I knew it wouldn’t take long for her to wrap Daddy around her little fingers. I didn’t think it would be so literal. Baby Girl likes to grab the hair that grows at the base of Daddy’s throat.
Of course when Daddy calls for Mommy to rescue him from Baby’s clutches, Mommy laughs and stops to take a picture first.
You are two months old as of Friday; it is just amazing to me how fast time is moving. You are so different today from the way you were a month ago. You are much bigger; you now weigh more than 13 pounds, and the doctor says you are thriving. You spend more of your time wide awake. You are more aware of your surroundings. You recognize people and places, and will sometimes break into a huge smile when you see me or Daddy. You are so much fun to be around.
You make the cutest faces.
(Yes, that’s Daddy trying to torment you in his Darth Vader mask)
Daddy brought home a huge bouquet of flowers for my first Mother’s Day, and you were mesmerized. You studied those flowers intently, even as they started to change and die off. We kept the remains of those flowers much longer than we should have, because you loved to look at them. I told Daddy he’s going to have to bring us flowers much more frequently.
Yesterday, while I was singing to you, you broke into a big grin and started cooing along with me. You giggle, and laugh, and squeal with delight. You babble away at the toys hanging from your bouncy seat. We have so much fun with you.
It’s not all laughter and smiles. The doctor warned us that you would probably be fussier this month, and my goodness that is certainly true. We can count on several hours of crying every night. But we are learning – learning patience, learning your cues, learning what works for you. This is not uncommon for babies of your age. Your body is changing and there are times when you are very uncomfortable. I can tell your tummy really hurts. Sometimes I want to cry too, because I can’t fix it for you. But this wont last forever and you will feel better soon.
We’ve gone on lot’s of adventures this month: we went to the Aquarium when Aunt Dee came to visit and almost every day we go out for a walk. You spend a lot of time on me in the carrier, or in your stroller. You’ve gotten so accustomed to riding around in the car that you automatically move in all the right ways to help me buckle you into your car seat – unless, of course, you’re mad and don’t want to go in the car.
It’s amazing to me how smart you are already. You have a bright future ahead of you.
I’m so curious about you and the person you will become. Will you be introverted or extroverted? Light-hearted or serious? Creative or mechanical – or both? It doesn’t matter which way you are on any of these questions. It’s like when I wondered whether your hair will be brown or blonde before you were born. I’m just so curious. I’m so excited about the life ahead of you, and watching you grow into a lovely young woman.
Meanwhile, I still can’t get enough of watching you, even while you sleep.
Love,
Mommy
Read more Letters to Gem.
I know, I know. People tell me they grow up so fast, but this is too much – Gem is already getting too big for some of her clothes. Some she didn’t even get to wear.
On Thursday, we had a well baby checkup. At 6 weeks old, she weighs 12 pounds, 4 ounces – up from 7 pounds, 9 ounces at birth. She has grown 3 inches in length and her head circumference has increased by 2 inches since birth.
I worry about how quickly time is passing. I’m afraid I’m going to miss something. I’ve gone whole days without taking a picture of her – and she changes so much each day. I’m a bit sleep deprived and my brain is often in a groggy haze – I worry I’ll miss a smile, or a giggle, or a coo. She is so close to rolling over, she can scootch herself several inches away from where I put her down, she has discovered the baby in the mirror, and when she smiles – my heart stops.
I once heard someone say that parenthood means deciding to let your heart run around outside of your body. I’m starting to get this picture of parenthood as one big, long, excruciating yet joyous exercise in letting go. This started for me even before her birth. When complications started piling up and I spent the 33rd week of my pregnancy in the hospital, I got a crash course in accepting the fact that I can’t control everything. On an intellectual level, I understand that I can’t control everything about my daughter’s upbringing – on an emotional level, I still want to try.
Over the past several years I’ve had several lessons in letting go – losing a job and my father’s death were big lessons. Later I mustered the courage to let go of the income that came from a dead end job so I could go back to college. Lessons learned, perhaps, to prepare me for the years ahead of holding her close, while at the same time, letting her grow.
