Baby, 2 Months, Sleeps Through the Night!

This just in: Baby Anne, just two months old today, sleeps a full 7.5 hours straight.  Parents relieved.  Anne, when asked to comment on the matter, replied, "Gah!"  She later added, "Ohhh."

In other news, one week ago Anne started reliably smiling at anyone who sticks their tongue out at her.  She also makes an attempt at holding a conversation, gooing and gaaing all the live long day.

Anne's issues with gas are now few and far between.  She is generally a pleasant baby when awake as long as Mom and Dad remember to put her down for lots of naps.  She sleeps a lot.  Unfortunately, other than at night time, she seems only capable of sleeping in someone's arms.

Anne visited the Land last weekend for the first time.  She slept in a cabin and fell asleep every night to the wonderful white noise of the waterfall.  She managed the whole weekend with only one black fly bite to the calf.  Max, Anne's only cousin, did not fare so well.  See below for a photo summary of his bites and injuries.

The rest of this week has been spent visiting with Grandma and Grandpa B.  Uncle Conor and Aunt Lyn are also living at the house, so it has been quite the happening place.  It has been wonderful to see the whole family and have so much help with the baby.

Uncle Gus holds Baby Anne

Max with several bug bites, a bonk to the head from a door, and a blackening eye from tipping over the lawn chair he was climbing on.

Max has a fascination with all wheels, big and small

Max and Grandpa G on the "Brrrrr"

Grandma G with her two grandchildren

Smile Update!

I finally managed to capture a smile on camera!

Anne Enjoys the Nice Weather

The weather up until the last couple of days has been just beautiful and Anne, Mom, and Dad have been taking full advantage.  We go on walks as often as we can and Anne seems to like them.  If she is in her stroller she stays wide awake the whole time just looking out at the world.  If she is in her carrier, she sleeps.

With both sets of grandparents visiting over the past few days and taking on some of the care of the baby, Mom and Dad have finally been able to get a few things done around the house and in the backyard.  Thanks grandparents!

Other than that, there is not much to report.  Anne is getting chubbier and more awake every day.  She is excited to meet Uncle Aaron who will be visiting from across the pond on Thursday.

Anne looks out at the world while being burped

I still haven't managed to capture a smile on film yet.  So close!

Anne enjoys the beautiful weather in true Gutoski fashion.

Tulips from Mom's garden

More tulips from Mom's garden.

Car Trip

I have been slacking on the blog entries.  Where does the time go?  It seems like while taking care of Anne we are busy all day long and yet accomplish nothing.  It is, however, rewarding.  Anne is now 5 weeks, 4 days old and is starting to become more than just bodily functions.  She is awake more of the time, looking around and taking in the world.  Today we visited the doctor and Anne weighed in a 10 lbs 10 oz, near the top of the range for her age.  She measures 60 cm long (~2 feet), which is quite long for a baby her age.

We spent the last couple weeks travelling and visiting the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, including Auntie Laura who was visiting from Alberta for a whole week!  Highlights include:

• Two amazing car rides with Anne.  On the way to Grandma and Grandpa G's we made the 5.5+ hour car trip with only one half-hour stop to change and feed Anne.  The rest of the time she slept.  On the way back from Grandma and Grandpa B's we made the entire 5 hour car ride with NO stops.  Anne slept right up until the last half hour, during which we fed her and then endured 10 heart-wrenching minutes of crying while we were stuck in traffic.
• Anne meeting most of the extended family members on both sides on Easter Sunday.  Unfortunately she was extremely fussy that day and so did not put on the greatest show.  
• A visit from our friends Pam and Jamie.  Pam (the baby-whisperer) showed us how to magically calm Anne by holding her and doing squats.  This has led to much relief from crying and lots of muscle pain.  :) 
• Max learned to say Anne's name ("AnAnAnAn") although he didn't quite master Aunt "Sue" or Aunt "Lo".  Max also learned to do squats just like Aunt Sue and Uncle Jeff.
• Grandma B claiming that Anne intentionally smiled at her (for the first time) on Monday.  Jeff claimed the same on Tuesday.  I'm pretty sure that they are mistaken and that she intentionally smiled at Mom for the first time on Wednesday.

Almost everyone was sick during the trip, so the rest of the time was spent taking care of babies, watching movies, and playing Innovation (a new card game that Gus and Greta introduced us to).

Here are some photos for your enjoyment:

Home-made diaper bag FINALLY finished

Auntie Lo and Baby Anne

Sleepy time

Anne awake!

Anne and Grandma G

The official Steelers fan club

Tulips in Mom's garden

Anne just after a theoretically-intentional smile at Mom on Wednesday