Speaking of loving things, Benjamin seems to LOVE his new role as big brother! Both Chris and I were pretty surprised, but he adores Andrew. Benjamin has his moments where he says, "Baby down? Baby down?" and runs over to Andrew's basinet so he can point to where I should set the baby (haha!), but he also has lots of moments when he asks to hold his brother or wants to give him kisses. He also loves tickling his toes or trying to do "This little piggy" with Andrew's tiny little feet! It absolutely melts my heart to see them together. I hope they continue to get along and will be great friends growing up together! It makes me thankful that the boys are close in age, as much as I worried about that.
Benjamin is still going to "school" on Monday and Friday mornings, which gives me some alone time with Andrew. I also use this time to go to the grocery store and run errands since taking two babies out of the house is definitely a lot more challenging! Plus there is literally no room in the shopping carts if I have both Benjamin and Andrew! ;)
Benjamin and I have gone on a few "Mommy Dates" to gymnastics or to get a treat at McDonalds. It is SO nice to have alone time with him, too. I have a lot of guilt that so much of my time is spent feeding or caring for Andrew these days. Benjamin definitely watches a bit more TV or uses the iPad more than ever before! He seems to be adjusting to all the changes really well though! I am so proud of him.
As I said earlier, things are busy around here, so I better get going with the stats! :)
Benjamin
Age : 22 months
Weight : 29 pounds
Clothing and Diaper Size : 2T in Janie and Jack, 90 in Hanna Andersson, and size 5 diaper
Milestones : Benjamin is talking up a storm and saying so many words these days! We love when he sings along with songs in the car. He especially loves the Frozen CD and will belt out the songs! He is Mr. Independent lately, saying "I do that! I do that!" when we try to help him with something he wants to do himself. :) I think he has officially outgrown his high chair. He will still sit in one at restaurants (for now), but at home he wants to sit in his booster chair at the regular table or at his little table. While I miss the ease of wiping down the high chair, it is fun to watch him with his new found independence at the tables!
Sleep : Benjamin continues to be a champ with sleeping! Still sleeping through the night from around 8:30-7ish, and then has an afternoon nap around 1 or 2 for about 2 hours.
Eating : Benjamin is definitely getting pickier with his eating habits! He loves scrambled eggs, french fries with ketchup, chicken nuggets with any kind of sauce, avocado, corn on the cob, fruit, Uncrustables, yogurt, carrots, bell peppers, popcorn, and Cheetos! After enjoying several "treats" in his Easter basket, he asks for "nandy" (candy) on a regular basis. I had to clear out the candy drawer and hide all of it because he was asking for candy rather than eating his meals! :) He loves to get smoothies - or shakes on extra special days! - from McDonalds.
Favorites : Games of "chase" where he runs after his friends or Mommy or Daddy (or Maggie!), holding his baby brother, watching videos of Disney World or other fun activities we've done on Mommy's iPhone, Jake and the Neverland Pirates TV show, Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2, singing the Frozen Soundtrack in the car, bath time, swimming with Daddy at the YMCA, gymnastics open gym at the Flames Tot Gym, eating sauce or dips with his food (ketchup, honey mustard, peanut butter, etc!). bubbles, and looooooooves playing outside in his new playhouse (or playing outside at all!).
Doesn't like : Being told no :), time outs for hitting or biting or being rough with Maggie, or being tired.
Andrew
Age : 6 weeks
Weight : Was almost 9 pounds at his 1 month doctor appointment, but I am guessing he has gained a lot of weight since then!!
Clothing and Diaper Size : 50 in Hanna Andersson, 3 month in Carters, and size 1 diaper
Milestones : Andrew has had a lot more awake time during the day lately, and loves to look around and check out his world! He has beautiful blue eyes right now. I am curious to see if they will stay that color! Around 4 weeks old Andrew rolled over in his crib on his own. Last week I saw him do it several more times during tummy time on the carpet in the living room! I have a feeling he will be on the move quite a bit earlier than his big brother was! I think I may have seen a few little grins, but I am not sure if I would say he is socially smiling at us just yet. I think he is so close though! That first big smile will be a great moment!
Sleep : For the past 3 days, Andrew has slept NON STOP during the day! Before that, he was quite fussy and wanting to eat all the time, so I think he may be going through a growth spurt. I am trying to enjoy the quiet time while it lasts and get lots done. ;) Most nights during the week Andrew eats around 10:00pm for the last time, and then doesn't get up again until around 2 or 3am. I am up for about 30 minutes changing him and feeding him, and then he'll usually go back to sleep until around 5am! We still have occasional nights where he is up every 2-3 hours though. Andrew loves to be swaddled in his Ollie swaddle (that particular swaddle is awesome! It works like magic!!), and also likes to nap on his tummy during the day in his crib. At night he sleeps in his Fisher Price Rock and Play Sleeper next to our bed.
Eating : I am breast feeding Andrew and it is going so well! I find that he is able to eat a lot quicker than Benjamin did in the beginning. I am very thankful, because I don't think I would have 40 minutes to sit on the couch and feed him every 2 hours like I used to with Benjamin! I notice that I have a let down when feeding Andrew, where as with Benjamin I never did. I can pump two 2.5 ounce bottles for Andrew in about 5 minutes! With Benjamin it would've taken me 20 minutes to pump that much. I feed Andrew about every 2-3 hours for 10 minutes or so on each side. Based on what I am pumping, I think he is eating about 5-6 ounces at each feeding.
Favorites : Bath time and towels out of the towel warmer, sleeping on his tummy, pacifiers when he isn't hungry, being swaddled in his Ollie swaddle, and cuddling with Mommy, Daddy, or big brother. <3
Doesn't like : Having gas, being hungry, pacifiers when he is hungry, or being cold.
