ANDREW AT 3 MONTHS

As I did with Knox, I am going to try to do little updates on Andrew every three months for the first year. I can’t believe we are already to our first update at 3 months old! Without further ado…

Size: Andrew is a big boy (compared to his older brother anyway), he is already filling out his 3-6 months clothes (3 month doesn’t fit him anymore) and he weights 14 lbs compared to Knox’s 11 lbs, 14 oz). We joke that he might not always be Knox’s ‘little’ brother so he might want to start calling him his ‘younger’ brother. 😉

Play: Drew is happiest in the mornings after his breakfast (milk, of course) with a full nights sleep and full belly. He will just smile and coo to anyone who wants to listen (or to himself on really busy mornings)! Knox thinks it is so fun! He will squeal, “He’s talkin, he’s talkin!” There isn’t anything cuter than the two of them snuggled up in our bed as Knox is just as enamored with every little thing baby brother does as we are.

Milestones: Drew rolls over from his stomach to back now. I think the first time was a fluke and startled us all (I wasn’t expecting it at just 9 weeks!) He is anxious to roll from his back to his tummy, too. Every time we lay him down he starts rooting to his side like he wants to roll over. The challenge is keeping Knox from ‘helping’ him. He has given him a little push a few times declaring “Tummy time!” (Drew will be one tough kiddo!)

He started the smiling and cooing just after his two month birthday. We went in for his two month check up and they ask if he was doing this yet and to my disappointment he really hadn’t been doing either consistently, but it was as if he heard our conversation and within days it was so easy to get him talking and smiling!

First: At just 8 weeks old, Andrew took his first road trip to Dallas for his first blog conference when Mom spoke at Create & Cultivate. (His Sugar babysat him in the hotel room.) He also got to check out Cappy’s airplane when his grandparents came to visit on my birthday (at 2 months old). He dressed up for his first Go Texan Day with his big brother at 11 weeks old and went to the zoo for the first time at 12 weeks (he slept through the whole trip in his stroller). He also had his first playdate that he didn’t sleep through with Hazel at 12 weeks.

Sleeping: I was starting to get a little discouraged when he was 12 weeks old and not sleeping through the night yet. I re-read Knox’s three-month update and saw that he was sleeping 8-10 hours by now. The longest Drew had gone as of yesterday was 6-7 hours and that was just one time last week. Well, I guess he knew I would be writing about him today because Sunday night he slept from 8:00pm to 5:00am! (And even then I just nursed him and he went back to sleep until about 7:30am!)

We are putting him down right after Knox’s bedtime at 7:30. Our evening schedule goes something like this…

5:30 – nurse Andrew / play a game on the floor with Knox
6:00 – Knox’s dinner / family dinner (if Dad is home and I have something for everyone, sometimes we do dinner together after the boys go down)
6:30 – Play with Dad! Knox always has a list of games he is waiting to play with FMK when he gets home. It is so cute! Knox usually FaceTimes him during Drew’s 5:30 feeding to check on his ETA. The first thing he says when Dad answers the phone is “You comin?!” If you follow us on snapchat, you have probably seen how Fred sneaks in the door and surprises us (it works every time!). Then it’s time for chase, tag, hide-and-seek, and wrestling on the bed. Sometimes I am not allowed to come in the room, I guess Knox doesn’t think I am as fun. I can’t complain though because their father / son bond is so sweet. And, it gives me some quality time to snuggle on Drew.
7:00 – Bath time: We aren’t putting the boys in the bath together, yet. Knox isn’t to be trusted around babies and water. 😉 We bath Knox first, then FMK takes him into his room to put on his pj’s, etc. while I give Andrew a bath.
7:30pm – Bedtime: Once they are both dressed, we do story time together in Knox’s room, sing him a few songs and say our prayers. Then I go to Andrew’s room to feed him and put him again and put him to bed. We decided to do it this way so Drew get’s the benefit of bedtime stories, too. We started reading to Knox day one and I am believer that this is one of the reasons he is so verbal and smart for his age. It’s so hard making sure you give your second child as much love and attention as the first one got, but the fact is there are two people who need you now so your attention gets divided. This is one routine we are trying to prioritize to make sure Andrew gets the same quality bedtime routine.

Mood: After Knox was such an easy baby, my mom warned me that he wasn’t ‘normal’ and that it might not be so easy next time. Well, we lucked out again and have another precious, sweet, happy baby! His temper is even more laid back than Knox’s was and despite a few weeks of gassiness, things have been pretty smooth sailing.

Eating: Nursing has been even easier for me this time around. My milk came in faster, my supply has been stronger and Andrew never had any issues with nursing. (We had to bottle feed Knox in the NICU the first few days. To be fair, he was a week earlier and a pound smaller.) I think it’s safe to say with those cheeks and that double chin, we are doing just fine in this department. 😉

Gas: Speaking of gas (I promise, this is the only context I will bring up this subject on HoH.), Drew was so gasy at 7 weeks that I took him to the doctor. His stomach was protruding and hard as a rock and I could tell he was always trying to work something out. He was a hard baby to burp so I thought he just didn’t need to burp after every feeding, but apparently I had been wrong and this started causing some issues. Our doctor told me to start with the basics and if that didn’t work, we would go from there, but this combination was all he needed so I am sharing for when you find yourself in the same situation…

Make sure to burp between sides (if nursing) or half way through the bottle (if bottle fed) and again at the end of the feeding. If the baby doesn’t burp with simple pats on the back in an upright position, try laying them across your lap while patting the back. I also found it helpful to save the diaper change for after the feeding for this reason. Something about laying him on his back and working his legs during the diaper change always got things moving and it never failed that he would burp (or spit up) when I picked him up off the changing table. This may not seem important, but our pediatrician explained to me that any gas that does come out by burping has to travel all the way through the intestines and come out the other way. This is very uncomfortable for infants so they are miserable until they are able to pass it through the other end. Try to prevent this by getting at least one good burp each feeding.
It also helps to keep your baby upright 15 minutes after a feeding. This simply helps the gas rise to the top of the stomach to come up easier.
Ask your doctor about over the counter Mylicon Gas Drops for gas relief. (We gave them after each feeding.)
If nursing, watch what you are eating. Avoid any foods gas producing foods and make sure you are limiting your caffeine intake. It can take 24 hours for a baby to break down caffeine so make sure you are limiting yourself to one cup a day. (I know, just when you really need it. Right?!)

Being a mom is a blessing I don’t take for granted. These two boys bring my heart so much joy, and I feel so blessed everyday to be their mom. Thanks for sharing our journey with us!

For more of Andrew, check out: adjusting to life with two // welcome home

*For past Knox updates, check out: 2nd birthday // 1st birthday // 5- 8 months // 4 months // 3 months // 1 month // welcome home

xo, CHK