rediscovery

One thing I love about having a daughter: everything is new, everything is fascinating, and everything lights up her face with joy. Take, for instance, running water. Bridget was so fascinated with it the other day (you can see it for yourself in this QuickTime video--download the player here if you don't have it). What fascinated me was the way she moved (and watched) her hand, trying to capture the water and hold onto it.

Enjoy the video--I know I enjoyed the experience. Watching her just puts love and joy in my heart.

dear bridget

Dear Bridget,

Try not to be like me when you grow up, sweetie. I'm trying to be a better person (I don't deserve to be your mom), but it doesn't always work that way. Good thing God's got me covered when I mess up.

I'll say this right now before you're old enough to remember: I'm sorry for the times I lose my temper, either with your daddy or with you (or others, though I'm honestly not as sorry at those times because I don't love others as much as I love you). You might hear mommy raise her voice now and then, but I'm doing my best to stop that. Instead, this is the type of mom (and wife) I want to be:

One who's loving and caring and never grows impatient. One who shows respect for others at all times and never loses her temper. One who is gentle and kind. One who is happy and loves God and then shows her love for God to all who are around. One who you can be proud of. One who can be a good example for you. One who--maybe, someday, deserves to be a mom to such a wonderful, funny, sweet, adorable little girl.

I love you, Bridget, and I'll do my best to be the best for you.

Love, Mommy

first cold

My darling daughter has her first cold.

As we went to bed last night, I told Al that he had to get up with Bridget if she woke up during the night. She's been doing so frequently lately because her two bottom teeth are poking through her gums (I can finally see the tips of them!) and making their slow, excruciating way into their semi-permanent position (semi-permanent because she'll lose them someday, of course). My logic for making Al get up? One, she's on a half-formula, half-breastfeeding diet plus lots and lots of solid food (even meats) so he can get up and give her a bottle or just rock her back to sleep if she needs it (no, not with a ten-pound rock). Two, I have to work today (that's what I'm supposedly doing right now, grading) and he doesn't. Yeah, but. Didn't work that way.

I think he actually did get up with her once, but when she woke up at 3 a.m. and I tried telling him that she was awake and he needed to take care of her, I heard a grunt and then snores. Hmph. Since she was happy, saying "Dadada" over and over again, I let her lie there (lay? I never did bother figuring that one out). About 3:40 a.m. she started crying, so I dragged myself to a sitting position, found my robe and slippers, and stood up. Suddenly, Bridget cut herself off in the middle of a loud cry. Hmm. I turned on the hallway light, walked into her room, and she was asleep. Repeat waking/playing/crying cycle a couple of times, and I finally just decided to get her up during the playing cycle at 5 a.m. (Of course, Al never woke up this entire time.) I figured I'd get more rest by breastfeeding her than having her interrupt my dozing every few minutes, and she'd be comforted by my presence even if her gums were bothering her. Only problem was, when I picked her up she was burning up.

I took her temp. 100.6 degrees. Changed her diaper, stripped off her pjs, gave her infant tylenol (no, it wasn't in the recalled batch) and went in to wake up Al. Said his name loudly four times before he woke up with an irritated "What?" Told him about the fever and about being upset that he didn't get up with her two hours earlier (I was scared; my baby's never had a fever and I wasn't quite sure what to do. I think I was hoping he'd get scared, too, to justify my fear). Told him I was going to feed her and see if her fever went down. He mumbled something and went back to sleep. I took her into the living room, stretched out on the lazyboy I still haven't returned to dad (borrowed it during my pregnancy), fed my baby and cried and prayed.

Fever went down, nurse said, "Doctors will tell you that teeth coming in doesn't bring on a fever, but many mothers swear by it that it does. But better come in to check out her ears since she's been a little congested." We went in at 9:30 a.m. this morning, ears are fine, doc says it's "just a cold," which means they don't really know what's wrong and so we'll label it a cold. That's fine. She has cold-like symptoms (sometimes) and we've ruled out something worse, which is what I was worried about. And except for evenings and night-time, when she's really tired, Bridget is in her normal high spirits. She may not be as hungry, but we all know that food does just not taste good when you're sick (usually).

Get better soon, Bridget. I love you. (And I'd really like some more sleep...)

chatterbox

Bridget made her second phone call this morning. She made the first one quite a while ago, on August 25. That day she called Aunt Beth and mommy had to send Beth a text letting her know why I called and left a silent voice mail. This morning, she called my friend Krista. We're actually going to see Krista, her husband Phil (I think), and their son Jackson tomorrow and it'll be Bridget's first time meeting all of them. She's so excited that she had to call and confirm--again! Luckily, mommy caught the phone call in time to leave more than just a grunt on the voice mail; I got to tell Krista what was really going on.

