As of October 9th, Madelyn is now two months old and we are driving a pretty steady pace on the parenting highway with only a couple stop lights or lane changes here and there. I’d say we’re doing okay! Now that I’m much more healed, we are taking turns meeting all of Madelyn’s eating, sleeping, and diaper changing needs. Dare I say it? She’s a pretty easy baby with a lovely little personality. She’s not too demanding and we absolutely love being with her and staring at her every molecule.

This month, Madelyn…

• started to smile! Be still, my heart! It’s the most marvelous thing my two brown eyes have ever seen!
• began to coo! She makes these adorable little sounds and whether they’re intentional or not, I don’t care. They are freakin’ adorable and I swear we have coherent conversations and banter.
• lost a lot of her monkey hair. She is less of an ape and more of a human being which is good for her future boyfriends. She was born with a lot of lanugo still on her shoulders, but it’s almost all gone now.
• improved her tummy time game face by lifting her head at a 45 degree angle. She’s got strong head and neck muscles, that’s for sure. She doesn’t completely hate tummy time as long as we catch her in a good mood. We love when Princeton comes to lay with her on the tummy time blanket.
• battled diaper rash! And it’s still going strong. We’ve tried zillions of products and executed all the methods. Her pediatrician now thinks the diaper rash is caused by her poops thanks to a change of formula. I tell ya, it’s always something in this household. So, we changed to “hippie diapers.” I call them hippie diapers because they’re all natural and free and clear of pretty much anything man-made. The worst part is that there’s no wetness indicator so we actually have to [gasp!] physically check to see if it’s a dirty diaper. But the best part is that these new hippie diapers are helping and hopefully the rash goes away and stays away thanks to going a naturale and changing her formula to accommodate her milk protein allergy.
• went to her first services at temple. She enjoyed all the music during High Holy Day services and was less fidgety than most adults in there. Actually, she wasn’t fidgety at all. She just sat in her stroller and looked around or snoozed. Everyone remarked how good she was and we’re glad to know we can bring her to more services in the future. She’s basically a rabbi already.
• grew some cheeks and chins. She’s looking a little more cherubic now and has these adorable cheeks that look chipmunk-ish. I swear she’s storing nuts in them for winter. It’s because of these cheeks and chins — yes, plural chin — that she might look a little more like me. Thankfully, she still has Bryan’s long and lean body and what nice Jewish girl doesn’t want legs and arms like that?
• became a TV star. Well, she’s not getting her star on Hollywood Boulevard just yet, but the series finale of “All My Children” aired on September 23rd on which she played Erica Kane as an infant. There she was, her face at the very beginning of the show. She had 12 seconds of 100% close-up and looked great on television. It was really a hoot to see our kid on a TV show playing the baby version of the most famous soap opera diva. Insane!

At two months, Madelyn weighed 10 pounds and 4 ounces (haha 10-4, over and out, Roger) and measured 23 inches long. She’s on track developmentally and her doctor is happy with her overall health. And we’re just happy with her. Overall!

Happy 2 months, Madelyn!