Ouch

Why didn't anyone ever tell me that shots hurt more when given to your child than to yourself? Oy. Seeing my child in pain is, quite possible, the hardest thing I've experienced in my life. I know it was only four silly shots in the thigh and that the pain was over almost before it began, but still. It just killed me knowing that I was choosing to inflict this temporary pain on her. Luckily, Mira recovered quickly and was easily calmed. I'm still coping with the sting. The rest of our two month check-up went without incident. Apparently, Mira's flat spot (on her head) is no longer an area for concern. Dr. Mahoney didn't send us home with the helmet he mentioned last time anyway. Thank heaven -- the mental image of my child laying in her crib wearing some teeny-tiny motorcycle helmet was somewhat scarring. The nurse did a double check of Mira's birthday when she saw her. She said that I must get a lot of shocked looks when I tell people that she's only two months old. Is she really that big? I have no basis for comparison. She weighed in at 12# 7 oz and was 24 1/4 inches long.

So what's she doing now? Well, by some stroke of luck, she's still sleeping through the night. Okay, she didn't last night, but I really think it was shot-related. Her appetite wasn't the same, so her last bottle was at 5:30 pm. I knew she'd be up to eat during the night. She did, however, go right back to sleep, so I'm hopeful that the sleeping through the night thing will resume tonight. She's smiling up a storm, and we even think we heard a giggle at one point. Unfortunately, her smiles are still rather random, and we don't have much luck inducing them yet. In time, right? We're hearing more and more preliminary chit-chat these days as well. No consonants yet, but I understand those don't come for a couple more months. I'll happily take the vowel sounds I'm getting for now. In addition, Mira has mastered the art of the hair-grab. I think I now understand why new moms often cut their hair off. I've resorted to the almighty ponytail most days. They tell me this new skill is a good thing -- a milestone in the ability to grasp things, but I'm still wishing my hair were less appealing to those little fists. Oh, and she's tracking objects with her eyes. Pretty well, I might add. She still doesn't have much patience for tummy time, but she's getting better about lying on her back under those plastic link things. The swing has been about her least favorite thing in the house. Until a couple of days ago that is. She wanted nothing to do with either of her parents, the bouncy seat, or the activity mat. The only thing that seemed to calm her was the (previously) dreaded swing -- at top speed no less. And you know Ryan's the one who figured that out, right? I would never have put it at top speed and about had a heart attack when I saw it swinging so hard. As you can imagine if you know me, I immediately turned it down to the lowest speed. What happened? She screamed, of course. The smile on Ryan's face was priceless. Well, I think that's about it. I'll spare you the constipation news and the prune juice results.

On a side note, my family is visiting in June, and they want to make some day trips/activities to make it feel more "vacationy". Does anyone have any ideas of trips/activities that would be infant-friendly? I'm struggling to come up with any.