2 Months Update

 

2 Months 

5.5 kilograms  (12.1 pounds)

60 centimeters  (23.6 inches)

Likes: 

smiling 

"talking" 

our morning routine 

looking out the windows 

bath time 

being outside 

being held 

Mama's singing 

snuggling 

Daddy's jokes 

Dislikes: 

the camera hiding his view of Mama or Daddy's face 

when the tricycle or bus stops moving 

tummy time

Isaiah turned two months old on Monday! I can’t believe how much he has changed in just one month. His little personality is starting to come out and it’s been so much fun! A lot of things have happened this month and life has been anything but consistent so I’ll try to remember it all.

I think my favorite thing that happened was Isaiah began to smile at us (on my birthday!) It might be the sweetest thing I’ve seen in my whole life. His mouth stretches across his little face and he is all gums! He smiles the biggest when his daddy gets right in front of him and talks to him. He also seems to love all the ridiculous sounds we make to get a smile. He’s a happy boy and every time he smiles I seem to forget all the more difficult moments of the day.

Speaking of difficult moments, I read in Isaiah’s one month update where I said ‘he hardly ever cries’. Well, the boy found his vocal chords. We went through several different ‘phases’ this month. For a few days he hardly slept at all during the day which made him cranky by the afternoon and he cried, cried, cried. Well, once he got caught up on that missed sleep, he decided he hates evenings. From about 5pm to 8pm every night he gets so fussy and nothing seems to comfort him. I’ve read that evening fussiness is common at his age but I’m hoping we become abnormal soon. All in all, as long as it’s befor 5, he’s well rested, and his booty is clean, he’s all smiles.

He eats around every 1.5-2 hours during the day, sometimes more often. He’s quite the snacker and seems to prefer small, frequent meals. In the past two weeks he has started sleeping 5-6 hour stretches pretty consistently when we put him down at night which has been so wonderful for mom! Early on this month we had some breastfeeding issues which led to some reflux issues which were hard for all of us. Isaiah would choke while eating, his spit up was so awful, and he would tighten his little legs in pain from gas. But with the help of some supportive mamas from home and encouragement from women here we were able to work through all that and for the most part he is feeling just fine. He likes to have his tummy massaged with some essential oils and as long as we keep him upright for a loooong time after he eats, all is well. It also helps that I’m a lot less scared of spit-up these days ha. A few years ago I never would’ve guessed I’d be in the Philippines praising Jesus for spit-up free burps, but it’s pretty praise-worthy in mama-baby world :)

Isaiah is an early bird like his mommy. He wakes up between 5:30 and 6:30 most days and he’s usually raring to go until mid-morning. He is so cute when he wakes up all wide-eyed and smiling. After he nurses he loves to look out the window and hang out with his Daddy while I fix breakfast. He stares at Josh like he’s trying to learn every line of his face. He also thinks his Daddy’s jokes are so funny. It really does seem like he smiles right on cue sometimes; it’s hilarious. And I think Isaiah might be the only person on the planet who enjoys my singing, but it calms him down and makes him smile when there are funny faces involved. He also loves being outside and looking up at the sky. His favorite thing of all this month might be bath time. He smiles so big when the water hits him and cries when he gets out. He also enjoys riding in the tricycle. It puts him to sleep every time. 

He went to church for the first time early this month and met some of the people who love him so much. We laugh because everyone from home comments about Isaiah’s skin complexion. They say he looks like he has a good tan. But everyone here can't get over how white his skin is! He also got to experience some intense brown-outs at quite a young age. A brown-out is when the electricity goes out. There's no running water, no lights, no electric fan. It’s every bit as intense a it sounds. Add a baby to the mix and it becomes a test of faith!There were a few brown-outs in his first month, even one while we were at the hospital, but nothing like the heat of Aurora in April. However, our little man was a rockstar. Just a couple nights ago there was a brown-out through the night and Isaiah handled it a lot better than his parents ha. With a cool pair of pjs and some fanning he slept right through it. He also made his first road trip this week. Call us crazy, but we took an almost 2 month old on an 8 hour bus ride. And he did so great! We had to go to Manila for an appointment at the US Embassy to apply for his American certificate of birth abroad and passport. He wasn’t a huge fan of bus stops and he didn’t care for the Embassy, but he got to experience air conditioning and he loved being held in the carrier practically the entire time we were there.     

Some other milestones in his second month were that he started ‘talking’ to us and really grew an attachment to us. His little oohs and aahhs are so precious, It seems like he wants to say something so important but just cannot figure out how. He searches for us when he hears our voices and he gets so sad when he thinks he is alone. He also started grabbing things that are around him. Sometimes he wraps his whole hand around his paci (which usually leads to him pulling it out of his mouth!) or grabs a fistful of his blanket or my hair. He hates being on his tummy for more than like 30 seconds but when I can get him to bear through the misery, he can move his head around pretty well. He also kicks his little legs against anything he can and tries to climb up our chests. Wearing 3 month sized clothes, he's a growing boy! 

Dear Isaiah, 

You're two months old now. It's hard to believe your dad and I have only known you such a short time. I feel like we have known you forever. It is hard work being your mommy. I'm sure it will only get harder. But when your smile spreads across your face I forget about all the hard times and fall in love all over again. You're a happy baby boy and your daddy and I are happy to call you ours. We are praying for you to grow into a strong, kind, and godly man. We love you sweet boy. 

Love, Mom

Dear Isaiah,

You are not the fragile little person we took home from the hospital.  We're exited you're not either.  Mom is currently trying to get you to sleep, but you're quietly refusing it I guess.  Speaking of quiet... wow, you know how to cry.  Last month we were wondering if you'd continue your quiet ways.  We are no longer wondering.  We also found out this month that you are not a Filipino.  It was a bummer, but we know there's a community here that considers you one of their own whether you're officially a Filipino or not.  And that's more valuable than any nationality.  Nevertheless, it's great being your dad.  Your granddad (Randaddy) told me that you'll really get to be fun later on when you get a little older.  I can see that coming.  I'm excited to be used as God molds you into the man He wants you to be.  Our world lacks strong men of God, so you will be in the minority, if the Lord wills it.  We have continued in our prayers for you.  May God grant us grace and wisdom along the way.  We love you bud.

Love, Dad