2 months old!!!

Miss Lucy, you are 2 MONTHS OLD!!!

You currently weigh 10 lbs. 2 oz. (23rd percentile) and are 21.5 inches long (15th percentile)!

You wear size 1 diapers (Pampers Swaddlers) and 0-3 month sized clothes (no more newborn -- tear!)

You're starting to sleep longer 3 hour stretches now.  In fact, you may be trying to work yourself onto a schedule.  You usually feed somewhere around 10-10:30 pm and are back up by 1-1:30 am and then again around 4-4:30 and then somewhere between 5:30-6:30 you're up for the morning.  I absolutely don't mind this at all.  In fact, when people ask how long you're sleeping and I say "about 3 hours" they usually roll their eyes and moan and say something along the lines of "Bless your heart, I am so sorry!"  But I tell them the honest truth, which is that I LOVE IT!!  I cherish this time with you and don't mind one million percent having to wake up with you because you're just so cuddly and sweet.  I know this time will pass too quickly and soon you won't be waking up to eat or to let me know you just want to cuddle with me (which I don't see a thing in the world wrong with -- if you want to sleep in your Mama's arms, I'll let you until I'm so old you have to let me sleep in yours!). 

You have grown so much this month!!  You aren't as tiny as you once were.  I can tell when I am feeding you that you are so much heavier and are not fitting in my arms quite as nicely.

You started daycare this month at Learning Safari.  Your teacher is Miss Jackie and there are 6 babies on roll, although only about 3 or 4 show up every day.  You love Miss Jackie!  She is the only one you will take a bottle from in there.  She says her trick is to rub your jaw and talk to you the whole time - :)  I sneak over once or twice during the day and peek in the window.  You have your own crib that has a mobile attached to it that I brought in from you that your Aunt Joyce gave you.  You get plenty of attention in there.  I definitely miss you during the day, but am never sad because I know you're in great hands.  In fact, the other day I was in there visiting and Miss Jackie was holding and talking to you and you were just smiling at her -- I teared up because it just confirmed for me that you are perfectly happy in there and feel safe with where you are.  I love that.

Speaking of smiling... YOU ARE!  I get the absolute most warming feeling in my heart each time I see those big cheeks of yours rise up and your eyes twinkle -- you have a beautiful smile, baby!  The first time I saw you smile with meaning (non-gas related) was the morning of your first day going to daycare.  You and I were in the living room rocking in the recliner.  I had already changed your diaper and gotten your outfit for the day on you and we were just enjoying some "us" time.  I was telling you about how your day was going to go and that I knew she was going to just love it and that although I wasn't going to be there "Mama does love you very, very much!"  About that time, you gave me FOUR smiles!  Each one bigger than the one before! :) :) :) :)  It made dropping you off at daycare not as hard, I just thought of those smiles all day.

This month hasn't been all smiles though...

You did get your first boo-boo! :(  Miss Kacie, the afternoon girl who keeps you at Learning Safari accidentally pinched your arm with the buckle as she was trying to strap you into the swing.  It  only left a little mark, but she said you screamed so loud!  Bless your heart! 

You've also gone to the doctor for the first time other than for a check-up.  I got worried a couple of weeks ago when your bowel movements turned to the consistency of water and were bright yellow.  You were ruining almost every outfit I sent you to daycare in and I was just worried that it was lasting over 24 hours, especially with a bug going around town.  Fortunately, Dr. Ivey said you were perfectly healthy and he apologized for having to charge us for having a healthy baby :)

You are currently fighting off your first cold, too.  Poor baby!  Just like an adult, you feel fine during the day but get congested at night.  Your nose keeps boogers in it, and your breathing can get really rattly sounding.  I have bought you some saline drops to use in your nose if we need to, but thankfully haven't had to yet.  You act perfectly fine and aren't running a fever.  I attribute the breastmilk to your obviously strong immune system!  You either caught it from your Daddy who had it last week or from the daycare.  Either way, you're going to be just fine!

Speaking of breastmilk, I AM STILL NURSING YOU! :)  I am so glad I didn't give up when I got so frustrated with it about a month ago when you were acting like it was hurting you so bad (I figured out you didn't like when I ate tomato-based products, so I've since cut them out -- something I hate, but something I'm willing to do for you!).  It's such a special thing between just the two of us and I love knowing that it's so healthy for you! :)  I pump at work and keep plenty in the freezer there for you, but they're also giving you at least one bottle of formula a day (Similac) just so that you can be used to that option too, in case we ever need to use it.

You celebrated "Grandparent's Day" by giving a sweet card to both sets of your grandparents that said "Happy Grandparent's Day -- Y'all are the best, hands down!  Love, Lucy"  with a tracing of your handprint. (This was very hard to do, as you still don't like your hands to be touched!) Since we were here in Milledgeville, you also got to give your CiCi some flowers.  Sweet girl!

You had your first "spend the night company" when Memaw & Big Daddy came to visit and brought Nathan with them.  Nathan had lots of fun riding your rocking horse and you handed out a few smiles.  You also got to go on your first public outing with your Memaw & I to Wal-Mart while your Big Daddy & Nathan went to Chick-fil-A to play on their playground and buy us some lunch.  Your Daddy had gone to Smiley's Flea Market with your Uncle Wesley for their "birthday outing."  While they were in Macon, he ate at his favorite S&S Cafeteria.

Speaking of your Daddy's birthday... we had his family birthday party at your CiCi & Papa's house.  Both of our families have a lot of September birthdays, especially your Daddy's.  His & Macie's are both September 15, your uncle Wesley's is September 16, Pop's is September 18, and MaMa's is September 19, so they all have one huge family birthday party together.  Since you weren't feeling very well with your cold, we didn't let anyone hold you other than me.  Your Daddy & Uncle Wesley ended up leaving their own party a little early so they could go to an auction -- they're really into buying antique items these days.

Miss Lucy (we also have officially nicknamed you "Goose" or "The Goose" as well as refer to your pacifiers (Soothies) as your "sweettarts" because sometimes you suck on them like they're as sweet as candy and other times you spit them out like they're just so tart!), your Daddy & I love you so much and absolutely adore having you in our lives! 

Happy 2 months, baby girl! :)

 

Nothing is worse...

Than having a cold.  Except for maybe a cold in WARM weather season.  And really, nothing is worse than having a cold in warm weather season and not being able to hold your baby.  Poor Chris.  He caught this cold that has been going around town and more particularly his family this weekend.  Macie & Mollie caught it first and still have it, then MaMa and Pop both got it, and Cindy & Smiley.  Now, Chris caught it too and he's trying so hard to not give it to Lucy or I.  He's spent the last two nights sleeping inclined in his recliner in the living room so that he can breathe better and to keep from breathing on Lucy at night and he's painfully watched me get to hold her and have her all to myself all weekend.  I think I can tell that Lucy misses him.  Or she's getting sick of it being just me.  Ha!

Lucy's just started being really drooly this weekend.  I mean, she SOAKED two outfits yesterday.  Dr. Google & I think that her digestive enzymes are kicking in which happens around 8 weeks (check!) which causes her to produce more saliva (check!) than she knows how to swallow so sometimes coughs because she's swallowing too much (check!) and can produce really runny dirty diapers because of how much saliva she is swallowing (check!).  Just call me Mom, MD.

I took Lucy into the doctor on Friday because I was afraid she was catching the virus that is also going around Milledgeville.  For 24 hours, her dirty diapers had been both bright yellow and the consistency of water.  More than the consistency or the color, what bothered me was that it had been 24 hours.  Thankfully, Dr. Ivey told me that the consistency and color of breastfed babies diapers can change and that he was unfortunately going to have to charge me for having a healthy baby!  We did find out that at 7 weeks and 4 days Miss Lucy weighed in at 9 lbs. 12 oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long -- big girl! :)

Today is also Grandparent's Day.  Lucy is so lucky to have 4 wonderful grandparents that love her so much and that she loves just as much! <3 

Lately...

I feel terrible for not having blogged in a bit... So, the biggest question then is "What have we been up to lately?"

Well...

On Tuesday, August 30, at about 8 pm, my sweet Preacher Pa passed away.  He was at home and was surrounded by sweet family both in person and in spirit.  There in person were my Mom and sister, Sara with her children Nathan & Sallie, and my Uncle Bubba and cousin Rachel Wentlent as well as my Meme, of course.  They had all finished dinner and lit a candle and had soft music playing in the background. He had been breathing pretty heavily and rhythmically all day they said.  My grandmother sat next to him and held his hand and whispered to him for him to go on and go to heaven, that we were all going to be okay.  She then told him, "I'll be right back, I'm going to go open the door so your spirit can leave," and she proceeded to open the front door.  While she was gone, his breathing became more irractic.  Upon her return, she told him that she had loved him her whole life and that she would finish things up here if he would go on and be preparing a place for her there so they could continue to love each other for eternity.  Shortly after, my grandfather began to breathe slowly and as the rest of the family who were present gathered around, he drew his last breath.  So sweet!   

His funeral was arranged for this past Sunday, September 4 at 3 pm.  Chris, Lucy, & I went up on Saturday and came back Monday on Labor Day.  Chris was a Pall Bearer and I was asked to read a poem I had written at the graveside service.  Chris thoughtfully got up and spoke a few words also when asked if anyone had anything they wanted to share.  He spoke about how genuine Preacher Pa was in being interested in your life and what you were up to when he asked.  He said that he & his grandmother (Big Mama) had that in common and that he was so glad to know that since they were such good friends on Earth that they could now be friends in Heaven.  :)  Lucy had to stay in the nursery there at the church but did such a great job -- sweet girl just slept the whole time!  Lucy, I am so glad that you are such an easy baby and that you do so well for other people as well as your Daddy & I.

Aside from the sad circumstances, it was so nice to be able to see out-of-town family that we don't get to see very often.  It was also a nice opportunity for them to get to meet Lucy, too!

It has just started to feel like Fall weather here recently and it's so nice!  I hope it stays like this for a while before it turns cold for the winter! I don't think we've had a true "fall" in a while.  It usually goes from scorching hot to freezing cold in seconds flat, it feels like!

Work is still going well.  The children are getting more used to me, I think, as I am them.  It was a nice surprise when I returned to learn that I would have a student teacher this semester.  "Miss Kay" is such a great help in our classroom!  And I, of course, still love having "Ms. Mary" around and don't know what I would do without her!

Lucy, is also doing well in daycare.  She's been taking at least one formula bottle a day there, just to get used to the idea of one, and also to help my stash stay stacked.  Just recently though, she's turned picky and won't take the formula bottle very well, and will usually only take it from Ms. Jackie.  She also has just recently started smiling with meaning! :)  I've caught her doing it a couple of times just after I feed her, but last night her Daddy got to see it too right before her bath.  So sweet!

This week is a "short week" because of the holiday, yesterday.  I can't believe tomorrow is already Wednesday!  I'll try to update a bit more frequently.

Until then...