2 Months Old

Our little millabean is 2 months old today.  How is that possible?!  My how time flies...

The picture above was taken today, and as you can see, she has two very fancy band-aids on her legs.  We had her two-month checkup with her pediatrician today where Millie received 3 shots in her legs for the first round of immunizations.  Oh...it was awful.  I can still see that horrible look of surprise and then pain registering on her face.  It pretty much broke our hearts.  And the poor girl has had a terrible day since.  She has cried all afternoon and evening (this is why I don't have her 2 month pics in the chair yet); I'm sure her little legs are already sore.  We've both taken turns snuggling her and helping her calm down.  Why do we still have to use needles??  Why can't we figure out a better way of administering these vaccines??  Time to stop these barbaric ways; time to stop the violence!  Too much?  Seriously though, that was really hard to watch.

Other than the shots, the doctor visit went well.  Milla now weighs 11 lbs 12 oz (75th percentile); head circumference is 15.25 inches (50th percentile); length is 24 inches (95th percentile).  Dr. Averitt says it is a little early to be relying on these percentages, but they are fun to hear and imagine how she will look in 5, 15, 25 years - slim, very tall and with a perfectly sized head. ;)

We discussed 2 month milestones, and Millie seems to be right on track.  She's lifting her head at least 45 degrees and holds it up for a good length of time.  She's smiling at both of us plenty and making sounds/cooing.  She can definitely hear and see much better this month.  This past weekend, Johnny installed her mobile on the crib upstairs.  She doesn't sleep in the crib yet, but we are getting some serious use out of it for play time.  She loves looking at the mobile!  Everything on it moves and it plays all sorts of music and sounds.  It looks obnoxious and doesn't match a thing in her room, but it got great reviews and I can see why...it's quite entertaining.

Since this blog is ultimately going to be for Millie, let me just take a moment to address her:

Dear Camilla,
You are two months old today!  I can't believe it...I'm getting all teary writing this.  It has been so amazing to watch you change and grow over these past couple of months.  The changes from month one to month two have been phenomenal, not just in your physical size but also in your brain development.  You can do so much more this month; what an awesome process to witness.  We love seeing you smile, and it is so fun to watch you entertain yourself.  You love to sit in your swing or little lamb chair to chill out and just look around.  Your arms are constantly in motion; flailing around when you're awake and startling yourself in your sleep.  It looks exhausting; no wonder you're always hungry!  It's hilarious to watch you get so excited about eating.  You crack me up a hundred times a day.  It may be early to start anticipating your personality, but I'm pretty confident you're going to be a funny gal.  You make a thousand different facial expressions and most of them make us laugh.  You are such a calm baby (most of the time) and such a joy to be around.  You have the hiccups at least once a day, but this shouldn't be a surprise since you constantly had them in utero.  You sleep well at night, which has been making me very happy.  And I love putting you in bed with me in the mornings to squeeze in an extra hour of sleep while also getting in cuddle time.  Oh, Millie Bear, we're so glad you're ours...

Photo Shoots

Camilla is 8 weeks old today!  She gets sweeter every day and definitely more snuggable.  We've been going upstairs to her room for some play time in the afternoons.  I think she's been enjoying it!  And on occasion, I've been dressing her up for mini photo shoots while we are up there.  Some days I get great pics and other days not so much.  Here are some pics from last Friday's shoot:

It's a little too early for the bumbo chair, but I only had her in there for a minute.  She's got such amazing neck and head control already!

And here are some pics from today's photo shoot, where she wasn't really in the mood but I still love them:

Leann, my sister-in-law, was so sweet to pass on a quilt that my Mama Tyson made for Ethyn.  I'm so thrilled that Millie gets to use it too.  I miss Mama so much and know she would've loved meeting Camilla.  I like to use the quilt for tummy time, since it has so much padding.

Check out this 8-week old body...

Peace!

Lady with a Stroller and a Boombox

That's me!  I've been enjoying walking in the mornings with Milla, but she isn't the best company yet.  So...I busted out my iPhone and cranked out the tunes as we walked this past week.  Inside the house, we've been listening to Baby Einstein Mozart and Rockabye Baby - The Beatles (love) and Bob Marley (meh) editions.  I need something a little more energetic on the walks though, so Millie has now been exposed to The Beastie Boys...and I'm pretty sure she will love them as much as I do. ;)  She usually naps on our walks, but here's a good shot of her morning walk face before she drifted off:

And here she is still in her pjs taking a nap in her little lamb infant chair; looks comfy, no?!

