Rookie Mistake

Last week Leah had her two-month appointment which included her first set of immunizations. Not exactly sure what to expect (well, we had a vague notion thanks to family and friends' experiences, but can any parent truly prepare for it?), we had decided to head to NY immediately after Leah's appointment. Oh my. Let's just say that I don't think we'll do that again.

Thankfully, she slept most of the way. The problem arose when she awoke and wanted to eat; she would not take a bottle... at all. So much for a quick stop before continuing on our way. This automatically added at least another hour onto our trip.

Now compound that with traffic, and not really traffic in our area, either. I'm talking rush-hour traffic in PA followed by construction on 81 (but when is there NOT construction on 81?). Thankfully, we hit the construction traffic just as Leah woke up and wanted to eat. Did I mention that she wouldn't take the bottle? While inching our way to an exit, I tried calming and placating our very angry daughter. Is it any surprise, then, that my efforts were futile?

At least the rest of the trip was enjoyable. Leah met her Uncle Erik, Aunt Dib, and cousins Kate and Mila for the first time. Then Saturday she was showered with love thanks to the baby shower that Dib and Mel (Grandma Mel) threw for us. So, despite a rough beginning, all turned out well in the end. Even the return trip wasn't so bad, but that could be because Scott and I had a better idea of what to expect... and how much time it would take.Scott reads Leah a story about Spiderman as we wait for the nurse to administer her shots. (Oh, her two-month stats: 11.14 oz, 22" long. And the motor skills of a four-month old.)

Leah (in green) with her cousins Mila and Kate (standing).

Add this to her bag of tricks...

Leah can now roll over from tummy to back. She did so the first time on Tuesday, when she turned 9 weeks old, and then repeated that feat not once, but twice today.

When she rolled over the first time, she actually startled herself. She started crying! Today, though, she was fine, though a bit wide-eyed as if to say, "How did I get here? What happened to the view?" Scott missed her first roll-over, so when he got home this afternoon, I placed her on her stomach, hoping that she wouldn't disappoint Daddy. Just a few seconds later, she was once again on her back.

Guess she just wanted to show off for her relatives this weekend...

Two months and counting

The two of us on Mother's Day. Leah personally gave me two gifts, though I could only appreciate one of them. The first: She slept until 6:15 Sunday morning. Yippee!! The second: See the cute outfit she's wearing in the next photo? Notice she's not wearing it in the above photo? You guessed it. She had a blowout when we got home from lunch.

The official two-month picture.

Hanging out with her new friend Avah on Monday. Avah's exactly three weeks younger than Leah.

Two Months

Leah's not thwarted by Scott's effort to prevent her from sucking her thumb.

Scott discovered that Leah would keep her head up longer if he brushed her cheek with the burp cloth every so often.

As of tomorrow (Sunday, May 10), Leah will be two months old. My how time has flown!

She's settled into more of a routine now, making it a little easier for me and Scott to decipher her needs at any given moment. Of course, she still keeps us on our toes (she's hungry again? didn't she just eat?), but for the most part, we've got her figured out.

And she's rewarding our diligence with smiles and coos. The morning routine is one of my favorite parts of the day since Leah (usually) wakes up happy and alert, which means she's all smiles for me when I'm getting her dressed. Our occasional afternoon song-fest is also fun; she'll lie on her blanket while listening to me singing along to whatever's on the iPod. Sometimes she'll join in, too, even though she doesn't know the words. (To be honest, sometimes I don't either, so I'll make up the lyrics.)

Leah loves taking baths, now. As much as she loves the bath, though, I think she loves getting toweled off and dressed afterwards more, especially since she's all smiles then... and also rather talkative.

Despite what she enjoys, she's still not a fan of tummy time, though sometimes she tolerates it. She's definitely mastered it, though; she can hold her head up for quite a long time ... and will do so without fussing (that doesn't happen EVERY time).

Nesting?

So, I remember reading that some pregnant women "nest" prior to their baby's arrival. Alas, I didn't experience such a phenomenon... until now.

Yes, I know that Leah is two months old (or she will be tomorrow), but for some strange reason, the whole nesting instinct never kicked in until now. That doesn't mean that our house has been a mess all this time. Those who have been to our home know that Scott and I are neat and clean people, so it's not like it's a pigsty on a regular basis even.

No, I think the impetus for the nesting was a magazine article I read recently about spring cleaning. The article mentioned all that should be a part of spring cleaning, from the walls to the floors and in between. Being the neat-freak that I am, I was inspired by what I read, despite the lack of free time I now have at my discretion. After all, how hard could it be to wash the walls and clean the windows while Leah napped?

All of you with children are probably laughing at my naivete by now. You have already accepted the truth that spring cleaning (well, to the degree I'm attempting) with little ones is nearly impossible. Though I acknowledge that truth, I haven't accepted it yet. And so, I continue on my quest for a home that sparkles from top to bottom, even if it takes me until June to accomplish it.

The Little Squirt... literally

So, our adorable baby girl (note the bias) got me good last week. And, quite frankly, I can't believe I'm admitting to this, but for the sake of humor, I guess I have to relate this story.

During the course of the day on Thursday, I was changing Leah's diaper (again). This one was particularly messy, and she was particularly fussy. Now, when she's fussy, she often farts (I guess it's a result of getting herself so worked up). Well, true to form, she farted while on the changing table.

Unfortunately for me, I hadn't anticipated the fart... or its force... and thus was not quick enough to re-cover Leah with the diaper. Yes, you can imagine what happened.

One minute my shirt and her changing pad are clean. The next minute there's baby poo on my shirt, the changing pad, AND the floor. And I'm not talking about just a sprinkle. We're talking a noticeable amount. Think several wipes' worth.

Despite the shock and disgust at being pooped on (well, actually, it was more like she took aim and fired), I had to laugh. What's the use of crying about it? I'll just chalk it up to experience... and be wary of loaded farts...

An Addendum

A friend told me that one of my more recent posts caused some concern, so I thought I'd offer a clarification.

Though I'm longing for home (heaven), I'm not depressed or suicidal. I simply recognize that we humans were made for some place better. Though life is great, it requires work and sometimes, well, I don't want to work. Instead, I just want to live effortlessly without conflict or pain. That's all.

As for the relationships aspect I mentioned, this is not referring to Scott. In fact, I don't know what I'd do without him. He's AMAZING with Leah. When he gets home from work, he goes into Daddy-mode, taking care of Leah if she's fussing, and thus giving me a break. He's quick to change her diapers, play with her, or soothe her, and during dinner, he's on Daddy duty, eating with one hand while holding Leah with the other. He's so much fun to watch with her. He's an even better dad than I thought he was going to be.

Oh... and the remote re-appeared while I was changing the sheets the other day. I guess the portal to the fourth dimension is lurking somewhere in our duvet cover...