8 weeks old - the sleep situation.

it seems despite my best intentions, i can never actually post on the sunday that you turn another week older, emme kay.  this week was clearly no exception.

we spent the week recovering from christmas and our big trip to louisiana and trying to get our house/lives back in order.  it was a good week, even though we didn't accomplish everything we set out to (i'm sensing a new theme in our lives...).  you were awake a lot more this week and you continue to be such a joy.  you really are such a contented little girl - easy to entertain, easy to soothe, and a blast to watch grow and change every day.

i flipped out a little bit on wednesday because of your spitting up, so i took you to the doctor.  even though i knew you were fine and growing and not upset about it, sometimes you spit up what seems like a ton to me, and i was just a little worried.  that, and your 2 month appointment wasn't for another whole week, and we hadn't been to the doctor since your 2 week appointment!  anyway, you weighed 11 pounds 4 ounces, so you seem to be growing just fine.  the doctor also said that if you're not crying or fussy and you keep gaining weight, there is nothing to worry about and you don't have reflux disease.  yay!  i am just not supposed to wear nice clothes for the next 6 months.  haha.  of course, since the doctor's appointment, the spit up has not been nearly as bad (though definitely still present).

other than that, you are smiling and cooing like a champ and i am eating it up.  you are especially happy in the mornings and after naps/eating.  you love being read to and are starting to bat at some things here and there (though i am not positive if you're really batting or if it's just accidental flailing....).  you also really really love music - both our music and your music (the kid music that comes out of all your little toys).  you are very content in a front carrier and your dad and i are both eager to be the ones that get to carry you.  last night, dad won out and he wore you in the bjorn all around the grocery store.  you did amazingly well - you were awake and looking around at all the things to see the whole time!  you hold your head up so well now.  i put you on the floor for tummy time at least once a day and you rear up like a cobra and you can turn your head to both sides.  you have a relatively short attention span with that and usually start crying after a couple of minutes, but i am super proud of your hard work.  you still love your pacifier (beanie), but don't seem to be quite as obsessed with it, which is nice.  you're a great eater, of course.  you're also noticing the dogs more, which is cute.  i hope this is the start of a great relationship between you and your pets.

as far as sleeping, i am having a hard time figuring it out.  we have a bed time routine that consists of bath, massage, pjs, nursing, swaddling, book (and rocking chair), then bed.  i haven't been super anal about times, but everything happens usually between 7:30 and 9.  you usually have a pretty good stretch then - from 9ish until sometime in the 1 vicinity - and then you are up every 1.5-3 hours for the rest of the night.  since those are the hours that i would normally be sleeping, it's a little tough, but i feel confident we will figure it out.  i am just not sure why you can easily go 4 hours between meals during the day, but an hour and a half and you're ready to go in the wee hours.  you tend to fall asleep halfway through your normal consumption, so that may be why you're hungry again so soon, but i don't know what to do to keep you awake!

anyway...at the very least, you are in your crib (for nighttime, if not for every daytime nap) and you seem to like it there.  you know your bed time routine and you seem to like it.  you also have this seahorse toy that my childhood neighbor katy gave you over the holidays that you are in love with.  it plays soft classical music with bubble sounds in the background for 5 minutes and its belly glows.  you stare at it and your eyes get heavy - it's like baby hypnosis.

i love you little bunny - i can't believe 8 weeks have already passed.  i know you will continue to amaze and delight me over the next 8 weeks....