2-month-checkup

Clair had her 2-month check-up yesterday!

Dr. Bodnar declared her "perfect," which we already knew. She's 12 lbs. 2 oz. (right where she should be) and 23 and a quarter inches tall (long?) She's eating well, sleeping not too shabbily and cooing, smiling, talking and dare I say, laughing? In other words, she's awesome.

Speaking of Clair laughing, do any of you remember a 3-D ultrasound photo of her that the tech said looked like she was laughing? Well, I took a very blurry iPhone photo of her recently in her swing (while it was swinging, making it extra blurry) and it reminded me so much of that U/S pic, that I had to find it again. And sure enough, I really do believe now that my daughter was laughing in utero!

See for yourself:

Clair at 28 weeks, apparently the only one in on the joke.

Bizarre, huh? And also kinda cool! My daughter is just a happy baby!! Do you know how happy that makes me?

Anyway, back to the update: I don't think I've mentioned her sleeping habits lately (mostly because I have learned that as soon as you declare something to be so on the blog, your kids decide to make it absolutely NOT so). But ...(I know I'm going to regret this) ...Clair has been doing a lot better with the sleeping thing. About a week ago, she started drinking her last bottle at around 8-ish, usually conks out around 9 or 9:30 and hadn't been waking up to eat again until 3 or so. Two nights ago, I forced myself to risk this lovely sleeping she was doing and put her in her own crib, in her own room, once she fell asleep. And lo and behold, for two nights, she has slept in her own crib, in her own room. And hasn't gotten up to eat another bottle until 4:30 or 4:45!!

I thought she was going to sleep worse in her own crib, in her own room. Turns out, she sleeps better!

Hallllllllleeeeeeeluuuuuiah.

(Of course, she got shots today at the doctor, so watch her be up all night long fussing. Sigh.)

Either way, that's one thing on the maternity leave checklist to cross off. I said I would start trying to get her in her own bed, and I am doing it! Let's pray I can keep it up.

I also went today and got blood drawn so my doctor can look at my blood sugars. So I can cross that off the checklist, too. Now I just have to wait for the results. I'm not optimistic; I've been eating terribly since having Clair (I say as I shove the remnant of a Panera pumpkin muffie in my mouth). But I plan to get back on the wagon when I have to go back to work. I seem to have more discipline when I'm in my office, for some reason.

Speaking of Panera, here's my chunky monkey all tuckered out, as I scarf some post-bloodwork lunch:

Clair! Clair! Hello...I was talking to you! RUDE!

In other checklist-related news, I finished my basement project (!!!) and earned my husband's high praise. I also earned myself an achy back, neck, shoulders and knees. Methinks a hot bath is in order tonight, so please pray my child sleeps tonight. I really need to sit and soak and read my bookclub book.

(Also, shout-outs for Craig's List and Freecycle. After my basement clean out project, I posted all our cloth diapers and accessories on Craig's List, and posted a bunch of other stuff on Freecycle. Someone drove from DELAWARE last night to pick up the diapers (three hours after I posted them, they were gone and I was $200 richer!) and two people are picking up the rest of my trash...er...unneeded items tonight. Hooray!!!)

A study in contrasts

I have been cognizant of the stark differences in my two boys since birth -- and actually, since they were in the womb, when Dean was a mover and a kicker and Cary made me call the OB because I could barely feel him.

But sometimes, more than others, I am really struck by how different they are. Today, for example, Michelle and I took the boys to Port Discovery, something we've done many times. I took photos, as I always do, but I didn't pay a lot of attention to what I was doing, really, because frankly I have a zillion photos of them at Port Discovery now. So I was sorta vacantly snapping.

When I got home, though, and went to share the photos by e-mail with Lester, I couldn't help but notice this:

Dean, in constant motion, so much so that he is hard to photograph:







And Cary, very often, sitting and reading:








This is not to say that Dean doesn't like to read. He does. And sing! Boy does he love to sing.

And it is not to say that Cary doesn't run around like a crazy person, tearing my house up every day. He most certainly does. His favorite words these days are, "outside," "pway" and "park."

Lester is very nervous when I start categorizing my boys in the way that this post is doing. And I truly don't want to label them, for many reasons, but especially because I want them to discover who they are and who they want to become without potentially-damaging interference.

But the camera don't lie, peoples. You can see it for yourselves.

People are who they are; even those lucky people who happen to share a womb and a birthday.

********
Meanwhile, CLAIR UPDATE!



We went for her 6 week check-up yesterday -- even though she's technically 6-weeks-old today (Happy 6 weeks, Clair!) -- and my sweetie is 10 lbs. 4 oz. and 22 inches long. Yay! She's well-nourished! (Guilt-ridden bottle-feeding mommas out there, you know what I'm talkin' about!)

She started smiling at me about 10 days ago, and boy does that whole-face, toothless smile make a difference to a sleep-deprived mother! So far, Clair is very, very smiley and is always moving her mouth as if she wants to talk to me. I think this means she will grow into a happy, chatty girl, and I am pleased as can be with that.

After her doctor's appointment, I went to Panera and ordered breakfast, sat a table and read the paper and e-mail, while Clair napped in her carseat. When she got fussy, I fed her and then held her in my arms while I continued to read. She was so peaceful and smiley (even in her sleep), and I started thinking about how wonderful it will be when I can really, really hang out with my daughter, just the two of us, out on the town, having a bite to eat and enjoying one another. Of course, I started crying a little bit thinking about just how happy I am that God chose me to have a daughter -- and that He chose Clair to be the daughter I got.

Of course, I have no idea who these three human beings I gave birth to will turn out to be in the long run. But they sure are spectacular right now.