Brooklyn {Two Months}

Hey there time, slow down please. I am not ready for my maternity leave to be over (but at the same time and I am excited to go back to work), I am not ready to say goodbye to the squishy newborn phase (but I am also welcoming more sleep; hello 7 or 8 hours!). Isn't it just so cliche to ask time to slow down, but also welcome the new positives that come with your baby getting older?

Mothers Day 2016

The past month we have transitioned from adjustment phase (bringing new baby home) to normalizing phase (is that a word??). We are working our way into a schedule, with two kids, which seems to be working out nicely for us. I am getting more brave and venturing out of the house with both.......alone, although it has only happened two....maybe three times? Hey, I am getting there.....eventually it will be easier!

With second cousin, Sage-born 3 weeks after Brooklyn

Length, Weight, Percentiles:
At two weeks, Brooklyn was 9 lbs 1 oz. At her two month appointment she grew to 11 lbs 14 oz.
Her length has grown from 21 inches to 23 inches.
And she is in the 70th percentile for weight and 93rd percentile for length.

Features:
Blue eyes and sandy, dirty blonde hair (just like Bennett). She has the cutest little chubby legs, I do not remember Bennett being so chubby in the legs. She hasn't lost a lot of her hair, like her brother did, and she does not have any baby acne, which Bennett did. She has a great complexion and her smile is emerging more and more everyday.

A lot of people comment how much she looks like me; but I just do not see it. Her and Bennett look SO much alike, which is why I cannot see my resemblance since Bennett looks so much like his dad.

Sleep:
We are blessed with good sleepers.....thank you Jesus! Brooklyn still wakes more than Bennett did at night, but she is so much easier to put down for naps and at nighttime. Brooklyn takes 4-5 naps a day, ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours. There is no rhyme or reason as to which nap is 30 minutes and which is 2 hours. However, she spends most of her naps in her swing.....oops:) I am working on getting her to nap in her room, but it is just so incredibly difficult to work on consistency with her with Bennett around. Hopefully this week as Bennett starts going to daycare everyday again, I can work on getting her to nap in her crib at least once a day. She is ready for a nap about 30 minutes to an hour after her bottle and usually we will just put her in her swing, with a binky, and she will fall asleep. If she is in the car or stroller, she will easily fall asleep.

Brooklyn goes to bed at 8 pm just about every night. We start her bedtime routine at 7:30 with a bath (every other or 3rd night) and bottle/nurse. What amazes me most about this little angel is her ability to put herself to sleep on her own (NEVER the case with Bennett). Around 3 or 4 weeks old we noticed we were rocking and rocking (and rocking and rocking) her but she would continually jolt herself awake, she just couldn't seem to get comfortable, so we started putting her down awake and low and behold.....she fell asleep! So every night at 8 pm, she gets swaddled, a binky if she isn't drowsy yet, white noise, and we leave her to fall asleep......and it works! Little miss just wants her own space to fall asleep. She has been slowly eliminating one night time feeding. Some nights she wakes up twice around 1 am and 4 am, and other nights she wakes up around 3:30-4:30 am just once. She will sleep her first stretch between 5-8 hours (8 on a good night, and that has only happened once....so far), and after being put back down (again, no rocking, just put her down drowsy or with a binky), 3-4 hours.

First time on the boat-7 weeks old

Diet:
Eating between 3-4 oz. every 2-3 hours. Primarily nursing or breastmilk from a bottle. We have been supplementing less with formula this past month as I have been able to build up a supply of frozen milk to use while I am away. However, I noticed the past couple of nights that when we use formula to feed Brooklyn her last bottle before bed, those are the nights she stays asleep for 7-8 hour stretches. It fills her up and keeps her full longer, so continuing that routine to see if it continues!

So relaxed, who wouldn't be on a boat?!

Clothes and Diapering:
Wearing 0-3 and 3 month clothing depending on the brand.
Size 1 diapers

Social:
Interestingly enough, this is the area I notice the most difference between her and Bennett. They look like, they eat similarly, they are both great sleepers, but their personality differences are already apparent!

Anyone who knows Bennett has grown to know him as a very chatty, social, busy little boy. Since 6 weeks old, he was cooing, taking interest in his toys, "finding" his voice, hands, and world around him. Brooklyn has already shown us how much more reserved she is. She coo's much less than Bennett did at this age. She chooses to reserve her voice, only cooing for us occasionally. Instead, she observes, taking in movement around her, smiling when talked to. She is much less "chatty" than her brother at this point, so fascinating to me if you ask. It will be really interesting to see how her personality stays the same or changes as she gets older......

Brooklyn loves watching movement on the tv, the ceiling fans, and watching people around her. She has not taken much interest in her toys yet. We try the play mat with her and she just doesn't seem too interested in it, unlike Bennett, who at this point was staring at himself (and smiling) in the mirror, batting at the toys, and really enjoying the activity.

She spends between 30-90 minutes awake in between naps and feeding. She loves to be talked to, individually, but is also (mostly) perfectly content sitting in a bouncer and watching everything around her. She is most alert and smiley in the morning and tends to have her "witching hour" between 4-7pm. She rarely fusses, only if hungry or tired, and once those needs are satisfied she is content. During her witching hour, she usually just wants to eat more or fall asleep and has a hard time staying asleep due to the activity with her dad and brother being home (less quiet, more noise).

Likes:
Movement (car, vibrations, stroller, swing), LOVES her swing......., being outside, individual attention, being naked, falling asleep on her own.

Dislikes:
having her eyes wiped (girl has a bad case of a blocked tear ducts.....), being hungry, being tired, dirty diapers, too much noise or activity also tends to overwhelm her.

More boating fun!

Mama:
Mixed feelings about going back to work, but SO thankful for an amazing job, boss, coworkers, and company. I officially start working again Tuesday May 31st.

Watching Bennett interact with Brooklyn has been one of my favorite parts about the past two months. 90% of the time Bennett is more work than Brooklyn, but he is so loving and sweet with her. If I talk to or play with Brooklyn, he will copy exactly what I say in the same sing song baby voice. He is very helpful (when he wants to be). I think the novelty of having a baby is starting to wear off and he is much more interested in his activities and toys rather than being "our little helper." I think he quickly realized that "our little helper" meant fetching binkies, diapers, wipes, and throwing away diapers for us:) 

Overall, everything is going really well in the Boettcher house. We are slowly getting used to a family of four. It is 100% more work and I am so tired by the end of the day, my house is usually a disaster, but I have learned to care less about housework and more about making memories!

This babe loves the boat and being outdoors. 

One more sweet smile for the road

Til next month!