When we were still in the hospital, mom & Colleen went shopping and picked out this hilarious little outfit for Milla - it says "Current Family Favorite" - hee hee.  I put it on her to take some pics to send mom & auntie Colleen, but I wasn't able to get a good one.  Millie was super fussy, as you can see, and then she proceeded to spit up all over the outfit and had to be changed shortly after.  We'll try again soon, but in the meantime, you get to see pissed off Millie face.

Not sure why, but she's been spitting up a lot lately.  I'm trying to see if there is a pattern in something I'm eating, but I haven't figured it out yet.  I feel bad for her; she constantly smells of soured milk and has to wear bibs that are too big for her.  She gets frustrated trying to get her arms out from underneath the bibs.  Poor Mills.

I'm not a liability...Just look at my assets (accounting humor - thanks Midge)

Aunt Joyce's Brownies

I don't have an Aunt Joyce, but Amy Sedaris does!  Her book on hospitality & entertaining called I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence is hilarious and full of recipes, none of which I have ever tried until this past Saturday.  In fact, I've haven't ever made homemade brownies; always used a box mix.  Well never again, my friends...this brownie recipe of hers is amazingly simple and oh so delicious.  Unfortunately, since I cannot have dairy (ice cream) or alcohol or caffeine, I've been consoling myself with baked goods lately.  And yes, I realize that butter is considered dairy, but so far, Milla hasn't had an issue with the baked goods containing butter.  Frankly, it's surprising considering the quantity that I have consumed.  Anyhoo, I've included Amy's recipe for "Aunt Joyce's Brownies" below.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
     - 4 eggs, beaten until fluffy
     - 1 C sugar
     - 1 C flour, sifted
     - 1 tsp baking powder
     - 1/2 tsp salt
     - 1 12oz package of chocolate chips
     - 2/3 C unsalted butter
     - 2 tsp vanilla extract

Melt together chips and butter.  Beat eggs and add in everything else.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Do not overbake.  Optional: press pecans on top, down in batter.

KK's note:  I used milk chocolate chips, instead of semi-sweet.  I didn't sift my flour because I never do.  And I took them out of the oven a couple of minutes early; I like them a little undercooked.  They stayed moist for the 3 days we had them around the house.  JKK and I loved them - Bon Appetit (said in my best Julia Child impersonation)!

Growth Spurt!

This past week was a little more stressful than we've been used to.  Our little Millie went through a few days of pure crankiness, and I'm pretty sure it was a growth spurt.  Many Google searches back me up on this.  She wanted to eat much more often and for longer periods of time, and in between feedings, she didn't sleep well and was one fussy baby.  However, I think it is over for the time being and we have our good baby back.  Here she is today with my favorite newborn onesie on.  It's so cute on her; all girly and lovable with the tiny hearts, and even more so with her ballerina socks on.  But I think we need to retire the newborn size clothes; Milla's bustin' out of them now...as JKK says "she looks like a little sausage".  We've already had to retire the newborn size of diapers and move up to size one.  It's official; she's no longer a newborn!  I know I should be sad, but I get so excited to see her growth and all of the changes in her appearance and personality.  It's so exciting to see her do new stuff!

 Everything A-Okay?  Alright then...

The fun part is that I got to go buy her some new clothes.  Check out this little shirt and shorts:

We did have some good days last week also.  Milla's smiling a lot more...and JKK got his first smile out of her yesterday.  She's making noises and cooing, just not very often yet.  Camilla definitely still enjoys the heat, so we've been taking her outside a lot when she gets fussy.  And somehow, she's continued to be a good sleeper at night.  Her longest stretch is always when we initially lay her down for the night; she'll go about 5 hours!  I love it.  Then I lay her back down after feeding and she is back to her usual 2-3 hour stretches for the rest of the night.  I feel pretty lucky.  Here are some shots of her good mood in the mornings:

 Also, last week I had my own 6-week checkup and I'm all cleared to get back into life!  I can lift the car seat with her in it; thus, we are no longer stranded at home.  I can also start exercising again.  Now for the question that all mothers ask:  when the hell am I supposed to find time for that?!  ;)  This morning instead of going back to bed, the three of us set out for a 2 mile walk before it got too hot outside.  It was great!  I pushed the stroller, and it felt like I was back to being 9 mos. pregnant again...huffing and puffing.  Way harder than it should be, but it felt so good to be out there again. 

