Month Two

By the fourth or fifth week I was starting to get the hang of the baby thing. I had to pay my sister to stay up with the baby one night because I thought I was going to loose my mind if I didn't get one night's sleep.

We were following a very strict schedule for feeding but sleeping was a whole other matter. Baby T would sleep off and on throughout the day but nothing regular. We put him in his crib the second night we were home from the hospital. This was a good thing. He loves his bed now. We NEVER put him in bed with us. Oh yes, there were many, many times I wanted to. Times I thought I was going to go crazy if I didn't get some sleep, but I did not want to start bad habits. This was something my husband and I talked about when we were pregnant. We decided that our marriage came first, and (for us) putting the baby in the bed was not healthy. I am so glad that I stuck to this commitment.

Between 5 and 8 weeks I slowly started to ease Baby T into going longer between feedings at night. I took out the 2 o'clock feeding and would feed him at 11:30pm or 12:00am and then again at 5:00am or 6:00am. I slowly moved that last evening feeding up. Eventually, by 8 weeks I was feeding him at about 9:30. The first night was rough. I closed the door and let him cry. Some people ask me if this was hard to do. To be honest, it wasn't. I was so miserable and exhausted. It was time for us all to have some sleep. Baby T cried from 9:30 to 11:30 that first night. I did NOT go in the room. I could see him on my video monitor. He was just fine. He was just mad. He cried from 4:00am to 6:00am the next morning. Again, I did not go in the room until 6:00am. The second night was a little better. By the third night--no crying. So at 8 weeks, Baby T slept from 9:30 until 6:00. It was magical. He was happier, and I was happier. Now at almost 5 months, he sleeps from 8:30pm until about 8:00am.

We also started reading books at about 5 or 6 weeks. At first, his favorite books were the Eric Carle board books. He loved Polar Bear, Polar Bear and Brown Bear, Brown Bear. He loved the animal noises we would make. We read books every morning after his first bottle.


Products for this month

The Lamb Swing
This is a miracle worker for us. When Baby T out grows this, I will cry. It works wonders. It swings side to side.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3090973

Bibs
We were not aware of the excess amount of bibs that we were going to need. We go through about 6 a day. A new one for every feeding. Lots of laundry...

Play Gym
This is Baby T's favorite toy. He can literally play with it for an hour. He hits and swings and even takes off the toys.
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/farm-play-gym/

Bumbo
We used this some, but not as much as other people. Baby T does not like to be in it for very long. I think we might use it more when we start spoon-feeding.

Boppy
Also not something I used much. I think bc I didn't breast feed. I did sit Baby T in when he was little and feed him.

Sleep Positioner
We used this from the start. It helped him stay in one postion and feel secure. He out grew it by three months.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2341851

Bath Products
We use Mustela products. They are expensive, but the one time I used Johnson & Johnson, Baby T broke out in a rash. Scared me to death.

Birth Announcements
I looked everwhere for a cute birth announcement. I love paper! So this was very important to me. I finally decided on one from Minted. Here are few suggestions:
www.minted.com
www.tinyprints.com
www.paperstyle.com