It’s hard to believe this sweet boy sitting next to me is already three (and a half) months old. As he kicks and plays in his bouncer, I want to jot down a few memories and milestones from this month.
I love the times we get to spend one-on-one when big sis is napping (currently happening). The biggest difference going from one to two kids is less down time together for snuggling and chilling.
Current Schedule + Eating
Schedules work really well for us a family. I’ve learned that schedules cause stress for some, but bring peace for me. We have followed Moms on Call schedules since Emmy was a newborn, and have also used them with Everett. The first two months it was much harder to stick to a schedule, but we started working towards a routine early on and have shifted it a few times to meet our needs.
I will say it’s much harder to follow Moms on Call to an exact T, as we did with Emmy. I think that is because we have two kids to work around and also because Everett is breastfeeding. Emmy was solely on formula from two weeks on and it was easier for me to schedule her feedings. So, this time we go with the flow a bit more.
Here’s what Everett’s typical day looks like:
Between 6 and 7 a.m. He wakes up to eat – I nurse him in his room while Emmy is usually starting to wake up. She will play in her bed and look at books until I go get her. Everett is sleeping in his room now, and just started sleeping through the night most of the time. He occasionally will wake up around 3:30-4 a.m. to eat some nights. I think he is mostly growing out of that night feed (Yay)!
Between 7 and 7:30 a.m. Get Emmy and head downstairs. Everett will play on his playmat while I get my coffee and Emmy’s breakfast
8:30 a.m. First Nap – sometimes this nap is 1.5 hours and sometimes it is shorter. Regardless when he wakes up, he eats at 10 a.m. So, if he wakes up early he will just play with Emmy and I.
10 a.m. Nurse then playtime
11:30 a.m. Second Nap – usually shorter than first nap
1 p.m. Nurse then playtime – Meanwhile, Emmy has gone down for her nap between noon and 1 p.m.
2:30 p.m. Third Nap – also varies in length from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours. I do a lot of naps in his crib, but somedays we are on-the-go a lot more and he will nap in the car seat or stroller for one or two naps a day. My goal is to have every other day be more low-key with at-home naps, that way he isn’t always napping on-the-go and getting worn out.
4 p.m. Nurse then playtime
Catnap sometime in the evening – may be while I’m holding him or in the swing while I give Emmy a bath, etc.
6:30 – 6:45 p.m. Start bedtime routine with both kids. This takes a while, especially if I’m alone, so my goal is to have both kids in bed by 8 p.m. Then I get about an hour to myself or to spend with Justus before I go to sleep.
Playtime
Everett is just barely starting to reach and grab for toys. It is so cute to watch him grow in this area. He is a HUGE fan of the Baby Bjorn bouncer, and I just put the toy bar on it this week, which he loves. I was shocked to see how much he touched and played with it.
We also do tummy time on his play mat and offer a few little baby toys for him to reach for or touch. I think he will start chewing on them soon.
What he loves
Everett loves to take baths, be snuggled up super tight in your arms, car rides, watching and smiling at Emmy, and sitting in the bouncer. He giggled out loud for the first time at my niece Abby when we were visiting family in Texas. He’s peaceful, smiley and a very relaxed baby. Emmy is obsessed with snuggling him and calls him Ev.
Biggest lesson this month
Our biggest growth this month came with “dropping” the swaddle and switching to a sleep sack. It took Everett several days to get used to the movement of his arms. He fussed and cried off and on at night, but naps went a lot smoother. We also tried to sleep train him at the same time to stop night time feedings, but he cried quite a bit and it didn’t feel right. So, we stopped trying to make it through the night and he is now naturally doing it on his own most of the time. It seems simple now, but a week or two with less sleep was hard on all of us. I try to remember that babies grow and change so quickly, and these transitions don’t last forever.
Things I’m more relaxed about as a second-time mom
Diapers and wipes – I used specific diapers and wipes with Emmy, but Ev seems less sensitive with diapering. I tend to grab whatever is on sale. We were also blessed with hand-me-down (unused) diapers and several new boxes from Justus’s work, so I use whatever we have. 😊
Button-up footies – This makes me laugh, but we were given the advice so many times to get zippered footies because they are so much easier. In fact, I have given this advice myself so many times. But, the 15 extra seconds it takes to button a footie instead of zip it does not bother me at all! Button-up footies tend to be less expensive, which is nice. I love zippers too, but just do not care this time about only getting zippered footies 😉
The schedule – I already talked about this, but Everett goes with the flow more and so do we.
Baby items we use the most at this age
If I think about the things we use every single day for Everett, it would be these five:
*The first three are hand-me-downs from Emmy, all of which she loved too!*
