Something Old, Something New
I want this blog to also act as a record of the things that change from month to month in the first year of Eliza's life. I remember Eliza's brother said, when looking at the baby book, "Isn't it funny how one month is like a year in the life of a baby." I always found this to be an astute observation from a nine year old and I can't agree with him more. Sometimes the months have felt like years, other times they've flown by and I can't believe my wonderful daughter is already six and a half months old. I remember going to the Mom and Me group and seeing five month old and six month old babies and thinking they seemed so much older, similar in the way 30 seemed so old when I was ten.
So what's new in the life of Eliza--she stood up in her crib for the first time the other day. I propped her into a seated position with her little hands clutching the side of the crib for support and right in front of my eyes, grunting and straining, she pulled herself up into a standing position. She was hunched over chewing on the side of the crib so I didn't get to view the full scope of her height but I was suitably amazed. Two days later she did it again, two times in a row, like it was nothing. That night I assigned C to the task of lowering the crib mattress. Now I have to reach down much lower to take my little darling out of her crib.
She's fascinated by her hands now. This past week I visited my friend Jill, the mother of six kids. During dinner Eliza sat in a high chair at the head of the table and waved her right hand throughout the entire meal. Her fingers were splayed and she slowly waved the hand in a gesture that reminded me of a pinwheel. The following day when Jill and I took her to a nearby park, I was surprised when I walked to the back seat to find Eliza in her car seat, wide awake, staring at her waving hand. She also claps her hands now, sort of. She doesn't make much of a sound and it doesn't seem to be in appreciation of any fabulous backflip I'm doing. Rather she seems amazed that she can bring her two little hands together.
For the past two weeks, she's made this raspy kind of screeching sound that sounds like a cross between a giggling child and Linda Blair in the exorcist. Tonight, C said the raspy screech has replaced the snorting Eliza did in her first 2-4 months of life. I'm not sure exactly when the snorting disappeared but it's completely gone now. I do miss it along with the side to side shark frenzy head shake she did before she latched on during nursing. The little savage baby that fixed to my nipple and fed like a feeding pirahna now smiles or falls asleep when attached to the boob.
The superman pose is gone. Every now and then it does reappear but for the most part it's gone. She favors sleeping on her stomach now with her little butt in the air, a side affect of the pre-crawling rock on hands and knees she's doing. I'll often find her pressed to the top most corner of the crib, her hands in little fists near the side of her face, her little butt in the air.
She really reaches for me now, will grab onto my shirt when I prop her up in her crib and often will shift her bodytowards me when C walks by holding her. Tonight, in the Johnny Jump Up, she turned to watch me walk into the bedroom and reached for me as I came out. Oh how I love this baby, oh how I love everything about her.
She sits up in the crib now and loves playing with her little stuffed walrus in the bathtub. She still likes to nurse before sleep and often falls asleep in my arms, an activity I relish. The other day she did it during breakfast with other Moms and several of them commented on how their babies don't do that anymore. I was pleased and proud my little baby still acts like my little baby, some of the time.
Today, C and I took her to Macy's while he purchased some much needed new clothes and shoes for himself. While C was in the fitting room and I sat outside waiting, Eliza flirted with a nearby man and a young girl. I played with her feet and her giggles brought forth laughs from her newly admiring crowd. She did great on her first long shopping excursion, didn't lose it until it was time to go. I pulled her out of the stroller and walked about six blocks with her in my arms. It was scary with the masses of people, all swarming around Macy's and Penn Station, to be carrying a little babe against my body with no bjorn, no harness. But Eliza loved it, her head whipping around to take in the chaos around her. This child is every inch an urban baby.
It took a long time for her to fall asleep tonight. It was hard, listening to her cry at full volume for about 25 minutes that felt like an eternity. I kept going into the room and popping the pacifier in her mouth but she kept spitting it out. Her eyes were half open and I knew she was tired but still it was hard to listen to her cry like that. Finally I gave in and lifted her out of the crib. Two minutes with her pressed to my body, she belched and her eyes slowly closed. She still fought sleep for a few minutes after that but I knew it was coming, knew my baby was okay.
