Two Months

We have now added the "s" onto "months" and now they will begin to fly by quicker than I'd like to see. Regardless, our sweet littlest man turned two months old yesterday (and his big brother turned 20 months!) I feel like this past month, we have really found our stride as a little family of four. I feel back to normal, Ryder is getting the hang of life outside the womb and Finn is realizing that this new little human doll is here to stay. We are also on more of a schedule now that makes life a lot more manageable with two under two (see previous post).

Our sweet, Ryder, you are changing by the day! Your neck support has gotten so much better, but you still don't like tummy time. You still love hearing our voices and will now turn your head to follow us around the room. You love to stare at the black and white pictures on the wall when sitting on the couch and the fan when laying on our bed.

A big (the biggest) accomplishment for this month is sleeping through the night! Your big brother spent a few days in Greenville with his cousins earlier this month and I was really able to work on your schedule with you. After three days of all of your naps being swaddled in your crib and following a regular feeding schedule, you started sleeping 8-10 hours at night. We do a combined bedtime routine with Finn and you started taking baths together (with mommy and daddy there to make sure your brother doesn't try to sit on you or pick you up). Then, we read books, Finn gets a cup of milk and daddy gives you your bottle. You're in bed by 8 and will sleep until 4am (occasionally 6am!) Mommy is most thankful for this as I am not a night owl.

You are also starting to get the hang of nursing and it has become so much easier for both of us. You're up to 11.11lbs and 23in! This puts you exactly in the 50th % for both weight and length. We are starting to see the little rolls on your arms and legs and you're in size 3 month clothes and size 1 diapers.

You've started smiling regularly and it's just the sweetest! You actually seem to like having your diaper changed and tolerate baths (i.e. no screaming). Your baby acne has cleared up and your hairline has started to recede. That description can only really be cute on a little guy like you. Here are some pics from the month:

 Stealing some snuggles while daddy plays with Finn.

 

"love" from your big brother. We're trying to work on him not pulling you off the couch.

Now that I'm "cleared" to work out, we've been going on walks with stops at the playground and this is how we travel these days. Pushing a combined 90lbs of stroller and babies should get mommy back into shape in no time.

 This is the look I usually get after you eat.

 

He really does love you.

 post nap family selfie

 I celebrated my first Mother's Day as a mommy of two and it was much less eventful than last year with big brother. We went out to breakfast and spent some quality time at the playground.

 And our collage starts...

The Boys' Schedule

For anyone that knows me, they know I am a scheduled person. And that may be putting it mildly. I have had a couple people ask me what our daily schedule looks like with two littles under two, so I am posting it here so I can easily share it with others as well as remember it in the future. I'm not going to lie, it's hard work this mom life. Harder than I've ever done before. These two little men have my heart, but they also have all of my time and attention these days. I wouldn't trade these busy days for all of the empty hours I've had over the last several years.

With Finn, we used the Moms on Call infant schedule and it worked wonderfully. While I was pregnant with Ryder, I may still be reading read the Moms on Call Toddler Book and they have some great schedules listed out for having a toddler and an infant.  If you have two under two or pretty close to it, I highly recommend giving it a shot to see if it works for you. At 6 weeks, Ryder is sleeping anywhere from 6-8 hours straight at night. Let me preface this by saying that we by no means have this down to a perfect science. Some days it works better than others. This is just how I try to structure our day.

6:00- I wake up, grab a cup of coffee and have a few minutes of quiet before the boys are up

6:30- I get Ryder up (sometimes he's already awake and sometimes I wake him up, either way, I get him up and feed him).

7:30- I put Ryder back to bed for a short nap and get Finn out of his bed (he's usually been awake for 20 min or so by this point, but he's pretty content to stay in his crib for a bit) and feed him breakfast.

7:30-8:45ish- Playtime with Finn or I bring him to our room so I can try and get ready for anything we have that day.

9:00- Feed Ryder (he sleeps anywhere from 45 min to an hour for this first nap). During this time, Finn is usually in his play pen with some toys.

10:00-11:30- I run any errands, go for a walk to the playground or go to any activities for the day. Ryder will sleep in his carseat or Ergo for this nap.

12:00- I put Finn in his highchair for lunch and feed Ryder while he's eating.

12:30- I put Ryder in his bouncy seat while I put Finn down for his nap and then I put Ryder down for his nap, swaddled in his bed.

12:30-3:00- Nap time for BOTH boys. This is where I pass out myself get stuff done.

3:00- Feed Ryder

3:30/4:00- Finn usually wakes up

4:15- I put Ryder back in his bed for a short nap and I'll start prepping for dinner as much as I'm able with Finn up and around.

5:30- Feed Ryder and put him in his bouncy seat in the kitchen while I finish dinner.

6:15- Family dinner together

6:45- Bath time for both boys (I only do this if Dustin is home to help. We put Ryder's bath seat in the tub next to Finn and bathe them together. Then, I get Ryder's pj's on while Dustin does the same for Finn.)

7:30- Finn in bed and Dustin gives Ryder a bottle. I usually shower and then pump during this time.

8:00- Ryder in bed

Ryder will typically sleep until anywhere from 2-4AM when I'll get up and feed him. Regardless of when he eats during the night, he will last until 6:30 the next morning. I think one of the main keys to making this schedule or any schedule successful is patience. Patience for yourself and your babies. And when your patience is wearing thin, give yourself grace. Grace for the moment that just passed and the ones that haven't happened yet. These littles need you and just when you feel like you're too tired to continue, your one year old will start to dance and laugh and your one month old will smile and coo when he hears your voice. Yes, it's exhausting and there are days when I go to bed at night not being able to remember a single thing I did that day. But you get up and do it all again because it is so incredibly worth it. So pour that extra cup of coffee, reheat it four times and embrace the gift of today. And when today doesn't go as planned, there's always tomorrow.