Gallant at Two Months

Last week Gallant had his two month doctor's visit.  His measurements were length 22.3 inches (25%), weight 9 pounds, 14 ounces (15%), and head 15.5 inches (30%).

I told you that he was just like his older brother. Smiley at that age was almost exactly the same: 0.2" shorter, 1 ounce heavier, and of identical head size.

So.. how is Gallant doing?  I have already written about Gallant's birth and how Smiley is doing as a big brother.  Time to complete the picture by finally sharing about the baby!

The short answer is that he is a very healthy and sociable baby, who behaves just like all other healthy and sociable two-month olds.

When his tummy is full and his digestive system is not causing trouble he is wide awake and wants to play.  He love to stare into people's eyes, and also likes looking at trees.  He smiles very often at his favorite social cues: other smiles, having his arms or legs wiggled while singing to him, having his cheeks lightly touched.  He sometimes makes adorable cooing noises.

Unfortunately, little babies are largely a problematic digestive system.   They spit up, get cranky or do not sleep well when needing to pass gas for hours, and are disturbed by the wet, explosive poops they make almost hourly.

So about half his waking hours are adorably cute and fun, and the other half are fussy and needing comforting.  Similarly, some nights we get to sleep for four hours at a time and other nights we are woken every two hours because Gallant needs to fart.

Comforting him usually involves his sucking on a pinky finger.  When overtired he also gets rocked or held with his head wobbling slightly on an elbow.  When trying to pass gas he also gets his legs wiggled.

What can Gallant do?  Again, the normal things for healthy two-month olds.

He can roll from his back onto either side, reach out to touch something, hold up his head, and grasp something (but not maintain a grip very well)

He has learned to put his fist in his mouth.  This was a marvelous development that considerably reduced wear-and-tear on our pinky fingers.  He does not use a pacifier yet, although we're working on that for car trips (one notable complication for a second child is that the seat next to him in the car now has a sibling instead of an adult to provide a pinky to suck on).

He likes being held in a standing position so he can practice standing and taking steps.

He does a slouchy sitting position if propped, which is useful for watching Smiley and Daddy roughhouse.

He prefers being on his tummy with his chest elevated (so on a firm pillow or on his boppy) since he can see more than when his tummy is on the floor.

He nurses well, reliably falls asleep in the Ergo on walks, and in his car seat protests when traffic requires us to stop.

He has never had a diaper rash.  He recently started getting fussy when needing a new diaper.

That's about it: not much that most parents of a two-month-old would not also say.  But I suppose it's still worth saying.