4.27.2018

dylan masters : two months

t w o   m o n t h s
look at that little Guatemalan babe!!  I have to admit, when Dyl was born I was in shock for a few days that this red skinned, black haired baby was mine!  lots of people think he looks like Mark or Clark or even my mom but not one person has said he looks like me.  I guess the hispanic genes skipped a generation...


it's crazy how different things are the second time around.  at two months with Clark I remember spending much of the day bored, carrying him around and trying to think of things to do with him.  I was always worried I wasn't stimulating him enough or he was forming bad habits or I was doing something wrong.

Clark at 2 months
this time around?  I'm way too busy to think of any of that!  I just assume Clark is giving Dylan all the stimulation he needs.  in between feeding, changing and entertaining Clark, keeping up with the house and all the laundry and finding time for myself, Dylan is lucky if he gets any undivided attention.  with Clark I always looked forward to nursing so I could relax, blog, take a nap...but when it's time to nurse Dylan I'm usually in the middle of something and hate to have to stop and nurse.  and after nursing?  down he goes!  Clark would only nap on me the first 6 months of his life...but it's a luxury to let Dylan nap on me.  when my mom takes Clark in the afternoons I usually try and snuggle with Dylan at least once after a nursing session but I'm also trying to stay on top of the house and clean up Clark's messes!  this life is crazy right now but I already think about the day they'll be all grown up and I'll miss everything so much.


two month stats:
weight: 11 lbs 15 oz. (43rd percentile)
length: 23 in. (52nd percentile)
head circ: 15.5 in. (60th percentile)

it's amazing how similar his stats are to Clark's.  they are pretty much twins!

Clark's 2 month check-up
♥                ♥                ♥

f i r s t s

♥ holiday - Easter!


♥ sleep through the night - Clark hit this milestone way earlier but at 6 weeks old Dylan slept a 7 hour stretch at night!!  since then he's slept 8 hours but currently is back to 4-5.  oh well, he goes right back down so I don't really mind.


♥ smile :) - Dylan frequently greets me with smiles when I lay him down in the morning to change him.  this boy loves being changed, so unlike Clark!


♥ meeting his Grams & Pops!


f a v o r i t e s


at two months little Dyl loves listening to the shower, sleeping in, going on walks, falling asleep after nursing, napping on the boppy, burying his head while he sleeps, when we shake / wiggle his car seat around (always does the trick when he's fussy!), watching his brother, and his ba ba!  we have already given his binky a nickname, thanks to Clark.  (in other news, Clark is officially binky free since two weeks ago!!!)


e a t


I have thought that Dylan had reflux since we brought him home from the hospital.  he just always seemed to be in pain after eating and I could hear him swallowing so much air and all the bubbles in his tummy after every feed.  he spits up so much more than Clark ever did and in the beginning he had a hard time with my letdown and would always come off the breast (still does sometimes!)  sure enough, at Dylan's 2 month well check he was diagnosed with reflux and is currently taking ranitidine twice daily.  it has helped him sleep so much better!  so far we haven't been really good about giving it to him twice a day (aka I am a slacker) but Mark always gives it to him before bed and it has really helped.


Dylan still eats every 2-3 hours during the day and I don't expect that to change until he starts solids.  I am looking forward to longer stretches at night though!  at night when Dylan gets hungry, we always know because he starts to snort and grunt in his sleep and he sounds all congested.  he's been like this since he was born and we still aren't sure why.  it's only at night and when he's due for a feed.  Mark thinks it's because when he was born they didn't get all the fluid out of his nose from the birth canal because he had a lot of trouble with that in the hospital.  they were giving him drops in his nose the whole time we were there but we had to stop because supposedly it makes the problem worse in the long run.


another weird thing happening this month...Dylan prefers my left side over my right and the past few days, I've had a decrease in my milk supply on my right side.  whenever I put him on the right he usually unlatches and screams right away.  other times, he sucks until my milk lets down and then pulls off and fusses!  but he will take the left side just fine.  I don't think it's an ear infection because he doesn't have any other symptoms and we were just at the doctor for his well check and she didn't mention anything.


