The Chaos Chronicles: The Life and Times of the Cox Clan: The First 90 Days

Isn't it funny how 3 months sounds like a long time, but 90 days sounds like no time at all? Either way you look at it, little Bennett is growing up. He's getting adjusted to this new world and we are getting adjusted to having him in it! He is a delightful baby (Where is some wood so I can knock on it?) and we are enjoying every second! I have now gone back to work but can honestly say that this maternity leave was the best time of my life. Jason was home, too, because he didn't take any summer courses and we did our best to make the most of each day. Of course, the first few weeks were spent learning all about Bennett and establishing a bond, we then hit the road and spent the latter part of the time traveling and making memories. It was AHHHMAZING!

Given that I now have 3 kids, I don't have much time to write. However, I thought I'd document some of the more noteworthy things about our boy and post some pictures.

-He looks just like Nolan did at his age. Jason reminded me of the importance of labeling printed pictures or 10 years from now we run the risk of not being able to tell which baby is the subject of the picture.

-At 2 months, he weighed 11 pounds, 3 ounces and was 23.5 inches long. That's 21% and 67%, respectively. Nolan had dropped to 10% by 4 months, but we're pretty sure our chunk-a-munk-a is going to track a bit bigger. August 20th is his next appointment, and I can't wait to see how big he's gotten.

-Not coincidentally, he is a good eater. Right now, he's taking 6 ounces 5 times a day. He's definitely established a schedule for eating and sleeping and is pretty consistent.

-He is also a very good sleeper. He typically goes to bed around 9:15 or 9:30 p.m. and wakes between 6:45 and 7:30 a.m. A few times he has slept until 8:30! Of course, a few times he's also gotten up at 4:45 a.m. but it's been awhile since he's done that. Regardless, I can't complain too much. Even when he was consistently getting up between 4 and 5 a.m., he would always go back to sleep for a few hours after eating. During the day, he'll usually take a couple of cat naps in the a.m. (20-30 minutes), go down for a long nap in the afternoon (2.5-4.5 hours) and then take another cat nap in the evening. If he doesn't sleep well, he gets overtired and has a hard time falling asleep. When he's fighting sleep and I'm trying to comfort him, those strong legs that kicked me so hard in my belly get their workout and sometimes I get hurt in the process!

-He's wearing 3 months and 3-6 months clothes. I unpacked lots of Nolan's old 6 months clothes and I suspect I'll be putting Bennett in them shortly. It's been kind of nice that Bennett is a bit bigger than Nolan was because, even though they were born in different seasons, I've been able to use much of Nolan's wardrobe.

-Likes: Being held (duh), rocking (I'd say duh here too, but neither of my others were soothed by rocking), having his head rubbed, being held upright, the hairdryer (I'll tell that story shortly), being swaddled (not looking forward to him rolling over as the swaddling days will be over), being out and about shopping or in the car, the name song, playing "Who's that baby in the mirror?", and "talking" to us.

-Dislikes: Getting his diaper or clothes changed, the wind, the sun (he pretty much just keeps his eyes shut outside), and TUMMY TIME. I can't think of too many other things that get him riled up. He's pretty easy going.

-We're not too sure whether he likes or dislikes his pacifier. He takes it when he's desperate to fall asleep, but usually doesn't want or need it other times. However, we found out that he certainly doesn't take just any pacifier and is partial to the one we received in the hospital. He won't even wrap his mouth around other ones.

-About a week after he came home, I began to notice a bad smell. I kept thinking he had pooped, but that was not the case. I realized it was his umbilical cord, so we were concerned about infection. While these days doctors don't encourage the use of alcohol to clean it (some study said that it falls off more quickly if you just leave it alone), I began cleaning it to stifle the smell. It wasn't red or swollen, but it was a little oozy. The doctor said infection is very rare and that it should fall off soon. It took FOREVER (or forever when all you can smell is the rotting flesh of your infant's disgusting umbilical cord) and we took to a regimen of cleaning and then drying with the hair dryer (now you know how we discovered he likes it!) to speed up the process. It finally fell off, oozed for a few more days, and then was normal and absent of the smell.

-Shortly after he arrived, the doctor noticed Bennett had the same asymmetrical dimple at the top of his booty crack that Nolan did. Also like Nolan, this required an ultrasound to rule out a tethered spinal cord. And, yet again like Nolan, the ultrasound showed no tethering. All was fine.

-He's gone on several car trips already and did just fine. Actually, he did more than fine as we were amazed at how well he tolerated the extended amount of time in the car, sleeping in different places, and being around lots of new people. Bennett's been to Dallas twice, San Antonio, and Houston. He's already a seasoned traveler!

-He smiled at 5 weeks, started cooing/"talking" at 10 weeks, discovered his own hands at 11 weeks and giggled at 12 weeks. Right now, the giggles are few and far between, but I suspect we'll hear them more over the next couple of weeks. As for the discovery of his hands, and a few times his feet, we crack up because he'll home in on one hand and, as it gets closer to his face, his eyes will cross. It's funny and creepy all at the same time! Right now, he's working on holding his head up when on his tummy. He's doing better, but he's not yet close to pushing up high enough to roll over. Nolan rolled at 11 weeks, so Bennett better get to it!!

Here are a few pics, in chronological order:

Approx. 4 weeks