We were fairly certain that Carson is bigger than Braden was at two months old, but we were wrong. Despite being born bigger than his brother, Carson is only 13 lbs 13 oz. and 23.75 inches compared to 15 lbs 2 oz and 24.5 inches for Braden at two months, as we learned at Carson’s recent check-up.

Maybe it’s because Carson poops so much that he hasn’t gained as much weight? That doesn’t explain the height differential, though. Still, we have a feeling Carson will be taller someday.

***

Kristin returns to work next week, with two straight weeks of night shifts. We’re thankful that our parents can watch both kids for us during the day.

***

As mentioned, the “Bringing up Bebe” book has been a life-changer. We’ve now had three nights that Carson didn’t get up! That didn’t happen for several months with Braden.

Journal pediatrician, size, sleep, work

Well, we got about 3.5 hours of sleep last night. At 1 a.m., we asked for some formula, because Carson is insatiable (sounds like his brother). That helped a lot.

We suspected we were in for a long night, as he slept from about 6-9 p.m. We watched three episodes of “Mad Men” during that time. Brian ordered dinner from Falbo Bros. Pizza.

***

Our pediatrician came in this morning and confirmed what his colleague said yesterday: Carson is a healthy baby. We’ll need to have a follow-up appointment two days after we’re discharged from the hospital.

***

As of 10:30 a.m., we’re still waiting for Kristin’s doctor to get here and let us know if we can go home today. She was supposed to be here between 8-9 a.m., so we’re wondering if she had to do a delivery.

Journal hospital, pediatrician, sleep

Yesterday, while Brian was sitting on the ground, Braden grabbed Brian’s arm to stand up, then he let go and stood for seven seconds! It was an amazing sight to see. Braden’s legs are getting stronger, and his balance is getting better and better.

***

Braden had his nine-month check up last week. He has not been gaining as much weight as before because he’s been crawling and climbing so much. In fact, he went from the 95th percentile in weight down to the 83rd! If you take a close look at him, his cheeks aren’t as pudgy as they once were.

Braden also got his H1N1 shot at the appointment. He has to get a booster shot in four weeks (or, as  Brian likes to joke: he got his H1 shot last week, and he’ll get his N1 shot later).

***

Braden really enjoys climbing the stairs, which he can do in only 30 seconds. The first time he ever did it, he was out of breath. Now, he’s not even close to being winded. He’s in good  cardiovascular shape!

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Happy Father’s Day to Brian!

The social committee at our condo organized a Father’s Day breakfast, and Brian took Braden there in the morning. There, he was the center of attention (in fact, the Lee boys were the only two males there at one point).

Kristin took Brian and Braden to Fleming’s for lunch. There were two other babies seated near us.

After buying his mom a nice gift, Braden got his dad a nice one as well: two-tone gold cufflinks. What a son!

***

Braden had his four-month check-up today, which meant he got three shots again (poor guy).

He now weighs 19 lbs. 11 oz., moving him up to the 97th percentile (up from 95th)! His length of 26.5 in. moves him into the 86th percentile (up from 85th).

***

Braden can now put his feet (one at a time) in his mouth. It’s really cute to see!

(Just like his dad, always putting his foot in his mouth.)

Journal holidays, new skills, pediatrician

We posted the rest of the photos from the month of April. Check them out in the new photos page (“Photos 2”).

Also, we added a picture of Brian and Braden at the UW softball game. Scroll down this page to see it.

***

Braden developed a small cough earlier this week (it’s sorta cute). On Friday it got worse, so we went to see the pediatrician. Turns out he has a small cold. Hopefully it peaks today and that he’ll start to get better. He has been coughing at night while he sleeps, though it doesn’t wake him up.

Braden would probably cough less often if he could just blow his nose, but since he can’t, the drainage into his mouth causes him to cough. Otherwise, he’s in good spirits.

Journal, Pictures pediatrician, sick

Wow, it’s been two months already!  We took Braden for his check-up and to get his shots. Here are his stats:

Weight: 15 lbs. 2 oz (95th percentile)
Length: 24.5 in. (86th percentile)
Head size: 41.2 cm (67th percentile)

Braden is a big boy! The pediatrician said not to worry; he will eventually “average out.”

Besides taking a vaccination orally, Braden also received three shots (two to one thigh, one to the other). We had never heard him cry like that  before. He did get over it surprisingly quickly, and that night he slept six straight hours (a record). The next day, though, he hardly napped and didn’t have much of an appetite.

***

We also moved Braden to his crib in his  bedroom, so he’s no longer in the playpen in our room. That’s because he has outgrown the playpen. Speaking of outgrowing, he’s also too big for his 0-3 month-clothes already, despite being two-months old (should be obvious based on his weight!).

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About a week ago, Braden learned to suck his hands. He has also just learned how to rub his forehead, where it gets itchy. We have since begun using some hydrocortisone to relieve the itchiness.

Journal nursery, pediatrician, sleep

When we got engaged back in 2001, we couldn’t believe how many found out before we could tell them. We actually start asking how people knew so we could trace to the original source (e.g. Person A told Person B who told Person C who in turn congratulated us).

The same goes for Braden’s birth. It’s amazing and very sweet how many people have sent us a note (e-mail, phone or in person) of congrats before we could officially tell them.

***

In other news, Braden had his two-week appointment this morning (can you believe he’s already two weeks old?). The pediatrician says he is in perfect health, and for that we are grateful. He’s already grown from 19.5 inches at birth to about 21 inches (Brian predicts Braden will be 6’2″).

We swear he is starting to smile! We’ll capture it on film (so to speak, since everything is digital now) soon.

Journal congrats, pediatrician

We had about three 2.5-hour intervals of sleep last night.  Seven-and-a-half hours seem like a lot, but not when they’re broken up. Still, it was nice to be in our own bed for the first time in almost a week.

We took Braden to see the pediatrician at 11:30 a.m. to check his biliruben levels. The good news is that his weight has increased by almost 5 oz. (a lot!), but the bad news is that his biliruben levels rose from 15.2 to 16.6. So we have another appointment at 9:15 a.m. Sunday.

While we were in the waiting room, Braden had the hiccups. We will be posting this video soon.

Kristin’s sister just came over, so Kristin will take a quick nap and Brian is going to go work out. It’s 2:08 p.m. now. We’ll check back later.

Journal, Video pediatrician, sleep