Smiles, Rattles and Pushups Galore

It's hard to believe that Madeleine is already two months old. Our little girl is growing so quickly! Over the past few weeks, Madeleine has reached a couple of important developmental milestones. She has started displaying a "social smile," one that has some intent behind it as opposed to being the result of random facial contortions or gas. It's enough to melt your heart. It is also extremely difficult to capture on film, but here are a couple of early attempts:

Here she is, grinning as she tries to convince me that I shouldn't believe everything I read:

Madeleine also has started to hold objects in her hands. While at first we had to pry her tiny fingers open and place the object in her palm, she now reaches for objects and has a good strong grip. Her favorite toy is a small silver rattle that I had as a baby, which my mom said I "hand hammered" by repeatedly hitting it against my crib. It's the perfect size for Madeleine's tiny hands. Here are a few action photos:

Last but not least, Madeleine has started to lift her head when she is placed on her stomach. My theory is that she already knows the Upward Facing Dog pose because she attended prenatal yoga classes with me regularly:

Madeleine had a chance to show off all of her accomplishments in front of her Grandpa and Grandmaman this month, who came all the way from Tucson, Arizona for their second visit since Madeleine's birth. Here is Madeleine showing off her smile to Grandpa:

And here she is posing with Grandmaman:

Grandmaman made Madeleine a beautiful smocked outfit, complete with bonnet. The hand smocking is simply gorgeous, and the bonnet is perfect for keeping the blazing Atlanta sun out of Madeleine's eyes:

Last but not least, Madeleine is finally making some headway with our dogs, Winston and Milo. Winston has finally decided that he is going to guard and protect her instead of eating her for dinner. Milo is still waiting for the day that Madeleine starts throwing Cheerios on the ground:

Now for the downside of turning two months old -- Madeleine has her first vaccinations tomorrow. Needless to say, I am dreading the experience. Let's hope Madeleine does not share her mother's fear of needles!