EVERLY RAE: TWO MONTHS

Well, technically Everly is 3 months old now (almost 4 really), but I think I'll just do these monthly reviews at the end of the month so that I capture everything she did in that monthly window.

Two months was a HUGE month for her!  She grew by leaps and bounds and has really become her own little person.  She is no longer that little newborn blob who just stared at us without much expression.  Now she's able to show us when she's happy with her sweet smile.  Her first real smile emerged when she was about 6 weeks old.  My mom and I had just tried to go to a craft fair, but it was too windy and dusty to take her out, so we went to the next best place....Target!

After feeding her in the car, my mom was burping her and making funny faces.  Her little face just lit up instantly!  It was such a special moment.

After that day, she couldn't help but smile at anyone who would lock eyes with her.  She also started following us around the room with her eyes, almost daring us not to smile back at her,  It really felt like this month she was engaging with us and wanted to be in on the action.

We've also started to be able to discern her different cries and are starting to figure out when she's trying to manipulate us into doing what she wants vs. when she really needs something.   Must be an innate sense in babies to con their parents from birth.

The best part of my day is when I wake her up in the morning.  She sleeps in a sleep sack, so she looks like a little burrito.  When I pull off the velcro, her arms instantly spring up over her head to stretch.  Then she gives me the BIGGEST toothless grin, and I scoop her up because I can't stand not cuddling her for one more instant.

Another big milestone this month is that she started grabbing things.  I first noticed it when she was in her little chair that has rings on the front.  I came to get her and saw that she was holding one of the rings.  Over the weeks, she's gotten increasingly more interested in little toys.

We had our first date night during this time, too!  We were gone for a whopping 2.5 hours.  It was nice to get out, but we couldn't wait to get home to see her.  She didn't give us the time of day when we first walked in the door, but Wade got her giggling a few minutes later.  Her first laughing session!  She hasn't giggled too much since, but I know more is just around the corner.

First Thanksgiving!  Everly was so jazzed up about family being in her house that she didn't take a nap all day.  Even once everyone had left, she couldn't stop "talking" about her day.  I just can't get enough of our little "conversations".