Braxton Allen - {2 Months Old}

I can't believe you are already 2 months old! 

It makes me so sad to think that you are growing up so fast! Where did my squishy little newborn go!?!

You are already weighing in at 12 pounds 7 ounces (49.61%) 

and are 23.75 inches long. 

You've gained just under 4 pounds since your 2 week check up!

You have completely outgrown all of your newborn clothes (around 6 weeks) and are fully wearing 0-3 month clothes. 

Mommy must be better at judging diaper sizes this time around, because we haven't had nearly as many leaks with you as we did with big brother! You've been in size 1 since about 5/6 weeks. You wear size 2 for bedtime. We have one more case of size 1 left and then we will be moving on to size 2 already!

Despite the lack of big smiles for your pictures, you are a fairly smiley guy! Although, you do make us work for them more than Christian ever did and I would even say you are a bit of a serious little mister!

You usually are out cold for the night between 8 and 9 pm and then wake up to eat around 4am. Wow. I guess you are usually sleeping about 7-8 hours at night...but it doesn't seem like it since I don't go to bed when you do. It also doesn't help that your big brother is often up more times a night than you are! Mommy is tired! 

We have yet to really start a bedtime routine with you...at least one where you end up in your bed right away (the bassinet on the pack n play). We either rock you to sleep in the living room and then snuggle with you until we go to bed, or we put you in the swing...and then sneak you out for sleepy snuggles!

During the day you are usually awake for about an hour and then you nap again. You're usually up for the day between 7 and 8 am and are still eating every 2-3 hours. When you take a bottle its usually between 3-4 oz.

You are still napping in your swing. If I swaddle you first, you take the best naps that way! Our magic sleepsuit should be here next week, though, so we may start trying some crib or pack n play naps!

Likes:

-Skin to skin time with Daddy 

-Naps in the swing

-Playing on your play mat and "talking" to the kitty!

-Watching brother play 

-Kicking your legs/feet

-Being swaddled...although it makes you grunt like crazy!

-Being on your changing table -- we get the most smiles here!

-Floor time (you are liking being held less...unless of course you are facing out and can see the world!)

-Being outside

Dislikes:

-Tummy time for too long

-Pooping

-Poopy diapers

-Being tired

-Being hungry

-Not being able to move

-Baby wearing!? Unless you are ready to sleep. Hopefully we can forward face in the carrier soon!

Milestones:

-Smiling

-Continuing to be chatty when you feel like it

-Found your hands! Christian used to stare at them like crazy. I've caught you doing that maybe once or twice. You just like to eat them! 

-Went to your first wedding -- Uncle Justin and Aunt Megan's wedding (day after you turned 2 months old)

-Slept 8.5 hours straight!

-Trying to pull yourself forward

-Great Grandma Charlotte passed away

-Lots of road trips to Cornell! Luckily, you've gotten to be a much better traveler!

-Your first Easter

-You were baptized

-Met Grandpa Foote for the first time

-Met Great Grandma Breiby ("The Other Grandma" as Christian calls her)

-Mommy started cooking dinner again!

-You took your first bottle like a champ!

Pictures from the past month:

Cooking dinner for the first time since you were born! All of mommy's helpers. Thank goodness for baby wearing!

Loving play time on the floor.

Visits from Grammy!

Some of your first smiles! They were hard to get pictures of! 

Meeting Great Grandma Breiby for the first time.

Your first bottle.

Love your smiles!

Sleeping in Grandpa Foote's arms after you were baptized.

Baptism day -- April 9, 2016

All tuckered out from getting baptized...

The cutest little brother around!

You are such a joy, little man! Can't wait for all that the next months bring! We can't imagine our lives without you and love you so much! Christian is even pretty protective of you -- saying "Don't touch my baby brother" or "That's MY baby brother" when people meet you and rub your feet or want to hold you. He also gets jealous when other people are holding you and will all of a sudden want to hold you instead! You're a lucky boy to have him as your big brother!

We love you! 

Easter 2016

Finally getting around to sharing about Easter! 

Christian was SO into it this year which was a ton of fun! 

He actually really got how to dye eggs. Last year he was more interested in the "kerplunk" of dropping the eggs in the dye and watching them splash. This year he actually had the patience to set the eggs in the dye fairly gently and let them sit for awhile! 

Braxton, on the other hand, slept through all of the egg dying... 

I don't think there were really any that were too cracked this year either! 

I only made a dozen, but should have done more. He asked for more when they were gone...and asked again the next day if he could dye Easter eggs again!

Braxton made his first "craft". Christian's attention span was definitely stretched with putting on the cotton balls on, but I sure have 2 cute little bunnies!

We do one Easter basket for each of the boys and fill it with things they are into or need. Unfortunately, I ordered a pottery barn basket liner for Braxton and when I went to put it on his basket I realized they embroidered his name on it upside down. Huge bummer! Even more so when I called to get it replaced and they told me they were out of that liner! We tried a different one only to be disappointed in how little his name "popped" so hopefully we have better luck next year! 

On Easter morning Christian came into our room and we told him the Easter bunny came and hid Easter eggs and an Easter basket. He was SO excited!! 

After finding eggs and his basket and eating lots of jelly beans, we got dressed and were off to church! 

Braxton slept through the service...

Luckily Christian did fairly well with his bag of toys...but I couldn't tell you what the message was about but HE IS RISEN! 

Our handsome boys in their Easter best! Too bad my big boy refused to wear his tie...

So fun watching Christian start to really learn and grasp the Easter story this year too!
Here is his take on it! 

