Two Month Update

Today marks Anna's two-month birthday (hard to believe, isn't it?), so it seems appropriate to share some of the things she has learned over the last two months, along with a few her parents have learned as well.

Anna's controlling her head really well these days -- she'll hold it up for full minutes at a time, looking from side to side or just gazing at the object in front of her. She's really close to rolling over from tummy to back -- I am expecting that any day now, if she can keep from getting herself frustrated. She's also started pulling her legs up under her when she lies on her tummy and then trying to push herself off, which looks like the early steps towards crawling.

Anna's also becoming REALLY vocal. Sounds like we might have a chatty little girl on our hands. She likes to hold "conversations" with me and Will, responding when we talk to her, laughing at us, and maintaining eye contact. She tracks both toys and people with her eyes, and is starting to reach and grab for toys.

My little baby doesn't like to be held like a little baby anymore. Unless she's really tired, she doesn't like to be cradled, but would rather sit on my lap facing out into the room, or up on a shoulder where she can see everything behind me. She's definitely soaking up the world around her and loving it all.

Will and I have learned approximately 142 different techniques to get gas out of a baby. The fussiness he mentioned a few weeks ago seemed to stem from that, so we tried everything we could think of. Thankfully, that fussy period has passed. (Just like the gas.)

We've also learned roughly 143 different ways to get her to sleep, although this one is proving more difficult. Anna sleeps really well at night, but naps are a different story. She'll nap for EXACTLY 35 minutes in her crib or bassinette, regardless of how tired she is, or how we get her to sleep. However, she'll sleep for hours in my arms or in the stroller on a walk (waking up as soon as we get home, of course).

I have learned that watching your two-month old get three shots in her thighs is infinitely more painful than any needle pokes you could ever receive yourself (and I HATE needles). Anna handled them like a champ (she actually smiled and cooed after the first) and recovered quickly, but I may make Will take her to the pediatrician for her next set of immunizations by himself.

And, we're learning that time goes way too fast. Not a day goes by that a friend or a stranger on the street remarks how tiny Anna is, but to us, she seems so big and mature already. She seems to be growing and changing each day, in both appearance and personality. As exciting as that is, I'm not sure I want her to grow up so quickly.

For the record, Anna's up to 22.5 inches and 11 pounds, 4 ounces -- she's still in roughly the 75th percentile for both length and weight, so she's not that tiny. And, after 60 short days, she's in the 100th percentile for absolutely capturing my heart.