My Lovely Poppy,
You are 13 months old! Your smile is so brilliant, it shines brighter than the sun. Sometimes when I watch you play and you smile, the absolute beauty of your smile makes my jaw drop. You are growing up so fast that I have really made an effort to stop everything and enjoy you as much as possible recently. I've started putting off school work, housework and other things because sneaking in time to sit and cuddle with you matters so much more than any of those things. With Lulu at school, I love to sit on the floor and play with you when Wilder has his quiet time. You love to push a big soft ball towards me, and you giggle when I roll or toss it back to you. You also love to play "chase" games, where I or one of the kids get on our knees and crawl around after you. I love even just lying in bed with you, nursing you, nuzzling you, staring at you, cuddling with you and just looking into your eyes. Those special moments with you restore me and let me experience pure love.
You are such a blessing, Lulu and Wilder ADORE YOU. And you adore them as well. Lulu loves to "carry" you around, and she loves to bring her friends over and say "this is my baby sister, isn't she cute?" when she plays with other kids. You love to play with them and Lulu and Wilder often involve you in their pretend play as well.
You are officially off baby food now, and eating whatever we eat at the table with us. When I start bringing plates of food to the table you immediately walk to your high chair since you know we are about to eat. You do such a good job eating table food, and I'm getting more brave about letting you have larger things that you need to take bites of. Last night we had burritos and instead of cutting yours into small pieces I let you have it whole, and you did an amazing job taking little bites off it. You have 4 top teeth now, and three bottom teeth.
You can clap, dance (bob your head), and you're starting to make silly sounds like blowing raspberries and growling. No real words yet, aside from dadadadadadada, but I have a feeling that one of these days you will suprise us with a bunch of words all at once.
You are an absolute joy to me and this family. I love you more than words can even say. I'm so totally in love with you, so glad that you are my precious baby girl.
I love you to the moon and back, my dear!
Friday, October 19, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
My Lovely Poppy~ 9/20/12
My Lovely Poppy,
YOU ARE ONE!
What a wonderful year you have given us! We have been blessed with 370 days of loving you as of today. It's been a crazy year adapting to being a family of 5, with moving to Buffalo and all the work on the house and yard that has come with it, and with Wilder starting preschool and Lulu starting Kindergarten. You have taken all the stress and changes with stride, and have grown and flourished into the sweet, smiley baby with strikingly beautiful blue eyes that you are. Everyone comments on your beautiful deep blue eyes!
You have been walking since about 10 months old, and now you can walk really fast, almost like a light job. You shake your head and "dance" and can touch the top of your head when we ask you where your hair is. You still babble "dadadadadada" often and I'm not 100% certain if you equate that with daddy yet or not. I've heard you make the "mama" sound twice, and both times nearly brought me to tears with excitment and joy but you won't offer it on command quite yet:)
You are sleeping in your own crib now, as of about a month ago and are starting even just in the last week or so to get really good about going to sleep by yourself. Once in awhile it's still a battle to get you to sleep, but much of the time you just lay down and whine a few times and then fall asleep. You are not napping on a specific schedule (you never really have wanted to conform to a set schedule, you do things your way and that's awesome) so that might play a role in how easily you've been going to sleep at night. Much of the time you sleep through the night too, you wake between 6:30-7:00am to nurse and then we get up at 7:20 to get the kids ready for school.
You are such a lovely girl. I mean it. You seem to always have a smile on your face, and you are so sweet with Lulu and Wilder (they simply adore you too!). Lulu is like a little mommy to you, when she gets home from school she runs into the house and falls to her knees in front of you to hug you. You bring out the best in all of us. You and daddy love to play a game when you climb on him and then put your head down and tush in the air and he flips you upside down, which you LOVE. You even put your head down on the floor almost as though you are trying to roll.
Your birthday party was rainbow themed, and I spent months leading up to your party thinking up ideas. Daddy and I stayed up late and covered the ceiling with colorful balloons and wrapping paper and everyone who came said it was lovely. Jodi even emailed me that it was the best children's party she had ever been to! You deserve it! You are so sweet and colorful and the theme was a perfect fit for your dazzling personality.
