2011 - Talk Birth

has begun pushing up on surfaces so that her legs are standing (but her hands are still on the surface—so,
not pulling up exactly, but pre-pulling up). She LOVES to find and eat paper and tear up catalogs. She
laughs like crazy if I make monster noises on her belly. We tried to give her some solid food, but she gags and
spits it out, even though she appears captivated by other people eating food. We still do EC (elimination
communication) and she sleeps all night with a dry diaper. She always wakes up with a smile. She thinks
Zander is hilarious, but isn’t very comfortable with him holding her. When Lann holds her, she snuggles
down on him with total trust (even though he staggers under her weight—she weighs almost 18 pounds now
and he weighs under 50). I love having a baby while also have a 7.5 year old. He carries her to the car
for me. He watches her while I take a shower. He can hold her while I cut up vegetables or do something
food-prep related that needs two hands. It is awesome.
Despite grabbiness, she strokes and pats faces very gently. It is very sweet. She likes to ride in a pouch on
my hip checking out the action. She likes to nurse best while lying down in bed—she tucks her feet up on my
legs and puts her hands on either side of my chest. She has beautiful skin and beautiful eyelashes and her
eyes sparkle with the delight of life. She is chubby and not petite. She is my most relaxed, settled baby—she
rarely gets scared, hurt, or upset by things. She’s tough! When something makes a loud noise, she jumps,
but then looks at me (to gauge possible severity) and then gives a big grin (the boys would both cry). If she
tips and bumps her head or gets bonked or scratched by something, she usually doesn’t cry about it—my
older son would have screamed and my younger son would have had a fit of rage. Her temperament is very
steady and even. She has started to get more displeased if you take something away from her that she wants
though—sometimes that provokes a protest. She also growls to herself while she plays with toys lately—she
loves to empty a basket of toys and will sit on the floor working on this task for about 30 minutes. We think
the growling sound is from listening to the boys play. I cannot believe how fast she is growing and changing.
I try to take mental snapshots every day—her soft hair, her round cheeks, her little neck when her head is
bent looking at something, her dark watchful pools of eyes, her careful and still clumsy hand movements
and swiping grabs, her big gumbly smiles, her eyes fluttering closed at the breast. I pay attention. I am
astonished. And, I tell about it.
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