Happy two months to the baby formerly known as LBA!
Measurements
Charlotte's a growing little bean. She weighed in at 11 pounds, 8 ounces and is currently 23.5 inches in length. These measurements put her in the 75th and 90th percentiles, respectively, for weight and height. Clearly, she's getting the height from her dad as I have nothing to show in that department but a mere 5', 3".
As for clothes, she's well into her 3-month clothes with not much room to spare in some of them already. It's amazing to remember when her legs didn't even fill out some of the jammies, and now her toes are eeking to their very footed tips.
What She Loves...
Same as last month, C is a still a huge fan of silly faces. We could play Funhouse Faces with her all day and she'd just smile and smile and smile.
Another favorite: music. Sometimes, we sing along to already written tunes; one Charlotte-approved artist is Ingrid Michaelson (probably because Mom is always jammin' Ingrid while she plays on the computer), who sings "You and I", a go-to afternoon ditty.
And sometimes, we sing songs that feature C herself, inserting the nickname "Bug" for choice words in the chorus. She's already a hit in tunes like "Sweet Bug 'O Mine" (thanks, Guns 'N Roses) and "Sweet, Sweet, Bug" (courtesy of Cowboy Junkies).
Not a Fan Of...
Shots, apparently. But what baby is? After Charlotte got a series of three pokes at her checkup today (plus an oral vaccine), she screamed more terrifyingly than any broad in a slasher flick, and Daddy had to hold her hand through the whole thing. Luckily, she was quickly comforted by three Bugs Bunny band-aids and a lunch/snuggle session with Mom.
She also dislikes when we put hats or headbands on at first, but eventually she'll realize how damn cute she is in them and wears them better than Tyra could model Dior.
Abilities/Milestones
Though I frantically consult every baby book and website looking for some sure sign of disfunction, Charlotte seems to be hitting most milestones this month. (Not that I want her to have some inability, but as a new mom I tend to search out anything that could possibly be wrong and fret over it, of course.)
This month, Charlotte can:
- Hold her head up steadily
- Follow an object with her eyes, turning her head fully from left to right
- Acknowledge where sounds are coming from, particularly voices
- Sit unassisted for a short period of time in her Bumbo chair
- Grasp a rattle with some help
- Laugh (we think!)
In terms of sleeping, Charlotte takes several 30-60 minute naps throughout the day while managing to keep a great schedule a night. A usual night routine goes like this:
- By 9:00 - 4 oz. bottle from Dad
- Followed by a diaper change and jammies
- Asleep by 9:30
- One "dreamfeed" bottle from Dad around 11:00 (where we feed her while she's mostly asleep)
- 4:00-5:00 - awake for a feeding and diaper change by Mom
- 7:00-8:00 - awake for the day
Mom & Dad
Dare I say it...
... we seem to be getting the hang of this parenting thing. If success in early parenting could be measured by tears and tantrums (from Mom, usually) then this month has far exceeded the first. We're starting to groove in this new life of ours, so much so that we've been able to leave her with a babysitter (my mom, during Sunday's race) and take her on day-long outings to Kevin's hometown to visit family and friends there.
Plus, I've been able drink beer again, so, you know, that helps.
Month Two Moment
Charlotte's first outdoor walk - in March! Crazy, considering we usually still have a good foot of snow on the ground in Michigan.
Month Two By The Numbers
- 25: dollars we saved by rushing to Babies 'R Us on St. Patrick's Day to get two value boxes of on-sale Pampers, size 1 & 2 (in another life, we would've spent that money on pints of Irish beer)
- 2: books we read before an afternoon nap
- 3: weeks left before I return to work
- 39: number of photos taken to get the "perfect" shot for this month's update