Today I am 12 weeks old and the whole family is in a good mood.  I guess that makes sense considering I slept a total of 17.5 hours today!

I can hold my head up high now.  It requires a lot of effort, but I need to work out if I'm going to get in shape so I can enjoy exploring this cool world...

It's official.  I'm a big girl now.

Here I am today:

And exactly 7 weeks ago:

The more things stay the same, the more they change, I guess.  Notice any differences?

Sometimes life's just a bit too much and I need a little help tuning out all of the stimulus out there in this crazy world.  Hold all of my calls, please.  I need to unwind for a little bit...

I've got these cool things called hands.  Even though I'm not staring at them yet, I'm often seen grabbing one with the other and twiddling them around.  I like to munch on them too.  Very tasty...

Today I feel a lot better.  I guess some days are better than others...

Some days I just feel kind of blah.

I've been enjoying hanging out in the swing more and more these days.  This thing is cool.  It's a 6-speed, somewhat automatic (Mom and Dad shift gears when needed) with a radio.  It seems that there's always something new to notice each time I go for a ride in this baby.

P.S. I think I kinda look like Grandpa H. in this photo, don't you?

Now that I can hold my head up on my own (sort of) for a short amount of time, we all went out and picked up a cool new chair called the Bebe Pod.  It's sort of like the next-generation Bumbo Seat which came on the scene and won a bunch of awards in 2003.  Even though it looks like it is made of plastic, it's actually a very comfortable foam which is extremely light and easy to clean and is approved by various health experts as a great and safe way to help me develop the sitting skills I need.  So much better than a high chair for someone my age...    I can't believe that these things weren't even around when Simon was my age. My, how quickly technology changes...

I had my big two-month checkup today with Dr. Nguyen.  I weighed in at 9 lbs, 13 oz. and measured 22 inches long with a head circumference of 38.6 cm.  I've now grown 3.5 inches and have gained almost four pounds since birth!  I was having a grand old time hearing about what a healthy girl I am when before I knew it, the nurse was coming at me with four long needles.  I was not pleased to say the least.  Word is that every time I go see the doc I'm going to be getting more shots.  Gee, I can't wait...  On the bright side, I haven't yet had any severe reactions to the shots and I'm hoping to keep it that way.  I'm all smiles again now that the immunizations are over.  Time to spend some time with Dad...

I've been downright ecstatic today.  I've got Mom and Dad right where I want them.  All I have to do is crack a smile and they just melt.  I know that the "experts" say that I'm not supposed to be able to laugh yet, but Mom and Dad both witnessed that I giggled for the first time today.  

I'm on another nap boycott today similar to the one I staged two days ago.  It's not that Mom and Dad are keeping me up for too long, trust me.  I could overstimulate myself in a dark cave while wearing a blindfold these days...  Here I am between one of my many non-naps.  Sarah wanted me to help her decide what she should order for lunch. How should I know?  Unless they've got milk on the menu, I'm not going to be of much help.

There are so many exciting things to see in this world that sometimes I just can't contain myself.  My vision is extraordinary now and I like to make use of it.  Yesterday, I decided to drive Dad totally insane and refuse to nap for almost the entire day despite the fact that he tried every one of the 486 ways that he knew to calm me down.  It just wasn't going to happen.  Today, I napped like crazy during the day with little help from anyone else.  I like to keep Mom and Dad guessing as to which kind of day it's going to be...  At least I sleep through the night quite well now and for that, Mom and Dad should consider themselves lucky.

I'm two full months old today.  Can you believe it?  Now that I'm all grown up and have so many responsibilities, I probably won't be able to post as frequently.  Don't worry, my plan is to emphasize quality over quantity.  Since pictures of all three of us are rare, I thought I'd leave you with this shot that Grandpa took of us.

Although I try to get spend a good portion of my awake time unswaddled, I still enjoy a nice, tight wrap when it is time to settle down for a nap.  Grandpa has been trying to convince me that I'd be happier if I broke free from the shackles of swaddledom, but I keep telling him that I "just can't stand the freedom".

Gee, it sure is a scorcher outside on my first 4th of July.  So this is what Baltimore summers are going to be like, huh?  That's okay, I'd much rather stay inside where it's cool and watch my own personal Parade of Shapes.  So entertaining!

