

Still has his serious moments too.

Chubs.  A good friend of mine {Hi LJS!} emailed me this week and said, “Henry looks even more like Mark, which I didn’t even think was possible.” Which is THE TRUTH.  He is his daddy through and through {but luckily scored his mama’s eyes}

He’s our Giggle Bear.

{Parker}

These days, Parker is either super tired and a little on the grumpy side, or wide awake and HAPPY.  His days of crying and screaming for hours are long gone {whew!} and he is so much fun.  Plus, his baby blues will slay you.  He’s gonna be hard to say no to, this little guy.

In the above photo, he wasn’t really feeling up to a photo shoot.  So we tried again later and got some good Parker grins. {below}

You mean Henry’s asleep and I get all your attention? 

He’s still a little Wiggle Worm, as evidenced by his constantly kicking feet.  This kid stays skinny {compared to brother} because he is always moving and grooving!

It’s not a ceiling fan that is capturing his attention, but the other Favorite Pastime in the house these days: the skylight. 

This was last weekend, after a trip out in the cold to Sam’s.  Henry’s head is too big for almost all our hats, but Parker can still squeeze into some of the little ones we have.  It was Superbowl Sunday, so footballs seemed good!

We are already well into Month Four by now, and just experienced a new first - our first Snow Day!  School was canceled for these guys today, so Dad got to stay home and hang out with them all day.  Mom’s school was NOT canceled {grr.}

Two Months!

Time is flying and almost an entire month has gone by since my last post!  I guess two major holidays in there will do that to you… We had two very festive and fun First Christmases with the boys {one with each side of the family}, but right when we got back home from our travels, we hit the two month park for Henry and Parker.  Wow!  That is like sixty days with these guys in our lives.

 That’s almost a smile!

Too-cool-for-school Parker is doing a fly-by.

Month two was a great month and these two little bears did some good growing.  Not just getting bigger (which hello, they did) but also getting a little more used to us and life in the world. (And we are getting more used to having them in our world!)  I feel like Mark and I are figuring these boys out, learning how to keep them happy and in the process, keep ourselves from going crazy!

Parker Bear.  You have made such a turn during Month Two!  I never got around to blogging about it, but Parker came home from the hospital and immediately decided to scream and cry all the time.  If he wasn’t eating or sleeping, the kid was crying.  Or screaming.  Which stressed Mom and Dad out a lot.  But we learned how to keep you happy, and learned that when we freaked out and got frustrated with you, it only made it worse.  Many an evening were spent dancing around with you while we tried to swaddle/sush/swing/soothe/sing/whatever the “Five S’s” are to try and get you to calm down.  And eventually it would work, but not without some near tears on our part.  This month, we’ve learned to let you calm down yourself and not overwhelm you too much.  Mom figured out that you love listening to music (just like her!) so if I turn on my iPhone and let you listen in, you often will calm down, stop crying completely, and listen.  This especially works with Taylor Swift.  In the past week, you’ve turned a corner and are awake more and more, without being mad!  It is so fun to have you get to be up and hang out with us, while you are alert and happy.  You still LOVE your swing though, and sleep there all. the. time.  Maybe next month we will work on breaking that habit.  Or maybe not.  And we still love a good swaddle and some swaying with the white noise machine running to help calm you down when necessary.  Thank you, Happiest Baby on the Block.

Henry.  Oh Henry.  We started calling you "The Hulk” when you were still in the NICU, because you would go from zero to ANGRY in seconds.  One minute you are totally content and calm, and then you remember that you are HUNGRY and you FREAK OUT.  Or you realize that you are laying alone in your bed and not being held and you FREAK OUT.  It is actually really funny, and Mom and Dad enjoy making fun of The Hulk’s temper.  You are easy to please though, and no matter how much you work yourself up and yell (which can be a lot and SUPER loud!), you always calm right back down once you are eating/being held.  You are such a snuggler too, so that tends to help you get you your way, as Mom will often come rescue you from your cries for a chance to cuddle.  Henry and I like to have dance parties when I am home alone, which means I plug in my iPod headphones and sway around with him when he is refusing to nap.  Even when I sing along to music he can’t hear, he humors my terrible voice and will eventually drift back to sleep.  Henry is an easy baby, but also a ticking time bomb, since you never know when The Hulk will show his face.  Also, his head is still huge and he is still way heavier than his little brother.  We visit the doctor next week, and we’re curious to see how the official weights compare to each other.

Our second month with these little guys has been good.  We are sleeping at night (even if it’s only for around three hours at a time) and it’s not too common to have both of them crying and mad or fussy at the same time.  Mom is even surviving better with being at home alone with both of them during the day. They mostly give me a break and don’t double team me all the time.  Which helps!  I know Mark appreciates that the days when he comes home and I am near tears are much more rare now.  I’m sure month three will only get better, as they keep growing and learning how to be a part of our family.  We are ALL figuring it out every day!

One Month, Part One

No surprise here, that I am behind on sharing some Month One photos of Henry and Parker!  These boys hit the one month mark on November 29, so you know, 11 days ago.

Here are some snapshots from our first month as a family of four!
{click on pictures to make bigger}

 

 

Brother Bears, Parker and Henry

We love you!