Dear Sweet Boy,
I cannot believe that you are two months old. I am really hoping to do one post per month but I'm already a month behind so this will likely be a combo post. Sorry about that! But you are one loved little boy so don't you worry about a thing. I'm also going to claim that you are a little higher maintenance than Stella was so if you want posts to read in the future you got to nap during nap time, okay?
I cannot believe that you are two months old. I am really hoping to do one post per month but I'm already a month behind so this will likely be a combo post. Sorry about that! But you are one loved little boy so don't you worry about a thing. I'm also going to claim that you are a little higher maintenance than Stella was so if you want posts to read in the future you got to nap during nap time, okay?
Stats
You are my chunky monkey. You gained your birth weight back faster than your sisters and didn't stop there. I think it is a combo of a few things more on that below.
You are my chunky monkey. You gained your birth weight back faster than your sisters and didn't stop there. I think it is a combo of a few things more on that below.
2 Weeks Old
Happy 2 Months!
At birth, you weighed 3.664 kg (8 lbs 1 oz) which is in the 73rd percentile. Remember how many growth scans I got during your pregnancy because I was measuring small? Two growth scans and one was 4 days before you were born which estimated you weight 3.7 kg which was pretty spot on! You were back to birth weight at 6 days old. You were 51.5 cm (20.25 in) long which was in the 80th percentile and your head was 35 cm (13.7 in) which was in the 66th percentile.
At one month you weighed 4.79 kg (10 lbs 9 oz) which was in the 74th percentile and you were 56.4 cm (22.2 inches) long which was in the 85th percentile.
At two months old you weighed 5.52 kg (12 lbs 2 oz) which was in the 50th percentile and you were probably around 59 cm (23.25 in) long.
Eating
In the early newborn days, you'd wake up twice usually around 2 and then again around 5 before getting up around 8/9. Some nights were more than that but for the most part, it was twice if I went to bed around 23 which isn't ideal but waking up 3 times per night didn't sit well with me. Now (starting around 5 weeks or so) you usually wake up once around 3/4 and then again around 7/8. So I usually get about 4 hours and then another 2-3 hours which isn't bad.
As mentioned earlier you are a little chunk. My milk supply this time around was really good just like it was with Stella and you seem to handle my fast letdowns with no problem. Stella used to gag. You also very rarely spit up which makes me less worried about overfeeding you. Both of your sisters were spitters (Linnea more than Stella) so I was worried they were getting too full and would spit up so I wouldn't let them nurse quite as long.
You've also been a little fussier than Stella so I fed you more often than I did with her. I also didn't try to keep you on much of an eating schedule until you were closer to a 3 weeks to a month old like I did your sisters so I'm sure that helped. During the first month, you ate every 1-3 hours. Once you were about 3 weeks old I tried going every 2-3 hours but no more than 3. Then around 5-6 weeks, I started letting you go every 4 hours if you were sleeping during the day to help you get closer to being ready to sleep train. Then we went to Denmark and our schedule kind of went out the window but we're working on getting you back on track.
We had a few latching issues at the very beginning. I always forget how newborns have to be taught how to eat, latch, etc. I used Silverette nursing cups and they have been lifesavers! I wish I had then when I was nursing your sisters.
First feeding outside of the apartment. Like literally right outside but it still counts!
You eat on both sides for every feed until it is night time. Our schedule around 6-8 weeks has been eat around 730, 1115 and then either 1445 before we pick up your sisters or 1530 after we get back from getting your sisters and then it should be 19 but you like to snack around 1730/18 if I let you (aka you scream your head off until I give in). Then we do a dream feed around 22/23 meaning I unswaddle you and change your diaper without waking you up too much and try to feed you on one side before laying you back down reswaddled. For the most part, you do a great job with this. Your sister Linnea never did a dream feed because I couldn't wake her up for it.
You burp like a man champ. Most of the time you burp pretty quickly and it is also usually loud.
I quickly figured out I needed one-handed breakfast options or else it could be two hours before I'd get breakfast after being awake.
