Leap 2 – the world’s most beautiful smile

Hi, my name is Danielle. As a brand-new mom or dad, you’ve read all about them – the leaps. Horror stories about sleepless nights, endless crying, non-stop cluster feeding or, on the other hand, not drinking enough. We’ve all been there, seen that, done that! Fortunately, among the many tales, there are also wonderful stories and lovely experiences to share. Because, oh boy, it’s sometimes just so daunting!

We couldn’t imagine Freya suddenly turning from a sweet, cuddly and cheerful baby into a terror baby, but you never know and so we braced ourselves!

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Leap 1

The first leap was actually a piece of cake for us. The fussy phase wasn’t a bother at all, our little darling was just her usual relaxed and calm self. We noticed that Freya increasingly began to take note of the things around her, she began to observe what was happening, she was able to recognize various voices and increasingly tried to look in the direction of sounds. Actually, all very nice!

Like a clockwork

After Freya’s first leap manifested itself exactly on the predicted date, we were curious to see whether that would be the case again with her second leap. And yes, indeed, like a clockwork, Freya started on her second leap on the very day the app displayed the message. 

Leap 2 was ushered in with a sincere, real-deal, huge smile. I was standing in the parking lot at the grocery store, ready to lift Freya out of the car, and there it was, the most beautiful, biggest smile I’ve ever seen, while her beautiful eyes twinkled mischievously at me. I believe the entire parking lot became aware of this huge gift I was treated to, but that didn’t matter to me at all, I was fit to cry happy tears!

"Ever since that first huge, bubbly laugh in the parking lot, Freya hasn't stopped laughing".

The not-so-fussy phase

Leaps are actually supposed to start off with a fussy phase, but once again, Freya seemed to skip this phase. However, what was different, was that she now suddenly wanted to be nursed every two hours instead of every three hours. At night, she only wanted to drink once instead of twice, which was, of course, very pleasant. 

We did notice that she needed to suck more, so the pacifier, or the “dummy” as we call it, made its appearance.

Once again, we were spared the fussy phase, but we saw a very big difference in terms of the skills of leap 2.

Chatting and laughing

Freya has discovered her voice. Whenever my husband and I talk to each other, she comments, and she also likes to “chat” while we are reading aloud to her. It’s very funny how she seems to follow the intonation of our voice! Having “conversations” with her is now really fun, and the three of us really enjoy this new phase very much. 

Ever since that first huge, bubbly laugh in the parking lot, Freya hasn’t stopped laughing. When someone looks at her, they can immediately expect a big return smile. Our little charmer! Somewhat less convenient is that she likes to smile while I am nursing her. And since my let-down reflex is quite strong, this can cause some rather strange scenes…

From steps to leaps!

The rattle that wasn’t so captivating at first, but now it is the best thing ever and she is very keen to follow it. Sometimes she even tries to grab it and hold it for a moment. 

Lying on her back is suddenly for babies and not for big girls like her! Freya wants to get up! With a bit of help, she can pull herself up by holding on to our fingers and manages to stay upright… all a-wobble, though. Just long enough to get a kiss, and then she drops again. Lying on her stomach is suddenly fun, and kicking her feet against stuff to make a noise will churn out even more little belly laughs. 

We have entered a completely different phase with the second leap and probably enjoy it even more than we already did. We are really looking forward to the third leap and everything that Freya and we can discover in the course of it. 

Are you following the leaps?

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