Poppy, I adore you. I cherish being able to pick you up and cuddle you. I love smelling your sweet skin and feeling your sweet "kisses" on my cheek when you bang your head into whatever you are kissing:) You have started to learn some words such as "cup" and "baby" and you have a smal baby doll that you love to cover with kisses and carry around. You have even started to feed the baby a bottle. I'm so proud to see you grow and learn! I'm so thankful for you. You are a HUGE blessing and I have loved every minute of your life, even the challenging ones when you want to nurse non-stop or don't want to sleep:) You have 6 teeth now, 3 top/3 bottom and unfortunately have caught your first cold this week. Thankfully you were healthy for your party but you've come down with a runny nose since and are still your usual smiliy self:)
One thing I think is so funny is that you love to nurse, and sort of require that I have my chest out and uncovered at home so you can come by for a quick snack whenever you want. If I put my shirt back on you get upset, even if you were across the room playing with toys. I guess you want a refill whenever you see fit~ ha!
I love you so much. You are such a blessing in my life and I'm sad to lose your sweet baby self, though I'm excited to see you grow into such an adorable toddler. I'll miss having you so small and cuddly and hope that you will continue to take comfort in mommy's arms as you grow up into a precious little girl. Everything about you gives me comfort, I adore you Miss Poppy.
YOU ARE ONE!
What a wonderful year you have given us! We have been blessed with 370 days of loving you as of today. It's been a crazy year adapting to being a family of 5, with moving to Buffalo and all the work on the house and yard that has come with it, and with Wilder starting preschool and Lulu starting Kindergarten. You have taken all the stress and changes with stride, and have grown and flourished into the sweet, smiley baby with strikingly beautiful blue eyes that you are. Everyone comments on your beautiful deep blue eyes!
You have been walking since about 10 months old, and now you can walk really fast, almost like a light job. You shake your head and "dance" and can touch the top of your head when we ask you where your hair is. You still babble "dadadadadada" often and I'm not 100% certain if you equate that with daddy yet or not. I've heard you make the "mama" sound twice, and both times nearly brought me to tears with excitment and joy but you won't offer it on command quite yet:)
You are sleeping in your own crib now, as of about a month ago and are starting even just in the last week or so to get really good about going to sleep by yourself. Once in awhile it's still a battle to get you to sleep, but much of the time you just lay down and whine a few times and then fall asleep. You are not napping on a specific schedule (you never really have wanted to conform to a set schedule, you do things your way and that's awesome) so that might play a role in how easily you've been going to sleep at night. Much of the time you sleep through the night too, you wake between 6:30-7:00am to nurse and then we get up at 7:20 to get the kids ready for school.
You are such a lovely girl. I mean it. You seem to always have a smile on your face, and you are so sweet with Lulu and Wilder (they simply adore you too!). Lulu is like a little mommy to you, when she gets home from school she runs into the house and falls to her knees in front of you to hug you. You bring out the best in all of us. You and daddy love to play a game when you climb on him and then put your head down and tush in the air and he flips you upside down, which you LOVE. You even put your head down on the floor almost as though you are trying to roll.
Your birthday party was rainbow themed, and I spent months leading up to your party thinking up ideas. Daddy and I stayed up late and covered the ceiling with colorful balloons and wrapping paper and everyone who came said it was lovely. Jodi even emailed me that it was the best children's party she had ever been to! You deserve it! You are so sweet and colorful and the theme was a perfect fit for your dazzling personality.
Poppy, I adore you. I cherish being able to pick you up and cuddle you. I love smelling your sweet skin and feeling your sweet "kisses" on my cheek when you bang your head into whatever you are kissing:) You have started to learn some words such as "cup" and "baby" and you have a smal baby doll that you love to cover with kisses and carry around. You have even started to feed the baby a bottle. I'm so proud to see you grow and learn! I'm so thankful for you. You are a HUGE blessing and I have loved every minute of your life, even the challenging ones when you want to nurse non-stop or don't want to sleep:) You have 6 teeth now, 3 top/3 bottom and unfortunately have caught your first cold this week. Thankfully you were healthy for your party but you've come down with a runny nose since and are still your usual smiliy self:)
One thing I think is so funny is that you love to nurse, and sort of require that I have my chest out and uncovered at home so you can come by for a quick snack whenever you want. If I put my shirt back on you get upset, even if you were across the room playing with toys. I guess you want a refill whenever you see fit~ ha!