Grandpa and Grandma H flew all of the way from Milwaukee today to come meet me for the first time.  Grandpa is already teaching me lots of neat facial expressions.  Our favorite shtick is to stick our tongues way out and try to wiggle them around.

I've been all smiles for the past couple of weeks  Well, maybe not ALL smiles -- I need to keep up my fussiness too so Mom and Dad don't get too spoiled.  It seems that every day brings a new reason to smile.  I just love imitating Mom and Dad's many faces and I even throw in a few of my own sometimes just to keep things interesting.

Okay, when I said I was sleeping in my crib now, this may not have been what you pictured.  Well, technically I wasn't lying...  Hey, it's a start -- Mom and Dad should be thrilled that I now occasionally sleep 7+ hours at night!

FOR SALE:

ONE GENTLY USED BASSINET.  ITEM NO LONGER NEEDED SINCE OWNER SLEPT IN CRIB FOR FIRST TIME LAST NIGHT.

I'm sort of getting used to this whole bathtime ritual.  Although I still cry at the beginning of the ordeal, I frankly find it kind of soothing.

Can you guess what I've been up to (again) today?

Mom and Dad have noticed that I'm much more alert as of late.  I could spend hours on end studying my mobile and get downright upset when it's time to leave the changing pad.  Boy, how times have changed.  I used to hate having my diaper changed, but now it's a joy!

Mom, Aunt Britt and I hit the mall today and did some shopping.  On a whim, we decided to have a few pictures taken.  Not to brag or anything, but passersby kept stopping to look at me through the window.  It was a very fun afternoon.

Jess, Justin and my future boyfriend Isaac came over to meet me for the first time today.  He may be a little tyke but he sure seems like a giant to me.  I'm still smaller than he was the day he was born!

No sooner had my previous visitors left than Aunt Britt popped over from California!  We spent some quality "sling time" together today while Mom and Dad feverishly got things done around the house (notice Mom in the background performing hi-tech woodworking repair). Aunt Britt sure seems to be in good spirits here considering the fact that Lainey, Jerry and myself all vomited/spat up on her or some article of her clothing at one time or another.

Gee, this sure is a busy place these days.  Mom's friend Sara and her three daughters Arcadia, Huyana and Jade came by this morning to visit.  As you can see below, it didn't take long for them to make themselves at home.

In my room

And my bouncy chair

And my crib

It was really cool to find out that my stuff is in such high demand!  I had a great time hanging out today.  Hope you young ladies had a fun time as well. Call me, we'll do lunch!

I may look as though I'm enjoying myself in my bassinet, but looks can be deceiving.  I gotta tell ya, I'm not feelin' the love in this thing these days.  I much prefer resting on an incline in my car seat.  Or better yet, I enjoy being held in a nice and comfortable, upright position while being gently jiggled for oh, about a half hour or so.  You know, nothing too demanding.  I wouldn't want to put Mom and Dad through too much trouble...

Although it took me a while to warm up to the idea, I now love hanging out in the sling.  Sometimes I even face outward so that I can check out the amazing world around me.  I'm spending much more time awake these days.  So many fascinating things just awaiting my discovery!

I can't believe that Nana is heading back home tomorrow.  Time sure does fly.  We had lots of fun together and I look forward to seeing her again in September at Aunt Britt's wedding!

Okay, I'm starting to get a bit more comfortable with the idea of hanging out in my crib.  I love to stare at myself in the mirror and have been known to hang out in here for up to 30 minutes at a time.  I guess the plan is for me to actually sleep here some day.  We'll see...

Try as Mom and Dad might, they just aren't able to give Lainey and Jerry just the attention they're accustomed too.  The kitties are handling it very well, but I can't help but feel that I'm largely responsible for that, so I'm hoping to downshift from being high-maintenance to maybe just medium-maintenance.  In theory, today (the big 6 week mark) is supposed to mark the peak of my fussiness.  Mom and Dad, don't hold your breath...

All of the "experts" told Mom and Dad not to waste too much money buying newborn-sized diapers before I was born since we babies tend to outgrow them very quickly.  Well, that didn't happen.  Six weeks and several hundred "N" (newborn) sized Pampers later, Mom and Dad decided they had bought enough and that it was time to move me into Size 1 which they have plenty of lying around the house.  For cryin' out loud, I could have pulled this saggy, baggy size 1'er up to my chin.  This thing feels more like a turtleneck than a diaper.  Guess this will take some getting used to...