Happy 2 month anniversary of my major abdominal surgery, everyone!
June 29th, 2011 | by TJ |Penny is two months old today. So. This is where I tell you some things about how Penny is different than she was a month ago, or what she’s like now as opposed to one or two months ago, but not three months ago, because three months ago, she was this asshole:
So. Penny at two months.
Special skills: Impressions. Military crawl. A “HELP HELP I’M IN PAIN!!! Just kidding, could you hand me my pacifier?” shriek. Spitting up and missing the two to three burp cloths spread around the expected landing zone. The Stealth Puke.
Main annoying features: Likes to “save up” for fresh diapers. Performs one amazing night of sleep with a single wake up and not only refuses to repeat the act, but will not admit that it even ever happened. Has learned how to spit her pacifier directly into my face. Bites.
Main adorable features: Has started to make sounds that, while they are not quite cooing or babbling, are definitely distinct from screaming, and we will take it. Smiles like a lunatic at completely random and incomprehensible times. Seems to recognize each of our voices.
Dislikes: Being cold. Pants. Sleeping independently at night. When anyone breaks eye contact, face on face contact, or “just sit here next to me until I say you can go” contact.
Likes: Being bundled (not swaddled, bundled, and SO HELP HER if you don’t know the difference). The backside of Freddie the Firefly. Baths. The uncensored version of Cee Lo’s “Fuck You.”
Best friends: Ceiling fan. High contrast pattern produced by the combination of our black bed frame and white wall.
Preferred methods of soothing: Bouncing. Watching the Penny Dance. A very specific pacifier, please stop losing the very specific pacifiers.
Most desirable features: Sleeps or stares around quietly during every single public outing. Can burp really loud, but that is more impressive than desirable.
Favorite parent: Has already learned to turn to Phil for her emotional needs, but realizes she relies on me for food, so has not burned any bridges.
So, Penny at two months is pretty significantly different than Penny at one month. She’s a bit more tolerable now that we’ve gotten out of the whole pumping/formula/bottles/shrieking routine. A bit.
She still smells pretty bad, but Phil is basically totally smeaf and can never smell anything. Sometimes she saves her worst smells for when she’s nursing and has her butt positioned right under my nose. Eating is the only thing that takes priority over her need to be changed IMMEDIATELY.
She’s still pretty wee. She’s in her cloth diapers now, but is in the smallest rise and the smallest waist setting on all of her diapers. She’ll have to forgive me for showing you.
“I won’t be forgiving you. JUST FYI.”
She’s wearing mostly 0-3 clothing now, though a couple newborn size dresses and pajamas remain in rotation. I think the only thing that has sized her out of most of her newborn onesies is the bulk of the cloth diapers. I don’t really have any official size stats, since her 2 month appointment isn’t until later this afternoon and I’m using my Me ESP to know that I will not feel like writing this when we get home. So. If you’re dying to know how large that melon is, you’ll just have to wait until tomorrow. I’m guessing she’s going to weigh in somewhere around 9 lbs, but I’m hoping to be surprised and find she’s between 10 and 11 lbs.
She’s getting kind of long, though.
She really does love the bath, but not in the splashing, smiley, gleeful way you expect from babies. She gets this really serious look and stares at us, like, “I really appreciate what you’re doing here for me here. Sincerely.”
Her two best friends, Ceiling Fan and Bed Frame, are the recipients of most of her smiles. There was a long period of time the other day where she was laying on my leg and kept looking back and forth between me and the bed frame with this enormous open mouth gummy grin, like, “ARE YOU SEEING THIS SHIT, TOO?” Catching a glimpse of the bed frame makes her whole goddamn day. I know how she feels, I’m the same way about catching a glimpse of ice cream in the freezer.
So. Here she is. Penny at two months.
“I’m really quite serious about how much I love the Air Force.”
If you’re interested in Penny comparisons (note that as she increases in size, my photography skills actually decline), here’s Penny at zero months:
And Penny at one month:
And what the hell, Penny at two months again:
“Really? A polka dot dress with a striped diaper cover? Really?”
Tags: babies, cloth diapers, i'll regret not being more thorough some day, really bad at monthly updates, the Penny sensation sweeping the nation, unbearable cuteness
By Linnea on Jun 29, 2011
I love the dots and stripes! And also her face. And also the way you break down her habits into categories. And maybe everything about this post.
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PinkieBling Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 9:49 am
Can I just ride Linnea’s coattails? Because me too, on everything she said.
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TJ Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:02 am
The thing about matching the diaper to the outfit is that it only matches for 2 hours. Until you need to change the diaper. So, she DID match. 2 hours before I took this picture.
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By Life of a Doctor's Wife on Jun 29, 2011
She is just… amazing, really. I love her face. And her clothes. And… all the statements you ascribe to her. She is adorable.
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TJ Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:03 am
Sometimes I forget that I’m the one who makes up the stuff she’s “saying.” We talk all day.
