2 months old

Dear X,

Today you turned 2 months old. I can hardly believe you have been our outdoor baby for two whole months. At the same time, it seems as if you've been with us forever; I can't imagine my life without you. Your mommy and I have been so busy with you and our crazy lives that I missed writing down details of your first month, so this note will have to serve for the first two months of your life. Since your birth, you have changed so much I'm not sure where to begin. Perhaps I'll just mention all the amazing things you can now do, with notes about when you started doing them if I can remember.

At two months old, you are working very hard on figuring out how to roll over. You lie down on your tummy on Clancy mat and think really hard for a few minutes and then push really hard and try to make it, but you aren't quite there yet. At about six weeks old, you finally got chubby enough to be able to wear your cloth diapers, which you look really cute in! In the last two weeks, you've starting smiling at us and are now spending parts of each day practicing your winning grin out on all your family. Today, when Aunt C, Uncle D and Cousin S were kissing you goodbye as they begin their trip to their new home across the country, you smiled sweetly at each of them, making them feel loved as they started a difficult new journey.

You are such a sweet, easy child, but you are starting to show us that you have a stubborn streak. You have needs and you want us to know about them right now! You've gotten more talkative in general, and your favorite sounds seem to be "nguu," "kkkk," "aaaaa," and "maaa." In the past week, you've started opening your hands and holding on to things if we give them to you. You particularly like touching your black Sheepie from your Aunt E because it is so soft. You really enjoy standing up when we hold you and push really hard with your legs and lock your knees. Your favorite toy, from what Mommy and I can guess, seems to be Clancy, your stuffed lion that hangs from your play gym. You like it so much that we bought you Baby Clancy, so that you can have a Clancy to take on trips with you.

In your first two months, you have already become a frequent traveler. We went to Washington, DC with Uncle when you were 5 weeks old, and you got to see Mommy give a conference paper at an academic conference. We went to our hometown for Thanksgiving and stayed with your Nana and had Thanksgiving dinner with Nana, Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle T. This past weekend, we went back to the town where your Mommy and I grew up and you had your theatrical debut as the Baby Jesus in the Christmas Pagent at the meeting that I grew up in. You did a wonderful job, no crying at all.

We take you around NYC all the time and you are already used to taking the subway and buses. You went to your first movie in a movie theater last week when Mommy and I took you to my work's Holiday staff gathering. You are charming with all the new people you meet and don't seem to worry about other people holding you. Everyone who meets you can't stop talking about what a lovely baby you are.

Many more thoughts to come next month,
Much Love,
Mama