Month 8: Lil Chomper

Lexi my sweets,

December is always a month full of ups and downs - there's the excitement and buildup to Christmas, treats, get-togethers, and beautiful lights, but the days keep getting shorter and a little bit of seasonal sadness always sets in with the lack of sunshine. Your eighth month in this world was full of ups and downs, too. Your smile keeps getting bigger (and toothier), and your abilities are growing exponentially, but so is your capacity for mood changes. You're certainly good at letting Mommy and Daddy know when you're not a happy camper.

A highlight of this month was the interest you took in food. Your manual dexterity keeps improving, and you're able to pick up tiny pieces of food with a pincer grip. No longer does the majority of your meal land to your sides (and on your shoulders), but now you're digesting enough food to make solid, real-people poops. Gross, I know. But it's true! Sidebar: you hate pooping. 

Your favourite foods? Sweet potato, banana, tomato, chicken, salmon, spaghetti squash and tomato sauce, avocado, carrots, eggs, meatballs, lettuce, lemons, limes... and broccoli! If there's chicken and broccoli in front of you, you have a difficult time deciding which one to pick first. You'll pick either, though, over any other food. The little broccoli sprouts manage to find their way into every possible skin fold near your hands - I've even found broccoli in your thigh creases. Yum!

You're even more talkative now, waking up early in the morning just cooing like crazy. Those mornings are beautiful - it's like you're singing us a wake up tune, and I couldn't think of a better alarm clock. Although, sweetie, 5 am wakeup calls are a little bit premature. I didn't mind so much the morning of December 14, when you perfected your "m" consonant and a singsong "mamamamama" came from your bassinet. It's not consistent, but you say it almost every day now and it melts my heart. 

Not only are you talkative, you're way more mobile. You've been working on crawling for a good month now, and although we kept saying you'd have it by Christmas, you're still trying to perfect your crawling rhythm. Right now, you're very capable of dragging your body across the floor if you have something to pull on, like carpet. Otherwise, you get up onto your hands and toes, do a sort of plank with your bum high up in the air, then let your hips sway from one side to the other. Sometimes you nose-dive into the ground; other times, you sit your bum down and find something to chew on. Once you get that knee bend in there, you'll be unstoppable!

You're really discovering cause and effect. Your daddy and I were given a couple of balloons last month - one from Kim for our two year anniversary, and one from your great auntie Norma to celebrate your six month birthday. Both balloons were tied to strings, and you were fascinated by the way the balloon bobbed towards you when you pulled the string towards your face. I was fascinated by your fascination... and secretly I kept waiting for a balloon to pop in your face. Mom of the year, I know. 

You also experienced a little bit of independence from Mommy this month. I had surgery on my gums at the beginning of December, and I left you with Grandma L for an entire day. I was so nervous, worried, and upset, but on the way to Calgary for the surgery, God gave me His assurance that all would be well - I saw the most beautiful sun dog in the sky. Whenever I see a rainbow, I know that God is promising me He is with me and those I love. That gave me so much peace, and the surgery went very well. When I returned home, I opened the door and called "hello!" Grandma L says that the moment you heard my voice, your eyes lit up, your ears perked up, and you immediately began scrambling up her, trying to climb over her so you could see me. That was one of the best feelings in the world: knowing that you had an amazing day with your grandma, but knowing that you missed me, too. I sure missed you a heck of a lot. 

December is a very exciting month for your daddy because he begins ice fishing. We've already taken you out a number of times, and you've gotten to witness both your mommy and daddy pull big Northern pike out of Jamieson lake. We love pulling you around on the ice in a little sled lent to us by a friend and enjoying the chilly December days together.  

Finally, the month of December was punctuated by a terrific first Christmas. I think you were more excited about the wrapping paper as Mommy wrapped presents than anything else, but it was a blessing for the rest of us to have a baby (well, two - your cousin, as well) to spoil. Some favourite gifts you received include a teddy bear that you're already gnawing on lovingly, a fantastic folding camping high chair, bath toys, and twelve pairs of pyjamas. Yes, twelve!

