Baby Ginny: 2 Months Old

Virginia Charlotte Helquist was named after our maternal grandmothers.  She'll meet my grandmother, her Great-Grammy Virginia, when we visit Arizona in March.  Anders' beloved grandmother Charlotte died two years ago and is greatly missed.  We think our daughter's name is beautiful.

She goes by Ginny mostly, but we revert to "Virginia" whenever we feel like she needs a reminder of her full name.  I love calling her Virginia because it's beautiful and I love calling her Ginny because it's adorable.

Most common nickname: Ginny-Mini.  Others: Ginny-Mini-Moo (usually in a sing-song followed by "Ginny I love you"), Gin-Gin, Ginny-Bug, and occasionally Ginny-Midget and Ginny-Bitty.  Also today I was calling her Gingerbread.  I also sing "Virginia" to the tune of "Tradition" from Fiddler on the Roof.

She is now two months old, and resembles her daddy in looks.  We were going through Anders' baby pictures, and a few of them could be Ginny.  Without a doubt she has his eyes.  She also has one mommy ear and one daddy ear.  My ears are pinched at the top so they're kinda pointy like elf ears.  Ginny's left ear is pinched, and her right ear is normal.  How awesome is that?

So far she's a well-behaved and emotionally secure baby.  We are pretty spoiled.  She sleeps great at night.  At first she slept in a bassinet in our bedroom, but that feels like a long time ago now.  Now she's in the crib in her nursery.  She has fussy days every once in a while that I'm beginning to associate with physical and/or cognitive growth spurts, but most of the time she's content, and only cries to get fed or changed or held.  She likes to cuddle.  I'm so relieved and thrilled that she likes to cuddle.  I like to cuddle too.

One of my favorite things in the world is Ginny's pouty face.  Which is mean of course, but perfectly justified since her pouty face is so stinkin' cute.  I laugh at it every time.  She also has a frowny face that we see quite a lot, when she looks at new people or studies interesting objects (such as light fixtures).  Newer than the frown: the smile.  A big, bright, fabulous smile that will just melt you right into a puddle.

When Ginny was born, the pediatrician on call diagnosed her with hip dysplasia and fitted her with a Pavlik harness.  Three conditions increase the likelihood for hip dysplasia: if the baby is 1.) first-born, 2.) female, 3.) breeched.  Ginny was, of course, all three.  The doctor told us she might have to wear the harness for two to four months.  The thing was made of cloth straps and velcro, and it worked simply by keeping her knees at right angles.   There was nothing painful or uncomfortable about it for Ginny.  We were very happy to get the harness because if left untreated, hip dysplasia can require surgery later in life.  But we were even happier when they checked her again and told us her hip was a-okay and the harness could come off after less than five weeks.  From that point on, two experiences became immensely more satisfying: 1.) holding her, and 2.) dressing her in cute outfits.

Her two-month appointment is Wednesday (shots! noooooo!), so I'll have updates on her measurements then.  But I can tell you she is packing on the pounds, and in the words of Stuart MacKenzie, has a huge noggin!  She was born at 7 lbs 10 oz, and at four weeks was up to 10 lbs, and her head circumference was in the 86th percentile.