I put a paper towel over you once I started noticing you were getting food dropped on you while you were eating. Sorry, buddy!
Milk Coma
Sleeping
Your first two nights at home were rough. You would only sleep on me while nursing, on my chest or in my arms. We do not co-sleep and this made me really nervous and exhausted. I realized we held you so much during naptimes during the day that you didn't really know how to sleep in your bed alone. So we worked on that during naps and you did much better on night number three at home. I am a BIG believer in teaching babies how to sleep. It doesn't just magically happen. In my opinion, you can reinforce good or bad sleeping habits. For us, we wanted you to be able to put yourself to sleep meaning we laid you down drowsy but awake and you'd put yourself to sleep using a paci or no paci. I didn't want to nurse or rock you to sleep because then I'd have to do that every time you woke up at night and I'm just not going to do that. It took a lot of patience and practice but you are doing a great job putting yourself to sleep now!
I forget how loud newborns are when they sleep. So much grunting. Like little goats. One difference this time around was we bought an Owlet Baby Monitor which tracks your heart rate and oxygen levels. Is it necessary? No. Is it expensive? Yes, although I bought ours used. It is worth it to me? 110%! I used to watch Linnea and Stella breathe instead of sleeping and then when I'd wake up after falling asleep I'd panic and look again to make sure they were still breathing. This was something that I didn't think would bother me pre-kids in fact I laughed at breathing monitors then but post-kids I wish I would have had an Owlet with Linnea and Stella. I sleep so much better knowing I don't have to watch your breathing.
I love swaddled babies!
There is a circle that lights up green when everything is within normal limits. It will play a lullaby and show a yellow light if it seems that your sock fell off or is loose. That has happened twice right when we started using it until we learned how to put it on and then maybe one other time. It also has shown us a blue light a few times meaning it disconnected from the base. We've never heard the red alarm which is when the heart rate is too high or low or the oxygen level is too low.
Another reason I wanted it was because Stella had RSV as a baby and I wanted to know your oxygen level if you got sick which was good because Linnea and Stella both got sick around 5 days after you were born and then you had a bit of a cold but nothing compared to Stella at 2 weeks old thankfully.
I tried to soak up the newborn naps on me as much as I could handle since I knew this time would be short. Even now as I type this these pictures seem like they were years ago. Babies don't keep.
Naptimes often looked like you, on my lap, with a laptop as well so I could get stuff done and hold you.
Clothes
You wore size 50 and 56 your first two months. There were a few size 62 pajamas that you could also fit in. We had several gender-neutral outfits that you wore that your sisters also wore but I also bought several packets of clothing from Facebook Marketplace. It was really fun trying to figure out what style of boys clothes I liked. It is weird that the only difference between you and your sisters at this point is a body part and yet you need a whole new wardrobe. You wore size 1 and 2 diapers your first two months of life. We like the Libero brand.
This was a magic sleeper. Both Linnea and Stella had their first long stretches of sleep in it (6 hrs) and you did well in it your first night too!
Playtime
I tried to be better about tummy time this time around since we weren't very good with Stella. It seems we are doing okay but there is always room for improvement. You tolerate it pretty well which is nice especially if you can watch your sisters.
Little bobblehead
We have also been doing a lot of side-lying since that is supposed to help your head and neck.
You like to look at high contrast books and toys.
Our Days
Our Days
The first few weeks of newborn life were slow and busy. It was hard at times being stuck under you in the chair and yet other times it was a wonderful excuse to slow down. We kept your sisters home the first 2 weeks to help keep germs away which only kind of worked since they both got sick when you were 5 days old. But they were healthy enough to go back at 2 weeks!
Very rarely the first month was one parent with all 3 kids and if there was it was me. Your dad couldn't do much if you were hungry all of a sudden so you mostly stuck close by me.
I do feel like the days were/are weirder this time around because of COVID. By now with Linnea, since she was a summer baby also, we would have introduced you to all of our friends. But due to COVID, you were 3 or 4 weeks old before you met any of our friends and when you did you only met Angela and later Jared.
