2 month check up

James is 15.5 pounds. That's the average weight of a boy twice his age, though Robert weighed 17 lbs 6 oz at this point. He's outgrown most of his 3-6 month clothes simply because of shoulder breadth. I can no longer maneuver his arms into the sleeve holes. James is still above the 97th percentile for weight, but I can't believe he only grew 1/4 of an inch in a month...I should have asked for a retake.

He's sleeping longer most nights, giving me a 4-5 hour chunk right at the beginning. That's great when he goes to bed at 9 pm, and a little annoying (though still greatly appreciated) when he goes to bed at 7 pm. I can *almost* count on it these days as long as I don't eat anything offensive to his gut. Bobby and I have actually had time to talk to each other with no kids in the room or in my arms. I've missed that.

Last night, James actually slept from 10:30 pm to 8:30 am with only a 2-minute snack at 5:00 am.  Miracle! I was thrilled and a little troubled at the same time. No, I didn't think he was dead, like I have for my first two. This time, the twinge of uneasiness stemmed from the thought that I didn't have sleep deprivation to blame for how I felt waking up this morning. I was still tired. I still had a long day of balancing 2-year-old needs with other needs of family and home. I was a bit disappointed that a good night's sleep didn't make all my other troubles disappear. Ha ha ha! I'm in a much better mood about it all, though, which is almost as good as making them disappear :)

James is starting to condense his daytime naps, too. Almost every day this week, he's slept an hour or so during Robert's quiet time. Ahhhhh, sweet peace and personal time (even if I'm holding him asleep and typing blog entries one-handed...like now). Between the regular sleep, the personal time, and real conversation with Bobby, it's beginning to feel a little more sane at my house. I'm finally feeling some of the relief that I knew would eventually come with James growing up.

James has recently discovered his fists and started sucking on them. He's also developed a sweet social smile that delights me to no end. It's funny, actually. When I see him smile at me, I still can't believe it's entirely on purpose, and yet it's clearly in response to something I'm doing at that moment. Most of me loves to see this development, and yet there's a teeny part of me deep down inside that knows developments like these lead to other changes. Change (i.e James growing up) is welcome and unsettling at the same time. Unsettling because I don't know him yet, not because I don't want it to happen.

And this is that sweet, sweet smile: