Two more weeks and Elaina will be one. I rejoice with her as its obvious her newfound skills and increasing independence yields her a great deal of joy, but admittedly I mourn this milestone just a little. I mainly mourn the fact that with every passing day she’s less dependent on me (selfish I know). I am getting ready to wrap up nursing, and while it’s been a huge commitment, especially all the pumping at work, those moments will forever be special to me.
This time last year I was gigantic. Who isn’t in those last few weeks, but I felt especially large given my stage two edema, which made my legs and ankles bloat to unreasonable proportions. I have one very damning picture, that someday, when I am brave enough, I may just post for all to see. In it, I had just taken off very loose anklet socks and still my calf is bulging out over the indentation. An ankle muffin top if you will.
I remember Scott graciously trying to offer consolation as I would get ready in the morning, telling me I didn’t look too bad and my legs weren’t too big (this is while he’s trying in vain to yank compression stockings over my engorged limbs). Basically the only way to sooth my utter repugnance over my own reflection was by telling me that it would all be worth it when baby arrived, and sure enough, it’s all been worth it.
Elaina at one year is no less astounding to me as she was in those first moments when I saw her rearing up on all fours on the delivery room table. Perhaps it’s her slightly downturned mouth, which mirrors Scott’s precisely, or the broad span of her cheekbone that identifies her as mine, but there are moments of recognition that still leave me reeling thinking, “wow, this is MY daughter.”
If I were to describe Elaina presently, I would say she is lively, curious, and physical. VERY physical. So much so that I am convinced if I were to put a boulder in her path, she would certainly find a way to maneuver it. On the same token, she’s definitely feminine, favoring her dolls above all other toys and fascinated with my makeup (especially lipstick and lip balm!)
Among some of her funnier obsessions would be my portable, hand-crank breast pump. I have it stowed away in a cabinet and every day she retrieves it for play. She’ll peer through it as if it’s a telescope and wildly pump the hand crank. Someday I will remember to tease her about this.
As we entered 2012, I read that people were pushing to dash the word “amazing” from everyday vocabulary due to over use. While I agree it’s used too frequently, there’s really no better way to describe my first year of parenthood. Yes, it’s been exhausting, trying, overwhelming, and hard, but it’s also been the single most rewarding experience of my life. In other words, all together amazing.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Elaina 10 Months
Where has the time gone? The fact that I am in the initial stages of planning a first birthday party for my daughter is unbelievable to me. Where oh where did my little 6 lbs 12oz peanut go?
Elaina is up on her feet a lot these days, but not quite comfortable walking independently. She continues to be very speedy and agile and spends the majority of her days exploring. She is very quizzical and curious and points at everything she finds interesting exclaiming “dis, dis.” I assume she means “this, this.”
She is packing away the food and refuses to eat anything deemed babyish. Her favorite thing right now is chicken ravioli. She also really likes pepperoni and guacamole (even when there are jalapenos and onions in it!) She certainly does not have a bland pallet.
She continues to be enthralled with our cats and LOVES her books. As soon as she wakes up in the morning she immediately goes to her book basket and pages through all of her stories. Her favorite book is a toss up between The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss and Gyo Fujikawa’s Babies.
She continues to sleep like a champ at night, but daytime sleep remains pretty unpredictable. Sometimes we’re lucky enough to get a three hour afternoon nap, but normally it’s about an hour in the morning and an hour after lunch.
She continues to delight both Scott and me, and everyday we’re enthralled by some new feat of hers. Most recently she graced me with a big gummy kiss on the cheek, and she can now hug on command. Both of which, of course, turn us into sappy puddles of mush.
Elaina is up on her feet a lot these days, but not quite comfortable walking independently. She continues to be very speedy and agile and spends the majority of her days exploring. She is very quizzical and curious and points at everything she finds interesting exclaiming “dis, dis.” I assume she means “this, this.”
