Dear Miss Leyba,

At the beginning (left) of the month with Daddy after a bath and today with Chelsea at the playground

You are now two months old and you can do so many things!

You love to smile and occasionally laugh. You constantly babble and chime in (especially when mama and daddy are having a conversation); coo, squeal, and gurgle; draw out vowel sounds especially gah and coo; and cry differently for different needs. You also occasionally interact and talk to your stuffed animals.

You stretch your limbs all the way out, especially when doing yoga with dad (every morning); hold your head up for several minutes while one your tummy; hold your head very steady when held and hardly ever put your head down when you’re awake and we’re holding you; roll from your back to your side; and you have discovered your feet and can now grasp your toes.

Your vision is much improved. You now hold eye contact; track objects with your eyes; stare at us and our bookshelves (you’re no longer interested in the black and white pattern on the ceiling); and you’ve discovered looking at the pictures while we read to you (though you frequently prefer watching us read).

You make sweeping reaches with your arms towards objects (like books) and people, especially towards mama when you want to nurse (you recently started hitting me in your sleep to let me know that you are ready to be fed). You unfold your hands, which are now frequently open and inviting; briefly hold rattles; and frequently grasp onto us and our clothing.

You almost always sleep through the night now, letting me know that you need to breastfeed without even waking up. This especially amazes Dad and I. Hopefully we’ll be able to sleep through the night with you soon (ha!).

Every day you grow by leaps and bounds. Your dad and I are so proud of you. We can’t wait to see what you learn and discover in month three!

Love, Mama

We finally made it back to the park and, oh, wow, it was wonderful.

Taking a walk around our neighborhood with our Moby Wrap.

We’re really digging the babywearing thing. It’s so nice having our hands free while we cruise around. And while we love our Moby Wrap, we’ve added the ERGObaby Carrier (and infant insert) to our gift wishlist we’re ordering an organic Mei Tai; it would be nice to have a carrier that is quick, quick, quick to put on.

This weekend we are resolved to finally take a walk in the park…

Where have we been this week?

We’ve been busy reading books, going for walks, and hanging out with Grandma Jackie.

Someone already loves books and our daily read aloud time.

is just so exhausting.

(For a while there she was looking at David and I and smiling. Of course, I didn’t have my camera in hand for those precious moments. Gotta work on that…)

David tries to give me some “alone time” every day. Usually I spend it twittering about motherhood, moving over baby pictures, updating this blog, trying to get caught up in email (HA!), or updating Miss Leyba’s wish lists. See, it’s not really alone time (and it usually lasts for about 15 minutes until I decide I need to unload the dishwasher). My entire life is focused on my daughter right now and that’s how it should be. And I love it. Totally love it.

My mom comes into town today! Hooray for extra hands! Hopefully that means I’ll have a free moment to update this journal… We have lots of photos and stories to share.

Miss Leyba’s baby hair when she was two weeks old (five weeks ago — she’s seven weeks old today!)

While my daughter’s acne is going away (those baby white heads on her nose and cheeks were actually quite adorable), mine is coming back. One of the great perks of pregnancy: having flawless skin and thick, shiny hair. And though Miss Leyba does enjoy pulling out my hair (she was holding a handful… er, several hairs… this morning when we woke up), it appears we’re both losing our hairs together. There are long, brownish-red hairs and short, dark brown hairs all over the house.

Only one of us, however, is growing in blond hairs to replace the lost ones and it’s not me. Wouldn’t that have been a nice treat?! Ah, to give birth and then become a blond. Could have been fun.

(Of course, there has been some debate in our house if the hairs growing in are actually blond. Are they more strawberry blond or platinum blond or maybe light brown? They are so short right now, it’s hard to tell. We do know that the new hairs completely disappear when they are wet, like Uncle Lee’s cellophane hair when he was a baby… Ah, genetics!)