Two months

My precious daughter,

How can you be two months old already? In some ways it seems like just a couple weeks ago that we brought you home from the hospital. Most of the time, it feels like you've always been a part of this family.

You are so loved, dear daughter. You have the sweetest disposition of any baby I've ever met. You respond well to touch and give us the biggest smiles when we make eye contact. You've started cooing in the last couple weeks and it warms my heart to hear your early communication and to know that you're happy.

We have tried to establish a routine so you know what to expect when throughout the day and aren't surprised when it comes to sleep time. While we work at it each day, there always seems to be something that comes up that changes our routines such as your loud brother waking you and not being able to settle again, or you having extra long naps or needing to nurse longer. But in spite of the fluctuations, you are doing much better with sleep than you were in the early weeks. You tend to be a content baby and are now going down for naps and bedtime very well — for the most part. You are, after all, still a baby!

You even coo and smile at us when we come to get you up. I feel like you're saying, "Oh hi Mom, I'm so glad you listened to my noises and came to get me. Thanks." It's sweet.

Just a couple days ago we started putting you on your play mat for very brief periods of time. You seem ready for it now and are not overstimulated if put on it for a short time. With your big brother we did way too much overstimulating with things like playmats and swings. We've learned since then how to keep a baby from getting too worked up. Lucky for you, little one!

Your daddy loves you to pieces too and he looks forward to the brief times he gets to hold you right now. Between nursing and sleeping, you're not up for very long. But when you are, you give Daddy the best and biggest smiles and he loves that so much!

Nursing is not going as well as Mommy would've liked. I prayed and prayed before you were born that you and I would have a good nursing relationship. And while things have not gone as planned, I am thankful to persevere and keep praying that it will all turn out for the good in the end. Right now we've discovered you're not gaining weight. That makes me so sad and I pray to the Lord that He will watch over you and that we can start getting your weight on track again. To that end, I've been feeding you for longer periods of time the last few days and more often throughout the day. It seems to be helping as your poops have turned yellow again.

(Side note: Never before having children would one expect to be so thoroughly interested in poop. Only a mom and dad would celebrate at the sight of a poop's colour. I actually thank the Lord each time you deliver such a package in your pampers as it means you're getting to the milk that helps you to grow.)

Unfortunately for you, your brother seems to have hit the terrible two's since you were born. I joke sometimes that you will grow up thinking your name is, "Isaac no!" It grates on my nerves the way he disobeys and you are often happily nursing while I am yelling at him. By the end of the day, your brother makes me more tired than you even though you're the baby who nurses for hours every day.

But thankfully, you really seem to love him and he definitely loves you. I think you and Isaac will grow up being good friends and I pray that continues right through your lives.

You still sleep in our bedroom. We have to return the cradle we used for you soon and we've decided to buy one for ourselves as you enjoy being rocked sometimes and we like having you in our room still. And besides, your brother is still sleeping in the crib so you have to stay with us a little longer anyway which suits us just fine.

You just had your two month shots this week and you did not like them one bit. Isaac calmed down fairly quickly after his shots, you took a few minutes of really hard crying. It broke my heart but we firmly believe that the immunizations are good for you and will help protect you in the long run even if they hurt for a few minutes right now.

Well Promise, that's about it for now. You can see from my lack of posts that you and Isaac keep Mommy awfully busy and tired. But each day with you two is a joy and I wouldn't trade this life I have for any other life in the world. I love you so much and am so thankful I get to by your mommy.