8 weeks old and other random thoughts

I can't believe it's been 8 weeks since Bee was born! A week ago I took him to the pediatrician because we were concerned that he so frequently seemed uncomfortable. He wasn't crying so much, but there was a lot of grunting, straining, and other expressions of discomfort that seemed distinct from those when he was pooping or farting. We were suspected reflux, and the pediatrician thought so too. She was wonderful as usual, saying exactly what I'd hoped, which was that while she doesn't like to throw medicine at infants a little Zantac wouldn't hurt and it was worth seeing if there is any improvement between then and we go for his 2 month appointment 2 weeks later. She also suggested putting him to sleep in his car seat, as I had also told her that he was not sleeping well. There were many nights (and days for that matter) when he would wake up every hour. While he's not sleeping for long stretches by anyone's definition, there has been some improvement since we started the Zantac and put him to bed in the carseat.

The Big surprise of our visit was his weight gain. He weighed in at 11 lbs 9 oz -- so he'd gained a bit more than 5 lbs in 5 weeks!!! The information sheet the pediatrician gave us at his 2 week appointment said that weight gain averages about 1 oz a day during the first several months. I figured out that Bee averaged 2.3 oz per day! Not that I should have been surprised -- one look at his thighs and double chin should have been a clue. I can't wait until his 2 month appointment – which is in one week - to see how long he is now and where he falls on the charts. Speaking of his thighs, his feet seem almost absurdly small on the end of his fat legs. ;)

This weight gain really shouldn't have been surprise for other reasons as well. The boy is an eating machine. He nurses constantly. He's such a loud and messy eater that he's gained a few nicknames. I call him milk face because when he comes off my boob his face is often covered with milk. He makes so much noise while eating that my husband calls him "smackers".

Having the low blood sugar when he was born was a blessing in disguise. Like his sister before him, my boy may not sleep but he can go from boob to bottle and back with no problem – and it doesn't matter if its breast milk or formula in the bottle he'll eat it! This allows me to get extra sleep, to run errands occasionally, and last weekend it allowed hubby and me to go out to dinner for our anniversary.

When he's in the mood, he loves his playmat, particularly the turtle with the mirror in its belly, and the octopus with the dangling legs. Like his mommy, he loves a nice warm bath, but not being removed from it!

The Ladybug remains in love with her little brother and is trying to usurp my role as mommy – good thing I have the boobs. She can often be heard repeating “my Bee” over and over again. She's constantly picking him up and holding him and in a very high pitched voice repeats “hey, little guy”.

Bee has been smiling at us for about 2 weeks now and the frequency is definitely increasing. There's nothing better than baby smiles.

His eyebrows are finally starting to show up.

For anyone not already bored to death, here are some photos for your viewing pleasure.