Brady,  you were two months old on Dec. 26, the day after Christmas! How time flies. This season has been so busy and filled with family and friends. I don’t feel like I’ve gotten to catch my breath really and all the while you’re growing so quickly.

You’ve outgrown your newborn clothes. I think I was in denial because I was still trying to make you wear them and it was sorta a fight to get them on you. Sorry, buddy.  You’re making lots of noises these days… really discovering your “voice” of coos and gurgles, which are accompanied by the sweetest facial expressions.  When you’re awake you’re AWAKE and alert and making noises. You even make noises while you sleep like you’re dreaming.  Some nights lately it seems like you’ve had night terrors, because you wake up screaming and your eyes are still closed, but you go back to sleep almost immediately.  I about fly out of bed at the sound of this. You’re still sleeping in your car seat, but we’ve put it in the stroller frame so you’re higher up and not on the ground where it gets cold at night. And yes, you’re still next to my bed. It’s convenient b/c I can just lean over and put your pacifier back in or rock your stroller back and forth. Sometimes I fall asleep while doing this and wake up with my arm on your stroller. You’ve averaged about 5-6 hours of sleep at night now, which means I’m getting about 4-5 hours at a time. Thank you!  You’re also taking some good afternoon naps and are slowly liking the idea of laying on your back more often.  We don’t really have a “schedule” yet because some days you’re very awake and active and other days you sleep for hours on end and only get woken up to eat.

You seem to think baths are “ok” lately. Your face is filled with skepticism, but you’re quiet and make cute little sighs as if you’re enjoying it. You’re impossible to keep clean/dry. You go through at least 3 bibs/day and sometimes that many outfits. You also have many blow-out diapers. Dawn soap is the only thing that gets out your poop stains. Dang, those are powerful stains!  Good thing I don’t wear “nice” clothes around the house when these blowouts happen. You’ll be happy to know that we’ve captured some of your loud “sharts” on video and  you have your own YouTube channel chock full of fun videos as you grow.

I waited until you were at least 6 weeks old to take you out in public (except for doctor visits), but I still keep you pretty much in a bubble even in public. Hey, it’s flu season and I don’t mess around. When we’re out and about, I use so much hand sanitizer it’s sick. Thankfully, Dad is still doing the grocery shopping for us (since we hit 3 stores in a day) but I’m sure you and I will pick that back up sometime soon when we can take our time during the week days.

You’ve been nursing a little here and there. I was exclusively feeding you my milk via bottle, because I was pumping to make sure you were getting enough to eat. You seem to balance both well so, we’ll keep at it. You also seem to be gaining weight like a champ these days.

At your 2 month check up you were 11 lbs 10 oz (70%) and 23 inches (50%) and your head circumference was 16 1/2 inches (90% – big head – it runs in the family.) You also got 3 shots in your legs and were such a brave little boy. You only cried while they gave you the shots and were soothed when I picked you up and you snuggled into my chest.

Below are some photos shot around your 2 month “birthday”. The photos of you and me together were taken by Daria Ratliff Photography (one of your grandmas) & edited by me.