I love you so much. You are such a blessing in my life and I'm sad to lose your sweet baby self, though I'm excited to see you grow into such an adorable toddler. I'll miss having you so small and cuddly and hope that you will continue to take comfort in mommy's arms as you grow up into a precious little girl. Everything about you gives me comfort, I adore you Miss Poppy.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
My Lovely Poppy~ 6/14/12
My lovely Poppy,
Today was your 9 month visit, and you will be 9 months old tomorrow. Where has the time gone? It brings me to tears to look back and how fast you are growing. I wish you could stay my sweet, dimpled smiling baby forever, but I wouldn't want to miss out on the lovely young girl you are sure to grow into.
You are crawling, standing up and cruising everywhere! You even let go and stand unassisted for about 30-60 seconds at a time. You can say "da-da" and are associating it with daddy. Your bottom two teeth have popped through the gumline and you are handling that pain very well. You have learned to play a new game where you put your pacifier in my mouth and pull it out to tease me and see my reaction. You are getting better at napping in your crib though you certainly prefer to fall asleep in the swing. You still sleep with me at night and though I get less sleep, I'm so glad for that time to cuddle with you. I love sleeping against your skin and smelling your hair and breath and feeling you roll into me and nurse for a few moments before falling back to sleep. That is such a peaceful time for us to share our love, even if you are sleeping.
You are such a sweet and loving girl. I LOVE when you sit on the floor quietly playing with toys. Watching you play and learn warms my heart. Your favorite way to play is to stand holding on to the coffee table and pull every single thing off it onto the floor. Then you love to sit next to the coffee table and pull everything out of the baskets on the shelf under it. It drives us crazy but we love watching you investigate everything you touch before it lands on the floor;)
You are starting to sample table foods and love baby foods of all kinds. You tried basil today for the first time and enjoyed it in your babyfood very much~ just like mama!
Poppy, I love you so very much. I'm SO thankful that you are my daughter. You are blossoming more and more every day. Your smile lights up a room and that dimple melts our hearts. Your brother and sister love you deeply too. I just know that the three of you will be so close in life, and that makes me happier than anything. Daddy and I enjoy playing with you and watching you grow and learn. You have brought such happiness and joy to our lives.
I love you sweet girl, you are so precious and sweet and I'm thankful to God that I'm blessed enough to be your mom.
Today was your 9 month visit, and you will be 9 months old tomorrow. Where has the time gone? It brings me to tears to look back and how fast you are growing. I wish you could stay my sweet, dimpled smiling baby forever, but I wouldn't want to miss out on the lovely young girl you are sure to grow into.
You are crawling, standing up and cruising everywhere! You even let go and stand unassisted for about 30-60 seconds at a time. You can say "da-da" and are associating it with daddy. Your bottom two teeth have popped through the gumline and you are handling that pain very well. You have learned to play a new game where you put your pacifier in my mouth and pull it out to tease me and see my reaction. You are getting better at napping in your crib though you certainly prefer to fall asleep in the swing. You still sleep with me at night and though I get less sleep, I'm so glad for that time to cuddle with you. I love sleeping against your skin and smelling your hair and breath and feeling you roll into me and nurse for a few moments before falling back to sleep. That is such a peaceful time for us to share our love, even if you are sleeping.
You are such a sweet and loving girl. I LOVE when you sit on the floor quietly playing with toys. Watching you play and learn warms my heart. Your favorite way to play is to stand holding on to the coffee table and pull every single thing off it onto the floor. Then you love to sit next to the coffee table and pull everything out of the baskets on the shelf under it. It drives us crazy but we love watching you investigate everything you touch before it lands on the floor;)
You are starting to sample table foods and love baby foods of all kinds. You tried basil today for the first time and enjoyed it in your babyfood very much~ just like mama!
Poppy, I love you so very much. I'm SO thankful that you are my daughter. You are blossoming more and more every day. Your smile lights up a room and that dimple melts our hearts. Your brother and sister love you deeply too. I just know that the three of you will be so close in life, and that makes me happier than anything. Daddy and I enjoy playing with you and watching you grow and learn. You have brought such happiness and joy to our lives.
I love you sweet girl, you are so precious and sweet and I'm thankful to God that I'm blessed enough to be your mom.
Friday, June 1, 2012
My Lovely Poppy~ 6/1/12
My Lovely Poppy,
My how you have grown! What a spectacular month we've enjoyed being your mom and dad! You have absolutely blossomed and I'm so deeply in love with you. Your brother and sister delight in you, they can't keep their hands off you:)
Here is a list of your most recent accomplishments:
In the last week of April and first week of May you started pulling up and cruising the furniture.
On May 6th you crawled for the first time at about 9:30pm. Daddy and I were on the floor playing with you and we were SO elated to see you learn such an amazing feat~ you're mobile! :)
On May 9th your first tooth (lower left) poked through your gums.
On May 13th you started using "da da" directed towards daddy rather than as general babbling.
On May 26th you stood up by yourself for 5-10 seconds a few times in the evening. Daddy and I laughed SO hard because you would have this look of pure concentration on your face when you woul let go of me, with your mouth wide open. It was SO adorable.
So May was quite a month for you! You hit your 8th month and decided that you wanted to learn a nuch of new things and I'm SO proud of you.
In the last few weeks you have also learned to take naps in your crib. This is necessary because now that you crawl you can't nap unassisted on our bed anymore, because there is a possibility that you could crawl to the edge and fall off. You were not happy at first but settled in after about 3 days and now you sleep fine. I still have you sleeping with me at night, you enjoy comfort nursing and I enjoy the comfort of you close by. I love the smell of your skin and the warmth of your little bod next to me.
You are growing up so fast and I'm SO excited to see how you are growing and what you are learning. I'm excited to see your future as it unfolds, yet I'm so sorrowful to have to let go of the baby stages. I so miss that sweet little newborn you, and I miss the sweet girl that laid in my arms. Now you are this awesome interactive baby that barely wants to sit still at all. You are so cheerful and fun, and you still have that gorgeous dimple when you smile. I'm so happy you are part of my life, you are such a blessing to our family.
I love you more than you can ever understand, your smile is enough to fill my soul with love.
My how you have grown! What a spectacular month we've enjoyed being your mom and dad! You have absolutely blossomed and I'm so deeply in love with you. Your brother and sister delight in you, they can't keep their hands off you:)
Here is a list of your most recent accomplishments:
In the last week of April and first week of May you started pulling up and cruising the furniture.
On May 6th you crawled for the first time at about 9:30pm. Daddy and I were on the floor playing with you and we were SO elated to see you learn such an amazing feat~ you're mobile! :)
On May 9th your first tooth (lower left) poked through your gums.
On May 13th you started using "da da" directed towards daddy rather than as general babbling.
On May 26th you stood up by yourself for 5-10 seconds a few times in the evening. Daddy and I laughed SO hard because you would have this look of pure concentration on your face when you woul let go of me, with your mouth wide open. It was SO adorable.
So May was quite a month for you! You hit your 8th month and decided that you wanted to learn a nuch of new things and I'm SO proud of you.
In the last few weeks you have also learned to take naps in your crib. This is necessary because now that you crawl you can't nap unassisted on our bed anymore, because there is a possibility that you could crawl to the edge and fall off. You were not happy at first but settled in after about 3 days and now you sleep fine. I still have you sleeping with me at night, you enjoy comfort nursing and I enjoy the comfort of you close by. I love the smell of your skin and the warmth of your little bod next to me.
You are growing up so fast and I'm SO excited to see how you are growing and what you are learning. I'm excited to see your future as it unfolds, yet I'm so sorrowful to have to let go of the baby stages. I so miss that sweet little newborn you, and I miss the sweet girl that laid in my arms. Now you are this awesome interactive baby that barely wants to sit still at all. You are so cheerful and fun, and you still have that gorgeous dimple when you smile. I'm so happy you are part of my life, you are such a blessing to our family.
I love you more than you can ever understand, your smile is enough to fill my soul with love.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
My Lovely Poppy 3/1/12
My Lovely Poppy,
Where to begin?! You are here! You've been here for *almost* six months-where has the time gone?
I am so desperately in love with you. Your smile brightens any room, your eyes shine brightly, your little dimple is so adorable! I can't believe you are two weeks shy of six months already! Its gone by so fast. Having three kids is a huge change from two and you have been born into utter chaos yet you have thrived~ what a testament to your positive outlook!
