You are still the smiliest baby and you have started giggling and laughing too which is the greatest thing ever. The other day Stella was playing peek-a-boo with you and you were giggling so hard. You are also pretty ticklish and it is so fabulous when you erupt with glee. Almost anytime you see me, your face breaks into the hugest smile which makes me feel pretty great so thanks for that. This happens with Stella too and it makes her so happy when you smile at her.
Overall, you have settled down so much. Now you pretty much only cry when you are tired or hungry and it isn’t nearly as hard to get you to stop. You also talk A LOT. You are constantly making sounds and, it seems, trying to communicate with us. In fact, when you are hungry or tired, you first let us know by talking. It is only if we don’t get it or respond quickly enough that you start to cry. Other things that have changed in the past month:
For awhile you were refusing to take a bottle. You would just wait until I got home and then attack my breasts with a vengeance but no matter how hard Grandma or Daddy or Ranny would try, you would NOT take the bottle. We tried tons of different nipples but it didn’t seem to make a difference. We eventually tricked you into it by giving it to you when you were almost asleep at first (actually, the first time you were sleeping) and after a few days, you were okay. Mostly we are still breastfeeding all the time. It is just comforting to me to know that if I can’t get back, you will not go hungry.
You reach for toys and track them really well if we move them around. You almost can roll over but not quite. Truthfully, you don’t seem particularly interested in perfecting this skill.
Sleep. Ever-changing but never amazing. Sometimes you wake up every two hours, sometimes every three. Sometimes you want to nurse all night long. Sometimes not so much. You like to be rocked to sleep and you LOVE to be swaddled super tight. Your dad is excellent at this. The other day I got the idea that we should stop swaddling you because once you rolled over in our bed (squishy mattress – doesn’t count for the milestone) and I realized that you could not get yourself back. So for two days we didn’t swaddle you and for two days you slept really poorly. It is amazing. There were times you would be up in the middle of the night and we would notice that you had broken your swaddle and the second we redid it, you would fall to sleep. We have pretty a good bedtime routine with you that involves a bath, massage, books, breastfeeding and then sleep around 7pm (just in time for us to start the same with your big sister). But you are definitely not able to put yourself back to sleep when you wake up (which you do quite a bit). We know that it is time to move you into the crib. You are outgrowing the bassinet just as Stella did at this age. It is harder to figure out how to move you out, though, since you will be sharing a room with Stella and still wake frequently. Also, I can’t bring myself to part from you during the night yet. You are just so sweet and I like being able to watch you sleep and listen to you breathe. I realize this is probably the beginning of your separation issues and I have to let you go and have your own sleeping space. And I like less waking up six or seven times a night and I’m hoping that you will be more comfortable and sleep better in the crib.
You don’t startle so much anymore and Stella is no longer super gentle and careful around you. In fact, she thinks it is hilarious to scare you. One night about six weeks ago, Daddy was in the process of putting you to bed when Stella ran into the quiet, calm bedroom and yelled “RAH!” which made you cry hysterically as she probably knew it would. We do try to protect you from your mean big sister and Daddy scared her a couple times in retaliation which she didn’t think was so funny.
The truth is, for awhile you scared very easily. There were a couple times when either Daddy or I would be holding you and a mere sneeze would send you off into hysterics. It was pretty cute even though we felt bad. Come to think of it, in the hospital when you were born, they did tell us you have extremely sensitive inner ears. Maybe it is that.
Another truth is that Stella has been an amazing big sister. She LOVES to carry you around and is really good at it considering her size relative to yours.
The other day she had a playdate here and she was so happy to show you off. Your arrival has rocked her world in ways that none of us can fully fathom but she seems mostly unfazed and really really happy to have you here.
We were talking to her the other day about having her come and sleep in our room for a few days so we could see what happens if we moved you into the crib. She really hated the idea of giving up her bed for a couple days until we explained that when it was all over, you guys would be sharing a room. Then she immediately changed her mind and said yes she wanted to do it! She wants you in her room! We went out and got a video baby monitor so we’ll be able to spy but we know that she is going to take really good care of you. She has already told us that if you can’t reach something on a high shelf she is going to get it right down for you. Although, having said that, there was one day early on when I came home and Ranny told me that Stella had put all your toys in a bag. Stella has 16 small square shelves in her room. We allotted two of them for your things. But when I got home that day, Stella told me she didn’t want to share her shelves. Don’t worry. That didn’t last long and your toys are back in their rightful place.
For the first few months, every time we went to change your diaper, you would pee on the changing table. Literally every single time. You don’t do that anymore.
We still cannot get you to take a pacifier. A few times, you have taken one for awhile and we’ve thought, “Aha! This is the brand she likes! At last!”
But then the next time we’ve gone to give it to you, no dice. Recently you have begun soothing yourself by chewing on the ears of a small bear instead.
We are really enjoying getting to know you -- even if we are a bit tired -- and we love you a lot.
Love,
Mommy
The other day she had a playdate here and she was so happy to show you off. Your arrival has rocked her world in ways that none of us can fully fathom but she seems mostly unfazed and really really happy to have you here. 
We were talking to her the other day about having her come and sleep in our room for a few days so we could see what happens if we moved you into the crib. She really hated the idea of giving up her bed for a couple days until we explained that when it was all over, you guys would be sharing a room. Then she immediately changed her mind and said yes she wanted to do it! She wants you in her room! We went out and got a video baby monitor so we’ll be able to spy but we know that she is going to take really good care of you. She has already told us that if you can’t reach something on a high shelf she is going to get it right down for you. Although, having said that, there was one day early on when I came home and Ranny told me that Stella had put all your toys in a bag. Stella has 16 small square shelves in her room. We allotted two of them for your things. But when I got home that day, Stella told me she didn’t want to share her shelves. Don’t worry. That didn’t last long and your toys are back in their rightful place.
But then the next time we’ve gone to give it to you, no dice. Recently you have begun soothing yourself by chewing on the ears of a small bear instead.
