2 Months Old!

I can't believe she's two months old already! The last month has just flown by so quickly. Lauren's turned from a blob (adorable...but a blob nonetheless) into a REAL person that reacts and interacts. She smiles, she gurgles, she coos, and I swear she understands when Peter reads Lord of the Rings to her.

I love every moment I spend with her, but if I can pick a favorite it would be the 15 minutes in the morning when she wakes up and after she's nursed. We recount the previous day's adventures, and plan activities for the day to come. She's really responsive now and her vocabulary includes consonants (mostly gaaah, kaaah, and woooh. Sometimes she throws in a howuuh and a neh) and a wide variety of smiles. I especially love the smiles of the wrinkled nose and exposed gums variety. I'm going to make sure that we don't lose this time when I have to go back work. I'll sacrifice waking up extra early so we can have our morning conversations.

Her favorite game to play with her daddy is what we call "pull-ups" where she grasps his fingers and pulls up to a sitting position. She LOVES doing this and her neck and shoulders are so strong that she never tires of it. She also flashes a melt-your-heart smile each time she reaches the top of each pull-up so her daddy never tires of it either.

She's now mitten free so I have to keep up with nail clipping which I'm getting pretty good at. She still scratches at her face sometimes, but we want her to learn that she has fingers and allow her to explore. She's always rubbing the side of her head, I think she likes the fuzzy texture of her hair. She still sometimes freaks herself out when she accidentally sticks a finger up her nose or in her ear. We still have to swaddle her for sleep because she wakes herself up when she flails her arms about and she sometimes punches herself in the face.

Healthwise, she's doing GREAT! She just had her 2 month checkup and she's progressing nicely. Her acne has cleared up, but she's got a couple spots of eczema near her ear and on her neck. Her thighs are plump and delicious and she has a birthmark next to her belly button. CUTE! Oh, and her ears are still hairy! I even shampoo them when I give her a bath.

Here are her 2 month stats:
Weight: 12 lbs. 3 ounces (75th percentile)
Length: 23 inches (50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 37.5 inches (50-somethingth percentile)
Longest sleeping stretch: 7 hours. It only happened once. Her average sleeping stretch at night is 3 to 4 hours.
Longest car ride: Fairfield. About an hour and 15 minutes
First Restaurant: Strings Cafe in Auburn
First Party: Uncle Davy's birthday
Favorite Book: Very Hungry Caterpillar and the Lord of the Rings (or is that Daddy's favorite book?)
Favorite Songs: Sampung Mga Daliri (Tagalog song "10 fingers"), Baby Bach CD
More Favorites: Pink Binky, yellow Blanket from Jane, breast milk, her "Friends" (the mobile over her crib...she talks to them before her morning nap), tummy time on her Baby Einstein Activity Mat, Auntie Sarah's shoulder, diaper changes (yes, she actually enjoys changing time), ceiling fans, and spending time with Grandmas.
Dislikes: Vaccinations, baths, being swaddled.
She can: Smile, push up her head and shoulders when she lays on her tummy, drive her daddy crazy with her coos and gurgles.

Now if she can only fall asleep on her own (we usually have to rock her or nurse her to sleep)....hopefully we'll have that down for next month's update.