Month 4: Finding Yourself

My Sweets,

My little Lobster

That's actually Daddy's nickname for you. He has quite a few: My Sweets, Lexi Loopity Poopity Bear, and Varmint Milt to name a few. Don't ask me about that last one... as you'll grow to see, your father is fond of nonsense words. That's one of the adorable parts about him. I wonder how much of his silliness you'll inheret? Hopefully a lot, because this world is a tough one and it's even more difficult if you can't face day to day with a sense of humour.

Post-bathtime

Life has gotten too busy for me to write weekly updates, so I decided that monthly will have to do. What has Month 4 brought us? Well, you began showing an interest in grasping things - your bunny, blankets, teething rings, and Mommy and Daddy's fingers. As the month progressed, you became more and more accurate as you brought things to your mouth. It's so incredible to watch your accuracy improve. For a while, you got a little bit boring (sorry, but all you were doing was nursing and crying for a few weeks!) but through all that fussiness, your brain was actually growing the capacity to allow you to do really interesting things. And they only got more interesting as the month progressed!

Sweet thinker

Not only are you grasping things extremely well now, you're also showing us that you have quite the voice. The squealing that began emerging in your third month of life has now turned to full on screams of joy. Especially in the mornings, you love singing (well, screaming) us your morning wakeup song with a huge smile on your face. Mornings are such a joyful time for you; as the day wanes on, you get crankier and crankier.

Rooting... on Daddy. Seriously.

Another milestone this month? Rolling over. You managed to roll from your tummy to your back on Wednesday, August 14 at Kersey's house. I didn't expect back to tummy to come for another few months, but on Monday, August 26, you decided to show your great grandmother Nannoo (Lillian Gallant, your grandfather Gallant's mother) that you were capable of some pretty acrobatic feats. We have footage of your very first back to front rollover and I'm pretty grateful to have captured it on film.

You adore hole-y blankets.

Grasping, screaming, rolling over... this month has been a busy one. Through it all, you've packed on a few pounds. I'm not sure exactly how much you weigh as we haven't been to the doctor since your two month checkup, but we're heading there this upcoming Friday and I'm confident you're chunking up for all the crawling you'll inevitably doing in a short while. You've grown out of your newborn and 0-3 month clothes; even some of your 3-month clothing is getting a little snug. Thankfully, we're able to share your cute little duds with some friends - Amanda's little girl Lakelyn, and Lindsay's sweet daughter Farrah. I think it's so fantastic that Mommy and Daddy's friends have had little girls in the same year that you were born; there are so many friends for you. Right now, you're more interested in interacting with adults who can hold you and respond to you - we'll leave the little friends for when you're a bit older.

Pure concentration

Lexi, you topped off a fantastic fourth month with your very first plane ride, and you were amazing. You didn't cry once on any flight, and you got a ton of compliments about your cuteness as we travelled from Calgary to Ottawa so that you could meet your Mama's parents your uncle Louis. Grammy and Grandpa Gallant and Uncle Louis were absolutely thrilled to meet you... I think they secretly wish they lived closer so that they could watch you grow in person instead of on Facetime and Skype. Maybe one day your Mama's parents and brother will be closer. Maybe you'll even have cousins on the Gallant side of your family someday.

With Grammy Gallant

During our Ontario trip, you got to meet a ton of Mama's cousins, aunts, and uncles, your great grandmother Gallant (Nannoo), and Mama's great friends Dayna, Julie, and their kids. You dipped your feet in the Ottawa River at Norway Bay in Quebec, the cottage country where your Mama spent her childhood summers. You were so well behaved and pleasant during the whole trip and for that I'm very grateful! Once we landed back in Calgary, we drove straight to the Crowsnest Pass to see Grandma and Papa Liboiron. After a week and a half on the road, you almost slept through the night during your first night back in your bassinet... you're a great traveler, little girl!

Daddy, Mama and Lexi at Norway Bay, Quebec

I am amazed as I watch you learn and grow. Your shrieks, your drooly little fists, your gummy smile... it's all beautiful. I think I've shared this sentiment before, but I'll repeat it again... baby, I love watching you grow up and I can't wait to see who you'll become... but I wish I could freeze these moments in time.

Love,

Mama

Hammocks are not your friend

Four generations of Gallants

Uncle "Lolo" Louis

Bunny love

Having a time with Danielle Sullivan, Julie's little one

Grandpa Gallant trying to get you interested in poutine... it doesn't seem to be working. 

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