You seem to be a bit fussier than Stella was or at least harder to calm down or hungrier. Maybe a combination. I don't really remember how fussy or chill Linnea was because she was my only focus so it didn't seem to be a big deal if she was fussy. It could also be that since you have two older sisters you feel like you need to make yourself known when you need something . . .
Jake took these next few pictures on our way home from Denmark but I love how every day they are. Just me trying to calm you down or change your diaper.
Not much to say here because of COVID. Thankfully we had several nice days in August and September so we could be outside.
Our first family walk. 
Firsts and New Skills
If I'm being honest, our first family walk was kind of a disaster. It was my first time out of the apartment after you were born (you were 3 days old) and I didn't realize how much I needed to move my body. We also didn't realize how many moving parts we now had with a baby and two kids. Your dad and I were trying to talk and also not let your sisters get hurt in the street or fall into the lake. It was chaotic and I ended up breaking off to walk with just you. On the way home Linnea was being silly and the red stroller rolled in between two parked cars. She ran after it and gave us a heart attack. Postpartum emotions made that super fun. Don't worry, we practiced and got better at family walks over the next two months.
This was another walk with just the two of us.
Your dad started playing frisbee again a few weeks after you were born. Basically, as soon as I thought I could handle putting all 3 of you to bed. Those nights made me feel like superwoman! It helped when you weren't screaming your head off.
In March, I started getting more active on a Facebook group for women having babies in 2020 in Sweden. I have lots of mom friends but not many on parental leave so I wanted to find at least one person to do parental leave with to help it not be so lonely.
I hosted several virtual fikas over Zoom and after a few of those I felt like a few of us clicked well so we made a Facebook chat and started up a virtual friendship. Three out of the four of us met up in person for an outside picnic. The fourth person lives near me so we were able to meet up a few times (like when she messaged me to come out to my balcony so she could sing happy birthday to me). It has been so fun and encouraging going through pregnancy, labor/delivery, and postpartum right along with several others. We've been cheering each other on through each step.
I met another mom at a restaurant near me. We chatted for only a few minutes but exchanged info and went on a walk a week later. Now we have our own stroller gang with 5 mamas and counting. We are often chatting in the middle of the night while nursing about all things baby, sleep, schedules, products we might need, etc. It is not lost on me that making friends as an adult is hard and that I've been extremely lucky and fortunate to do that again with a new set of friends. I look forward to many stroller dates this next year!
Our first of many stroller gang walks!
I forget how much babies need to learn like how to eat, sleep, etc. You have to be taught how to nurse correctly and how to fall asleep on your own. We mostly focused on those two skills these last two months.
First bath! This time I knew to give it to you in the bathroom after steaming it up a bit so you weren't cold!
You took your first bottle this month to prepare for me leaving you for the first time. After every baby, I've gotten a massage as my first outing and the bottle practice is always for that. You did a great job while I was away and I enjoyed a 90-minute massage because I knew a 60-minute one would just feel too short. It was a gift to myself that I do not regret.
One of the biggest things when you were 1 month old, 7 weeks old actually, is you met your grandparents. Grandma Debbie and Papa Larry and your Aunt Lindsay, Uncle Aaron and cousins Avery, Jocelyn and Connor. It was love at first sight with Papa Larry.
To get to Denmark we took a 20-minute bus ride to Central Station in Stockholm. Then took a train from Stockholm to Gothenburg which took about 3 hours. Then we had about 2.5 hours in Gothenburg before our ferry left. The ferry ride was 3 hours and 15 minutes. Then we had a 20-minute car ride to the house where we were staying. Overall it took us about 11 hours from door to door which isn't short however the whole travel day was pretty good considering it was our first trip with 3 kids and Otto was a fuss bucket. It was nice that on the train and the ferry we could move around versus being trapped in car seats or on an airplane. And once we arrived we had zero jetlag and enough bedrooms that we could sleep all night without issues.
Otto was smitten with Papa Larry. I had texted my parents to say that Otto had been fussy that day but he was all smiles for my dad.
Otto was so fascinated with Papa Larry.
