Dear Nathalie,

Your grandfather and I had the privilege of your presence for several hours yesterday.  My how you have changed in a week!

We picked you up right before a scheduled feeding time and you were perfectly content when we whisked you away…for about 3 minutes. So, since we were in a vehicle and I could not reach you I thought I might distract you with some music. My first music choice was a CD of worship songs…you were not interested AT ALL.  So after a few minutes, I switched it over to my P!NK CD…The Truth About Love.  The uncensored version. That CD is a highly inappropriate CD choice for a young child who can understand and repeat words. It is a good thing that group of people does not include you yet as there are phrases that I do NOT want to hear coming from your mouth anytime soon. However, almost immediately you settled down.  I will have to purchase the censored version of this CD if I am to bring you into the fold as a fan of P!NK.

Seems like you may have taken that mental leap that I mentioned last time.  You seem less flaily, I know that is not a word but I will use it anyway, and less fussy.  You eat more in one feeding… almost double now. Changing you is much easier…again because you are less flaily. You seem to enjoy using my arm as a body pillow while laying on my lap… your grandfather thinks that is the cutest thing and is amazed at all of the ways that I hold you. The best thing of all, though:  you seem to be able to see better!  You are following people with your eyes and by golly, I think you were even watching television when we lay you on the floor to just stare at you after we fed you.  Yes, that is what we do when you are here and we aren’t actually holding you… we stare at the mighty wonder that is you.

Aunt Pixie came home and could not resist scooping you up and bogarting you for the remainder of your visit…you did not mind at all and it did make for an adorable photo op.

Congratulations on a successful leap!

Rock on tiny P!NK fan!

Love, GrandDawn

 

Dear Nathalie,

Your dad had been out of town for some work related training and your mom had been caring for you on her own during days 20 through 26, with the exception of the evening of day 25 through the afternoon of day 26.  She opted for an overnight visit at our house.  Saturday morning, your mom slept until NOON!! But only because every time she heard you fuss, she would look over and see  your grandfather or me already on the task at hand.

The only thing that seems to be new was the color of your poo.  Apparently, your mother had never seen it that shade of green, or any shade of green for that matter.

You are a fussy, flailing baby.  Still.  You like the feel of water running on your head. You seemed to enjoy big swaying motions and spitting up on me.

You also seem to like your Aunt Breanna.  She really seems to like you as well. I saw the evidence on her phone… photos of nothing but you for DAYS. She is determined to stock your library. She bought you a book and special stationary for herself to write you little notes. She talks to you like you can follow everything she is saying and makes you do funny dances like the Whip/Nae Nae as well as the Macarena, which is the original whip/nae nae combo if you watch the motions in the beginning of the so-called choreography…whoa, rabbit trail.

You do not seem to have changed too much but the internet tells me that you are approaching your first “Mental Leap/Wonder Week”   which is week 5…however, it is based on your due date and not your birth date; perhaps next week or the week after. I might have to check out the book.  Again, this is something that I had never heard of when I gave birth.

Honestly, I don’t have a lot to report… other than the color change of your poo and that you – though fussy and flaily (is that a word?)  – have still captured our hearts.

Rest up little one, give yourself and your parents a break to prepare for your big leap!

Love,

GrandDawn

Dear Nathalie,

I have seen you every day for the past three days!  After not having seen you from day 9 through 15 you are now looking like your dad.  Your tiny countenance is going to be changing so often we will have to start calling you Mystique. (I hope that by the time you can read this that you have learned about the X-Men). We have also learned that you enjoy the feel of terry cloth.

You stayed overnight on Friday, a.k.a. Day 18, and reminded us what it is like to have a newborn. Hoooo guurrrlll. There came a moment, around stupid o’clock in the morning, when you would NOT be consoled.  We just had to put you down and let you go for a bit.  Oddly enough, this was the moment that Cally (one of The Kitties Three) decided to put her little front paws on the edge of the pack and play and check on you…it was cute.  We knew you were a little “bound up” and there wasn’t anything we could do to help.  It was awful.  Finally somewhere between 2:30am and 5am (the hours we were allowed some sleep) you had a diaper explosion.  GrandDave cleaned you up while I worked on saving your clothing from staining… I won the battle!  Score one for me against the battle of the poo!

