two months

dear Victoria, 

you are most definitely looking like a full fledged, delightfully plump baby instead of a newborn. you still have your full head of dark hair, although little glimmers of gold are starting to appear underneath. and your smile absolutely captivates us! the other day, the girls were talking to Nick on the phone and he asked what I was doing. "adoring Victoria," was Cecilia's immediate (and accurate) reply! after I feed you, I just can't help but snuggle and smile at you for a while. you're starting to coo and trill, and sometimes you laugh the funniest little coughing squeak. 

you are chubbing up quite nicely and you have the most kissable cheeks! you weigh 10 lbs with the harness on, so your actual weight is approximately 9 lb 13 oz. you are wearing mostly size 0-3 and 3 month onesies, although you can still fit into some newborn clothes if they are loose enough around the leg openings to fit over your harness. the Halo sleep sacks no longer fit around your legs, so you now sleep in the extra wide-bottomed Love to Dream stretchy swaddles. Cecilia says you look like a little fried chicken with your arms up by your head! you like the swaddle so much that at around seven weeks old, you started (shhh... I don't want to jinx it) sleeping through the night. you take your last bottle around 10 or 11 pm and then usually sleep through until 6 or 7 am! occasionally you wake up around 4 or 5 am and go right back to sleep with your binky. 

6 am snuggles... much more preferable than 2 am snuggles!

 

hanging out in the Mamaroo swing that was gifted to us by our Buy Nothing group. it's a godsend for those fussy late afternoons!

speaking of the harness, we're hoping you'll transition out of it to a hard abduction brace at your next ortho visit in 2 weeks. at your last appointment, the ortho was very pleased with your progress -- your left hip is seated correctly in the socket and the alpha angle has improved to from 45 to 51 degrees (60 degrees or greater is considered normal). I anticipate you still have several months of bracing left, but transitioning out of the full body harness means you'll get to have your very first bath ever! you haven't been out of the harness at all since it was put on at 2 weeks old. despite my best efforts to wipe it clean regularly, it's definitely getting a bit nasty with accumulated stains. (I did feel somewhat better though when the ortho said he always wants to see a stained harness because it means the baby has actually been wearing it as directed.)

this month, you got to participate in your first Geigerpalooza family reunion! there was lots of laughter and snuggling. next summer will be even more fun for you -- I'm sure you'll be tagging along with Elizabeth and your cousin Milo (who just turned one), and getting into all kinds of mischief. 

poor Auntie Krista had mono and wasn't able to travel to be with all of us. at least she got to "meet" you over FaceTime!

on August 25, you were baptized at St. Anthony Chapel, an iconic Pittsburgh shrine that houses five thousand relics, including a relic of St. Victoria. the service was beautiful -- I teared up several times, my heart full of love and prayers for you. afterwards, the house was overflowing with friends and family celebrating with us. we are truly blessed to be raising you in such a loving community! 

we needed your godfather to light the baptismal candle!

we love you so much, Victoria Anne!