earlier this month we also had a thrush scare, which I thought might be the reason for the screaming, but turns out it was just milk residue.  thank goodness!!  I'm pretty sure I had a mild case of thrush after we came home from the hospital and it is not fun!

s l e e p


I didn't think it would happen this soon but we have moved Dylan into the nursery.  the only thing is...we moved in with him, ha!  Mark's parents came to visit a few weeks ago for Dylan's baby blessing (post to come!) and we gave them our room so we were up here with Dyl.  well they left and we're still up here!  my mom jokes that she's going to come move in because we have a perfectly beautiful master bedroom downstairs that has been empty for weeks!  on the plus side, it stays perfectly clean!  haha, well I decided that it's probably good to get Dylan used to sleeping in here from a young age (we had Clark in his own room at one month) but I also don't want to have to go up and down the stairs at night so until he's sleeping through the night more consistently, we're rooming in with him.


the transition to having both boys upstairs has been really smooth!  I was so worried Dylan would wake Clark up when he cries (he doesn't really cry through the night but sometimes he's fussy going down and he always goes down after Clark) but so far, Clark has slept through it all!  might I add, Clark is also able to nap in the car with Dylan wailing in the car seat next to him?!  guess I had nothing to worry about...


we're all getting pretty great sleep these days!  Dylan still doesn't sleep through the night as often as Clark did at this age but he's slept 7-8 hours a couple times.  for the most part though, he's sleeping 5-6 hour stretches (6 hours is sleeping through the night for an infant) so he's waking about once a night, usually around 2:30-3 am.  he eats and goes right back down without a fuss so it's pretty great!  he also does his best napping in the morning.  after waking around 6:30-7:30 am (whenever Clark wakes up and is super loud yelling, "baby!!" as he runs around the room and swivels his bassinet), Dyl usually falls back asleep right away and sleeps in until 9-10 am.  it's the best because I can take care of Clark and get him fed before Dyl is up for the day.

p l a y / d e v e l o p m e n t


this month Dylan has started having more awake time and when he's fed, changed and had a good nap, he is one happy baby!  he will just lay there and look all around the room, listening for his brother and smiling to himself.  he really does love to be in the action though and doesn't like being left alone by himself for too long.  today he just chilled in my lap for almost an hour while Clark napped.  I scheduled play dates for next week, worked on this blog post, and gave him lots and lots of kisses!  he is smiling all the time now and it's just the sweetest!


when Dylan is awake he is always kick kick kicking!  a little soccer star for sure!  at an appt. this week, I had him in his car seat with the cover on and the receptionist laughed and said, "look at him kicking over there!  how old is he?"  I said, "9 weeks" and she said, "he's kicking that much at 9 weeks?!"  I told her he's been kicking that much since he was in utero!


one big difference between Dylan and Clark is the p o o p.  I've said it before but Clark only pooped once a week (if it went more than a week, we gave him a suppository) for the first 4-5 months of his life!  I can't believe how lucky we were!  Dylan's poop has slowed to maybe twice a day but it's also gotten worse.  these days every single poop is a BLOWOUT!!!  this may be TMI but his poop is pretty much all liquid so it leaks out of the diaper so easily.

I think I can count on one hand how many blowouts Clark had.  I always used to hear people talk about baby blowouts and complain and after Clark I thought, "it's not that bad!"  but with Dylan...it's bad!  he has blown out in our bed, on our couch, his car seat, on me, in his crib (all. the. time.) and pretty much any other place in our house!  every single day I spend hours doing laundry, removing baby poop stains from clothes, blankets, sheets, towels, burp cloths...changing linens, scrubbing sofa cushions, just to repeat it all again the next day!  I must admit, it is VERY annoying!!  I'm ready to take the kid camping and live in the wilderness until he outgrows this.

lots of blowouts = lots of baths!
the blowout king
some milestones Dylan has hit at two months include cooing, smiling, recognizing people (he always gives Grandad the biggest smile and can't stand kisses from Grandma hahaha), and rolling.  he always rolls onto his tummy at night because he sleeps so good that way!