I have SO much to tell you about your first 6 months that I may have to write for days to get it all out! Let's start with your birth story~ one of the best days of my life. I really thought we had more time! Both Lulu and Wilder came after their due dates so I wasn't even expecting you yet. We had closed on our Buffalo house on August 26th but there was much work to be done here so daddy was spending a ton of time at this house while we stayed at the New Hope house. He was painting with Nana and Meema, he was doing floors, doing a bunch of projects and overseeing the work done by our contractor. We were eager to meet you and nervous about how your birth and the move into the new house would work out.
So the night of September 14th I went to bed and just like any other night, I woke up having to pee multiple times (oh the joys of being pregnant!). In the middle of the night when I was walking back to bed, I felt a gush and thought maybe I had wet myself. It took me awhile of walking and pacing to really grasp the fact that my water had broken! After about 10 minutes I realized that was what had happened and I decided to let your dad sleep a bit while I processed everything. Technically he had to work the following day so I wanted him to sleep as much as possible just in case I was wrong. At about 4am I couldn't take my excitement and woke him to tell him. He shot up in bed expecting we had to rush to the hospital but I assured him that contractions hadn't even started yet so we had time. He went back to sleep as best he could and I paced in the living room hoping to get contractions started. Once the water breaks, you are on a 24 hour timeline to give birth to avoid risk so I knew you would be coming one way or another and decided I'd rather you come through labor starting than with an induction if at all possible. So I walked...and walked...and watched the sun start to rise and prayed for your safety. At about 6am I decided to lay down and try to rest in the hopes that the contractions would kick in. By 7am I was feeling pretty strong contractions so daddy called Meema and Papa and told them we would be bringing Lulu and Wilder by in a short while. He also called his work and told them he wouldn't be there.
One funny aspect of this day was the fact that colder fall weather had appeared that week and since we had packed to move in May (not anticipating the drama of our home buying process) everything we owned was in storage...right along with our fall clothes. Since Lulu's preschool had sent a letter to all the parents reminding us to dress them warmly, we knew we had to get warm clothes and shoes for her to wear at school while we were in the hospital with you. So....on the way to the hospital we stopped at Target so I could run in and buy warm clothes and shoes for your older siblings, then we dropped them off at Meema and Papa's and THEN we went to the hospital! I must have been a sight for sore eyes walking through Target HUGELY pregnant, pushing a cart and grasping it hard while I contracted and prayed I wouldn't leak amniotic fluid all over:)
Once we got to the hospital and got checked in at about 11am, we met our nurse who was really nice and friendly (which was a blessing) and got settled in and waited for you! We joked with the nurse and I tried to stay calm during the pain of contractinos (not my strong suit) and by about 4pm we were ready to push. I had been nervous because the day before we had an ultrasound and they said you would be 9lbs and 5oz, usually ultrasounds can be a pound or two off so I was really hoping you wouldn't be 11lbs! Despite hoping for a quick labor and delivery it felt like it took forever. I pushed for an hour and 45 minutes and was convinced you were stuck since it was taking SO long and you were just not moving down. Once you were born we found that one of your legs had been turned in a strange position and slowed down your birth. But at that point nthing mattered because you were here and you were stunningly gorgeous. You looked JUST. LIKE. Wilder when he was a newborn! And you were exactly 9lbs 5 oz as predicted:)
What a sweet and precious baby you were. Even now, just 5 months later I miss the smell of your newborn skin. I can remember the feeling when you were first born and placed on my chest (Hallelujah!) of placing my hands around you and feeling your chubby little legs and just being overcome with how soft and warm you were and falling in love with you instantly. You felt so *right* in my arms, what a long awaited blessing you have been to us.
Over the next two days we just breathed you in, loved you and enjoyed every moment of you. You slept a lot, you nursed like a champ and had a lovely temperment. The night before we were to be discharged you started getting REALLY fussy, and you started to sweat and shiver. It was horrible to see and the nurse decided to take you to the NICU to be checked over. Daddy was sleeping at the time and she took you so quickly that I just followed, we left literally 5 seconds after she made the decision to take you so I just threw on my slippers and followed you. We got there and a different nurse from the NICU went back to wake daddy up and tell him what happened.
