2 Months Old

Fox is getting a lot more fun and interactive...and I'm not sure that "mellow" really describes him as much anymore.  When he's happy, he's usually very happy and when he's sad, he's very very sad.  Devastated, even.  I'm having more and more difficulty getting him to nap anywhere other than on me.  Thank goodness for baby carriers because there's no way that I'd be able to facilitate this otherwise with a toddler. Occasionally I can get him to take a long nap on the swing but 4 out of 5 times he'll wake up within 5-10 minutes of being put in it, which makes for a very sleep deprived baby.  I'm pretty sure that this was Bears' main problem when he was tiny and why he was so blasted fussy.  He just wasn't getting enough sleep because I was under the mistaken impression that he'd be able to sleep in his crib if he was tired enough.  He eventually learned the self-soothing skills to sleep on his own but I'd say he was consistently sleep deprived until about 5 months old. Hopefully I can get Fox sleeping all on his own by the time he's as old as Bears was when he learned.

Speaking of Bears, jealousy is really starting to rear it's ugly head.  I think it's because Fox is requiring more interaction and can no longer be seen as a sack of potatoes that I carry around.  Luckily he hasn't done anything too terribly serious yet.  Mostly just tender hugs/pats that gradually turn into rough squeezes or smacks.  Once he was smothering Fox with kisses and suddenly couldn't resist the urge to bite him.  It reminded me of when cats or bunnies have licked my hand in a frenzied fashion that almost always resulted in biting if I let it go on long enough.  Ah well.  Luckily Fox didn't seem to mind.  Certainly not ideal though.

My parents took Bears out this morning, giving me some time for a bit of a photoshoot with Fox.  He really outdid himself doing the various baby poses:

We'll start with the classic "Blue Steel" (or "cheerio face" to some) that they all know so well when they're tiny.  It's so sad that they eventually lose this crucial skill.

The "toothless old man" look that they get when sucking in their lower lip

The "brave-but-tragically-conflicted super hero who's boldly flying off to do battle with evil" look.  Okay, so perhaps this isn't a classic baby expression.  It just might be though.  I'm almost certain that I remember Bears doing it.

Happy silly baby face

And lastly (and by far the most important) we have "Sean Connery face." This is another one that I'm not quite positive is universal...but my heart nearly breaks at the possibility that maybe not every baby makes this face at some point or another.  No.  I can't believe that, so I won't.  They all do this.  Yeshshshhhhh.

Bears 'n Fox

I wanted to take a couple pictures of Sawyer in his little fox outfit and Bears decided that he wanted in on the action.  He insists on holding his brother (or kissing him, rocking him, feeding him, etc) all the time.  It's usually really sweet and only sometimes problematic, like when Sawyer is in the swing or being nursed or changed. Bears is still wrestling with feelings of devastation when he can't cuddle his brother right when he wants to.  I had been pretty worried about Bears being jealous and trying to hurt Sawyer but so far the only hazards are when he wants to jump around like a crazy man too close to his brother and throwing things too nearby.  I'm really hoping the lack of violence keeps up but I'm still feeling like it might be too good to be true.  Only time will tell but for now I'm just trying to enjoy how sweet they are together.  Bears has already gotten li'l Fox to smile at him a few times.

Bears Photoshoot

Ryan took bear cub out for some pictures the other day and came up with these.  Turns out that he's a professional photographer. Pretty sure all of these need to be printed.

Meet Sawyer Fox

This li'l bundle was born yesterday morning at 5:50.  His birth was everything I'd hoped it would be.  I was able to have him naturally and with no complications.  Such a dream.  I fell in love with him right away and feel great...such a different experience from last time.  But I guess that's to be expected with a natural 8 hour labor vs 44 hours then epidural/pitocin.  Bears is doing great with it and is so sweet with "baby Fox."

Bears Love Parks

...and even more specifically, he loves the red ball on the front of the locking mechanism for his stroller.  He'd just taken a big lick of it and was going "MMMmmm!!"  I couldn't resist ordering this bear suit when I saw it was only $12 on ebay.  It even comes complete with a little bear tail:

Here he is foraging for berries that, conveniently enough, just happen to be in a bag

he scored big time by discovering this dreamy dirt pile

..and then finished the rest of his berries

All Dressed up With Nowhere to go

A friend gave us this awesome tux because she happened to find it at a consignment shop and it looked to be about Bears' size.  Fortunately, she was correct and it fit him perfectly.  Unfortunately, we didn't have a grand event to attend in the foreseeable future.  So I just dressed him up in his glorious new outfit this morning and we puttered around our neighborhood.

Here he is showing of his casual bachelor partying lifestyle...

Using his charm to get free pastries...

And here's his used-to-be-successful-but-down-on-his-luck side

Dangerous Rogue

Casual photo shoot outtake 

GQ

Super Hero

Orchestral conductor collecting himself prior to performance

And some more...

Bears Love Baths and Random Stuff

This is my favorite set of pictures from the photo shoot that the babies did a while back.  Something about babies being in the bathtub is just so cute.  And also I think it's just important to note the cold hard fact that Bears simply love baths.


Here he is envisioning himself modeling while very casually playing with a ball.

Okay, now for the random stuff.


One time as Ryan was leaving, Bears frantically waddled after him, using the furniture and the walls for balance.  Once he made it to the door, though, he was stumped. 

 He stood there, pondering how he could possibly get through the barrier for a good 5 minutes before asking for my help.

Grandma Cupcake and Grandpa gave Locke a dinosaur valentine's day card complete with stickers.  I was informed by them that I should save the stickers for when he's older but Ryan had different plans.  Don't worry, they peeled off like a dream and Bears didn't seem to mind at all.  He doesn't seem to be a huge fan of the flash on the camera though.

Okay, I've been saving up.  Here are a whole bunch of random videos for the grandmas:

Laughing and cruising around the table trying to eat the camera

He's figured out that if he gives my foot a good jiggle, I'll shake it around for him.  Normally he finds it hilarious but this time it only got smiles.

He's started to sway to any beat that he hears lately.  For instance, the other day we were walking past washer while it was on and he couldn't resist the urge to sway to the beat.  He's generally not particular about the kind of beat he'll dance to, as you can see in this next video.

Alright, I feel that I have to explain this one a bit.  Ryan likes to cover Bears up with a blanket for a second or two and then pull it off really fast.  Normally, locke really likes it.  Unfortunately, this time he wasn't such a huge fan.  Also unfortunately, it also looks a smidgy bit like Ryan's trying to smother him but let me assure you, this is not the case.

Part 2 playtimes

These next ones consist of him cruising around and looking through photo albums.  Not much happens but he does sometimes show off his new smile where he'll wrinkle up his nose.

Here he is playing with Lucy 

Bears and Kins

Locke is quite understandably smitten by the fair haired beauty of miss Zoey.  The above picture is a sneak peek of their first professional photo shoot.  I think Bears just wanted photo evidence that she actually hangs out with him.

They've been seeing each other pretty regularly since he was born but are just now starting to notice each other.  Well...parts of each other, if I'm really being honest.  One of them will suddenly discover a hand and proceed to mash it, while the other notices an eyeball and attempts to scoop it out to get a better look.  Ahh young love.  Has it been so long that I've forgotten these initial courting rituals?