I love this face!

2 months, 1 week, 2 days old

An evening with Lilly

Alisa and Joe invited us over for a great dinner last night. We continued to try to get a good photo of Mary Lawton and Lilly together. Lilly seems more interested in Mary Lawton now. She was smiling at her and calling her "baby." She also wanted to touch her a lot:

I like your foot.

I like your face.

I like our matching pacis.

Mary Lawton's first festival

Well, it's spring festival season here in the ATL. My friend Sara lives in Inman Park in the middle of the Inman Park Festival. She invited people to gather at her place and go to the festival parade together, and we took her up on it. It was a day of firsts for Mary Lawton: first festival, first MARTA ride, first encounter with a MARTA panhandler, first encounter with bad festival vendor art, first parade, and first corndog. No, just kidding about the corn dog, but I can't wait to buy her festival corndogs when she gets older then eat half of them myself.

Thanks for your hospitality, Sara!

A festival-loving family!

A visit to Stone Mountain

Mary Lawton went to Stone Mountain for the first time on Thursday. We walked a few miles around the mountain. Coqui went with us, and they don't allow dogs on the walk-up, but maybe next time we'll leave Coqui at home and try hiking part of the mountain.
Mary Lawton slept the whole time. I planned to take more pictures, but as soon as I took this one, I forgot all about the camera.

Two months check-up

Yesterday Mary Lawton had her two-months well-baby doctor appointment. She's doing great.

Weight: 11 pounds, 1.5 ounces (50th-75th percentile)
Length: 23 1/2 inches (90th percentile!)

The doctor said she's "long and lean" and was very pleased with her overall health. She was impressed with ML's strength and the way she's controlling her head. The doctor turned her over on her tummy to see how she would do, and ML immediately pushed up and looked around. It was fabulous. She got three vaccines and was a little irritable that night but recovered just fine.

Milestone!

On Friday morning at 2 months, 1 day old, during tummy time, Mary Lawton pushed up onto her forearms, raised up her head and chest, and looked around. She did it over and over again. Today she repeated these exciting baby push-ups. I tried to get a photo, but I was a little late each time. Here she is on her way down.

Thanks, Julia!

Thank you, Julia, for coming to see us on Friday. I've missed you, and I know Mary Lawton was thrilled to finally meet you. She enjoyed her first ladies' lunch, and she's happy to have learned 2 of the rules for ladies' lunches:

1. Remember the chicken salad
2. No farting during lunch

Busy Thursday

On Thursday Mary Lawton was 2 months old, and we had a busy day. That morning we had our first mommy-baby pilates class. The instructor reassured us that she's seen everything and not to worry if we had to stop to change our babies, feed our babies, soothe our babies, etc. I was very impressed that no matter what happened, the instructor just kept going. Obviously she's done this for awhile. Mary Lawton was pretty good. About halfway through she got fussy, so I put her on a mat beside mine and she fell fast asleep. Overall, it was hilarious--crying babies, mother stopping to breastfeed (not me), mother acting like her baby needed something so she could stop the leg lifts early (me). It was a good workout, too.

After pilates, I think I did some yard work while Sweetest Girl in the World took a nap, but I can't really remember.

On Thursday night we went to another free jazz concert. The band and singer were good again. I think there are only 2 more concerts this season. Hopefully we can go again. A nice way to spend the evening.

2 months old

two months old

Dear Mary Lawton,
I love your little two-months-old self. I love your smell--your intoxicating, pure baby smell. I love how you smile at me when I come to take you out of your crib. I love how happy you are when you're on the changing pad. I love how you look at everything, especially the new things you've never noticed before. I love how you stare at your daddy. I love those cheeks. I love how you get one of your legs going and kick, kick, kick. I love how you make an O with your lips like you're trying to whistle. I love how you sleep with your arms up over your head, your feet together, and your knees bowed out. I love your fake cry. I love your eyelashes that are so long they touch your eyebrows.

You are the sweetest girl in the world, and we love you like crazy.

Mary Lawton's first Easter

An Easter photo shoot

The Easter Bunny brought Mary Lawton two books--I Spy Little Bunnies and one of my favorites from childhood, Put Me in the Zoo. We spent the day at Alisa, Joe, and Lilly's house. Mary Lawton had a great time seeing everyone. Thanks, Lilly, for sharing your toys with Mary Lawton.

Ready for a nice spring day

7 weeks, 3 days

On Thursday the 4 of us (including Coqui) went to the jazz concert at old Scottish Rite. The weather was perfect, and the music was pretty good. (We went to one last year and it wasn't so good.) As long as the weather is nice, I think we'll go to at least one more. It's strange to think back to this time last year. . . not yet pregnant, no baby, but I remember watching all the children who were there. What a wonderful feeling to have a complete little family. Also strange that I wrote the band was good, but my memory is telling me it was bad.

The most comfortable spot in the world

Leaning on Dad7 weeks, 2 days

Nap time

Starting to wake up

Sees Mom

Escaping her swaddle

How long will our good fortune last?

Last night: Bedtime at 8 PM, asleep at 8:30 PM, woke up at 2:30 AM, woke up at 6:30 AM

Today: has been napping in her crib since around noon. I want to take a picture, but I'm sure it will wake her up. I'll try it when I hear her stirring.

7 weeks old

The major highlight this week is that Mary Lawton not only is sleeping in her room every night, but in her crib! (She was sleeping in the bassinet in her room.) Right now she is taking a nap in her crib!! Her eye was a little red on Saturday, so we took her to the doctor and got some drops. It looks fine now. Can I tell you how much I love that her pediatric practice has Saturday hours? While we were there on Saturday, I learned that they have secret Sunday hours, too, mainly for those who were sick on Saturday and get sicker on Sunday. Oh, and on Saturday she weighed 10 lbs., 2 oz.

She is so sweet--a very happy, fun baby. I love you, sweet girl.

Trying to catch a smile

6 weeks, 3 days

I ran yesterday.

On Monday at my postpartum appointment, my doctor said I could do whatever I wanted to do. Yesterday I ran for 31 minutes. Remember that "run" is a relative term, but no one pointed and laughed. My quads are a little sore today. I guess that's good. I anticipated I'd get the ok to go ahead and start running again, so on Sunday I bought this and this at REI. They certainly aren't attractive, but they get the job done.

6 weeks old

This was a BIG week for Mary Lawton. I didn't want to jinx it by writing about it too soon, but I think it's safe now. For a week she's been sleeping in her own room! And waking up twice! She wakes up around midnight and 4-5 AM. Hurray! I feel like a new person, and I think Sweet LJ does, too. She seems happier now that her days have more structure, and I'm definitely happier. Sweet LJ's motto used to be "happy wife, happy life," but the other day he told me that now it's "happy baby, happy life." (I said no, it's still happy wife...)

She smiles more and more, likes to look at herself in the mirror, has started talking to the birds over her changing pad, and still loves baths. We go for at least one walk a day, and sometimes she stays awake for the entire walk (20 minutes) just looking around, which amazes me. (She doesn't last as long on the hour-long walks.)

I've been really bad about taking lots of photos like every new mother is supposed to do, so here's a quick one from Monday when she was officially 6 weeks old.

Don't mess with my Soothie, yo.

Cousins!

Mary Lawton got to meet her Valdosta cousins last week. She was thrilled. We promise to come back to South Georgia to see you again before she's all grown up.

With Kent, Aunt Cheryl, and Summer

Let's hope she'll be as pretty as her cousins!

Uncle Butch with Kayla, Kent, and Summer

Kent is a professional baby wrangler. Kent, I forgot to tell you Mary Lawton has another cousin named Kent! He's 15.