That began a horrifying experience for you and us. We had to leave the NICU while they did a spinal on you, because the doctor didn't want us to watch. We sat in the hallway outside the NICU sobbing and could hear you crying and it shattered us both. Then we had to wait almost a day for results not knowing what was wrong with you. I was SO afraid. You spent hours and hours crying in the NICU, I stayed there and held you even though the nurses pressured me/us to go back to the room and sleep. I just couldn't leave you. I snoozed in the rocking chair holding you all night just praying over and over that you would be okay.
It was a LONG few days in the NICU, you were a very unhappy baby there and ultimately they decided that you had dehydrated a bit in our warm room, which angered you and dehydrated you further...which caused the whole meltdown. Since it takes a week or so for my milk to come in, and you were a bigger baby, you just needed more than I was able to make in those first two days. I am so blessed that nothing "big" was wrong with you. God is good. You are a healthy happy girl right now and I am eternally thankful for that.
Shortly after we brought you home Lori came to visit, we officially moved to Buffalo and life was pretty crazy for awhile. You were such a sweet and easy baby that nothing phased you. About the time life started settling down was when your sleep habits became a challenge. You seemed determined to not let us sleep at night~ your dad and I thought we were going to go crazy from exhaustion! You would cry every night from midnight to 4am and wanted to sleep all day. That all started around your 3rd month and didn't really get better until almost 5 months. As of today you are 5 and a half months old and its only been a short time that you have been good about sleeping at night. We are still working on a normal nap schedule. You do nap, its just more willynilly as opposed to being at specific times each day. We will get there;)
You were rolling in the later part of your second month and you started sitting up around the last week of your 4th month and now a few weeks later you are a very confident and strong sitter. You can reach for toys and lean over and self correct. What a proud look on your face those first few times you realized you were sitting up by yourself. They were magical moments, I was SO proud of you and happy that you were proud of yourself! You are now starting to hobble forward a few steps here and there in your walker and you are moving around the room on your tummy by inching around. I can't believe how fast you are growing! I LOVE our bond. Breastfeeding is so wonderful because it allows us to share such a special kind of love.
A about two weeks ago we started you on home made baby food. You had tried rice cereal in your 3rd month in the hopes that it would help you learn to sleep at night but it didn't so we took a break hoping to get to 6 months before starting solids. We realized in your 5th month that you *needed* more than breastmilk in the evening, you were hungry and nursing just wasn't enough so we decided to start you on baby food before 6 months. Your first food was avocado which you ate with gusto the first two or three times, then you either decided you didn't like it or got bored with it because it got to the point where you just didn't want any. Your second food was carrots which you loved, and you just recently started eating rutabaga which you have enjoyed as well!
I'm sad that you are not exclusively breastfeeding any more. Starting solids is a big transition because it means you are growing up and branching out which is a great thing, I just pray that we are able to continue to breast feed as long as possible because I love that time with you. I love that we stare into each others' eyes and I love when you pull off, smile and then latch on again. You are the sweetest, silliest little beauty! It makes me so proud that when you are tired or crabby, it often takes me to calm you down. Our bond is so special. I love that at night you lie between daddy and I and roll back and forth looking at us both and reaching out for us. You love your siblings, and have an amazing tolerance for how close they get to your face. You giggle and get so excited when they play with you and talk to you. They love you more than anything. Sometimes I have to work hard to keep them away from you so you can rest! They LOVE holding you in their laps and kissing you. Lulu loves to sing you songs and touch you, and Wilder often speaks "for" you by asking you questions and then responding as you in a high pitched voice:) I love to hear what you have to say through Wilder~ ha! They adore you Poppy, just as daddy and I do!
Poppy, you are the sweetest, most beautiful and loving little girl there is! I love when you grab my cheeks and pull my face into yours for a kiss. You make me feel pure joy and happiness. I love you and your siblings more than life. You have brought such joy and love to my heart. You are SUCH a blessing! I am so thankful for you, so blessed to be your mom, and so excited to watch you grow into the gorgeous and sweet little girl you are sure to be.
I love you so much my lovely little one. I love you more than you will ever be able to comprehend. You are Lulu and Wilder are the reason my heart beats, the air that I breathe and I am SO proud to be your mommy.
Where to begin?! You are here! You've been here for *almost* six months-where has the time gone?