Life with 2! {A Baby and A Toddler}

Before Braxton was born, I was pretty nervous about being a mama to TWO! I wanted another baby, but I was a little anxious about how to divide and share my time between two little loves. 

I don't know if it was because I thought that I could only love one of my boys at a time and that I couldn't be present and love them both at the same time or what. Yes, there have definitely been challenges with sharing my time, but often I am able to be with them both at the same time giving them both what they need....and it couldn't make my heart more full! 

We have fallen into a pretty good routine now, which has definitely helped! 

I try to get up before both boys, usually after Braxton's early morning feeding between 5/6am. Then I got a little time to myself to drink my coffee while it's still hot AND I get to get ready in peace and quiet. Yes, this often leaves me even more tired, but man it sure makes for a better start to our days! I'm fully ready to take on all that my boys have to offer as soon as they jump out of bed. 

We then do breakfast and usually a show while I pump after Braxton wakes up for the day. This is all usually around 7/8am. I get the boys dressed and ready and then we either head out the door to an activity or I get Braxton in his swing to sleep and Christian and I start playing. 

It doesn't always go so smooth, but when it doesn't, moments like these still make it worth it. 

Watching Christian love on his baby brother about makes my heart explode! He loves to hold him and talk to him.

And includes him in his play whenever he can! 

Or joins him in his play!

If we can have a good morning and start to the day, the rest of the day is usually a breeze!

Sometimes the challenges of the day come when Braxton needs comforting or help getting to sleep and Christian needs me too -- to play with him, get him lunch, or just plain chase after him when we are out and about! 

That's when baby wearing saves the day! 

I don't know how I got by without baby wearing much with Christian. I seriously love it! I get baby snuggles in AND I get to keep up with Christian and have time with him. 

Braxton wasn't the biggest fan of baby wearing in the early weeks. He would fight it and usually get mad that he was so close to me, yet wasn't nursing. You can nurse while baby wearing, but he was still too little for me to be able to figure that out. Once he finally embraced it, he would just zonk right out and take some of his longest naps! He sleeps especially well if I vacuum while wearing him! 

I've tried a lot of different baby carriers -- Chicco Baby Carrier, Moby, JJ Cole Agility Wrap, Beco Gemini, and the Wrapy. 

The Chicco KILLED my back and doesn't have the ergonomic design that is good for baby's hips.

The Moby would stretch out really fast and I could never get it wrapped tight enough. 

The Wrapy (pictured below) is basically a Moby but I love the fabric so much more! It's super soft and stretchy and holds baby tight to you! There is a lot of fabric, but once you get the hang of wrapping, it's really easy. There are also plenty of videos on the Wrapy website for how to wrap. This wrap is so comfortable!

The JJ Cole Agility wrap has the same concept as the Moby and Wrapy without the wrapping. WAY less fabric and very comfortable, but I didn't feel like it held baby tight enough to me.  At least not in comparison to a structured carrier.

Love that my hands are now free and I can get stuff done! Such a necessity with baby #2!

Wraps I find to work really well when your baby is still really little and snuggly. Now that Braxton is getting a little bigger -- let's be honest, he's a chunky man! - I prefer a more structured carrier and LOVE my Beco gemini! Holds him so tight and secure and I can even bend over without feeling like he might fall out. Keeps him nice and tight to my chest and I'm able to get so much done! Like making dinner with my big helper, Christian. 

I don't think I could survive life with 2 without baby wearing. With summer coming up, I'm sure I will be baby wearing even more as I'm chasing Christian around outside.

We are definitely settled in to life as a family of 4 and we couldn't be happier!

**I was provided a Wrapy Baby Wrap for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% my own**

You can purchase your own Wrapy here. They are currently only shipping within the US. 

For even more information on the Wrapy Baby Wrap, check them out on

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The Beginning

Introducing Christian to Braxton was the moment I was most nervous for....even before he was born. Labor had nothing on how nervous I was for this moment. I had read that mommy shouldn't be holding the new addition when Big Brother came to visit and so I made sure that Braxton was in his bassinet before Christian came into the room. I was fully available for all the snuggles after being away from him for the past almost 24 hours. 

But do you know what that stinker did?! He came running into the room, completely ignoring me and didn't even acknowledge my presence except to ask, "Where is baby Braxton!?" immediately followed by, "Can I hold him!?"

His interest in holding him lasted maybe 30 seconds before he started saying he was all done. But boy did that initial meeting go so much better than we could have ever hoped or imagined! 

Christian did want to sit in mommy's lap instead of with Daddy for our first family photo, though :) 

After that he was more interested in his camera that baby brother gave him. But the visit was a success! Especially since we had debated not even having him come to the hospital until the next day to go home with us. He was originally supposed to be with grandma, but since she had Parent Teacher conferences she couldn't come until that night, which was too late for him to come visit. Drop off before we headed to the hospital had been a bit tearful, so we worried he wouldn't want to leave us...but nope! He pushed his little friend Henry in his stroller right out the door when it was time to go and never looked back!

The next day Christian came back with Grandma and was able to get in on some new brother pictures! He kept saying, "He has hands like me! He has ears like me!" noting all of their same body parts. It was so precious!

   

We all rode home from the hospital together and from the time we entered the house, it was as if Braxton had always been there. 

Christian was excited to be a big helper and made sure Braxton had lots of toys...even if he was sleeping :) 

   

There were a few times that he wanted to be a baby too...

Slowly but surely he's been enjoying holding his baby brother longer too.

And even tries to "feed" him. Luckily we have introduced a bottle now and he can actually feed him sometimes too! 

It's been so fun watching these 2 together! And my fears about totally disrupting Christian's life immediately vanished as I have been watching them bond. I can't wait until they can start playing together!