We had our two month check up at the doctor where he weighed in at almost 12 1/2 pounds. He's grown - now up to 23.5 inches long. That explains why the 3 month footed sleepers aren't fitting his legs anymore. We are now on the search for sleepers with no feet in them.
Every day he seems to grow and change right in front of our eyes. He is full of personality now, with talking and smiling and frowning and a new and improved louder scream. He is starting to understand his hands and arms are part of his body and he can make them do stuff on purpose. He loves diaper changing time. Mainly because I kiss his toes. A lot.
I looked up an email I sent to a couple friends when I was still hurting really bad from the labour and surgery, along with the new mom trials of lack of sleep and starting breastfeeding. It was perhaps the hardest thing I had ever done in my life those few weeks and I'm glad to see the end of them. But during that trying time I did stop to look at what was making me happy and the awesomeness of the new life I had been blessed with the caretaking of. And I wrote out a quick list of the things that amazed me about this little guy. I'd like to share it now with you.
"Hi guys. Wanted to take a moment to email you both with the happy parts of our new parenthood. The things that make our baby boy special and unique:
He was tongue tied (fixed now).
He has a cute little cow lick in his hair at the front. Sean keeps trying to straighten it out by licking his finger and brushing the circle out - which doesn't work. I keep telling him he'll put a dent in Calvin's head if he keeps it up.
He has blue-grey eyes instead of the true new baby blue. They are beautiful.
His squished up against his head left ear is starting to pop out and look like a normal ear.
He has a dimple in his chin - we don't know any family members with this at all and it's adorable on a baby.
He has a large red birth mark on the back of his neck, mostly covered by his hairline. Sean has a small, less obvious one in the exact same spot.
He has one hand with a simian line. I have one hand with a simian line and Sean has both hands with it. We have only ever met one other person with this line.
He chugs his milk much like Sean can chug a beer. I swear he just opens his throat and sucks it down. I don't know if this is normal for babies or not considering he's the only baby I've ever had, but it seems to me like he's a piglet.
He regained his lost birth weight in 2 days. He gained a pound and a half in two weeks. He still looks like a string bean because of his lean legs.
His hands are so huge my brother says he'll be able to palm a basketball by the time he's four. Fingers and toes and feet are also very large. Everyone who sees them comments.
He had so much hair when he was born he pretty much needed a haircut. We didn't do it though. His hair is still long at the back and covers one ear if I don't tuck it back behind the ear.
This is the list of things that makes me smile when I think about the little human being that I made in my gut and then (eventually) was able to get out to introduce to the world. He's awesome."
In other news - to keep those who are curious about the aches of reproduction updated: I've been to the doctor about my pain in my back. He says it's a muscle tear that is now causing the surrounding muscles to spasm. Sent me to massage therapy. I see an amazing woman (Pam) who has helped me a lot. She is also the one who has found the ripped cartilage in my ribs (technically costochondral separation), which is sending me to physiotherapy now. I'm hoping that I'll be fixed up soon, back to 'normal' so that I can start exercising. The reason for my sudden interest in exercise? I'm a fatty! Having spent my life as a skinny girl, it's been very hard to adjust to being a heavy girl. I can't even get my maternity pants from the six month mark up over my fat ass. Literally. My ass is so big it doesn't fit in the maternity pants. I haven't given in to the desire to start smoking again (which has been HARD), so I keep feeding my face food constantly. And I have the backyard to prove it. Which means that some poor physiotherapist is going to have to work quickly to get me in shape for exercising before I blow up from over consumption of food.
I'm told that being this hungry is part of breastfeeding, and that the hunger and weight will disappear after breastfeeding ends. Since I'm trying to be a good Mama and breastfeed for a minimum of a year, that means some challenges with food and weight ahead of me. It also means it's time for a sandwich since I'm starving again.