March 12 to April 12, 2014
Dear Emmeline:Not just dear. Dearest Emmeline. You are SO sweet; my little laid-back munchkin. You go with the flow and don't cry very often and smile all the time. I'm not kidding when I say that everyone that interacts with you comments on how incredibly sweet you are.
Your great-grandma can't get enough of you.
You're getting so big - at your four month appointment on Thursday, you were 16lbs., 3oz., and just under 27 inches long. I missed your exact head measurement (mom fail) but it was the 88th percentile - no surprise there, because you have the biggest, roundest head this side of the Mississippi. And the biggest, roundest eyes. And the biggest, roundest cheeks. And hand dimples. And wrist folds. And thigh rolls. And everything about you is just pinch-able perfection.
Your hair is coming in white blonde (!!!!) and your eyes are still a deep blue (to compare: Carys's hair came in dark blonde and her eyes were deep blue until a little over a year old; they are now solidly hazel). I am so very curious to see what you look like when you get bigger - I just cannot picture you as anything other than my chubby baby. I love to rub your fuzzy little head - so very soft. But then I stop because I'm worried about rubbing off what little hair you have. Right now, you've the little bald spot in the back of your head that some babies get, with the little fringe at the nape of your neck. But you're mostly bald. Adorably bald.
You've begun babbling constantly, in this gutteral gurgle-y voice. And you will talk and talk and talk. And you love it when we talk back to you
You found your feet and constantly are grabbing them, whenever you're on your back. It. is. SO. CUTE.
You also have your hands in your mouth about 90% of the time you're awake. One or two fingers or the whole fist, it doesn't matter.
I think you're about a week from legit sitting up on your own, which is terrifying - it's too early! You aren't that big yet! But you already tripod sit for a few seconds at a time (before folding on yourself and touching your head to your toes).
You are about a centimeter away from rolling from your back to your tummy - you just haven't quite figured out what to do with that pesky bottom arm yet. (Tummy to back is ages away, it seems - you hate being flat on your tummy for tummy time so you usually do it propped up on a rolled-up blanket or on my stomach, so I anticipate that you won't get that move down for a while.)
I don't know why I find this so charming, but when I lay you down for a nap, instead of stretching your arms out or waving them around like you normally do, you tuck them tight against your side in anticipation of being swaddled.
You JUST started the "pull-off-and-smile-up-at-me" thing while nursing. It makes nursing sessions take longer, but dear lord do I love it.
You and your sister are thick as thieves already. You break out into the widest grin when she is around and will sit and watch her do anything. She just loves to hold and cuddle you (though gets a little frustrated you aren't sturdier when I have to remind her to be gentle), and trying to make you smile is a favorite activity: "Give me a smile, baby!" She loves responding to your babbles with, "Oh, yeah? Tell me more, baby!" and you love talking to her. She shares her toys with you and wants to share her food with you (not quite yet!) and tells you all the time how much she loves you (and also tells me sometimes that she doesn't love anyone but Emmeline - ouch!).
You get the bum end of the deal sometimes, being the second kid. Some days I want to just hold you the entire time you're sleeping and feel your body heat and feel the weight of you and just BE with you, but I have another kid to feed and clothe and keep alive. But come her bedtime, it's just me and you, kid, and I get to breathe in your essence. I know this time where I can let you sleep on me for hours on end and your tiny body just melts into me is too short and I wish there was a way to capture every moment of this time permanently.
I love you so very much, Em.
Love,
Mama
What beautiful pictures, and look at those big gorgeous eyes! So adorable.
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