GrandDawn’s Log: Day 187

OH MY GOSH NATHALIE!!

I totally missed your 6-month milestone, your second quarterly review! In all fairness to me, only by 4 days. I might even say that it is your fault. YOU have been quite the distraction this week. Perhaps we can place the blame elsewhere… but that would be a long story and I don’t know if you understand the word “interloper” or if you would ever be able to wrap your head around the lackadaisical way the County of Elkhart handles things regarding unwanted “Tenants at Will” but let’s just remember this is the year you spent living at The Grand’s house for the holiday season… yes, you have pretty much been staying with us (your parents too) since Thanksgiving. In the spirit of the holidays, I am just going to give the review 5 stars and thumbs up!!

The good thing about having you here every day is that I have really gotten to watch you in all your glory and fury. Yes, you have fury…and it is ADORABLE, but maybe not so much when your parents are trying to sleep. You are sleeping more during the night but there is no real pattern to your sleep time. I think this crazy living situation has sort of screwed that up for you. BLAME THE INTERLOPERS!! Your daytime naps only seem to average about twenty minutes (unless you count the ones where GrandDawn gets you to sleep). You still demand to be entertained most of the time, which is really unfortunate for whichever parent is in charge of you because that means that a lot of things don’t get done regularly. I imagine it is really hard on your parents with Dad working a normal(ish) Monday- Friday 9am to 5pm (ish) and then Mom working whatever days 4 – 6 days a week usually at 3pm to 10:30pm. People who work the same shift can tag team childcare and household chores… but then they need full-time childcare and that cost can be expensive. There is always one sacrifice or another in parenting. Moving on…

You are SOOOOO close to mastering sitting up (spitting up is something you excel at and may have even earned a degree) and your rolling over is spot on…you have tested out the Downward Dog pose for Yoga and quickly dismissed it as a means for transporting yourself and have opted for simply rolling along the floor toward whatever objects have your attention.

I want to let you know that most babies BABBLE. You, my dear Nathalie, growl and grunt. You are a little weirdo and I love it! You fell asleep on me the other day and you were even growling in your sleep…followed by smiling in your sleep. Super. Flipping. Cute.

You have successfully (meaning without showing signs of being allergic) consumed oatmeal, sweet potatoes, peaches, apricots, prunes, apples, bananas – sort of, combinations of those things, and I believe next on the list is pumpkin or blueberry. If you show signs of being allergic to pumpkin I will be heartbroken. AND…your father allowed you to suck on a lemon and you did not make the face one might expect from a baby experiencing a face-puckering citrus fruit for the first time. I wasn’t there…but I imagine he may have been disappointed.

You have also experienced your first illness… it began right before Christmas and you were feverish and congested and based on the past day or so, I think you are finally getting through it. I must apologize because odds are that my pneumonia which then became your mom’s pneumonia became your own personal ick… I am so sorry.

nathalie-sick

Your first Christmas has come and gone.I am happy to report that the very first Christmas present you opened was…A UNICORN!!! I think that your seventh present was a unicorn too…Thank you, Mrs. Jen! A this exact moment you are visiting with Grandma Christine and Grandpa Doug and they brought you SO MUCH STUFF!!! I hear that you are being a super cute baby for them, and I think you may have a diabolical plan to hide your fury so that they keep bringing you more! Between all of your grandparents and the extended families, you received quite the HAUL .. Let’s just call it Mount Spoiling and be done.

Finally, let’s talk about the rankings of your favorite people… because you know I was trailing behind GrandFather and Aunt Pixie; however, I do believe that I have lapped them! We have been playing a lot together and I have made you laugh and laugh and GROWL. This past week with you I have had the magical touch in making you fall asleep and for one of your naps you slept for 45 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of snuggling with me and then slept for another 90 MINUTES!!! WOOT!! How do you like me NOW?!?!? Not to mention, I have found the magic trick to putting you down when you fall asleep in my arms…a good magician does not share their tricks. Unless of course, all of this magic touch is a by-product of your illness. Whatever…I’m celebrating in the end zone and taking my penalty with glee!

nathalie-six-months