All About za Cutkiss.

Ohhh, Cutkiss. These 2 words are repeated no less than 23 times a day between Matt, Brock and I. Most of the time it is in response to one of his random outbursts of happiness that takes form in a loud "coo". He has been blowing bubbles and talking to us for quite sometime, but has recently been exploring the capacity of his vocal cords, I believe some shreaking may be on the horizon. He has yet to give a full "giggle", while conscious anyway (he sure has some pretty hilarious dreams), but you can see it on the tip of his tongue when you play with him. Or at least, when I play with him. He is definitely a momma's boy.

I have yet to decide on Curtis' demeanor. Initially, probably most due to his size, I thought he would be our big, lazy, cuddly, happy boy. Turns out, Curtis has quite a large amount of energy to go with that large belly. He is very observant and curious about the world around him, yet he also enjoys smiling at and looking you in the eye. Until recently, he was very fussy in the evenings. It was very strange, he would be perfectly content one second, then just mad. I finally figured out that he is a pacifier man. And not just any pacifier, but Nuks are his cup of tea. He has completely transformed from a bipolar baby, to a generally happy one.

Though he still fights sleep a bit, and refuses to go down one minute before 11:30pm, I absolutely will not complain about this. For all his crying, he makes up for it by sleeping 6-8 hours EVERY night, since about 3 weeks of age (or earlier. Besides the night we brought him home, I can't think of a single time I woke up more than once before 7am.) I honestly have been so blessed with my boys. I joke that I have no idea what it's like to have a "newborn", and with Curtis I am pretty sure I gave birth to a 3 month old.I know it's extremely cliche to say this, but Curtis has brought so much to our lives. Life has changed just as significantly with a second child, as with the first. Yes, some things are easier or just more natural now; such as nursing, bathing, dressing, holding, knowing what to pack in a diaper bag, less stress and worries, in general, about the well-being of the newborn. But now, I am pretty sure we run the dishwasher everyday, as opposed to once or twice a week. And if I skip a day of doing some element of laundry, I pay for it; whether it is folding, loading the washer or dryer, or putting clothes/linens away, something needs to happen, daily.

A frequent question I receive is, "how is Brock with Curtis?". I feel, the only way to answer this is with examples. Often, when driving with the 2 boys in the backseat I will hear a strange noise from Curtis which is instantly followed by a very endearing, spoken in a half laugh, "Ohh, Cutkiss" from Brock. Also, for all his impatience, Brock seems very unbothered by his brother's crying or constant need for attention. In fact, he tries to help. The other day, I had Curtis propped on my bed with some pillows (as he has come to prefer a higher perch where he can look around and observe the world, not just ceiling fans and lights - just like his brother) and he began to fuss a bit. Brock, without hesitation, climbed on the bed, and began to pat Curtis on the belly. This soothed the baby immediately, so Brock began playing with the blinds above and Curtis eagerly observed his big brother - getting ideas already, I am sure.

Speaking of ideas from his older brother pretty sure Curtis is ready to be up and going with his big bro. I thought Brock was freakishly strong, now I realize, I may have been suffering from that first time mother syndrome called: "my child is more amazing than anyone else's child", because Curtis is truly a freak. Maybe he has been watching Brock too much, but once standing, it is nearly impossible to get that boy to fold in half and sit or relax. I propped him on the back of a chair over a week ago, and he stood, no problem. The other day, on the changing table, after a huge diaper blow out (which are entirely too frequent, I am questioning moving him up to size 3 diapers, what!?) I had him sitting, so as to not lie him down on his own poo. As I did this, I thought, man, he feels really stable and well-balanced, so went hands-free and Curtis just sat, as if he'd been doing it for weeks, for about 30-45 seconds. So, if anyone wants to start buying stock in him...left tackles make A LOT of money.
Finally, since this is the closest I get to having a baby book, Curtis had his 2 month check-up yesterday, with Dr. Waters. It dawned on me yesterday, I mention the boys' doctor all the time, as he is a family friend, as well as my and Matt's childhood pediatrician (redundant?), but I have never gotten a picture of him with either son! So, I did.

I had been anticipating this appointment for quite some time, because beyond the tangible things like nearly growing out of size 2 diapers and the 3-6 month clothing, I had begun noticing the baby carrier feeling as heavy as it did at 4 months-ish for Brock. I'd hoped this was due to Curtis being ginormous, and not that I had become a wuss. Curtis weighed in at 14lbs 3ozs...and we are still on the charts! At the 97th percentile. With a length of 24 inches, putting him right at the 90th percentile (so, joking that I have a 3 month old isn't far off). I would have to dig up the official records, but I am nearly 100% sure Brock was not even 12lbs by this age, though he may have been 24 inches. Therefore, ego maintained, it is the huge baby, not me.

Otherwise, Curtis continues to have a clean bill of health, minus a tiny case of Eczema (O'Laughlins...). As most babies do, he gets cuter everyday. Though, I must admit, I am not sure there is a cuter age than 8 weeks. He still maintains a newborn type appeal, only has begun to recognize people. He smiles. He responds. He is developing personality. Any day now he will recognize that those hands that keep getting in his way when trying to eat, or the unwanted hands that keep pulling his paci out of his mouth, or scratching his forhead, or rubbing his eyes are in fact his own. Then, he will truly sit. Then he will crawl. Then he will walk. Then he will talk. Then he will beat up his little, big brother. Then we are all in for it. Look out for za Cutkiss.