Letter to Peanut at 2 Months

Dearest Peanut,

It is hard to believe you are already two months old!  At your two month appointment with your doctor, we learned that you weigh 10 pounds and measure 22 inches long.  That's a net gain of four pounds and four inches since you were born!  Good job growing.  Your Papa and I are always remarking about how much "sturdier" you feel - more like a kid, a less like a fragile, noodley little newborn.  You're holding your head up pretty well; in fact, every time I burp you over my shoulder, Papa and I laugh about how you make an "ET neck" - you stretch and make your neck tall and long, and open your eyes really wide.  You are totally adorable. 

Here's a summary of this past month:

• Smiling.  Oh, your smiles.  They are still less frequent than I'd hope they'd be (you, like your mother, are a great frowner.)  But when you share them with us, our hearts melt.  You smile when we talk to you in a high pitched voice, when we tickle your chin, and when you're playing with your toys.  Your first really intentional smile was on Sunday, March 3.  Your uncle did a great job of capturing it on video!
• Playing.  One of your favorite toys right now is a blue stuffed elephant holding a rattle and plastic rings.  You have learned to bat at it when it's hanging by your side and it makes you smile, make happy, loud babbling sounds, and kick your legs with gusto.  You've learned how to make the elephant move with your hands and will play with it for up to 30 minutes at a time.  You also love watching your mobile.  It's such a joy to see you so happy.
• Sleeping.  At seven weeks, we decided the chaos of nighttime feeding and waking and rocking were just not working.  So we started you on a bedtime routine.  We start by feeding you between 7:00 and 8:00pm, then massage you with almond oil, give you a warm bath, dress you, read you a bedtime story, and put you to bed by 9:00pm.  The first three nights, you only woke once at around 3:00am and slept for 5-6 hours at a time.  It was amazing.  And then things kind of fell apart.  You just love being held, bounced and cuddled, little one, so even when you only woke once or twice, it took several hours to get to you actually go to - and stay - asleep.  We're still working on figuring out what helps you sleep quickly and for longer periods of time.   
• Feeding.  At five weeks, we began bottle-feeding you a bit.  It kind of broke my heart at first to see you sucking on a rubber nipple.  I felt like I was betraying you.  You gagged and it seemed like the milk was flowing way too fast.  But you quickly learned how to manage the flow and now go back and forth between the breast and the bottle pretty seamlessly. 
• Soothing.  Same thing with the pacifier.  I cried the first time I introduced the paci.  Until that point, you hadn't had anything in your mouth but my breasts and your own hands.  But it was 4:00am, and I was desperate.  You were crying and unable to sleep, I was totally exhausted after two hours of trying to help you close your eyes.  It didn't help much that night.  Now, it's a wonderful tool.  It helps calm you in stressful moments and on some nights, helps you fall asleep.  It thankfully has not affected the way you breastfeed at all.
• Traveling.  You took your first trip to the city on the train, Peanut, and since then you and I have had much more mobility.  We've gone to a coffee shop, to my postpartum doctor appointment, and have been walking around the neighborhood pretty often.  You're a great traveler - meaning you usually sleep the whole time, whether in the car seat, stroller or carrier!  We spent two weeks at Nana and Nani's house, which was great.  It helped me heal and get emotionally and physically stronger.  As a result, I felt better equipped to take care of you.  We also took a bunch of trains to go meet some of Papa's family - your Tio and oldest cousin - who were in the area for a weekend.  They were so thrilled to finally meet you.

At your two month check-up, you received five different vaccinations.  You handled them like a champ, but it was so hard for me to see you in pain, even for a few seconds.  I was crying by your side.  Afterwards, you were understandably cranky and tired all day long, so we cuddled a lot.  It helped make us both feel calmer and more connected.  I love love love feeling you sleep on my shoulder and chest.  If I could, I would hold you all the time like I did on that day.

I love you immensely, my dear Peanut.  I'm looking forward to spending another month together.

Love,
Your Mama