Happy two month birthday, Sebastian!

What a delight this little boy is. Really. I know I haven’t kept you up to date on his developments over his first couple of months, so allow me to change that.

• He’s a big boy. I don’t want to get into the bad habit of comparing our kids, but Sebastian was born weighing in at 3.29 kg while Emily weighed 3.5 kg at birth. No huge difference here. But while it took Emily one month to add 1 kg onto her weight, our new little milk-guzzler accomplished this in just 16 days. Today, Emily is two and a half years old and wears a size 4 diaper (only when she sleeps!). Sebastian is two months old and is wearing size 3.
• Sebastian’s favorite pastime is lying on his back and having a good old-fashioned kick-around. He’ll happily lie there for 10-15 minutes just flailing his arms, swinging his feet, and rocking his head. Having a kick-around on his changing table has the added bonus of placing him right beneath his most favorite object in the entire world: a small wicker boat with yarn boatmen that our friend Sarah brought us from Peru, which we currently have suspended from our bedroom ceiling light. He loves that thing!
• He seems to appreciate good music. But where Emily enjoys living room ballet sessions or learning the choreography from select YouTube pop videos, Sebastian is generally more interested in swing and calypso.

• Babies are normally able to hold their heads up when placed in a sitting position at around 4 months. Buster was dong this at just after a month. He also did a splendid job of focusing his eyesight a lot earlier than expected. He’s very advanced!
• Oh yeah, we sometimes call him Buster.
• So far (knock on wood), we are happy to say that Sebastian, like Emily before him, is a very tranquil baby. He’s not a crying baby. Not a sicky baby. Not one of those babies that never eats or never sleeps. He’s absolutely holding up his end of the Good Baby Bargain. For now.

• As laid back as he is, Sebastian is still a boy who knows what he wants. And sometimes he just wants to be held. And walked around the house. In a very specific manner. You see, I am only allowed to hold him horizontally and Jan is only allowed to hold him vertically. No substitutions or variations accepted.
• Emily goo’d and gaa’d like most babies, but Sebastian’s vocabulary is comprised almost entirely of dolphin noises. I’ve never seen anything like it. He’s doing it less and less the older he gets, but just stand by while he’s in the middle of one of his kick-arounds and you’re sure to hear the distinctive clicks and squeaks. Sounds like a dolphin. I swear. Always good for a smile.
• And speaking of smiles, the Smile Fairy finally arrived just a couple of weeks ago! It’s such a warm and wonderful feeling to look into his eyes, have him recognize me, and then receive a face full of sunshine. It’s so much nicer being greeted by a big gummy smile than a blank bug-eyed stare.

• Emily looked like me. Sebastian looks like Jan. Or so the general consensus would have us believe. I could hold a baby photo of Emily up beside one of my own and you would not be able to disagree. I felt this when she was born. It was like looking into a mirror. After he was born, I held Sebastian in my arms and I did not recognize the child before me. It was not me. That was a very strange feeling. But when he sleeps, he looks just like Emily. And his eyes are shaped like mine. And he’s changing every day. Genetics is a funny thing.
• Is Emily jealous of Sebastian? This is the most oft asked question. The answer was no. And then it was yes. Now it is no. Emily loves her new little brother to bits and is always eager to show her affection. Sometimes too eager. When Emily climbs up on the bed to give Sebastian a snuggle and a kiss and a hug, we must quickly change into smother-prevention mode. Why does she always have to get right in his face and cover his mouth? She’s adapting very well to the shared spotlight, but it was a harrowing experience during weeks 2-6. So many changes. So many questions. We really are very lucky.