I am so desperately in love with you. Your smile brightens any room, your eyes shine brightly, your little dimple is so adorable! I can't believe you are two weeks shy of six months already! Its gone by so fast. Having three kids is a huge change from two and you have been born into utter chaos yet you have thrived~ what a testament to your positive outlook!
I have SO much to tell you about your first 6 months that I may have to write for days to get it all out! Let's start with your birth story~ one of the best days of my life. I really thought we had more time! Both Lulu and Wilder came after their due dates so I wasn't even expecting you yet. We had closed on our Buffalo house on August 26th but there was much work to be done here so daddy was spending a ton of time at this house while we stayed at the New Hope house. He was painting with Nana and Meema, he was doing floors, doing a bunch of projects and overseeing the work done by our contractor. We were eager to meet you and nervous about how your birth and the move into the new house would work out.
So the night of September 14th I went to bed and just like any other night, I woke up having to pee multiple times (oh the joys of being pregnant!). In the middle of the night when I was walking back to bed, I felt a gush and thought maybe I had wet myself. It took me awhile of walking and pacing to really grasp the fact that my water had broken! After about 10 minutes I realized that was what had happened and I decided to let your dad sleep a bit while I processed everything. Technically he had to work the following day so I wanted him to sleep as much as possible just in case I was wrong. At about 4am I couldn't take my excitement and woke him to tell him. He shot up in bed expecting we had to rush to the hospital but I assured him that contractions hadn't even started yet so we had time. He went back to sleep as best he could and I paced in the living room hoping to get contractions started. Once the water breaks, you are on a 24 hour timeline to give birth to avoid risk so I knew you would be coming one way or another and decided I'd rather you come through labor starting than with an induction if at all possible. So I walked...and walked...and watched the sun start to rise and prayed for your safety. At about 6am I decided to lay down and try to rest in the hopes that the contractions would kick in. By 7am I was feeling pretty strong contractions so daddy called Meema and Papa and told them we would be bringing Lulu and Wilder by in a short while. He also called his work and told them he wouldn't be there.
One funny aspect of this day was the fact that colder fall weather had appeared that week and since we had packed to move in May (not anticipating the drama of our home buying process) everything we owned was in storage...right along with our fall clothes. Since Lulu's preschool had sent a letter to all the parents reminding us to dress them warmly, we knew we had to get warm clothes and shoes for her to wear at school while we were in the hospital with you. So....on the way to the hospital we stopped at Target so I could run in and buy warm clothes and shoes for your older siblings, then we dropped them off at Meema and Papa's and THEN we went to the hospital! I must have been a sight for sore eyes walking through Target HUGELY pregnant, pushing a cart and grasping it hard while I contracted and prayed I wouldn't leak amniotic fluid all over:)
Once we got to the hospital and got checked in at about 11am, we met our nurse who was really nice and friendly (which was a blessing) and got settled in and waited for you! We joked with the nurse and I tried to stay calm during the pain of contractinos (not my strong suit) and by about 4pm we were ready to push. I had been nervous because the day before we had an ultrasound and they said you would be 9lbs and 5oz, usually ultrasounds can be a pound or two off so I was really hoping you wouldn't be 11lbs! Despite hoping for a quick labor and delivery it felt like it took forever. I pushed for an hour and 45 minutes and was convinced you were stuck since it was taking SO long and you were just not moving down. Once you were born we found that one of your legs had been turned in a strange position and slowed down your birth. But at that point nthing mattered because you were here and you were stunningly gorgeous. You looked JUST. LIKE. Wilder when he was a newborn! And you were exactly 9lbs 5 oz as predicted:)
What a sweet and precious baby you were. Even now, just 5 months later I miss the smell of your newborn skin. I can remember the feeling when you were first born and placed on my chest (Hallelujah!) of placing my hands around you and feeling your chubby little legs and just being overcome with how soft and warm you were and falling in love with you instantly. You felt so *right* in my arms, what a long awaited blessing you have been to us.
Over the next two days we just breathed you in, loved you and enjoyed every moment of you. You slept a lot, you nursed like a champ and had a lovely temperment. The night before we were to be discharged you started getting REALLY fussy, and you started to sweat and shiver. It was horrible to see and the nurse decided to take you to the NICU to be checked over. Daddy was sleeping at the time and she took you so quickly that I just followed, we left literally 5 seconds after she made the decision to take you so I just threw on my slippers and followed you. We got there and a different nurse from the NICU went back to wake daddy up and tell him what happened.
