Not Your Average Ferris Wheel: Two Months

Bevin turned two months last week. I neglected to write a solid one month post (it was more like a "Oh she went to the doctor and boy is she growing!" kind of post), mostly because I have no free time to myself whatsoever, but also because I forgot that I wrote one on a monthly basis for Cole and should really try to do the same for my daughter. So my goal is to write a bi-monthly update. Call it a case of the second child syndrome, but I will forgive myself since being a mother of two is probably the hardest job I've ever done (and it's only been two months).

Bevin weighs .... I have absolutely no idea. We don't go for a two month visit to the family doctor until the week after next, so I'm going to give you my best guess -- somewhere between 9 and 10 lbs.
She's starting to outgrow her newborn clothes - either that or they are shrinking incredibly fast in our dryer. Our plan to start her in cloth diapers is on the horizon. The cloth diapers we were gifted by our generous friends Allishawn were pretty big to start with even though they allegedly fit babies 8 to 16 lbs. But that there range my friends is why they are so big. Since she started off a 6 pounder, we have been using disposables from Target the past two months. I tried one of the diapers on the other day and, although it was bulky and big (definitely won't fit in her newborn onesies or pants), it seemed to fit okay. It is our goal this week to begin using the cloth diapers. (Allishawn gave us a bunch of stylish Bummies and then some plain white ones for the second half of her first year.) Wish us luck!

Bevin's personality--

Focused - when she gets your attention, she holds it. She will keep her eyes trained on you and blow your mind with her smiles and her laughs. She's a great imitator of our facial expressions and our movements.

Strong - her preferred mode of watching us or Cole is by standing. Her legs can hold her body up as long as you hold her hands so the rest of her can stay up. Her neck muscles are getting stronger by the day as well. She hates being on her back so much that for the past few weeks it has motivated her to pull herself up using her neck muscles. For instance, if we put her in a reclined baby seat of any kind, she will pull her head up and keep it up and cry and scream until someone removes her from her perceived entrapment. She has gotten stronger this past week and now her shoulders are coming up as well.

Sharp - She knows what she likes and what she doesn't and she is not afraid to let you know. For instance, if I stop nursing her because I know she needs to burp, she will kick and scream and put on her superangry face for daring to take her off her precious boob. If you try to put her in the sling when she would rather stare at you or look around, she will refuse to sit. Instead, she'll stand and make it impossible to go hands free. If she's been in the bouncy seat for too long (read: two minutes) then she'll start to kick and scream and let you know how angry she is for being stuck in this stupid seat when everyone else is having fun without her.

Bevin's favorite places to be --

Standing in our laps - As I said before, she loves to stand in our laps and smile and coo and laugh at us. Here she'll imitate our voices and the sounds we make as well as the way we move our heads when we laugh. She already knows how to throw her head back when laughing. So cute.

Laying on the changing table - This is the only place she truly enjoys laying down on her back when she's awake. I suspect it's because she has our full attention and can catch our eye with that little twinkle she has and force us to bask in her happiness.

Being worn in a sling or soft structured carrier - This is the only place she will fall asleep during the day. She naps all day long in one of the two either on my or SuperDada. Unfortunately, you can't sit for too long with her or else she will start to stir. She can withstand any noise if you are wearing her and moving around or standing and rocking. On the one hand, our backs our killing us because of this. On the other, she's sleeping and well rested when it comes time for nighttime sleep. That's a huge plus in my book if you ask me. I could totally compare her to Cole right now, since sleep was a huge problem for him his first year, but I won't bother. I don't want to become that parent. I really don't (even though I am already).

Bevin and her big brother--

The other day SuperDada signed us up for his health insurance so we can be covered for the next five months that I'm not working. While he was there, he handed over all of our important documents. He said to the HR woman, "This my son's birth certificate. And this is my daughter's." And then he thought to himself, I have a son and a daughter. How crazy. Before then it was just "the baby" this or "the baby" that. But in that moment, clear as day, she was no longer just "the baby" but now his daughter, too.

Which brings me to Bevin and her growing relationship with Cole. Cole relates to her by doing the following: kissing her head, her fingers, her cheeks (sometimes her feet, but don't tell her or he'll never live that down). Holding her hand, her feet, her arms, her legs. Touching and snuggling with her head. He says, "Hi Bev!" or "Hi Bevy!" or "Whatchya doing Bevy?!" He looks at her, smiles, has even tried to hold her or appear to be picking her up (scary!!) on occasion. She in turn cries or tries to move away from him when he's getting to close for comfort. But when he's busy playing at a distance, she's totally focused on his every movement.

Bevin's adventures while sleeping--

Her first month was spent mostly in the house a) because it was cold outside and b) because my Ob was specific when he said to stay home and rest for one calendar month. So I heeded his advice and my incision has been healing really well as a result. But that also meant no adventures for Bevin. The second month, however, we've gone to a few local events and had ourselves some quiet adventures (as opposed to wild and zany, which I'll hold off on until it gets warmer).

Hannaford's and Emmanuel's - Bevin and I have gone grocery shopping together twice this past month. I wore her in the Boba and she slept the whole time.

Ashokan Resevoir Spillway - We went for a nice walk in the cold a few weeks ago while Cole rode his bike and Keith took some pictures for a local magazine. She fell asleep in the Ergo.

Ashokan Center - We went here for the Maple Fest and to see Ratboy Jr. perform. She slept in the Boba most of the time and nursed in the cafeteria after we ate delicious pancakes.

Rosendale Park, Rosendale Farmer's Market, High Falls Cafe, and Market Market - another local restaurant that has the rudest server we've ever encountered as parents of a toddler (more on that in another post?). She nursed and/or slept in all of those places.