I'm really starting to figure Dylan out these days.  when he fusses, I almost always know what the problem is (hungry, tired, needs a diaper change, or just misses us and wants to be held).  I think I connected with Clark really early on both in my pregnancy and after he was born but I feel like I'm just now starting to get to know Dylan.  it's just so crazy with a second child and since they're the baby and won't remember anything that happens right now, when both are crying, Clark is the one that comes first.  I have to share my attention with two children now, whereas when Clark was a baby he got all the love!


there is definitely something special about your firstborn but I have this whole other part of my heart reserved for Dilly.  I don't know where we would be without him.  Mark gave him the most beautiful baby blessing and Remi wrote it all down for me.  I'll share it in another post but one thing he said that really stuck with me is that whenever Dylan walks into a room, everyone will be able to feel his love ♥ 


that is for sure.  whenever I see Dylan gazing up at me or when he holds my hand to his face as he's falling asleep, I can feel his love so pure and deep.  I know he loves everyone in our family so much and he is going to be the sweetest little brother in our home.  I can't wait to watch him grow up, though hopefully not too fast.

3.27.2018

dylan masters : one month

o n e   m o n t h
and just like that, Dylan Masters is one month old!  the first month with Clark felt like it flew but at the same time, it felt like an eternity!  I know that doesn't make any sense but it's true!  the lack of sleep and all the new changes and challenges made the month drag on and on.  and then overnight he was suddenly a month old!  now he is almost TWO years old and I just can't believe it.

Clark at one month
but this post is about DYLAN.  as usual, I'm often sidetracked by my firstborn when trying to focus on my new baby and I guess that's just how it's going to be with two!


things are so different the second time around!  I keep telling people it's both harder and easier in different ways.  it's easier because I'm not so anxious and afraid.  I'm not worrying that I'm doing everything wrong or constantly thinking about all the terrible things that could happen to my baby.  I had some sort of OCD with Clark where I would imagine the worst possible thing that could happen to him in any given situation.  it made me cry or yell out randomly all day long and I always had a knot in the pit of my stomach.  but with Dylan, I'm so much more relaxed.  I'm also much more prepared this time around and know what to expect.  for example, I'm not shocked that I spend most of my day nursing the baby!  in fact, I love it!  it's so exhausting running around and cleaning up after Clark on very little sleep so when it's time to nurse and I have a good excuse to sit down, I'm all over it.


I'm also much better at everything this time!  nursing doesn't hurt one bit and really only hurt while we were still in the hospital but not nearly as bad as with Clark.  with Clark, the first week nursing was pure torture and I think I was in pain for about a month!  I had to pump on one side for a few days because I was just in so much pain when it was time to nurse.  and for a minute there I thought about throwing in the towel.  so glad I didn't because nursing is one of my favorite things about being a mom!


so what's harder with Dylan?  well, Dylan is not an amazing sleeper like his brother Clark.  Clark was giving us 6 hour stretches the first time we stopped waking him to eat, at about a week old.  and we were always having to wake Clark to eat in the beginning.  not so with Dylan!  at 5 weeks old, Dylan has slept almost 5 hours on one occasion but typically only gives us 3-4 hour stretches at night.  usually we get one good stretch and after that it's 2 hour intervals.  but even though we're getting less sleep with Dylan, it feels like more than we did with Clark!  I remember just being so so tired with Clark in the beginning and thinking the newborn stage would last forever.  and I didn't even have to take care of another kid all day long and could nap whenever he napped!  it's amazing I needed any help at all with one.  hahaha

one week check-up

one month stats:
weight: 10 lbs. 6 oz. (54th percentile)
birth: 7 lbs. 9 oz.
length: 23 in. (94th percentile)
birth: 20 in.
head circ: 15 in. (67th percentile)
birth: 14 in.


I think I was still expecting and trying to force a routine with Clark at this point.  but I'm perfectly okay with saying we have absolutely NO routine right now.  we are just taking it one day at a time.  my mom is still helping with Clark every single day from morning until Mark gets home from work so that has made things so much easier!  one day I handled things by myself through naptime and let me tell you, two kids is exhausting!!  I was so proud of myself getting them both down at the same time.


♥                ♥                ♥

f i r s t s

♥ stroller ride - our first walk as a family of 4!


♥ walk in the solly wrap - Dyl loves being worn just like Clark did as a newborn!  it's pretty much a no fail way of getting him to calm down (besides nursing of course!)


♥ bath - he almost drowned!  I guess I was a little too confident in my second time mom skills because I casually decided to give him a bath one morning by himself and had a hard time keeping his head above the water while washing him at the same time!  no pictures because I definitely wasn't skilled enough to capture the moment and also keep him alive!

♥ nickname - shortly after Dylan was born, my dad said something about how he couldn't wait to see little Dilly again after he got back from his business trip.  the name stuck and now we all call him Dilly!  fits him perfectly.


f a v o r i t e s

♥ nursing - just like his brother, Dylan LOVES nursing more than anything in the world!  he would nurse all day and all night if I let him (which sometimes I do).  Clark cried a lot more and a lot longer than Dylan does because I had this rule in my head that if it hadn't been at least two hours since he last ate, he couldn't possibly be hungry.  I would try everything under the sun to get him to stop crying until it was time to eat again and then that would immediately do the trick.  this time around I use nursing to my advantage (especially because it doesn't hurt!) and when Dylan cries, it's the first thing I try!  it makes everyone a lot happier over here :)


♥ having his diaper changed - there's something magical about our bathroom counter where we change Dilly's diapers.  you lay him down on that counter and no matter how long or hard he's been wailing, he immediately quiets.  maybe it's the mirror or all of the colors on the diaper caddy or just that he knows he's about to get a diaper change!


♥ listening to the shower - it's great because I can take a shower every day!!  a luxury for new moms!

♥ car rides - both our kids have been great in the car!  I hear it can be torture to drive with some babies but ours fall asleep in minutes!  which can be both a blessing and a curse as they get older...

first time falling asleep together
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I stopped tracking Dilly's feeds a few weeks ago but I'm pretty sure he still eats every 2 hours during the day (sometimes 3).  at night he usually gives us one 3-4 hour stretch, sometimes two!  I'm not sure if he's really hungry every 2 hours or just wants to suck for comfort but as long as he lets me get stuff done in between, I don't mind.  that's another way he's easier than Clark...Clark never liked to be put down but Dylan will sleep in his rock 'n play during the day for hours at a time.  sometimes, I actually wake him because otherwise he won't sleep at night!


one thing about Dylan that is a lot different from Clark is how much he spits up.  I don't remember Clark spitting up much but Dylan spits up after every.  single.  feed.  maybe that's why he eats so much!  he's always hungry!  or maybe he's spitting up because he eats so much??  but I've read you can't overfeed a breastfed baby.  they regulate themselves and their suck determines how much milk they're getting.  whatever the reason, there is a lot more laundry with this baby!  not only does he spit up after each feed (usually when I pick him up to burp him) but he has this habit of unlatching once my milk lets down.  he doesn't do it as much anymore (thank goodness!) but I think I must have a forceful letdown or something because in the beginning, he would cough and sputter every single time and my milk would go everywhere!  oh yeah, and he also poops after every feed!!  Clark pooped once a week!


the picture above is a pretty accurate depiction of a day in the life over here.  at almost 22 months, Clark is still obsessed with putting his hand down my shirt.  it's usually a comfort thing but sometimes he just does it out of habit.  and since Dylan arrived, it's become his favorite thing to do whenever I'm nursing!  so I've got both boys attached to me every few hours all day long.  surprisingly, I really don't mind it!  I've been so sad lately about how grown up Clark seems now that Dyl is here but this is one thing that reminds me he is still my baby.


s l e e p


Dilly sleeps like a champ during the day, despite (or maybe because of) Clark's shrieking, running around and constantly trying to shove a binky in his mouth.  we also put him in the rock 'n play during the day so he may prefer that to his bassinet, but it's not safe for nighttime sleep.  once Dylan goes down for the night he sleeps pretty good.  it's the going down part that's hard!


