Here comes Christmas....

Month two in the Moose household began in a way that was less idyllic than the first.

Whereas in the first couple of weeks at home Bowie would drift off to sleep easily in anyone's arms, in his second month he started to fight going to sleep. We had lots of nights where settling him off to sleep took ages and lots of hard work and frustration.

We second-guessed ourselves more often and wondered what we'd done 'wrong' a lot. It's possible that he was just more aware of things going on around him and this is why he was harder to put to sleep or maybe it's just what happens with infants. On more than one occasion he would go off to sleep in the evening but then wake for a feed and not go back to sleep for, say, two hours between 2 and 4 in the morning. Arghh. He would also get tired but then resist sleep and complain about being tired and then get more and more tired but couldn't go to sleep because he had to complain about it. That was very hard to understand at times, especially when we were tired and just wanted some sleep ourselves.

His awareness of his surroundings increased amazingly this month. He would often gaze up at the beams in the ceiling and would turn his head to see lights and windows. He began to smile this month, usually at either Chris or I although not because of anything specific we'd done. Sometimes he would just grin. It's amazing what a wobbly, gaping, fleeting smile can do for your morale and mood. It was funny watching him try to make a smile, he would open his mouth up really wide like an 'ahhh' before settling more into a smiling shape. I guess all he was used to doing with his mouth was feeding so he had to go through that shape first. It was so wonderful to know he had other emotions than just impassive and unhappy.

We took him swimming again and he loved it. Sighing and kicking his legs around a little and not complaining even when his gums started to chatter (can gums chatter?)

He met several new people this month, most of whom were happy to cuddle him. Grandad Paul Denniss told us quite certainly that he doesn't like babies but after a look at Bowie said "At least that one's not too ugly." We laughed!

Opa and I took him for a walk early in the month to the museum and while he enjoyed the trip there he cried a little in the museum (didn't like the quality of the taxidermy perhaps?) but was ok outside in the cafe. One woman commented that he had a "very distinctive little face". I chose to take that as a compliment.

As the month progressed he began to sleep for longer stretches at night and we found ourselves over the moon when he slept from 11:15pm to 3:45 one night.
Four and a half hours!!
In a row!! Then when he had a feed and a change and was back asleep by a little after 4 and didn't wake until 7am we were sure we were the best parents ever... of course the following night was not the same and we were back to being in a state of frustration and confusion.

In the middle of the month he had several days where he basically refused to sleep while the sun was up. Several days in a row he was awake from about 10 am to 5pm with only very short snoozes and lots of crying and screaming. It was exhausting for all concerned. It was at this time particularly that we were pleased to be living with Oma and Opa and to have all these extra comfort-providing arms. Comfort for Bowie and for us.

Bowie got better at playing with his toys. In particular Bo Bo the monkey, from Oma and Opa, and Lucy Jim the lamb, attracted his attention. Possibly because of the stark contrast between their face and eye colour they were easy to see. Many a happy minute was spent lying on the mat hitting out at one or the other of them. His aim was unreliable but improving almost daily.

I tried expressing milk this month with enough success that Chris was able to feed Bowie for the first time at 6 weeks of age. Little Moose took the bottle without a complaint and drained the bottle much more quickly than I'd been able to fill it.

Bowie's first Christmas was a fairly small affair (he slept through most of it) spent with family and a few friends. He was given some lovely and generous gifts by various people. It will be much more fun next year I think, when he's able to rip open his own presents and fully appreciate the joys of crinkling wrapping paper.

Bowie ate and grew well all month. At an 8 week appointment with the community health nurse he weighed 5.5 kg and measured 64 cm long! That's 1.5 kg and 9 cm in eight weeks! Also at eight weeks Bowie had his first round of immunisations, an oral dose and three intramuscular injections into the thighs. The poor baby looked so shocked at the first injection and it was so hard to hold him close, comfort him and then restrain him for the next two injections. He cried so hard but it's amazing how quickly a feed, some close cuddles and whispers will calm him.

He had several grizzly, clingy, unsettled days after his injections but since then has been doing a fairly good job of settling himself off to sleep at night (and during the day). Gone now are the hours of bottom patting, bassinet jiggling, walking and singing. Now, when he begins to get tired we put him down, give him a sheet and a Nuk and leave him to it. It takes a little while sometimes but he's often asleep by the time we peek back in on him. It's such a wonderful change.

In the new year we will be driving to Perth. We've allocated two full weeks for the 6000km drive. Let's hope Bowie doesn't suffer from motion sickness...