Post-posted - 3 months - Vincenzo

My darling Vincenzo,

My little sweetheart, you are three months old! I don’t understand where the time goes. Everyone says that children grow up so quickly, and so far it seems to be true.

You are a little joy – you sleep well all night, and you have stopped crying so much during the day. In fact, I can always count on you to fall asleep well in the evening and after you eat during the night. You still sleep in your carseat. You don’t seem to like sleeping flat on your back, but you will sleep really well in the swing during the day.

You’re very noisy though! You grunt and squeak all night long, and often when you nap during the day, too. Everyone finds it to be very amusing, except when they’re sleeping in the same room with you!

You have started smiling a lot more these days as well, and it’s a beautiful smile you have. You’re not very generous with it, and it almost seems like you’re becoming more wary of strangers, because you stare at them with big, suspicious eyes. When you do smile, it lights up the room.

Even better than your smile, you try to chat with us now! It’s hilarious and sweet. You make noises and we hold little conversations, and I can tell that you really enjoy interacting.

Every day with you is sweeter than the last.

Love,

Mama

Post-posted - 3 months - Josephine

My dearest Josephine,

You’re three months old. How has the time flown so quickly? You’ve changed so much in the last month, it surprises me when I look at your photos from when you were born because I don’t realize how much you’ve grown.

You understand the difference between day and night now, but that doesn’t mean you respect it! You’re hard to get to sleep – like your Papi, you like to stay up late and sleep in. You still get up a lot during the night to eat, and you’re still sleeping in your carseat, although you will take naps during the day in the bassinet or the crib, or on the couch. When we’re trying desperately to get you to sleep in the evening, you typically just smile at us, like you think we’re funny. I can’t ever stay upset with you when you smile at me.

You still smile almost constantly, everyone is taken with you from the beginning when you flash your beautiful smile. You raise your eyebrows before you smile, which everyone finds endearing. Sometimes I can get you to smile just by raising my eyebrows, and then you copy me and smile. You also have your hands in your mouth constantly – I’m worried that you’re already teething!

You like to sleep on your side, and will sometimes roll onto your side by yourself in the bassinet, and you rotate in your carseat into what looks like a really uncomfortable position. I think you’ll be rolling over pretty soon. You don’t like to be on your stomach, though, even if I prop you up with a few pillows so you can see around.

You met your Nonna and Nonno from Italy for the first time this month! They’re both madly in love with you. They spend every day feeding you, holding you, rocking you to sleep, taking you for walks, singing to you, and trying to make you smile. You get weekly visits from your Grandma in California, too, and you see Aunt Candace sometimes, as well.

You are my little joy, and I love you so much.

Love,

Mama

2 months - Vincenzo

Dear Vincenzo,

Two days ago, you turned two months old. I can hardly believe how time has flown by. You have grown so much since you were born - you weighed 12 pounds and 2 ounces at your two-month checkup today, and only 6 pounds 13 ounces when you were born 9 weeks ago.

You are an adorable little boy - you have huge blue eyes, and you just started looking around and focusing on people with them. You completely melt hearts when you stare in people's eyes, you are that cute.

You've been smiling at me for a little while, but only early in the mornings when no one else is around, and you never seemed very convinced. Then suddenly this past weekend you decided life was something to be happy about - at least sometimes - and now you smile a lot. We just discovered that you have a dimple! Just when we thought you couldn't get any cuter.

You cry a lot. You really like to be held, especially by your mama. You really don't appreciate being left alone or being put down, and you let anyone around you know about it. You especially like be carried around in a wrap, which is how I put you to sleep these days. Now that you're more alert and looking around all the time, it's sometimes harder to get you to go to sleep.

One of my favorite things is holding you on my shoulder and patting you on the back. When you're sleepy, you snuggle in and just enjoy being cuddled. It's really sweet. You love to sleep on your stomach, which you're not supposed to do. I can often calm you down by putting you on your stomach across my legs. When you sleep on your back, you're a noisy little boy. You keep us awake with your fussy sleeping.

My heart is so full of love for you, and I'm so proud to be your mother. I love every day I get to spend with you, and I am looking forward to watching you grow and change. I'm sure next month will get even better.

Love,

Mama

2 months - Josephine

Dear Josephine,

You turned two months old two days ago. I can't believe it's been two months already. You were 6 pounds 3 ounces when you were born, and 10 pounds 15 ounces today at your two month checkup. You've grown and changed so much - I can see it when I look at your pictures - but to me you're still the precious, beautiful girl I saw for the first time at 8:20am, 9 weeks and one day ago.

You're a quick learner. You started smiling two weeks ago, and haven't stopped since. Your smile is beautiful, it lights up your whole face and gets people to do whatever you want. You get so excited when you smile, too - your joy spreads to everyone around. It's like magic. You're such a happy baby.

Your father and I are still adjusting to parenthood, and it hasn't been easy! You still sleep in your carseat at night, although we are in theory trying to transition you to the bassinet and crib. Your father stays with you until 4am, and then wakes me up and I handle the rest of the night. Sometimes you sleep in until 9am, but usually you are up by 7. And you're always happy in the morning. When I get your father up to go to work, you are all smiles.

You're a pretty easy baby, too. You don't cry very much, and you don't need to be held all the time. Holding you is a joy - your father likes to put you in his lap, where you look up at him and smile. You really love your papi - you have him completely wrapped around your tiny little finger.

Every day with you is a blessing. You change so much every day, and every day I love you more than the last day. The last two months have been so crazy - good, but crazy. I can't imagine my life without you now, and I can't wait for what the next month brings.

Love,

Mama

Almost 7 weeks

Introducing Vincenzo:



And Josephine:



The stars of this blog, and the little thieves who stole my heart.

Born July 6, 2010, tomorrow they'll be 7 weeks old. Josephine is already smiling, but despite the photo above, Vincenzo doesn't seem to really smile out of happiness.