It is hard to believe our daughter is almost ten months old. Yet, it is even harder to imagine that at this time last year we did not know her!
Like any good main character of a feature film, Leah has had many moments of humor, a little bit of drama, and a lot of love lately.
Here are a few snapshots of daily life with Leah.
#1 – getting dad’s attention
David and I work from home, and there are many times where Leah finds creative ways to entertain herself. Lately, a musical table, blocks, balls, egg shakers, and a singing Minnie Mouse are a few of her favorite things.
Regardless of how caught up in the moment she is, the second David answers a phone call for work in the office, Leah immediately looks up from whatever she is working on like a dog who just saw a bunny. Then she gets on all fours and puts her head down and darts to the one spot along the baby gate where she can see her dad.
From there, she proceeds to yell, shout, and jump up and down for her dad’s attention.
#2 – bye-bye means hi?
One of Leah’s favorite things to babble is “bye-bye”, complete with a massive grin and a hearty wave. She says it in the right scenario often times, and especially, when someone waves and says bye to her.
One of the sweetest of these moments is when we were at the pediatrician’s office and Leah had to get her flu shot. After the shot, her cheeks were red and soaked with tears. When the woman who gave Leah the shot was leaving the room, she said goodbye, to which Leah kindly responded with a shaky voice and in between inhales and tears “bye, bye”.
Other times, we are realizing her “bye-bye” may also mean “hello”. Her grandpa came to visit and upon welcoming him into our home, Leah immediately bursts out and exclaims “bye-bye!” complete with her signature wave and smile.
#3 – to be held
Leah continues to grow into her personality, her sense of humor, and her laughter. And I love it. It is all a unique joy and privilege to experience as her mother and father.
In all honesty though, we have had our share of challenging times in there too this month. Leah had her first cold. Our “usually sleeps-thru-the-nighter” was waking up and crying the the middle of the night, insisting on being held.
One night she woke up screaming, and as soon as I picked her up, she would stop. Put her down — angry as a hornet. Pick her up — silence. David and I were taking turns holding Leah whenever one of us felt defeated, and we each tried our own handful of tricks. Eventually, feeling a bit manipulated and frustrated one night, I sat down in the rocking chair and began rocking with her while she slept in my arms.
As she slept on me like a rag-doll, breathing deep baby breaths and nuzzled against my chest, the frustration started to fade. And my thoughts of the alarm I had set for working the next day, the deadlines, and the work projects faded as well. I know these days (or nights) are numbered. She will not always fit in my arms or on my lap, and that someday, I’m gonna miss this.
When I’m trying to go to the bathroom, and I see those tiny fingers reaching as far as she can fit them underneath the door from the other side, I will remember these moments with fondness. Leah just wants to be near me, and I’m gonna miss even this.
The other day, I received my first call from the infant care room while at the gym. Leah was screaming, and the workers were at a loss. I am realizing how special it is that I am her mother — the one who makes everything right again. There will be a day when she doesn’t need me like this anymore, or even worse, when simply holding her won’t be enough to fix what’s wrong.
Yes, I’m gonna miss this.
little Leah-isms
Leah loves to pull my face into hers and giggle, so we can giggle together with zero space between our faces.
Leah will dash for escaping to the wide open spaces any time we leave the baby gate open in the living room. She will stop to wave and say “bye-bye” to us sitting on the ground next to her toys though — either out of politeness or to make sure we are all seeing her cleverness.
Leah had an extra short nap one day and did NOT want to go back to sleep. In an effort to keep us all sane, we went to a big department store. Leah would use every muscle in her body to reach out from the stroller, bum off of the seat, to touch the line of soft sweaters. With a massive smile painted on her face, there we walked, up and down the rows of sweaters, to feel the softness of every single one.
Depending on what we are eating, we will take the tray off of her high chair and pull her seat up to eat at the table with us. This also means she is able to eat reclined to one side with her foot up on the table.
Leah on a swing in the sunshine is my favorite. She sometimes closes her eyes or stares off in the distance looking so content to feel sunshine and the breeze in her hair and on her cheeks. Take her out of the swing though, and she will let you know that she was not ready to leave.
Leah, I love you so much, I could E-X-P-L-O-D-E!