2 Month Update & Pics

 

12 lb, 9 oz 

23" long

On July 16th, Daniel turned 2 months old.  Cannot believe how fast 2 months can pass a person by.  Sigh.  Month 2 was a much busier month for us, we were on the go a lot more, and I took Daniel out a lot more to run errands with me.  A quick run to target turns into a much bigger production when you have to get the car seat in and out, get it snapped onto the shopping cart just right, etc.   I don't mind lugging his car seat around though.  For one, it's more time we have together.  For two, it's a great workout! 

A couple items from this month:

• At Daniel's 2 month well check yesterday, we had to get our first set of shots.  He had one great big, red faced cry (the kind where he doesn't breathe for awhile before the scream comes out, where you just brace yourself bc you can see how big of a scream it's going to be) but then it was over and I could scoop him up and comfort him, so he calmed down right away.  Good things, b/c I was about to lose it right along with him.  He was a little fussier than normal yesterday after the shots, and the Baby Tylenol kept making him throw up, but other than that he didn't have too much of a reaction to the shots.
• Other comments from Dr. Hartman were that he has a great shaped head (yay!) that he's growing great and gaining weight like a champ - so much so that she said I need to start pushing him at night to fall back asleep instead of jumping to feed him when he starts stirring.
• He's gotten to where he does a 5 hour stretch of sleep at night, and then wakes up every 2 hours or so after that.  Problem is that he starts his 5 hour stretch at 7 or 8 p.m., we need to work on moving that back a couple hours and then I think we'd only be waking up once in the night to feed.  By 2 months of age, almost 50% of infants will sleep up to 6 hours...Daniel has done this 3 times, but usually it's more along the lines of 4-5 hours. 
• He's found his fists and he has started sucking on them, it's pretty darn cute.
• His hair is looking pretty coppery in the right light.  (Maybe all those Lewis grand babies will be red heads!) He's getting more hair, but still has the most at the back of his head, by his neck.
• We've been able to get him to smile on command within the last week or two.  Such a treat!! Love it!!  It's not always that he'll do it, but if he's content with a full belly, it's usually pretty easy to get some big smiles.  
• He LOVES watching his crib mobile.  The dang thing only lasts about 60 seconds before it needs to be cranked up again, my only complaint.  I have to admit, he hasn't slept much in his crib, but over the next couple weeks my goal is to get him transitioned.  So far he's been starting out in his pack n play bassinet in our room, then when he wakes up in the middle of the night to eat, I usually nurse him laying down and we both fall asleep that way and he usually stays in our bed til morning.  I really really love sleeping with him, it's going to be sad to keep him in his crib all night, but I know I need to do that before he gets too much older and the transition becomes harder.  Plus, we have to provide our sitter his pack n play, so we won't have that in our room any longer after I go back to work on Aug 8.

A few pics from Month 2:

On Father's Day, June 19, we got some professional pics taken, was a train themed shoot.  Here are some of my favorites:

On a fussy afternoon, we needed the drier to calm us down, 6.21.11:

Daddy's purchase for Daniel's wardrobe, 6.27.11:

Having a good dream, 6.28.11:

Meeting cousins Ava & Gavin for the first time!!! 6.29-30.11:

Snoozing with Dad, 7.1.11:

Daniel's first trip to the Ozarks, 7.2.11:

Shopping with Mommy includes diaper changes in the trunk! 7.7.11:

 Visit with Great Grandma Meyer in Beatrice, 7.10.11:

 Big boy!!  7.16.11:

Hey, these shoes aren't for me!  This is boring, I'll just go to sleep.  7.21.11:

Daniel's First Road Trip

Daniel was a total trooper for his first major road trip (to TX) on July 15-18.  We stopped twice to feed him on the way down, and only once on the way back.  I think we were going on 6 hours from the last feeding by the time we got home, wow! 

Here's a pic when we've been in the car for about 8 hours on the way there.  Hanging in there but starting to question when these people are ever going to let me out of this seat (and seriously, mom, get this rattle off my ankle):

Playing with Aunt Cristin:

Hanging out with Great Grandpa Ron:

The fam:

Cousin Camp 2011

Rita Ann started a new tradition this year called Cousin Camp, so fun!!  Cousin Camp 2011 took place on July 12-13.  Every summer Ava & Gavin come from AZ for a week or so and stay with Todd & RA, so we will get to have annual cousin camps to look forward to. In this inaugural year, our activities included:

• Lots of holding and singing to and taking care of Baby Daniel.  Ava was such a good little caretaker singing lots of songs, helping me change diapers, making sure I never forgot to give him his gas drops, making sure he had blankets and wasn't ever cold, etc.  She was interested in how I nursed him and I must've referred to Daniel latching on b/c at one point he was fussing when I was feeding him, Ava asked if he became "unhatched."  LOL, love it!  Gavin was so sweet with Daniel, too, and did his fair share of holding and singing.  He was always most interested in whether or not Daniel should have his pacifier.  :)  Because of all of the love Baby Daniel got, we didn't get through all of the activities Grandma had planned, but we had a great time with the ones we fit in!
• We built a "campfire" in the living room, invited the bear family to join us, "roasted" marshmellows for smores, told ghost stories, and sang campfire songs.
• We jumped on the trampoline and played on the swing set.
• Ava & Gavin put on a puppet show for Daniel, RA, and I (seriously hilarious the stuff they come up with)
• Ava & I went and got our nails done
• Got to visit with great grandpa Russell, great uncle Ronnie, and GG Jim & GG Sandra. 

It was sad to leave after all of that fun, especially because we won't see the kids again for awhile.  We're going to have to be better about skyping so the cousins can keep in good touch!  Good thing Grandma's not too far away so we can see her and Grandpa soon!

A few pictures from camp:

Ava & Gavin greeting Daniel when we got to the ville:

Pajama Party:

(side note, these pj's of his are my FAVES! Little penguins on them and shirt says Just Chillin)

Snuggling with Grandma:

Baby A is a......

BOY!!!!!!

This picture is taken in the soon-to-be nursery.  When all of their guests came over for the housewarming party on Saturday and got the tour of the house, they got to find out the gender of the baby when they came to this room.  Fun idea!  

We are thrilled that Daniel and Baby A will be so close in age - just 7 months apart.  They are going to best buds!  And even more importantly, all is looking healthy and normal with Baby A and he's big enough now (she is 20 weeks along) that Sarah is feeling him kicking around in there - Patrick even felt him too.  I think that's the best thing about being pregnant - feeling that little life inside there and just daydreaming and imagining any and everything about them.  Such a miracle!  I'm so happy for S&P that they are getting to experience these joys!!  So amazing!

  

Exciting Day

Today (in just a few short hours) we get to find out if Baby Altenhofen is a baby boy or baby girl!!  So excited I can't hardly stand it.  Cody thinks girl, I am going with boy. 

Sarah and Patrick found out yesterday morning at 9:00 and I thought surely between then and now I could get the news out of her.  She's the worst with secrets, so I was pretty confident that I could break her down. Plus, being the older sister, I have always been able to get her to give in (i.e., as little girls our bedrooms were right next to each other and at bedtime if I thought of something to tell her I'd yell for her to come to my room, but she would say no, that I should come to her room.  And we'd go back and forth a few times until I would say in a really taunting way that I guess she'll never know what I wanted to tell her.  That suspense always got her out of bed and kept me tucked snugly in my own.)  But this time, there was nothing I could threaten that would get her to tell me.  She wanted to borrow a dress, so I said not unless you tell me the gender.  She wanted to borrow a fan, not unless you tell me the gender I said.  (of course she can still borrow the dress and fan)  Yesterday she even stopped answering my text messages and phone calls!!  Well, this is the first time in my entire life that I couldn't get my sister to do what I wanted.  I have to say I'm a bit disappointed in myself.  Just kidding.  :)

S&P have something planned to reveal the baby's gender to all of the immediate family at 1:00 today.  Then later this afternoon, they are having the actual gender reveal/housewarming party that was extended to other friends and family.  They moved into their house in Prairie Village the first of April and since then have done some renovations, repainted, and gotten new living room and dining room furniture.  So it's time for everyone to come see the house! 

I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but Baby A is scheduled to arrive Dec 13th!!

Texas bound

We are about to attempt Daniel's first major road trip...we are headed down to Kilgore, TX for Cody's cousin's wedding. Daniel has been to Beatrice (3 hr), the ville (1.5 hr), and the Ozarks (3 hr) so far, but our gps says this is an almost 10 hr drive - and that's without stopping to feed him. The plan is to feed him the very last thing before we take off and then hopefully just stop halfway and then he'll be a starvin Marvin by the time we get to our hotel. But he's had 5 hr stretches on a number of occasions, so we're hoping he'll have some repeat performances today. He's usually awesome in the car (once we get moving - until then he hates being strapped into the seat) but yesterday he and I were doing a bunch of errands and he cried in the car the entire time. We'll see!!

Charity, you've got your work cut out for you

First hair appointment in WAY too long - too embarrassed to say just how long, but my roots give me away. I had vowed not to let the baby get in the way of keeping myself put together: Daniel 1, Momma 0.  Will do better going forward :)