That began a horrifying experience for you and us. We had to leave the NICU while they did a spinal on you, because the doctor didn't want us to watch. We sat in the hallway outside the NICU sobbing and could hear you crying and it shattered us both. Then we had to wait almost a day for results not knowing what was wrong with you. I was SO afraid. You spent hours and hours crying in the NICU, I stayed there and held you even though the nurses pressured me/us to go back to the room and sleep. I just couldn't leave you. I snoozed in the rocking chair holding you all night just praying over and over that you would be okay.
It was a LONG few days in the NICU, you were a very unhappy baby there and ultimately they decided that you had dehydrated a bit in our warm room, which angered you and dehydrated you further...which caused the whole meltdown. Since it takes a week or so for my milk to come in, and you were a bigger baby, you just needed more than I was able to make in those first two days. I am so blessed that nothing "big" was wrong with you. God is good. You are a healthy happy girl right now and I am eternally thankful for that.
Shortly after we brought you home Lori came to visit, we officially moved to Buffalo and life was pretty crazy for awhile. You were such a sweet and easy baby that nothing phased you. About the time life started settling down was when your sleep habits became a challenge. You seemed determined to not let us sleep at night~ your dad and I thought we were going to go crazy from exhaustion! You would cry every night from midnight to 4am and wanted to sleep all day. That all started around your 3rd month and didn't really get better until almost 5 months. As of today you are 5 and a half months old and its only been a short time that you have been good about sleeping at night. We are still working on a normal nap schedule. You do nap, its just more willynilly as opposed to being at specific times each day. We will get there;)
You were rolling in the later part of your second month and you started sitting up around the last week of your 4th month and now a few weeks later you are a very confident and strong sitter. You can reach for toys and lean over and self correct. What a proud look on your face those first few times you realized you were sitting up by yourself. They were magical moments, I was SO proud of you and happy that you were proud of yourself! You are now starting to hobble forward a few steps here and there in your walker and you are moving around the room on your tummy by inching around. I can't believe how fast you are growing! I LOVE our bond. Breastfeeding is so wonderful because it allows us to share such a special kind of love.
A about two weeks ago we started you on home made baby food. You had tried rice cereal in your 3rd month in the hopes that it would help you learn to sleep at night but it didn't so we took a break hoping to get to 6 months before starting solids. We realized in your 5th month that you *needed* more than breastmilk in the evening, you were hungry and nursing just wasn't enough so we decided to start you on baby food before 6 months. Your first food was avocado which you ate with gusto the first two or three times, then you either decided you didn't like it or got bored with it because it got to the point where you just didn't want any. Your second food was carrots which you loved, and you just recently started eating rutabaga which you have enjoyed as well!
I'm sad that you are not exclusively breastfeeding any more. Starting solids is a big transition because it means you are growing up and branching out which is a great thing, I just pray that we are able to continue to breast feed as long as possible because I love that time with you. I love that we stare into each others' eyes and I love when you pull off, smile and then latch on again. You are the sweetest, silliest little beauty! It makes me so proud that when you are tired or crabby, it often takes me to calm you down. Our bond is so special. I love that at night you lie between daddy and I and roll back and forth looking at us both and reaching out for us. You love your siblings, and have an amazing tolerance for how close they get to your face. You giggle and get so excited when they play with you and talk to you. They love you more than anything. Sometimes I have to work hard to keep them away from you so you can rest! They LOVE holding you in their laps and kissing you. Lulu loves to sing you songs and touch you, and Wilder often speaks "for" you by asking you questions and then responding as you in a high pitched voice:) I love to hear what you have to say through Wilder~ ha! They adore you Poppy, just as daddy and I do!
Poppy, you are the sweetest, most beautiful and loving little girl there is! I love when you grab my cheeks and pull my face into yours for a kiss. You make me feel pure joy and happiness. I love you and your siblings more than life. You have brought such joy and love to my heart. You are SUCH a blessing! I am so thankful for you, so blessed to be your mom, and so excited to watch you grow into the gorgeous and sweet little girl you are sure to be.
I love you so much my lovely little one. I love you more than you will ever be able to comprehend. You are Lulu and Wilder are the reason my heart beats, the air that I breathe and I am SO proud to be your mommy.
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