Well, now that Knox is past the 8 week mark, we’ve been allowed to leave the house, and get out and about! Of course, I don’t leave the house without my travel sized Purel, but that won’t surprise anyone that knows me. :) We’re getting the hang of taking Knox out with us, and we’re actually pretty fast at getting the stroller set up. (Mostly because it’s an amazingly user friendly stroller, but still!) We’ve gone out to eat several times, and Knox does pretty well. We try to time it just right so that his tummy is full and he’ll sleep through dinner, but he usually ends up waking up once our food arrives. Now that he’s much more aware of his surroundings, he’s not as content to just chill out in his car seat while we eat. He wants to see what’s going on!
Ron Ron came to visit the other day and got in some quality time with him. 
My new favorite picture – I finally caught a smile on camera! So Logan and I both had colds recently and I was so worried Knox would get it, especially when he woke up with a bit of a crusty nose one morning. But apparently the antibodies to my cold get passed to Knox through my breast milk, so he never really got sick. Pretty amazing! Anyway, since Logan and I were sick, and Knox’s nose was crusty, I broke out my stethoscope to make sure his lungs still sounded clear, and I got the biggest grin out of him! So sweet!
The next day, we had lunch with Ron Ron at El Chico and then went back to his house. 
My mom tried to take a picture of us as we were leaving, but this guy was having none of it! 
Next week we have several lunch dates lined up, and I’m looking forward to introducing him to a few more of my friends. I’ll be sure to get pictures this time!
On his actual 2 month birthday, Knox was feeling pretty crummy after getting three shots. Oh, that was so hard to watch. I didn’t think it would affect me since I actually love giving shots at work, but it was completely different watching him get them. He turned beet red, and did the cry where he was crying so hard no sound was coming out. And it was the first time he cried actual tears. It absolutely broke my heart, and by the third shot I was tearing up with him. He was so pitiful the rest of the day, so lots of extra cuddle time was needed, which was just fine with me.
So, because of that, we did our 2 month photo shoot extravaganza the next day when he was feeling a little perkier! Look at my happy baby! 
At his two month doctor’s appointment, we confirmed what we already knew: the boy likes to eat, and is growing like a weed. :) He weighed in at 12 lbs 13 oz and was 23 inches long. 90th percentile for both! He’s actually just about outgrown most of his 3 month onsies, and its really hard for me to believe he needs to be wearing 6 month clothes. It’s all going so fast!
He’s still doing great with sleeping at night. He now goes to bed around 9 pm and wakes up for feedings around 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30. Apparently most babies that go to bed at 9:00 wake up around 11:30 for a feed, and then sleep for four or five hours, so for a while I kept waiting up for Knox to wake up so I could feed him and then get several hours of uninterrupted sleep. Turns out he didn’t read that book, and his longest stretch of sleep starts at 9 pm. I’m trying to start going to bed then, but for a night owl like me, that’s really really hard!
On January 12, 2012, he discovered his new favorite trick which is to stand up – supported, of course. He loves facing me and pushing off my stomach with his feet into a standing position, and then sitting back down again. We do this over and over, and he loves it. He’s so proud of himself every time he stands up. :)
Happy Two Months, Knox! We sure do love you!
After seven long weeks, we were finally given the okay to get the tape off Knox’s ears, which meant we could give him a real bath instead of the sponge baths we’d been doing. Now he loves bath time! We get lots of smiles during his bath – especially when we’re washing his feet. Somebody’s ticklish! 
This immediately became one of my favorite pictures… 
You’d never know these days that he was such a colicky baby the first 6 weeks of his life. He is SO happy and smiley! 
Watching some TV before bed. ;) 
Merry Christmas! We had a wonderful holiday season this year, with an extra special little blessing to be thankful for. :)
Even though we were still completely sleep deprived and learning how to juggle caring for a newborn with just living daily life, I insisted on a Christmas tree – so we picked one out and had a great time decorating it. I love how Christmas trees smell when you first bring them home. 
My mom got us a really cute ornament for 2011. :) 
Knox is doing a little better tolerating tummy time, but it really just depends on his mood at the time. I’m completely in love with those chubby cheeks and big blue eyes!
His favorite place to be is up on your shoulder so he can look out and see what’s going on. 
Uncle Ross came to visit. 
On December 18th, we celebrated Christmas with Logan’s family in Rockwall. The sheer number of gifts under their tree is something you have to see in person to believe. :)
All the Lowrys. 
Somebody got a full tummy and fell asleep… on his chins. :)
Leah getting her turn holding Knox. 
Followed by Aunt Lacie. 
And then he spent some time with La La.
We had a few days at home to relax between Christmas celebrations. 
He was starting to learn how to smile at this point, but they’re so hard to catch in a picture! He looks like a little Chinese baby here. :) 
Cowboys gear for me to match Logan’s old faithful sweatshirt. I promise he has other clothes… 
Waking up on Christmas Eve morning! Yes, Knox was still having to sleep on my chest at this point in order for any of us to get any sleep. (I miss that sweet time, so we still take a morning nap this way.) 
How can you not love that sweet face??
Christmas Day! 
Knox’s first Christmas!
We had a great time celebrating Christmas with our families this year, so much so that we did it three times. :) On Christmas Day, my parents and Mamaw and Papaw came out to our house for another round of gorging ourselves with food. Isn’t that what the holidays are about?? Well, that and sweet baby Jesus, of course. ;)
And once again, so I can keep track of his “firsts”: Knox first started having little smiles on December 13, 2011. He really started having big, real smiles on December 22, 2011. One of my favorite things is when he smiles when he sees me, especially when he’s just waking up. It completely melts my heart. I actually teared up the first time he smiled at me. :) I just think it’s the coolest thing that he recognizes me and likes me!
Another HUGE milestone is that on December 28th, Knox slept in his bassinet instead of having to sleep on me! He has started going to sleep around 10 pm and will sleep between 3 and 4 hours before waking up for feedings. He goes back to sleep pretty easily until 7 or 8 in the morning, so we’re getting much better sleep these days. Like I mentioned earlier, I actually miss the snuggle time of him sleeping on me, (and I know he won’t want to do it forever) so we take our morning nap that way. It’s actually nice because if he’s on me, he’ll sleep for 2 to 3 hours. If he naps in his bassinet, he’ll only sleep about 30 to 45 minutes.
He’s doing better with his feedings too. Instead of wanting to eat every hour and a half to two hours, he’s now able to go two and a half to three hours, which is so nice. I’ve given up on the idea of having a set daily schedule, and instead am striving towards a consistent daily routine. Things might not happen at the same time every day, but they typically happen in the same order, and I think the consistency working for us.
He’s definitely growing and changing every day, and I’m really enjoying being able to be home with him right now.
