Saturday, October 23, 2010

you can't stick it on with soap

after all, one can't leave his shadow lying about and not miss it, sooner or later


Natalie discovered her shadow today. We opened the curtains wide and let the fall sunshine spill all over the floor, and watched Natalie become fixated on chasing her shadow all around the room. She scratched at it, put her head down on it, and let it lead her from one end of the living room to the other. Not exactly a milestone you read about in the parenting books, but such a sweet, exhilarating moment--there she was, truly discovering something new!

In addition to shadow-chasing, Natalie's been battling a nasty little cold this week. A low-grade fever and majorly stuffy nose caused her a lot of discomfort and us a string of sleepless nights. She seems to be on the other side of it, thanks, in part, to a reportedly epic sneeze (as described by her daycare teachers) that helped her expel more mucus than is fair to describe here. Last night we were back to our normal routine, and it was the first night since Monday that she was able to sleep without being glued to my chest.

I'm finding that episodes like this, when Natalie is less independent and more needy, I realize more and more that I feel like a mom. It's a strange thing to fully comprehend--that I am her mother, I'm the one she wants when she's sick, I have to trust my instincts to do what is best for her. Hearing her snuffles in the night as she burrowed into my neck, seeing her red-faced feverish little self reach out for me, and being able to comfort her tears away were all terrifying moments of responsibility, but it also felt pretty darn good to know that I (we) pulled it off. She is on the mend now, nearly fully back to her independent, squirmy, cruising self. I'm so glad to see her well, and also glad to know that she trusts me to get her back to normal when she's not well. I guess the mommy thing is official now that I've mastered the bulb syringe and used my own clothes/hands/face as snot catchers.

Despite being a sickly little bear this week, Natalie did continue to impress us with her lightning-speed development. Seemingly overnight she has learned to pull herself up to standing, transition from crawling back to a sitting position, and (I swear) sometimes it even sounds like she's repeating the word "hi" back to me. She's become a pro at turning the pages of her little cardboard books, and can spot the "touch-and-learn" sections of her favorite stories without a moment's hesitation. She's finally figured out how to really make her bouncer rock and swing, has discovered how quickly she can maneuver her way around on all fours.

Yup, my kid is rocking this sixth month.

We are happy to be slowing down a bit this weekend to really enjoy all the big changes and developments that have been happening before our eyes lately. This morning we went out to breakfast, played on the floor, had a visit with baby galpal Maeve, went for a walk, and generally lazed about. Tomorrow? More of the same, I hope.

Some pictures from today of the two babes loving on each other--so cute, right?





3 comments:

  1. Sweet post -- glad she's on the mend and thanks for your editing of the Fucillo-sized sneeze/mucus episode. You guys are awesome parents --she's a lucky little girl!

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  2. i love the peter pan reference in the title! my favorite- the mary martin version from the 60's.

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  3. Wonderful post. I love little Natalie playing with her shadow and you nursing her back to full capacity.

    And? I totally think she says hi back to you guys.

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