8 weeks // 2 months

Here we go again, another month has flown by ... :( Let me just say, month two... not as easy as month one. Month one = lots of sleeping and cuddling while month two = lots of belly aches and fighting naps! However, we still love this little squirt and I think we've decided to keep her around a bit longer!

8 weeks old, looking like a sad puppy

Routine/Schedule: Not a lot has changed in terms of our schedule, I'm still following this plan. I found it on Pinterest either when I was pregnant, or thinking about getting pregnant and it was intriguing because it said "Get your baby to sleep 8 hours by 8 weeks." Guess what, Veda is 8 weeks and she's sleeping 8.5 hours!! I put her down between 9-10PM and she sleeps through until 6-6:30!! I couldn't believe it the first night she didn't wake up, I don't know how many times I checked to make sure she was breathing! So, in other words, mommy is not yet sleeping 8 hours ;) I have to wake up to pump anyway.  I'm bathing her every other day at this point, but we just moved bath time to nights to see if that would help her sleep at all since they tend to make her pretty drowsy.

Taking a bath in her big girl tub

Feeding: I'm still feeding her every 3 hours during the day and then no longer waking her up at night to feed. This means daddy has gotten out of his late night feedings and she hasn't had a bottle for awhile.  However, now that I'm pumping at night, he'll be able to feed her during the day if I want to sleep in or I can freeze it for when I go back to work. I have no idea how much she's eating, I know that when we give her a bottle it's up to 5oz. She's a little pig!  She also started randomly spitting up, sometimes somewhat projectile, around week 5 or so.  Of course, first timers over here, rushed to the MD to make sure she didn't have reflux or any other issues.  It really just came out of nowhere and seemed like a lot to me, but I guess she's just normal!  We just want to protect her so much, I wonder when that wears off... oh right, never. ;)

Sleeping: Aside from her long stretch at night, she's still napping pretty frequently during the day. Sometimes she'll stay awake for 1.5 hours after eating (which is what I aim for), sometimes up to six hours, which I think is crazy. Actually, thought it was crazy until last Saturday when she decided she could not nap at all and stayed up for 12 hours straight! It was ridiculous and ended in a meltdown from about 6-9PM... Of course this happened the weekend Brett was out of town but that's also the first night she slept 8 hours straight so maybe it had to happen!

Stats: Our little girl has gained almost 4 pounds since birth!!! She's up to 9lb 8oz and has grown 3 inches, bringing her up to 21.5"  She's doing very well and was such a little show off at the doctor's office.  She laid on the table and cooed at our doc, all bright eyed.  She really is a little sweetheart.  Then the nurse came in and stuck her with 5 needles! Isn't that a bit ridiculous? I'm not understanding how we have not yet figured out how to combine these vaccinations?! She also had to drink an oral vaccine, which I'm pretty sure she spit about half out...

Getting bigger every day!

Struggles:  I do not understand how single moms do this job. I have so much respect for those women!  Brett went out of town for a comedy festival from Thursday - Monday and while I loved every little snuggle and smile I shared with Veda, at times, it was exhausting! It's just nice to have an extra set of hands when you want to say... go to the bathroom! I literally got almost nothing done. I did one load of laundry and did a few dishes when she would sleep outside of my arms for 10-15 minute stretches. She's also been really gassy and, therefore, fussy for the last few weeks. When we went to the doctor to discuss her possibly having reflux, he suggested she start a probiotic called BioGaia.  Up until Thursday, we had just been thinking about it, and have since started it.  It's a liquid and she gets 5 drops a day, it's completely natural and even if it doesn't work, it can't hurt her.  I've actually already noticed a difference in only two days of starting it (coincidence? Maybe).  She's no longer waking herself up due to gas, so that's a big improvement!

Let's be clear, it's not all cuddles and kisses!
This was some really bad gas kids!

Milestones: Again, there really aren't too many at this point.  She is not yet socially smiling, she mostly smiles with gas and when she gets sleepy.  She holds her head up for decent periods of time, although her only real tummy time seems to be on me or Brett, it doesn't last too long on the floor! Our pediatrician told us not to worry if she hits her milestones a few weeks late since she was born early.  Frankly, I'm not worried about it at all... she'll get there when she gets there.

Adventures:  Let's see what else we've been doing... more hiking, more restaurants, more trips to the grocery store.  Brett's family came to visit in the last month in three separate trips.  First his mom (Nana) came for a week and cuddled and spoiled this little girl.  I don't think she spent more than five minutes outside of her arms! The day after she left, Brett's brother (Uncle Matt) and sister (Aunt Melissa) both flew in for a few days. A few days after they left, Grandpa Steve came in for a few days.  Veda just loved his low rumble of a voice and I think she was amazed by his facial hair! It is so fun getting to share her with our family. I can't wait for a trip home to introduce her to the rest of the crew!

Nana Nancy
And I just realized all the pics of the rest of B's family are on his phone.... sorry guys!

Realizations: I think I've just realized that we are incredibly blessed, although I've known that for a while now.  I also realized that this is definitely a two person job, sometimes more! I'm so lucky that we're in the situation that we are in, where both Brett and I are home most of the time... for now.  I know that'll change when I go back to work, but our schedules are so flexible that I don't see it being a problem.  I've also realized remembered how great my husband is.  He really is such a great guy and is always looking out for what's best for me, Veda and us as a family.  He went to SLO for the comedy festival and ended up being one of six in the Best of Fest (plus there were over 400 applicants and only 40 got in).  I am so proud of him, he really is going to accomplish everything he ever said he would! Being a nice guy pays off, too.  He brought home a few bottles of wine that he was gifted from fans of his and he even ran into our wedding photographer, who has since offered to do our first family photo session (on her!) near our one year wedding anniversary, which is fast approaching! How awesome is that?!

Daddy's current favorite picture

How we (the parents) are doing:  Brett and I are doing well, actually, really well! Brett has some huge things fast approaching with his career and we could not be more excited! He just signed with new management and is in the process of revamping his website, reel and he's off to get new headshots tomorrow, and then it's on!  This new manager is very excited about Brett, she's also very motivated and honest... and I believe, somewhat of a bulldog.  I'm really looking forward to seeing where she can take his career... hopefully to a place where I can retire from mine ;)
I'm feeling really good.  I need to go to the gym, that's for sure, I'm still hanging on to these last ten pounds or so... I've read that you sometimes don't get back to your pre-baby size until after you stop breastfeeding.  I'm not sure if it's true, but I'm relying on that.  I'm still wearing my maternity jeans for crying out loud! Boo! Maybe it's all those mini Cadbury eggs I've been eating... haha, I love Easter candy!

Sleeping through her lunch date with Mommy.

Looking forward to: Spending every last minute with this little nugget until I return to work.  I seriously do not even want to think about going back to work, but I know it's inevitable.  I'm struggling right now with some decisions that will need to be made very soon regarding work and am just praying that I make the right choice for our family.  More on that later... 

And in case you forgot... I was trying to think of a cute way to capture her growth over the next year, so what I've decided is this: I bought a dress that's size 12 Months and I plan to put her in it every month until it fits.

2 Months Old

2 Months Old

One Month Old

One Month Old