Two-Months Old!

Some weeks I struggle with a title for the post, others come easily. This week there were a few contenders…Baby NOT for Rent Anymore, A New Not-So-Fussy Baby!, Happy Grandparent’s Day!, Officially on Leave!; but due to Finley’s Two-Month Milestone (and the fact that I’ve kept him healthy and alive that long), there was really no contest, Two-Months Old won out.
Can you believe Finley is two-months old? I can’t! Finley had his two-month check-up and immunizations this week. Our BIG BOY weighed in at 9 pounds 6 ounces and he’s 21.5 inches long. Finley gained a pound in 9 days – oink, oink :) Finley is still a peanut in comparison to other babies his age, he’s in the 9th percentile for both height/weight and his head circumference is in the 12th percentile (his big brain is full of smarts!) Dr. Myhre thought Finley looked good, he’s gaining head control, tracking voices/objects, and we’re waiting for that smile to become more consistent.

Finley received one oral immunization and three injections. He was such a trooper! I held his hands and talked to him while he got poked, he screamed for a few seconds and then it was done. After the trauma he slept aaaallllll day, only waking twice to eat. When he did wake he wasn’t happy, but finally around 9:00 p.m. he perked up.

This week I officially went from being a BFing mom to an EPing mom. What does that mean? Monday I was two minutes from running to Target and buying formula. It had been a long few days and I was doubting breastfeeding (BFing), Finley would nurse for 30-45 minutes and be hungry within 30 minutes again. Long story short, after many tears (my own and Finley's), I decided to exclusively pump (EPing) breastmilk and feed Finley via a bottle. I enjoyed the bonding with Finley, but some nights we were “bonding” every hour – I couldn’t do that and live a some-what normal life off of the couch. I wasn’t enjoying those evenings, I was frustrated, he was hungry, it wasn’t working (remember when he was up for rent?!?). Now I have more time to play with Finley, cuddle, get housework done, enjoy him and still provide him with the best nutrition. I will begin to wean on November 1st (this was my plan for BFing too), so that he’s on formula by the time I return to work. While I do miss the act of nursing a tiny bit (coming from the girl who thought nursing always looked a little creepy); our pediatrician is supportive of my decision, my baby’s growing, he’s sleeping better and he's not as fussy. Happy Mom = Happy Baby!

Last Sunday we spent the day with The Crew in Hudson; Finley’s first time attending a get-together as an outside baby. Babies of all ages were in attendance; Luciana was running around, Gavin was sitting up and babbling, Spencer was practicing sitting, Finley was napping in warm arms and BabyMac was baking in his/her mommy's belly.
Sunday night Finley started sleeping in his crib! We’ve got the monitor set up and I have a longer hike to get to him, but he’s doing really well and its been an easy transition. Dr. Myhre said its time to start putting Finley to bed awake (yet drowsy) and allowing him to fall asleep on his own. Luckily we’d started doing this and he hasn’t struggled; a few evenings he's quietly laid in his crib and watched his mobile for 30 mintues before falling asleep on his own (I'm so proud of him!). Finley also is sleeping longer - this past week we've had stretches of 4 hours (twice about 5 hours), followed by another 3 hours. Woo-hoo, we’re headed in the right direction. Here’s the cute boy on his first morning waking in his crib. Seriously – he’s so stinkin’ cute!
On Labor Day we went for a pontoon ride around Lake Altoona. It was a little windy so Spencer wore a blanket over his ears and I kept Finley snuggled in – I love a good snuggle!
Tuesday was my last day of work until December; it was an open house for students and their parents. I felt it was important to meet my students before my leave began. It looks like a great group – I’m sure Mrs. Tollefson will have them whipped into shape for my return :) Here's mom ready for the first day; check it out - you might not recognize me, I don't have a ponytail!!

While I was working, Finley went shopping with Grandma, Auntie and Spencer in the cities – lucky guy! Couldn’t they have waited one more day for mom to come?? Guess not! This is a bad picture of an upset baby, but check out the cute shoes Grandma bought him. You’d have thought they came with his outfit, nope, but Grandma the shopper found the perfect ones - gray with brown stripes to match the outfit he was wearing!
It’s starting to feel like fall in WI! I love this time of the year! Tuesday night Patrick, Finley and I walked the trails in our neighborhood. It was Finley’s first walk in the Bjorn – I enjoyed the bonus cuddle time and he slept the whole walk.
With our boy growing, it was time to move up a size in diapers again; Finley is in size ones now! I also packed up his preemie clothes and moved his newborns up a drawer. He’s even fitting into some 0-3 clothes. Goodbye preemie stuff!
We're still working on that smile, here's his first smile on camera. Auntie took it, but it only half-counts as a smile - he's sleeping so it wasn't intentional. The next pictures were Grandma's attempt and then mine, it's coming!
Happy Grandparent’s Day!

Friday night we had dinner with Grandma Kathleen for Grandparent’s Day, Grandpa Pat was vacationing in Nevada. Grandma & Grandpa Sullivan had recently returned from a trip in Alaska, they were thinking about Mr. Finley while they were gone and brought him back an Alaskan Moose.

Grandma and Grandpa left today for Philadelphia, they’ll be gone a week. I hope we make it without Grandma two miles away….time will tell! Spencer and Finley gave Grandma & Grandpa a present for Grandparent’s Day – matching chairs and towels for at the lake...(I LOVE Pottery Barn Kids!)