Dear Florence,
10 days ago, you turned two months old. This past month has been a complete whirlwind in terms of milestones. You’re going above and beyond all expectations in terms of your age. You can control your head, and you use it to follow people, animal – anything that’s moving around the room. You give away your smiles like they’re going out of fashion, and it’s such a joy to see family and friend’s faces light up when you flash them a cheeky little gummy grin. The one that you follow around the most and try to giggle at is Walter. We don’t get what’s so funny about a dog, but as long he’s providing entertainment for you solely by plodding around the room, that’s fine by us.
You’ve started to gurgle and make noises back at me when I speak to you. It’s my favourite sound and I could listen to it all day! The faces you pull to try and emulate the noises I make to you are hilarious. It’s like you’re happy, shocked, surprised and amazed all in one go. One eyebrow raises, the other furrows, your lips curl as if going into a smile but instead they purse into an oval shape. I’m trying to do it now whilst typing – thankfully only the dog can see me.
Sleeping all the way through the night is totally your thing, and we feel rather lucky and blessed that you’re mangaging around 8 hours without any disturbance. In fact, it’s kind of hard to wake you up somedays. You stretch out your arms like you don’t have a care in the world (which, I guess, you don’t), have a little yawn and then stare at me as if I’m absolutely crazy. I mean, who wakes up a sleeping baby? Me. I do. I start to miss you. I don’t even regret it. Your Dad tells me to leave you asleep as long as possible, but I can’t. I have to stroke your hair or kiss your forehead or run my finger over your cheek. You’re my baby and I want you to stay this way as long as possible … I think I need to get as much of you as possible. Yesterday you stayed over at Grandma and Grandad’s overnight for the first time whilst we went to a wedding, and I can’t believe how much I missed you. My initial thought upon waking up was how badly I needed to get you back, although I knew you were in totally safe hands and were probably having the time of your life being so fussed over. Upon getting you from their house, it was like you had grown overnight. You smiled when you saw us and spent the next hour at home talking to me, telling me about your first sleepover.
I put on around 4 stone in weight whilst pregnant with you. My friends during pregnancy were 2 guys called Ben & Jerry. They’re lovely while they’re with you, but watch out … they totally stab you in the back when they’re done with you and call you fat. Anyway, to combat this we’ve started walking around Chasewater with you. It takes about an hour, and you go in the Ergobaby and love being carried around. When we first started, you rested your head against whoever-was-carrying-you’s chest and couldn’t see much over the insert that you were wrapped up in. Now, you are a full head out of the Ergobaby and you love looking around, up and down, side to side. Your eyes are everywhere, taking everything in.
Your first jabs happened last week. You had a little squeal when they happened and then were totally fine for the rest of the time in there. In the queue at the surgery, you were pulling strange faces and making embarrassing noises. This caused us to be late in to your appointment as I went to change you in the babychanging room, but it worked out OK for the receptionist who had seen you in the queue, seen us walk in to the changing room and then knocked and burst in wanting to see you. Apparently your hair had caught her eye and she needed to meet you. You smiled and gurgled for her and she told you that you had absolutely made her day. I’m so proud that you make people’s days. It’s a selfishly nice feeling for me as a parent.
Anyway, it’s time for me to go upstairs now where 100% you’ll be lying under your dad’s arm on my side of the bed. It’s my job to put you in the Moses basket. Your dad can do this, he just chooses not to. He loves you falling to sleep on him.
xxx
Ginger & Thyme 