Baby Boettcher Makes 4

Thursday, November 14, 2013

3 Month Update

Update: Bennett is such a little boy now! He is no longer our little newborn:( It amazes me everyday the personality he is developing. Bennett started daycare this past week, and so far he has been extremely good (or so we hear....). His smile just melts our hearts, and he is SO close to laughing! We get some good "almost" laughs out of him.

Likes:

Silly Noises-especially a farting noise we make with our mouth
Patty Cake, Old McDonald, Itsy Bitsy Spider
His reflection in the mirror-he just cracks up looking at himself!
Loves Bathtime

Dislikes:

Getting out of the bathtub
Getting lotion put on him
Being woken up

Stats: No stats this month, we won't know anything about weight/height until next month.

Features: Dirty blonde hair, lost most of it where he lays his head but it is growing back. Has a cute little mullet right now, the only area where his hair didn't fall out was right above his neck. Blue/Grey eyes that just sparkle when he smiles!!

Sleep: We have a baby who can sleep through the night! The first night Bennett slept through the night was Oct 26th, the night before our 1st wedding anniversary, it was such a great gift. Most websites/books will tell you babies are "sleeping through the night" if they sleep 5-6 hours at a time. We decided "sleeping through the night" meant, when we don't feel it necessary to put him back to sleep for the day. Since Oct 26th, he has consistently gotten better about sleeping through the night. He will sleep from 8:45PM-6:00AM most nights. Some nights he will wake up around 4AM but go right back down to sleep. Bennett is so easy to put down at night, he hardly ever cries. He is so ready for bed when we put him down. Some nights he will wake up around 2AM and whine for about 10 minutes, but we have learned to wait it out for a little bit, he usually ends up falling back asleep. Bennett HATES being woken up, he wants to wake up on his own terms....especially from naps.

Eating: 4-5 oz. every 2-3 hours. He is still nursing when we are at home, and at daycare he is taking bottles of mama's milk. He also takes 1 bottle of formula a day, usually right before bed. We will take formula out with us if we run errands, it is just so much easier to transport and prepare for him.

Diapering: We upgraded to size 2 diapers this week, so sad to see that his little baby diapers are getting bigger and bigger!

Clothes: Wearing 3-6 month clothes, and even outgrowing some of those too! It is amazing the differences in sizes among different brands! I am going to be sad to put some of these clothes away eventually, I have some favorite outfits!

Social: He is so smiley and loves to play with the dangling toys on his play mat or the bouncer. We joke that the octopus on his play mat is his best friend, he just LOVES holding onto and batting at him. He isn't grabbing for toys quite yet, but we can tell he wants to. Bennett discovered his tongue this month, and it is almost always being stuck in and out. He also drools EVERYWHERE!!! He loves to coo and tries to copy our sounds and faces we make. Bennett is so good with people, he doesn't mind who holds him, and we can take him pretty much anywhere, as long as he isn't hungry or tired.

Mama: I officially went back to work on the 7th. As of today, I have been back a week. I was looking forward to going back to work. I love the identity working gives me. I miss Bennett SO much during the day, and I am always wondering when he is eating/napping/etc. But it is so good for us to be back into a routine. The hardest part of the day, is getting out the door. My days are busy and life is hectic, but I love every second.

Daddy: Josh spent the first three days with Bennett when I went back to work. I think it was so good for him to spend that time with him. Before that, he really hadn't spent a good amount of time with him (other than an hour or two) without me around. He and Bennett are best buds, Bennett loves hearing the sound of Josh's voice. Josh also takes over in the morning, if I go to workout, so if Bennett gets up between 4:45-5:45 he feeds him and tries to put him back down, it makes for an early morning for him too, but we are a team and together we make it work

Happy Smiles in the morning!

Not too sure about this new toy, still too small for the saucer. And that turtle is staring at me.....

Playing is such hard work......

Daddy feeding and rocking Bennett to sleep

Such great smiles!

Mommy cannot get over how cute this hat is!!!

Practicing balance and sitting up

First Halloween-our little pumpkin!

Daddy and Bennett playing

Sometimes I get to sleep in mommy and daddies bed:)

Yes, I slept through the night and Yes, I woke up at 5 AM-but that's ok!

I just can't resist a good crying picture-even when he cries he is cute!

Mommy's last day of maternity leave

Such a big boy in his bumbo

Daddy and Bennett hanging out at mom's first day of work-causing trouble together

Daddy also didn't get Bennett dressed most of the day

Loving bumbo sitting again

I wanna be just like my dad

Sometimes we hang out naked.....actually most nights we do, keeps Bennett happy for a little while longer until bedtime

Bathtime is so much fun, especially with these cool new squirty toys!

Sunday, October 27, 2013

1 Year Anniversary

One year ago today, Josh and I got married. We always talked about starting our family right away, but we had no idea just six short weeks later we would find out we were pregnant. This past year has been BY FAR the best year of my life. Bennett is the best gift we could have ever asked for. He completes us. We are so blessed to have him. Josh is the best father and husband I could have ever dreamed I would have. I cannot wait to see what this next year has in store for us!!

