Mid-March also brought us some robins! It was great to be able to take the boys for a couple of walks in our double stroller as the weather began to become milder.
On March 19, Larken had his first "real" bath with Papa. Though he was NOT a fan of sponge baths or sink baths, he was very calm and seemed to enjoy his bath in the tub with wide eyes!
It's hard to get a pic of Larken's hands open (he's usually got them fisted), but I got a couple of shots of his perfect little feet before they grow too much!
When he's awake, Larken looks all around and often looks very serious...but we've been seeing more and more smiles--at first accidental, and lately more purposeful!
Fischer continues to be very loving and helpful when it comes to Larken. When I have the camera out, he insists on being photographed, too. Here, he was helping by handing me a burp rag :)
Larken had a 3-week check-up on March 29th. He was 22 1/2 inches long (gain of an inch since birth, 90th percentile), 9 lbs. 15 oz. (gain of about 1 1/2 lbs. since birth, 65th percentile), and his head circumference was 37 1/2 cm (45th percentile). To see how these compare to Fischer's measurements at about the same age, click here to see the blog entry. The boys are astonishingly similar in their growth so far! Remember Fischer was one week early, and Larken was born on his due date... Also, Larken is battling goopy eyes, though not nearly as bad as Fischer's were. We also quickly remedied a diaper rash with Larken (Aquafor + Cornstarch) that took us longer to relieve when Fischer had the same (all those breastmilk poops make for a sore bottom!). Dr. Hoyer couldn't say enough about how well Larken is doing. I read in a breastfeeding book that breastfed babies should be compared on different growth charts as they gain weight differently than formula-fed infants. I asked Dr. Hoyer about this, and she said they use one chart for all infants, but keep in mind that breastfed infants traditionally take longer to regain their birth weight and gain more slowly after that. "Not so for this little guy, though!" she said of Larken :)Here's a Larken grin we caught...April 3rd.
Larken is a champ at breastfeeding. He'll go as long as 4 hours (usually 3 or 2) at night between feedings, and likes to eat more often throughout the day. I don't mind--he's filling out great!
Seeing as how Papa isn't home every evening to help with the two boys, I've had to find ways to get them both fed and bathed when the other inevitably needs my attention simultaneously--shwew! So, on bath nights, as Larken is still much to little to bathe with Fischer, he gets the first bath in a shallow lukewarm tub in his little bath hammock. No complaints! He seems to like these kinds of baths. When he's done and all dry and dressed, then I add warmer water to the tub and get Fischer cleaned up.
Baby burrito :)
Of course, my #1 assistant is tubside the whole time!
On April 7th, when Larken was a month old, his Great Auntie Annie got to meet him for the first time.
Grandma D came along to hear his stories, too :)
Larken's accidental smiles have been seen since he was about 2 weeks old. Around 3-4 weeks of age, he began smiling more--big, full-face, dimples-galore smiles! Today, while trying to multi-task and make dinner while Larken needed to eat as well, I latched him on while we were standing in the kitchen. He looked up at me and laughed as he got started! It's like he was saying, "This is new, Mama--points for creativity!"Not long after, I caught this gem of a grin. It's a good pic to close this entry with. Larken is a happy little guy, and we all feel very lucky to have him in the family :)
