{2 months}

I have been meaning to write this 2 month post all month and then today I realized that Quincey is actually almost 3 months now, so I am making myself sit down to write this.  Seriously, where did June go?!?!  I feel like I will be saying this every month for the rest of my life from here on out.

He did great with his 2 month shots.  He cried for just a little bit of course, but then he quieted right down and did great the rest of the day.  Here are his stats from his 2 month appointment.

Head circumference:  38cm (25%)
Height:  23in (50%)
Weight:  10lbs, 15oz (25%)

I feel like he is gigantic compared to Kaydence when she was this age.  He is really starting fill out and get some cute little chunk on him.  He has been wearing his 0-3 month clothes now for about a month and some of them are already starting to get a bit snug on him in places.  It has thrown me for a loop, since Kaydence didn't even start to wear her 0-3 month clothes until she was 3 months old.

Quincey is such a sweet little boy.  He is very snuggly and content, unless he has a gas bubble or something.  But otherwise, he just sits there and takes everything all in.  He is a lot like Kaydence in the sense that he really tries to figure everything out and is usually pretty serious for the most part.  Although, he does get quite happy after he eats and that is when I can get the most smiles out of him.  He hasn't quite given a full belly laugh yet, but he is close.  He gets really happy and excited at peek-a-boo already and he is so close to a laugh, but not quite yet.  He also likes it when I tap his nose a few times and say "beep-beeps."  He loves it and gets huge smiles!

We stopped swaddling him over a month ago now -- he was just a little over a month old when we stopped.  I remember swaddling Kaydence until she was 4 months old...no joke. lol  It was more out of fear that she wouldn't sleep through the night if we stopped, than it was the fact that she actually wanted to be swaddled.  I think we could have stopped swaddling her much earlier and she would have been fine because once we did stop, she transitioned like a gem.  From day one, we have never swaddled our babies arms in though -- we just swaddle their body with their arms out, so I think that helps with the transition.  Quincey started breaking out of his swaddle and then he would get cold and wake up, so that is when I broke out the sleep sacks.  I was a little worried at first that he wouldn't like it, but he actually slept much, much better once we started using them.  He wakes up a lot less and sleeps more soundly. 

He has started reaching for things in the last couple weeks (i.e. his toys that are attached to his play gym, etc.).  And this week, he is just starting to loosen his fists a little more.  He will sit in the bumbo for short periods of time, but not for too long yet.  He loves his play gym, bouncer, and swing.  I have noticed though that he doesn't like to stay in one thing for too long.  With Kaydence, she would tolerate anything for long periods of time, but Quincey, not so much.  He is very predictable with his schedule.  He will play for just a little bit after he eats, but before long he will be fussing for his paci so he can go back to sleep.  This is his schedule as of now.

- 7:30/8:30 a.m. -- wakes for the day and eats
- playtime with mama, diaper change, and then activity mat, bouncer, or swing
- 9:00/9:30 a.m. -- nap (in crib)
- 10:30/11:30 a.m. -- wakes to eat
- playtime with mama, diaper change, and then this is usually when we leave to run errands or go for a playdate, but if we are home then activity mat, bouncer, or swing -- he is usually awake longer during this period and sometimes won't nap until his next feeding
- 12:00/12:30 p.m. -- nap (in crib) or he will just stay awake until he is ready to eat again
- 1:30/2:00 p.m. -- wakes to eat
- playtime with mama, diaper change, and then I put him down for a nap right away, since this is when Kaydence naps and then I try to nap too when I can
- 2:00/2:30 p.m. -- nap (in crib -- this is his long nap)
- 4:30/5:30 p.m. -- wakes to eat
- playtime with mama, diaper change, and then activity mat, bouncer or swing while I make dinner -- he usually stays awake for quite awhile during this stretch
- dozes off in the swing until next feeding
- 7:30/8:30 p.m. -- wakes to eat, or he was already awake depending on what was going on that day
- playtime with mama, diaper change, and then bath (every couple days), pajamas, sleep sack, hangs out with us for a bit either watching tv or I rock him and then put him to bed for the night
- 1:30/2:30 a.m. -- wakes to eat, diaper change, put back to bed
- 4:30/5:30 a.m. -- wakes to eat, diaper change, put back to bed
- 7:30/8:30 a.m. -- wakes for the day and eats and it starts all over again

He is pretty easy to read.  When he is done being awake and held, he starts squirming and fussing a bit and then I'll put him in his crib for a nap and he'll fall right asleep.  He is amazing because I can put him in his crib wide awake and he will put himself to sleep without a peep.  It is so nice in the middle of the night because I don't need to rock him for hours to get him back to sleep.  If he is wide awake, I can still put him in his crib and know that he will put himself to sleep, it is a lifesaver considering he isn't sleeping through the night yet.

Kaydence was sleeping through the night at 7 weeks, so this waking in the night stuff is all so new to me and I dream of the day when I put him to bed some night and none of us wake up until morning...that sounds so heavenly right about now.

He loves his tummy!  I know it is against the "rules," but since we have the Angelcare Movement Monitor, we do allow him to tummy sleep sometimes.  He is a big spitter!  I talked to the pedi about it because it will literally just pour out of his mouth after feedings.  She said he is just getting rid of what he can't use...which is A LOT! lol  She said it is more of a nuisance than a problem.  I have tried just feeding him on one side, but he always likes to top off on the other side and fusses until I let him.  And since I'm a little nervous about losing my supply if I only feed from one side, I always let him.  The problem is, I probably shouldn't because it just come right back up anyway.  His bibs are always drenched with spit up.  As much as I don't want him to grow up too fast, he can grow out of his spitting at any time...so ready to be done with that already.  Kaydence was a big spitter too and it last past 6 months for her, so I think we have a long road ahead of us with that.  

Speaking of Kaydence, she LOVES her little brother to pieces.  She talks to him all the time and she will ask him questions and respond for him.  And when he is crying she loves to say "it's okay baby, I know you are sad, I will help you...here is your paci."  She is the sweetest most loving and gentle sister.  She hasn't shown any signs of jealousy and has never done anything to hurt him.  I hope and pray that will continue for a very, very long time!  She keeps trying to teach him how to do stuff, like hold onto toys, etc.  She is such a big helper and I feel so blessed by my children and the way they love each other. 

My mind is complete mush right now and I'm sure I'm missing things that I want to document, but I will have to come back and add them later when I think of them because this mama is tired and needs some sleep before the little man wakes up to eat again. :-)

Here is my precious baby boy at 2 months.

        

(little curls}

We went to the park the other week and I actually brought my camera with me...can you believe it?!?!  Haha...it really collects way too much dust these days.  Here is my sweet girl...she is getting so big!

         

     

   

 

{quincey gray -- circa 9 days old}

I was looking through my blog the other day and realized (shocked) that I never posted his newborn photos.  I thought I did...that just goes to show how sleep deprived I really am.  Can you believe he will be 2 months old tomorrow?!?!  Seriously, where does the time go!  Here he is at 9 days old!

     

{a mama and her little man}

My dear sweet sister, Josie, came to visit me when Quincey was 2 weeks old and she took a few photos of me and my little man.  I edited them -- there are a few others I may try to edit later, but here are a few for now.

 

 

 

 

 

{one month}

One month...oh where, oh where does the time go?  They weren't kidding when they said time flies faster the second time around.  I cannot believe Quincey is one month old already!  I know each month I will be saying the same thing, but really how can it be???

Here is his one month photo and a photo of him with his big sister.

 

 
I have to say, this may be the last photo you ever see of the two of them together...ever! lol  Lets just say it's no walk in the park trying to get a decent photo of an infant and an uncooperative 3 year old.  Oh well...at least I have a photo of them together, right? :-) 

We still haven't gotten into a day-to-day groove yet.  Quincey is still all over the place with eating and sleeping.  I'm not going to lie, I'm exhausted.  I have a major case of sleep deprivation, which has definitely taken a toll on my emotions and most of all my patience.  It's amazing how much lack of sleep can drastically affect the way you respond to a given situation versus when you are fully rested and in your right state of mind.  I don't feel like myself and I can't stand it.  Kaydence is the one taking the brunt of it, which is the last thing I wanted to happen after adding a new member to the family.  So, to put it all out there, we are struggling a bit.  Kaydence has been such an amazing big sister, so helpful and understanding when I can't help her with something because I'm nursing or changing her brother.  She has shown no signs of jealousy or resentment towards her brother or us and for that I'm so grateful.  However, as every parent of a three year old knows, this is such a fragile time of discovery for them.  Discovery of their voice that is.  Ah yes, we have officially entered the world of "back-talking."  Fun times.  So with my lack of sleep, and my patience hanging in the balance, I haven't exactly responded to those situations in the way I know that's best.  It's like I know what I *should* say or do, but my emotions get the better of me and it's like watching a train wreck.  So with that said, I'm hitting the reset button this weekend and starting fresh next week.  I really want my Kaydence back and I know she really wants her mama back, so it will be going back to basics for us next week.  We have nothing on our calendar and I'm keeping it that way.  The last two weeks we have been running here and running there to various playdates/classes and I feel the pressure to get out of the house at a certain time every day is taking its toll on us.  So no plans next week.  We're just going to try and figure this all out together.

As many of you know, Teirney and I are strong supporters of the principles we've learned through a parenting course we enrolled in called Positive Parenting Solutions.  We have taken the course and have learned some invaluable tools that we have already found effective in this journey we call parenting.  Amy McCready, the founder and president, has also authored the book called "If I Have to Tell You One More Time..."  The book is just as excellent as the parenting course and has become our "go to" resource for how to handle tough situations.  I cannot even begin to tell you how this program has changed our lives for the better.  I know I sound like I'm trying to sell this program/book, but it's only because we've seen how effective the principles are when applied correctly. 

