New Family Tradition

This year marks the first time that our Christmas tree didn't emerge in three pieces from an under-the-stairs storage room in our basement. We finally ditched our artificial tree and got ourselves a real, live, needle-dropping, pine-smelling, sap-slinging tree this year. We paced around the small tree lot for quite some time before settling on the one we lugged home, and lucky for us, it went up without a problem and didn't require much trimming. It was a fun experience that is sure to become a yearly tradition, although next time I could do without the 68-degree weather. It was so warm that the farm didn't offer its usual complimentary hot chocolate.

Glamour Shots

These pictures are too cute not to share. This particular day, Luciana was in a good mood, she had on an adorable outfit and the lighting was perfect. I took advantage of the ideal conditions and tried to capture the essence of Luci ... yummy baby chub, heart-melting smiles, beautiful blue eyes and dimples (actually, she just has one dimple, but it's delicious), and just the sweetest personality in one little package. This little darling completely has my heart.

Soaking it in

It occurred to me today that I've been "staying at home" for three months now. No work, no emails, no meetings (and, umm, no drying my hair) for three whole months. Yet it only feels like a month has passed since saying goodbye to the professional world. Life is just flying by at an intense pace as Halloween, Thanksgiving and all of our fall birthdays (our families have so many Sept/Oct/Nov birthdays!) passed by in a fog. And now, we've got December and Christmas staring us in the face. There's no chance this month is going to be any different, so I'm just holding on for dear life as we start decorating and Christmas shopping.

As Luciana grows right before our eyes, I want to take the time to savor her newborn-ness as much as possible. I felt like with Maribelle, I was an anxious mess from the time she was born to the time she turned 1 year old. With her stressful early arrival and time in the NICU, I worried about every little thing she did and each little noise she made, wondering whether or not she was ok or secretly suffering from some sort of health issue (vision problems? hip dysplasia? heart defects? Yeah, those were just a few of the ones I considered). I freaked out about every milestone (and the fact that she never rolled or crawled) and was convinced that she would be a late walker. Obviously, everything turned out just fine (as my mom repeatedly told me it would) and I wish I would have let myself enjoy her baby days a whole lot more.

So, lesson learned, right? And now, with Luciana, I'm breathing it all in, trying to be more relaxed and keeping the anxiety at bay. It helps that she's a wonderfully sweet, yummy little girl who eats and sleeps like a dream. She's so much sturdier than Maribelle was, and just seeing her chubby little rolls and cheeks makes me happy and convinced that we're doing things right. To think that the little chunker I stare at all day long is something that I've grown and nourished, all by my lonesome. From the womb to the real-world, she's been fully dependent on my body and all that it consumes and produces. It's so gratifying, so empowering, and so reassuring that we can do this.

Two Month Stats
Weight: 12 pounds 2 ounces (83rd percentile)
Height: 22.3 inches (47th percentile)

At this point, Luciana is still eating about every two to three hours, and fairly regularly goes one stretch of four to six hours overnight between feedings. She still has her fussy period, or "witching hour" as we like to call it, anywhere from 5:30 p.m. until the time she goes to bed around 9:30 or 10 p.m. every night, where she wants to constantly nurse. It makes doing bedtime with Belle a bit of a challenge, shall I say. 

Luci is such a smiley little girl, and is just on the brink of breaking out into a giggle or laugh. She makes a few baby noises here and there and is mesmerized by watching us talk to her. The doctor commented about how good her muscle tone is, which is something we've been saying for weeks because she's so good at holding up her head and keeping it steady. Oh, and, she LOVES being carried in the Baby Bjorn. It's the only way to calm her down sometimes and the only way I can get anything done. 

Another point worth noting, I just had to run out last night to buy Luciana a few more sleepers in size 6 months. And she's only two months old. I never thought I'd have to buy MORE girl clothes, in addition to the countless bins of girls clothes we already have. But Belle's 3-6 month and 6-9 month clothing is all summer stuff. Soon enough we're going to need a bigger house to fit all the baby clothes we've collected.