Monday, October 21, 2013

Pumpkin Patch

We took a trip to Howell's pumpkin patch last week after church. Bennett didn't really notice what we were doing but it was fun to start creating some memories around holidays with him. Can't wait to take him back next year when he will actually play and enjoy it!!!

Monday, October 14, 2013

2 Month Update

Update: Every day is getting easier! Maybe, we are just settling into our new life better, but I think Bennett is getting easier (and more fun!) every day. He now can sit for periods of time without being constantly entertained by us and he is sleeping more consistently and for longer periods of time.

When Bennett was around 5 weeks old, I took him to the Dr. to get checked for reflux. Something inside me told me he wasn’t comfortable, and after speaking with other moms of babies with reflux, we determined he had all the symptoms. The Dr. prescribed him Zantac and within 24 hours he was a completely different baby! Since being on his reflux medicine, life around here has gotten a lot easier, and less uncomfortably for him.

Bennett had his two month checkup this morning, and received his shots. He handled it pretty well, only cried for a couple seconds until I cuddled with him a bit to calm him down. Since getting home at 9:30, he has been one sleepy baby, only waking up to eat.

Likes:

· His Baby Einstein Playmat

· Being Naked (especially without a diaper)

· Playing with mommy and daddy (and giving us adorable smiles and coo’s to show he’s having fun!)

· Still enjoys movement in the car, stroller, swing (liking it more than he used to), and vibrating chair.

Dislikes:

· Flavor of his baby Zantac for his reflux issues

· Getting his nose sucked by the booger sucker

Stats:

2 week appointment

· Weight: 8 lbs 6 oz. (45%)

· Height: 20 ¼ inches (37%)

· Head Circ: 14 ¼ inches (63%)

2 month appointment

· Weight: 11 lbs 8 oz. (31%)

· Height: 22 inches 9 cm (45%)

· Head Circ: 15 inches (19%)

Features: Blue/Grey eyes that are getting lighter by the day, dirty blonde hair (which fell out on top, but has since started growing back), still has great color to his skin. Long and lean, not too chubby yet!

Sleep: Pretty consistent-usually goes to bed between 8:30 and 9 PM and will sleep until 3 or 4 AM (eat/diaper change) and go back down for another 2-3 hours. Wakes up around 6 AM for the day.

Two 30-45 minute naps in the morning, one longer nap in the afternoon (2-3 hours) and then one more 30-45 minute nap around 7 pm

Eating: Eating every 2-3 hours. If I feed him a bottle he is taking 3-4 oz. at a time. Still nursing primarily though, he gets a bottle when we are out running errands, or if Daddy is helping or getting up with him at night.

Tried formula for the first time a week ago. He has only had a couple bottles of it, but I wanted to make sure it didn’t upset his belly in case we needed it while he is at daycare or if he doesn’t have enough milk with him.

Diapering: Still wearing size 1 diapers, Daddy thinks we need to go up to size 2, but mommy isn’t ready to make the leap yet (bigger diapers mean bigger babyL) Still haven’t had any major issues with peeing on us during a change though (fingers crossed!) The only time Bennett pees all over is when Daddy insists he “air out” and he lays on his play mat without any clothes on, diaper included (or not included I should day).

Clothes: Put away all Bennett’s newborn clothing about 2 weeks agoL He is now wearing all 0-3 month clothes, some are still a little big. Getting used to the idea of “clothes.” It was so hot out the first month Bennett was alive and now we make him wear these big bulky pants, sweaters, and jackets, I am not so sure he likes all the bulk, so we try to make him comfortable at home in jammies or onesies and baby sweatpantsJ

Social: Oh my, have we progressed in this area! Bennett is so much fun to interact with lately. His smiles melt our hearts, and he loves to “talk” to us too. He has been cooing a lot lately, and will often try to copy our sounds and the movement of our mouths. We could sit here for hours cooing at him and listening to him coo back. He has the cutest little baby smiles and is happiest in the morning, after he eats, or right after a nap. He also has discovered his hand and has been sucking on that if he is hungry. Bennett has become a “drooler.” Research has told me that he can start teething as early as 2 months, first tooth may not come in for 4-6 weeks, but he is always drooling all over himself, yay for more laundry!

Mama: I am now over half way done with my maternity leave, I go back to work Nov. 7th. I am getting very anxious (and kind of excited) about going back to work. Not that I don’t love spending my days with my little man, but I am ready to get into a “real life” routine. I know my days at home are numbered and that this isn’t real life. The first couple weeks are going to be an adjustment, especially with getting out the door on time! I have noticed since Bennett arrived, I am pretty much late everywhere I go……
I also started working out this past week. I am happy to get back into my workout routine, although it is HORRIBLE at times, it makes me feel good and helps me re-energize myself. Josh stays home with Bennett right after work so I can go to the late afternoon workout class.

Daddy: Bennett loves talking/cooing at Josh. It is something about his deeper voice, he can always get Bennett to smile. Josh has really been enjoying a little more interaction from Bennett as well. Josh is great about helping out when needed. He usually will get up with him one night a week on weekends to feed and change his diaper. Once I go back to work, we will try to figure out a better schedule for splitting up the night time duties, but we are hopeful in the next three weeks he will start sleeping through the night-SO CLOSE!!!!