Happy 2 month Birthday, Carter!

My lil chunky man has visibly grown taller and bigger. So much so that people that haven’t seen him for a week remark that he looks different. And he does – his skin is now taut and no longer wrinkly newborn skin, his eyes are wide awake and alert, and he feels solid. 

Like Hunter, Carter’s weight gain is at supersonic speed. He’s about the same weight as Hunter was at this age, perhaps a bit more. But this time round, I’m not as nervous about having a chunky baby.. because I look at Hunter now and he’s all lean and nowhere near fat. So this time round, I’m actually enjoying the deliciously squishy turkey-drumstick thighs I can chomp on, the full rounded belly and the chipmunk cheeks 🙂

Carter is most definitely the opposite of Hunter in terms of, erm, sound level. He’s generally pretty well behaved and sleeps very well at night, but when he goes on his rants (generally when he wants to be held a certain way, or picked up by someone), he can shout and rant SO loudly that every single person that has heard him do this is shocked by his volume. Eep. I’ve learned that he gives me an approx 2-3 mins “grace period” of grunting around and rooting.. and once that grace period is up, he emits sounds like I’m torturing him in the worst possible way. His shouts can be so piercing that it could split your brain! And then, when he gets what he wants, he’s all smiles.. Talk about sending us on an emotional rollercoaster ride…

• EATING – Breastfeeding is easy and wonderful this time around. My oversupply is still there, but it’s settling down and Carter is growing so quickly that he’s learning to deal with it pronto. He now breastfeeds 8-9 time a day, and is starting to cluster-feed in the late afternoon onwards, which helps him stretch for longer hours at night. He only feeds on 1 boob per feed, because of my oversupply, but I’m anticipating this to calm down further in the next few weeks so he can do both boobs and I’m not left lopsided after every feed 😉

• SLEEPING – Carter’s got a nice little routine going on, because thankfully he really likes night time and sleeping at night! He knocks out at around 7PM, and I wake him for a feed at around 3-4AM. He’ll then last til 7AM until I feed him again, and then generally will snooze until 9AM. I love how he sleeps well at night, but I wish I could sleep as well.. because unfortunately I end up leaking everywhere (my body hasn’t figured out it has to reduce its milk production overnight) and he can be pretty grunty when he’s asleep so it keeps me awake. But overall I’m not sleep deprived and have never really needed to crash for an afternoon nap, so for that I’m grateful!
  The trade-off is that Carter is awake pretty frequently during the day, and because of this, he likes to be picked up, walked around, interacted with, etc etc. He is NOT content with just laying there in his recliner and watching life go by (like Hunter could do for hours on end).. which makes it pretty tiring as he needs constant attention in the day time.

• PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT – Carter’s coos melt my heart, full stop. Lots of happy big smiles this month, but no loud belly laugh yet.
  He also loves tummy time. In fact, he fusses whenever he’s on his back, and immediately goes quiet and looks around merrily once he’s placed on his tummy.. preferably on someone’s belly.
  He kicks really vigorously in the bath tub (he loves bathtime, a sure-fire way to calm him down and elicit happy smiles) so I’m thinking he’s going to like those baby spa swim places.. might take him there soon to try it out.

Hunter still cannot get enough of his baby brother. Nothing delights him more than patting, kissing and playing with Carter.. which completely melts my heart 🙂 Every morning, both boys have a cuddle with me in our big bed, and they adore each other’s company. Hunter is also always thrilled when I pop Carter into the cot with him.. he seems to love sharing his bed and favourite toys (particularly Teddy) with Carter, whereas he’d have a total breakdown if any other kid touched Teddy. But with Carter, he’ll proactively plonk Teddy on Carter, then say “thank you!’ on Carter’s behalf – LOL!!

Before I gave birth, I was feeling a bit of trepidation about Carter.. wondering how I’d be able to love another child since my entire heart belonged to Hunter. But now I feel Carter occupies my entire heart as well. How is that possible? It’s like my heart doubled in size. The feeling wasn’t as strong last month, as we were still in the haze of learning about a newborn and I had hormones rushing through my system. But this month, with everything calmed down, the surge of LOVE I feel for Carter is unbelievable.

It feels so special, the way his eyes track me around the house. How my voice never fails to make him twist his head around to try and locate me. When he gets nervous and emits little disgruntled cries if he can’t see/hear me for a few mins. The devastatingly adorable (to me!) grin after he has a good breastfeed, a special smile reserved just for me. I do think he is closer to me than Hunter was.. because with Hunter, he had the full attention of everyone. But with Carter, everyone tends to focus more on Hunter (who naturally commands more attention), so it’s just me that is with him 24/7. And because of that, the bond that Carter and I share is really strong. He’s my precious littlest baby 🙂

This upcoming month will be exciting for Carter, because it’ll be his first overseas trip… to the USA! My awesome parents are sponsoring our whole family the gift of a trip to Boston and NYC 😀 Unfortunately Chris won’t be able to go because of work commitments, but the two kids and I are going! It’s going to be madness, but I can’t wait 🙂

Compare with Hunter at Month 1-2 here.

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