The Baker Beat: Olivia {2 Months Old}

I usually dread writing the monthly posts, but I have to say, I'm happy to have this last month behind us.

Two under 2 has had it's challenges, especially with this sweet baby girl of ours.

Livvie is definitely a screamer and wants to be held all.the.time.

Weeks 4-6 were especially tough, but we are finally starting to see the light.

Initially I could not put her down to do anything.

Try to go pee: she screamed.

Try to make Jack lunch: she screamed.

The swing, the bouncer, the floor mat - scream.

The only place she seemed content to be (besides my arms) was on her changing table looking out the window.

The last two weeks have brought some relief, as I can put her in the bouncer or swing for 10-20 minutes (or more), and she is content.

She has even started falling asleep on her own in the swing, whereas before she had to fuss herself to sleep while I bounced her up and down.

The carseat has been one of her least favorite places to be, so car rides have been quite brutal. But, like with everything else, she is getting better, and we have had a lot of drives now where she hasn't screamed at all.

But, when Livvie isn't fussing, she is actually really happy. We like to say that her highs are high and her lows are low. She isn't a constant screamer/fusser like some babies. She just really wants to be held a lot. And when she gets angry, she's angry! But, when she's happy, she's very happy. She gives lots of smiles, and we don't even have to work for them. I can just look over at her and they start coming, without even having to talk to her.

She's also very vocal and a big coo-er.

Sleeping at night has been very inconsistent. I've been trying to put her down between 8 and 9. We'll get a few nights in a row where she'll give us a 5-6 hour stretch, and then she'll seem to revert back to the longest stretch being 3 hours. Her first stretch is 3-6 hours, but then it seems to go downhill from there, and I seem to be up every 2-3 hours after that. She's getting better at going back to sleep right after I nurse, whereas the fist month I seemed to be up with her for 1-2 hours sometimes. There are still nights where she has to sleep on my chest, which I don't like doing, but there really seems to be no other way for her to go back to sleep sometimes.

During the day she's a total cat-napper, usually only sleeping 30-40 minutes at a time. Some days she gives us one long nap around 2-3 hours, but I don't count on those to happen regularly.

In terms of eating, she's a snacker. I would say she eats every 1-3 hours. If she has a good nursing session, she can go 3 hours, but sometimes she doesn't eat very much, so she's wanting to eat again in an hour and half. I would say she averages eating about every 2 hours.

I really do think she is going to be a totally sweet and mellow girl once she gets past this fussy stage. I can already see her coming out of it, and I suspect my 3 month post will be much different.

All about Livvie at 2 months:

Weight: 10 lbs (40th percentile)

Length: 22 in (50th percentile)

Head: 14.75 in (50th percentile)

*measurements taken at 7 weeks (2 weeks before 2 months)

Clothing: 0-3 month/3 month starting at 6 weeks (still innewborn for some onesies)

Diapers: Size 1 (as of 6 weeks)

Eating: Averaging every 2 hours

Sleeping: All over the place: 2-6 hour chunks

First: Shots at 7 weeks

It's crazy to see how different Jack and Olivia are so far.
First, they look nothing alike as babies. Jack was a total chunk, whereas Livvie is more average. Jack takes after Jason, whereas Olivia seems to be taking after my side of the family.
Jack was not into the paci, Livvie chomps on that thing and when it falls out, all hell breaks loose.
Jack was an awesome napper, Livvie not so much.
Jack attacked the boob while nursing, Livvie just seems to nibble.
Jack almost always fell asleep while nursing, Livvie almost never.
But like Jack, Olivia is an awful night sleeper and definitely seems to prefer sleeping on her tummy over her back. Hopefully, like Jack, once she rolls and can sleep on her back, she will become an awesome sleeper like he was.