GrandDawn’s log: Day 93

Dear Nathalie,

Yesterday you officially turned three months old!  Go YOU!

You’re at an age where I have to do math in order to title my blog posts…but you’re worth it, for now.

Now, for your quarterly review:

I thought that I was beginning to notice that you enjoy it when I play with your toes, and after checking with your mommy supervisor, it was confirmed for me today!  YAY!  I don’t know why I like the idea of playing with your toes, other than being able to play “This Little Piggy” along with all of my whimsical variations of it…it could be an illness.  When you are old enough to complain, feel free to ask me to stop.

Your babbling is at that stage where it is adorable and your spittle bubble blowing abilities are top notch!  You are pretty capable of rolling from your back to your side. Your digestion could use some improvement, what with the constant spittle after feeding… it’s an issue that you need to work on.  I had spittle in my jacket pocket from you yesterday…that was ridiculous.

You are beginning to really interact with the toys I shove in your face and you do love a good minute in front of a colorful television screen.  We have all resigned ourselves to your morbid lullaby… your father now has it downloaded.

nathalie3months

Your face is definitely a mommy/daddy mashup.  Your eye color seems to be favoring that darker blue of your mother.  Your hair color…might actually be mine.  If so, people will call you a redhead, and a blonde, and there will be random people who say your hair is brown… like Aunt Pixie, she says my hair is brown. I admit, my locks are all three, it’s quite wonderful to not have to color it as I go gray silver white  whatever color each individual strand decides to turn into.  If you do get my hair color, you’re welcome. I will, however, apologize in advance for the unbearable warmth if you get the QUANTITY of hair… you come from a long line of thick locks, and if you have thin hair, it ain’t from my branch of the tree. If you get curly hair, I am totally saying it is from your dad unless they are perfect ringlets…we shall see.

I think that covers everything for now.  I don’t know that you will receive any kind of monetary compensation for your performance, but lots of love and ridiculous faces from and interactions with silly adults are coming your way…perhaps an increase in food variety, if you get that digestion thing handled.

Overall, good job Nathalie, thanks for joining the team.

Love, GrandDawn

GrandDawn’s Log, Day 77:

nathalie77

Dear Nathalie,

Look at you!  Still cute.  Constantly morphing between looking like your father and your mother.  You look especially like your momma when you yawn.

Day 77 is a big day… not really, it’s just the same two numbers in a row and in sum it equals 11 weeks, which again, is the same two numbers in a row.

You have had your first bath in our kitchen sink, no pictures were taken, but I believe Aunt Pixie has a video… that she will taunt you with, in about 14 years.

You are becoming more and more aware of your world.  Your mom has been back to work for a few weeks now and is still finding it hard to leave you… when she brings you over for one of us to watch you during the brief time between her going to work and your dad getting off of work, she is not saying things like “Take this little curmudgeon off my hands!”  No, she unbuckles you from the carrier and picks you up and hugs you and snuggles you and tells you that she loves you.  There is no getting you away from your momma during those last precious minutes that she has with  you before she has to go and deal with People.  She would much rather hang out with you.

You still like to kick and so your Gramps and I purchased this little play mat for you…

nathalieplaymatwe are convinced that you are intentionally kicking those little piano keys.  Shame on anyone who tries to tell us differently… even if we do perfectly lay you down on the mat so that your feet can reach the keys… pffssh – whatevs

You are much more aware of your surroundings and your mom is certain that you are recognizing the pattern of her preparing to leave – because when she does, you become a bit upset, even in your sleep.  If you don’t cut that out, Daddy is going to think you like Mommy better.

What else, what else, hmmmmm….. OH!!!  Nicknames for you are inevitable…the conversation has already begun:

natnamesI think I like Nathalima Bean…  however, I have already called you Little Bug, I am not sure why. I am going to attempt to refrain from doing that again… I am not fond of bugs.

Also, you are “conversing” a little bit.  You look up at our faces and you make intentional little noises like you are actually attempting to communicate and we – at least I – repeat them back to you.  During one of these conversations I just started saying your name in a sing-song sort of way and you started to just drift off… you are so WEIRD when it comes to lullabies… first Hozier’s In a Week and now… YOUR NAME.  WTFrank Kid?!?!

Oh, and another thing that you find soothing…the voice of your grandfather.  There are times when you are being held by someone and get upset and he will pet your little head and look into your little eyes and just say something in a calm soothing voice… a phrase that always includes referring to you as “Precious” like it is your name, and then…you are okay. I COMPLETLEY understand, he has that same effect on me.

Oh, and you like it when people play with your lips… not sure what is up with that, but you do. I don’t fully understand the inner workings of baby brains, I just accept that it is something you like and exploit the crap out of it to get a smile out of you.

I look forward to the day when you can appreciate it when I attempt to play with your toes…right now, you are not into that crap at all.

To be honest, in this household, I think I am your least favorite.  Between Grampa and his soothing voice and Aunt Pixie’s utter adoration, I seem pretty vanilla in your world of humans, and that is ok…I become really likable to children when they learn to string more than two words together.  I will be focusing on vocabulary with you the moment you seem to spit out a syllable with intent…and, I am going to teach you cursive writing in the event that your mom is too busy and the school systems still insist on no longer including it in their curriculum!  Sorry, rabbit trail.  Look more pictures!nathalie77b

Enjoy your babyhood little one and don’t mind me plotting your future lessons in my head, you just do you.

Love, GrandDawn