"2 Months"

Sweet Ellison Anne is 2 months old as of a few days ago. I would like to say that we are getting into a routine, but unfortunately, the routine that we were just starting has gotten thrown off with Elijah Brooks' accident. So right now, we are in major "survival mode" and just trying to make it from one hour to the next. Ellison has reflux and doesn't want to be put down, and Elijah Brooks can't get up - so that is quite a dilemma for a mom. Both of my children are helpless right now which presents many challenges, but we are all having to be patient with each other as we are doing the best we can to get through a day.  All of that to say, we have no schedule right now!  That is hard for me since I thrive on a predictable schedule...., but I am having to surrender that desire and just accept that this is where God has us for this time of our lives. Every moment of every day is exactly what He would have me doing, and I am trying to keep that perspective in my fatigue.

Okay, on to the main reason I started this post!  Ellison is 2 months old and growing so quickly.  She weighs 13.3 lbs and is 24 3/4 inches long now - 97% percentile for both - just like her brother was! She is smiling, cooing, and I think I almost heard a laugh today. She doesn't have much hair, but the little she has appears to be strawberry blond.  Everyone calls her a "Redhead", but I am not sure I would go that far just yet.  The jury is still out on that one. She has finally gotten used to her carseat and doesn't scream anymore. She still cries occasionally while we are riding, but it is not that scream like she is being tortured anymore. Her daytime sleep is not regulated yet, but I believe that is because of her reflux. Reflux continually interrupts her sleep, so we are trying to get that under control. We have tried 1 medicine already for 5 weeks and it did not help at all - might as well have been giving her water. So, we are in the process of switching medicine and hopefully she will have relief soon. When she is not hurting from her reflux episode, she is happy as she can be. She rolled over from tummy to back at exactly 8 weeks. I was not expecting her to be able to do that so soon. She still sleeps on her tummy and is sleeping through the night - anywhere between 7-10 hours before her next feeding.  I am shocked - wasn't expecting that either - and I really pray it continues! She has only done a 10 hour stretch a few times, but 7-8 is pretty consistent. She has been doing this for about 3 weeks now. I think with everything else going on right now, this is God's special grace to us. She loves music, and enjoys laying in her bed just listening to her CD's. When she gets overstimulated, that is something she enjoys doing - it is soothing to her. She doesn't like to be put in the Ergo carrier, but once she is in and snug against my chest, she calms down and falls asleep. She still does not like a pacifier. I have tried about 8 different ones and I think I have finally come to the conclusion that she just doesn't like paci's! Oh, and I have to note that she LOVES her big brother.  He can comfort her and calm her down better than anyone else - especially in the car. He will usually sing, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" or "Jesus Loves Me".  He will say often, "It's okay Ellison, you don't have to worry or be afraid". Today, I heard him say, "Mommy, take care of Ellison while I'm gone"!

Here are some pictures of Ellison Anne at 2 months.