2 Month Update

It's only been 2 weeks since my last update but so much has happened!

Six to Eight Week Nightmare (new moms understand what I mean!)
First, I have to start off by giving a heads up to all the new moms and soon-to-be moms out there regarding the six to eight week period. Oh how I wish someone would have warned me! Beginning at week six (almost exactly on the dot) we noticed Alexa went from sleepy baby to being awake more often. While we enjoyed having more interaction with her, the time that she was awake was not pretty! She was constantly fussy and there was nothing we could do to calm her. If we went anywhere with her we were frantically trying to keep her asleep to avoid the monster! We couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. We assumed we were doing something wrong or we just had a fussy baby. It was during this time that both Brian and I considered never having anymore children. Then, last week on her eight week birthday I went to Borders to read some more parenting books. I picked up this book called "The Baby Sleep Solution." As I'm reading the book there is a chapter for weeks six to eight. It talks about how all babies go through a transitional period where they are constantly fussy between feedings. No real medical explanation, it just happens. It said at about 8 weeks, the fussiness usually diminishes. I almost started crying when I read this! I was so relieved to know that it wasn't us or her...it was normal and there was light at the end of the tunnel! As I mentioned, I read this on Alexa's eight week birthday. And just as the book had predicted, the next day, we noticed the fussiness had subsided! She still has her moments, but since then she is so much happier and we are no longer afraid when she's awake!

All Smiles
Around the same time that her fussiness subsided, Alexa also began to become more alert and full of smiles! We can usually make her smile now by smiling at her, kissing her, or talking to her in a funny voice. She seems to be the happiest after her first morning feeding. I've been putting her in the Bumbo every morning and she absolutely loves it!

Bedtime Routine
I ended up buying that book I was reading in Borders because it had a great program for getting your baby to sleep 12 hours by 12 weeks. One of the things the book emphasizes is establishing a bedtime routine. My cousin has a 9 month old and had mentioned they have 5 B's to their bedtime routine. This sounded like a great idea, so I decided to institute our own 5 B's of Bedtime Routine:

1. Bath
2. Book
3. Baby massage
4. Boob
5. Bed

So far it seems to be working. Alexa seems to know that all of these things signal bedtime and after her feeding she is ready to go to sleep. Unfortunately we haven't quite made it to the 12 hours yet, but we still have 3 1/2 more weeks to go! Right now her last feeding is at 7:30pm, so her bedtime ends up being around 7:45pm. Then she usually gets up at about 1:00am and then again around 6:15am. This isn't too bad but I would really love to get a full nights sleep!

Naps
The program in the book has a schedule that includes one 1 hour nap in the morning and one 2 hour nap in the afternoon. It also encourages putting her down for naps in her crib (as opposed to the swing) and putting her in there awake/drowsy. I've been following this advice consistently for the past few days and it seems to be working. The first couple times were a struggle, but I think Alexa knows the routine now. She (generally) doesn't put up a fight and will go to sleep on her own. If she does wake up before the hour or 2 hours is over, I put her paci in, turn on her aquarium or gently rub her tummy to get her to fall back to sleep. Again, this all seems to be working!

First Overnight Trip
This past weekend, Alexa had her first overnight trip to visit family in the Ozarks. Grandma and Aunt Nikki joined as well. It was a six hour drive and Alexa did great! She didn't fuss hardly at all in the car (thanks to Grandma replacing her paci!). She was an angel once we got there too! Brian was at the Illini game in St. Louis on Saturday so we decked Alexa out in her Illini cheerleader outfit. Maybe next game she'll get to join Daddy!

Carseat Update
In my previous post I had mentioned that Alexa hated being in the carseat. While she still has some issues with it, it is getting better. Yesterday I put a toy on her carseat that I had gotten from a co-worker. Alexa just loves it! She was awake for the car ride to Wal-Mart and didn't fuss at all. Then, once we were in Wal-Mart she was smiling so much at this little toy. It kept her entertained the whole time and on the car ride back home. Amazing!