Eight Pounds!

Last week at Callum's two-year checkup, we also had a weight check for Declan. He weighed in a whopping 8 lbs., .5 oz. Well, really it was 2.5 oz., but he had just taken two ounces of the bottle, so that part doesn't really count. That averages to about an ounce a day, which is what the goal is. Baby steps, but very exciting nonetheless! We also hit up the developmental pediatrician last week, and besides trying to help figure out why Declan's become so squirmy and problematic at the end of feedings (we're thinking it might be acid reflux so he's on medicine to try that), she said everything looks great and we don't have to see her again until next month. We've had so many appointments the last few weeks it's nice that a few are starting to slow down.

Two Years!

Poor Callum has been a bit neglected on the blog lately with the arrival of his little brother, so it's high time he gets the recognition he deserves. He turned the ripe old age of two and celebrated with a party last weekend. I must admit, I never got tired of asking him what he wanted for his birthday--he matter-of-factly always said "train birthday cake" since cake is the only thing he knows to associate with birthdays. So since that's the only thing he wanted, we indulged since it was easy enough of a present (I'll post party pictures as soon as I upload them to the computer).

His official two year picture:

To catch up, Callum is such an amazing, funny kiddo. He is always full of energy and loves to play and laugh. He is currently obsessed with trains, loves to read books, and is starting to be a great helper around the house. We had a couple of weeks where he was really trying our patience, but his world has been a bit topsy-turvy lately, so he's done really well with everything overall.

It never ceases to amaze us at his ability to remember and verbalize things. He will easily remember something from a couple of months ago and talk about it. There are very few things he cannot pronounce and he can easily say full sentences. He loves music (he has been working on practicing the dulcimer and knows how to strum and pluck a guitar) and can sing the ABC song all the way through. At night we rock and sing with him for a couple of minutes and he always requests Wheels on the Bus. He picks what goes on the bus, and he chooses anything from the normal to the abnormal (we have done doors, trains, bicycles, diapers, and trees to name just a few).

Food is also something Callum loves. He was up to 31 lbs., 6 oz. at his check-up, which puts him at around the 75% for weight, when he used to steadily be in the lower percentiles. The doctor commented, "I see he has found sweets." We had to tell her no, he's just found food. He eats most anything, but his current favorites are bananas, crackers, and cheese.

He also is a great big brother. He sometimes isn't spatially aware of Declan, but he often wants to hug or hold him. The other day he put on some new jeans and he immediately had to run out of his room to show them off to Declan. He imitates what we do with Declan and likes to try and burp him and hold his hand. 

 

Two Months

Almost smiling for the camera!

Just hanging in the bouncy seat.

Declan is officially two months old now! This past month has been quite the adventure and very scary at times, but it's definitely been worth it to have such a cutie in our lives. He is slowly but steadily gaining weight and weighed in at 7 lbs., 3.5 oz. at his check-up. He has also started to smile a few times, which is a milestone I'm very glad to see. There are still some areas that are being followed for his health and development, but otherwise the surgeries seem to have really helped and he has really picked up on his eating.  Declan is up to eating 3 ounces every 3 hours, which may not sound like much really, but it's up to our goal amount--which seemed like it would never happen after we brought him home from the hospital. Making it through this month is definitely a huge celebration in this house!

Here is his official two-month picture with Squeaks.

He wasn't happy with us when we told him it was best to be awake for the pictures.

 

Some random pictures to catch up a bit from the last month:

Cutie before surgery

The three Green boys (and a random squash)--happy birthday Daddy!