So… I basically talk to myself all day.
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By Dayna on Jun 29, 2011
I’m starting to think that almost her entire hut time was spent practicing how to make expressions to fit how you talk. She really is pretty awesome.
Good luck at the doc!
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TJ Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:06 am
She was probably quite the multitasker, because she spent a lot of her hut time dedicated to making me miserable, too. Ha.
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By Roberta on Jun 29, 2011
Love the dress and the diaper cover! That diaper cover is almost enough to make me have another baby so I can get one. Almost. And tell Penny she’s rocking the dots-stripes combo. It works.
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TJ Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:07 am
That cover is air drying now, waiting to hop back into the rotation in the next change. Right now, she’s in a bright melon colored diaper, which is much more offensive than the stripes.
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By Kit on Jun 29, 2011
I actually laughed out loud at my deak when I read “smeaf”. The rest of the post is amazing as well (and as usual), but smeaf… Smeaf just makes my day.
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Chris Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:02 am
I laughed too! My husband is also smeaf, but I have never articulated it in that way. I sure will now! Thanks TJ!!
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TJ Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:08 am
Similar, borrowed from Seinfeld: hard of smelling.
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TJ Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:08 am
HE IS SO EFFING SMEAF!
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By Tara on Jun 29, 2011
Congratulations on making it to 2 months! :)
The polka dots and stripes totally work. Meh on general fashion! Apparently at some time in the future babies aren’t AS enjoyable, but the 3-6 month frame has been my favorite so far… maybe because months 0-3 were so hard? Also, YES on the cloth diapers taking up valuable space in cute tiny baby clothes. Eriana’s big Kardashian booty really keeps her from getting to wear some cute stuff!
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TJ Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:09 am
That’s a huge reason I’m doing dresses now for Penny, aside from the fact that she’s extremely pants-intolerant. Way more diaper room. Plus, honestly – diaper show off-ability, too. Because, come on. Cute!
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By Delicia on Jun 29, 2011
Awesome post. Using the AF bear throughout the growth pictures is really a quite clever way to show how much she’s grown, love it!!!
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TJ Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:10 am
It was the bear, or try to cram her into the same outfit every month. To spare myself her wrath, the bear won.
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By Tamara on Jun 29, 2011
Penny is my favorite internet baby.
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TJ Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:19 am
I told our waitress the other day that Penny was an Internet baby. She pretended to be impressed, but I could see through her ruse.
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April Stotler Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:48 am
TJ: Penny? Psh…She’s totally famous on the internet.
Waitress: :D Very nice! I’ll just go get those drinks.
XD
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By Amanda on Jun 29, 2011
I just love her expressions and the captions you put with them. Great idea with the bear, BTW.
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TJ Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:19 am
Thank you! I wish I could take credit for it, but it’s basically an idea ripped off of all the other, smarter, better picture taking mom bloggers.
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By Katie on Jun 29, 2011
Love her, love you, love her/your taste in clothes, and also diapers, since my daughter has all the same ones.
Go Penny! Way to be you!
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TJ Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:22 am
Carter’s and Thirsties? Your baby sounds right up our alley.
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By Becky on Jun 29, 2011
She is just so darn CUTE. I love her expressions, and I love her cute little dresses.
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TJ Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:24 am
The opportunity to buy tiny dresses is probably my favorite thing about having a girl right now.
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By Nancy on Jun 29, 2011
She is adorable. I love the BG cloth diaper picture!
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By Sandra on Jun 29, 2011
Ceilings fans rule.
I remember seeing pictures of me as a baby in weird unmatched clothing with shoes that didn’t match either and being all “Really Mom?” Until I had my own child and then I got it.
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By Kero on Jun 29, 2011
“The uncensored version of Cee Lo’s “Fuck You.””
Lovelovelovelovelove it!
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By Lindsay on Jun 29, 2011
“I really appreciate what you’re doing here for me here. Sincerely.” I would feel the same way if I got to just hang out while someone else took care of my bathing needs!
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By April Stotler on Jun 29, 2011
I am looking forward to Penny about 12 years from now looking through this blog and whining, “Moooooom! Did you HAVE to tell them about Cee Lo?”
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By Laura Lohr on Jun 29, 2011
I love that your month update is not your typical update. “because she was this asshole here” had me almost spit out my drink. Glad post-abdominal surgery is going so well.
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By Lara on Jun 29, 2011
As others have said, she has the most expressive little face. I think she’s just adorable.
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By Chip on Jun 29, 2011
My favorite picture of her continues to be om nom nom foooot. Though when she found out Firefly was canceled, that was good too.
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By velocibadgergirl on Jun 29, 2011
That stripey dress is FANTASTIC, though not as fantastic as the fantastic baby wearing it!
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By Alex on Jul 5, 2011
I can’t even get over it – she is just far, far too cute and amazing. HOW DID SHE GET SO BIG?! You’re blowing my mind here, Penny.
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