Saturday, Day 19, I can’t really recall the time anymore, we eventually all woke up. Although, I don’t know that I would call the remainder of that time “sleep.”  Ash (the eldest of The Kitties Three) is old and senile and cries… a lot.  On a normal night, Ash crying does not disturb my slumber, but that night… that night her crying was so similar to yours that I must have checked on you every 15 minutes.  Darn cat. Poor GrandDave had to deal with that PLUS my snoring.  I am not sure he even slept.  In my defense, I have to sleep with this new, flippin’, dental device and it often forces my jaw open…he was actually surprised that YOU slept being in the same room with MY noise.  We finally got around to our day and I gave you a bath; you were not so keen on the body cleansing part but you loved being wrapped in a towel while I sponge washed your hair…you reminded me of your mom.  She loved having me wash her hair in the sink, while she laid on the counter, well into her elementary school years…If she’d fit she would probably still want it done.  Once you were fed and clean and dressed and performed live for Facebook, you were very content to lay on the floor listening to music and slowly fell into a contented slumber and stayed that way until your Great Grandparents Lovitt came by…actually, you slept through that, it was when your parents came to get you that you really started waking up again.  Eventually, we sent you home…and took the rest of the day recovering.  If there was ever any doubt, I am so NOT in my twenties.

Sunday, Day 20,  your mom dropped your dad off at the airport around 10 something a.m. and popped in for a quick visit… and she did not bring supplies because it was supposed to be a quick drop and return home.  HAHAHAHAHA. Life with babies is so unpredictable.  Nothing happened but she had to scurry on home with you fussing because…well, you have bodily functions.  Later this day, I swooped you and your mom off to your cousin Colton’s (2nd cousin actually…wait…if Colton’s mom is your mom’s cousin and Colton is your mom’s 2nd cousin, that makes you???? Whatever, some kind of cousin) birthday party. He is a year old now.  Time flies. Colton tried to poke you.  His big sister Kenzie got to hold you…as did pretty much every other woman there… your cuteness is still powerful.

Tonight is your mom’s first night alone with you; your dad returns on Saturday… She knows we are here if she needs help.

Be good for mommy.

Love, GrandDawn

 

 

Dear Nathalie,

Day 16 was yesterday but I was too tired to write a blog when my day ended.  Day 16 was your second Doctor appointment and you are only 1 ounce away from your birth weight.  YAY!  Your mom actually had the appointment scheduled for the day before, but because she and your dad are living in a new (to them) area, she plugged in the wrong branch of the clinic into her GPS and when she realized it…she had to reschedule.  Fun times.  Apparently, you are suffering a bit from being gassy and constipated (I won’t mention any names, but one of my children had the same problem… I feel for your mother).

As a treat, your mom brought you to the church again (Baby Wednesday this time) and you were passed around like a … wait, this is a mixed audience, you were passed around to a bunch of people who wanted to snuggle you.  I was concerned that two of my “ladies” here (no names will be mentioned) were about to throw down over being allowed to hold you.  I can’t blame them, they had to wait a WHOLE SIXTEEN DAYS!!  Your cuteness is powerful.  You might want to reign that in a bit.  Cuteness Aggression is a real thing.

Things to note: your eyes are a little brighter… it is genetically impossible for you to have brown eyes but we are still waiting to see what the final color will be.  Your hair is still soft as ever, and though it is a brownish color now, it is a crap shoot as to the final color considering that I had jet black hair as an infant and your mother had red hair as an infant. It really doesn’t matter; if you are anything like your mother you will play with the entire color spectrum and make it whatever color fits your fancy.

Your parents have asked us to keep you overnight this coming Friday!  Can’t wait!!!  It will be interesting to see if they can both actually suffer through that many hours without you.  We shall see.

Love, GrandDawn

Dear Nathalie,

Yesterday was day 9.  You’re still cute.  The decision has been made to keep you.

When I came to collect you and your mother, I was allowed to feed you again while your mom got ready for the day. You kept 99% of what I fed you down!  I burped you like a CHAMPION!  Later on, your mother made me feel like a baby genius when she asked how I did it…it is the EXACT same way I burped her as a baby.

I even got to dress you this day!  When I was done, you looked at me as if you had evil plans forming in your head:

Yesterday was your first official visit to the home of “The Grands” (this is how I envision you referring to your grandfather and me one day) outside of the womb.  It was a mellow sort of visit. You slept through most of it. The Kitties Three immediately came to check you out in your throne, (which is how we shall refer to any object in which you are seated) without committing to any sort of interest; never touching you, just sniffing.  Once fully sniffed, the trio spent the rest of the time circling around you and the room like furry, footed…sharks.  It was awesome.  It was as if they KNEW that there was something interesting and special present and yet they showed an appropriate level of fear. You are now a deity.

Enjoy your elevated status.

Love, GrandDawn