Fussy Evenings

Irene continues to be a remarkably mellow baby during the day. She is generally very happy, naps quite a bit, and makes cute noises. All this usually changes at night, when she inexplicably turns into an unhappier baby, easily upset and crying a fair amount. With lots of gentle bouncing and jiggling, she usually remains only moderately unhappy. But after that stretch, which seems to have become a little shorter since her first month, she usually goes to sleep easily and sleeps a long stretch. Apparently all this fussing consumes quite a bit of energy. Even though the fussy period is no picnic, the long stretch of sleep we can get while she gets hers is of course very welcome!

Irene is also happy with her sources of entertainment, such as her swing. She is also quite happy in her gymini, where she gets plenty entertainment from her big brother, who loves to visit and spend time with his little sister.

Flu Shots

September was the month of the flu shots. Not so much because we got one, but much more because of all the hubbub in the news about the vaccine. A reported shortage of vaccines resulted in a stampede in which everyone and his brother (particularly elder brothers) tried to get a shot. Fortunately, Alex got his shot before it was known there was a shortage of vaccines (for the record, Alex did not consider this fortunate). Irene was too young to get one, so Rob and Cindy were recommended to get one. Their first attempt to get one stranded in a see of grey... The local supermarket had apparently attracted the entire geriatric population of Columbia. Literally all aisles were filled with the elderly, the first 400 of which would get a flu shot, so Rob and Cindy left without a shot. Fortunately, Rob managed to find flu shots for him and Cindy at the doctor's office where he was found not to be insane (this was a necessary requirement for Rob's greencard application). Hopefully that will help keep Irene healthy.

The Godmother

At the end of September Sheila, Irene's godmother-to-be (see also Irene's baptism), and Jen came to visit. It was a great and relaxed weekend!

Two Month Checkup

Irene Maaike's second month checkup went smoothly (except of course for the much hated inoculations). She is still growing fast, and was quite a bit taller and heavier than other babies her age (see her weight and length charts). Apparently her weight was a bit on the doctor's mind, given that he said: 'Well of course she's a big girl, but you can't be fat when you're breastfed.' Cindy also asked about Irene's evening fussiness. The doctor said this was likely colic, and this should typically subside by the time she is three months old. We'll see.