Life with Lauren: Two Months Old

In order to avoid the unpredictability of a 2 month old, I had written this post on her actual two month birthday, keeping in mind that the next day we were visiting the doctor for her two month appointment. So I wrote all that I could, leaving a few blanks for her weight and length. But after our doctor’s visit, I felt very discouraged about filling in those blanks. Turns out that Lauren isn’t gaining weight well, and we need to visit a stomach specialist in the next few weeks. The medical diagnosis is failure to thrive – talk about heart wrenching for us! As much as I hate to see that she isn’t gaining lots of weight, I know that we are doing everything we can for her: feeding her on demand, snuggling with her, and loving her. Fortunately, she is still on target for developmental milestones (smiling, “talking”, focusing on objects). Now we’re rooting for her to gain weight (and get the acid reflux under control, if that is what is slowing her down). But below is the original post, updated to Friday’s stats.

Weight: Lauren finally passed her birth weight at the midway point of this month, when she clocked in at 8 lbs, 1.5 oz. I was very relieved that she was finally gaining weight at an acceptable pace without needing to supplement.  However, at the next doctor’s appointment, she was 8 lbs, 3 oz, which was only a gain of 1.5 oz in two weeks.

Length:  At birth she was 19”. As of our own observation, she has grown inches! According to the doctor’s visit, she was 23”, which makes approximately 4” of growth in 2 months. Incredible! Right now, she’s our string bean.

Eyes: Dark blue still, but definitely veering towards hazel. She has her daddy’s coloring.

Hair: Brown and fine.

Habits: Lauren is beginning to sleep for longer stretches at night (woo hoo!). The day time napping is a total toss up. Sometimes she will nap independently, sometimes she’ll nap on me, some days in the car seat or Ergo, and other days she eschews it all together. 

Clothes: She’s still rocking her newborn outfits, although the cloth diapers make it a bit harder to snap. The 3 month clothes seems huge, but slowly and surely she’s growing into them. She finally fits into a hat a knit for her which was huge when she was first born! Just in time, too, as things are getting colder. I like to get out of the house every day for a run or a walk, so she needs to be bundled up!

Favorites: Still loves her rattles. Today I bumped it up to include a wrist rattle, which satisfied her need for noise during kick time. She has also started to enjoy a deluxe swing we borrowed from friends. Really, though, Lauren really loves to be snuggled up with one of her parents.

Exciting Events: She didn’t really love her Thanksgiving travels (so many people! so much noise!), but did a great job in the car rides. She got to meet all three of her great-grandmas, plus various aunts, uncles and cousins. They were all smitten with her, even if she wasn’t quite as taken with them. I’m certain that in the visits to come, she will grow to love all of them. Also, at 4 weeks old, little miss rolled over! She occasionally flips from her tummy to her back. Scrawny and strong.

Today, I’m especially thankful to our support system, both close and far. Our friends nearby have provided tangible support and our far away family and friends have been encouraging and provided many a shoulder to cry on. Your love has enabled me to pass that on to Lauren on a daily basis, even when I wasn’t quite sure I’d be able to have the patience to do what needs done.  We love you!