Letter to Charlotte: Month two

Dear Charlotte,

I thought time was put into fast forward a couple of years ago, but had no clue how quickly things move when you’ve got two little angels under your roof.  How is it that you’re already two months old?  I have a hard time believing it in my head, but when I look at you, there’s absolutely no doubt.  You are growing, quite literally, like a weed!  You’re loooooong, you’re filling out sideways, and in general you just don’t look like a newborn any longer.  Although I wish I could freeze time some days, I can’t tell you how excited I am to watch you grow and to see what you have in store for all of us!

You’ve really started to come into your own this month and we’re seeing more of your sweet personality each day.  You started smiling a couple of weeks ago and it absolutely melts my heart to know that you not only recognize me, but are happy to see me.  You’ve started giving your Dad some really big grins over the last few days and I’m pretty sure if you could verbalize that you wanted a pony he'd have one in the driveway in two seconds flat.  You’ve also started to babble quite a bit.  I told you last month how you are a big grunter, and you still are, but you’ve added several new noises to your repertoire and a few sound like you’re actually talking with us; on the days we’re alone I talk to you quite a bit and it’s nice to know you appreciate the conversation. 

You’re giving your sister a run for her money as one of the happiest babies I've ever seen.  You hardly ever cry and when you do it’s usually because you’re hungry or overly tired, both of which can be remedied fairly quickly.  More than you are happy, you are patient.  It’s much different mothering to two little girls and I’m afraid that means you occasionally have to wait your turn, especially when you’re up against a fairly strong-willed and vocal toddler.  It doesn't seem to phase you, though, and you just give me a big grin when it’s finally your turn. 

You are a big time mover and shaker, which is probably why you do so well with independent time; you've got those hands and feet to keep you busy and new dance moves to perfect.  You still love being held, but no longer lay around “like a baby”; rather you've got dancin’ to do and things to see, and the best way to do both is to move as much as you can.  We give you plenty of time on your activity mat and you’re getting close to rolling over and are a master at supporting your head; it’s only a matter of time until you’re in a tumbling class with your sister. 

You moved to your own room this past month and seem to really enjoy your freedom and ability to stretch out.  Over the past week we've been putting you to bed around the same time as your sister and you've done very well, only waking to eat once and sometimes twice over a twelve hour stretch.  When you do wake, you rarely cry, rather you wiggle and shake as much as you can in your swaddle.  A few times I've checked on you to see a rogue hand popping out, occasionally an entire arm has been freed and once or twice I've wondered if I even closed your sleep sack before I left the last time because both arms were free to move as they pleased. 

You’re still a great eater, nursing like a champion every 2 – 3 hours during the day.  What you’re even better at is burping.  You let out some belches that I swear should belong to 40-year-old men with beer bellies.  It’s pretty unbelievable, but much better than the alternative of dealing with a gassy tummy, so we’ll take it.  I love the fact that you're nursing so well and love that those times are the dedicated parts of my day that we spend together, no matter what.  I love seeing how strong you’re getting as we burp after each feeding, I love looking into your eyes as you eat, I cherish the time we have right after a feeding when we play for a few minutes, and I love the times that you fall asleep in my arms, smiling as you doze off. 

Physically you seem sooooo big.  We only have your sister to compare you to, and as we pull out her old clothing and realize that some of it is too short, or too small (especially hats), and note that she was wearing it at 3 or 4 months, we know you’re growing on your own terms.  I can’t tell for sure, but I’m fairly positive you’ll have blue eyes and although you haven’t lost any hair, the hair you have growing in looks to be the same light brown.  You have beautiful eyelashes and your lovely eyes are more expressive each day.  You’re a true beauty, and I say that knowing I’m just a *little* biased. 

It’s amazing how much you’re growing and changing each day.  I’ll talk about your physical beauty as you grow older, I’ll make sure you hear how pretty you over the years, but what I’m most proud of already, and what’s more important, is your inner beauty.  Your patience, your sweetness, your gentle heart.  I hope these character traits, the ones I can already see today at your young age, are the building blocks for the person you will become and will stay with you forever.  I’ll always be here to encourage you, I’ll be your biggest cheerleader, whether it be rolling over for the first time or graduating college.  I’m here through thick and thin, remembering the good times and helping you rise above the bad.  But most importantly, I’ll be here to help you remember that you’ve always been, and always will be, amazing to me. 

Love, 

Mom