Month Two

Stats:
weight: 9 pounds, 14oz
length: 23"
head: 38cm

For some reason, the doctor's measure the heads because this is where they are most concerned about growth. I'm thinking you only have to look at baby-girl and see that her head is HUGE! A baby bobble head, which means -- to me -- that she will also have a big brain. I say she's in the 100 percentile group here.

This has been a big month for you Claire. Your conversational skills have increased to include "ah-oo-ah", "ai-ee", "oo-oo-oo" (laughter that sounds like a monkey), and "ah-ahhh". Just yesterday daddy was having a very deep conversation with you on balanced chemical equations. Although I think you were just expressing how cool it was that there is this limb that is attached to your body and OH MY! LOOK! LOOK! I CAN HIT MY EYE WITH IT! And this is why one eye always looks swollen.

Another conversational skill you've acquired is having to get in the last word. It goes a little something like this: you wake up crying for food. We run around preparing the boppy, or food source, or am trying to unswaddle you. Your cries intensify. We get you into position to start feeding, pop the food source in your mouth and before you can eat you begin to grumble, mumble and/or squeal your discontentment. If we reply, you continue to talk back. And if the conversation ends with us getting in the last word, you may start drinking only to scream and grunt -- ensuring us that you indeed got in the last word "eh..uh.. UH!" *suck suck suck* I can't wait until you can talk.

Then when you aren't howling like a banshee from either pulling your hair, bashing your eye, or just because you feel that you MUST BE HEARD, you give off the cutest smiles. We still haven't been able to associate your toothless grin with tickles, but you will smile big when we make silly faces or sounds... or when it's 3:30am and you want to look absolutely adorable in hopes that we'll let you stay up and play. Unfortunately, every time I try to capture this cuteness on camera, you stare at the device with great concern. So far, I've managed to get two pictures of you where you look like you want to smile, but decided that the camera wasn't worthy enough of your cuteness.

Since your smiles are based off of our faces and sounds, you have gotten very interested in analyzing our faces. It's cool to watch you watch us as we move our heads about or follow us as we move across the room. Of course, with this new found skill you still lack the ability to analyze more than one face at a time. Why just the other day I returned home from a much needed girl's day out. The 4 of us (Ollie was on my lap) were sitting on the love seat. I was trying to get your attention and you acted as if I didn't exist. Instead you stared at daddy with a face that said "OK... I'm ready. Talk. Talk with me. Come on. I don't hear you. Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk." I felt really dissed, until Casey reassured me that you totally forget that your arms and legs exist, therefore why should you suddenly be all "Hey look! Mommy's here. I haven't seen her all day!!!" He had a point. Heck, about 20 minutes later he had to run out of the room unexpectedly while feeding you. He quickly dumps you into my lap where the next food source was primed and ready. You watched him go with a "Uhhh... wait. What?", then turned to me as if to start crying, but was instantly all "Mmmm.. food."

There is one activity you continue to loathe--tummy time. We haven't been good about giving this to you because it continues to frustrate you to the point of meltdowns. Although, when I got home from my girls day out, I did find you on your belly sleeping in the big fluffy chair. At first I was seriously concerned about SIDS, but you appeared to have the situation under control by keeping your head to the side. Then dad showed me how you'd wake up, cry with frustration, then settle yourself down again as you began looking around. I was impressed and I guess that's because I never got far enough with tummy time to get past the crying. It hurts me to hear crying. Actually, it stresses me out! I think this stems from having a sister who was a screamer/crier and to shut her up I'd give her whatever she wanted. Anyway, I said I was going to try daddy's technique of tummy time and even the doctor said to try and tough out the crying for at least 5-10 minutes to ensure you get those muscles working. Well, I did and even saw you rolling onto your back. That was a bit funny because you looked like a turtle flipping itself over, but in reverse. Hopefully by the end of month 3 your neck and shoulders will develop so that your neck will finally get past the "bobble" status.

Finally I want to say THANK YOU!! Last Friday night was a turning point in your sleep pattern. I've been knocking on wood every time I mention this shift just in case it disappears, but *knocks on wood* you've increased your nighttime sleeping from 3 to 6 hours. That's 3 to 6... S.I.X. ... hours!!! OK.. your first math lesson: 3 original hours, plus another 3 hours of sleep equals 6 hours of total sleep time, which really equals to a more functional mommy. Yes, I'm ecstatic. It's lovely because I can get to bed by 9p (I know.. I'm so hardcore!) and when you wake me up I've already gotten in a good 5 hours of sleep. Deep, deep, beautiful sleep.

But wait. It's now 3:30am and you're hungry and oh so full of energy. After you're done eating you look up at me with a charming smile that says "I've just slept 6 hours, we're good to play right?" and I'm all "It's sleepy time. Sleeeeeeepy time. You want to play, here," and I'll place you next to me on the bed as I close my eyes and you keep hitting my face with your tiny little fist as your flail about to expend some energy. After about 10 minutes of this, I decide it's swaddling time and you spend your next sleep cycle in the swing because it can then flail you about, which relaxes you enough for another 3-4 hours of sleep. SUH-WEET!