Little Loops, you keep learning and growing. I get frustrated and cranky with your inability to sleep longer than two hours, but somehow, my love for you keeps growing as you develop in so many different ways. I love you forever.

Love,

Mama

Month 6: Half a Year

My sweets,

Six months ago, your daddy and I were gifted with the most amazing present. You. Your round little face and sweet nursing cheeks, your twin death stabbers (that's right, month 6 saw the advent of your second tooth), your enormous, playful grin, and the heartbreaking pouty lower lip. You're gorgeous; you're beautiful; you drive me nuts sometimes.

You change so quickly that sometimes I don't notice it until I look back at how things used to be. One of the most poignant examples of this is your grasp. All of the sudden, I noticed that you grasped things very deliberately, and were able to move objects from one hand to the other. It's not like you all of the sudden began doing this; your ability to do so developed so gradually that I didn't even notice it happening until all of the sudden you weren't aiming and missing - you were consistently grabbing whatever was placed in front of you (purposefully or not. Let's not talk about those two cups of coffee you spilt within four days...)

Everything you do has purpose now. I can put two toys in front of you, and you'll show preference for one of them. One of your favourites is your little yellow Angel Care baby toothbrush that I bought off eBay. Something tells me I should buy a few more, in the case that we ever lose this one - you'll gnaw away at it for hours (okay, maybe not hours, but longer than most toys!) You're also a big fan of beer bottles and beer cans - obviously, Daddy discovered this penchant, not me. Soothing on your gums, we say. We really know, though, that you're probably going to love beer just as much as your daddy does. But not until you're eighteen years old.

You're a babbler. In the mornings, you'll lie in your bassinet and babble until I come get you - and that's when a gigantic smile spreads across your gorgeous little face. You like talking to your toys, sometimes, too - either that, or putting them in your mouth (or kissing them, like the exersaucer flower that you so lovingly caress.)

You're a mover. You roll all around; I can't leave you alone for more than a few seconds now, or else you'll roll off the couch (yup, that happened - I win mom of the year. You were absolutely fine - you barely even cried) or roll into the couch (that little scenario resulted in a little bit more crying. I couldn't help but just watch you for a few seconds before scooping you up into my arms - you were so cute!) You've discovered your toes, too. I love watching you when you're lying on your back, bringing your toes to your mouth and excitedly gnawing on them.

We started you on solids at about 5.5 months, "solids" consisting of finger-size sticks of sweet potato, avocado, or banana. We've chosen a method of solids called "baby led feeding", which means that we don't feed you - you feed yourself. Over the past half a month, we've watched you grasp, miss, squeeze, squish, gag on, and throw your food - you've only really begun to get good at actually gnawing and perhaps swallowing every now and again. It's hilarious to watch, and suppertime usually ends with Daddy clearing up the kitchen and me giving you a bath.

We still find banana behind your ears every once in a while.

Love,

Mama

Month 5: Sickness and the Death Stabber

My Sweets,

As I write this, you are slipping in and out of wakefulness, rocking side to side in your swing. You are suffering from an upper respiratory viral infection, conjunctivitis in your eyes, and a hoarse throat. And I feel awful. I took you to the doctor's office this morning after a particularly rough night; your scary, hoarse cough kept Daddy and I awake more than you, though. By 5:00 in the morning, I'd put you in your swing to keep you sitting up, and I finally managed to capture a few hours' sleep on the couch. I refused to give in to fear, as tempting as it was to rush you to the emergency room in the middle of the night. But your spirits were high. You're crying and grumbling more than usual, but who doesn't complain, whine, and moan when they're not feeling well? The hardest part for me is watching you deal with your sickness without the ability to express yourself in words. I want to make you better. I want you to feel okay. I want so badly for this sickness to pass.

Although this illness has marked the end of your fifth month of life and is bringing us into your sixth, it's far overshadowed by the progress you've shown throughout September. That hoarse voice? I'm surprised it took an illness to get so hoarse. You're a screamer. You love letting the world know that you're happy. We have to whisper to you to temper your boisterous calls; how else do you teach a baby that screaming is just not necessary? But it's so cute... so sometimes we encourage it. Don't tell Papa, though... your screaming is one thing he just doesn't like.

