The Fletcher Family

Holden is two months old today! He woke up happy - full of smiles and giggles. We had his 2 month well visit to Dr. Rubenstein this morning. Here are his stats this month (and last months - for comparison):
____________________________________________________________________
...................ONE MONTH OLD.................TWO MONTHS OLD
Height.......................21 3/4 in. .......................................23 3/4 in.
Height Percentile........25%...................................................80%

Weight......................9 lb 0 oz............................................10 lb 8 oz
Weight Percentile......50%....................................................25%

Head Circumference....37 cm................................................38 cm
Circ. Percentile.............25%...................................................25%

Today we took Holden & Houston to the beach in Del Mar. Houston got to run free, play with other dogs, and fetch his ball in the water (his favorite thing ever). Holden slept in the Baby Bjorn the whole time.

Holden is learning new things everyday. It is so much fun to watch him grow and make new connections. This week:

• He learned that his feet can kick the rattles on his Baby Einstein playmat. He first kicked them by accident, and then a wave of recognition spread across his face (he knew the sound from when he hit them with his fists), and I could tell he was trying to figure out how to do it again. He started kicking like crazy and the toys were swinging and rattling. He was so excited; he was smiling, laughing and screaming with joy. I loved watching him!

• He perfected his mini-push up. Holden has had really strong neck control since birth, but this week it's gotten even stronger. He was able to sit on his forearms and look around for a good minute or two. He has a whole new view of the world around him.
  

• He continues to smile more and more. I love when he smiles at me when I go to get him after he wakes up.

• He's beginning to coo and make gurgling noises.
• When lying on his back, he can roll to his side.
  
• He faced outward in the Baby Bjorn yesterday.
  

Being a mom is the greatest thing ever!

Today I took Holden to his first Gymboree Play & Music class - it was so much FUN! There were 4 other babies there with us- Logan, 6 months; Sofie, 8 weeks; Emma, 7 weeks; and Arielle, 3 months. The teacher, Trish, is a mommy of two and was absolutely fabulous. The focus of the class on calming and soothing your baby to help them feel comfortable in the outside world. When they feel comfortable, they are better learners and are better able to connect with their loved ones. Holden cried for 75% of the class, but it was fun to learn new songs and meet other moms.

We started with an ice breaker, just a question really - "Is your baby on a schedule and how did you get them on it?" I was happy to hear that the mommies of the 7 & 8 week olds were not on a schedule. Emma doesn't take any naps, but sleeps for 6 hours at night. Sofie has at least one nap durng the day. It was reassuring that we're not totally out of the norm. I was happy to say that Holden had at least two established naps during the day(well kind of), and sort of has a bedtime. Next, we sang the "Welcome Song". Then the class progressed as follows:

• Tactile Stimulation - we sang songs that focused on body parts ...eyes, nose, toes, etc.
  
• Tummy Time with a mirror - Holden liked this - no crying
• Songs using our hands to promote visual tracking
• Dance Time - they got to play on the gym equipment (I don't know why it was called Dance Time)- Holden, Sofie and Emma went on a big log looking thing on their tummies (Holden loved it!)
• Baby Massage - Holden screamed through the whole thing, but I learned some great ways to help relieve his gas at night. I'm going to try after his bath tonight.
• Parachute - this is supposedly an instant baby soother but Holden cried through the whole thing. It was really cool though, we sang songs and moved the parachute. All the other babies loved it.
• Goodbye Song using Puppets.

After class, the moms stayed and chatted for a little while. Here's what I learned:

• All of them had read "The Happiest Baby on the Block" like us, and were implementing the 5 S's with success. Arielle hardly even fusses any more.
  
• One mom had read "The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer".
• If you stick a pacifier in the babies mouth right after breastfeeding, they'll suck on it. I tried it when we got home and I do have to say that Holden did suck on it. But soon after he realized it was the pacifier and spit it out. I'm officially giving up on pacifiers!
• Gripe Water is supposed to really help with the colic at night.
• One mom does Stroller Strides two days a week, but is so tired afterward she needs a sitter to watch the baby.
  
• Everyone wants a tummy tuck!

It was so much fun and I can't wait to take him back tomorrow!

Although every week is "Spring Break" for us right now, we had a fun-filled week while everyone else was on their Spring Break.

We kicked it off by visiting my fourth grade class on Friday, April 7th during their Spring Fling Party. The kids LOVED seeing Holden and were amazed that he was the "thing" that was in my belly. I put Holden in the Baby Bjorn and as soon as I walked into the classroom, he fell right to sleep. I think he remembered all of the commotion of the classroom from when he was in the womb. He slept the entire time we were there. It was great for me to visit with the students, parents and my long term sub, Hollan. Trey packed the car up on Saturday night (thank goodness....we had A LOT of stuff) and Holden, Houston, and I left at about 5 am on Sunday morning to go visit my family in Visalia. I learned that driving 5 hours with a newborn, an 80 pound yellow lab, and a car jam-packed with baby gear is not as bad as it sounds. Luckily, Holden slept the entire time. The hardest part for me was worrying whether he was breathing in the back seat or not. Once the sun came up, it was better because I could see him in the baby mirror. The next challenge was figuring out where to stop to feed him. I planned to stop at the half way point near Magic Mountain because I didn't want to stop in the middle of LA. But wouldn't you know, Holden must have sensed we were in the heart of LA and started crying. My mom and I were talking on the phone at that point and decided Glendale was an ok place to stop. Well, I missed the exit and got off one exit later. I was pretty much in the ghetto, but I didn't know it yet. I found an AM/PM, scooped Holden out of the car, and went in to use the restroom. I saw a "Out of Order" sign and thought, "Great! Now what?" When I started to ask the man working there if there was another restroom close by, he replied, "Oh no, it's not out of order we just put that on the door at night so the drunks don't use it." Ok, clue number one that I was in the ghetto. After using the less than ideal bathroom, I got back in the car and decided to drive over to the Del Taco parking lot across the street to nurse Holden, since it was empty. I'm so glad I did! As I was nursing Holden in the back seat, I noticed that there was a scary looking bum talking to himself right where I was just parked. Then I started looking around, and noticed pretty much everyone around was shady. Thank goodness it was only 6 am on a Sunday morning, there weren't many people. I was happy to get us all buckled in again and back on the I-5 North. Next, we stopped at my sister's house in Bakersfield. Aunt Jill and Holden's cousins, Mackenzie and Tabatha, hopped out of bed early Sunday morning to welcome us. Amanda and Uncle Randy were there too, but I didn't get pictures of them.