Two Months

Dear Baby Catherine,

Time is going by so fast and you are growing in so many ways.  Today you are two months old.  In the last month you have begun to smile real smiles. You smile all the time!  You know how great life is, and you are enjoying it.  You love to watch people and stare at lights.  I don’t know if we will ever take down the Christmas lights on our banister.  Between you looking at them and Joey playing with them, they are the star of the house some days.

In the last month we have celebrated Christmas, the new year, and more family birthdays.  You traveled by plane, train, and automobile when you had your first cross-country trip.  We drove to visit Eckels and Colby families in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and then flew to Boston to visit the Tiedtkes and Uncle Paul.  While there, we “took the T” as we went from Hanover into downtown Boston for a day.  You are a wonderful traveler.  You slept most of the time and laughed the rest of the time.

You also went to your first movie (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol), made a snow angel, and visited the New England aquarium.  You finally met Great Grandma Colby and Grandma Cathy, along with many other friends and family members throughout the month.

The cats are getting more comfortable being around you.  Joey will stay in the room while you nap, and watch you for hours.  He is still most interested in the little toy hanging from your car seat handle, though.

You are beginning to make sounds as we talk with you.  One day, soon, those sounds will become words.  We know you will have a lot to say as you are always watching what is going on around you.  You are interested in everything.

You are getting so big!  You weigh just over 9 pounds, and are growing taller each day.  Last week I asked Aunt Heather to get the next set of baby clothes ready for us.  You are getting too long for some of the 0-3 month clothes already.  When I picked you up from your nap on Saturday, you had one foot hanging out between buttons of your sleeper because that was more comfortable than being squished inside it.  Speaking of your nap—Saturday was the first time you slept in your crib.  We’ve tried on other occasions, but you would always wake up within a few minutes and not go back to sleep.  Saturday, however, you slept soundly for almost three hours.

As you are getting bigger, your periods of sleep are getting longer.  Last night, you slept for 6-1/2 hours in one stretch.  That is by far the longest you’ve ever slept.  You woke up hungry, but very happy.  Daddy and I were pretty happy with that length of sleep also.

You can hold your head up very well when we are holding you in our arms.  You dislike tummy time, but your neck muscles are getting so strong.  You can lift your head quite a bit while lying on your tummy, and you find that’s a great place to be to watch the cats, who are, of course, watching you right back.  You’ve also started sitting in the high chair during meals.  No, you are not eating solid food yet—you are not growing that fast!  We’ve always had you sit in your bouncy seat near us while we eat, but you love to be a part of our conversations and it’s just not that easy when you are in the bouncy seat.  Your high chair sits right between Daddy and me, and you smile and coo throughout the meals. 

Munchkin, we love you.  I hope you continue to be this happy forever.