Mr. Sensitive and Mr. Independent

Mr. Sensitive:
Just like his brother at this age, Gavin has very sensitive skin.  We're in a seemingly constant battle with his eczema.  We currently have 3 prescriptions--one for his face, one for his trunk, and one for his scalp.  The pediatrician also gave us an over the counter lotion, but it ended up burning his little face, leaving it bright red and raw.  At one point, we also had an antibiotic for a rash that the doctor thought was becoming infected.

The cradle cap and dry skin on his scalp is clearing up nicely.  We were warned not to use the prescription for his face often because it could cause some discoloration, but it seems that as soon as we stop using it, the rash reappears!  We're starting to discontinue the prescription for his trunk because it seems that it's making his skin even more sensitive and painful when we apply lotion.

We suspect that heat makes his skin worse.  Hopefully with the right prescriptions, daily baths to re-moisturize, time for his skin to mature, and frequent lotion and/or Vaseline applications will help!  We go back to the doctor in early January for his next checkup and can discuss our plan of action again if needed.

Mr. Independent:
Brennan has definitely reached the stage of independence!  We appreciate his efforts to do things by himself and he typically does a good job with a little extra time.  We often here "I want to do it by myself!", "No, you can't help me!", etc.    

4 Months!

Gavin is already 4 months old!  He's such a joy and we're so blessed that he is part of our family!

~He's a smiley boy!  His entire face lights up when he smiles!
~We've heard a few giggles and he also shrieks in excitement!
~Gavin is working on his vocal skills.  He frequently squeals and gurgles.  He has several other sounds, including "oohs", "ahhs", "A-goos" and something that sounds a lot like "uh oh!"  He's also starting to blow raspberries.
~He's very close to rolling from his back to his tummy.  With one more umph, he'll be there!
~He's getting better at tummy time and tolerates it for longer periods of time.
~Gavin is getting much better about drinking from bottles.  Since my return to work, it's been quite a journey.  He's gone from fighting and screaming when attempting to feed him, to drinking small amounts at a time, to drinking entire 5 oz bottles with no fighting!  We're very thankful for our patient babysitter!  He's gone from drinking as little at 2.5 oz during a 10 hour day, to 15 oz!
~He almost consistently sleeps through the night.  Every once in a while, he'll wake up to eat and usually goes back down easily.  Typically, he goes to bed between 7:00-8:00pm and wakes up between 5:00-6:00am.  Naps aren't too consistent yet, but he normally takes 3-4 naps a day.  He takes better naps in a vibrating chair/rocking chair rather than his crib.  We're hoping to convince him to take longer naps in his crib!
~He's definitely a big boy!  At one of his recent doctor appointments for his eczema, he weighed 16lbs 8oz! We'll have more specific stats after his 4 month check up in early January.

A Few of My Favorite Things

With my return to work comes rushed mornings and chaotic evenings.  I'm trying to capture every moment we have as a family in the hustle and bustle.  Here's a list of some of my favorites:
~The look in Gavin's eyes when he sees me, especially when it's paired with kicks of excitement and a huge smile
~Talking with Brennan about his day while we have our family dinner
~"Talking" with Gavin
~Our nightly "family hugs"
~Listening to Adam read bedtime stories to Brennan
~Snuggling with Brennan while I sing him bedtime songs, sneaking in as many kisses as I can
~Watching Gavin drift to sleep as he nurses before bedtime, holding onto one of my fingers
~Snuggling with Gavin and giving him kisses before putting him in bed

3 Months Old!

Our not-so-little Gavin is 3 months old!  He's growing and learning every day!

~I've returned to work and Gavin has joined Brennan at the babysitter's house during the day.  Despite countless attempts and numerous different types of bottles, he does not like to drink from them!  In his four days at the babysitter's house, he's drank between 2.5-4.5 ounces during the entire day!  While we're not sure how much he drinks while nursing, it's most certainly more!  The babysitter reports that he's happy during the day unless she's trying to feed him, but has started to fight her less when she tries to feed him.  He's definitely hungry when Mommy gets home from work!
~He's sleeping through the night, typically sleeping between 10-12 hours.  He has started to wake up earlier since Mommy's return to work--perhaps due to wanting to stock up on food for the day?!
~He typically cat naps in the morning and takes a longer nap in the afternoon.
~He enjoys talking and "singing", attempting to repeat the sounds others make.
~Gavin has quite a bald spot on the back of his head.  With his long, dark hair, it's pretty noticeable!
~He enjoys kicking on his activity mat, but also enjoys snuggling.
~We made two attempts at his 3 months pictures.  At our first attempt, the photographer was running late and didn't do much to engage him.  We got a cute picture, but wanted to try again to capture his adorable smile.  We tried again the next weekend.  While the second portrait studio was also running late, we were able to get another cute picture.  He didn't give any big smiles at either appointment, but we were able to capture a few adorable pictures!
~We're starting to wonder if he's going to be a thumb-sucker.  He doesn't like pacifiers and has been mouthing his fists and fingers more regularly.