My brother Aaron and Otto
Linnea and Stella loved being carried around by Avery. Connor had his appendix removed 3 days before we got together. He was maybe a little slower moving the first day but after that you would have never known.
This was the backyard of the house. The house was gorgeous and perfect for our families. It basically had 3 wings so all 3 families could have their own space. Two of the wings included kitchens and living rooms. There were 7 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms plus a long table that could seat all of us!
Avery read to the girls several times which was nice and the girls loved it.
Avery also put both Linnea and Stella to bed which they loved.
Linnea fed the dogs which she loved.
My brother did most of the cooking which no one complained about. It was all really great. He even made cinnamon rolls from scratch one morning.
Jake hung up a rope swing and all of the kids loved it. I had to go inside. Watching the kids swing gave me major anxiety! And thanks to this swing Stella is constantly saying 'higher, higher, faster' when she is on a normal swing.
The kids loved this swing but man it made me nervous!
Your sisters love you and just want to hold you and touch you and talk to you.
Reading to you
Who needs personal space?
Linnea Update/New Skills
Your sister Linnea is funny. She has a unique accent when she speaks English and often times she uses the grammar word order for Swedish when speaking in English. She is easy going and very helpful. Recently when we ask her to do something she'll say 'Oh sure!' or 'Certainly'. This does not happen all the time but when it does your dad and I both laugh.
Linnea told us she wanted to take us on a family field trip. She wanted to take us to a park that she's been to with her class. So we picked Linnea and Stella up early one day and off we went. Linnea was leading the way. She told us it was the acorn park and we knew of one acorn park and asked if it was that but she said no. So we followed her not having a clue where we were headed.
On the way there at several different times, Jake and I looked at each other and thought she has to be lost or confused. We also said that at the end of this we will know whose directional sense she has. If we don't get there she has Jake's sense of direction and if we do she has mine. Ha!
Well wouldn't you know . . .
She found it!
This was the drawing of the park Linnea did before we went. I saw it when we got back and was so impressed with how good it was especially the acorns.
After watching Kiki's Delivery Service Linnea is really into witches and she really wants to fly for real life. She gets mad at gravity for holding her down. This comment surprised us but I think we talked about gravity when we read a book about going to the moon. She wanted a broomstick so she could fly.
Stella Update/New Skills
Stella is a big ball of feelings at 2.5 years old. Her baby cheeks are still going strong. She needs things to be done the right way. She has a great memory and knows where things belong. She loves pretending to be a kitty cat and will often start meowing.
This girl and her personality. I'm so thankful I get to watch her shenanigans.
She started potty training a few weeks before you were born and has done a great job with it. Her transition back to preschool was kind of rough. It turns out that being out of school for 9 weeks, learning how to use the potty, gaining a new brother, and moving classrooms is a bit much all in a short amount of time. But after a few days of talking with her teachers about how to help with the transition, she seems to be doing well.
Stella loves holding Linnea's hand especially on the way home from preschool. Stella and Linnea love playing together at the preschool park before their groups split up.
Stella is getting pretty good on her balance bike.
Stella Funnies/Quotes
I was pushing Stella in a swing and she said "Tell me when you get exhausted." I laughed and said okay. Then a little bit later he said "Tell me because you will definitely be exhausted." I thought she heard this word in a book but Jake told me that he has said it while pushing the kids on the tree swing.
I was pushing Stella in a swing and she said "Tell me when you get exhausted." I laughed and said okay. Then a little bit later he said "Tell me because you will definitely be exhausted." I thought she heard this word in a book but Jake told me that he has said it while pushing the kids on the tree swing.
Remember
I want to remember the feeling of a fresh new baby on my chest. The newborn baby cries and how you settle just by being close to me.
The newborn stage was something I was definitely looking forward to and didn't want to wish away but man do I also love a routine and more sleep. I want to remember the moment I found out you were a boy (which I had suspected but had been wrong two other times so I wasn't sure). You are my little buddy and I am so excited to get to know you as you start showing us more of your personality.
Love,
Your Mama