She is packing away the food and refuses to eat anything deemed babyish. Her favorite thing right now is chicken ravioli. She also really likes pepperoni and guacamole (even when there are jalapenos and onions in it!) She certainly does not have a bland pallet.
She continues to be enthralled with our cats and LOVES her books. As soon as she wakes up in the morning she immediately goes to her book basket and pages through all of her stories. Her favorite book is a toss up between The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss and Gyo Fujikawa’s Babies.
She continues to sleep like a champ at night, but daytime sleep remains pretty unpredictable. Sometimes we’re lucky enough to get a three hour afternoon nap, but normally it’s about an hour in the morning and an hour after lunch.
She continues to delight both Scott and me, and everyday we’re enthralled by some new feat of hers. Most recently she graced me with a big gummy kiss on the cheek, and she can now hug on command. Both of which, of course, turn us into sappy puddles of mush.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Elaina - Almost 9 Months
It’s been some time since I last posted. Elaina is nearing the nine month mark (Jan 28th). In many ways, I feel like I have a toddler on my hands and not a nine month old baby. She is very, very active, and very, very busy. For all the chaos she creates in our lives, we are thankful for her joyful spirit.
Elaina is on the move all day long. Her favorite thing to do is trot back and forth with her walking cart. We basically have to pry the toy out of her fingers. She’s all over the house, crawling at what we consider “super sonic speed” and meddling in everything (cabinet locks here we come!) She has a sincere interest in baby dolls, kitty cats, and the remote control.
While she is sleeping better, she became very ill in December, and went into a small sleep regression following her recovery. Currently she is trying to cut multiple teeth, so we’re again having a tough time at night. Oh, how I long for the day when sleep is not an issue!!
Speaking of sleep, we love our video baby monitor. By far, it’s been one of our best purchases. Not only does it help us to feel comfortable, but it’s great for spying. We’ve discovered that Elaina is a bit narcotic come nighttime. Several months ago we began putting tons of nuk’s in her crib at bed time. This way, when she wakes up in the middle of the night, she can easily find one and go back to sleep. For about the last month or so we’ve watched her hoard her nuks. When she gets in bed, she arranges all her nuks in a big pile. She’ll them systematically go through and suck each one until she finds one she likes. Then off to bed she goes. She also throws her nuks out of the crib when she wants us to come and get her. She knows that if she tosses out all her pacifiers we’re bound to come in her room. Scott and I will be in bed and we’ll hear, “clunk . . . clunk . . . clunk” and sure enough, we’ll look at the monitor and she be standing up and throwing them out one-by-one. What a rascal!
Elaina is on the move all day long. Her favorite thing to do is trot back and forth with her walking cart. We basically have to pry the toy out of her fingers. She’s all over the house, crawling at what we consider “super sonic speed” and meddling in everything (cabinet locks here we come!) She has a sincere interest in baby dolls, kitty cats, and the remote control.
While she is sleeping better, she became very ill in December, and went into a small sleep regression following her recovery. Currently she is trying to cut multiple teeth, so we’re again having a tough time at night. Oh, how I long for the day when sleep is not an issue!!
Speaking of sleep, we love our video baby monitor. By far, it’s been one of our best purchases. Not only does it help us to feel comfortable, but it’s great for spying. We’ve discovered that Elaina is a bit narcotic come nighttime. Several months ago we began putting tons of nuk’s in her crib at bed time. This way, when she wakes up in the middle of the night, she can easily find one and go back to sleep. For about the last month or so we’ve watched her hoard her nuks. When she gets in bed, she arranges all her nuks in a big pile. She’ll them systematically go through and suck each one until she finds one she likes. Then off to bed she goes. She also throws her nuks out of the crib when she wants us to come and get her. She knows that if she tosses out all her pacifiers we’re bound to come in her room. Scott and I will be in bed and we’ll hear, “clunk . . . clunk . . . clunk” and sure enough, we’ll look at the monitor and she be standing up and throwing them out one-by-one. What a rascal!
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