Every day ushers in something new and perhaps the remnants of something that's passed. And with that passing, the joy in the new things and the sadness for the little babe who grows and morphs and thrives into this joyous little person I feel so privileged to have in my life.
So what's new in the life of Eliza--she stood up in her crib for the first time the other day. I propped her into a seated position with her little hands clutching the side of the crib for support and right in front of my eyes, grunting and straining, she pulled herself up into a standing position. She was hunched over chewing on the side of the crib so I didn't get to view the full scope of her height but I was suitably amazed. Two days later she did it again, two times in a row, like it was nothing. That night I assigned C to the task of lowering the crib mattress. Now I have to reach down much lower to take my little darling out of her crib.
She's fascinated by her hands now. This past week I visited my friend Jill, the mother of six kids. During dinner Eliza sat in a high chair at the head of the table and waved her right hand throughout the entire meal. Her fingers were splayed and she slowly waved the hand in a gesture that reminded me of a pinwheel. The following day when Jill and I took her to a nearby park, I was surprised when I walked to the back seat to find Eliza in her car seat, wide awake, staring at her waving hand. She also claps her hands now, sort of. She doesn't make much of a sound and it doesn't seem to be in appreciation of any fabulous backflip I'm doing. Rather she seems amazed that she can bring her two little hands together.
For the past two weeks, she's made this raspy kind of screeching sound that sounds like a cross between a giggling child and Linda Blair in the exorcist. Tonight, C said the raspy screech has replaced the snorting Eliza did in her first 2-4 months of life. I'm not sure exactly when the snorting disappeared but it's completely gone now. I do miss it along with the side to side shark frenzy head shake she did before she latched on during nursing. The little savage baby that fixed to my nipple and fed like a feeding pirahna now smiles or falls asleep when attached to the boob.
The superman pose is gone. Every now and then it does reappear but for the most part it's gone. She favors sleeping on her stomach now with her little butt in the air, a side affect of the pre-crawling rock on hands and knees she's doing. I'll often find her pressed to the top most corner of the crib, her hands in little fists near the side of her face, her little butt in the air.
She really reaches for me now, will grab onto my shirt when I prop her up in her crib and often will shift her bodytowards me when C walks by holding her. Tonight, in the Johnny Jump Up, she turned to watch me walk into the bedroom and reached for me as I came out. Oh how I love this baby, oh how I love everything about her.
She sits up in the crib now and loves playing with her little stuffed walrus in the bathtub. She still likes to nurse before sleep and often falls asleep in my arms, an activity I relish. The other day she did it during breakfast with other Moms and several of them commented on how their babies don't do that anymore. I was pleased and proud my little baby still acts like my little baby, some of the time.
Today, C and I took her to Macy's while he purchased some much needed new clothes and shoes for himself. While C was in the fitting room and I sat outside waiting, Eliza flirted with a nearby man and a young girl. I played with her feet and her giggles brought forth laughs from her newly admiring crowd. She did great on her first long shopping excursion, didn't lose it until it was time to go. I pulled her out of the stroller and walked about six blocks with her in my arms. It was scary with the masses of people, all swarming around Macy's and Penn Station, to be carrying a little babe against my body with no bjorn, no harness. But Eliza loved it, her head whipping around to take in the chaos around her. This child is every inch an urban baby.
It took a long time for her to fall asleep tonight. It was hard, listening to her cry at full volume for about 25 minutes that felt like an eternity. I kept going into the room and popping the pacifier in her mouth but she kept spitting it out. Her eyes were half open and I knew she was tired but still it was hard to listen to her cry like that. Finally I gave in and lifted her out of the crib. Two minutes with her pressed to my body, she belched and her eyes slowly closed. She still fought sleep for a few minutes after that but I knew it was coming, knew my baby was okay.
Every day ushers in something new and perhaps the remnants of something that's passed. And with that passing, the joy in the new things and the sadness for the little babe who grows and morphs and thrives into this joyous little person I feel so privileged to have in my life.
posted by Litgirl Mama at 6:59 PM
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