2 Months

Esther is now 2 months old. Even though it feels likes we have had her in our family forever, it has only been 2 short months!

Sleeping: This month Esther will usually do one long sleep stretch at night  (5-8 hours!) then eat and go back to sleep for another 3-4 hours.  She usually goes to bed sometime between 8 and 9 pm and then is up for the day around 6:30.  She only has about an hour to an hour and a half of wake time before she needs another nap during the day.  Most of her naps are still in the swing or the car seat if we are out and about. If she falls asleep in the ergo or in your arms, she is starting to wake up as soon as you lay her down.

Eating: She still eats every 3 hours during the day.  Breastfeeding is going great, except when she gets sprayed with milk and starts to cough and splutter.  That is getting better though :)  She took a couple of bottles of breastmilk this month with no problem.  If she is tired and I try to feed her, it only makes her more mad.  Also if I try to feed her closer than 3 hours apart she spits up, so it is best to wait until she is actually hungry so she doesn't get mad or spit up.

Activity:  Esther is much more alert this month.  She is smiling for us, but she makes you work for it!  She is starting to hold her head up when on her belly and look around.  She will follow toys around if you hold them above her head and her favorite thing to look at is the fan.  She loves to lay on the floor on a blanket and the big kids will read her stories, sing to her, or just get in her face and talk to her.  Now that she smiles for them they will do anything to try to get her to smile at them!

Esther is loving bath time and if she is fussy in the evening this will usually calm her down.  She is starting to like the car a bit better and not cry if she is awake in her car seat.  She enjoys being carried in the ergo more than the stroller, and this works better for me because it keeps my hands free to hold the other kids when we walk through the parking lot.

At her two month appointment (which was really more like 10 weeks) she weighed 13 lbs (90%) and was 23 inches long (75%) and her head was right in the 50% range.  Her pediatrician declared she was a "perfectly healthy little butterball."  This month I also had to pack up her 0-3 months clothes and she is in all 3-6 month clothing.