Candace and Mathew: Two Months!

Ellie is officially two months...as of yesterday probably by the time I finish and post this...or like three days later, no big deal. Things with Ellie have definitely changed. She has come so far since the one month post.

First off, I would like to announce that Ellie is no longer using the shield! I can't believe how much easier it is to feed her now. I honestly dreaded feeding her when I had to use the shield. It was messy, time consuming, and just annoying. I was so scared she would never be able to figure out how to eat without it, but she pulled through! It's been three weeks since this hurdle has been crossed and I can't even describe the change it has made in everyone's lives (including Mathew, he was a trooper and washed that dumb thing many times for me).

Ellie finally loves her binky. I struggled and struggled to get her to take one. It seemed like by the time she would take it, it wasn't really worth the effort I went to. I finally had the thought that maybe she didn't like the shape, so I headed to the binky aisle at Wal-Mart this past Saturday. I was about ready to check out with a binky I felt pretty good about when I noticed they have ages on the package! I almost bought her a binky for a 6-month old so I ran back and found a newborn size and it is so awesome! She took it instantly and it has helped so much ever since. She can now fall asleep on her own, stay asleep longer, stay calm if I can't feed her right away, or if I feel like her feedings need to be spread apart. Her crying has reduced significantly since we found that magic binky! In case anyone would like to know, the MAM binky is the one she loves. We used the soother binky they give at the hospital for a while, but I had reservations about it so I really wanted to find an alternative. The NUK was the second one we tried and pretty sure it was just too darn big and she didn't like the awkward shape of it. I truly feel like Ellie is a completely different baby now.

Like I mentioned, the binky has helped her sleep habits tremendously. For naps, we used to have to swaddle her tightly, and take her into the bathroom under the loud fan to get her to sleep, while bouncing and shushing her. Then we could only lay her down when she was completely out and then mimic the swing motion as we slowly put her in the swing while still shushing her to keep her asleep. Then she would maybe take a 45 minute nap max (except in the afternoons she was sometimes getting a 2-3 hour nap in!). Now I just have to swaddle, pop the binky in, and put her in the swing and she's good to go for about 1-1.5 hours. At night, she is still getting a 5-6 hour stretch most nights, but now has added another 3 hour stretch after that.

We started giving Ellie a bottle around 7-8 weeks so that we could leave her with someone if necessary. I was really nervous because of all the feeding problems she had, but knew it was important if I ever wanted to be able to go on a one-on-one date with Mathew or go to the temple again. I left Mathew alone in the room with her and nervously waited. I heard her cry a few times, but soon enough Mathew came out and all was well. She took the whole bottle and was just crying when he stopped to burp her. Woo-hoo! He gives her one bottle every night now while I sit and pump for the next night. It's turning into a good bedtime routine.

She is interacting so much with us now. She started smiling at 4-5 ish weeks. She loves to be whistled to. It puts a great big cheesy grin on her face. We have also started giving her a rattle to hold on to and she doesn't really know what's going on but she holds on to it really well! She is also old enough to enjoy her little jungle thing that plays music, she loves to watch the lights bounce around on it too. She definitely gets fussy and bored quickly though and likes to change activities often.

Since the binky was introduced (seriously I was NOT kidding when I said it was magical and she is a different baby), she is so much more content and able to schedule. At first I was struggling to get her in a routine of eat, play, sleep, but now she falls right into it because she has something to soothe her besides nursing. She eats for about 20 minutes, will play for another 20 ish, then will go right down for her nap and be up ready to eat 2 hours after her last feeding. It's so nice to be able to predict more when she will be ready for a particular activity.

Now for those who don't like reading paragraph baby updates, here is the list, plus a few more not previously mentioned:

1. Takes a binky beautifully now.

2. Eats every two hours and naps for about 1-1.5 hours with good play time in between.

3. Loves to kick her legs and put them straight up in the air.

4. Nurses SO much better now and no longer needs the shield.

5. Fits perfectly in all her 0-3 and 3 month clothes.

6. Loves to go for walks in her stroller.

7. Has become quite the shopper and is content going to the mall with my mom and me.

8. Smiles a lot and we love it. Whistles bring the biggest smiles.

9. Holds on to a rattle and likes listening to it.

10. Hates being in dirty diapers. I can not wait very long to change her before she is crying about it.

11. Is super happy to just lay on the floor and kick and look around.

12. Still sleeps swaddled in her halo.

13. Loves getting a bath.

14. She also enjoys the occasional nap in my homemade moby wrap.

15. Her hair is really coming in now and it is still red!

16. Drools like crazy and blows bubbles in her carseat. Two teeth have been teasing us since she was about 3 weeks. Not sure when they will finally pop through!

17. She is still long and skinny but her cheeks and thighs are filling out. Mathew saw her in her carseat and said her cheeks look like a dogs because they sag down haha.

And just a final little story. My parents and Mathew and I sat down to watch a movie about a week ago maybe. Mathew had successfully put Ellie down for bed (pre-magic binky) so we thought we were set for the whole movie. We heard her fuss a bit, so I went in to check on her and she was WIDE awake, just laying there happily. As soon as I walked in the door, she looked at me and let out this huge smile. It was so wonderful and made me really feel like I am her mom and she knows that. It just really made me feel so much more connected to her since she recognized me.