Are you mama's bird or mama's baby?!

I realize that it's been four week since I've written. I thought blogging was tough to squeeze in with a demanding job. HA! My appreciation for time grows exponentially daily. The past month has been exciting in our house. The Great Samoan Hunter started a new job, one that he waited very patiently for. While we are thrilled he landed a job that is fulfilling, we miss him very much around here. I've spent more time with him in the last several months than I have since we started dating, and we still like each other.

It's been incredible getting to know our baby together. Malia has had a unique four months exclusively with her parents. It feels like yesterday we brought a tiny little infant home who did a lot of sleeping and eating. That little infant has morphed into a squealing, giggling, delightful little baby who now smiles with such joy at her daddy when walks in the door. I know she would smile at him because he is her dad. However, I am confident that smile twinkles like it does because she's seen him from the moment she woke up to the moment she went to sleep for the past four and half months. Lucky girl.

Now Baby M and I spend our days together just the two of us (three including Tuli, poor neglected guy!). We're settling into a groove of naps (most days), chores, errands, and walks.  I picked up a freelance writing job, which has been great fun writing for $$$! Needless to say, the poor blog has landed in the same category as my yoga practice -- back burner. I write blog posts in my head as I rock her to sleep each night. They are super entertaining! Maybe one day I'll get around to actually publishing them.

Today our girl celebrates her twenty week birthday. I fall more in love with her every day. My little human is a giggling , neck nuzzling, hugging, squealing, eating!, teeth growing baby! She has become interactive with an array of sounds she uses to communicate her moods, needs, wishes, secrets. Each morning she tells me what I like to think are her dreams from the previous nights. She whispers with breathy little coos that are the most charming sounds. This same baby is capable of making bird-like squawks and squeals. I often tease her, "are you mama's bird or mama's baby." Baby, silly.

This past weekend was big!  Her first tooth erupted out of her pink baby gums. That sharp white tooth was disruptive for everyone, particularly for grandma who watched her for the first time while I got a much needed and much appreciated massage (thanks Jules!). She cried while I was gone. This child rarely cries. I thought she cried because she missed me, but it turns out she was teething. We saw this coming, as the past month we've all been covered in gallons of sweet baby drool.

With teeth comes eating. She tasted her first bit of rice cereal and is totally hooked. In fact, I feel guilty eating in front of her now because she looks at me like where's my egg salad sandwich mom? There's no going back now. She landed in the right family -- we're eaters.

More about Miss M:

We've transitioned from bassinet to crib. The Great Samoan Hunter was starting to wonder why we paid for that fancy bed. It took a few nights, but she seems to be enjoying her space. She's not quite sleeping through the night yet. She usually wakes up between four and six, at which time I sneak her into bed with us. There's nothing greater than waking up next to her smiling face.

She's learned to scoot -- backwards/sideways! I place her in the middle of her mat surrounded by her animal friends, which entertains her for a moment, and then the independent little Miss starts to scoot backwards. She moved about four feet yesterday, as was evident by the trail of drool.

Bath time is still the greatest. Well, perhaps daddy's arrival home is the greatest.

Teething hurts. When I say my baby rarely cries, I am serious. She cries occasionally in her car seat or when she's super tired or hungry. I heard sad cries I've never heard before, which broke my heart.  I am sure there will be many more helpless parenting moments like that one to come. Boo.

She and Tuli are becoming increasingly interested in each other. At first he completely ignored her, leaving the room when she fussed. He now sits next to her when she plays on the floor, often licking her face (sweet milk breath!). She seems to like the feel of his fur, patting him with her little open hands. She already gravitates towards his face/ear/eyes. One day soon they will be the best of friends.

She's discovered her toes, she's nearly rolling from her back to her tummy, she's mastered upward dog and superman, and she's in the 90 percentile for height! This little person wants to move so desperately.

Malia loves her family. She's really recognizing faces/people. It's magic to watch her light up when she sees her aunties and her grandparents. We are travelling to Florida soon to meet up with the Great Samoan Hunter's family, and I can't wait for them to meet Malia. We're long overdue for some loving!

I'll stop myself here, as I could clearly spout for days about this girl. Month four has been exciting with lots of changes. I'm certain the next month will bring many more milestones and memories. I'll be sure to post some pics of our Florida adventures when we get home! xoH

Establishing good oral health habits early :)