2nd Monthday!

Amalia you are two months old today! And what an eventful two months it has been, with loads of... eating! and... sleeping! and... pooping! AND? not much else I'm afraid.
Well, that's not entirely true, you have started smiling, and it was about time, since I was on the verge of getting worried that you were either going to be a sullen surly child, or there was something amiss. But just when my fears were about to go to the next level, you pulled out the big gummy grins. They are pretty cute I must say.
But the lateness of your responsive smile made me think that you were not being stimulated enough. And this leads me to my next point:
It is time to let you in on something that second borns have come to realize since the birth of siblings, second born is second class my dear. Take it from someone who knows, namely, me. I apologize in advance, but being second means you get the shaft, a lot. Whereas with your brother, every moment he was awake, and many when he was asleep, I would stare at him, show him pictures, toys, do tummy time, and talk to him. With you I'll strap you in the Bjorn and we are off to the races. If you are not attached to me, you are sitting in the swing or bouncy chair for as long as you will tolerate, and sometimes longer, while I get Domi a drink, or something to eat, or read a book, or watch a "programa" on the computer. I feel guilty about it, but there is very little that can be done. When we try to do tummy time, or play with toys or the play gym, Domingo gets in the way. It's very hard to include him in our play time because he's kind of a brute and is not a great sharer. Things he's got to improve, I agree, but it's taking a little while. The result is not a whole lot of quality one on one Amalia-mama time. I say quality, but I guess that is a relative term. We spend loads of time together, but the VAST majority is trying to keep you from having a total baby rage fit. This is something we must discuss.
I have stopped eating dairy in an effort to see if your less than sociable mood will improve. So far, while you are a bit less gassy, you are still not the happiest of babies. We spend loads of time bouncing, jiggling, wiggling and rocking in the bathroom, or on the bed, with the water running or the sound machine full blast. You are swaddled, deswaddled, reswaddled etc. multiple times in an effort to keep you sleeping as long as possible, because I'm afraid that is the only time when I can try to get the kink out of my back from holding you all the time. I must admit, while I love you all the time, I REALLY adore you when you are sleeping.


And actually that is something that you do pretty well, at night at least, day time is still really crappy, I just sat down again after the 4th time of putting you back to sleep! I cannot complain that you are getting up every hour on the hour, at night. You usually get up once at 3 and once at around 5 or 6 and then are asleep until 7 or so. At which point you don't stop screaming until around 9 p.m. when we all collapse from exhaustion.



All in all you are pretty much exactly like your brother. (Except in addition to screaming all day, he was awake all night too.) Which, in general I would never say that's a bad thing, except in this one area where he nearly drove me insane.

Speaking of this guy:


It is inevitable that you are going to be compared. I do it already all the time without even really meaning to and it began before you were even born. I have ven diagrams comparing your times in utero. People ask all the time, how are they alike? Are they different? Does she seem different to you? And partly because you look so similar, you were born as skinny and are now just as chubby, because you are going through a very similar "fussy" stage, and partly because I think it's human nature to reflect on past experiences, I find myself comparing the two of you all the time. And with my handy dandy archives, I can go back and check to make sure I'm not just making things up when I do! I can see that by your age, Domi was doing x,y, and z and you are only doing x. Why can't you be more like your brother?
That was a joke.
I will do my absolute best to never compare you in that way. There will be enough people around to do that. Maybe they'll stop when you decide to go to law school instead of medical school. (Another joke, since if you go to law school, I'll disown you)
In all seriousness, you are you. You are not your brother, cousins, primas, or anyone else. You can do things in your own way, in your own time and on your own terms. I promise that I will always remind you never to compare yourself to anyone else, and will love you for you no matter what.
Even when you are screaming in my ear for two hours straight, now that's saying something.
Love,
Mama