Two Months

Dear Natalie,

I bet you thought you thwarted my efforts to take a picture of you in the dress Auntie Sheri gave you for your two month photo shoot by letting me dress you and then going to sleep for 12 HOURS! But you were wrong! I let you sleep in this cute little outfit, and when you woke this morning, we snuggled while I fed you, and then we had an early morning photo shoot. I need a faster camera though, by the time our camera takes the picture, your smile has faded. You're still cute and sweet as a button though!

This month started off with an introduction to your first social smiles. Let me tell you how fun it was for your father, grandmother Lupita, and I to see you first tentatively lift the corners of your mouth, then break out into a full-out, open-mouthed, bright-eyed, dimpled smile in reaction to our exclamations, smiles, and excited baby chatter. The first time it happened, I literally started jumping up and down! This happened over the New Year's weekend, and the quest was on to capture this delightful new development on camera!

We also received a very generous gift from Grandma Pam: your father likes to call it the escalade of strollers or da' bomb. It is a Mountain Buggy. We christened it by taking you for a stroll through West Edmonton Mall, where you briefly enjoyed the spectacle of new lights and sights before settling into a nap.

By the way, you are an excellent sleeper and I feel very lucky that you fall into the average number of hours of sleep for a newborn. From birth you have continued to sleep for about 15 - 18 hours per day, making this whole parenthood thing a very easy transition so far. I'm actually starting to worry that I won't know what to do with you once you become more alert and active.

Of course, having Grandma Lupita around for weeks 3 - 6 also made it very easy on me - what with all the help she offered in making meals for me and your dad, generously contributing more than her fair share to groceries, and snuggling and caring for you so I could take naps, clean the house, and do errands. Initially I was a little bit worried about having my mother-in-law stay for so long, especially since I don't speak Spanish and she speaks very little English. However, we communicated just fine, due to her efforts to learn and practice her English skills, and by the time you turned one month old, I actually started to worry about what we going to do without her when she left on January 10.



Thankfully, you remained the easy, happy, sleepy baby your are after Grandma Lupita left, but we sure do miss her help and I'm sure you miss her snuggles.

You continue to grow and develop on schedule and it is a treat to watch you discover your hands and feet. Yesterday you were so cute as you couldn't take your eyes off your flailing foot in the bath tub. You have been taking swings at the hanging toys on your rocker chair and sometimes you even make a hit, surprising yourself. I can't believe how much you've grown since you were born, you are almost too long for your 3 month outfits and I have already retired two outfits. But then I see you in your father's strong arms, and you seem small again and I am reminded that we still have time, precious time, to enjoy you as our little baby. No matter how fast that time flies, I am grateful for each moment.

This month was all about learning to get out of the house with you. And Grandma Pam helped us along by being in a situation that really required us to go and visit her every day. You were a highlight to the dreary days she spend in the hospital, but snuggling with you on a daily basis helped her get well and hopefully soon she will resume her habit of coming to bring me coffee in the mornings and enjoying your smiley time of the day.

Speaking of smiley time of the day, I got it on tape.

Thank you for lighting up my life this month. I love you so much!

Love,
Mom