Not only are you screaming, but you're babbling. Mornings are the best. Sometimes, when you wake just as your mom and dad are stirring, you engage in conversation. You're happily cooing to yourself (or to us, but who knows) and those sounds of some of the sweetest noises I've ever heard. I love the expression in your voice; your vocal range is phenomenal (see: screaming, as detailed above.) Neither your mama or dad are particularly loud or talkative (especially not your dad), so it's a mystery where you got your voice from. But it's beautiful, nonetheless.

Vocally, September began out with one of the sweetest sounds I've ever heard - a giggle escaping your throat as I played a little game with you. I haven't been able to get you to giggle again all month, which is heartbreaking, but your daddy is good at getting a giggle to escape here and there. I really hope that's a noise that we get a little bit more familiar with as the fall continues. 

Your mama started working at Inferno Fitness, a local gym, twice a week this month. I drag you along, where you're looked after in the back room by a child care provider with a bunch of other kids. There's one other little girls your age, and you're becoming more and more interested by other kids. Your world doesn't solely revolve around you and your parents anymore - you're curious in other people, and it's such a delight to watch you hold out your hands and lean towards others in curiosity.

September saw the advent of the "death stabber" as we so lovingly refer to it - that's right, your first tooth. It's your bottom left tooth, and it's sharp as can be. I think Natalie gave your tooth that moniker, and it's quite fitting - I'm pretty sure you'd be able to draw blood with that thing. You've been drooling crazily for the past week or so, so I'm assuming that its partner in crime is on its way. You love chewing on our fingers to numb your aching gums.

In other embarrassing news (I'm sure you'll love me for this one), I just have to share a poop story. Pooping takes up a significant portion of time in an infant's life, so why not discuss it? You used to poop only when you were breastfeeding, but now it happens at any given time, usually when you're dressed to the nines and we're just about to head out the door. That happens about twice a week. One day at suppertime, you were sitting in your high chair between Daddy and I. Usually supper time involves high pitched squeals on your part as you chew on plastic toys (we're not starting you on solids until six months), but this particular day, you were a little quieter, more concentrated. For about fifteen minutes, the only noise you emitted was a low pitched grumble as you stared forward. For fifteen minutes, Daddy and I watched you in your intense state of concentration. I bet your dad that you were pooping, and lo and behold, I was right. Daddy got to change that diaper. I hope I never forget the sound you made or the expression on your face, because it was hilarious. You make us laugh daily.

You're still rolling over crazily, and you've been showing an interest in crawling, but digging your heels into the ground isn't something you're capable of doing quite yet. You want it though; you want it badly. If I leave you on the floor long enough to try a few times, you end up high-centered (as your daddy puts it) with arms and legs kicking. Sweetie, you're just not going anywhere yet. Hopefully not for a while, either - I'm not ready to start chasing you around the house. Please just stay in my arms a little while longer?

Finally, this fifth month has been marked by an increasing interest in the toys attached to your jumparoo and exersaucer - if you're having a good day, I can leave you in your exersaucer for an entire hour while I prepare supper. I love watching you concentrate on a little plastic flower or bug, and sometimes you mash your hand down on the exersaucer's keyboard so it makes this horrible, stuck-electronic sound - but it doesn't seem to bother you one bit. You just look up at me as if to say, "mama, is this music?" No, dear, it's not. Please, let you have inherited my musical side and not your father's tone-deafness. Like I said, on a good day, that exersaucer will keep you entertained for upwards of an hour, but if you're a little bit fussy, I find myself constantly moving you around to find a position that suits your fancy. Don't like being in the exersaucer? Let's try your little pink playmat. Don't want to be on your back? You roll yourself over to your tummy. Oh, that position isn't pleasing? How about your swing? Nope? Okay, snack time it is, in mama's arms. I'm sad that some day the little bundle of you won't fit into my arms anymore, so I'll revel in it as long as I possibly can.

Love,

Mama