2 months

February 4-

Couldn't choose between these two!  And I also have a big helper for my little photo sessions.  It can be a little chaotic, especially when he wants his transformers in the picture, but we got it...transformer and all! Such cute kids!

Well, Julienna is growing.  She is 10 lbs 11 ozs (26%), 21.75 inches (12%), and her head is 15 inches (38%).  So, she isn't big but she is definitely growing and has the leg rolls to prove it; she has even outgrown a couple of her newborn pajamas and is in size 1 diapers!  We had 3 extreme outfit changes in one day and decided that it was time to move up a size in the diaper department.  Here is an example..

My favorite thing about this month is Julienna learning to smile and coo.  It is the greatest feeling in the world when I talk to her and she looks right at me and grins from ear to ear.  I just love it.  She also gives big smiles to Kingston. She is figuring out her little voice and says some  "ahhs", "oohs" and "iiis"when she is excited.  Sometimes I can even get a little squeal out of her!

Julienna loves to just lay on her back and look around.  She is so attentive and alert.  Her favorite thing to do is kick or push against something with her legs, that almost always gets a smile.  Her favorite toy is this little pink bird that plays music for 10 minutes, and Kingston's favorite toy (of Julienna's) is a little blue bird that he recorded on.  When you push it, it says "I love you Julienna", it's really cute.

 

We brought out the play gym and I'm not sure if Kingston or Julienna enjoys it more, but it is a big hit! She is starting to grab on to the toys and hit at them.  She can follow them with her eyes and turns toward the sounds.  

Tummy time is going okay.  She actually doesn't mind it too much and her neck is getting a lot stronger.  We will, however, be doing a lot more tummy time now that Julienna was diagnosed with torticollis.  It's where one side of the neck muscles are stronger than the other and is probably from how she was laying in the womb.  She definitely prefers looking toward her right side, so now we will have to work on turning left.

I'm looking at all these pictures I have of my sweet sleeping baby and it appears like she sleeps all the time (although she looks so precious).  And maybe she does, but only for little 30 minute bursts during the day.  If you held and bounced her she would probably sleep the entire day, but as soon as you put her down, she knows! This last week she has done really good and now that she is having longer "awake" periods she is also having longer "sleep" periods.  Julienna is a rockstar at night.  One night she slept for 8 hours, but generally she goes down at 9:30 or 10:00 and sleeps till 2:30 or 3:00 and then from there she is up every three hours.  By 9:00 she is usually up for the day.

I can get a lot done with the bjorn, or as Kingston calls it, the "packy pack". I can bundle her up if we go outside, but for the most part we use it around the house and she usually falls asleep while I get my work done.

I'm still in awe, but we have had no jealousy issues from Big Brother.  He loves his sister to pieces and loves to show her his toys and talk to her and just be near her.  We spend most mornings in her room with Kingston playing transformers and Julienna kicking her feet or playing with her play mat. I've been taking weekly pictures of Julienna and Kingston always wants to be a part of it.  When I pull out the camera, he goes to sit next to her so that I can get a picture of the two of them.  And she doesn't seem to mind that he gets up right into her face.  He has such a big heart!

Julienna has taking a liking to the swing lately.  She sometimes sleeps, but mainly is just content to swing for awhile.  It buys me a few minutes to switch the laundry over or empty the dishwasher.

Bath time is one of Julienna's favorite parts of the day. I think she enjoys the pre-bath naked time the most.  That's when I get my big smiles and squeals.

But she also really likes splashing in the tub and having the warm water poured over top of her.  She gives me a grin when I wash her checks and nose!  Julienna is doing better at getting her hair washed..she doesn't love it, but she doesn't cry either, so I consider that a win!

What she doesn't enjoy is getting out of the bath.  I just can't get her bundled up fast enough and there are always tears while I hurry to get her pajamas on.  Luckily, she calms down once I get her all situated with all the layers (onsie, pajamas, sleepsack). Binkies and bottles are two other things that she doesn't much care for.  I've tried half a dozen binkies but she doesn't take one.  She does like to suck on her fist so that may be her thing.  And bottles have been a bit tricky. She just doesn't take them very well and we've tried several.  Makes it hard to be away from her!
Julienna had a couple milestone "firsts" this month.  She had her first cold and her first sleepover all in the same weekend!  Although, Grandma and grandpa might have called it an "awake-over".  They said she did good, but had a tummy ache and I know what those nights are like!  Her cold never developed into too much, just a little congestion and sneezes, but no fever.
This month was a milestone month for me too because Julienna and I are really starting to figure things out, which makes my days a lot easier.  It doesn't hurt that she recognizes my voice and smiles at me!  Our day starts around 9 am with a feeding and then some play time.  She might take a little cat nap before her noon feeding depending on the day, but then sleeps on and off from 12-3.  Another snack at 3, 5, and 7 with a little nap usually between 6-7.  Around 7:30 or 8 is "naked happy time" followed by a bath and then one last feeding at 9 or 9:30 while we read "Love you Forever" (although if Kingston is helping with bedtime, I"m not allowed to sing the song!). From there she usually gives me a big stretch till around 3am and then another feeding at 6, then repeat.
 Overall, Julienna is a very happy baby and we are starting to have so much fun together.  I love watching her figure out new things and figure herself out.  It makes me so sad thinking how fast they grow up, but I'm trying to treasure it all right now.

My two loves!