Happy 2 months!

Sweet, sweet Ellianna...what a time we have had this past month! 

Around the 5 week mark, you  began to show signs of colic :( I was also colicky as a baby and I sure wish you had inherited other traits from me.  Your colicky times occur between 4-6 p.m. and start again around 11 p.m.  We have tried car rides, running the dryer, sitting you on the dryer in your car seat, running water, your swing, walking with a bounce...however all have little effect until you tire yourself out.  At the recommendation of friends, your daddy started bouncing while sitting on an exercise ball and you respond very well to that motion.  Your daddy and I feel so helpless, watching you scream, knowing that we are doing all we can to comfort you but we are unsuccessful.  Around this same time is when we began introducing formula.  Coincidence? I'm not sure but we needed to introduce formula for my return to work.  You are still breastfeeding in the afternoons and evenings but during the mornings, you are drinking between 3-4 ounces of formula in your bottles.  We are on our third type of formula to see if that decreases your colic as well as eliminating milk from my diet.  We have started calling you Stinky because when you pass gas, oh child, does it ever smell!  We know this is from the formula you are drinking and the constipation but we can't believe such a smell can come from such a sweet thing!

At 6 weeks, you got your first cold, full blown with a fever and nasal congestion.  You were hospitalized for a few days and are on the road to recovery.  As I type this, your cough and nasal mucus lingers but is slowly improving.  You absolutely hate when I use the saline drops and bulb syringe to suction your buggers but you are able to breath so much better afterwards.  Before you got sick, you were doing great sleeping 5 hours a night.  However, now with your nasal congestion, you sleep about 2-3 hours at a time at night.  Location of sleep varies between your bassinet and our arms depending how tired we all are that particular night.  You have developed this 6th sense of when we are about to lay you in your bassinet and your bright eyes pop open! You usually fall asleep around 10 p.m. (on the non-colic nights), wake up to nurse around 2 am then again around 5:30 am but you nurse very little at night and quickly fall right back to sleep. You usually wake up for the day around 8 a.m.  We are starting a bedtime/bath routine with you now to help us all wind down at the end of the day so we'll update that at your 3 month letter.

Also this past month, your nanny/sitter started working with us.  She has been a wonderful addition to our days and she loves you!  You are an angel for her, eating well from the bottle and taking nice naps.   We are trying to be consistent with your schedule which has helped us all.  Typically after you wake in the mornings, we play for a little, eat breakfast, play some more then nap around 11ish.  Your naps vary in length from 15 minutes to 2 hours.  You are also now taking another nap mid-afternoon.  However, your naps change on a daily basis...many days you refuse to nap and that makes for a cranky evening!  I have never met another baby who doesn't feel sleep is important! Thank goodness for Pandora toddler radio as it gives me something to sing along with and you like those songs.

  You are enjoying your bouncer seat and swing much more this month as your vision improves and you are able to look at everything in front of you.  You and your daddy enjoy sitting together on the couch to watch golf and football.  Between 5 and 6 weeks is when you started giving us real smiles :)You haven't taken to the pacifier yet, we have tried 3 different styles.  You tend to suck on your fingers or fist to soothe yourself.  You hair is developing a redish tint and your hair is starting to get thicker.  You still have the most hair on the back of your head, by your neck, while up top is a work in progress.  You continue to love to be held and that is often when you are happiest.  I have started to 'wear' you in a wrap and that helps calm you when you are fussy and in need of a nap; and it allows me to get somethings done around the house.  Family walks remain hit-or-miss.  You did excellent the other night in the Infantino carrier but this morning you were an angel in your stroller for 40 minutes while I walked and talked to you.

You are still wearing newborn clothes and newborn diapers.  However, you are so long and lean that newborn sleepers are fitting you short while size 0-3 months sleepers are sooo baggy. Most nights you sleep in a onesie and pants with footies so you can stretch your legs. You are still being swaddled at night but we've started leaving one or both arms out and you are doing okay without startling yourself. Your official 2-month check-up, with vaccines, is 9/26/12 so I'll update your stats then. Last week, I took you in to the doctor to follow up with your cough and you weighed 8 lb 10 oz (up 1 lb after dropping weight with the hospitalization) with a length of 24 inches. Doc isn't concerned about your weight yet, even though I keep asking.

You are developing your personality.  In addition to your smiles, you also now coo when we talk to you.  I don't know if I'd still call you 'laid back' as you can be demanding with your screams and cries.  Your pediatrician commented that she hasn't heard a baby girl cry as loud and forceful as you do.  However, when you are happy, you are a very happy baby.

You continue to challenge us and make us better people.  Every day you are teaching us new things and every day we look forward to seeing what new skills you will learn.  I think we still look at you in amazement that you are ours and the responsibility we have to love, nurture, and teach you so much.  We love you baby girl!