2 months old/weeks 8 and 9

Swinging with her new teddy bear, handmade by Aunt Diane. Thanks Aunt Diane! xoxo

Look at her hair! A friend of mine said it is very similar to Vanilla Ice's hair, lol:)

Awww...what a cute baby! So happy!

Hanging with her daddy:)

One of my most favorite pictures of her!

Even though she hasn't had her official 2 month appointment, here is an update on how she is doing!

Development:
- Nelia loves to smile! Nothing makes me happier than big gummy smiles from my little girl
- Loves to follow us with her eyes as we walk across the room, as well as focusing in on our faces
- Within the last few days she has really discovered her hands and they can often be found in her mouth:)
- Within the last week she has begun to discover her voice and makes lots of cooing sounds, which are adorable!
- She loves when we read 'One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish' to her. She also loves her Baby Einstein photo album that is filled with pictures of her mommy and daddy and other family and friends
- Responds to music and loves it! She especially loves country music (Dierks Bentley) and when we sing to her
- Has started to take some interest in toys hanging from her car seat and loves to watch the mobile on her swing (but still hasn't tried reaching for toys)
- She will grasp onto something, like a rattle, but doesn't really know what to do with it and usually ends up whacking herself in the face with it, lol
- Hasn't rolled over yet, but has been very close a few times
- Loves blowing spit bubbles

Physically:
- As of last week, she weighed 9lbs, 7oz. She is still a little peanut, but she is gaining weight well, according to her pediatrician
- Also, as of last week she is 22 inches
- As you will see in the following pictures, her hair is still growing like crazy! It has definitely lightened up though. Her eyes are still very blue
- She wears a size 1 diaper (our favorites are Pamper Swaddlers)
- She has outgrown her newborn clothes within the last few weeks and wears mostly 0-3 months, depending on the brand
- Is able to hold her head up for short amounts of time - it seems to be getting stronger and stronger by the day
- Doesn't mind tummy time everyday, but only likes it for a short amount of time (and often she is too lazy and will just lay there, lol)

Eating:
- Still eats every 2-3 hours during the day and anywhere from 2-5 hours at night
- She often gets impatient (kicking around, grunting, etc) when nursing because she wants the milk to flow faster after the initial letdown
- She also gets pretty worked up while nursing if she has gas
- Has a bottle at least one day a week, sometimes more, depending on what is going on

Sleeping:
- Takes two pretty decent naps a day (one about an hour after she wakes up and then another in the late afternoon) and then takes small naps throughout the day
- It is very, very, very important that we don't allow Nelia to be awake for more than 2 hours at a time, otherwise she gets overtired and sooooo fussy!
- We are no longer giving her the extra EBM at night and it doesn't seem to be making a difference in her sleep
- She goes to bed between 10-11 and wakes up to eat anywhere between 3-5:30. Then she goes back to sleep with me and will wake up usually around 7 to eat and then goes back to sleep until 9
- She isn't nearly as portable anymore with regards to her naps and has a hard time sleeping when we are out and about. She will fall asleep, but it is a very light sleep
- With that said, I have started putting her in the bassinet for naps, with the lights off in the room, in preparation for more "official" nap times in the coming weeks

Other:
- She typically enjoys walks and will fall asleep most of the time
- Depending on the day, she likes the Moby. She loved it in those first few weeks, but now it is kinda hit or miss. We are going to try out the Ergo or Beco in the next few days
- Still hates the car (booooo!). She almost always ends up crying the entire time (sometimes the pacifier calms her down)
- She is still pretty temperamental, but not nearly as much as a month ago