Master Negotiator

Brennan is becoming quite the negotiator!  Like most parents of toddlers, we frequently use "First/Then" or "If/Then" strategies and incentives for positive behavior.  At times, Brennan likes to negotiate the terms of these tactics.  For example, instead of being able to watch one show, he asks "How about two shows?" or we ask him to eat a particular number of bites of his food, he'll respond "How about ___ bites?"  Sometimes this plan backfires for him because he suggests a higher number!

In other news, he's able to count to 30 independently.  He has been able to verbally spell his name for awhile and is now able to verbally spell Gavin's name.

Gavin has found his fists and is more talkative and smiley every day!  He sleeps 10-11 hours at night and takes several cat naps (20 minutes-1 hour) throughout the day.  We're still working on him drinking from a bottle.  He doesn't enjoy it, but will drink...eventually...sometimes.

2 Month Appointment

Gavin had his 2 month check up today.  He charmed the doctor with his coos and smiles.  He was impressed with his tolerance, attentiveness, and sleeping habits. The pediatrician also commented several times about how Gavin was very happy.

Current statistics:
15lbs 7.5oz (95th percentile)
24.25 inches (95th percentile)
40 cm head circumference

In regards to his dry skin, the pediatrician explained that it is too early to determine if he has eczema.  He predicts that he will have sensitive skin and suggested putting Aquaphor or a similar product on the dry areas.  He also recommended putting it on his dry scalp.

We're still working on Gavin drinking from a bottle.  We think his poor latch is causing him to get painful gas after drinking.  We talked to the pediatrician and I also called the lactation consultant at the hospital.  Overall, the recommendations are continue to give him bottles and use trial and error to find the best kind of bottle/nipple for him.

Gavin received four vaccinations today, 3 shots and 1 oral.  Luckily, we had the nurse that gives the vaccinations quickly and he calmed down with snuggles and a brief nursing session.

2 Months Old!

Our handsome little man is 2 months old today!  It's amazing to watch him grow and learn every day!  We spent the day together and went to the local mall for trick or treating.  Brennan, dressed as a pirate, and Gavin, dressed as a parrot, were a huge hit and looked adorable!  We were a bit late in singing him "Happy Birthday" at 5:24pm, but in our defense, he was sleeping!

~Gavin began sleeping in the crib in his nursery around 6 weeks of age. He goes to bed between 8:00-9:00pm.  His first stretch of sleep ranges from 6-9 hours.  Depending on the length of this sleep, he'll typically go back to sleep until between 6:30-8:00am.  With the exception of 2-3 nights, when he appeared uncomfortable, he goes back to sleep easily.  Overnight feedings take about 45-60 minutes, including several minutes on the changing table.  We've learned to give him time on the changing table to finish his business, or you're likely to go through multiple diapers before he's done!  I also sneak in a few snuggles before putting him back to bed.
~He'll typically take a brief nap about an hour after he wakes up.  He takes a few cat naps in the morning, a longer (~3 hour) nap in the afternoon, and another brief cat nap in the early evening.  Naps are in a vibrating chair or Pack n' Play.  
~When he was about 5 weeks old, we noticed an increase in his discomfort and fussiness in the evenings.  We tried a product called Colic Calm, which seemed to temporarily help him.  After further research, we thought he might be getting an imbalance of hindmilk and foremilk.  I changed the way I feed him, which made a considerable difference.
~Taking after his brother, he has a case of cradle cap and appears to be developing eczema on his cheeks.
~He has incredibly sweet smiles, beginning around 7 weeks!  He's most likely to smile at Mommy and Daddy making silly noises and/or repeating his coos.  They can be difficult to capture on camera, though.  I find myself distracted by their adorableness, then realize that I should take pictures.  By the time I have the camera, either I'm not funny anymore or he's not amused by the camera.  If he does still smile, he likes to turn and move his head, making it challenging to capture!
~Toys are entertaining, but not humorous.  One of his favorites is his mobiles.  He enjoys watching and "talking" to them.
~We're working on getting him to drink from a bottle.  Previously, we gave him a bottle about once a week.  With my return to work approaching, we wanted to make sure he would drink more willingly since he puts up a fight when given a bottle.  We're trying a new type of bottle and giving him one daily.  He's fighting less and drinking more, so we're moving in the right direction!
~Gavin enjoys being sung to and sometimes appears to join in with long coos.


Now for a few updates on Brennan!
~He is such a sponge for information and very observant.  It's amazing what he can pick up!
~He can identify all upper case and lower case letters and numbers 0-10.  Brennan can count to 20 independently.  When Mommy/Daddy provide alternating numbers, he can count to 29.  He's doing a great job counting with one-to-one correspondence.
~It's fun to watch his imagination come to life!  Some favorites include objects becoming instruments and turning objects/bites of food/etc into letters and shapes.
~We have a decent size library and I believe he has every book memorized.  He's able to finish phrases and will likely correct you if you misread them.
~Overall, he's indifferent to having a baby brother.  He likes to tickle him, will retrieve things for him and ask where he is if he's not around.  He likes to have him as a part of our nightly "family hug" and gives him a kiss goodnight.  At times, he has asked us to "put him down" so we can do something for him and may try to get our attention when he knows we can't attend to him, such as when I'm feeding Gavin.  He pays no attention to him when he's crying.  We're doing our best to continue to give him individual attention as much as possible.  All in all, he's transitioned beautifully and is a great big brother!