I came across the program last year when Kaydence was going through her hitting phase and we were at a loss for how to address it.  We enrolled in the program, and after applying the principles (and corresponding directly with Amy McCready on how to handle the situation), the problem was corrected in a matter of weeks.  In addition, we have established a way to go about our daily routines that has fostered a very compliant child for the most part.  However, as with everything related to toddlers/children, they don't just learn it and do it and everything is peachy-keen for the rest of your lives (don't we wish -- lol).  It's a continual training process, which requires consistency and reinforcement on the parents' part.  So we have had some relapses because we (as parents) have slacked off a bit at times, so then we go back to the basics and do some re-training and we always get back on track.  So that is where we are at right now. 

With being so busy before Quincey was born, and then even more so after, we have definitely slacked on our part in dealing with certain situations correctly, so now it's time to regroup, start over, and hope we find ourselves in that happy place again.  If any of you are struggling with a strong-willed child, or just need a resource for those day-to-day run ins we all experience with our children, I highly recommend this book (and the program if you're able to afford it).  I wish  I could hand this book out like candy to every parent I meet just because it has been such an amazing life saver for us.  I am so grateful that God has placed Amy McCready in this world to share these tools with parents like us...I don't know what we would do without her!  Ok, off my soup box now. lol  But seriously, go check it out!

Moving on...

Quincey is growing like a weed!  At his first appointment with the pediatrician after he was born, he weighed 6lbs, 4oz (10%), was 20 1/2 inches (75%), and his head circumference was 33cm (10%).  When we took him for a weight check a few days later, he was 6lbs, 8oz.  She then told us we didn't need to come back for another two weeks.  So we went back when he was 3 weeks old and he weighed 8lbs, .5oz.  Our pediatrician was thrilled and so were we.  She told us we didn't need to come back until he was 2 months.  However, I did need to bring him in to get something else checked out last week (4 weeks) and he weighed 8lbs, 12oz.  Yay!  Our little 6lb, 10oz baby is growing bigger by the day!  His newborn sleepers are already getting tight on him.  I can't believe it because Kaydence seemed to stay in those for a much longer time.  I think he must be longer than Kaydence was at this point.  They won't measure his length again until his 2 month appointment, so we will find out then.

Quincey is such a good baby boy...so sweet and snuggly.  I finally got a snuggle bug!  He doesn't really cry unless he has a belly ache/gas bubble.  Other than that, he is as content as content can be.  He sleeps so much right now and is sleeping well at night too.  He just wakes up frequently to eat and as every new mom knows, you can't just do a quick feed and then put them straight back to bed.  The entire process takes at least an hour (if not more depending on whether or not they have a gas bubble, etc.).  You feed them, you burp them, you change them, rock them and put them back to bed.  So even though he sleeps well between feedings, the actual amount of time that I get to sleep is limited when he wakes up every 2 hours to eat.  Around his second week, he was giving me 4 hours between feedings at night, but then he went to 3 hours, and then to 2 hours.  Now we are back to 3 hours.  I did have a couple nights where he gave me 5 hours and that was like heaven, but it seemed to be short lived.

We moved Quincey to his crib at 2 1/2 weeks and we gave him a bottle for the first time when he was one day short of three weeks.  He took it like a champ and has been taking one bottle a day since.  Teirney always gives it to him at night at either the 8:00/8:30 feeding or the 11:00/11:30 feeding.  Like I said, we still haven't figured out a good routine for bedtime with him yet (sometimes he eats at 7:00 p.m. and sometimes 9:00 p.m. and he doesn't have a set bedtime yet or anything).  I feel like it was so easy with Kaydence -- maybe because we didn't have to juggle another child's bedtime with hers?  I don't know.  It just seems like she fell into a really good rhythm and routine right away, but maybe that's all in my head.  I wish I would have written down what her actual daily schedule was...it would be helpful to look back on right now.  It's amazing how much you forget.  Oh well.  

I apologize that this post ended up being a novel, but I just wanted to document some of this stuff for my own records.  If you've made it this far, you must be a dear friend...bless your heart! <3<3<3  I hope I can write again soon and post more photos.  I'm still working on the photos from the actual birth, so I hope to get those done soon so I can post them before he is a year old. :-)

{quincey's nursery}

I'm finally getting around to posting these, so it's sort of old news, but in case you care...Quincey's nursery.

Quincey Gray

Let me introduce you to the newest member of our family.

Quincey Gray -- born April 6 at 1:53 p.m. -- 6lbs 10oz -- 20 1/4 inches

I'll post the rest of the birth photos when I get them all edited.

Photos by my sister, Josie Young, edited by me.