Rhiannon at 3 months

Rhiannon turned 3 months on Friday and it's been a big month for her. Besides her first car accident and her first laugh, she has also figured out how to grab things, talks quite a bit more, and is definitely a mover. We never strapped Joaquin into anything because he never moved enough to worry about it. The other night, I left Rhiannon in her chair (which rocks) and she had rocked herself down so only her shoulders and head remained on the chair. She can also lift her head and shoulders from a lying down position. She's also begun teething...or at least sucking...all the time.

Joaquin's speech continues to grow with leaps and bounds; he is such a great communicator. His favorite colors are blue, green, and pink and he is obsessed with all things construction. He can tell you a backhoe from an excavator to a digger and, right now, he wants a street sweeper for Christmas.

My favorite thing between them right now happens when Rhiannon is upset. Joaquin will come to her in a super syrupy voice and say, "Aw, what's wrong baby girl? Nothing?" The sing-songey tone he uses to say nothing is hilarious.

First laugh/first car accident

Not on the same day, but blessingly close together. First laugh on Monday, 10/17 at 2.5 months old, courtesy of Daddy's tickles:




The car accident happened the day before and she actually slept through it. Thankfully, none of us were hurt although it had the potential to be very, very bad. It definitely makes things like first laughs that much sweeter.

Joaquin is a bit obsessed with car crashes now and talks about them in the car quite a bit. It is so hard to see your child that fearful over something so serious. Beyond that, Joaquin is in another language phase, picking up all kinds of words and playing with them. He said an idea was fabulous and that I loved him verier mucher.

Rhiannon at 2 months

Rhiannon turned 2 months on Wed and like her brother, we celebrated with her first plane ride. Hers was to Portland for a wedding and she did very well. Not quite as invisible as her brother, but happy for both rides. At 2 months, Rhiannon still likes to sleep alot, but we're also getting alot more smiles and talking. I remember Joaquin would make noises that sounded like 'I love you.' Hers sound like 'good' when she is happy. In Portland, we also took her first trip to the beach, which I thought was ironic given her LA birthplace.

Joaquin is doing really well now. We have definitely turned a corner and our sweet little boy is back. He loves his baby sister.

Catching up

This maternity leave feels so different from my first. I'm sure I am romanticizing it, but what I remember with Joaquin are these long stretches of time in the swing singing to him and mentally planting my garden. This time, I feel like it has taken these 8 weeks I've had just to 'catch up' with what should be our normal life. Things like getting through food in the fridge that's been there for a year because it's not something we usually cook. We've also spent some time 'fixing' some bad habits or starting some good ones with Joaquin that we hadn't done because-frankly-we were too tired working. Eating at the table and brushing teeth in the morning are the biggest examples. A friend once told me that it took her 2 weeks to reach some sort of equilibrium in her house after a 2nd child...it has taken us about 2 months for me to feel like I've got it somewhat together...I guess better late than never!

Rhiannon at 6 weeks

Is just starting to give us genuine smiles and they are splendid! Rare, but splendid! She has great control of her head and looks older than she is. I compared her foot to Joaquin's footprint that we made in the concrete when he was 4 months old and they are the same size. People ask me how many months she is instead of how many weeks. And just like Joaquin, I am getting stopped all over to be told what a pretty baby she is. A woman at the doctor's office today actually stopped her phone conversation to tell us. She's still sleeping well, but still only when we hold her or if she is completely and utterly exhausted. She has started to get a little colicky at night, but not too bad. I think she just likes being up and walking around at that time.

Memory is fickle

I know Rhiannon looks different than Joaquin, but I didn't realize how different until I compared their 1 month pics!

Joaquin:













Rhiannon:

Rhiannon at 1 month

Rhiannon was 1 month on Sunday. We went to a Dodger game (they lost) and sat in the sweltering sun for about 20 min. before seeking shade. Thank goodness we were on the 3rd base side where the shade actually came. Rhiannon has very long fingers and very long feet. Her feet art the length of the outside of my thumb and her finger nails have had to have been cut every week so far. She is rolling over 1/2 way regularly and smiles are occasional. She will sleep as long as she is held-even at night. She doesn't cry often-just a complaint to let us know what's wrong and she stops. When I look at her overall, she reminds me of Joaquin and she makes some of the same faces, but when I look feature by feature, they don't look anything alike. She is darker skinned and fairer haired. Her eyes are more almond shaped where his were round and she has my mouth where Joaquin definitely had Gideon's. She is also quieter than Joaquin, which is strange because she coo'ed quite a bit in the hospital, but that has stopped. Overall, an easy, easy baby...we seem to be good at making them :)