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Ezra is already TWO months old. In some ways I’m really sad about how quickly time seems to be going by. In other ways, I’m really looking forward to a true date night sometime in the next six months (gosh, I hope it’s sooner, but this boy needs to take a bottle first) and our fifth anniversary trip my husband and I originally planned for October, but with a baby who won’t take a bottle, we’ve rescheduled for January/February. We will try to escape for one night if somehow the baby miraculously takes a bottle in the next month though.
Today I want to share a few of our comparison photos of Ezra. I have taken three versions because I just can’t decide which one I want to do most. Since they are all easy, I’ll probably keep doing all of them. :) He’s super smiley these days, but of course, the second I put my camera up he gets the most serious faces. Such is life.
So, since I’m all about being honest, I thought I’d share some challenges today along with the wonderful times. I’m really starting to dread the nights a bit like I did with Bodhi. It’s a pretty terrible feeling right before bed. Because Ezra has been a pretty good sleeper, I’ve mostly just been grateful for whatever sleep I get. I’m now feeling nervous before bed, not knowing how often I’ll be up.
It makes it hard to fall asleep and it’s just a bad feeling. I’m also too nervous about sleep to go out much past 9 p.m. I’m craving a ladies night, a date night, some time alone… everything, but since I have to go to bed super early to feel well, I’m missing out some. I’m aware of that fear and I know it’s ridiculous so I’m working through it. :) I have little to no control over sleep and need to be ok with that. I also truly know and understand that this is just temporary and is just this particularly season in our lives.
I’ve been a bit of a downer so far. The lack of sleep can really get to you. But, in month two, Ezra and I have established our maternity leave routine some which has been nice. We go to BYOB (bring your own baby) yoga every Thursday (Thanks Megan for buying us a pass as a baby shower gift!). We’re starting babywearing Barre classes this week and we are getting some long walks in each day. I’ve also had no problem shopping and running errands with him as long as he’s in one of our baby carriers. The car ride is the only really tough thing.
Month two things to remember
- Smiling a lot.
- Babbling often.
- Holding up his head much better.
- Enjoying time with his Ikea baby gym.
- Grasping for toys, but not truly holding them yet.
- Slept 5 hours five nights in a row.
- Slept 6-7 hours for nearly two weeks. Sadly, he’s regressed the last two nights with only a 3-4 hour period at best and it’s usually from 7:30 to 11:30, so that means I really only get an hour or two since I still stay up to do a few things or watch a movie with the hubby once in a while. :(
- No longer falling asleep on his own. I’m not sure if it’s because we’ve had people visiting so he tends to sleep in arms more often or if it’s something else, but I’m definitely bummed about this and trying to slowly ease him back into this as it was amazing.
- Naps are getting much shorter. The honeymoon phase with sleep appears to be over for us. Kind of funny. Kind of frustrating.
- Still refusing a bottle.
- Has a very hard time nursing when he’s upset. This is a hard one to deal with. Bodhi was a comfort nursing baby so when he was upset, he had no problem eating/nursing. Ezra absolutely refuses if he’s under any stress or discomfort even if it’s been hours.
- Very distracted when nursing. Constantly looking around. If there are noises or we’re in public with or without a nursing cover, he really struggles.
- Rolled from front to back twice at 6 weeks, but it was mostly out of frustration as he was SO done with tummy time.
- First Ikea trip. He slept in the Baby K’tan the entire time. This is definitely my current favorite carrier. He also does well in our other two.
- First trip to the state fair on Saturday which was also the day he turned two months old.
Ezra’s dislikes in month two
- Still not loving baths. We finally tried it with a space heater in the bathroom and it helped.
- Doesn’t seem to love action-when our house is noisy or there are many people talking to him etc… at one time, he gets unhappy quickly. He seems to prefer calm.
- Still not loving getting changed (clothes not diaper).
- Carseat. Ugh! This one is SO frustrating. We had some improvement a few weeks back, but it’s terrible again. And we have to pick Bodhi up from preschool every single day (15-20 minute drive one way and nearly 40 back due to traffic). It’s torture.
- Being held. He doesn’t always dislike this, but anytime I hand him to almost anyone to get held, he cries. He does well with my husband and I, sometimes Bodhi and sometimes my mom, but other than that, it’s not great.
And Bodhi is still doing really well as a big brother. He was home with me last week and I loved all of our conversations. While it isn’t quite the same as being with adults, it definitely makes me feel more human to have him home chatting with me, helping with things etc… Love that big boy so much!
I’m ending today with this goofy photo. It’s certainly not the best quality, but I love it!
To see our other monthly photos and read about baby’s likes and dislikes, check out this post from month one.
Have a wonderful week!
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I love that you keep it real and admit it’s not all rosy all the time. :) My son just turned three and I’m home with a 5-week-old, so I relate. Could you possibly share where you are taking yoga and Barre classes with Ezra? I’m in the Minneapolis area also and would love to find classes like this. Thanks!
Hi Brooke! Thanks for stopping by. Yes, I take classes at Blooma. It’s great!
Baby wearing barre class? Sounds cool. I’ll have to look into it for my upcoming winter maternity leave. To be honest I am jealous of your summer leave! I had a spring maternity leave with Juliet and it was glorious to be outdoors everyday. I’m just not sure how it will go being cooped up indoors all day everyday.
I hope Ezra’s sleep gets better soon. And the whole bottle thing? Uh. Juliet went on bottle strike the week before I went back to work and it was stressful but she took it eventually. She had to, which made me sad, but they won’t starve themselves…hopefully you will get your night out soon!
Ben is in major sleep regression mode as well. About an hour or so at a time. Absolutely brutal. Hang in there — it helped me just to know that I’m not alone! We should chat in the wee hours of the morning for sanity’s sake ;)
I’m SO sorry you are dealing with that right now. Ezra has improved just a touch these past two nights, but still not my 7-hour stretch sleeper. :( Yes, let’s text! :)
Ezra is adorable!! Thanks for sharing some recent photos. I hope the sleeping gets better soon, those nights can get sooooo long. As you said it is a season of life but is still tough when you are in the middle of it. And I hope you get your date night soon!!
life with a newborn is full of highs and lows huh?! (although the highs make up for the lows). I feel ya friend and will be there shortly! He’s gorgeous and you’re doing a GREAT job!
Such sweet boys! Hang in there mama. It’s so hard to get a routine when they are changing so much each day! Rest up!
So many challenges and great times at every milestone, it can be so hard when the challenges seem so big. Plus lack of sleep makes everything harder. I loved all the pictures you shared though.
Such a cutie! I love the pictures with big brother.