Thank You, Mom

Today is my mother's birthday.  Now that I am a mother to my own little girl, I would like to say thank you to my mom.  Here's a small list of things I can currently think of, but I know over the next months and years that I will think of a thousand more to thank her for...

- Thank you for teaching me how to bake.  It is something I still love to do today, and I especially love doing it with you during the holidays.  I'm looking forward to continuing this tradition with Camilla someday.

- Thank you for setting a good example of hospitality.  Growing up, our friends were always welcome at our house and you made sure we were all fed and entertained.  As an adult, you can throw a mean party and make sure everyone enjoys themselves.  I know that we are always welcome to come visit and stay with you, and you will never let it show if you feel put out.

- Thank you for doing all the legwork on perfecting that margarita recipe.

- Thank you for letting me sit on your lap and cry, no matter how big or what age.

- Thank you for taking me to the zoo a hundred million times.  Thank you for letting Sassy have kittens.  Thank you for allowing me to take in stray animals, even though you knew you'd be taking care of them.  You've helped foster my love for animals, and I feel like it gave me some good practice for becoming a mother.

- Thank you for letting me play hooky from school every once in awhile. 

- Thank you for teaching me how to do cartwheels and round-offs in the big room.

- Thank you for introducing me to Raffi.  I can tell that Millie already loves Baby Beluga.

- Thank you for sewing me some pretty awesome clothes as a kid...and for hemming my pants different lengths as an adult.  I'm looking forward to you teaching both Millie and me how to sew at some point in the future.  Millie already loves the quilt you made her...

- Thank you for making me drink milk with dinner every night.  It probably contributed to me being taller than you by the seventh grade. ;)

- Thank you for teaching me manners. I may not always choose to use them, but at least I know them and will understand what to teach my own kids.

- Thank you for being an example of a wonderful mother.  I hope to follow in your footsteps.

I love you!

 

Another Week Bites the Dust

Camilla has been so fun this past week!  She decided to give me the best birthday present ever last Sunday and smiled at me for the first time.  She's been smiling since birth...in her sleep.  (Oh what dreams she must have; she can go from all smiles to the saddest face on Earth in seconds while sleeping.)  But this was the first time she smiled in response to my face and voice.  I loved it!  And since then, she has been doing it fairly often if I smile and talk to her in funny voices.  It's just adorable.  She's generally in a really good mood in the mornings.

Also new this last week:  Millie shed her first real tears last Thursday.  I was in the car with her driving to Target, apparently not fast enough.  By the time I got stopped and got her out of the car seat, she was inconsolable and had real tears on her lashes.  So sad...

Millie has been pretty vocal these past few days.  The books says she should be starting to coo and make some sounds...and she is!  I walked in on her and John having a whole conversation yesterday while changing her diaper.  Love it!  I'll try to get some video of it soon.

We've been trying out some new pajamas here lately.  I would really love these if they didn't have a gazillion snaps.  I need to go get some pjs from The Children's Place; their sleepers have zippers instead of snaps = genius!  However annoying the snaps are, Milla's still super snuggly in these pj's:

Bath Time!  I really think she loves her bath.  She's always so good for it and seems to enjoy it.  Don't let the serious stare fool you.  :)

 Look at those rolls...

 Post-bath...so fresh and so clean clean

Last Friday night, we hosted a stock-the-bar wedding shower for some friends.  A good time was had by all, including Milla.  Most of the time I had her strapped to my chest in the Ergo carrier.  I've figured out that I can get a lot more done around the house with the use of that carrier.  She usually goes right to sleep in it.

Here's the happy couple, Chris & Rachel:  to-be-wed 9/10/11

This is Millie's future yoga teacher, Teri:

 JKK gave her a bottle during the party:

Here's Millie's party outfit, which is my current favorite.  It is the cutest little romper with bunnies on it.  Yes, bunnies...I love bunnies almost as much as I love kitties.

In the Ergo carrier:  here is my view most of the day...not bad, huh?