Well, my baby survived her two-month shots today like a champ–she cried for about twenty seconds, and then promptly started looking around again, observing her surroundings. She was asleep ten minutes later. Hallelujah.
Side Note: I am almost positive the shots were just as hard for me as they were for her.
But the good news about doctor’s appointments are that we get the most up-to-date information about our little fuzzhead, and I never get tired of everyone telling me how perfect she is.
Seriously.
Quick Stats:
Weight: 11 pounds, 6 ounces (45th percentile)
Height: 23″ (71st percentile)
Head Circumference: 15″ (26th percentile)
The doctor also told me that her head shape is excellent–many babies start to have misshapen heads as a result of them favoring one side over another, but we’ve been monitoring her closely on this, and her head shape is just about perfectly round (something that a LOT of people comment to us on).
Physical Appearance:
Raven’s eyes are still blue and could very well still stay that way since they’ve been overall getting lighter instead of darker. Her eyelashes are starting to get REALLY long and have a definite curl to them (something mine have NEVER done on their own), so we’re pretty positive she got her daddy’s genes on those (hallelujah!). The most noticeable change in her appearance is how much she’s really starting to chunk out, thanks to her voracious eating habits. Besides the fact that baby rolls are adorable, I’m all sorts of relieved about it because it means that my milk supply is more than adequate.
Raven’s hair is also slightly getting longer although she does still have several patches in the back that from far away look like bald spots. She is also sporting a pretty awesome mullet due to the fact that the hair at the nape of her neck is darker than all the rest of the hair on her head (not to mention longer).
- Started giving her first “social” smiles (instead of just smiling because of gas or something)
- Has slept 7 hours straight on quite a few occasions (and regularly sleeps for at least one 5-7 hour stretch at night, which we are grateful for)
- Discovered that her hands belonged to her and started sucking her thumb/fingers
- Can sit in a Bumbo chair (supervised) due to her excellent neck control
What I Love About This Stage:
The fact that Raven smiles so much now has got to be my absolute favorite thing about this stage. Before, we would occasionally catch her smiling in her sleep or right after a particularly juicy toot, but she never really smiled otherwise. Now, if you can get her to focus on you (which she’s getting a lot better at doing), she pretty much will always respond to your smile if you are smiling at her. I know this a typical milestone for this age group, but it really is just so much fun! My favorite moment is when Matt or I go and “rescue” her from her bed when she’s just woken up and has started fussing for us to come and get her–her exuberant grins when we reach for her just make your heart melt.
I am also really appreciating that Raven is still little enough that I don’t have to watch her *too* closely all the time. Because she can’t quite grab things yet and try putting them in her mouth, she’s pretty easy to take care of. She’s also a lot more content than before to just lie on her back (or in a seated position in our arms or in the Bumbo) and just take everything in (whereas before, she would pretty much fuss all the time unless she was being held or sleeping).
Other things I am in love with at this stage–
Her arm dimples. Oh, and the smoosh-able-ness of the rolls on her thighs. This baby is just CUTE when she is chubby.
Things I Don’t Want to Forget:
- How Matt sings out Indiana Jones theme music as he goes to rescue the baby from her bed after her nap
- Debating for weeks whether or not she had Matt’s eyelashes until one day, the curl and the length was undeniably not anything coming from me
- The way Raven likes to rest her upper hand on me while she’s nursing (and how once, about a month and a half ago, she actually placed her hands on my chest in a perfect sign for “I love you” for the whole duration of the feeding session)
- How Raven reaches up and pulls on the top of my shirt when she’s hungry and impatient to be fed (and then how she smiles at me when I catch her doing it)
- The sound of pure relief and bliss coupled with a little bit of anger and frustration that comes out when she finally latches on and starts eating after being made to wait a little while for one reason or another (usually a diaper change)
- The knowledge that Luvs diapers are the best at preventing blowouts (and that some types of Huggies are even worse than the cheapest generic brand)
- The night she made the sound “ow” right when I was about to change her and freaked me out
- Filming Raven in her Hunger vs. Sleep battle (when she’s getting hungry but sleep is just too powerful to let her fully wake up)
- Her little bobble-head motions when you put her against your chest to burp her and she’d much rather see what’s going on in the rest of the room
- The way she has started licking everything, especially me and/or my shirt
It is so much fun being the mom of this cute little bug. She brings a lot of joy to our lives, and I just can’t imagine how she wasn’t in our lives before.
Happy two months, Baby Raves!