2 months

Our little man is now two months old. And how much he has grown in such little time. He's no longer the little newborn that simply ate, pooped, slept and cried. Of course, he still does those things, but he also smiles and coos. He now shows interest in things. He gets more alert everyday and likes to look around to soak in his surroundings. He definitely knows the voices of his mommy and daddy. He loves his activity mat. He is so proud when he makes contact with one of the toys dangling down towards him. He loves music. He loves lights. He loves mirrors. He is kicking his legs more and getting bigger every day.

Each day my love for him grows stronger. His smiles light up my world. I love when he's tired and snuggles against my chest. I love when he talks to me.

In the last month, we celebrated Owen's first Christmas. Christmas Eve began with a visit to the doctor for a well check and some shots. The shots made him pretty crabby, but I guess that's our payback for taking him to the doctor on Christmas Eve. The report from the doctor was good. She called him a star baby! But he still did good at church. There was something truly special about holding your infant son while singing hymns about baby Jesus. He was so tired at the end of the day on Christmas that he didn't even wake up when we put his pajamas on him or changed his diaper. Owen gave me a great Christmas present -- sleep. Since Christmas he's slept 6 or more hours each night...that's a trend I like. He too got lots of great presents that I know he'll love in the months to come. It's crazy to think that next Christmas he'll probably be walking around and he'll be able to open his presents on his own. It'll be fun, but this Christmas was definitely special with our infant boy.

I wish I could keep my little boy a baby forever so I could always protect him and keep him safe. Last week we went to a funeral for a girl that I have known since my childhood. We played soccer together from elementary school all the way through high school, and although she was a year younger than me, we went to the same school for most of those years too. She committed suicide. During the funeral, I held my baby tight to me, gave him kisses and told him I love him. Although I can't protect him from the evils of the world, I pray that he knows he'll always be able to find a safe place in my arms and that his daddy and mommy love him unconditionally. We would go to the end of the world and back for this guy.

Two months means that there is less than one month left until I go back to work. As that day gets closer, I find myself increasingly yearning to soak up this time with my little guy. If I don't feel like I held him enough during the day, it makes me a little sad...as it's a day with my boy I won't get to do over. So we cuddle a lot. We sing songs and talk together a lot. And he still eats, poops and sleeps a lot. I don't like thinking about going back to work, but sometimes I force myself to think about it and visualize it so hopefully I can prepare myself a little bit for that difficult time. It also helps me remember that this time is for me and Owen and to take advantage of my time with him. That's why you haven't seen as many blog posts from me. Sorry, but given the choice between having a laptop in my lap or my baby, I'm going to choose my baby.

J.B.