2 Months Old! (August 23, 2012)

 At 2 months old Charlotte still amazes us daily.

At her 2 month check up we learned she is now 22.5 inches long, 11 lbs. 5.5 oz. (was 9 lbs. 7 oz. 3 weeks ago), and has a head circumference of 38.5 cm.  All of these measurements are each in the 50th percentile making her the epitome of average.   Medically that is.  Everywhere else we believe she is certainly EXCEPTIONAL!  Immunizations were also a part of her 2 month check up and she was a total champ!  She was smiling at the nurse clear up until the first needle hit her thigh.  She cried for the couple of minutes it took to get all the shots but calmed down right away when I picked her up afterwards.  The experience totally wore her out and she napped for 3 hours when we got home.  Such a trooper! (Mommy didn't even cry!)

She has been sleeping in her own room all month which has given all of us better sleep.  She has slept entirely through the night 3 times now and generally sleeps 5 to 7 straight hours each night.  Grandma Miller bought her some "stay dry" diapers that help her to feel dry for 12 hours so we think those help her to stay asleep longer at night.  She still sleeps in her Nap Nanny but that will end when she starts to roll over.  She has basically stopped the gagging in her sleep.  Her nap schedule is still pretty sporadic.  Some days she takes short 30 minute naps, off and on all day and some days she takes one long nap of about 3 or 4 hours. 

She can still find her thumb but doesn't like to use it just like she doesn't often use a pacifier.  I seem to catch her sucking on her wrist more than anything else.  She started this in the womb and came out with a sore from it.

She can see farther now and loves to look at bright colored things.  Her favorites are the quilts that hang next to her swing, the pennants that hang from the ceiling in her room, and the shapes that are above her in the car.  She sees herself in the mirror but doesn't really get entertained by it yet. 

She loves to lay on the changing table and have conversations with whoever is changing her diaper.  We may have a major talker on our hands.

She still rarely cries and really only does when she is hungry, overly sleepy or needs a diaper change.  Speaking of diapers, she is wearing size 1 now.  She only fits in 3-6 months clothes too.  We've actually had to put some clothes in storage since she can't fit in them anymore.

Tummy time is still a lot of fun but she also enjoys just laying flat on her back and kicking her legs like she is trying to kick start a motorcycle.  Although she likes it quiet at times, she loves to sit on her Daddy's lap and listen to oldies music.  If anyone can make her smile consistently, it is him.  I think she looks forward to when he gets home from work with as much enthusiasm as Sherman.  She just doesn't know how to wag her tail yet like he does.

She had her first trip to Mattoon/Charleston at 7 weeks.  Mommy and Daddy are happy to say that Pagliai's Pizza went over well so there will be much more of that in her future.  We went down for a whole weekend of events.  We spent Saturday introducing Charlotte to the Millers from Vincennes as well as her Aunt and Uncles on the Miller side.  Sunday was a plethora of family coming by Grandma and Grandpa Metzger's house followed by a church service for Trish and a BBQ at Uncle Mike's house.  Nick and Sherman had caught a ride back to Peoria with Jordan so this was also the first long car ride that Charlotte had with just Mommy.  The normally 2 hours drive took us just a half hour longer since we had to stop just after Champaign to eat, change diapers and change into pajamas.  

Our favorite time with her is in the mornings on weekends when we are all home.  Charlotte is definitely a morning person, smiling a lot when she first wakes up.  On weekends that we aren't out of town, we can stay in bed late playing with Charlotte and Sherman. 

We just love our little family!

We have entered this picture in the search for the next Gerber Baby.  Voting starts September 4th so stay tuned for instructions on how you can cast your ballot!