Week 14: Leaps and Bounds

Lexi,

You disappointed Daddy last night. When I placed you in your bassinet after nursing you to sleep, your arms didn't drift above their head like they usually do when you fall asleep. Right now you're asleep, and your arms are tucked down by your sides. It's funny how these seemingly inconsequential things add to our love for you, and we miss them as they drift away.

Although your miniature squeaks, blue eyes, and your fuzzy ears are all gone (you squeal instead of squeak, your eyes are slowly turning brown, and that adorable ear fuzz... well, I just noticed today that it's no longer there) you keep surprising us with new developments. You're definitely teething, as your fist is in your mouth more often than not. You like gnawing on anything you can get your hands on, and you're not a stranger to grabbing a clump of my hair and bringing it gleefully to your mouth. Oh, that mouth. When something tickles your fancy, it erupts into a gigantic smile, giving way for both fists and a gnawing session. I love it. LOVE it. I absolutely adore watching you break into smiles. It seems like only a few weeks ago I was afraid that you'd never smile (mothers have the craziest fears sometimes!) All I have to do to get you to smile if you're having a rough go is pump your legs quickly and say, "booga booga booga booga booga!" No matter how many tears are falling, a smile always ensues.

Back to gnawing. My good friend Beth gave you Sophie the Giraffe as a shower gift, and you love gnawing on her little giraffe nubbins (those things beside the ears - what are they called?) It's pretty amazing to watch you actually grasp her with your hands. You even managed to throw her on the ground today. Another thing I love watching is every time I pull a shirt over your head (something that used to cause me anxiety cause, you know, baby heads are so soft and delicate) you reach up to the fabric with both hands, grab a fistful, and start gnawing on the cotton. You little munchkin you!

This past weekend we made our very first family trip to the mountains and if anything is certain, it's that you love the fresh air. You slept so hard that I had to wake you to feed you. Normally I wouldn't, but Daddy and I left you with Grandma L (with - seriously - three 4-oz bottles of breastmilk, just in case) for 5 hours so that we could go on a rZr trip, and although I brought along my pump it wasn't working properly and I really didn't feel like hand expressing milk at that point so I decided that missing one feeding wouldn't cause me too much trouble. Let me tell you, it took the next 12 hours to get my breasts back on track! I missed you so much while we were on our rZr trip and was happy to see your smiling (well, probably crying) face when we returned. I miss you so much when we're apart, which isn't that often. I don't know how I'm going to handle going back to work in nine months...

Baby girl, you're making leaps and bounds. You're smiling like crazy, squealing to insanely high pitches, and nearly rolling over - I bet it will happen in the next month. I love watching you learn and grow, and I love scooping you up when you've had enough and decide to express your frustration. My arms will always be a safe place for you, my precious baby girl.

Love,

Mama