Dear Ana,
My goodness, where does the time go? Already it has been two months since you were born, and what an amazing two months it has been. You have changed and grown so much in such a short period of time. Every day I just stare at you and cannot believe what a little person you are becoming before my very eyes.
Your father and I are finding little tricks to maintain a sense of calm in our household. For example, we have to swaddle you to keep you sleeping at night. You love the security and warmth it provides. A swaddle strong enough to keep your tiny, but oh so strong, arms in will guarantee me at least six or seven (occasionally eight!) hours of uninterrupted sleep. And that my dear is priceless.
Sometimes you fall asleep while I am feeding you at night and when you open your eyes you give me this look that someone who was abducted by aliens might make. To me it clearly says, “Ok, where the hell am I…and just who the hell are you?” Then you close your eyes again real slow and when you reopen them a second later the comprehension dawns across your face and I know you are thinking, “Oh that’s right. NOW I remember.“
In the last week or two you have discovered your hands. It is so amazing to watch you focus all your energy on bringing your tiny fists toward your face and, of course, straight into your mouth. Your father and I are torn on whether to stop you from sucking on your hands. We really don’t want you to become a thumb-sucker mostly because of the horror stories associated with them. On the other hand (pun intended) I understand that it is a developmental milestone and a sign that you are learning motor skills as well as how to self-soothe. Plus, it is just about the cutest thing to watch! I guess, as with most parental issues, we will just deal with it as it comes and see what works best for our family. But I am sure we will get plenty of unsolicited advice on the matter regardless.
There is no longer any doubt whether your smiles are gas related; they are real! At first you would only smile while you were dreaming or falling asleep, but now you smile as a result of things that are going on around you. I am guaranteed a smile whenever I lean over your crib to pick you up first thing in the morning, whenever I feed you (I just love when you stop nursing, lean back to look at me, and give me a huge milky smile!) and when I place you on your changing table.
Speaking of your changing table, it is currently your favorite place to be. It has been a fabulous discovery actually. If you are ever fussy or we can’t seem to get you to stop crying after making sure you are clean, fed, and rested, we simply take you into your bedroom, set you on your changing table and you are instantly calm and happy. It works like a charm. Please don’t ever stop having a place I can always rely on to calm you down. If you could do that, it would be great, thanks.
All my love,
Mama