Stella is 2 Months Old!!!

We cannot believe that yesterday marked Stella's 2 month birthday! We miserably celebrated that fact by getting her 2 month shots today:( She is sleeping right now, and has been all day, poor baby. She did well with the shots - screamed for a few minutes and then fell asleep in the car seat, thanks to the pre-doctor's appointment dose of Infant's Tylenol we gave her. I am so happy I love our nanny because tomorrow is the first day I'll leave Stella longer than an hour - I am headed to the Natchez office for the day for the first time since before my maternity leave and Stella will stay with our nanny. Since I'm still breastfeeding, our nanny will use some of our freezer reserve of breast milk to feed her via bottle while I'm gone, and I'll figure out the joys of pumping at work:) Here's hoping that she sleeps all night tonight and doesn't give Matt too much trouble while he keeps her before and after the nanny leaves! Let's also pray for Mommy's nerves...I know I'll be a basket case tomorrow.

2 Month Stats:
Weight: 10lbs, 6 oz (she's gained exactly 2 pounds in the last month!)
Height: 22 1/2 inches
Milestones: first smile, lots of cooing, can lift her head up like a little turtle and hold it there for a few seconds when you hold her up on your shoulder - it's the most precious thing ever, can grab objects like Mommy's hair and skin (ouch) and follows the sound of my voice

She is currently sleeping in about 5-6 hour stretches on average, though this past week we had a few nights where she woke at 1am, 3am and 5am. We deeply hope that does not continue! The doctor said not only is she a gorgeous baby, but she is doing wonderfully on all developmental milestones. She wants us to firm up her feeding and sleeping schedule so that we have a routine down - waking for the day, feedings, naps and bath time/bedtime prep should happen at the same time each day, that way we can get her sleep schedule (and ours) more regulated. Our goal is to have 7 hours of straight sleep for her at this point, so we've got our work cut out for us!

Just over the weekend she's been pretty fussy with tummy troubles and the doctor is doing some lab work on her stools to rule out a stomach/intestinal infection, so we hope everything comes out ok in the tests! In her second month she is much more fussy than her first month, but we were blessed with an almost silent baby during her first 4-5 weeks. She ONLY cried if she was starving! Now that she is growing and developing her little system, I just think she is more aware and sensitive to her surroundings - it's no wonder, with Matt and I as parents and these two crazy dogs as a brother and sister, its no wonder she's fussy - her nervous system is in overload (just kiddin', puddin':)!

I have been reading TONS on child development/infancy and can say we've become accustomed to the swaddling, shhhhing, sucking, shaking (lightly - not like child abuse) side-lying art of calming Stella down - I tell you what, it works every time. Dr. Karp's "Happiest Baby on the Block" book is a life saver! I recommend it to each and every new parent. I'm not super into the methods of Baby Wise yet because of the foundation from which it came, but I must admit I am reading the book to learn how to better adapt to this schedule our pediatrician wants us to follow. Baby Wise can be a bit strict, so we are taking it one chapter at a time:)

Until next time!