RLT's 11th Week

          This week marked Chad's full-time venture into studying for the Bar Exam.  He is scheduled to take the exam at the end of February, but is using the six weeks prior to study.  Apparently this is pretty common for law students...studying full time and even for several hours in the evenings to prepare.  I can't imagine what that two-day test must be like if it requires that much studying!!!  All I know is that Babe is working his tail off, and RLT and I are so proud!
          While Daddy was studying, RLT and I spent the week practicing using the bottle to eat (She is getting so much better!), resting, and playing.  She not only took to the bottle, but she also began showing interest in the pacifier and sucking on her hands!

Saturday Morning with Aunt Wesleigh

Driving Buddies

          This week has been one of great milestones for RLT!  She rallied and finally took the bottle in preparation for daycare, took a nine hour road trip to visit some friends with mommy, found her hands, and slept through the night!!!

                  

          Daycare has been a great source of stress for us because of losing our original provider and then the Bottle Battle.  It turns out that RLT does not like the bottle.  She especially doesn't like it when mommy tries to give it to her.  Go figure!  However, this week, we have tried the Dr. Brown bottles that Laura and Jeremy so graciously handed down to us.  She only fought it for about an hour the first go round.  Then, she took right to it every subsequent feeding.  Thank goodness!
          Additionally, we have found the most wonderful daycare provider for our little girl.  Dodi is the director of the children's wing at Beargrass and has agreed to care for RLT.  Dodi is amazing and as many people at church have said, "...this is her spiritual gift!"  We do want to thank all of those who so selflessly offered their help when we lost our original provider.  We feel so fortunate to have such loving and caring people in our lives!


          As far as the rest of this week went, the weather gods gave us another day in the 60s, so we had to take advantage!

          RLT and mommy took a road trip to Richmond, Virginia to visit some dear friends.  Of course we were all about nervous about the long hours in the car, but I could not have asked for a better driving buddy.  This sweet girl slept for all but ten minutes on the way there and maybe five on the way home.  She was such a champ!
          It was so good to see April, Shawn Thomas, and their little boy!  We enjoyed pajama days, a night out for sushi, organizing some drawers in the kitchen, and just snuggling our little ones.  It was wonderful!

April and MCS were so excited!

RLT pooped on Shawn Thomas just as he was taking this picture!  Ha!

MCS loved RLT!

           It snowed one night.  So the next morning we had to go outside.  Actually, mommy was much more interested in the snow than RLT, but that's okay!

Daddy and RLT were so happy to see each other when we got home.

Milestones

So maybe it's not consistent just yet, but we're working on it!

I found my hands!

                            

Snapshots

RLT's Big Bed(s)

          This week has been a big one for our little girl.  Not only did she transition from her small bassinet to her big crib...

...but she also spent a few hours in a big hospital bed.

          In the middle of the week, we noticed that RLT was starting to become congested.  By Wednesday evening, she was sleeping a bit more than usual and had a temperature of 100.8.  Our pediatrician recommends that anyone with a temperature of 100.4 of higher at her weight should go to the ER.  So off we went.  What made this an even more stressful night was that RLT and I were in Indianapolis visiting Gi-Gi with Grandma Honey Dearie.  Daddy was at home in Louisville.  Needless to say, we were all worried.  Our little angel had to undergo a variety of tests to rule out a variety of infections.  She had a chest x-ray, RSV swab, urinalysis, and blood work done.  Thank goodness all of the results came back negative.  She did not have pneumonia, RSV, or the flu.  Basically, she had a good, old fashioned, cold.  Poor thing!  

          As far as her demeanor went, RLT was a champ!  She smiled her way through this cold.  And, she showed her giving spirit to both her daddy and me!  (cough, cough)

     

          This week also marked the day when RLT turned 2 months old.  We can't believe it!

          For anyone who is familiar with the Ohio Valley, you will not be surprised to hear that we had 60 degree weather for a couple of days this week!  Even with our colds, we had to take advantage and get some fresh air.  It was wonderful!

Snapshots Throughout the Week

RLT is 2 Months Old!

Our little girl is two months old today!

RLT has grown in the following ways:

Weight at Birth  6 lbs. 5 oz.       Weight at 2 Months  11 lbs.

Height at Birth  19.75 in.           Height at 2 Months   22.25 in.

Our sweet girl is growing like a weed!  She is beginning to space out her meals to every 3 hours during the day.  At night, she goes to bed around 9 pm and only eats once around 3 am before we all get up to start our day at 7 am.  We I am so excited to only be getting up once in the middle of the night now!  

Developmentally, she is right on track.  She kicks her legs, stands on our laps, grasps objects when placed in her hands, and smiles all of the time.  She is definitely a social butterfly.  RLT can hold her head up for a few seconds while on her tummy.  She turns her head to look toward mommy and daddy's voices.  The only thing that makes that better is she is starting to coo at us, too!  It is so special and sweet!

RLT has also had a lot of firsts this month.  She went to her first outlet mall to take advantage of some great post-holiday deals, slept through her first New Year's Eve celebration, and she went to see her first movie.  We figure it's never to early to expose her to some culture.  She can always say that her first experience in the movie theater was being sung to sleep by the beautiful voices of Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables!

Finally, and unfortunately, our precious daughter spent the end of her second month with a terrible cold.  She spiked a fever of 100.8 and the doctor told us to take her to the emergency room.  The poor thing got her first dose of Infant's Tylenol, her first x-ray, and her first needle-poke to get blood drawn.  Thank goodness all of the tests came back negative.  All she had was her first cold!  She was such a trooper.  Even through all of her sneezing, coughing, and congestion, she continued to smile like it was any other day.  She is one amazing girl!