Bridget's such a little chatterbox. Her current favorite is saying "dadadadada" over and over (I keep telling her that dada's at work and I'm mama, but she just doesn't get it). She's talking so much all the time (like mommy, thank God, rather than the silent type like daddy; that would drive me crazy!) that I know these phone calls of hers are just the beginning...

smiles for daddy

One thing I love: Bridget breaks into a huge smile whenever she hears Al's voice or sees his face. And she belly laughs at the simplest things he does (of course, I could try for hours and only get a half-hearted, "huh" [not even a "ha"]). She's definitely daddy's girl. So much for his fears that she won't like him.

Here she is making a classic "Al face." Beth always says that while she looks like me, Bridget's expressions are all Al's.

september's blog post

I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but... Wow! I can't believe how long it's been since I posted! I'm going to try to go at least weekly again, I swear...

Bridget is almost officially six and a half months old (she will be tomorrow). She is also about 20 pounds (I wasn't until I was nine months old, according to my baby book) and 28 inches. That equals twelve-month clothing, people. She is fascinated with my hair and has discovered her own (she likes to touch and pull mine, and I have caught her rubbing her own head as if in comparison). She likes noses, both grabbing onto them and, for the past few weeks, putting her finger into them (other people's, not her own). She started waving "Hi!" officially today. I say officially because Auntie Laura (daycare Auntie) thinks she's been doing it for about a week, but I think those two times were just her way of touching things (like the screen door). She likes to hit the palm of her hand or her fingertips against different surfaces in order to feel them. Today, though, she started studying her hand, bending her fingers as if waving to herself, and then waving her entire arm frantically every time I said, "Hi, Bridget!" She also loves the praise when I clap and say, "Yay!"

Bridget loves daycare, by the way. Never missed me one bit. Since day one, she has had a wonderful time screeching at the other children (I have a loud, talkative daughter!), played hard, and slept hard (takes three hour naps there, too). She came home during week one sitting up on her own. Al actually saw it before I did, because the second day she was in, I ended up with a migraine so bad that I couldn't keep anything down. Al took care of her after he got home so I could go to sleep. The next night, I was watching Bridget and Al play and couldn't believe she was sitting by herself. Al said, "Oh, yeah, she was doing that last night." Like, Big deal. I've seen this already. And here he was disappointed that I get to see everything first...

Another thing Bridget can do is say "Dada." I know she doesn't really know it's a word yet, but she tries out a lot of sounds now (I swear she sounds like a little Chinese baby because of the sounds she makes!) and imitated me right away when I said, "Say 'Dada.'" She does it over and over and over again, too, and she even whispers sometimes. So cute! Not crawling yet (younger cousin Lily is though--go Lily!), and no teeth yet even though she's been gnawing on stuff for about two or three months now. I didn't get my first teeth until I was seven months, but I keep expecting to see hers any day. We'll see how long it takes them to come in. This month was chock full of activity, from the Renaissance Festival to the park (we went on my birthday) and the family reunion. And in about half an hour (if I can get her up and fed in time--just heard her, so I might just make it) we're headed to dad's for a family dinner (I made chili). Til next time!

Oh, here are some pics: Renaissance Festival, Family Reunion, September pics

from daily to monthly

Bridget is standing in my lap and begging to write a blog of her own right now. Either that, or eat my pile of post-its.

It's been another month (already?) since I've blogged, and Bridget's on to several tasty, homemade foods (I love the book Top 100 Baby Purees by Annabel Karmel) and so far hasn't rejected a thing. She gobbles up bananas, though, and makes a funny face at green beans when they're warm. She's an ambi-roller now (Zoolander reference) and has six teeth that are visible, but haven't quite broken through the gums yet (the "fangs," as Rachel calls them, on top and bottom, and the two middle teeth in the front). She now sucks her bottom lip in and tries to talk with her mouth closed ("mmm, mmm, mmm..."). She's in twelve-month clothing (except for pants--they're too long still) and only has about three outfits that fit, so mommy has to go shopping (and do laundry). She's gone to the zoo (ignored the animals, loved the kids), Music in the Park (loved watching the kids, again), and is sociable again (doesn't throw a fit when someone besides mommy holds her). She had her first ride in a shopping cart (but her butt slid sideways) and can almost sit up by herself (I think that and crawling will come soon--friends have told me that when she starts rocking on hands and knees, she's about to crawl). She loves bathtime and splashes up a storm (mommy is literally soaked by the time she's through). She loves cousins Noah and Ella (and Lily, but seems more expressive when looking at the other two). She tries to pet Mya (who's one today, by the way). And she starts daycare in two and a half weeks when mommy goes back to work! (I'm teaching one class and getting ready for my exams starting in September. I don't want to hand her over and miss the majority of her waking hours, even if she is going to be with family!)

Finally, she's getting crabby and hungry since she didn't nap today and it's been almost two hours since she finished her mid-afternoon meal. Here are pictures! Maybe I'll even blog again later this month, but if not, more in September...