Week 11: Smiles Galore

Lexi,

Right now Daddy is putting on your jammies. You just had a bath and rocked out completely naked for a few minutes until your wailing told us you were ready for bedtime. You were so good during your bath tonight; you actually smiled a few times. Sure beats the first few tear-filled baths we gave you! This week you also began sucking furiously on your first. I'm hoping that you don't find your thumb, but it's starting to look inevitable.

On a whim, I took out the jumparoo from storage - it's a bouncy chair that makes noise and flashes lights if you make enough movements. I didn't think you were quite ready for it, but the moment I put you in it and pressed the big blue button, your eyes lit up and you kept yourself entertained for quite a while. For the first few weeks of your existence, you couldn't stand more than three or four minutes at one activity - today, I had you laying on your playmat for a solid hour - you just kept batting away at the big pink bird overhead. I love watching you interact with your environment. This, my love, is the most phenomenal experience of my life.

I'm not sure exactly how child development works, but whatever changes your mind and body have gone through over the past few weeks have resulted in this absolutely incredible kid with whom I love spending time. Not that I didn't love spending time with you before; it's just that now, you respond to me. You look at me, you react to me... and you smile constantly. It doesn't take much to get you to smile, either - all I have to do is say "yeah!" over and over, and your mouth breaks into this heartmelting grin that I just know will eventually break into giggles. I'm anticipating your giggles, because your squeals are the sweetest sounds I've ever heard. I bet you'll be competition with Mariah Carey someday with your vocal range - you have the highest pitched squeals I've ever heard come out of a baby. And I just know when you read this as a teenager, you're going to roll your eyes and say, "Mom? Mariah Carey? Who was that?"

A teenager. It's hard to believe you're going to be a teenager someday. I look into your eyes and I see a big, wide, open road ahead of us. I pray daily that I do the best I can so that you are happy and fulfilled, but I definitely stumble every day along the way. It's definitely a learning process, but I think I'm liking it so far because I'm already looking forward to the possibility of giving you a brother or a sister someday. Not anytime soon, but I think I'm liking this mothering thing.

Let's see how I feel as you gear up for your next big growth spurt.

Lots of love,

Mama

Week 10: On Cuteness and Hero Poop

Lexi,





Good morning my sweet baby girl! You're passed out on my chest which is wonderful because you've proven to be not much of a cuddler. Selfishly, your father and I wish that you were, and maybe someday you will be, but what you need right now is movement. Constant movement. If we stop moving, you start wailing. It's kind of unbelievable that you eventually fall asleep in my arms every night because I don't have to rock you to sleep or anything. 

This week you had your first round of immunizations. I'm so glad Daddy came because I wouldn't have been able to handle it on my own. You screamed when the nurse plunges those needles into your chubby little thighs, but Daddy held on tight and cuddled you like crazy while the nurse rang a bell in your face. Seriously? A bell? I guess it was meant to distract you from your discomfort but it only added to the chaos of the situation. I have you Tylenol for the first time that afternoon because you seemed so uncomfortable... and you slept for seven hours that night. SEVEN! O know that won't happen again for a long time, so thank you!

Speaking of sleeping, the other night when I went to bed, Daddy decided to copy your favoured sleeping stance - on your back, arms above your head. Seriously, it's one of the cutest things you do. I don't want to ever forget that part of you - but I know there are things about you that I will forget, and that's one of the saddest things in the world. Anyways, at this point, I can't decide if you're cuter asleep or awake. I think it's a tie. 

Your wakefulness has been an avenue for us to observe many changes this past week, the most obvious being your interactivity. You chatter constantly and look at everything around you. While you aren't quite grabbing things with your hand, you are beginning to show interest in them and swat at them. You're also smiling like crazy, an those smiles let Daddy and I know every day what a happy little girl you are. 

You know what else makes you happy? Poop. You love pooping. You're so happy after a good poop! Twice this week you introduced us to what I have dubbed "hero poops"mostly because changing one of those diapers is a heroic feat. I can't believe that much poop could come out of you in one go. I can't believe that much poop is stored INSIDE of you? Where do you fit it all, little girl? As Natalie exclaimed, "there was literally a full CUP of poop in her diaper." As tempting as it was to break out the old measuring cup, I think a visual guesstimate was accurate enough. And as long as poopy diapers mean you're eating, digesting, and growing, well, keep those hero poops coming. 

Love,

Mama

Week 9: This Too Shall Pass

Lexi,

Wow... what a rough week. You've been tanking up for a growth spurt, and very, very needy. Your momma's not been feeling so great, so that combined with a fussy baby has made this a week for the books. Above it all, though, you are so beautiful and amazing - I've had a lot of the guilty, "I'm not good enough at this mothering thing" feelings this week. I know they'll pass and that I'm doing the best that I can... I just have to keep plugging through the hard times! You haven't been particularly fussy... Mama's just not 100% this week!

Monday marked two months of your presence in this world! It was Canada Day, and I took you to Rosemary to watch the parade. You got lots and lots of cuddles... and sunshine! We spent hours in your godfather John's grandmother's backyard. I tried to keep you in the shade all day because it was sweltering out. The next day the temperature rose to 40 degrees - we spent the whole day in air conditioning and relaxed! 

You had your first ball game on Wednesday night. You were so well behaved in the dugout. I wonder what kind of sports you're going to play when you get older... I wonder what your interests are going to be, what kind of music you're going to listen to... you're already changing and growing so much, and this is just the beginning. 

Right now you're asleep on your daddy's chest and it's so adorable. Usually you're pretty fussy in the evenings but tonight has been such a blessing. I love it when you're cuddly. 

Love,

Mama