Dear Edie,

Today you are 2 months old. We haven't yet had your 2 month appointment, but I think you weigh about 11 pounds these days and you certainly seem to be gaining in length as well. I feel like this month you've woken up to the world around you and you can't get enough of it. You've started smiling and you hold your head up most of the time (with only the occasional whiplash inducing head-flop).
You love to be carried around facing out to see the world, to stretch vigorously upon being released from your swaddle in the morning, and when Dad makes funny faces at you. You also enjoy bath time (although you hate being taken out of the bath), naked time, and long walks in the Ergo. You hate the car seat, falling asleep at night, and when we don't give you 100% of our attention, 100% of the time.

One major discovery this week is your hands. Instead of just flailing around, you can swat at things and latch on to my finger if I hold it out a few inches from your hand. This also means that you can stick your entire fist into your mouth, which for some reason you love to do. The other day you even stuck your fingers down your throat and gagged yourself. Hopefully that lesson was learned the first time.

Your primary nickname these days is Shorts after the enthusiastic manner in which you fill your shorts. But we also like to refer to you as the Tiny Dictator or the Little General because that's what you look like when we carry you around facing out in a seated position. And because we basically do whatever you want, whenever you ask.

You have a particularly adorable cry, or so I've been told by all the other Moms in my group. I had no idea this was possible until I started hearing the other babies cry and boy, were those cries NOT cute. Your cry is high and almost musical in its ability to go up and down in pitch (clearly not inherited from me). About 30 minutes into a fuss-fest, your cry fails to be so adorable, but I do sometimes catch myself giggling so hard at your whimpery cry that I can't shush you.

You get tired around 9pm most nights but fight sleep and don't end up going to bed until the 11 o'clock hour. That said, once you finally zonk out, you tend to sleep straight through until 7am so we can't complain much. Almost every night before bed, I lie on the floor with you and we read Goodnight Moon together and I swear that even though you don't understand it, you enjoy reading already.

I'd still describe you as a strong willed baby and I can't wait to see how that manifests itself as you grow. The pediatric nurse that leads my Wednesday Mom group asked me this week how old you were. You were sitting on my lap, facing out (the only way you tolerate being held these days) and surveying the room. When I told her that you were 8 weeks she was surprised because she said you seemed much more alert than the average 8 week old baby. She said she would have guessed you were 12 weeks! I was ridiculously proud of this comment. It's true that you are very alert these days and don't miss much.

Your "friends" this month are Evan, who was due the same week as you but born 9 weeks early and Mae who is only 3 days younger than you. The three of you rocked out to the Michael Jackson movie this week and then we all went to lunch together. Evan and Mae slept through lunch, kindly allowing their Moms to eat and you looked at them like, "Fools, this is the most exciting part!!" and demanded to be bopped while facing out at the restaurant the entire time.

In many ways it feels like time is flying by and while I know I'll miss these days soon enough, I also can't wait for your first holiday season. Thanksgiving will be on Orcas this year, so we get to show you the island very soon. And Christmas is just around the corner, when you might even be sitting up on your own and playing with toys. So many things to look forward to Eeds! You've brought so much to our lives already; but I get the impression you've got even more tricks up your sleeve.

xoxo

Mom