Dyl's "witching hour" when he wants to eat nonstop and nothing will pacify him is between 8 and midnight.  the earlier we start the routine, the earlier we get to sleep.  sometimes when things are a little crazy in the evenings and Clark goes to bed late, we start the routine later and don't get to sleep until midnight!


Dylan has started waking up around 3 am to eat like clockwork, regardless of when he goes down.  so if we can go to bed by 10 we get 5 hours!  but usually it's closer to midnight.  have I mentioned that no matter what the night looks like, Mark is there with me every step of the way?  if Dylan won't sleep and just wants to eat or be held, Mark will run laps around the room with him.  when I'm nursing, Mark is awake by my side watching a show.  we just finished binge watching Zumbo's Just Desserts and are on the hunt for another show to keep us going during the nights.


Mark has affectionately nicknamed Dylan "Grunts" because whenever we try to put him down at night (during the witching hour) he just grunts and grunts until we pick him back up.  it sounds like he's trying to poop and we researched it and turns out, the grunting is normal as newborns learn how to work their bowels in the early weeks.  I think Clark grunted too which is why we moved him to his own room at a month old and we all slept better.  Grunts, however, will not be moving anytime soon since he is still eating through the night and his room is upstairs so there's no way we're going up and down those stairs all night.  he also doesn't wake Clark from our room so I don't want to change that!

p l a y / d e v e l o p m e n t


I'm not sure if this is normal but Dylan is still sleeping pretty much all day!  he is only awake to nurse and get his diaper changed and sometimes he'll look around at things for a few minutes but usually if he's awake he's either crying or nursing!  and since I don't like to let him cry, he's usually just nursing!  I don't think Clark was still sleeping this much at a month...instead of sleeping all day, he had 3-4 distinct 2-3 hour naps throughout the day, which is still a lot of sleep but they felt more like naps instead of all day sleeping in between eating and pooping.

maybe it's because I nurse Dyl more?  Clark sure cried a lot more or so it feels like.  my mom said he was colicky but I don't think so.  he just cried like all babies do and now that I know his personality, it makes sense, ha.  Clark's always known what he wanted!


despite the fact that he still sleeps all day, Dylan is pretty strong!  he's been rolling to his side since he was a week old and could lift his head and look around while we were still in the hospital.  he's pretty good at tummy time, although I'm horrible about remembering to do it.  it's also hard to do because when he's awake he's eating and I really don't want him to be on his tummy right after eating.


the other day I introduced him to the activity gym and he loved it, looked all around at the animals and colors and I'll admit, I was amazed that he was actually awake enough to enjoy it.  my sleepy little lamb!


one big difference between having one baby and having two is that when Clark was this age, I was so bored all the time!  I mean, obviously there were plenty of things I wanted to do (sleep, eat, shower) but trying to think of things to do with the baby was so hard for me.  I just always counted down the hours until his next nap or until I could put him down and do something for myself.

these days, I'm NEVER bored.  we were living with my parents when Clark was a newborn so I didn't have my own house to take care of.  I also didn't have another child to dress, feed, change and keep entertained all day!  a part of me feels guilty that the reason Dilly sleeps so much is because I don't make enough of an effort to engage him in activities like I did with Clark because it's easier to let him sleep and run around after Clark.  it's so like me to worry about something that most people would see as a blessing!  I guess I should take advantage of all the sleeping now before I'm chasing after both of them!


my days are filled with laughter and tears
little pounding footsteps and tiny baby coos
crumbs and smudges, binkies and blankies
laundry and laundry and laundry
goldfish crackers and diaper rashes
making boo boo's better and singing abc's
holding tiny fingers and kissing sticky cheeks
moments of madness and utter happiness
my days as a mother are the best ♥