Elsa's Day

Elsa,

You are four months old and four days old.   Here is a little play by play of a typical day for you... if you count today as typical, which is is probably not exactly... but it is a snippet of your life as a young baby anyhow.

6 AM - Your dad brings you to me to eat your breakfast.  You've slept in your crib in your shared nursery with your brother since 8 PM the previous night, with no wake ups that we can tell.  You are asleep when he brings you in to our bed.  We cuddle and you eat for about an hour. I lay down, too.  I leave you sleeping to get breakfast for me and your brother.

7:30 AM - Get you up for a diaper change, since I realize you haven't had one in hours.  Oops.  You are really wet, but your clothes aren't!  We've got night time cloth diapering down so well for you.  I turn on Good Morning America while I get waffles and chocolate milk ready for Daniel and an ice water and waffle for myself.  You are only wearing your diaper and are propped up on Boppy pillow.  You laugh and laugh.  You also fill up another diaper with stools that tell me I must have had some dairy product or you are intolerant of something else besides dairy.  Another diaper change and change of scenery.  You watch us eat from the Bumbo chair and then wait for me to get dressed from your bouncy chair.

8:15 AM - You are dressed and loaded up in the car to go to pediatrician for four month check up.  You ride in a convertible carseat, facing backward, next to your brother, who likes to hold your hand and tell me that you are awake/laughing/happy/crying.  When we arrive, I pack you into a front carry in the sling baby carrier.  You sit in a pike position and look at your barefoot toes.  You wait patiently for the visit.

10 AM - Appointment is over, and we know now that you've gained two pounds and two inches in two months. You are in 95 percentile for height, 51 for weight, and 81 for head size.  You are growing.  Several other doctors take a listen to your heart, learning from you about what a large ASD sounds like.  You don't seem to notice a bit. You play and kick on the exam table.  When we are all done, you are squished back into the sling carrier.  We head to the park, where you rest in the carrier and nap for a bit until you are too hot and need to nurse again because you are just so thirsty.  You are okay eating on the go like this.

11 AM - Trip to grocery store means another ride in sling.  You fall asleep within the first two minutes of the half hour trip.  People comment on how adorable you look, and you really do look so sweet snuggled up!  You cry when you have to get into your carseat.  We come home, you play on playmat while your brother naps, then you eat for half an hour.  You and I lay down together and look at each other and smile at 1 PM, and then you fall fast asleep.

4:30 PM- Wake up!  Smile with dad and brother, then eat for half an hour while I watch Oprah in reruns.  You play with dad and then in the Bumbo while we eat our supper.  Halfway through our dinner, you get tired and sit on Daddy's lap for the rest of our meal.  Then he bathes you, and I lotion and dress you in a one piece footed sleeper that is pink. You notice that the feet have hot pink embellishments that look like shoes and you laugh.

7 PM - Nursing and reading book time. Daniel wants to read, too, so we cuddle together to read Old MacDonald and Sammy the Seal.  You get too distracted to nurse and want to listen and look.  We pray together, listen to Daddy sing a song to Daniel in bed, and then you finish nursing (or so I think).  You go into bed at 7:30.

7:45-8:45 - Both you and Daniel are awake and annoying each other.  Both of you are overtired and cranky.  Finally we get him to sleep, but you are awake and alert at 9 PM.  You laugh and wiggle and try rolling over.  We enjoy your company and marvel at how silly you are.  You giggle and gurgle and try to roll over on the bed.

9 PM - I realize you might be still hungry or need to nurse to settle down, since you are trying to eat your fist, your blanket, the bed, and your dad.  You eat and instantly relax.  He puts you down in your own bed, lightly swaddled, and turns on your fish aquarium crib soother as a night light and for music to help you fall asleep at 9:30 PM.

What a day!