The Kings: 8 weeks

How does time fly so quickly? Our littlest King is already 8 weeks old! He is doing wonderfully and seems to be settling into more of a routine all the time. I am especially happy to report that for about the last 5 days or so he has been sleeping through the night! And I don't mean the 5 or 6 hours that typically counts as "sleeping through the night" when you read baby websites and such, I mean I feed him around 9 pm and he doesn't wake until about 5 or 6 am to eat again! Let me tell you, after all the round-the-clock feeds and chasing my other two kiddos around, that stretch of sleep is pure bliss! Keep it up, baby Evan! I should also mention that we've started giving him a bottle before bedtime in the last 2 weeks, to ease the transition when I go back to work. He's been doing a pretty good job -- initially he took a bottle with no problem, but then for a few days he struggled with it for no apparent reason, and now we are back to taking bottles without a fight. Hopefully we don't have issues when I go back to work.

Our little man also started smiling (intentionally) this week! He has been my most smiley baby to date, but of course he was just smiling for "no reason" before -- not really in response to myself or a toy -- but this week those sweet smiles have started to be in response to a smiling face! I love it! Little baby smiles are the absolute best!

Evan is also doing exceptionally well with tummy time and can already push himself up a bit and hold his head high for quite a stretch of time. He also seems to enjoy tummy time (more than I remember the other kids enjoying it, at least) and will happily play on his activity mat for long stretches of time while his brother and sister run around, chase each other, and occasionally stop to show him a toy or give him some snuggles (which usually results in a chorus of "gently!!" from any adult nearby). He is often so content on the mat that he will eventually doze off while playing, at which point I move him upstairs to the crib to finish his nap until it's time for him to eat again. He's been going for stretches of 4 hours, but would go longer if I let him. I'd rather him sleep at night than during the day, though, so he always eats in at least 4 hour increments during the day to keep him on an appropriate day/night schedule. I'm just so happy that my prayers for a good eater/sleeper/happy baby seem to have been heard ;)
We go back to the pediatrician office on the 29th for another round of immunizations and to check his growth.

***Update on 7/29: Evan's pediatrician appointment went very well! He had gained 3 lbs since his last visit, now weighing 11 lbs 8 oz, had grown 2 inches and maintained his growth curve in height, weight, and head circumference. He also ranked on par with a 4.5 month old developmentally. Way to go, E!

bouncy chair fun