Sophia's 2 Month Update
Baby girl!
You weigh a whopping 9 pounds 2 ounces (as of seven weeks)! We are so proud of you for gaining weight every day. You’re only two months but you have gotten so big! You are also growing longer (21 inches) and your head is getting larger. With all this physical growth, you’re also getting smarter!
According to the Wonder Weeks, you experienced your first developmental leap around 5 weeks of age. You were a bit more fussy than before and this is when you started really smiling big for us (first smile around 2/16). You have the CUTEST smile we’ve ever seen! You have become much more alert these days; when you look at us it is as if you are looking into our souls. We love seeing your big eyes take in your surroundings. You’re even able to slowly track objects and faces with your eyes as they move around. Recently, you’ve been “playing” with your wooden play gym; and by playing I mean unintentionally moving your arm in just the right spot that it hits the hanging toy. Sneezing while we change your diaper is another favorite activity of yours. One thing you absolutely hate is having anything on your face. You go from sleeping to screaming in seconds when we put your shirts on. It is so sad to see you that distressed but also funny that it bothers you so much. We’ve learned to be strategic with how we do it now. ;)
Your second leap started at 7 1/2 weeks and it is much more intense than the first leap. You have had some inconsolable moments where you only want to be held while mom is walking around. It’s so sad seeing you upset but we know it is helping you learn so many new things. You’ve been so fascinated with your hands; always moving them around. You can grab on to our shirts now and you’ve even tickled both of us in the armpit. You’re so funny! Your automatic reflexes are starting to disappear and you’re able to make more voluntary movements, although they are still very jerky. Your ability to track objects has significantly improved and you’ve found your voice, frequently mimicking the sounds that we make. The fussiness of the leaps may be hard but it is so rewarding seeing you learn new things for the first time.
You and Jericho still aren’t best buds, but I’m sure that will come with time. Occasionally he will sniff you, but that’s about it.
We’ve been taking you out more and more. You’ve been to church, grocery shopping, around the neighborhood, restaurants, friends houses, and Ashley’s work. You got to see a lot of your friends, including Leo, Willa, and Nyla!
Baby wearing, using our Solly Wrap, is our favorite thing lately. You love to both fall asleep on our chest but also stretch your neck back and take in your surroundings. We’d love to know what you are thinking of this new world.
Sadly, you got your first cold at 5 weeks. It didn’t seem to bother you too much until we started using the Nose Frida. You hated the first few times of having your snot sucked out, but now you handle it like a champ. It was so sad seeing you try to breathe through the congestion, but you did so well.
You also met your Grandpa Jim this month and he said meeting you was one of the most joyous moments in his life. He got to feed you, burp you, and play with you. You liked him so much that you pooped all over his brand new jeans, right before leaving for church. I can already see the kind of relationship you two will have. Salt & Straw Ice Cream and Barista Coffee were must do’s while he was in town. Too bad you won’t get to taste either for quite a while. Grandma Karen also made a spontaneous weekend trip and you smiled and cooed when you saw her. I think you remember her.
We have our good days and our bad days with breastfeeding, but overall, it is going well. Mama has more milk than she knows what to do with, which I guess is a good problem to have. You’re a tricky eater as you will sometimes drink 5 ounces of milk and other times only want 2 ounces. You’re still having a hard time with gas, but we are getting better at finding ways to relieve it. Burping frequently and keeping you upright when possible seem to make you feel more comfortable. We think you had a growth spurt around 6 weeks as you were eating every 2 hours and more fussy than normal. Right after this ended is when you started sleeping through the night.
We’ve started loosely following the Baby Wise Method of Sleep Training. We always wake up at 7 AM to start our day and we try our best to make 11 PM your last feeding before all of us go to bed. Around 5-6 weeks we were consistently getting up only once or twice (between 2 and 4 AM) during the night to pump and/or feed you. There was one night where you went seven hours without food. It was a nice amount of sleep for all of us (even though I still had to get up to pump). At 7 weeks you started sleeping through the night and we are so excited. We’ve heard that babies thrive on having a routine so we started doing some specific nighttime activities with you. This consists of a bath (not all nights), pajamas, breastfeeding, and reading your children’s Bible. You’re still a really good sleeper and rarely cry when we put you down. Please continue doing this, okay?
When you were a few weeks old in mama’s belly, the two of us signed up for a research study. I went in once during each trimester and had blood drawn. In the 2nd and 3rd trimesters I had my body fat measured and in my 3rd trimester I also gave saliva and hair samples. During pregnancy I took multiple questionnaires and provided detailed information on my diet. When you were born, they took samples of my placenta and the cord blood. When you were 7 weeks old, we had our first session where you came with me outside of the womb. From the pictures below, you clearly did not love the EEG part; see that eye roll in the photo with the lights? Aside from the EEG, they also took some body measurements, recorded some heart data, and took fingernail and breast milk samples. The researchers just oohed and ahhed over how cute you are!
I started “officially” working out again by doing BBG, yoga, and the occasional run. It makes you so happy watching me exercise. I kiss you when i’m doing pushups and watch your face when doing burpees. I hope I can teach you to always love your body and show you how good movement makes your body feel. For now, your only exercise is tummy time and you’re getting so strong!
In many ways this month has felt easier because we've gotten into more of a routine and are actually getting a decent bit of sleep, but in many other ways this month has been so much harder. It's so challenging trying to figure out what is upsetting you and not coming to a good conclusion or finding any answers. The Lord told me that you are not a puzzle that I have to figure out. He reminded me that I do not have to try and fix every situation because I am inadequate and will not be able to do that. I just need to love on you, comfort you, and give you Grace and He will do the rest. We love you so much Missy Moo!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy
