Baby Loves Tissue Paper

Dear Little Princess,

I underestimated how much you fell in love with wrapping at Christmas. As I discovered today, you now LOVE to rip tissue paper.  At dinner tonight, I secured you in your high chair, put your bib on, and then when to the refrigerator to get your dinner (a jar of sweet potatoes). Notice that my back was turned for maybe 5 seconds there. When I returned to your high chair, in those 5 seconds, you had torn your bib off and were eagerly yanking it between your hands. I realized after awhile that the plastic on the back of the bib makes a similar sound to the ripping of tissue paper, and that you were throwing your arms apart while holding onto the bib like you were trying to rip it. Fortunately, I had some tissue paper handy and gave it to you (watching like a hawk of course to make sure none of it got close to your mouth). You happily yanked and tore and RIPPED that paper!  I'm proud of you for your coordination, though I'm also slightly worried that maybe this means you have frustrations you are taking out on that paper!  I took some of the tissue and made confetti, which greatly amused you to watch the little confetti pieces fall.

This isn't the first time you have shown some impressive coordination. About a week or two ago you successfully turned off (and on) the waterfall soother on your crib. I had asked you maybe a month ago, "How do you turn it off?" and you grasped at the button, not quite able to hit it (though I'm still impressed that you apparently understood and answered the question!). I had thought, though, that maybe it was a fluke that you had grasped at the button after I asked you how to turn it off. Well, ever since then you became determined to turn it off yourself. The first time you did push that button yourself, you beamed and turned to me with a full grin, completely satisfied that you could do it yourself.  After mastering turning on and off the waterfall soother, you are now trying to turn on and off other things too, like the swing! Daddy says you are his little engineer. Grandpa calls you Cyber Baby because of all the Skype video calling we do as a family. As for me?  I secretly think of you as my little genius. Yes, a genius for ripping paper and pushing buttons. :-)  Moms are so proud of the smallest things!

Love,

Mom 

Baby's First Christmas!

Dear Princess,

It was a pleasure having you with us this Christmas!  We took you to the family parties in your Santa suit and you were a HUGE hit. Everyone wanted to hold and look at you.  You got tons of toys and clothes (all of which Mom is very grateful for!).  Your new favorite toys are the stuffed animals that sing and a toy that has pop-up smile faces. Mom's favorite new toy is the playpen. I can finally put you down and let you play freely with your toys! You aren't quite crawling or sitting up all by yourself, but you are on the cusp... you can sit with a little support for long periods (or by yourself for about 5 seconds before flopping onto your belly). You can't crawl but you can scoot a bit from side to side reaching for toys.

You almost unwrapped a present while we were at Michelle's house on Christmas Eve. I poked a hole in the wrapping paper and you slowly pulled at it, fascinated with the colorful paper (but not really noticing the toy inside). Next Christmas, when you can really shred the paper to get those toys, will be even more fun!

Love,

Mom

Baby's First No!

Dear Little Princess,

Last Sunday (6 days ago), you were in jumparoo happily bouncing and banging the toys. I came over and asked if you would like a snack. You looked at me and retorted, "No!"  Your dad and I both jumped, shocked, because that's not something you had ever said before. Then we laughed, and I picked you up and carried you over to dad, at which point you started fussing and reaching for me like you really were hungry. So I don't think you knew what you said when you said no. You're probably just imitating some kid from daycare. Still, it was really funny!

In the past day or so, you've started babbling dada. Again..it's really cute, but I don't think you know what you are saying yet!

Love,

Mom

Baby's 1st Thanksgiving

Dear Princess,

We had your first Thanksgiving!  Your Great-Grandma S wanted to meet you, so she came to town with your Great-Aunt and Great-Uncle. With Grandma S and Aunt B also in attendance, it was quite a celebration! 

One special moment was when we took a 4 generations photo -- Great Grandma, Grandma, Mom, and you!

For Thanksgiving, you had your first real baby food (besides rice cereal), organic sweet peas out of the jar.  At your first taste, Grandma S heard you say, "Mmmm."  However, I must have started you on carrots and sweet potatoes too quickly afterwards because now you spit out those nasty peas. That or your daddy has been talking to you about vegetables. :-)

Love,

Mom

Top 10 Things I've Learned Since Becoming a Mom

My Dear Little Princess,
You have taught me several things since you've arrived 5 months ago! Among them...
1. You have an innate and perfect sense of timing. For example, you will be calm during a car ride right up until we pull up to the microphone at Chick-fil-a to place an order. Then you will SCREAM like we are never going to let you out of that darn car seat. I have no idea what the poor waitress taking the order must think of us, but I swear you calm down again once we leave the parking lot.
2. Speaking of car rides, if you are in the car long enough, you will poop. It's like you are bored, so well, nothing better to do than poop. This has lead to several diaper explosions. And the third thing you've given me the opportunity to learn...
3. How to remove poop stains for clothing. My secret is Dreft Stain Remover. I douse the stain with Dreft before tossing the garment in the laundry. Seriously, don't hold back...SOAK that stain. Then I wash the clothes in cold water (despite what the package says) since warm water seems to set anything that didn't immediately come out. Once the first wash is done, I inspect each item to make sure the stain really has disappeared. If not, douse and repeat washing until it is gone. That is a critical step. Otherwise, the dryer will bake in the lovely shade of poop yellow. Finally, dry the clothes on delicate because baby clothes seem to be made from the thinnest cotton possible. Seriously, I had to throw out 3 onesies because they molded after being damp for a couple of days. That's never happened to me with my adult clothing.
4. Speaking of clothing, I was planning to still wear my maternity clothes after having you. (I wasn't naive enough to think that my body would go right back to pre-pregnancy size after giving birth). However, much to my chagrin, most of the maternity clothes looked absurd without the baby belly. Which is how I learned that pregnancy-related expenses never stop. See exhibit A, the new post-maternity wardrobe.
5. I've learned never to leave the house without toys. I've been complimented on what a good baby you are. At this age, though, I don't think it's about discipline. It's just making sure that are you fed, napped, and have a steady stream of things to keep you entertained. (Oh, look! Your baby links! Once you toss the links aside... Oh look! Your book! and so on).
6. Bottle warmers do not work. I really wish someone had told me this before I bought one. The best thing to warm a bottle is to microwave a coffee mug full of water for a minute or so, then just hold the bottle in the warm water for about a minute. (Of course, I'm careful not to let you near the hot water and I test the bottle before giving it).
7. Baby baths suck. I hate them. You hate them. The one bath tub that we have in the house is mostly blocked by the toilet, so we bought an infant tub that sits over the kitchen sink. This works out relatively well, though I am scared to death that either you or the tub might slip overboard. Therefore, Dad has the job of holding you in a sitting position during the bath time so that I can quickly rub you with you soap and then spray you down. Still, you hate getting any water in your face (which is difficult considering your mass of hair that needs washing). And I usually err on the side of the water being too cold, so you can't wait to get into that little hooded towel at the end. Still, baths are great for getting rid of diaper rash. For you, when it comes to diaper rash, the trick is to use a high-quality, cloth-like diaper. Then, for each change, you need a wipe and then to be dried (I dab you dry with a tissue or a clean washcloth). This is followed by A&D ointment and powder. The final trick for getting rid of diaper rash? Frequent changes, even at night. Which leads to the next lesson learned.
8. Sleep is the most precious commodity ever. I love you, dear, but I will be really grateful when you can go more than 3 hours at night without needing to be fed. I have tried to start you on rice cereal 3 times now (which will supposedly help with the need for frequent feedings), but each time you didn't poop for two days. Then when you finally did have a bm, it was really loose. This leads me to believe that you are not quite yet ready for solids foods. Well, you aren't quite 6 months yet either. We'll give it a few more weeks. (Sorry to obsess over your bodily functions, dear. This must be something that Moms just can't help. I wasn't allowed to take you home from the hospital until you proved that you could properly dirty a diaper, so somehow each dirty diaper is a proud reminder to me of how healthy you are).
9. I've learned what a Mother's Room is. It's basically a lit closet with a chair, small table, and an electrical outlet that allows me to pump at work while you are at daycare. It's been fantastic that my employer allows this. I bought a hands-free style pump (Medela Freestyle) that allows me to keep working on my laptop while also being a cow.
10. Jokes about feeling like a cow aside, I truly feel like being a parent really is the most overwhelmingly wonderful thing that can happen to a person. I look at you, baby, and see my past, my present, my future. With you in my arms I see everything good about myself and everything I wish I could change or do better. Having you is scary, exciting, and amazing. And I'm sure that this only the beginning of what I'm going to learn!
Love,
Mom

Baby Rolls Over!

Dear Princess,
On Tuesday, November 7, you rolled over for the first time! You were lying on your stomach on your Fisher-Price Kick and Crawl, reaching for the tags on the end of mat. Your right arm was tucked under your body, so to grab the tags you had to move your left arm diagonally across your body to get to the tags over to the right. This set you off balance enough that all the sudden you just flipped onto your back! You scrunched up your face to cry, but were too shocked to wail.
Your fascination with tags fascinates me. You stretch to grab the tags on your Kick and Crawl, your Jumparoo, and the clips that hold the Waterfall Soother onto your crib. These are things that I don't see any more because I've learned to filter them out from conscious thought. Not you -- everything is new and exciting!
Love,
Mom

First Laugh!

Dear Princess,

I was taking a nap on the bed this afternoon when Daddy brought you in and plopped you down beside me.  You smiled and ran your fingers over my face, gurgling sounds like "goo" and "zee." When I repeated what you said out loud, I realized you were trying to say, "It's good to see you!"

I then sat you on my chest and pretended to eat your fingers because this made you almost laugh yesterday.... you gave a "heh" sound and grinned. But you weren't very entertained by the finger-eating today because you were more interested in the dogs, who had climbed onto the bed as well. I turned you around so that you could see the dogs and Bailey came over and sniffed your fingers, then licked your hand. You erupted into full laughter! I guess the doggie kiss tickled you. I can't wait to her your laugh again.

Love,

Mom 

Growing So Fast

My Dear Little Baby,

Everyone told me that you will grow incredibly fast, but frankly, I did not comprehend just how quickly.

For example, I have a friend that just had a baby and I am SHOCKED at how tiny her baby is. Were you really that small just 5 months ago? I went back and looked at your pictures from June. Yes, you were really were that small!  I can't believe how much you have grown and changed in what amounts to just a few weeks!

I have all of your clothes divided into drawers by size.  The first drawer has newborn to three months clothes. The second drawer has size 3-6 months, and so on. A couple of months ago, I was sad when I realized that I was closing the drawer on your "newborn" clothes for the last time. And now, after tugging to get you into your size 3-6 month clothing this morning, I realize that the drawer for size 3-6 month clothing will soon close for the last time.

Sigh, you really do grow so fast!

Love,

Mom

Baby's First Boo

Dear Mamma's Little Pumpkin,

We had your first Halloween!  We didn't go trick-or-treating because I thought it might be obvious that mommy was collecting all of the candy for herself. But you did "help" me pass out candy.  You seemed quite entertained at the children's costumes, and your ready smile indicated that you were pleased by all the cries of, "Awww, what a cute baby!"

Love,

Mom

Baby Bookworm

Dear Princess,

Since you were two and half months old, your favorite toy by far has been your set of Sassy Baby Books. I love how your eyes light up when I pull out these books, and you reach for them with outstretched arms and eager hands that clearly say, "Give me!" 

The colorful pictures have kept you entertained for extended periods during Church, as you carefully study the pages. Sometimes, though, you do fuss a bit at your books because you can't quite turn the pages yet! One time, you managed to remedy this page-turning problem yourself by holding the book vertically and turning the pages down (rather than side-to-side). Quite a clever trick, though you haven't remembered it since!

The book with the black and white handle is the best because of the strong pattern contrast and ease of handling.  I assumed it was your favorite, but last Saturday over supper, Daddy held up two of your books and asked you which one you wanted. You looked at each one, and then reached for the fabric "sensations" book that Daddy was holding a little bit further away from you. 

Dear little baby, I hope this is just the start of a lifetime of book-reading for you!

Love, 

Mom

As Your Great-Grandma Would Say...

My Dear Little Princess,
When I was younger, I didn't live close to my grandma, so when our family went to visit her she would exclaim in joy, "Your face is my heart!" It was her way of saying how much she loved to us, and how much she loved to see us in person. (You won't remember this, baby, but before Skype video calling existed, it was a lot more difficult to instantly see someone!)
Every day that I am with you, I understand more and more what my grandma meant when she said, "Your face is my heart!" Seeing your picture on my desk at work brings instant pleasure to my day. Coming home to your toothless grin almost overwhelms me with happiness.
And much to my delight, you seem to enjoy my face too! When I hold you up to eye level, you smile and reach for my visage with both hands, usually going for my lips or eyeglasses. While daddy was holding you yesterday, you rubbed your small hands over the stubble on his chin, as if you were curious about that new feature.
I love your sweet face!
Love,
Mom

Milestones

Dear Princess,
These past few days have had amazing milestones for you! On October 17 (Saturday), we were sitting in Church. I gave you a set of plastic keys to play with, and you purposefully shook them, grinning proudly that you could make the keys rattle!
That same night, you finally accomplished something you have been working on for weeks...you pulled your toes into your mouth! The look on your face said that you weren't expecting your feet to taste quite so much like your hands, so you dropped the foot and just sucked on your thumb instead.
In other milestone news, tonight I was holding you on my lap while sitting in front of the computer. You really wanted to crunch up the papers on the desk, so I gave you some plain papers to crinkle and crease in your small hands. (You are very fascinated by different textures.) After a few minutes you tired of the paper, so to reinvigorate your interest I put a marker in your hand and showed you how to draw a scribble on the paper. You were hooked! You held that marker in your hand and studied it carefully, then you held it with both hands, then you passed the marker to your left hand, and so forth. I kept expecting you to put the marker in your mouth but you never did bring it to your lips. Finally you dropped the marker to the floor.
Daddy insists that your first drawing should have a special permanent spot on the refrigerator.
Love,
Mom

No Hobbits Here

My dearest baby daughter,
As I carry you around the house, joy bubbles in my heart, prompting me to softly whisper in your ear, "Princess, I love you so much! You are so precious!"
And then I stop, worried, because this reminds me of the character Gollum, from The Hobbit by JRR Tolkein. Gollum is protrayed as a very degenerative character, constantly hissing "precious, precious" to his magic ring. I have no desire to be a Gollum, and yet my dear, I can't help but say it. You are...most precious!!
Love & Kisses,
Mom

Sock Wars

Dear Princess,
As perfect as your little toes are, you understandably like to show them off. You are constantly rubbing your ankles together to get those socks off. However, unbeknownst to you, parents have a quiet league of sock watchers. For example, we were walking through Sam's Club the other day, and I could not directly see anything but your face and arms because I was carrying you in your Baby Bjorn. Fortunately, a stranger passing by gave me the nod and annouced, "Baby. Right Foot." I reached down and there it was - a sock barely dangling by a toe on your right foot, like an ornament hanging onto a Christmas tree by the most tenuous hook. Thanks to that stranger (and many others of the Sock Watching League!) we have not yet permanently lost a sock. Heaven forbid those perfect feet get cold. :-)
Love,
Mom

The Inspiration

Little Daughter,
There is nothing in the world I love to do so much as hold you in my arms. There is an amazing number of things I have learned to do with one left hand, while carrying you around wrapped tightly in my right hand (using my right hip for your chair, of course).
But it is most wonderful when I get to hold you in my arms while you are nursing or sleeping. After bringing you home from the hospital, I spent hours rocking you, spell-bound by your sweet face. There are many things your father and I want for you that we talk about constantly (Let's teach her to play piano! Let's save for her college education!). But since the first moments when I was sitting in the rocking chair with you in my arms, Princess, please know that my deepest desire is for you to grow up feeling good about yourself.
Love,
Mom

This Little Piggy...

My Dear Baby,
You have the most precious little feet, and you seem to know this! Whenever I lay you on your back, you raise your legs and grasp your toes, like you are just as fascinated with them as I am. Yesterday, you almost succeeded in bringing those tiny toes to your mouth!
A thousand kissies for your little piggies,
Mom

Old MacDonald

Dearest Baby Daughter,

Almost every day I sing to you "Old MacDonald Had a Farm."  I grab your little arms and shake them to the left and then to the right to the beat of "a moo moo here and a moo there..." going through the cow, sheep, horse, duck, dog, cat, and mouse.  (What sound does a mouse make? Squeek!)

This past weekend, we had a sunny Sunday and nothing to do, so your father and I decided to take you a farm!  There were dwarf horse, cows, goats, chickens, rabbits, and ducks. I couldn't wait to show you the animals from the song! But you slept in my arms during the entire tour. Ah well, there will be more trips to Old MacDonald's.

The Swan

My dear baby daughter,

We were driving to the store yesterday, listening to your Baby's First Classical CD, when a song that I particularly enjoy came on.  I was just smiling with pleasure when you gave a contented sigh, as if you were also relaxing into the soothing music.

It was a magical moment, so after we came home, I found the song on YouTube: It is The Swan, by Saint-Saens. This version is performed by Yo-Yo Ma. I held you in arms, and we both watched the video intently. Yo-Yo Ma is quite a performer. His whole body vibrates to the music, like he is a soundboard for the cello.

How wonderful it is to enjoy music with my little princess!

Love,
Mom

Look at all that hair!

Dear Princess,

From the moment you were born, it has been inevitable. The first thing people say when they see you is, "Look at all that hair!"  You were born with soft, dark brown tresses - plenty for headbands and barrettes.  You even grab your hair just above your left ear as you drift to asleep, your little hand curled tightly around your locks.

Lately you have discovered my hair as well.  You grab it firmly in your fingers and then pull it into your mouth. (I know! Gross!)  Once when I put you down in your bed you defiantly held onto my hair, like you knew you didn't have to let me go if you didn't want to.

As much as I adore your hair, it is your sweet smile that I live for!

Love,

Mom

Princess!

My Darling Daughter,

Before you were born, I spent months contemplating your name. I sat for hours with my book of 60,000 baby names, systematically reading through the alphabet, taking notes on meanings, and waiting for the muse to strike.

I had quite a long list of requirements for your name. It had to be 2 or 3 syllables - no more, no less. It had to be relatively easy to spell. It could not be in the Top 50 Baby Names list in recent years, but couldn't be an "unheard of" or totally unique name either. Finally, and most importantly of all, it had to be a name that could NOT have a nickname. 

And yet my dear, you have a nickname.  Everyone, from your Aunt B to the ladies at daycare, calls you "Princess."

Well, if the shoe fits... :-)

Love,

Mom