We went to the doctor today for our 2-month check-up, even though Charlotte is 12 days away from being two months. Her doctor is going out of town, so we had to go in early. She is a healthy girl and is doing very well. Here are her stats:
The title pretty much describes the night I had last night. It was the worst night we have had since her first week at home. Charlotte was more interested in eating than sleeping last night. That made for a sleepless night for both baby and mommy. Here are all the times she ate last night:
On Monday of this week, Charlotte and I made our first solo trip to Target. We went last week with my sister's help. This baby girl better get real used to Target, because we will be spending a lot of time there. It is my favorite store to go to and we do all or our grocery shopping at Super Target. She did fairly well. I had to hold the paci in her mouth for a large part of the trip. She doesn't like to be awake and in her carseat. I think next time I will take the baby front carrier so I can hold her up against me. 
It did get a little warm, but we enjoyed our visit. Charlotte slept the whole time until the end. 
Unfortunately, I should have fed her before we left because she cried the entire 40 minute car ride home. I spent the majority of the trip with my right hand reaching back to hold a paci in her mouth, because otherwise she was screaming a very heart-wrenching scream. 
Charlotte Ruth is one month old! We went to the doctor today and everything is looking good. Charlotte weighs 9 lbs. and 12 oz. and is 21 1/2 inches long. These are both in the 60th percentile. Big girl! Her head is 14 1/4 cm. I didn't get the percentile on that. 
Charlotte is pretty set in a routine right now. She eats, plays on my lap or her playmat for a while, and then settles into her swing for about an hour nap before we start over. She eats every 3-4 hours, unless she is going through a growth spurt, then she wants to eat about every 2 1/2 hours. At night she will sleep anywhere from 4-6 hours in one stretch. We are very lucky to have a girl who sleeps so well! God has very richly blessed our lives.
I want to wish a very Happy Late Mother's Day to the three most important moms in my life. Thank you to my own mother who could not be more amazing. Thank you for your loving support my entire life. Thank you for being such an amazing example of selflessness and Christian love. Thank you to my wonderful mother-in-law. You welcomed me into your family with open arms without skipping a beat. Thank you for raising such an amazing son who I now have the privelege to call my husband. Finally, thank you for always having a listening ear and a warm home for Mark and I to retreat to. Lastly, I want to say thank you to my incredible sister. You are such a wonderful mother and an inspiration to me. You have three loving children who are so lucky to call you mom.
On Friday night, Mark and I got to have our first post-baby date! Grammy and Poppy were so wonderful to be Miss Charlotte's first babysitters. Mark and I went to Chili's and had a very leisurely dinner including appetizer, entree, and dessert. Then, we headed to Firewheel Mall, an outdoor mall. It was a very pleasant evening and we just strolled around and sat on a park bench enjoying people watching. It was nice to have a chance to take a break and know that Charlotte was left in very loving care. Mark and I really enjoyed having some alone time together.
Here is Charlotte sleeping. Turn up the volume so you can hear her sweet baby noises.
I finally got a video of her stretching to load on blogger! It is so adorable to see her stretch out every time we unwrap her after she sleeps. When she puts both of her arms above her head we call it her "hallelujah stretch".
Annoyingly, this picture loaded sideways, but this was the first time on her playmat. If she is in the right mood, she enjoys kicking and stretching on her mat. I know that she will enjoy it more as she gets older!
We were so blessed that Aunt Jessica (my sister) was able to come and spend Sunday - Wednesday with us! Charlotte loves her aunt and really enjoyed being doted on! I really appreciated all of the extra help! Jessica helped me to get some extra sleep and she cleaned our whole house and did laundry! Who could ask for a better sister? It was also really nice for me to be able to spend some quality time with my big sis!
Uncle Jeremy (my brother) came over on Tuesday night to spend some time with us while Jessica was in town. Here is Charlotte with her uncle and babysitter-in-waiting!
Finally, Charlotte loves the evenings when she can spend time with her daddy. Tonight Mark and Charlotte were chilling on the couch together. Don't they look so cozy?
