Two Months

Clothes that were too big are already outgrown.

Just this week, as my baby started to exhibit stretches of wakefulness during which he was not screaming, I realized, my baby sort of used to scream a lot. Jasper had previously pointed out to me that Grady was a bit “high-maintenance,” and I was all “Oh, do you think so?” Because, I mean, getting him to stop screaming was never impossible. It just sometimes required walking him around outside while bouncing, singing, and thumping his back. And yes, he refuses to sleep unless he is being held/snuggled/worn. Is that high-maintenance for a baby? I’m not sure. But now that my baby is sometimes just happy, it occurs to me that dang, this is really nice.

But while Grady is not going to win the title of Easiest Baby Ever, I think we’ve gotten really lucky in lots of ways. Grady never cries in the middle of the night (co-sleeping FTW!) and he eats well and happily. And some of his fussiness was my fault, because I didn’t make him nap. (I promise, another time.) I think most of his fussiness, though, was/is just normal. Babies cry. According to science, that crying typically gets worse until it crescendos at 6-8 weeks, and then as you come down the other side of that curve, you think, “Wow, my baby is starting to seem like a person, and I don’t just love him with all my heart and maternal hormones... I also sort of like him.” Which reminds me of another thing, for another time. (Seriously, blog post ideas all over the place!)

So, Grady apparently knew about the curve (also known as the “Don’t break the parents all at once” curve) and is becoming a really charming guy as he tapers off with the crazypants crying jags. He loves mornings, and usually wakes up chirping and grinning. Which is really sweet. Even when I’m exhausted from being awake once every hour all night, Morning Grady makes me happy.

And I know you’re thinking, “But... I read this blog! Grady is such a smiley baby!” Yeah, don’t believe everything you see on the internet, people. (Sarah Palin did not pose with a gun in an American-flag bikini, either.) Baby Grady has good PR. Also, it is hard to handle a camera when I am doing the please-stop-crying dance.

How much Baby Grady weighs: 14 lbs (Yes, this is rather on the giant side. This should surprise no one.)
Size of Baby Grady’s clothes: 3 month, 3-6 month, 6 month... baby clothes are pretty much like women’s clothes (you really ought not pay too much attention to the number)
Number of bottles (of breastmilk) Baby Grady has consumed: two (We really need to do more of this, but the whole funky milk adventure set us back a bit.)

Baby Grady’s eye color: blue? green? We really aren't sure!
Baby Grady’s hair color: brown, and also looking like old-man hair, with more around the edge and the appearance of a comb-over on top (it’s not, though!)

Baby Grady’s favorite: Josh Ritter, boobs, ceiling fans, being outside, his star chart, and his polyhedron mobile. (According to the WHO, he is in the 99th percentile for nerdiness.) (This also should surprise no one.)
Baby Grady’s least favorite: tummy time, waiting (this could be genetic...), bottles

Number of baby-wearing apparatus we currently have in rotation: 3
Mom’s favorite: the Mobyish
Dad’s favorite: the Baby Bjorn
Grady’s favorite: the Ergo (this is my second-favorite, so it works out okay)

Number of songs Baby Grady has on his iPod: 244 (Jasper received a free one and by the way, Nanos have gotten crazy small!)
Book Baby Grady is currently reading: The Hobbit (he needed something a little lighter after Cryptonomicon)