8 Weeks Old!

Well, Cecilia has been hard at work practicing her smiles! Mommy and daddy get many of them every day and this past week Uncle Michael and Grandma and Grandpa got a couple as well. She is cooing much more as well practicing those vowel sounds.

Perhaps even more joyous, between 8 and 12 weeks, Cecilia's digestive track should mature enough for gas not to be a bother to her anymore, which should make for a happier Cecilia and a much happier mommy and daddy. Boy are we watching the days for painful gas to be a thing of the past. Plus, then mommy can eat dairy again! Improved head control is the other milestone mommy and daddy are eagerly awaiting.

Since she is awake and alert more now, starting this week we are upping her baths to 2 per week. She LOVES her baths, so she should like this as well.

During Tummy Time she is not only able to lift her head quite well, but also can push her chest up with her arms. It doesn't last long, but progress is progress. She is also getting better at hitting and grasping objects, although we aren't quite there yet. Last Monday she gave mommy a big surprise with another first. Mommy placed her tummy down on her play mat and just went to grab her glass of water and when she came back, Cecilia was on her back! We know it was by accident, but she rolled over Tummy-to-Back for the first time!

Cecilia now much prefers to be held upright rather than cradled. She seems to like TV (God help us) as well as the stained glass windows of the Last Supper at Church and appears to already be a Duke fan (maybe next year she can watch more of the Blue Devils!).

Well, at 8 weeks, Cecilia is now about 22 3/4 inches long and weighs 10 pounds 2 ounces!

Here are some pictures from yesterday and today. Enjoy the cute smile that we have been able to get from her. It's hard to catch it on camera!