STATS
Ellis is 2 months old! He's 23" ; that's 3" in 60 days! He weighed in at 11 pounds and 4 oz. at this last doctor's appointment (he got shots! Ouch!) 


TEMPERAMENT
Hey Mom-readers (and not-Mom Readers)! How are you doing? Are you like me, tired of everyone telling you about how their baby never cries, sleeps a solid nine hours and can go on vacation to France with nary a hiccup?  Don't worry. I'm not here to tell you that.  I am here to tell you, it is okay if your baby- or any baby- isn't the next incarnation of Buddha; that he doesn't sleep through the night at two weeks; heck, can't handle a trip to the grocery store. You are still good parents and nothing is incurable about your kid. 

Colic, we've discovered is a real thing.  So, yeah, you've guessed it, there's a lot of crying and whimpering at our house.  Our little Ellis' colic seems to stem from a digestive system that is still getting the hang of things. He's also pretty "high maintenance"  in that he knows what he likes and wants and isn't afraid to tell you about it. However, he is quick to find things funny, and he is so, so alert and incredibly curious. He has been since day one. He wants to be up where he can see things and on the move. When he's not having stomach pains, we've seen lots of smiles; I suspect a pretty funny guy is underneath all the tummy aches.

MILESTONES
Our little dude has a seriously strong neck. He can hold it up on his own for quite a few minutes. He also showing a lot of real, or "social" smiles. Mommy and baby both find it hilarious when Ellis manages to imitate her by sticking out tongues at each other too. He's starting to make some cooing sounds and will sometimes grip things (mostly my hair).  

LIKES
This guy loves his jams. He's a big Beatles fan; his favorite lullaby is "In My Life."  He loves to dance around the room, and, if that isn't possible, will try to move his arms to a beat (So Grandpa says, anyway!)  Ellis demands to be in the thick of things, and always wants to be carried so that he can see what is happening. It has to be walking about too; there is too much to see to stay in one place! Which is just like his daddy was as a baby, according to my mother-in-law. What is that saying about apples and trees? He is pretty friendly and content right now with other people. He wasn't sure of my dad's beard even a few weeks ago, but now seems to find it fascinating! Bath time is now tolerable but tummy time still is not.

EATING
We have been breastfeeding, but the doctor recommended trying formula to help with his stomach. He was taking a bottle up until he reached one month and has refused to since. This past weekend was when we started the hard switch to bottles. Wish us luck! 



SLEEP
Ellis sleeps in his crib now, swaddled. He's not a big fan of being swaddled, but it helps him immensely once he is asleep. Otherwise he will startle awake. His longest stretch of sleeping is usually about four and half hours, right after he is put down for the night. He typically has been fed 2-3 times at night; we shall see how night feeding with a bottle works out! 

MOM UPDATE
As I shared in Ellis' birth story, the labor was really rough on my body. In all honesty, the postpartum recovery was harder than the pregnancy on me physically. I finally feel mostly recovered and have lost all pregnancy weight (more on both of these topics in the coming weeks). Right now though, I'm dealing with insomnia (any tips, new moms?) and migraine headaches. This too shall pass, though, right?

What is upmost on my mind right now, though, is going back to work. My maternity leave ends this week! Things have been a bit stressful about work this year, as there are a lot of upheavals and budget cuts, but  I am excited to see my students again. Ellis will be going to childcare; who will this been harder on (pretty sure it will be me!) I feel so blessed to have had the time off for maternity leave, to get to know this amazing, tiny person and have the time heal. Wish us luck as we enter into these new journeys and Ellis' third month.